The Cornflower Witch

Book 2: Chapter 43: The Hidden Monster

Vol 2 Chapter 43: The Hidden Monster

"This is the Distant Mountain Gate."

Looking towards the arched gate at the end of the stone steps, Bad Apple took a deep breath, his heart filled with excitement and tension.

As long as he reached the other side of that gate, he could obtain the 'Stone Mist Water'. But he also knew that such a treasure would inevitably be guarded by creatures of the same 'Aspect'. For humans, the 'Stone Mist Water' was a treasure, but for those monsters from the Shadow World, it was also an extremely precious thing that could allow them to grow stronger.

"You all stay here, I'll go check the situation first." He retrieved some items from his horse's pack and began his preparations.

First, he took out a bottle of strange potion and sprayed it on himself to eliminate any scent he carried. Then he applied talcum powder to his fingers to prevent sweating. After that, he put on a specially made mask to muffle the sound and airflow of his breathing, and then donned a hood that covered all his hair to avoid unnecessary air resistance and disturbance.

After doing all this, he poisoned his two commonly used daggers, applying different toxins to each, then sheathed them at his waist. He strapped a spare dagger to his calf, prepared three types of potions for various purposes at his waist, drank a potion that could enhance his agility and speed, drank a potion that allowed for brief invisibility, and drank a potion that could reduce subtle bodily noises.

After completing these preparations, he turned back and waved a hand, then dashed towards the end of the mountain path. His figure gradually faded, like ice dropping into water, disappearing from sight.

Seeing their captain make these preparations, the other three also nodded and watched him leave.

"We should start preparing too. In case he encounters trouble and a fight breaks out, we can quickly rush over to support him." Karl turned to Sylutia and Yan and spoke."No problem." Yan nodded, but soon looked a bit embarrassed.

"It seems I can only eat something to recover my stamina. I don't know any extra methods to boost my abilities." His fighting style was straightforward, and he rarely considered situations requiring sudden bursts of power.

"Then just eat something and be ready." Karl temporarily took on the role of commanding the team.

Then he looked at Sylutia. "Tia, what about you?"

"As for me..." the girl pondered briefly.

This was actually only her second time participating in an adventure, so she hadn't prepared many methods, as she was still in the process of familiarizing and exploring.

"Probably just eat something and then adjust my state too."

After saying this, she took out the best reserve food from her luggage and handed it to the two men.

【Alfalfa Tea Biscuits】(Perfect): Small biscuits baked with perfect quality wheat flour and alfalfa flowers as the main ingredients, paired with excellent olive oil. Can quickly replenish nutrients, restore stamina, and enhance one's own Aspect.

These were the best ingredients she had, combined to bake these tea biscuits, which could be stored for a long time. The buff effect they provided had already surpassed common 'First Tier' potions, reaching the level of 'Second Tier' potions.

"Oh, I've never seen these biscuits before." Yan ate them with curiosity, though he felt the biscuits were a bit small, so he stuffed seven or eight into his mouth at once.

Then, intense nutritional energy instantly spread from his stomach throughout his entire body. His whole body felt as if it were burning, overflowing with abundant power. Not only that, his long-dormant 'Castle' Aspect also became active, something he had never experienced before.

The 'Castle' Aspect, as the most stable concept emphasizing foundational roles, was difficult to shake or influence. He never expected it to change this time.

On the other side, Karl didn't eat as many. He only stuffed three or four, but he also felt something was off, as if a burning energy was spreading inside him.

Taking a deep breath, he took out a black skull from the pouch at his waist and channeled the overflowing power from himself into it. Then, black wisps of mist continuously swirled and condensed. The fragmented wraiths previously stored within the skull were all refined and transformed, turning into pure 'Dead Embers' Aspect power.

Sylutia, of course, understood the biscuit's effects. She only ate two pieces and stopped first to feel the effects.

The Lunar Radiance Breathing Technique circulated within her body, rapidly absorbing the energy contained in her blood and gradually strengthening her physique. This feeling was just like practicing the breathing technique while bathed in moonlight.

As the three adjusted their states, at that moment at the end of the mountain path, 'Bad Apple' Rodriguez was also cautiously approaching the misty spring water within the stone crevice.

The air here was exceptionally quiet, and no living creatures could be seen around. Yet even so, he still dared not let his guard down, advancing with almost the most careful and cautious steps.

Passing by several large rocks, he stepped onto the stone slabs and slowly moved forward, gradually approaching the side of the spring. His gaze turned towards the clear water slowly flowing out from the stone crevice.

His finger carefully touched the water. An intensely cold sensation spread from his fingertip to the back of his hand, his arm, and his entire limb.

The spring water here contained the 'Mist Shadow' Aspect. However, to obtain the most valuable part, one needed to take out a container and scoop the very bottom layer of the spring water. That's where the most sedimented 'Mist Shadow' Aspect was, and that was the true 'Stone Mist Water'.

With tension and vigilance, he took out the prepared container from his waist and slowly pressed it into the water.

It took nearly a full minute for the container to slowly touch the bottom of the pool, which was only half a meter deep. This was, of course, to avoid causing any sound waves as much as possible.

But at this moment, when he needed to start filling the container with water, he couldn't afford to be so cautious anymore.

His fingers carefully opened the lid underwater. One by one, bubbles escaped from the bottle's mouth, rising to the surface and popping with a faint gurgling sound.

The icy cold water from the bottom poured into the bottle. Then, holding the bottle's mouth, he retrieved it. At this moment, Rodriguez's feelings of tension and joy reached their peak. What he didn't notice was that behind him, what was originally a rock was now gradually transforming, becoming a giant lizard, opening its pale gray vertical pupils, staring at the thief stealing the spring water before it.

A white misty breath sprayed from the lizard's mouth, soundlessly enveloping Rodriguez, who had just obtained the 'Stone Mist Water'. At this moment, 'Bad Apple' Rodriguez, who hadn't even had time to seal the bottle cap properly, instantly froze, unable to move.

Damn it, he thought urgently. At this final moment, he only had three seconds to react. Otherwise, after being petrified, he could only wait for death.

Unfortunately, during these three seconds, his body had already stiffened, utterly incapable of making any effective movements. In the end, he could only muster all his strength to loosen his fingers, letting the bottle fall to the ground, splashing and shattering, the water scattering.

Faced with the precious 'Stone Mist Water' being wasted on the ground, soaking into the mud and soil, the lizard behind Bad Apple finally became enraged. It let out a low, deep hiss, breaking the mountain's silence.

Even though this sound wasn't particularly loud, the black-haired girl at the foot of the mountain clearly heard it and realized something was wrong.

"We need to go over. I heard some kind of monster's low, angry roar. The fight has already started."

"Let's go."

The remaining two had no objections. They quickly rushed towards the stone steps, charging towards the stone arched gate at the end of the mountain path.

Saving their comrade was now.