The Cornflower Witch

Book 2: Chapter 78: Blood-Eyed Spider in the Darkness

Vol 2 Chapter 78: Blood-Eyed Spider in the Darkness

Riding the white horse and traveling across the wilderness, a long-lost sense of vast openness washed over her.

Sylutia's mood was slightly light and cheerful, probably because she felt a sense of freedom, just like finally getting a happy vacation after six months of continuous overtime work.

That description was a bit exaggerated, but she truly loved this feeling of complete liberty.

Different from the journey here, the trip to Mammoth only took Sylutia two days, likely because she traveled faster alone, whereas before she had been moving with a caravan, which inevitably limited their speed.

Passing through the desolate, dark wilderness, she arrived at the border town of Mammoth. Sylutia thought for a moment, then put on the veil that 'Bad Apple' had given her earlier before walking into the local association branch here.

"I need some information on 'Spider Forest'," she said, presenting her previous Hidden Grove Badge as identification.

"Alright, please wait a moment." Faced with the request from this unfamiliar apprentice, the staff member behind the counter didn't pay it much mind. He deftly pulled a printed sheet of paper from the bookshelf behind him and handed it to the young woman.

"Spider Forest is quite dangerous. Do you have familiar companions as teammates?" Seeing the young woman was alone, he kindly reminded her.

"I'm aware, but this time I'm just going to scout the situation a bit," Sylutia explained simply.Seeing she seemed confident and was a Second Tier apprentice, likely not a novice, the staff member stopped trying to persuade her.

After getting the information, Sylutia first settled in Mammoth. Following the experience gained from her previous adventure with 'Bad Apple' and his team, she purchased supplies needed for the journey, including torches, candles, rope, and a simple tent, among other things. She then packed these items and loaded them onto the warhorse.

Early the next morning, before most people in the town had gotten up, she set out on horseback.

Heading all the way to the northwest corner of Mammoth, by noon Sylutia had reached the outskirts of 'Spider Forest'. The small paths here were overgrown with weeds, indicating no one had come exploring for a long time.

Facing the gray-white world of the border, Sylutia prepared herself, leading the warhorse into it. That slightly chilling sensation once again swept over her entire body.

Walking along the riverbank, she passed through the long stretch of gray-white world and gradually entered the interior of the forest. Here, she could see traces of small spider activity, and there were many tattered spiderwebs between the trees.

The deeper she went into the forest, the darker the sky became. It was only around 3 PM, yet it was already as dark as night.

Sensing the warhorse beside her growing restless, Sylutia stopped for the moment. She took out the lantern she hadn't used in a long time, hung it around the horse's neck, then gave it a slight touch. An orange-red halo of light spread out, illuminating the surroundings.

Advancing another few hundred meters, the forest canopy above was now completely covered by leaves and spiderwebs, almost blotting out the sky. The ground also had many small white spiders scurrying about, causing the warhorse to lift its hooves uneasily from time to time.

It seemed it would be difficult to proceed without clearing a path.

Sylutia understood now why this secret realm hadn't seen visitors for so long. Mammoth was already located on the edge of the Darkmist Mountains, remote and sparsely populated, with few stationed apprentices. Add to that the dangerous environment here and the fact that the only things produced were spiders, and most people really weren't willing to come here for adventure.

She took the lantern off the horse's neck again, holding it in her hand. As she activated the Flower Blooming Method, an invisible wave of fire spread out, igniting the surrounding spiderwebs.

The fire spread quickly, burning not only the spiderwebs but also starting to set the trees ablaze.

At this moment, Sylutia tightened her grip on the restless warhorse beside her, letting the fire spread and continuously expand outward. Large amounts of fallen leaves and spiderwebs were ignited, and thick bluish smoke rose between the trees of the forest.

She stood still in place, emerald light swirling in her eyes as if she could see through the dense woods to the situation within.

After roughly a few minutes, the forest before her seemed to 'come alive' as numerous spiders surged out from within. They climbed everywhere, densely packed like a chaotic, unnerving tide.

In response, Sylutia intensified the flames once more. Invisible waves of fire rolled and spread, igniting the approaching spiders. Scorching heat waves lifted those dry branches and small spiders, tossing them into the air where they turned into a sky full of sparks.

The smell of burning and char filled the air. Then, several large gray-white spiders rushed out rapidly from deep within the forest. Facing the waves of fire, they seemed utterly unfazed. These strange spiders were about three meters wide. After charging through the fire, their multiple pairs of black eyes scanned the area, instantly finding the young woman standing within the ring of fire, and then they charged toward her.

[White Stink Spider] (Second Tier · Insect Moth): Spiders skilled at weaving webs and ambushing enemies. When silent, their bodies blend with the environment. They are poisonous. Upon death, the fluids from their bodies emit a foul stench, marking enemies and allowing their companions to pursue.

"Hiss——"

It was clear they were furious. As they ran, their limbs scraped, and their black, oily, gleaming fangs opened, revealing their ferocious mouthparts, determined to tear this unfamiliar young woman to shreds.

However, Sylutia was well-prepared for this. She set down the lantern, drew the Glittergold Longsword from her waist, and dashed out nimbly. Like an antelope hanging its horn, she cleanly sliced through the attacking spider, its severed limbs scattering across the ground.

Green-yellow fluid splattered out, and a strange sour stench spread, forcing Sylutia to cover her nose and avoid it. Then she easily dispatched the other attacking 'White Stink Spiders', relying on her agile footwork to evade the fluids they sprayed upon death.

Creatures of the 'Insect Moth' Aspect were mostly quite weak individually. Even though these spiders were the same Second Tier as Sylutia, their strength was worlds apart.

After slaying over twenty 'White Stink Spiders' along the way, the forest finally quieted down a bit. Faced with the ground littered with spider corpses, Sylutia felt somewhat troubled.

The valuable parts on these spiders were their eyes and fangs, but looking at the pools of green-yellow fluid everywhere, Sylutia really didn't want to touch them.

Forget it, she'd just forgo these materials.

She carefully hopped between the spider corpses, avoiding those foul-smelling fluids, feeling that this process was even more difficult than the previous battle.

After slaying the surrounding Second Tier spiders, the remaining First Tier spiders, under the influence of pheromones diffusing in the air, fled in fear. They probably understood there was a very dangerous and terrifying enemy here.

Returning to the warhorse's side, Sylutia spent a good while calming it down, feeding it some treats before the white horse's emotions stabilized enough to continue following her forward.

Stepping across the white ground left by the burning flames, Sylutia continued advancing through the woods. She faintly sensed that deeper in the forest, there should be even stronger spiders. However, they never emerged, and she didn't know if they were lying in ambush for her or if they were in a state of Hibernation.

And so, it continued until the sky grew completely dark. Sylutia found a relatively safe spot, began setting up camp, and prepared to spend the night.

Thanks to the runes she had learned previously, she could now set up simple warning Magic Arrays to help her stay alert at night. Additionally, she could rely on the constructed arrays to prevent her aura from leaking out and attracting enemies. Just as she lit the campfire and began cooking tonight's meal, a figure deep within the forest slowly began to move.

Eight red eyes of varying sizes moved through the pitch-black environment like lanterns in the night. Its seemingly massive body moved with extraordinary silence as it walked, making not a single sound.

In the deep night, an intangible black shadow slowly passed through the forest until, in the distance of its vision, it saw the hazy light and shadow of a campfire.