The Cornflower Witch

Chapter 93: Encounter in the Mountains

In the forest, Sylutia walked beneath the twisted black trees, holding a sword in one hand and a basket woven from vines in the other.

The ground was covered with withered and decaying fallen leaves, and the branches overhead were mostly bare. A gloomy haze of mist shrouded the woods, making the forest floor below exceptionally deep and dark.

These kinds of trees... Sylutia recalled the scenes she had witnessed in the Shadow World, but there was no aura of the Distortion Aspect here.

It might be an influence brought by some other Aspect, she thought to herself.

After advancing another few hundred meters, her footsteps halted. Her gaze turned towards the distant tree shadows to her right front, and the hand gripping her sword hilt lifted slightly.

A strange fellow, the girl murmured inwardly, then set down the basket in her left hand.

A Red-Cheeked Mongoose was swiftly darting through the woodland. Its fur color blended with the dim environment, its body nimbly weaving between the low trees and undergrowth. Its two eyes were blood-red, and it had short, stiff fur similar to a hedgehog's.

When this Red-Cheeked Mongoose was about eighty meters away from Sylutia, its speed slowed. As if sensing the girl, it began to circle cautiously, its steps light and virtually silent as it moved. Its fur matched the surroundings perfectly; an ordinary student would never have noticed it.

Unfortunately, even such careful movements were detected by Sylutia, because in her eyes, this mongoose was as obvious as a torch in the night. Both the Aspect it carried and its body temperature, which was completely different from the plants, stood out starkly against the environment.

After waiting a short while and seeing the mongoose was still circling, planning to attack her from behind, Sylutia thought for a moment, then simply picked up her basket and walked on, not wanting to waste time waiting.Her steps didn't seem fast, but each one landed on the firmer ground within the forest, avoiding mud. Seeing its target moving away, the mongoose had to slightly quicken its pace.

Thus, one person and one mongoose walked through the woods, one after the other. After about half a kilometer, Sylutia stopped again. She took out the 'Verdant Eye' potion, dripped it into her eyes, and prepared to observe the situation and search for traces of the spring.

Seeing the girl busy with other matters, this Red-Cheeked Mongoose, possessing faint intelligence, felt its opportunity had come. It burst out rapidly from the woods behind the girl. Its grey-brown figure ran swiftly, its blood-red eyes filled with excitement. At a distance of about three meters from the girl, it leaped up, pouncing towards the back of her neck.

However, what awaited it was not the fair skin of the neck beneath the black hair, but the girl turning around with an amused, knowing smile. A black steel sword swept horizontally with ease, cleanly slicing through the neck of this cunning mongoose.

Like a giant dead rat, the mongoose was sent flying by the steel sword to one side, crashed into a tree root, rolled down, and moved no more.

Shaking her head, the girl approached a few steps and used her sword to poke at the dead mongoose, checking its condition.

It was just one step away from condensing the 'Bloodline' Aspect. An ordinary student encountering it might have been in serious trouble, getting injured by a moment of inattention. Its saliva was poisonous, and anyone bitten would likely suffer fever and fall unconscious over the next few nights.

However, why did this beast specifically target her for attack? After all, she had also condensed a complete 'First Tier·Verdant Nectar'. Such beasts generally wouldn't choose overly powerful opponents to attack.

It seems that behind such a trial assessment, there must be powerful Transcendents organizing it, because these beasts had their natural instincts altered, becoming more aggressive.

After dealing with the mongoose, Sylutia continued observing the mountain terrain. This time, she finally detected a faint trace of the 'Mist Shadow' Aspect.

It should be in that direction. The girl looked at the mountains shrouded in tree shadows, selected her direction, and continued forward.

...

Elsewhere in the forest, Komea shook the bell in her hand. A snow-white Tili Wolf, its fur covered in dew, weaved through the shrubs and undergrowth, then happily came to her side.

"Doughball, you finally came." Komea crouched down, stroking this 'dog-like' Tili Wolf, then took out some dried meat from the pouch at her waist to feed it.

With this companion's help, Komea, who had originally been quite worried, felt much more assured.

She took out a small bottle of 'Cold Fog Wine' from her bosom, dripped a few drops onto her fingertip, and let 'Doughball' lick it.

"Search carefully. If you find a place with a similar aura, lead me there." Komea stroked its ears, conveying her request.

In response, the Tili Wolf whined a few times, then walked ahead of Komea.

Although she wasn't sure if 'Doughball' really had a clue, at the moment, Komea had no better search method.

"I'll follow you for now. Just don't lead me into a ravine." Komea picked up her basket and followed.

...

On one side of the mountain forest, Solyn gripped his sword with both hands, his expression grave as he stared at the large, greenish snake raising its head before him.

[Forest Mist Snake] (First Tier·Mist Shadow): Can change the color of its scales to match its surroundings. Can also adjust its body temperature and aura, making it harder for other creatures to detect. Possesses venomous fangs. If it reaches Second Tier, it can gain the ability of Mist-Concealed Body.

He hadn't used the 'Wind-Seeking Chicken' to find the spring. Instead, he had found this well-hidden giant snake.

Fortunately, as he approached, the 'Wind-Seeking Chicken' reacted violently, making him alert and cautious in advance, otherwise, he would have been successfully ambushed by this snake.

The greenish snake before him was thicker than his thigh. If entangled, he would likely find it difficult to break free, and he also had to be wary of its venomous fangs. This forced Solyn to be extremely careful.

After observing cautiously for a while, Solyn decided to attack first. His abilities were naturally more suited for offense than defense.

Taking a swift step forward, he swung the broadsword in his hands, tracing a large arc through the air with a whistling sound, directly cleaving towards the large greenish snake.

Facing the attack, the Forest Mist Snake did not wait passively for death. Its gaze fierce and dangerous, its triangular snake head shot out, bypassing the swing of the broadsword, and lunged straight for Solyn's face.

The broadsword struck the snake's lower abdomen, scraping off scales. These hard scales were like iron saw blades, producing faint sparks where they met the sword edge. The snake's biting lunge was narrowly dodged by Solyn, who shifted slightly, causing it to bite into the leather armor on his shoulder.

The sharp venomous fangs pierced the leather armor and slightly penetrated Solyn's muscle, sending a wave of intense pain. Cold sweat also broke out on his back.

I was careless, he muttered inwardly, then erupted with all his strength, swinging the broadsword to cut a deep, bloody gash into the snake's lower abdomen, slicing off part of its tail.

He then decisively dropped the sword and used both hands to firmly grip the snake head on his shoulder, pulling its fangs out. The muscles on his arms instantly bulged with the explosive force, rendering the Forest Mist Snake's violent struggles useless.

With one hand barely holding down the writhing, python-like snake body, Solyn used his other hand to grab the sword hilt again. Like a guillotine, he pressed it down on the snake's head, crushing some scales and sinking into flesh. The blade then lodged in the snake's spinal bone.

By this time, his right hand holding the sword was already beginning to go numb. Knowing he had little time left, Solyn lifted the sword hilt again, then pressed down rapidly once more.

The shattering of scales and the snapping of bone occurred almost simultaneously. This time, it finally severed the snake's head, which fell to the ground. The detached head still glared fiercely, its protruding tongue flicking against the back of Solyn's hand, making his scalp crawl. Fortunately, without the support of its body, the isolated head could no longer move, and the fangs dripping with venom lost their usefulness.

Although he still hadn't found the 'Sweetwater Spring', Solyn had managed to defeat a First Tier monster beast in advance, achieving one objective. However, his current condition was precarious. If he couldn't detoxify quickly, simply walking out of this forest might become a problem.

...

Like Sylutia and Solyn, the students who had entered the forest were encountering enemies one after another. Some, with solid strength, fought and emerged victorious. Others, lacking sufficient experience and quick reactions, failed and left the field early.