The Cornflower Witch

Chapter 94: The Ogre

On the flat ground outside the forest, Yero stood beside Scholar Hyde, inquiring about the assessment.

"Teacher, this mountain forest seems particularly different from ordinary woods." He lowered the telescope in his hand.

"Yes, it should be the handiwork of a certain Witch." Scholar Hyde's eyes were deep, recalling some past events.

"A Witch?" Yero was quite surprised.

"Correct. You should have heard similar rumors. When the Kingdom of Regas was first established, Witches secretly participated."

"Such rumors indeed have some basis. They are powerful, but their training environment and system are completely different from the Candlefort School where you and I belong." Scholar Hyde thought for a moment.

"If my guess is correct, the one who created this assessment ground should be a powerful 'Nightmare' Aspect Witch."

"Their power is sufficient to permeate the forest, causing it to undergo certain changes."

...

Inside the forest, Sylutia gripped the Black Steel Short Sword, fighting against several black wolves that were attacking.These black wolves had blood-red eyes and pitch-black fur. They lacked the rebellious ferocity of the Tili Wolves, but possessed another kind of madness that feared no injury, which was chilling.

The black blade, following the rotation of her waist, sliced through the air in a sharp semicircle, cutting one black wolf in half. Another frenzied black wolf, undeterred, leaped forward through the spray of blood and bit the sleeve of the young woman.

By this time, three black wolf corpses already lay at Sylutia's feet. The remaining four did not flee but continued to swarm forward, trying to tear her down and pin her.

Seeing this, Sylutia hesitated no longer. Her left hand reached for the lantern at her waist, and then an orange-red ring of fire bloomed in the gloomy woods, accompanied by several howls of pain.

The remaining four black wolves were set ablaze, rolling and struggling frantically on the forest floor, roasting the damp leaves and producing wisps of white smoke.

Soon, their movements gradually ceased, their bodies turning charred black as they fell to the ground.

Advancing with her sword, Sylutia checked their condition and roughly formed a judgment in her mind.

It was getting more and more dangerous. These wolves were probably originally ordinary beasts, but corrupted by the 'Nightmare' Aspect, they became exceptionally frenzied, and their strength and speed were partially enhanced as well.

Could it be that all the beasts in this entire mountain were affected?

If this was the doing of the assessment organizers, what tier of professional would be capable of casting such a large-scale spell? The young woman felt she needed to readjust her understanding of high-tier professionals.

...

Before nightfall, Sylutia finally followed faint traces and found the hidden spring on the mountainside.

Cool spring water flowed from a crevice in the mountain rocks, icy to the touch, containing an extremely faint trace of the 'Mist Shadow' Aspect.

Carefully taking a small portion, she took a tiny sip and discovered a hint of sweetness. This should be the 'Sweetwater Spring' the Instructor mentioned.

Subsequently, Sylutia took out the three small water bottles she carried, filled them with the water, plugged them with stoppers, and secured them on the belt at her waist.

With that, the first objective was completed.

She looked at the already darkened sky and decided to find a relatively safe place to sleep and rest.

She simply rotated the lantern in her hand, turning the closed iron shutter to partially open it, revealing the inside. The 'Fire Glow Orchid' blooming within the glass bottle emitted a faint halo of light, illuminating the mountain path ahead for the young woman.

Invisible light and heat transformed into ripples, gently spreading outward, scorching any mosquitoes, poisonous ants, and other insects that drew near. Sylutia, wielding this specially-made lantern, walked safely through the pitch-black mountains.

However, the other trainees were not so safe.

Mick crouched beneath a split cliff face. A campfire burned before him, sending up wispy bluish smoke, but it still couldn't fend off the onslaught of various insects, making him miserable.

"There are actually so many insects here," he muttered, taking out a small piece of mosquito-repellent incense and lighting it, causing it to emit plumes of bluish smoke.

"I wonder where Jello and the others are now. This should be where they camped a few nights ago." He had been following the path of Jello's team. The journey had been smooth, with few beast attacks, but he also hadn't found any clues about the spring.

"Let's leave it at that. Get a good sleep tonight, need to pick up the pace tomorrow." He stirred the campfire in front of him, picked up the thin blanket he carried, wrapped himself in it, and leaned against a nearby rock.

...

Elsewhere, Karen secured herself on a high tree branch to spend the night. Although sleeping this way wasn't very comfortable, it was safer.

Komea also lit a fire in the woods, roasting tonight's meal for herself and 'Doughball'.

"Stop pawing at it, it's not done yet." Komea pulled back the paw of the white Tili Wolf, continued sprinkling salt grains, adding a touch of flavor to the roasted rabbit.

Solyn did not light a fire. After taking an antidote, he found a hidden spot, wrapped himself in a blanket, and half-buried himself in the soil. By now, he was too weak and had no strength left. He could only pray no other beasts would discover him tonight.

The noble youth Baren crouched on a rocky slope, frying an egg in front of him. Gazing at the distant mountains, he mentally estimated how long it would take him to reach them tomorrow.

Other trainees spent the night in caves, some built temporary sleeping places with branches, and others took particularly unconventional paths.

Even at night, Iona did not stop. The power of the 'Blazing Sun' Aspect circulating within her granted her enduring stamina. The torch in her hand illuminated the mountainous terrain at night as she gradually approached the place where the spring flowed.

...

The next morning, Sylutia woke up under the large tree where she had slept, stretched, and stood up.

She had slept quite well last night. The lantern in front of her not only provided stable light and heat but also repelled many weaker beasts, preventing them from approaching.

If the starting points of the various trainees were connected to form something like a 'U' shape, their current positions were gradually converging towards the center of that 'U', increasing the probability of encounters.

...

"Huff, huff—"

A trainee was running frantically through the mountains. He wore chainmail armor with a surcoat over it. His sword was gone, thrown who knows where. Behind him, a tall figure continuously pushed aside branches, chasing the trainee with a jeering, almost herding-chickens kind of attitude.

"An... an Ogre... there's actually an Ogre here." The trainee's eyes were filled with terror as he stumbled along the way.

"Roar—" The canopy behind him was torn open again by a thick, blue hand, revealing a head crowned with a thick, single horn.

Its face was ugly, clad in tattered animal skins. This Ogre stood nearly three meters tall, a thick wooden club held in its massive arm as it swung again at the trainee hiding beneath a tree.

The trainee hastily rolled away but was still grazed by the heavy club. One of his arms was directly broken and twisted backward. The intense pain made him unable to hold back a howling scream.

"Why... why is there an Ogre in the assessment..." His face was covered in mud and blood as he mustered his last ounce of strength to flee, muttering under his breath.

As a great enemy of humankind, Ogres were not tolerated by any secular nation. Wherever they appeared, they were hunted down. No one expected one to appear here.

"Heh, heh..." The Ogre looked at the howling trainee and let out a creepy laugh. Then its broad foot took another step forward, cracking the mountain soil, and one hand reached for the unfortunate trainee.

Soon, sounds of terror and distorted weeping and wailing spread through the mountains, startling flocks of birds into flight.

The first casualty had occurred in this assessment.