Invincible
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#89
🕑 Added 2024-08-27 07:02:02 +0000 UTCThe Purple Forest (1)
The Purple Forest was the stage of many ghost stories that occasionally circulated among adventurers. Strange experiences recounted by those who had wandered and lost their way in the enchanted forest often came up in tavern conversations. One of the most common stories involved the eerie phenomenon of leaves turning a dull purple and sightings of fairies.
Grrrrrr—
A fairy, no bigger than a thumb, fluttered its butterfly wings around a three-headed wolf. I spoke to the two individuals beside me.
"Stop it, Aslay. Limberton, put down your bow."
Aslay lowered his arm, encased in a metal gauntlet, and Limberton, after re-sheathing his arrow, asked me, "What is that?"
"That is a fairy. You must have heard about them in class, right?"
"Oh, that!"
Fairies are the guardians of the Purple Forest, neither enemies nor allies. They do not intervene in the battles between monsters and humans. They solely oversee the forest's ecosystem. However, there is one exception, which is the current situation.
"But it's rare to see one so easily, why now..."
As Limberton expressed his doubt, I pointed to the three-headed wolf. "Look at its belly."
The sagging belly, almost touching the ground, clearly indicated it was pregnant. The mother wolf was exuding killing intent not to attack but to defend.
"Is it pregnant?"
"Yes. The moment we attack, the fairy will become hostile."
There are two things to keep in mind when encountering a fairy. One must never harm a fairy, and one must not attack a pregnant creature. Violating either of these rules would make the entire forest unfriendly.
"Be careful not to offend them. We could get lost or buried by a sudden landslide."
"A landslide? In such a densely wooded area, is that even possible..."
"Trees and the forest can move."
They have the power to manipulate the entire Purple Forest, from underground to the sky. They could turn the forest into a maze, make you wander in circles, and even summon storms or lightning to punish you.
"There's a famous story about people who went missing trying to capture and sell fairies because of these abilities. The rumor goes that the fairies ate their corpses."
Once the fairy realized we had no intention of attacking, it stared into the three-headed wolf's eyes. The wolf, like a tamed dog, retreated with its tail tucked.
I took out a small pouch from my backpack. Inside were candies made with butter and honey, prepared by Selly.
Crack!
As I crushed the candy and approached the fairy, Limberton looked alarmed.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm going to give this to the fairy."
"What? To those terrifying creatures?"
"Just watch."
I held out the candy crumbs on my palm. The fairy showed curiosity, placing a finger on its lips, then picked up a small crumb, sniffed it, and popped it into its mouth.
Crunch.
The sound of tiny bites ceased, and the fairy's eyes widened. Then it whistled.
Wheee!
Other fairies started gathering around. It seemed they liked the ratio of butter to honey.
I gestured to Aslay and Limberton to follow and handed each of them a candy.
"Do as I do."
Aslay crushed the candy without hesitation, while Limberton reluctantly held out his trembling palm. In less than a minute, not a single crumb remained. The fairies circled us happily before waving and disappearing.
"Phew... I thought I was going to mess up and die," Limberton sighed in relief.
I chuckled at his reaction.
"They're quite cute for such terrifying creatures, aren't they?"
Aslay nodded. "Amazing. Nothing like this exists where I'm from."
Limberton looked unconvinced. "They seem like little demons to me, not cute at all. But why did you give them candy?"
"If you get on their good side, they'll provide some conveniences."
"Conveniences?"
"The forest might arrange a prime spot for us to settle down."
Encountering a fairy right from the start was a stroke of luck. Preparing the candy in hopes of such a lucky encounter was a great decision. We received their blessing as a reward.
[The fairy has shown favor to you.]
[The Purple Forest's protection will provide conveniences.]
Now, we would have a bug-free sleeping area, optimal humidity and temperature, and the forest's layout would adjust reasonably for us. The greatest benefit was that our aura and mana would increase by 1.2 times until we left the forest.
"A prime spot?"
"We are under the forest's protection. If we build a fortress, the leaves might even camouflage it for us."
"...How do you know that? It's not in the textbooks."
"Of course not. This is advanced information even active Pathfinders might not know. So keep it to yourselves."
Aslay and Limberton's mouths dropped open in amazement.
"But don't we need to know how to make that candy to use it?"
"Yes."
"Can you teach us?"
I shook my head. "No. I'm planning to patent it if I run out of money."
Limberton gave me an exasperated look.
***
The place we chose to set up our base was halfway up a mountain path. We marked our route by carving symbols into large rocks with a dagger. Using a compass on blank paper, I began drawing a map. Once we found a suitable location, a three-headed wolf appeared before us.
"Limberton, do you see any fairies around?"
"No. We can probably take this one down."
"It's prey. Everyone, get ready."
Aslay took the lead, holding his shield. The wolf tried to attack from the side, avoiding a frontal assault, but Aslay's agile movements kept it at bay. Whenever the wolf attempted to pounce, Aslay swiftly changed direction, blocking with his shield each time. Limberton was amazed.
"His movements are much more refined now..."
"He learned proper techniques, of course."
What was once raw and primitive was now disciplined and precise. At this level, he could handle the wolf on his own. Aslay glanced at me.
"Captain."
As if his blood had started to boil, he seemed to seek my permission to go all out. I nodded, and he drove his shield into the ground.
Thud!
Aslay spread his arms wide, as if to catch the wolf in a net. The wolf, delighted, lunged at him, biting his gauntlets with its two side heads.
Crunch!
The wolf bit down on the gauntlets but couldn't penetrate them, likely due to the aura reinforcing them. The side heads refused to let go, while the middle head aimed for Aslay's neck. Aslay, using his brute strength, threw the wolf into the air, which still clung to his arms. He then swung his arms down like splitting wood with an axe.
Boom!
The wolf hit the ground with a wail.
Whimpering.
The heads loosened their grip on her arms. Aslay quickly climbed onto the wolf's back, choking all three heads at once. I admired his quick thinking.
"He's aware of the howling."
When in a disadvantageous situation, three-headed wolves summon their kin with a howl. This must have been taught by the professor. Aslay's learning ability was impressive. However, there was one thing he overlooked.
"Oops!"
The necks of three-headed wolves are incredibly flexible. Even with its back held, the side heads could still turn to bite Aslay's face. The heads began to turn despite his chokehold.
"Hup!"
Aslay tightened his grip to slow the turning. Sweat began to bead on his forehead, showing how strenuous it was.
"Limberton, you know where its heart is, right?"
"Of course, I can see the chest swelling and shrinking."
"Your eyesight is excellent. Now, shoot without hurting Aslay."
Limberton drew his special metal bow. Despite his lack of strength to fully draw it, he managed well enough. The arrow embedded deeply into the wolf's chest.
Thunk!
The wolf died instantly.
"Just one shot tires me out," Limberton sighed.
"You said three shots mean an hour of rest, right?"
"Yeah. It's still awkward, but using strong force takes a lot out of me."
Strong Force (剛力) is the power to enhance strength while manipulating aura. When Aslay blocked the wolf's teeth, he probably used an Unbreakable (不) technique for defense.
"Both you and Aslay seem to have trained hard. You've definitely improved since the third exam."
They both grinned widely.
"Alright, let's set up the base."
I took out a potion from my backpack, looking like a perfume bottle.
[Scent Replicating Potion]
This potion, when mixed with the target's blood, can reproduce their scent. I opened the cap and collected the blood dripping from the wolf's heart. After sealing and shaking it, Limberton asked, "What does this do?"
"We'll cover ourselves with the wolf's scent."
"Because they have a keen sense of smell?"
"Exactly."
This was the territory of the three-headed wolves. Camouflaging ourselves as neighbors was the best strategy. Other wolves would avoid this area, recognizing it as the territory of the one we just killed. They usually act independently, only coming together when a significant external threat appears.
"Hold out your arms."
I sprayed the potion on all of us. Next, we needed to establish our stronghold. I took out a box the size of a small crate from my backpack, provided to each Pathfinder squad.
[Multi Fortress]
This magical tool constructs a temporary base using nearby materials. It disintegrates when the mana stone's power depletes, but can be recharged. I found a flat area surrounded by dense trees, just five meters ahead.
"Hmm, I wish the trees were a bit denser," I complained.
The trees moved closer together. Limberton's eyes widened in surprise.
"Oh, the forest really does help us?"
"All thanks to getting on the fairies' good side."
I placed the box on the ground and tapped the diamond-shaped mana stone embedded on the top three times.
Bzzzz—
The box emitted light, absorbing the surrounding trees. In a minute, it transformed into a two-story wooden house, with a triangular roof and a lookout space.
Aslay marveled, "Amazing."
"Indeed. It's different seeing it up close compared to the professor's demonstration."
Their eyes sparkled. The mobile fortress must have ignited their sense of adventure. After all, camping stirs a man's blood.
"Let's unpack first."
The two of them excitedly went inside. I also unpacked and leisurely took out a pamphlet. Limberton and Aslay quickly came over, showing interest.
"We haven't checked the pamphlet yet. Let's see."
I unfolded the paper with drawings of various monsters. The three-headed wolf was a C-rank worth 3 points. A leader with horns on its head was a B-rank worth 100 points. Occasionally, there were predators marked with question marks, classified as A-rank with a whopping 200 points.
Limberton gasped, "Wow, 200 points."
"We won't be targeting that," I said firmly, and Limberton sighed in relief.
"Thank goodness... I thought you were planning something risky again."
"A big score, huh."
He wasn't entirely wrong, but I kept that to myself.
"Let's see the next page. I'm curious about the resources we can gather."
"Alright."
Turning the page revealed various herbs and mana stones, along with detailed descriptions. Limberton pointed at a flower illustration.
"Pelleden Flower? Why is this worth 500 points?"
"It's used to treat pneumonia. It's known to be more effective than any other remedy."
"Oh, you mean that potion worth 50,000 gold per bottle?"
"Exactly."
Although their medicine, enhanced by magic, was advanced, they couldn't access resources as abundantly as in modern times. Thus, even a common pneumonia cure was a luxury for the wealthy. A herb that could completely cure pneumonia was understandably priceless.
"It's not an exaggeration to say rare herbs come from enchanted forests. That's why the Empire invests heavily in Pathfinders."
That concluded the detailed explanation about earning points. I closed the pamphlet and took out an unread book. Limberton squinted at me, seemingly irritated by my leisurely manner.
"Can you really afford to relax like this?"
"Rest well for now."
"Rest? Others are probably busy earning points; we should hurry too."
"Hmph, bloodthirsty for points, are they? I doubt they'll have such luxury."
I glanced at Limberton. "You must realize we're enjoying a privilege right now."
"Privilege?"
"If you're curious, go to the second floor and check. Take the telescope too."
Limberton climbed the ladder. Soon after, a thud echoed from the ceiling.
And then.
Awoooooooo
A howl echoed throughout the Purple Forest.
