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Forgotten Lands - Chapter 41 (Book 1)
🕑 Added 2024-02-23 11:00:03 +0000 UTCDavid and the three girls ascended the flight of stairs. They didn’t rush upstairs and talked about their fight instead.
“We did a pretty good job. The Tower of Nature is not as frightening as everyone says. It should be easier than expected, don’t you think so?” Natalia jumped out in excitement, her exhilarated voice resounding.
Melanie looked at her cousin, her lips pressed together.
“Maybe, Zayn was right. You shouldn’t use your Healing Light that of–...”
They reached the Tower of Nature’s second floor before Melanie could finish her sentence. The last words couldn’t escape her lips as an unbelievable scene unfolded in front of her.
The others followed Melanie’s gaze, and their jaws dropped to the ground.
Zayn weaved through a group of 20 Sabertooth Hounds, several Aegis Natura blocking the monsters’ paths right before roots burst from the ground, piercing the Sabertooth Hounds where their defenses were the weakest.
Dozens of roots heed Zayn’s will at some point. They slithered on the surface like snakes and lunged forward according to Zayn’s commands. However, Zayn didn’t even look like he was paying attention to the roots. He never glanced at them. Instead, his focus lingered on the Sabertooth Hounds.
He blinked once to evade the charge of three monsters and observed his surroundings intently. More Sabertooth Hounds attacked, their nimble movements taking the Players by surprise. However, Zayn didn’t panic. He twisted his body nonchalantly and plunged the Shanyt Axe deep into the skull of the nearest Sabertooth Hound.
He lightly kicked another Sabertooth Hound and used Aegis Natura once again to block the charge of two more Sabertooth Hounds. Once their charge halted abruptly, the monsters were struck in their stomach. Two roots shot upward at top speed and pierced them before they could regain their momentum.
The Sabertooth Hounds fell victim to Zayn’s graceful movements and exceptional timing. He used his Cards as if he was born with them. His Card Utility, nimbleness, and energy management were extraordinary. The Sabertooth Hounds didn’t manage to attack him once before the last one fell prey to the Shanyt Axe’s razor-sharp edge.
Zayn had already consumed a Booster before he entered the Tower of Nature. He didn’t think that it would be necessary to waste his stockpile of Boosters and other potions that soon, but his foresight taught him better. Zayn’s first impression of Melanie’s team was not that great. They felt like pay-to-win Players.
It was not necessarily bad to invest in Forgotten Lands, but it was annoying to encounter Players who acted like they were bigshots only to be average Players at best.
20 Sabertooth Hounds have been slain. +5 Soul Essences, +3 Common Card Shards
Zayn collected the Card Shards before his eyes landed on Melanie and her group.
“Did you enjoy the show?”
His voice was neutral, void of emotions, but his eyes were ice-cold as they locked onto the Players.
David’s lips parted but he shut his mouth soon after.
“If you’re here to conquer a dungeon rather than letting a nobody do your work, how about you help a little bit?”
This time, a trace of annoyance could be heard in Zayn’s voice. David and the others felt bad for underestimating Zayn.
“You didn’t tell me that you were an expert!” Melanie exclaimed, her high-pitched voice resounding through the floor.
Her attempt to ease the tension in the air was apparent, but she failed miserably.
Even though Zayn knew that most people played Forgotten Lands to make some quick bucks while having fun, he was not here for the same goal. The reason he played Forgotten Lands was far more serious.
If other Players were not compatible with him or slowed him down unnecessarily, he would rather raid dungeons solo. Unfortunately, that was not feasible. Tower of Nature required at least three Players to enter. Other dungeons had much stricter rules. They were larger and required at least 10, 20, or 100 Players.
‘Finding companions won’t be easy.’
Forgotten Lands had just launched and it was not like the situation all over Forgotten Lands would change in the next few weeks. Several weeks later the community would get more serious about the game as more companies joined with heavy investments. Workshops offering salaries to Players would rise out of nowhere and the competition for resources would start for real.
The first villages and towns would be claimed, Players would find their way to smaller cities and new regions with limited grinding spots for rare resource deposits and Cards. These grinding spots were money pits and one of the biggest reasons Forgotten Lands would turn into a highly competitive battlefield between larger corporates.
Once more news about profits from professional gamers and corporates reached everyone, the world would change. More than one billion Players would play Forgotten Lands at its peak, and the number would have increased further if Forgotten Lands hadn’t disappeared. It disappeared as a virtual reality game and returned as a cataclysm in reality.
“We will help you!” David announced once he regained his senses. He grit his double-headed War Axe tightly and approached Zayn.
Scent of Treasure picked up the smell of rotten flesh and wet dog. Zayn spun around on his heels and looked ahead. A group of 25 Sabertooth Hounds paved their way through the thicket on the second floor. They headed to the group of Players and picked up top speed when their targets entered their eyes.
“Target the most crowded areas, or aim for the Sabertooth Hounds’ chest. Don’t aim anywhere near your teammates until you learn how to hit your enemies precisely instead of your comrades,” Zayn ordered Blake.
She remained silent but nodded slowly.
“Natalia. Stop wasting your Healing Light. I don’t know how many more Cards you have, but if you focus entirely on healing…stay near Blake and cast your Cards only when someone is hurt. Your Healing Light drains too much energy and it attracts the attention of monsters. They will target you, which will make it much harder to fight the Sabertooth Hounds.”
Zayn’s gaze moved past Natalia and landed on David.
“Your Agility Foundation is way too low. I acknowledge your physical strength and endurance, but you move too slowly. Natalia has a hard time taking care of your sloppy fighting style. Your strength might work in real life, but Sabertooth Hounds and various other monsters are several times faster than most Athletes in reality. You are too narrow-minded and you think of Forgotten Lands as a simple game. Stop doing that, steady your feet on the ground and protect Blake and Natalia.”
He gave Natalia, Blake, and David a few more pointers to have them adjust their positioning and stance. Only then did he turn to Melanie.
“Stop using your Cards like they’re overpowered K.O. abilities. Your Cards are in your Heart Deck, and the Heart Deck is part of your body. Consider Cards as a part of your body as well. Learn how to use them naturally mid-battle.”
Zayn had a lot more to say but the Sabertooth Hounds didn’t let him. They charged ahead at top speed and were about to reach him and Melanie. Melanie panicked a little, but the corner of Zayn’s lip curled upward. The Sabertooth Hounds pounced at the two Players, only to be struck mid-air by a wall of dozens of vines and roots.
Two roots pierced the necks of a pair of Sabertooth Hounds, killing them on the spot. Meanwhile, the remaining Sabertooth Hounds pouncing at Melanie and Zayn were entangled in the mess of intertwined vines and roots.
Zayn was just about to make his move when his senses tingled. He shot to the side, barely evading a fireball that would have hit him otherwise. He glared back at Blake, who shuddered for a moment.
“Sorry…” She mumbled shyly.
Melanie appeared next to him, her high Agility Foundation allowing her to keep up with some of the slower Sabertooth Hounds.
“She aimed at the vine wall and killed two hounds.”
Zayn heard Melanie barely, but his head flicked back to the wall of vines and roots. The wall had been set ablaze, burning down Zayn’s Plan B. Buti t was just like Melanie said. Two charred corpses were entangled in the blazing vines, and more Sabertooth Hounds caught in the entanglement of vines and roots were affected by the blazing flames.
He gave Blake a thumbs-up instead of cursing her for nearly hitting him. The young Sorceress calmed down a little and conjured another fireball. This time, the fireball sizzled through the air in a beautiful arc. It struck one of the entangled Sabertooth Hounds in the chest, killing the monster as the blazing mass of fire exploded.
Zayn blinked behind the burning vine wall and slashed the throat of the closest Sabertooth Hound in an instant. The monster didn’t react fast enough and was taken by surprise. A moment, Zayn used Root Strike thrice to entangle the next closest target and slow it down while piercing two Sabertooth Hounds that had been focusing on Melanie.
Melanie made a small detour and dashed around the vine wall, but she arrived near Zayn not long after. She looked at him for a second for killing the two monsters that had eyed her, however, no word escaped her lips.
‘Are they angry with me, or are they more serious about this now?’
Natalia stopped spamming her Healing Light, David didn’t give any stupid remarks, and both Blake and Melanie seemed to be doing much better than before.
‘Or they were too nervous because it’s their first time diving into a dungeon. Maybe, I was a bit harsh on them.’
Zayn sighed inwardly, but he didn’t say anything. Melanie and the rest did better than before, but that didn’t mean they were doing exceptionally. They were still far from good.
However, Zany saw a glimmer of hope. Maybe, it was possible to teach them a little.
