In the
secret realm
, there was no room for regret.
Nora had entered the
Wood Field
, a stark contrast to the icy expanse of the
Water Field
she had just left.
Here, the atmosphere was much more pleasant, with towering trees stretching endlessly across an ancient forest, their canopy blocking out the sun.
The area teemed with life, and the air was rich with vitality.
Nora began moving toward the central region.
From her experience in the
Water Field
, she knew that the treasure in each
5 Field
was typically located near the center.
Since her current position at the edge of the field was just the starting point, she needed to venture further in.
As she walked, she focused on attuning herself to the
Wood Field’s
rule.
…
Unbeknownst to her, her every move was already being monitored.
Fedrick, in his tree form, used his extensive root network to detect Nora’s exact location.
Her every step was under his control. Meanwhile, Deguro was lurking in the shadows, ready to strike with a lethal blow at any moment.
Nora appeared unaware of the danger and approached a massive tree stump in the field.
She soon noticed that the surrounding environment seemed… unusual. The area carried the residual energy of a fierce battle.
Amid the dense vitality of the forest was a faint, disharmonious trace of curses.
Nora deduced that the
Cult of Calamity’s
chosen participant must have been here before. However, the treasure remained untouched, still hovering in place as if no one had tried to claim it.
…
Suddenly, a dagger emerged from the shadows, aiming straight for her back.
There was no warning, no disturbance in the air. The dagger was about to strike when a crystalline shard of ice appeared behind Nora, intercepting the attack. The icy power exploded outward, freezing the dagger and the hand that held it in an instant.
…
“I knew there’d be an ambush,” Nora said calmly, turning to face her attacker. The icy shard from the
Water Field
floated protectively at her side.
From the shadows, a figure began to emerge, revealing himself: Deguro. His right hand was encased in ice.
“Shadow magic… So you’re Deguro of the
Dark Empire
? Everyone thought you specialized in necromancy, but your real strength lies in shadows,” Nora remarked.
If it were anyone else, they might have been caught off guard. But not Nora.
…
“I didn’t expect you to recognize me so quickly,” Deguro said, his frozen hand turning into a shadowy mist. The ice fell away as his hand reverted to its original form.
“Are you from the
Dragonscale Bank
, or…
Karea Academy
?” he asked.
“My name is Nora,” she replied, not revealing her allegiance. Still, Deguro assumed she must be from
Karea Academy
.
“You’re strong,” he admitted.
“And your stealth could use work,” Nora countered bluntly.
Deguro chuckled. “I see. Let’s try again, then.”
…
Deguro vanished into the shadows once more.
A moment later, Nora felt a gust of wind behind her. Instantly, her icy shard scattered in all directions, freezing a massive shadowy fist that had appeared out of nowhere.
The
Water Field’s
ice shard was potent enough to freeze even shadows, illustrating the extreme focus of the
5 Field’s
rules.
But in the next instant, the frozen shadow fist dissipated, leaving only shattered ice on the ground.
“Freezing shadows? What a joke!” Deguro sneered.
Shadows, by nature, were intangible. Only by imbuing them with power could they take form—whether as fists or something else.
Suddenly, a beast entirely made of shadows emerged in front of Nora.
“Shadows have no true form! Your ice is useless against me!” Deguro’s voice rang out.
…
Nora’s response was to pull out her harp.
With a single stroke of her fingers across its strings, an invisible wave of power emanated from her, sweeping through the area.
Deguro, hidden within the shadows, was instantly forced into visibility. His shadowy concealment had been disrupted, and the sonic attack caused visible damage to his body.
His greatest advantage—his ability to meld into the shadows—was nullified.
With no way to hide, Deguro was forced into a direct confrontation.
Summoning shadow beasts from the surrounding darkness, he sent them charging toward Nora.
But Nora’s expression remained calm.
She plucked her harp strings once more, unleashing a barrage of icy spikes from her shard, which froze the approaching beasts.
Immediately after, another wave of sound energy shattered the frozen forms.
…
Deguro stood in shock.
All the shadow beasts he had summoned were completely destroyed.
Unlike before, when frozen shadows could revert to their original form and regroup, these were utterly annihilated.
To summon more would now cost him a significant amount of energy—energy he no longer had.
“I… I’ve lost,” Deguro muttered, lowering his head in resignation.
…
But unnoticed by everyone, a dagger embedded in a nearby tree began to drip with a faint, translucent liquid.
The droplet fell silently, with no malice or killing intent to betray its presence.
And below, directly in its path, stood Nora.
If that drop landed on her, it would spell the end.
This was Fedrick’s doing—a subtle and deadly curse, his
rule-forged creation
.
…
Yet in the critical moment, Nora seemed to sense the danger. With a quick sidestep, she avoided the falling droplet.
Her ice shard shot toward the tree, freezing it instantly.
The droplet froze mid-air, transforming into a green crystal before shattering on the ground.
Even as a frozen crystal, the cursed droplet’s power was evident: it drained the vitality from nearby plants and blackened the earth upon impact.
This showcased the terrifying nature of Fedrick’s attack.
…
Despite its lethality, Nora had avoided it entirely.
The combined attacks of
Deguro
and
Fedrick
left the spectators utterly stunned.
To be fair, despite this being their first collaboration, their tactics were flawless.
Using their mastery of the
Wood Field’s
rule and their ambush setup, any intruder would have been caught in their trap.
Fedrick, with his root network, could monitor every move within the
Wood Field
, while Deguro lay hidden in the shadows, ready to strike with lethal precision.