Adrian reappeared at the plains where he first met the spirit kings and where Vayu and Soleil’s ascension or evolution took place. He could see from there the distant forest that Lauma had warned him not to casually enter because that is part of the territory of the faekin.
Adrian made up his mind and strode forth towards the distant forest. Along the way, he could see tall reeds of grass that sway with wind as if dancing with it. The three suns were high in the sky yet the temperature did not increase but instead a cool breeze always touches Adrian’s face.
Unlike other places rich in plant life, Alfheim is a bit different as there are more flowers than grass. You can even mistake some flowers because they look like grass. Along the way, Adrian could even hear faint singing and chimes of a bell but he could not pinpoint the location.
He could not pinpoint the location of the sounds that he is hearing because he can hear it all around him. The sound feels distant yet near and near yet distant. It felt like he is hearing it in his mind not with his ears. He enjoyed listening because it felt like nature itself is singing a song just for him.
[You have arrived at Whimsical Forest.]
He finally arrived at the distant forest that he could see from afar but it was not trees that greeted him. The forest from afar looked like it had trees on it but it is actually large mushrooms. Mushrooms of different colors that are as tall as trees could be seen everywhere.
The biggest of the mushrooms is about ten meters tall. It has a color scheme of a brown top with some patches of red and a green stem that had rings of yellow on it. The next in height are mushrooms that are purple but has red spikes at the end of the top hat. The stem is white with dark rings on it.
All kinds of mushrooms filled this forest that made it look something from a children’s fairy tale. The atmosphere of the place is completed by the occasional flickering lights that felt like glittering stars fell from the sky.
“Fairies are said to be like children because they like to pull pranks on other people for their own amusement. But I should not forget that not all tales about fairies are nice and sweet.” Adrian muttered to himself.
In olden folklore, fae people are told to be beautiful and ugly at the same time. They might protect nature and such but there could use extreme methods in order to protect nature. They sometimes also abduct children and exchange them with something more sinister.
In the end, the image of the fae people are dependent on where the stories are created and who created them. Adrian wished that he did not encounter the evil half of those stories. He continued to travel inside the Whimsical Forest but he found it strange that he encountered no foes.
The beautiful scenery also made him lose his guard a little so he is partly to blame for not being observant. Adrian immediately summoned his soulbounds because he found it strange that he did not encounter monsters. He asked Sirius if he could sense monsters nearby but the latter shook its head.
Saena though perched at Adrian’s shoulders as she stood upright like a queen looking down on his subjects. Kanlaon just circled above the group and is ready to spew its breath attack towards anyone who would dare attack them.
Charon though is like a child and poked some of the mushrooms here and there. Adrian did not stop it because he found it cute as the Life Eater is acting like a curious child. Adrian let his soulbounds do what they want whenever they are out because they might feel cramped in the Soul Chamber.
Charon saw something different from the surroundings because his sight is different from the others. Charon has a special sight to only see the souls of others even if they hide it from sight. Charon lifted its lamp and activated his Soul Siphon skill.
A large blue sphere of light enveloped the area they were in and Charon absorbed all the souls of the hidden enemies. Adrian became alarmed when he saw Charon use its skill without its command. He thought that Charon just used it accidentally but the latter could be seen with a large pool of health for barriers.
Adrian then immediately tensed up and sensed that something is wrong with the surroundings. He unfurled his wings and flapped it so that the shining particles in the air is not in his general area. He also asked Saena to do the same.
The area they were in became cleared of shiny particles and he could finally see what the inside of the forest really is. The mushrooms are actually hideous monsters that grab their prey suddenly and Charon is actually just ignoring their attacks because of the Unbothered skill.
The beautiful scenery that Adrian saw is actually just all an illusion. The beautiful mushrooms are actually monstrosities that eat the flesh of others. This must be the reason why he did not encounter any other creatures in this forest despite being inside it for so long.
Monster: Man-Eating Terroshrooms
Level: 145
HP: 4,000,000 / 5,000,000
MP: 1 / 1
Description: A dangerous living mushroom said to eat anything and everything around it as long as the prey gets close to it. It poses as a giant mushroom in order to seem harmless. When an unsuspecting victim comes close to it, it will transform into its monster form and swallow the prey whole. They like to live in areas where Whimsy Spore are abundant.
“Whimsy spore? Is that the glittering powder like thing that is inside this forest?” Adrian thought as he opened his system interface and saw something horrific.
[You have been affected by Whimsy Spore. Do not trust what you see.]
[You have neutralized the effect of the Whimsy Spore.]
[You have been affected by Whimsy Spore. Do not trust what you see.]
[You have neutralized the effect of the Whimsy Spore.]
….
Adrian is shocked because the spore is actually affecting him every second that he is inside the forest. The odd thing about it is that Adrian did not even see the system notification pop up. This forest is basically a death trap for anyone who goes inside of it.
“This spore is very dangerous. I need to get out of here as soon as possible.” Adrian stated as he climbed up of Kanlaon.
Adrian instructed Sirius to bring Charon and Saena in his shadow. Sirius then hid in Adrian’s shadow as he tapped Kanlaon’s side to blitz through the forest as fast as he can. He also instructed his dragon to evade every mushroom in the vicinity because he is not sure if it is just a mushroom or is actually another monster.
Seeing the prey escaping the area they were in, the monster mushrooms decided to forego their disguise and attack actively. Thankfully, they were rooted in place so they did not chase Adrian. The downside is that the obstacles for flying because arms made of mushrooms stems would suddenly stretch to block their way.
“Use your breath attack!” Adrian commanded hurriedly as it is more dangerous to stay in the forest.
Kanlaon spewed its breath attack but the fire element in his breath did not burn anything. The frost element in his breath is the one dealing damage to the stretched out arms of the monster mushroom. Adrian wondered what is happening because this is unusual for an element like fire be unusable inside a forest. Fire should be a very effective use in a forest so Adrian checked the system notifications. 𝘪𝘳.𝒸𝘰𝑚
[The Whimsy Spore is inhibiting the fire element of Kanlaon’s attack.]
[No Fire elemental damage will be dealt as long as the Whimsy Spore is active in the air.]
“What the heck!? What is this monstrous spore?! Where does it even come from? There are only mushrooms in this area.” Adrian shouted to the wind because of the situation.
While Adrian is grumbling to the air, he could suddenly see light coming from afar. He became excited as he could finally see the exit of this ghastly forest. He even commanded Kanlaon to speed up faster so that they could reach the exit faster.
Kanlaon is speeding through the Whimsical Forest when suddenly a wooden arm that had mushrooms growing on it that is different from the previous monster mushroom arms extended from below Kanlaon. The wooden arm hit Kanlaon’s chin so hard that the dragon became unconscious and Adrian is thrown off.
Due to Kanlaon losing consciousness, the dragon started crashing to the ground along with Adrian. Even Adrian is not prepared by the sudden attack as Kanlaon’s head hit him because he is sitting near Kanlaon’s head. Adrian’s vision became blurry as he got thrown off outside the forest and he could see Kanlaon becoming particles of light.
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