“How far can you all sense now?” Klaus asked as they entered the Willow Forest’s range. At a glance, it was clear this forest would be their toughest challenge yet.
“I can only sense about a 200-meter radius, but it’s dwindling the further we advance,” Anna sighed.
“I can sense up to 500 meters, but if I focus in one direction, I can reach 700 meters,” Hanna said. As an archer, her perception was slightly more enhanced than most.
The others also shared their ranges, but aside from Miguel, who could sense as far as 600 meters around him, Lily also possessed a unique passive ability that let her sense through the wind around her. It was similar to how Klaus used elemental particles to move.
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“Then we have to be careful,” Klaus said. “This forest isn’t going to be simple at all. Stay close, and don’t cut anything unless it’s attacking. If you can dodge when something does attack, that would be even better.”
His own sensing range had dropped to 2 kilometers. But instead of panicking, he felt thrilled. Finally, he was walking on the edge of danger. It was an unusual feeling, but he could sense it—he craved the danger.
They moved quickly forward, and before long, they entered the dense forest. As soon as they did, they all felt their senses cut in half. Klaus smiled, now only he was able to sense within a 1-kilometer radius, though he knew it was bound to decrease even further.
“Klaus, do you think Lawrence and the others would betray us?” Scarlet, one of the mages who had stayed, asked as they moved.
“Isn’t it obvious? Ella got to him, and I’m sure he took the deal. Not that I blame him; that girl is more cunning than any of you give her credit for,” Klaus replied. The others exchanged looks.
Lawrence betraying them was troubling, wasn’t it? They couldn’t imagine it happening, but as Klaus had said, Lawrence had been approached—and so had many of them. The offer had been tempting, enough that most had spent hours contemplating their decision.
Some were even rethinking their choice to stay even as they moved.
Ella Duncan was an excellent strategist. It was just that she chose an unusual target this time, and that was her loss. Klaus wasn’t an average warrior.
“But don’t worry. If they make any move, I’ll handle them accordingly.”
At this point, Klaus knew his team members were still too inexperienced for the harsher challenges. He had thought about letting them face real danger in this virtual world, but since it was only a trial, he decided against it.
When their rivals’ swords came close to their necks, they would get a wake-up call. After all, they wouldn’t just stand there and let their enemies kill them.
The deeper they went, the more restricted their sensing range became.
“Anna cast a barrier spell,” Klaus suddenly commanded.
Anna didn’t need a second command; she followed his instructions immediately. Ruby and Scarlet reinforced it almost at once. They wondered why he had given the order, but the moment the barrier activated, a dense greenish mist struck it.
“Poison.”
Klaus had sensed them when they were within 500 meters, but the Voracious Bloomwood was fast. These plant monsters could move within a 2-kilometer radius by twisting their roots through the ground like snakes.
Suddenly, twelve grotesque, flower-like plants with pistils resembling teeth sped toward them, their movements eerily similar to slithering snakes.
“Might wanna reinforce the barrier more; those are Tier 6 plant monsters,” Klaus said. Anna and the other two mages quickly channeled more spiritual qi into the barrier.
The plant monsters attacked with their sharp, monstrous teeth and emitted a toxic, misty poison. Klaus examined them for a moment before coming up with a risky strategy.
“They’re weak against ice and fire, but lightning would make them scream. And the best part? That scream scares off other monsters, both plants and animals,” Klaus said, turning to Hanna.
She immediately understood the task but wasn’t sure she could pull it off. After all, there were twelve tree monsters, and they would need to release the barrier for her to shoot her arrows.
Just as the barrier prevented things from entering, it also blocked anything from going out.
“Don’t worry, big sis, you can do it,” Klaus said encouragingly. “What’s the worst that could happen?” he added with a smirk.
The others looked at him, half-expecting him to explain exactly what that might be.
“Relax, everyone. You won’t die from a short exposure to the poison. But it’ll hurt like hell, so brace yourselves.”
Hanna nocked a lightning arrow in her bow, and as soon as Klaus gave the signal, the barrier dropped, and an arrow shot forward. She quickly followed with another, releasing fourteen arrows within three seconds.
Piercing, ear-splitting screams erupted from the plant monsters as the arrows hit their marks. She missed two attacks but immediately followed with two more making her shoot 14 instead of 12 lightning-infused arrows.
“Nice work, Hanna, but next time don’t trust me blindly. What if the plants had sensed the attacks?” Klaus said, making Hanna, who was wiping tears from her eyes, look down.
The poison did hurt—intensely. It also made them overly emotional, to the point where people could find themselves laughing or crying uncontrollably, even willing to jump from heights if it got worse.
They’d only been exposed for a few seconds, but the effects were already hitting them. Well, all except Klaus. He looked completely unaffected.
“I’ll do better next time,” Hanna said.
“Good to hear,” Klaus replied, bringing out the Lotus flower, which immediately calmed the effects of the poison.
“The next time you all encounter a Voracious Bloomwood, avoid using fire or ice unless you can deliver a quick, fatal blow. They’re weak to those elements, but they’re also highly reactive to them.
“If you can’t kill them with a single ice or fire attack, make sure to have strong defenses and be ready to run. Once you’re beyond their 2-kilometer radius, they won’t be able to follow.”
Everyone nodded. After making sure they were okay, he deactivated the Lotus flower, and they continued forward. Just as Klaus had said, the next few kilometers were eerily quiet—the screams of the Voracious Bloomwoods had driven everything else away.
***
In the observation hall, the instructors nodded as they watched Klaus’s team skillfully handle the Voracious Bloomwoods.
“Instructor Simon, it looks like you’ve found yourself an expert in monsters,” Cephas remarked, glancing at the instructor whose class Klaus had attended on Monsters and Beasts.
“We’ve already met, and those few hours together broadened my perspective. This kid is full of surprises,” Instructor Simon replied.
“I guess he’s not only skilled with his weapons but also sharp with his mind,” Cephas added.
Observing the different teams, it became clear that knowing a monster’s nature beforehand made all the difference.
Ella’s team of 100 lost 14 members before managing to take down the Voracious Bloomwoods. Lawrence’s team of 64 lost 4 members; it seemed he, too, had some knowledge of the Bloomwoods’ nature.
“They’re coming up on their first major obstacle. I wonder how many will make it through,” Cephas said, watching as the three teams moved deeper into the forest.