Because of the heavy fog that covered their area, it is hard to tell the exact time during the day. Besides the high noontime, everything within ten meters vicinity is hard to see clearly, so this place is extremely dangerous to venture alone, not to mention they could not wake William up for so many days. They already indicated their current situation, yet, no one is willing to talk about it out.
After preparing lunch, everybody gathered together to discuss the next move. "Nacorn, can you tell me what has had happened at that time? What exactly is happening with you to not wake up for so many days?" From William's view, someone can't sleep straight for almost a week without being hungry, not to mention they are in such a loud environment because of the attack from the spirit beasts.
"Ahem, I don't know what exactly happened, too. That night after returning from the shift, I just cultivate as I normally did. Not long after that, I felt a heavy pressure all over the body, it was like a huge bolder after bigger bolder... stack up all over my body. After that, I seemed to remember the past when I first meet with them..." Nacorn glances at both Benak and Carone after continue his thoughts about what happened to his body. "I think I made a breakthrough with my cultivation. I think my elemental is earth element because I always feel an affinity with it."
Both Benak and Carone almost choke at the same time after hearing that last sentence. Aren't their cultivation almost in the same stage, but why did heaven choose him instead of them? "You said you had a breakthrough, and it is also earth elemental, too. Are you kidding us, Narcon, this is not something to joke with?" It is so rare to have someone breakthrough before the age of twenty-five.
"Snort!" A causal snort could be heard by Vernora. Just as she wants to broaden their vision, she seemed to remember her situation is not good. That stupid ancestor of her without any talent still manages to a breakthrough the third cycle of the elemental realm by the age of fifty. It is the only beginning of the cultivation after one breakthrough to the elemental realm because if you can not break through this threshold, you are not considering a cultivator. In the mortal realm, everyone is to refine their body to minimize the risk of exploding to death during the breakthrough time arrives. It is already a setting stone since birth that one body can only contain one elemental, but her body is special than the rest that she has more than one elementals.
Everyone looks at her for only a brief moment, however, no one seems to care about her discontent. "Woof, woof, woof..." the little puppy grumble sound could be heard as it stares at the heavily misty place, her senses told her that something bad is coming.
"Come here Snowy! Take this meat. Don't play around too much." Vernora calling for Rosy, but she still low grumble at the direction of the heavy mist vicinity. Not long before Rosy begin to calm down again, it was as if the thing in the mist already left the vicinity of their camp.
Without being able to rest for so many nights, Rosy also exhausted but she feels restless now when that thing comes close to their camp. If only she could return to her little place for some resting, she could recover at least some of her strength. She hopes that things won't return for at least a few more days. After returning and laid beside William's body, she could finally feel safe and rest.
Looking at the spirit beast that she always cares about, Vernora feels jealous when that little puppy likes to stay with that hateful rascal more than her. Just as she about to go and pick it up, William already places Rosy over his lap while stroking it gently. The scene in front of her making her saw some illusions, it was as she had seen that scene before. The scene that burry deep inside her innermost place but it does not last long before she returns to her normal self. However, she is a woman who always seeks knowledge with the sudden pop up of such memory, she tried to review most of her life experience. The more she tries to remember, the more headache she gets. She grasps her head and everything becomes blurry.
With the sudden collapse of Vernora, William was the first to respond, he seems to forget about Rosy who is currently resting on his lap. He jumps and catches Vernora before she could even touch the ground, it was as this action was a natural response from his body. It seems her condition is not better yet, if it continues being like this how long are they gonna stay here. Rosy who catches up in this wake up again...
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Inside an unknown cave where there is a pool of blood and the bad smell from skeletons remaining could be seen by naked eyes in which those skeletons were mixed from many species of spirit beasts and including the human, too.
"There is a beast that can sense this lord." If not because of the unknown spiritual suppression from that unknown entity there, those fools should already become this lord sacrifice ritual. Anyways that unknown entity already left, so this lord can finally take his depression on them. Well since it has been a long time that there is a group of humans dares to enter this place, let them entertain this lord well for the time being.
After browsing through every corner of the cave, there is a remaining of a bear type spirit beast laid there for a long time without corroding away like most of the other species in there.
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After placing both Vernora and Rosy to rest inside the tent, everybody waiting for William to return before continuing their discussion. "William, there is good news, and also bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?" Nacorn nods his head toward Benak, Carone to confirm their opinion before speaking about what they had found during these few days. So, do both of them.
With how serious their face being laid on a table like that, William knows that the worst situation is likely not less than the stress of entourage from the spirit beasts. But, what about the good news that Nacorn just mentions?
"I am just get up, well at least let me hear some good news, right? It is one of a kind to improve your mood, no. We have spent so many days with those nasty things that happened one after another." Let me hear some good news first before my entire spirit cannot take it anymore. What kind of world is this? Dealing with headaches one after another, ah, when will I can return to Rosa?
William's solemn expression making the trio believe that he wants to hear somethings good before dealing with the worst scenario of their current situation.
"The good news is, there are so many healthy herbs in this vicinity and their ages are also matured with some of them are over a hundred years old, but..." Before Nacorn could continue further about the bad news, William's eyes already spark like a kid seeing his special toy at his hand.
"Really? Is this for real?" William's hands are shaking while holding the meat stick. His eyes telling them how good this news for him. Almost one and half month has passed since they left the Sun city, this is the first good news from the time they have had entered the forest. If Nacorn said is real, then there must be a spirit soil within this place for sure. 'Ah, my little treasure, you must not be withered, yet. Your dad can finally return home.'
A light pat on his shoulder brought William back to reality. "There is still bad news in which we have to face." Nacorn also misses the pub and life in the city, how can he not miss the flower of the pub? In a blink of an eye, one and half month has passed with the life and death of every single step within this forest. Now, with the goal of finding spiritual herbs such near at hand, but they don't know whether they had the life to enjoy this treasure trove or not.
"Sorry, I am too happy and forget our current situation. What is this bad news that you are afraid even to talk clearly about it?" William also wanted to know what is so bad that they are too afraid to even talk about it?
"We might have stepped into one of the forbidden ground in this forest. There are many forbidden areas that many who had ventured there never return." Nacorn said in a serious tone, this may be their last adventure together. After a long sigh, he continues to tell William about the knowledge about the forbidden grounds that they know about.
"The Abyss cliff, there is a legend said that cliff does not have the floor because no one has ever returned from there. There is a rumor about a master of wind elemental who can fly as long as there is the wind, but when that master tried to explore the dept of that cliff, he never returns to the surface. They were many witnesses during that event, they had also waiting for him for an entire month. Some of the key witnesses also tried to pry what is at the dept of that cliff by using a very long rope, but there is no one returns after pulling back the rope." Nacorn pauses for a brief moment after he told the story that happened more than a century ago. Even though it seems like a legend, but everyone who tried to pry the dept has never returned from that cliff.
"The second one is a paradise in the legend, there is a rumor about heaven beauty lake that only appear to the fated one. If there is paradise on earth then it is that place, but it is just a legend. This is just a joke to every adventurer because no one has ever seen it. If it were not a record within the library of the adventure guild, no one would believe it." Nacorn also does not believe it, however, since there is a record within the adventure guild, it must have existed somewhere in this forest.
"The third one is the well known notorious name that everyone afraid to even think about discussing it, well, you can guess its name from our environment." Nacorn also wishes where they are at is just some special curriculum because of the forest. Both Benak, Carone also wish for the same thing.
"Don't bit around the bush, the third place is known as the Fogging valley because there is no one that has ever come out of that place alive one entered." Carone interrupts Nacorn storytelling, with how stress he has been this few days already. Not long before he remembers something was off, right, how can he forget it? There is a new member withing their rank. How can she appear here? When they cannot even leave this place.
"Hey, do any of you remember seeing that girl around here?" Carone instinct told him that she is the key to leave this place.
"No, I don't meet anyone while exploring around here."
"Me, too." Both Benak and Nacorn replied with the same answer.
"Don't tell me..." Benak catches the meaning behind Carone's word.
"Yes, I have the same thought, too."
"Hey, what are both of you thinking? Don't leave me out of this?" With the slow wit Nacorn, he still does not get the meaning of Carone.
"Hmph, so all of you thinking that we are in the third location, right?" After thinking about their encounter and the special environment they are currently in, William caught a glimpse of it.
"I don't want to admit it, but it seems the situation is really so..." Carone is the one who replies toward William's question. The chit chat continues till the nightfall, just after everyone prepares to go to their own tent...
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"Rawr! Rawr! Rawr!" the sound of the beast roar could be heard all of a sudden when they don't even hear one for so many days passed by.
"Have you place any protective charms around our camp?" When William asks them this question, the trio makes a very strange smiling face.
"Don't tell me."
"Yes"
"How can you do this?"
"Well, we have had forgotten about it because it is too peaceful here. We are also afraid to land ourselves on them. You know how heavy the fog here and dangerous that thing can be when it explodes, no."
"Oh, sh**" William face already distort because of the trio answer.
"Nevermind, let's wish that beast is a low rank one or else..." No one is willing to talk after that.
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"William dodges it!"
Nacorn jumps straight at the beast as he borrows the momentum from the explosive force of his left leg that kicks on the bear-like spirit beast. The paw of the spirit beast that just heavily punches toward William as he avoids it with just a few slight centimeters missing. These beasts have an appearance similar to a bear yet the fur on its body replace with the sharp of quills instead of the soft fur.