"Have you finished getting ready, Raqnid?" Fat asked.
"Yes! Yes! I'm ready!" Raqnid replied.
"Let's go then!" said Fat.
They both headed to their designated gathering point.
Upon arriving, all the other members were already there, placing their belongings into the horse-drawn carriages.
"Raqnid, Fat, you guys are in the same carriage as Doug's group." Jones gave instructions.
"Yo!" Doug greeted.
"Hehe! Luckily we're in the same group." Fat smiled.
"That's right, if we were in a group with other Guardian members, it'd definitely put us in a bad mood," Kiel said.
"They're probably still mad at us for the test the other day!" Doug added.
Over the course of a year, bit by bit, the members of the Guardian group passed the tests set by Jones. Now, all of them had passed.
"Is everyone in the Hero group ready?" Gaius asked.
"Yes, all of our members are ready." Ray, the leader of the Hero group, answered.
"What about the Guardian and Support groups?"
"We're ready too, sir!" Jones replied.
"Us too!" Jamie, representing the Support group, said.
"Alright, if everyone's ready, we'll depart in 5 minutes. Get ready!" Gaius commanded.
"Yes, sir!"
After 5 minutes, they all set off. Each carriage was manned by 5 people, taking turns to control the carriage.
"I'll take the reins of this horse-drawn carriage first!" Fat was already at the front to steer the horse.
"Do whatever you want, Fat!" Raqnid only shook his head at Fat's enthusiasm.
"Hahaha!" Kiel laughed.
Nancy, as usual, remained shy and didn't speak at all.
Their journey took 3 days and 2 nights. They traveled during the day and rested at night.
Several of them were chosen to ensure the security of their convoy.
The Elven country was situated to the east of the Human country.
The first day ended without any obstacles.
The second day also went smoothly. They had entered the Elven country but hadn't reached the capital city yet.
The third day, the day they would arrive in the Elven capital.
As they approached the Elven country, they encountered taller trees, some exceeding 50 meters in height. From a distance, these tall trees were neatly arranged, resembling a fortress protecting the Elven capital.
"Wow! These trees are huge." Fat exclaimed.
"Elves are creatures that deeply love nature! Their daily lives revolve around the environment. Magic, food, and energy sources come from the surroundings. Many of their houses and structures are built within the tall trees." Kiel explained.
"How do you know all this, Kiel?" Raqnid asked.
"Hehehe! Reading!" Kiel replied with a smile.
"Huh! This guy and his books are inseparable." Doug commented.
"Hahaha! That's a good thing, at least there's someone who knows about the Elven country." Raqnid said.
"Don't worry, I know everything about the Elven country. Ask me anything. It's all up here!" Kiel pointed to his head.
"EVERYONE, HALT!" Rusk from the Stingray group yelled.
"Huh!" Raqnid looked at the towering trees around them.
Elven soldiers were guarding the outskirts of the capital, concealed atop the tall trees.
An Elf appeared at the front of their convoy. The Elf conversed with the leader of the group, Gaius, the head of the Stingray group.
The Elf wanted confirmation.
"The security here is incredibly tight!" Raqnid commented.
"How can other people could get in here?" Doug added.
"That's just how the Elf country's rules are. They don't allow anyone to enter the Elven capital freely." Kiel explained.
"Ah, I see," everyone else nodded.
After Gaius finished talking to the Elf, he returned to the group to inform his members.
"We can proceed now!" Rusk yelled, waving his hand to signal.
"Wait, how do we enter? There's no visible entrance."
"I don't know! There are just big tree roots in front of us."
Everyone started questioning.
"Don't worry, just move forward!" Carlos shouted.
They headed towards the large root in front of them. Suddenly, the large root began to move.
"Argghh! The root is moving."
"Run!"
Everyone was anxious as they watched the massive root move, causing strong vibrations.
"Wait! Look over there!" someone yelled.
Everyone looked back at the root.
"Is that light?"
"Don't worry, everyone, this is the main gate of the Elven country!" Carlos shouted.
"Wow! Impressive!"
Everyone was excited by what they saw. The capital's gate was protected by the surrounding trees. Not only that, the entire Elven capital was shielded by towering trees.
After passing through the gate, they caught sight of the actual situation within the capital. The city was filled with lush green and colorful plants. All their weariness disappeared as they stepped foot in the capital. The beautiful scenery, coupled with the fresh air, revitalized them.
"How beautiful!"
Seeing that most of the houses were built within the trees, and they were also raising peculiar animals. Whether land or air creatures, these animals served as transportation for the Elves.
"Welcome to the Elven country!" several Elf residents greeted them.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ash! I will be your guide during your stay here. If you encounter any problems, please come to me or my companions. You all must be tired after the long journey. Let me show you your resting place. Please follow me!"
"Yes! Thank you, Ash!" Blaise replied.
Ash then led the human group to their resting area.
"You can leave your horses here. We'll take care of them."
They stood in front of the residence where they would stay.
"Is this a hotel, Raqnid?" Fat asked.
"I don't know! Seems like it." Raqnid answered.
The dwelling they were about to occupy appeared like tall structures. The difference was that these structures were trees.
They were given keys to their rooms. As they entered their lodgings, they were all taken aback by the interior.
"Hey, this is almost like our world!"
"Yeah, inside these trees feels like a hotel!"
"Look at this! They even have elevators!"
"Amazing!"
They all went to their respective rooms.
Raqnid and Fat entered their room.
"Wow, I never imagined the Elven country to be this incredible," Fat exclaimed.
"Hahaha!"
Raqnid walked over to the window. Because their room was situated at a high position, he could see the unique cityscape from that vantage point.
*I'm in your village now, Sara,* Raqnid thought to himself.
Without further delay, he placed all his belongings in the room.
"Hey Raqnid, where are you going? Are you crazy, trying to jump out of the window?" Fat asked.
"Haha! I just can't wait to explore this city," Raqnid replied.
"Even if you can't wait, jumping out of a window is a bit extreme, isn't it?" Fat said.
"I just want to get a bird's eye view of the city!" Raqnid explained.
"Ummm, alright!"
Because the trees were closely positioned, Raqnid found it easy to leap from one tree to another.
[Stealth active][S] – With this skill, others wouldn't be able to detect Raqnid's movements. He could freely move around without being noticed.
Raqnid moved randomly until he spotted the tallest tree in the middle of the city. It stood over 100 meters tall.
*Interesting! I wonder what's up there?*
Without realizing it, he entered a restricted area, the tree's prohibited zone.
Shooosh!
"Huh?" One of the guards patrolling the area sensed something had just passed him.
"What's wrong? I felt like someone just went past me!" the guard said.
"Haha! You're being silly. No one can climb this high! We're at a height of 50 meters, and besides, there are no branches at this height. It's different if the person is a spider; they can run vertically." his colleague replied.
[Spider Leg][A] – This skill allowed the user's legs to move on various surfaces like a spider. It could only last for 5 minutes.
With his new skill, Raqnid was able to move vertically. It felt like he was running straight up for 100 meters.
"Hehe! Almost there!"
At 80 meters in height, he could see the next branch not far ahead. Thick clouds began to obscure his vision. He then jumped from branch to branch without being able to see the end. Once he reached the final branch, thick clouds covered the entire surface.
"Huh! Alright, here goes! Hiyarghhh!" Raqnid jumped as high as he could, surpassing the thick clouds.
Zhoosh!
Raqnid's eyes widened as he beheld the city's beauty from the highest point. He couldn't help but smile with excitement. Looking toward the tallest tree, there was a beautiful flower garden atop it. Strangely, the tree had no leaves.
*What is this feeling? Is this what freedom feels like? Being able to move wherever I want?*
*Taking in a view that words can't describe. No one else is here, just me alone with this natural beauty. It's so peaceful!*
Raqnid landed on top of the tree, gazing at the garden filled with various colorful flowers and beautiful trees. As he soaked in the beauty of the garden, he noticed a woman caressing the flowers. The way she looked at and touched the flowers seemed so familiar.
*Is she...*
"SARA!" Raqnid accidentally called out Sara's name loudly.
*I'm doomed! I'd better run now!*
Before Raqnid could react, the woman swiftly turned her gaze toward him. His eyes widened, and he froze upon seeing her face. His intention to flee dissipated, and he found himself fixated on her.
*Could there really be angels in this world?* Raqnid thought to himself.
Both of them locked eyes, exchanging an unspoken connection.
"Sorry! I saw you from a distance, and you looked like my friend. But when you looked over here, I realized I was mistaken. Please forgive me!" Raqnid stammered.
The woman remained silent, her eyes fixed on Raqnid.
"Haha! You must be wondering how I got up here. Well, I... got lost. Haha! I'm sorry, I'll leave now!"
Silence...
Again, there was no response from the woman. She just continued staring at Raqnid.
*What's up with this woman? She's been silent from earlier!*
Raqnid looked into the woman's eyes. There was something off.
*Her face is glowing, but... Something's not right. She seems... sad?*
Then, Raqnid was taken aback by the woman's sudden change of expression.
*She's crying! But why?*
Tears welled up in her eyes, moistening her cheeks.
*What's on her mind? Who hurt her heart?*
Raqnid stood there, perplexed by the sight of the woman crying before him.
*Her eyes... They resemble Sara's from that night! Was Sara also sad that night?*
"Why are you crying? Did I do something wrong?"
Raqnid's words went unheard by the woman. Tears continued to flow for no apparent reason, leaving Raqnid baffled. Was he the cause of those tears?