A few days later, at dawn, birds were chirping.
The weather was clear, and sunlight seeped through the gaps in the leaves, piercing the faint mist that spread through the forest, scattering on the ground.
The young man and woman stood shoulder to shoulder, looking at the cave, with complex emotions on their faces.
The boy had blond hair, fair skin, a sturdy build, and wore chainmail. He looked alert and spirited.
The girl, on the other hand, was shrouded in a purple-hooded robe. Some black curls spilled out from under the hood. She had wheat-colored skin, a delicate face, and a pair of particularly captivating purple eyes that shimmered like gemstones.
They were, indeed, Zhenjin and Zi Di.
A few days ago, they had escaped here while being chased by the Fire Poison Bee Swarm.
After a life-or-death struggle, they miraculously survived.
They then healed and rested in the cave, which became a temporary safe campsite allowing them to catch their breath.
However, although the cave was warm, it was ultimately not a home.
"Let's go," Zhenjin said, taking one last look at the cave before turning and heading into the woods.
Zi Di followed closely behind.
Unlike their previous escape to this place, both of them now carried large packs on their backs.
These packs contained large amounts of beast bones, meat floss, and ore.
In addition, there were several long spears and short spears.
Zhenjin's original longsword had been lost by the campfire. His only dagger was broken against the sharp skull of the Monkey-tailed Brown Bear during their fight.
So, in the past few days, Zi Di and Zhenjin worked together to create some long spears and short spears.
The long spears were about 1.8 meters, while the short spears were around 1.5 meters. The long spears were for hand-to-hand combat, while the short spears were for throwing. The spear shafts were made from nearby wood that was similar to ironwood, as hard as iron.
It was difficult for Zhenjin to carve these war spears alone; Zi Di's Corrosive Potion played a significant role.
Compared to real iron-made swords and spears, these war spears lacked value. They were neither as strong nor as sharp as real swords.
But they had no choice.
Zhenjin was in serious need of weapons, with only one intact dagger, which he gave to Zi Di.
Before setting off, Zi Di wanted to give the small dagger to Zhenjin, but he refused. Zi Di's small dagger was special and used for handling materials she needed for making potions.
Additionally, in a deep crisis, Zi Di could draw it for self-defense.
In the wilderness, despite Zhenjin's intentions, he couldn't fully protect her, so Zi Di needed some self-defense ability.
Moreover, the small dagger was of little help to Zhenjin.
Speaking of which, the claws of the Monkey-tailed Brown Bear could actually be used as weapons. But strangely, after the bear died, its claws quickly crumbled into a carbon-like ash.
Not only were they short on weapons, but also on armor.
Zi Di wore an apprentice robe, which had only weak Magic Defense abilities, making her quite vulnerable to the bites and collisions of wild beasts.
Zhenjin had discarded his pair of armguards after the fight with the Monkey-tailed Brown Bear. They provided their last bit of defense. Without them, his forearms might have been crushed.
In short, the armguards were severely deformed, one almost completely split apart, and could only be reforged.
Zhenjin also lacked a helmet, and his chainmail was his only solace.
Zhenjin took the lead, scouting the way ahead.
Zi Di brought up the rear.
They gradually entered the forest.
Their first goal was to return to the campfire site where the Fire Poison Bee Swarm had attacked them.
This had been carefully thought out.
Zhenjin's longsword was lost there. Though it was awkward to use, it still had irreplaceable value.
More importantly, only by returning to the campfire could Zi Di regain the path she had used to lead her guards during exploration and rescue missions.
That path had several temporary camps, each with some supplies.
Thanks to Zhenjin and Zi Di's efforts to store up supplies, they had plenty of food but little water.
During their journey since Zhenjin woke up, they only found a few water bags. They had no chance to obtain more drinkable water.
Though they crossed rivers, the rivers hid terrifying Python Vine, making it too risky to fetch water.
Nearby the cave, water sources were even scarcer.
The dwindling water in their bags was one of the main reasons pushing the young man and woman to leave the cave.
Tall trees stood straight and tall. Zi Di found that the deeper they went into the forest, the taller and thicker the trees became. Some even reached 50 or 60 meters, towering into the sky.
Here, the sunlight didn't beam down in pillars; it diffused through the thick white fog in the forest.
The mist was filled with the fresh scent of vegetation, and birds flew among the treetops. Occasionally, woodpeckers could be seen, perched on tree trunks at least three meters above the ground. The sound of their pecking made the forest seem even more serene.
Before long, they were deep in the forest, surrounded by nothing but trees.
Zhenjin and Zi Di stopped and began marking their path.
Zi Di carved marks into the tree trunks near the ground with her dagger. Zhenjin took out a piece of hide and used charcoal to draw a map.
This was to prevent getting lost.
It was very easy to get lost in the forest, as all the trees looked similar. Elves had extraordinary talent in this regard, and it was said that no young elf ever got lost in the forest. To elves, the forest was like home.
The consequences of getting lost were severe; the wild was unfriendly to humans, and often getting lost in the forest was the beginning of death.
Zhenjin carefully put away the hide and charcoal.
This was his fourteenth time drawing a map.
A small black spot marked the center of the hide, roughly sketched.
As Zhenjin resumed his journey, a look of hesitation appeared on his face.
After all this time, he should have found traces of his fleeing path with Zi Di.
But there were none.
The surrounding environment was full of natural energy, without any trace of their passage.
Zhenjin kept recalling the night when he held Zi Di and ran frantically through the forest. Although the situation was urgent and he didn't pay much attention, it hadn't taken long for him to find the cave.
Based on the time and speed, he hadn't run far; the campfire site should have been nearby.
"Let's go this way," Zhenjin said, leading the way.
He chose to go left.
His strategy was cautious and conservative, searching in a circle around the cave to avoid missing any clues.
By noon, the sunlight grew hotter, and the mist in the forest began to dissipate.
The visibility improved significantly, but the boy's face turned increasingly grim.
He checked his map, marking their progress as they moved through the forest. The map now showed a large circle around the cave.
Despite the thorough search, they still found no trace!
"This place is very strange!" Zi Di said, puzzled. "This forest is too vast."
Previously, they had moved through a rainforest, where the air was humid and stuffy, with low shrubs covering the forest floor, and countless vines entangled densely.
Now, this was a forest.
Although both had trees, these trees were straight, with few vines, and fewer shrubs and ferns than the rainforest.
Zhenjin also noticed this.
He initially thought the forest was small, created by the nearby peculiar hot mineral veins different from the surrounding terrain.
But now, this forest was vast, far beyond their estimation.
According to their course, the island's terrain should be mainly rainforest. Also, Zhenjin remembered clearly that during the earlier part of their escape that night, they had been surrounded by dense rainforest.
The beast, presumably a Black Panther, had attacked them from a tree that was distinctly rainforest-like.
Soon after, Zi Di discovered the cave and alerted him.
"When I spotted the cave, I immediately changed direction. By then, we were likely transitioning from rainforest to forest," Zhenjin affirmed his memory.
He had cross-checked his recollection with Zi Di's.
According to memory, the forest was just a small section, surrounded by a huge rainforest. But after a morning of exploration, the enigmatic reality lay before them, leaving them baffled.
"It seems this island is full of mysteries! Not only are there all sorts of exotic beasts, but also the plants are dangerous, and the terrain might even change strangely," Zi Di said just as a black shadow swooped from the high treetops.
The shadow was slender, incredibly fast, slicing through the air with a whoosh.
But Zhenjin was faster.
In an instant, he thrust his long spear!
The shadow's momentum halted abruptly as its short, thick neck was pierced by the spear tip, hanging upon it.
It was a peculiar bird.
About the size of an adult's fist, it was covered in black feathers as hard as iron. These heavy feathers made it unable to fly but endowed it with powerful muscles.
The bird usually hid in the foliage, leaping down upon spotting animals below, using its legs and wings to accelerate and cleverly utilizing gravity to pierce the animal's skull with its beak.
After the animal died, it consumed the brain, blood, and eyes before moving on to the flesh.
After several encounters, Zi Di named it the Ironfeather Bird.
The Ironfeather Bird was almost impenetrable, except for a weakness at its neck below the head, where the feathers were most fine, and the defensive power weakest.
At this moment, Zhenjin's spear tip had accurately pierced the Ironfeather Bird's neck.
It was a fatal blow.
Soon, the struggling bird became motionless.
Zhenjin thrust the spear into the ground, pinning the bird's body in place.
Zi Di stepped forward, taking out her dagger to dissect it. The iron feathers were very hard, making excellent materials. Additionally, she collected some of the bird's blood.
The meat was of little value and could be discarded.
While Zi Di harvested materials, Zhenjin stood guard with a short spear, ready for any other beast attacks.
At their first encounter with the Ironfeather Bird, Zhenjin had been flustered.
He initially swept the bird to the ground with his long spear. Though flightless, it could run fast. Zhenjin threw three short spears to slow it down before finally killing it with a thrust into its belly, which ruined the spear tip.
Now, Zhenjin had grown more adept.
He found the airborne bird most dangerous but also most vulnerable, exposing its neck.
Armed with this knowledge, the Ironfeather Bird was no longer a threat and always added to their reserve.
Besides the birds, there were many other dangers in the forest.
Poisonous vipers often hid in fallen trees and decayed leaves.
Even motionless plants could not be ignored.
For instance, a seemingly innocuous moss had poisoned Zhenjin just by skin contact!
Green spots appeared on his face, round and small, without any sensation. Zi Di noticed quickly and gave him a Detoxification Potion that only relieved but did not cure the poison.
They had to quickly find the culprit moss, which Zi Di used to make a blend for the potion, finally cleansing the toxin from Zhenjin's body.
These hidden dangers significantly slowed their exploration.
As the sky dimmed, Zhenjin had to make a reluctant decision: "Let's go back to the cave to rest."