Lilith arrived at the meeting place Shota had set up. As she approached, she saw that most of the people had already arrived and were patiently waiting. Lilith felt a tinge of guilt for being one of the last to arrive but quickly pushed it aside as she joined the group.
"How much did you hunt?" Shota asked as Lilith's feet gently touched the ground, causing a faint rustling of leaves.
"Ninety-five ogres," Lilith's words caused Shota's eyes to widen with surprise as he recounted her accomplishment. The hunt for ninety-five ogres in just four hours was no small task, and it was even more impressive when compared to the average of thirty kills for everyone else present.
"But where are the bodies?" Shota asked while looking around. "Don't tell me you forgot."
"No, I have them with me." Lilith shook her head.
"Huh? How?" Shota was filled with questions, but his mind only echoed a single answer. "A Dimensional Pocket?"
"How did you know?"
"Oh, I was right." Shota nodded. "It looks like it's pretty big, considering it can hold ninety-five ogres."
'What do you mean pretty big? It's infinite, and how did he know?' Lilith questioned.
<
'Ah... that makes sense.'
"If you can use Dimensional Pocket, then would it be okay for you to store our catch?" Shota asked as he gestured towards the sprawling heap of lifeless ogres, their gnarled limbs entwined with the sleek bodies of water tigers and massive purple snakes, their glassy eyes reflecting the dull light in eerie unison.
"Sure." Lilith approached the colossal mound of lifeless bodies. With a graceful sweep of her hand, the lifeless bodies were mysteriously spirited away into Lilith's Dimensional Pocket, leaving behind only a faint residue of their ominous presence.
"Great!" Shota's words were accompanied by a gentle pat on Lilith's back as he turned to address the group of weary warriors who had gathered on the tranquil shores of the lake. "Our four-hour journey to the elven continent has been reduced to two as Lilith has stored all the goods in her Dimensional Pocket, but we will still move right away!"
"Wooo!" A wave of euphoria washed over the group as Shota's words sank in, their exhaustion melting away in the face of this unexpected reprieve. With joyful cries, they rose to their feet and turned to face Lilith, their faces beaming with gratitude.
Soon everyone began walking deeper and deeper inside the forest. The canopy overhead filtered the sunlight into a kaleidoscope of colors. The chatter of their voices blended seamlessly with the rustling of leaves and birds chirping.
Two hours later...
"Look where here." With a joyful grin, Shota's eyes alighted on a clearing up ahead, where a brilliant beam of light pierced the forest canopy. As they drew closer, the light grew in intensity, casting an ethereal aura around the group as they approached. "We just got through the barrier."
Lilith's gaze traveled upward, her eyes widening in awe as she beheld the colossal tree that towered above her. It was a towering monolith, standing alone amidst the forest, its grandeur and majesty commanding the landscape around it.
With its trunk as thick as a mountain and its branches stretching out to the horizon, the tree seemed to reach into the very heavens itself, its apex vanishing into the clouds high above.
The tree's leaves shimmered in the sunlight, a lustrous jade green that caught the light and reflected it back like a thousand tiny mirrors. As Lilith approached, she could feel the tree's immense power and presence as if it were a living entity.
As Lilith turned her gaze back to the ground, she realized that the group had already set off toward the colossal tree, leaving Lilith behind. Quickly catching up to them, she could see that there was indeed an opening in the middle of the colossal trunk, a dark void beckoning them into its depths. The opening was large enough for several people to walk through side by side and even for large cargo to be moved in and out with ease.
"Before we go in," Shota said as he looked toward Lilith. "It would be best to hide your eyes."
"Hmmm?"
"The elves might see you as a demon." Shato sighed. "I know... but please bare with me just this one time."
"I don't mind," Lilith's voice trailed off into a whisper as she closed her eyes, her long lashes casting delicate shadows on her cheeks. As she shut them closed, the gleaming red of her demon-like eyes slowly faded away, leaving only the faintest traces of their fiery glow behind.
"Can you see like that?" Shota asked.
"Yea." Lilith nodded. With her mana sense, she was able to perceive the things her eyes normally could not.
"Alright then, let's go," As the group drew closer to the opening in the colossal world tree, Shota stepped forward and engaged in conversation with the two elven guards who stood sentinel at the entrance. Lilith was about to follow her companions through the opening when one of the elven guards held out a hand to stop her.
Lilith turned towards the elven guard, her eyes still closed.
"Who is this?" The guard asked.
"She's with us," Shota spoke.
"Is she blind?"
"Ah, yes. It was an unfortunate accident when she was practicing the sword." Shota said.
"Hmmm... alright." The guard finally gave in as he lowered his hand.
"Thank you," Shoto spoke as everyone finally entered.
A sudden surge of potent mana coursed through Lilith's body, causing her skin to tingle and her hair to stand on end. It was as if the very air around her had changed.
As she looked around, she noticed that everything had changed. The colors were more vibrant, the scents more intense, and the very fabric of reality seemed to shimmer and pulse with a raw, pulsing power that was beautiful.
"Ahhh! I still love the air here!" Someone shouted as he took in the air with a satisfied smile.
"Uh-huh! And the mana here is so good! It's practically blessed!" Another followed.
Lilith paid no heed to the raucous commentary of her companions, her attention fully absorbed by the wondrous new world that lay before her. As she gazed around, her eyes wide with wonder, she realized that this was no ordinary continent but a sprawling, vibrant city that seemed to pulse with life and energy. Everywhere she looked, trees towered into the sky, their trunks and branches adorned with intricate, multi-level houses that seemed to blend seamlessly into the foliage. The ground beneath her feet was alive with vibrant plants and flowers, their colors so vivid and intense that they seemed to glow in the sunlight.
As Lilith looked up at the sky, she was struck by the unusual radiance of the sunlight that bathed the world around her. Unlike the harsh, yellow glare of the sun in her own world, here, the light was a soft, glowing white that seemed to suffuse everything with a gentle, comforting warmth. The temperature was noticeably cooler than what she was used to, but far from being uncomfortable, it was actually rather pleasant.
'This kinda feels like a greenhouse.' Lilith thought as she reached out her hand into the warm light. 'It'd be great to sleep in this....'