The area where I found myself was a disaster, corpses everywhere, blood splattered on the tree trunks, arms, legs, bodies cut in half, all of them black. On the ground, you could see some blue dots, obviously Elsa's magic. This time, I learned from my mistakes; I didn't get lost in my bloodlust. I was tired, very tired. I had to do double or even triple the work. There were craters everywhere; I don't know how much time passed, probably a lot. Seeing that the atmosphere was returning to normal, my sword was stained with blood, just like my armor. At these moments, I miss the help of the previous group. My body hurts. Elsa was helpful at first, but as time passed, her mana ran out, so the rest I had to do alone. I used aura, about 70%, of course, only on my sword. If I had used it on my entire body, it would have ended faster. Looking at all the havoc I caused, I let out a sigh of exhaustion.
"That was exhausting," I murmur, but it's not over yet. Now we have to gather all the orbs. Looking in the direction where Elsa was, she is asleep. Although she had the priestess's collar, she couldn't shoot more projectiles. She lasted longer than the previous time. Gathering the strength I have left, I set out. In the course of time, Elsa woke up and descended perfectly from a considerable height. She helped me collect the remaining orbs.
With a total of 130 orbs, this time there are many more than before. Since there are only two of us, it would be 65 each. Being an adventurer gives a large sum of money, especially in zone 1, where more monsters go in groups. If I decided to sell the 130 orbs, and each one is worth 3 gold, I would have a total of 390 coins. Being an adventurer is profitable as long as you are alive.
Right now, I don't have the energy or the desire to start absorbing orbs. We are almost at the border of zone 1. According to our map, we have about 3 hours of straight walking. Putting all the orbs in my ring, we set out. I didn't want to spend any more time in this damn zone; it has me fed up.
After 3 hours of walking, we saw the border. These areas are very dangerous, but not because of the monsters, but because of people. Borders are safe zones at certain points, so, as you know, they are perfect places for bandits or cults. I hope my luck is on my side; I need a moment to rest.
Borders are easy to identify; they are areas of a peculiar blue color. This place is very strange. It went from gray or black to blue. The tree leaves are blue! Interestingly, if you look at the sky, there is a great line where you can see blue sky. It is always daytime here, well, more or less, the light projected is bluish. Very strange. Looking everywhere around me with curiosity, there is also grass of the same blue color.
Each of the border zones is different; this one is blue.
"This place is very peculiar, there is even a river, but it is blue too," says Elsa.
"Don't even think about drinking that water. As you know, nothing in this place is edible," I reply.
Although there is water and some fruits in this place, nothing is edible. Everything is just appearance. Although they look healthy and shiny on the outside, inside, there is nothing but corrupt mana. This place is always trying to kill you, even though it's a safe zone; you are still in danger. Nothing is safe.
Walking a few more steps, we found a small cave. There is no one, so it's safe. We entered, and I put some bushes at the entrance to more or less cover it. I didn't want intruders right now; I wanted to sleep a little.
"Elsa, I'll sleep for a while. Under no circumstances leave this place. Have some food; you can make a small fire to cook food, but once you're done, put it out."
"All right, I'll make food for you too once you wake up."
Nodding my head, I get comfortable in a corner. When I'm about to close my eyes, I remember. Taking out the 65 mana orbs, I hand them over.
"By the way, take them and absorb them all. I need you to be stronger for zone 2."
Zone 2 will be much more difficult than zone 1. It will have a completely different environment, just like the creatures. In that place, I need Elsa to be stronger, for my sake and hers.
Now, if I close my eyes and enter the world of dreams, but as always, I never let my guard down.
This place, I would say, is more dangerous than zone 1. As people say, imagination is abundant, especially in a sick and twisted mind. Sometimes, humans can be scarier than creatures. I'm still not sure if I can bring myself to kill a person...