Chapter 13 : The Hallucinatory Trap

The chirping of insects resonated through the quiet forest, blending with the occasional rustling of leaves as a soft wind passed through. Towering trees stretched endlessly, their lush canopies blotting out the sun, allowing only a few stray beams to filter through, illuminating patches of damp earth and moss-covered roots.

A tense atmosphere hung in the air as the group trudged forward, their weapons at the ready.

"Caw! Caw!"

A sharp cry echoed through the woods, followed by another—then another. The distinct calls of Red-Eyed Ravens rang from somewhere above. (Image)

Kaliweir, who was leading the group, stopped abruptly, his grip tightening on his cleaver. His sharp gaze scanned the treetops before he let out a low grunt.

"Why are there so many Red-Eyed Ravens here? These creatures are highly aggressive towards humans. If we don't cull their numbers, they'll attract even more of their kind—it'll turn into a nightmare!"

Raynor hesitated before suggesting, "Should we take a detour?"

Leylin, however, kept his eyes on the translucent projection only visible to him—courtesy of the A.I. Chip. The floating interface displayed a detailed scan of the surroundings, marking the locations of three fast-moving entities.

"We've already been spotted," he stated flatly. "They're tracking us somehow."

As if to confirm his words, the distant flapping of wings rapidly grew louder. The dark shapes of the Red-Eyed Ravens emerged from the canopy, descending upon them with calculated menace.

Kaliweir let out a short chuckle. "Since they're coming straight at us, we might as well give them a proper welcome!"

Despite the looming battle, the group remained composed. After weeks of fighting alongside one another, their coordination had improved tremendously. They each knew their role.

Leylin's gaze flickered over the projection once more. "It's three of them. And one is much larger than the others."

Kaliweir's expression darkened. "We're in trouble."

Leylin, however, showed no concern. He reached behind him, pulling his crossbow from its sling. "I'll deal with one. You four stall the other two."

There was no time to argue. With fluid precision, he raised his weapon, his mind running rapid calculations.

"Measuring wind speed… Adjusting trajectory…"

A small vial appeared in his left hand. He carefully dripped a few drops of Toxic Mist Potion onto the tip of the bolt. The liquid shimmered faintly in the light before stabilizing. Toxic Mist was a notoriously difficult potion to prepare, and Leylin had only succeeded in crafting three vials. Each drop counted.

Whoosh!

A dark streak cut through the air.

The lead Red-Eyed Raven, flying slightly ahead of the others, let out a piercing shriek as the arrow struck it squarely in the chest. Blood sprayed, and it faltered mid-air, its wings flapping wildly in pain.

However, before it could react, the potion took effect. A sizzling sound emerged as corrosive fumes spread from the wound.

"Caw! Caw!"

Its cries grew weaker, body convulsing as its flesh melted away. By the time it plummeted toward the ground, it was already half-dead.

Leylin calmly lowered his crossbow and drew his sword. With swift, practiced movements, he stepped forward and, in a single arc, sliced through the raven's throat.

Blood splattered onto the forest floor, dark and steaming. The creature twitched once before falling still.

A small smirk formed on Leylin's lips. "A.I. Chip, devour."

A faint pulse of energy rippled through his body as the fallen creature's soul was absorbed into his sea of consciousness.

[Beep! Red-Eyed Raven devoured. Strength increased by 0.2, Agility by 0.3, Vitality by 0.1, Spiritual Force by 0.09.]

Leylin's smirk faded as he turned to assess the others.

Raynor and Neela had engaged one of the ravens in battle, moving in a coordinated assault. Kaliweir and Lilisse, on the other hand, were struggling to hold off the smallest Red-Eyed Raven.

Leylin's eyes narrowed. "Raynor, Neela—help the others."

Without hesitation, he advanced toward the remaining raven. The creature, sensing his approach, flared its wings aggressively, its crimson eyes burning with malice.

Leylin extended his hand. "Umbra Hands."

A ripple of shadow surged forward, taking shape into a jagged claw that lashed toward the raven.

The creature attempted to dodge, but the shadow tendrils coiled around its body, pulling it violently downward. A resounding boom echoed as it crashed into the ground.

Leylin wasted no time. With a swift movement, he leaped forward and drove his sword deep into the raven's chest, twisting it before yanking it out in a brutal finish.

The Red-Eyed Raven let out a strangled cry before going limp.

"A.I. Chip, devour."

Another pulse of energy coursed through him as the soul was absorbed, though the effect was noticeably smaller than before.

Leylin turned back toward the last remaining raven—only to see it already dead. Raynor, Neela, Kaliweir, and Lilisse stood around the fallen corpse, panting lightly.

Kaliweir wiped his brow. "Hah… that was more difficult than expected."

Lilisse crouched, inspecting the body. "Thankfully Leylin took care of the stronger one. "

Leylin, however, remained indifferent. He gazed at the carcass of the raven, knowing full well that he couldn't absorb its soul. His powers were limited—only creatures he personally slew could be devoured.

For now, at least.

'I need to confirm if repeatedly killing the same type of creature affects the amount of soul essence I can extract… There's still much to learn about my ability.'

Though the gains from these ravens were minimal, they added up over time. More importantly, Leylin was growing stronger with each battle.

And strength was all that mattered.

"Let's move."

Without another word, the group gathered their things and continued deeper into the forest, leaving behind only useless parts of the corpses of the slain ravens and the eerie silence that followed.

"Leylin, you are incredible as ever," Neela said, her eyes shimmering with admiration. "You make everything look so effortless."

Leylin, as usual, paid no attention to praise. His mind was elsewhere, calculating variables, analyzing risks. Among them, he was undoubtedly the strongest, both in raw combat ability and intellect. Yet, he remained indifferent to material rewards, a trait that made him even more enigmatic in her eyes.

"Since everyone is okay, let's hurry back. I have a bad feeling about this," Kaliweir muttered, his grip on his weapon tightening. "The number of monsters appearing near the academy has increased too much lately."

"I agree," Leylin said simply.

"Before, we had to search for a month to find ten Red-Eyed Ravens, but now we've killed more than that in just ten days," Neela noted with concern.

"This needs to be reported. Something isn't right," Lilisse added.

"If there's a problem, it'll be for the Magi to solve. We're just apprentices; let's leave before we run into something we can't handle," Raynor said, his usual bravado dampened.

"Nicely said." Kaliweir agreed, the rest of them seemed to have an ominous feeling, and the team hurried along.

"Do you think those 2 Red-Eyed Ravens earlier were guarding some treasures? You know, ravens have a habit of collecting shiny items." Neela, who was at the back of the group, saw the gloomy expressions on everyone and said half-jokingly.

"Those are normal ravens. Although the Red-Eyed Ravens also have the word raven in their name, their bloodlines are closer to that of a Bramble Thorny Bird. Therefore, they don't have the habit of searching for treasures, but instead have an acute sense for a few special plants. In fact, Magi often raise Bramble Thorny Birds too, to use them to search for those special plants." Leylin replied, not turning back.

"How do you know that?" Raynor was obviously not convinced.

"Bramble Thorny Bird's origins...wait....Something is wrong..." Leylin replied blandly before he suddenly stopped walking.

A strange scent drifted through the air. It was faint at first, almost pleasant, but something about it made Leylin pause.

He took a sniff.

His expression darkened.

"Stop!" he ordered abruptly. "Cover your noses with cloth immediately!"

The others halted in their tracks.

"Why?" Kaliweir asked, instantly wary.

"There's something in the air. A peculiar scent." Leylin's voice was sharp.

"What scent? All I smell is the usual stink of the forest," Raynor scoffed.

Leylin ignored him.

'A.I. Chip, analyze the air composition.'

[Beep! The host has been attacked by an unknown effect… Abnormality detected.]

[Beep! Detection complete! The air contains potent hallucinatory gas particles! Five senses at risk of distortion! Expel or not?]

"Begin expulsion."

[Beep! Reserve energy has been used, expulsion in progress!]

"A.I. Chip, scan the area and find the source!"

The results came almost instantly.

Meanwhile, the others were not as lucky. Raynor suddenly stiffened, his eyes widening in panic.

"You… YOU BASTARD!" he screamed, unsheathing his sword and lunging—at a tree.

The others stepped back in shock as Raynor attacked wildly, his face twisted in rage.

Neela and Lilisse, who had heeded Leylin's warning, managed to keep their composure, but Kaliweir was shaking his head, gripping his sword like he was trying to clear his mind.

Leylin's gaze swept over them. The effects were hitting them differently—Raynor had completely succumbed, Kaliweir was struggling, and Neela and Lilisse were still rational.

Leylin glanced at his stats.

[Leylin Farlier: Knight. Level 2 Acolyte. Strength: 4.6, Agility: 5.3, Vitality: 3.9, Spiritual Force: 4.8. Status: Healthy.]

It was clear now—his advanced constitution and prior knowledge had given him a massive advantage.

[Beep! Scan completed!]

The A.I. Chip displayed a visual reconstruction of the area. About ten meters ahead, in a shallow depression, grew massive mushrooms, each as tall as a man. Their caps were a deep, ominous purple, and dark spots formed eerie patterns—faces, twisted in agony.

Leylin's eyes gleamed with understanding.

"Spider-Faced Mushrooms…" he muttered.

These mushrooms were infamous for their potent hallucinatory spores. Their strategy was simple: release hallucinogens, disorient their prey, and attract scavengers like the Red-Eyed Ravens. The remains at their base—both human and beast—told the rest of the story.

Leylin pulled a vial from his belt and uncorked it. He spoke in a cold, ancient tongue.

"Iveer- Wisoom- Kreeen."

He poured the contents onto the mushroom's cap. Instantly, the spores stopped spreading. The mushroom twitched grotesquely, its surface pulsing unnaturally.

"Quick! Wash your faces with cold water," Leylin ordered. "It'll help clear your heads."

Neela and Lilisse reacted immediately, splashing water onto their skin. Kaliweir followed suit.

"Raynor, wake up!" Kaliweir shouted, shaking him roughly.

Raynor groaned, his sword falling from his hands. His eyes flickered with confusion.

"Wha… what happened?" he mumbled, holding his head.

"Do you remember anything?" Kaliweir asked.

Raynor's expression suddenly changed. His breathing grew ragged. "I… I remember… We were fighting a Violent Hilly Bear!" His voice trembled in panic. "It almost killed me!"

Kaliweir sighed. "That was a hallucination. You were attacking a tree."

Raynor's face flushed with embarrassment. His hands clenched into fists.

"But what was that?" Neela asked, still shaken.

Leylin, now done collecting a sample from the mushroom, turned to them. "Spider-Faced Mushrooms," he explained. "They emit hallucinogenic spores to lure prey. The Red-Eyed Ravens we fought earlier were drawn here because of them. Without intervention, the spores would have kept spreading until we all succumbed."

The weight of his words settled on them.

"Leylin… thank you," Kaliweir said seriously.

"Us too," Neela and Lilisse added.

Raynor opened his mouth, hesitated, then finally mumbled, "Thanks."

Leylin barely acknowledged them. Their gratitude was meaningless to him—he had simply ensured his own safety. If they had died here, it would have drawn unnecessary attention. Besides, killing them wasn't worth the minimal strength increase he would gain from their souls.

"What now?" Kaliweir asked, his leadership all but forgotten in the presence of Leylin's competence.

"Return immediately," Leylin answered without hesitation.

No one argued.

The group quickly left, their minds still reeling from the encounter. But one thing was certain—Leylin was not just a capable potion master.