Chapter 282 - Lack of Direction

"OH SHIT!"

The moment Rynold walked through the portal, he started falling. He could barely make out what was around him before hitting a tree, breaking nearly all its branches, and finally landing on the ground below. The Mech God had warned him before that there was a fall when he walked through, but Rynold never expected it to be that high of one.

All has ended well, though, seeing as how Rynold made it somewhat safely to the ground. And, wherever he was now, Rynold felt the need for caution. He quickly took a look at his surroundings, finding his bearings.

As soon as he did, Rynold clicked his tongue. Slightly annoyed, Rynold sighed and started to find the tallest tree in his immediate vicinity. And, from there, he started climbing.

For all intents and purposes, Rynold was alone. While he had returned to the lab before leaving for the portal, Rynold managed to scrounge up whatever gear he might need. And, of course, even took X along with him. There was no reason for the Mech Knight to be left behind. Or, well, that was what Rynold thought until the Mech God said otherwise.

Realistically speaking, leaving X behind was the better decision. He couldn't have the Mech Knight with him on the mission because stealth was imperative. The heavy and slow X wouldn't keep up.

Rynold knew that it was a strategically sound move, so there was no reason for him to be angry about it. But then again, Rynold had a whole other reason for being pissed right now. And, for the most part, it had something to do with the last conversation he had with the Mech God before he left. Before, well, free falling a couple of hundred feet from the ground.

It feels insane for Rynold to be doing something like this. And, seeing as how not five seconds through that portal, Rynold was already in danger. Not only that, but the Mech God also mentioned that he was prey to pretty much everything here. What took the cake, though, was the fact that Rynold would always be attracting hostile creatures every second he spent here.

While Rynold was sensible, he was far from well-adjusted. He knew that there was no point in being upset at something so trivial. He was the one who chose to go through with the mission, after all. But, Rynold couldn't help but feel upset over it. Because, in all honesty, Rynold was getting sick of all the mystery and the Mech God's arrogance.

With another heavy sigh, Rynold finally reached the top of the tree he was climbing. From there, he looked out over several miles of forest, trying to find any signs of what would be the castle.

His eyes narrowed as he gazed over the horizon, Rynold focused. Until that was, he heard a snapping sound coming from below.

'What?'

Looking down as soon as he heard the sound of snapping twigs, Rynold tried to find out what would have caused such a thing. As he did, though, the snapping got louder and louder until the tree where Rynold was standing on started to tilt.

'That's just great. Something that can push an entire tree down,' Rynold thought to himself as he jumped from that treetop to the next. He caught a glimpse of what was trying to get him down, though, but knew that a fight was going to happen.

Rynold heavily exhaled as he tried to find the castle before going down to the creature below. He hurried his process, though, trying to find whatever he could. It took a few seconds, but Rynold eventually found a direction where he needed to go. It was a bit of a way away; however, Rynold thought he could get there in a few hours' time.

'Let's get this over with.'

With a determined look on his face, Rynold looked down and estimated where the creature was standing. From there, he extended his drill and jumped down from the treetop. Using gravity, Rynold activated Mana Augment and smashed the creature's skull.

'That was easy,' Rynold thought as the creature dissipated into dust, 'Although, if this thing found me, I'm sure there are others on the way. Gotta go.'

Turning his head in the direction he needed to go, Rynold started his long and winding journey towards the castle. Rynold knew it would take some time to get there, seeing as how the forest alone was difficult to navigate through. He had better start moving before any other dangers come his way.

'Boy, sure is dark.'

There was no light or anything that lit up the way. Rynold was on the cusp of night, but there was no moon in the sky. There were only dark clouds, bringing much to the ominous atmosphere.

But, well, that wouldn't stop Rynold at all. Despite having trouble seeing where he was going, Rynold didn't stop. He knew where he needed to go, after all. Although, just in case, Rynold threw out the four octahedron drones from his Inventory and activated them.

With a good sense of his environment, Rynold could rest easy. Well, as easy as an unknown environment could bring him. So, with that, he kept walking.

'It's quiet, huh?'

Rynold continuously monitored his environment has kept going. He looked around, trying to find whatever it was the Mech God meant by 'haunted.' Unfortunately, as far as Rynold could tell, this place was no different from a non-haunted forest. Although, the eerie silence didn't help to prove the contrary. It was a bit too quiet for Rynold's liking.

Nonetheless, he kept going as he had no reason to stop. Rynold remained careful, though, knowing just as how easily something would come up to him. He stayed as level-headed as he could as he moved forward.

Boom!

Out of nowhere, Rynold heard the sound of what would be an explosion. He turned in its direction and tried to sus out what was there. Unfortunately, with the darkness, Rynold couldn't see much. Then again, whatever it was, an explosion like that wasn't anything good.

So, naturally, Rynold did the logical thing and moved away. He turned back to his goal and took another step. But, it was just at that moment that a shrill scream came from the source of the explosion. It was, well, concerning for Rynold. That he, in good conscience, couldn't really leave after hearing a genuinely frightened scream like that.

'Damn it,' Rynold clicked his tongue as he ran straight towards the smoke. In hushed footsteps, Rynold activated 'Break' and commanded the four octahedron drones to settle at specific places. They floated in place, silent and ready to strike.

As Rynold approached, alone, he saw what was happening. It was far from anything Rynold had seen before, let alone believe. He just knew that the situation in front of him was something he had to get involved in, even though he'd much rather not.

The creature Rynold saw was ready to smash his fist down on the cornered little girl. Rynold sprung to action, not wasting another moment, and shot his grapple in between the two parties. Hurriedly retracting it, Rynold turned his right Mana Gauntlet into Defense-form. And, from there, he conjured up a shield to defend the strike.

Boom!

Just like that, the fist immediately sent cracks down Rynold's shield made from Mana. Doing so also managed to consume a whopping thirty points of Rynold's Mana. At that moment, Rynold knew that this fight wouldn't end well, especially if he had to defend this little girl.

"Close your eyes!" Rynold yelled to the little girl, having calculated what he needed to do to survive. He looked at the creature and timed his counterattack perfectly.

As soon as the creature laid its black beady eyes on Rynold, the latter immediately activated [Light's Discerning Eye]. The spell brought light to the immediate environment, blinding the creature. So, at the very moment the creature staggered, Rynold hurriedly carried the little girl on his back and ran. Rynold also commanded the four drones to reform, returning to their creator.

'This wasn't the plan!'

That was what Rynold thought to himself as he stopped at a ditch somewhere in the forest. Without hesitation, Rynold jumped in and placed the girl on the ground. He put a finger to his mouth, motioning for the girl to keep quiet, and waited for the coast to be clear.

Rynold looked out and tried to figure out if the creature had followed their trail. After a few seconds of checking, Rynold sat back down at the ditch and breathed a sigh of relief. Taking a beat, Rynold tried to remember what he saw. From his slightly strained expression to one of stress and worry, Rynold soon figured out what he saw.

With furrowed brows, Rynold looked at the little girl and thought to himself.

'That was a minotaur.'