Journey 1

They have entered the core of the forest, in terms of better analogy it would be like the core of the earth. They're in the outer core.

This place is the most dangerous of them all. Every single ward Leonard has ever collected will only affect the herbivores of this forest, or sometimes it will as the monsters are now too high levelled for the ward to take effect.

But the two are not deterred by such a thing, they were prepared. Leonard took out a cream in a jar.

"Okay, before we proceed let's spread this."

Leonard explained the purpose of the cream, it's a deterrent like the ward, but this time the cream has more stronger effect. It has a slight tangy smell but overall odourless for those who don't sniff it intensely.

But for monsters, this smell is disgusting. It's like taking one good sniff on a smelling salt. Something that no one wants to do voluntarily.

-sniff sniff

That wouldn't stop Jai though. She smelled the tangy smell which doesn't seem to affect her, well that would happen since she isn't the target of that cream.

"I'm going to add it to myself first, stay here."

"Hm? Why are you going there?"

"Jai, I'm spreading this to my entire body."

"..." Jai paused for a second and blushed after having embarrassing thoughts come to mind. "I-i see! Go on."

"Well we could both—"

"Go!"

The two later ones successfully applied the warding cream and proceeded to walk further inside the forest. At that time little to no sounds could be heard.

"Quite creepy here."

"Yeah it is." Leonard replied.

"Maybe we walked in the wrong part of the forest?"

"hmm… I'm pretty sure we followed the map correctly."

They stopped their tracks for a second, making sure they're well hidden as they halt. Once they're in a safe spot Leonard opens the map.

"There should be a landmark. A giant tree with reddish bark."

"Reddish bark… have we seen something so far?"

"Not that I know of."

Leonard looked at the map once again, the outskirts of the High Bark forest had three main landmarks.

The Pyramid stone, the Triple Tree helix, and the Lake Cave.

The lake cave was the first landmark, on the journey to the centre of the forest they encountered a lake, but to know if they're on the right path, they just have to look in the crystal clear lake.

At the bottom there would be a dark cave in which is illuminated by some sort of mineral. This is the very first landmark, and just north of this lake there would be a tree.

But not just any ordinary tree, three trees intertwined at their growth forming a helix as they soar to the sky. And here just north west there would be a giant natural structure.

The pyramid stone. It's not hard to guess what this landmark looks like, it's a stone shaped in the form of a pyramid. And to the north the outer core of the forest lies.

Now here's the thing, it just says the outer core not the Red Bark tree, so are they supposed to keep going north till they see a red barked tree or will it just appear?

"Well… let's keep going till we see it."

"The reddish barked tree?"

"Yeah."

Leonard placed back the map to his luggage and continued with Jai, they tried going more till suddenly, Jai stopped Leonard.

"Leo, is the Red Barked tree?"

She pointed at the right, Leonard looked at the direction and squinted his eyes. He was confused for a moment till he saw a tree with reddish bark.

And it was very… far away.

'I wish I could use my mana sight in these situations.'

"Well let's go there, by that time we should go north. But the Dungeon is already starting to dim. So let's go there first and find somewhere suitable to rest."

Jai nodded at Leonard's words, it would be dangerous to continue in the night cycle of the dungeon. After all monsters are not the main killers of the dungeon, it's the unknown that comes with it.

They trekked till they got close to one of the unique trees. Setting up camp once they knew they were safe. Leonard made a meal for the two of them, avoiding cooking meat and instead went for jerky instead.

He avoided the smell of meat permeating in the forest, he doesn't know what kind of predator they'll encounter then.

"Creamy soup…" Jai was enthusiastic about such a meal. Something she came to enjoy once she met Leonard.

"You always have the same smile whenever you eat something that came out of my hands."

Leonard smiled gently, he doesn't cook, and no he didn't learn it from the system either. Maybe he didn't buy it because he wanted sincerity involved in cooking or is it because he wanted to see Jai's delighted face? Who knows.

With Jai's smiling face in delight she replied to Leonard, her tone happy.

"Of course! I never knew you cook so well! Do you cook on the surface as well?"

"No, I just tried it here and somehow liked it more when you started eating with me."

Leonard started spitting out genuine words, he can't describe the feeling fully, but he knew contentment is a part of it. He just genuinely likes the face Jai makes when his cooking reaches her mouth.

To that, Jai blushed but she didn't shy away from his gaze. She knew how Leonard cooked with sincerity. Back then she saw his hands vigorously writing down recipes in a notebook.

At that she let out a hearty laugh.

"I remember the time when you thought that the mushroom stew you made was a failure! You didn't even give it a taste!"

"Haha, yeah I was having second thoughts of throwing it away. Luckily my glutinous friend gave it a try~" Leonard replied teasingly.

"Wha- I asked! And you said it's fine to taste it!" Jai yelled in embarrassment.

Leonard couldn't help but feel full once he teases Jai like this. After their small talks finished Leonard cleaned and packed up, setting up alarms before going to sleep.

"I sometimes feel like a house husband."

Leonard complained but then heard a reply unexpectedly.

"Then why not become one?"

Jai's reply stunned Leonard, realising that Jai spoke out loud she turned around and covered herself with her sleeping bag.

"Pretend that you heard nothing!"

Leonard wanted to tease her about it but he could tell she would explode by the amount of steam from the heat of embarrassment she was exuding.

So in the end he just chuckled.

"Good night Jai."

"G-goodnight… Leo.."

Their conversation ended there. That night Leonard looked above the dungeon ceiling. He wondered if he had teleported her first instead of being discovered by the Xyn.

Maybe, he would already be so attached that he won't even try to leave, though if he did got teleported to the Jakari he would have no way of teleporting out.

He might even live his entire life here, forgetting about the plot. But just because of that means the System would leave him alone.

In the first iteration, fighting against the system is a foolish act. Hence his rebellion through the form of a diary. He looked back at the past.

The humiliation, the thought of trust and betrayal, the psychological torture and so on.

'Now that I think of it… I haven't met Monica and Heidi yet…'

He took a peek at Jai. Now changing his thoughts.

'The demon king is dead. He… no, he might resurrect.' That he is sure of, he has his doubts about the system, he had no evidence yet but he is sure. The coincidence cannot be hidden anymore.

The System and the demon King are two hands with the same body. And the main body, none other being the Overlord. He found fun in this therefore I am, a foreign soul became the subject of entertainment and of course, torment.

But now things are changing. He is sure that once the 10 year countdown, now 7, the demon king will reemerge. Now the world isn't just a novel to follow through even if there are changes.

He will make sure that the demon king is slain, then rest and have fun with his family.

Speaking of Family, Leonard. He knew Lenneza was hiding something. And his suspicions are still there, strongly gripped by his mind. Well no matter, she's now a family to him.

To that he slept, but today it seems that Leonard is more refreshed than ever, he welcomed such feeling.

"Jai, re apply some warding cream, that thing only lasts for hours."

"Mkay!"

Leonard and Jai continued their journey, the Red barked trees were already reached so they headed north.

Before they could go to their destination, the Dark Plateau region in which the Razor centipedes dwell, Leonard checked the landmarks once again.

The North now has one landmark needed to be seen. The Creeping vines.

This one is the most dangerous place Leonard and Jai could go, especially since Leonard was powerless and Jai is still young and inexperienced.

"What's up, Leo?"

"The next Landmark is the Creeping Vines."

"What's that place?"

"It's…" Leonard sighed "A wall of living vines. The problem is that they're sentient to some extent."

"..."

"Yeah, I understand you."

The duo had to cross a wall of sentient vines, that was enough bad news for the two of them. The wall of vines isn't just a short wall either.

It covers the entire inner core of the forest, and that involves the Grey Plateau which is their destination. Though the two have no idea how to cross it.

But that doesn't mean they would leave, they already know about this.

"So… fire?"

Jai Questioned.

"You wanted every monster in the inner core of the forest to leave?"

"Ah! Oh… "

Leonard prepared for this the vines is just a sentient plant not a monster, but that doesn't mean he could underestimate it. He pulled out a totem.

"Isn't that the totem of prayers?"

Jai asked, baffled at why Leonard pulled out a totem out of all things. Leonard waved his hand and explained anyway.

"The totem converts the mana around it which dungeon beings all agree to hate.

"I'm a dungeon being so…"

"No, what I meant is straight from the dungeon. You have a mother and a lifespan unlike monsters which don't have the latter."

Monsters are immortal in the dungeon, they only die when killed. That's why the Razor centipede is such a threat. Thanks to its rare constitution it could leave the inner core of the forest and it has done so before.

Its sharp legs can cut through that wall of vines, that's why they are periodically culled since extinction couldn't be done at all since the dungeon spews out such monsters.

Anyway, Leonard tested if the totem would work, he walked towards the vines which were moving like snakes and held out the totem.

As expected the vines moved out the way. He let out a sigh of relief and backed off, the totem held towards the vines. He wouldn't put his guard down even for a second in front of these snake like vines.

They're omnivores.

"Jai, I have 12 totems. Go get the 6."

"What am I supposed to do with them?" Jai asked while receiving said totems.

"Tie them on every single blind spot. The back, both feet, arms and the nape."

"The backpack?"

"I already installed about three totems on those things."

"Oh wow."

Leonard couldn't help but be over prepared. He was already tossed around a lot thanks to such a thought that he could get away with a hidden skill.

Jai did as she was told and tethered all the totems to the size of a tennis ball in her body. Once she did Leonard nodded towards her and so did she.

They started walking to the vines and it parted like the ocean in a certified religious film from a man with a stick. Leonard couldn't help but let out a small laugh, the entire event was majestic, only if the vines weren't omnivores.

Once they crossed the thick wall of vines they looked at the scenery before them.

"The Inner core of the High Bark forest."

It was… scary.