Close Call

Now that Astroth found a spirit named Vayu as his companion, the search for Dandelion has become much easier. She used her powers to find the shortest way to their goal. Astroth was happy to have a companion with whom he could talk and share difficulties.

Astroth did not realize until the surrounding landscape changed that they were entering the border zone between two zones of forest.

He could feel the rise in mana concentration in the area. He hypothesized that this rise in mana levels is the reason for powerful monsters to gather in this zone.

Strong creatures with a high mana pool love to stay in the same mana concentration as them. Somehow, Astroth could feel his body being energized due to this mana.

"Changes like this should only occur in strong species. Does that mean I am mana-loving?

Is this why my dreams were calling me inside the forest?"

Now, He was even more curious about his identity. He could feel some attraction coming from the inner zone of the forest. However, he was averting this feeling by convincing himself that it was only his delusion.

The border symbolizes its name. The outer zone is usually green and a comfortable place for small creatures to live. However, Astroth perceived the inner zone as dark and gloomy.

According to Kazuma, in his previous life, this place shouldn't be explored, but Astroth, in his current life, has an immense interest in this place. Still, the main goal of his mission is to bring dandelions to Eli, so he remains focused.

----

Vayu points to where the dandelion was growing; Astroth was overjoyed to find the flower after so much hard work. However, he found the flower different from the one on earth.

This flower was considerably larger than the original one; Astroth also found some foreign mana signatures in it.

Astroth and Vayu were suddenly under someone's shade, and Vayu cried loudly, "Astroth." Astroth glanced behind him, and something hit him hard.

He was thrown far away. The impact was much greater because he was not prepared. He felt his bones crushed at the moment of impact.

Blood was gushing from his mouth without stopping. He was trying to breathe and calm himself. Vayu started crying at the sight of Astroth's blood and blamed herself for being useless. Astroth heals himself and looks for the one responsible for the attack.

Suddenly, a snake-like creature about 16 feet long appears before them. It was a huge monster; its fangs were long and sharp as a sword. The creature has dark blue scales all over it.

It was wide enough to swallow a giant bear in an instant. Both of them were frightened at the sight of that creature, and Astroth said, "Basilisk! How?"

A basilisk is a creature that lives in dark, swampy areas. They are considered one of the most poisonous species, with scales as hard as diamonds. Their poisons are highly toxic and mostly incurable.

However, their vision is poor, and they use their nose and mana sensitivity to sense their surroundings.

The Basilisk drew its head closer to Astroth and smelled him. Astroth was afraid of its breath, which contained poisons hard to cure and extremely toxic. People with low endurance can even be melted by its poison.

Astroth noticed some injuries on the Basilisk's body, revealing that the creature was exhausted from its previous fight. He learned from his knowledge that a mature basilisk is a lot bigger than this one.

"So this is a baby. Haha...I was afraid that it was a mature basilisk, but it looks like we might have a chance to live today."

Astroth cast a spell as secretly as possible; suddenly, the Basilisk swung its tail and threw him away. It reacted instinctively to the change in mana surrounding Astroth.

He was hurt badly. This blow taught him that even a baby basilisk is still a basilisk.

The probability of living was decreased with Astroth's injured body. His body started bleeding internally; even standing on his own became the most difficult task.

Vayu notices that this basilisk is extremely sensitive to mana and if this continues, Astroth will lose his life here. She calls all the air elementals under her command to create a mana disruption zone around the basilisk.

While the surrounding mana creates havoc, she uses her curse power to make the Basilisk bleed through its wounds.

Watching Vayu's effort, Astroth gains strength and courage, and he begins casting a spell to defeat the Basilisk. He knew that only the magic of level two could pierce its scales, so he asked Vayu to give him as much time as she could.

Vayu tried her best to control the mana around her, but she was only able to do so for a few minutes. Astroth knew he had to cast quickly to take advantage of the opening Vayu had created.

The Basilisk was now agitated with all the mana coursing through him. It even started bleeding from the wounds that were supposed to be closed by now. The Basilisk goes berserk and starts destroying everything in sight.

It swung its tail irregularly in the hope of hitting the caster. The impact of her tail destroyed the area, and because of the dust, no one could see anything. The basilisk starts slithering around to dodge any incoming attack.

Astroth was ready with his magic, but now he could not see Basilisk with either eyes or mana sense. The Basilisk was smarter than they thought and created this situation to exhaust their strength and magic. Suddenly, Astroth was troubled, and Vayu began to lose her control.

The Basilisk was ready to attack the moment Mana became uniform. It has already been confirmed that Astroth is great food for its growth.

Vayu notices Astroth's circumstances and takes a massive decision. She yells at Astroth while smiling, "Stay safe until I come back from sleep".

She used all her mana in existence to make the basilisk float high in the sky and stationed it there.

Spirits are born from mana, and if any spirit uses all its mana, it may cease to exist. Astroth could feel her fading and pushing herself beyond her control.

Tears started pouring from his eyes, and he unconsciously turned his level two magic into something unknown even to himself. He looks up to the basilisk and throws an enormous fireball at the basilisk from his mouth.

His magic eradicated the basilisk from existence; not even its flesh could be spotted anywhere. The fire looked like a pillar that descended from the sky.

The creatures in the forest around that area became restless with mana density that rose to a high level for some seconds.

Astroth fell to his knees and started crying at the loss of his friend. He was accusing himself of her selfless sacrifice. He was suddenly kissed by a gentle breeze that brought him the dandelion flower. He understood that Vayu was still somewhere around him.

----

Astroth picks up the flower and tries to stand, but the wounds on his body are severe. He had to give everything to be able to stand by himself.

He was bleeding from every corner of his body. His legs were trembling with his weight. His body trembles with each step on his way back. He tripped at least five times in ten steps.

After some distance away from the border, he attempts to heal himself with the mana he regained. While he was healing himself, suddenly his body started burning and it became nearly impossible for him to even stay conscious.

He tries to walk again but falls; now his eyes start to close on their own. He tries to resist his body and a sound enters his mind:

"Sleep for now"

He stopped resisting his body and became unconscious after hearing these words.