Entering Murkwood

After departing the financial office, I hastened back to my quarters to dress for my outing to the Outer Market.

I approached a guard and requested a ride in the carriage, but he refused, citing that he was forbidden from accompanying me outside the castle. Without delay, I proceeded alone towards the Outer Market, choosing to avoid the path that passed by the barracks.

Beyond the castle walls lay the Inner Precinct, where the county's affluent and civil servants dwelled. Separating this from the Outer Market was a small wall, though it paled in comparison to the imposing barrier that divided the slums from the market.

I soon found a carriage in the Inner Precinct whose driver was willing to give me a ride as I wandered. When I informed him that I intended to travel to the borders of Murkwood, he looked visibly shocked.

"Young master, are you without any guards?" he asked me.

"Do not worry, I am capable of defending myself," I replied, hoping to put his mind at ease.

I was uncertain whether he recognized me or if he believed me to be a noble brat who had run away from home for some prank.

The journey through the quiet forest was uneventful, aside from a familiar presence that I sensed while passing through the Outer Market.

After arriving at our destination, I paid the carriage driver, who quickly departed without looking back.

In front of me, high walls extended in both directions of the fortress. Adventurers were entering and exiting through the enormous entrance, carrying with them the spoils of their monster hunts.

Knowing that the security at the entrance was too tight and that recognition could lead to significant trouble, I decided to take a hidden path that most adventurers did not know about.

After walking for a few miles around the walls, I eventually found it.

It was a small cut in the wall, guarded by two sentinels. The cut was large enough to allow a muscular man to pass through it with ease.

This breach in the fortress's walls had been exposed to the public during the Dungeon outbreak. While I did not know the exact reason for this cut, its size and shape suggested that it was caused by a powerful beast.

With a quick conjuring of a wild elemental spell, I created a distraction by blowing up some nearby tents. The guards were taken aback by the sudden commotion and rushed over to investigate the mess.

Seizing the opportunity, I quickly slipped through the cut in the wall.

To avoid the scouting team and the watchful eyes of the guards atop the fortress, I used the nearby trees and rocks to stay hidden. After several minutes of playing a game of hide-and-seek, the breath taking view of the forest lay before me.

At the front of the forest, there was a small patch of greenery, but as my eyes scanned deeper into the forest, all I could see were the dark shadows of the trees. The rooftop of the forest was so dense that light could barely pass through the canopy.

However, in some places, the light found its way through the leaves, creating a beautiful and enchanting scenery. The rocks shone with a luminous glow whenever light struck them.

As I gazed deeper into the forest, I could hear the mysterious and powerful howls of the beasts that resided within.

This only confirmed what I already knew - that the Murkwood forest was beautiful on the outside, but incredibly threatening within.

It was a place of wonder and danger, the subject of many folklores not only in Wishmyth, but throughout all of Edren.

After ensuring that no adventurers were in the vicinity, I entered the forest.

As I walked, I noticed some bushes that glowed in different colours when touched, but I avoided them as they were poisonous.

I also saw some human footprints, indicating that other adventurers had recently passed through.

As I ventured deeper into the forest, the brightness of my surroundings started to diminish, and the forest became quieter and quieter.

At this point, the mana density in the air increased, making it thicker and more potent.

'This is the perfect spot, I assume?' Galadriel spoke to me after a long silence.

"Indeed, it is," I replied.

Soon, I came across a large tree, and I knew that it made more sense to break through at a higher ground to reduce my vulnerability to wild creatures.

So, I kicked the ground and launched myself towards the big branches of the tree. After a few more jumps, I reached the desired height.

"Zephyr Blade," I cast a wind elemental spell that gave a clean, horizontal cut to the tree. The remaining parts fell off the tree, creating a commotion that caused the nearby birds to fly away.

The upper part of the tree was now a smooth and comfortable place to sit.