Chapter 14 : On the way back

After traveling all night and adventuring in the city all day. I feel tired now. But I still keep walking I think that after leaving this village than entering the forest area along the main road I'm going to take a break and continue my journey through the night.

After walking for about 30 minutes, I had come a long way from the village. began to divert from walking on the main road into the forest area deep along the way.I continued to find my way deep into the forest. Until I felt that it was quite far from the main road, I looked for a suitable spot to sit and rest. Wait for the night and then continue the journey.

Walking for a while, I noticed that the surrounding trees were particularly large. It seems that the trees in this area are especially old. Many trees are very large. I walked up to a fairly large tree. At the base of it, there was a large root protruding from the ground to be a good leaning back.

after sitting I was decide to take a little nap. Because I haven't slept at all for 24 hours.

But I'm starting to feel the air getting colder before taking a nap I can think of something So I took out the hidden bracelet and put it on. After wearing it, I still felt that the weather was still cold. It was different from before that I remembered that it warmed my body.

So I closed my eyes and thought, "It's so cold, I need warmth." After a while, I could feel the warmth radiating from my bracelet. go all over the body until I couldn't feel the cold air around me.

"Really awesome, this must be some kind of magic. It was able to understand my thoughts immediately."

After the body is warmed It felt comfortable all over the body. My eyes started to close on their own. The sleepiness that comes with a tired body I fell asleep before I knew it.

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"Soop, Soop"

I don't even know how long I slept. But I heard like something stepped on a dry leaf so loudly in my ears that It woke me up from my slumber.

I immediately felt that something was wrong. because I walked so far from the main road and still walking to find a hidden spot to sit and rest .The sound of walking was so loud. If it's an animal, it must be a fairly large animal. But if it's a person It certainly wasn't a coincidence. To have someone walk in the area I'm hiding here

I slowly get up and attaching myself to the trunk of a large tree for shelter Gently poked my head out, looking for the source of the sound. After a few moments about a hundred meters away I saw a middle-aged man walking towards where I was hiding.

Before I decide how to escape The man came closer and closer. And I began to see his face clearly even in the dark..a drugstore owner named Felix.

When he walked like he was trying to smell something. His sniffing motion was very clear from the distance I was peeping. He sniffed and walked straight to where I was hiding. Now I'm starting to understand that The smell he sniffed came from me.

I'm really scared right now. because the other person follows the scent that comes out of me And I don't even know what scent it is. and from what part of me

Little by little, I backed away, trying to figure out a way to escape. But he seemed to be following me without getting lost in the slightest, and his speed didn't slow down at all.

Now I can understand that Even if I escaped back home He would probably follow until he found me at home.So I decided to delay. to find another way to survive.

"What are you doing here, sir? It's already dark."

"Oh? Are you right there? You dare to reveal yourself like this. It's very strange. What plans do you have?"

"I don't have any plans, sir. I'm just taking a break to go home. I saw you walking over and asked if you were lost."

I replied as I walked away and looked around for a way to survive.

"I admit that you are a very smart child. You seem to be careful all the time. But you are unlucky to meet someone much smarter like me."

As I continued to talk to pass the time and looked around, I saw a very large tree. And at the base of it was a hollow deep and wide enough for a person of my size to enter. It was then that I had some risky thoughts.

"Why are you quiet, little boy? You think you can escape me? don't be afraid.I do not intend to do anything to you. I know you still have some precious herbs left."

"Just tell me where you found that hundred-year-old mushroom. and give me all the herbs you've collected. I will let you return home safely. You see, there's nothing to be afraid of."

"Are you still quiet? I sniffed the air and knew that you were not far away from here. Come out and do as I say and you will be able to go home."

"Looks like you are a stubborn child. You have made me angry now. I'll let a country boy like you know. There are many wonderful things in this world. like magic or alchemy

"The silver coin I gave you. There are many coins that I bathe in my secret special potion. that I remember the smell well. Even if a day has passed The smell will still float clearly. For an alchemist, extracting the scent of a potion was one of the most important special abilities."

"Even if you are good at hiding, you can't hide from my nose. Even if you hide in the hollow of the tree and cover the entrance with branches, I can still find you easily."

At that moment, after I hid in the hollow for a long time, I hurriedly spoke.

"I surrender, please do not harm me, sir. I accept everything you want. Please spare my life."

As soon as I finished speaking The branch I used to cover the entrance to the hollow was pulled out. Along with a middle-aged man who bowed and extended his face.

"You think you've retreated deep inside and I can't go in? I'm in a very bad mood right now. Do you know that you're going to be in serious trouble?"

Finished speaking, the drugstore owner, Felix, slowly crawled in. He seemed to have no fear of me at all. that I will have the ability to fight with him

"You know I had to walk through the jungle for a very long time. And still need to waste time talking to you. and have to crawl to catch you in this hollow of the tree."

"Today, I will let you know that if you make an adult very angry, then you will be… this smell?"

"What a bastard child. How dare you use poison in a narrow hollow like this? Do you really want to die?"

As soon as he finished He hurriedly grabbed the bag he had carried. He picked up a bottle of something and quickly opened the lid and drank the water in the bottle. After that, his body began to show some strange symptoms.

"It doesn't work. I inhaled too much poison air. The antidote that I brought Can't withstand drug poisoning...You bastard Why don't you look like you have any symptoms?"

He said as he tried to crawl towards me. But his body now seemed to be in a more strange condition than before.

"Ouch!! I don't want to die My destiny will be to become a famous alchemist of the Magicians Guild."

After he finished speaking, he did something that I had never expected. He bit his forefinger and cut it out of his hand, blood splattering all over. Even my face was splattered by his blood. After that, he grabbed the strange pendant he had hung around his neck. and let a drop of blood gushing out of his finger flow down the strange pendant.

"My lord Please accept the sacrifice from me. Help me survive this disaster."

"You bastard child, you will become a sacrifice for me. You will become food for the hungry spirits."

As soon as he finished speaking, his body was distorted in pain. The muscles in every part of him that appeared were distorted. Some of them exploded with blood splattering out. At this moment, I could feel the atmosphere around the light beginning to disappear abnormally.

Although my eyes can see very well in the dark But I could feel that the surrounding area was rapidly darkening.

"No… I am not a sacrifice. But that kid..."

It seemed to be his last word. because his eyes had turned completely black. His head suddenly turned 180 degrees, his arms twisting as if there were no bony joints.

I don't know what happened to a man named Felix, but at one moment I felt like I was being hypnotized by some kind of force. unable to move Reminds me of meeting the giant wild boar again.

"Give me strength!!"

I shouted loudly for the power of the bracelet.

******