Into the Forest, the Miasma Zone
Among the magical plants in the cave, Oliver picked a few edible ones, chewing them as he motioned for his two pets to follow. Together, they ventured deeper into the forest.
The two beasts had already encountered some dangerous creatures in the forest over the past few days, and Oliver felt it was time to face them himself.
Crunching the dry leaves underfoot in the winter chill, Oliver pressed on further into the woods.
The air here was thick with a faint, acrid scent, and a pale green mist swirled around the trees, visible to the eye.
This was the miasma zone of the forest, the very reason most mages and knights avoided staying here for too long.
But Oliver was different. His Shatterbeast core granted him a unique gift.
[Devour (Orange): Absorb forest miasma, converting it into small amounts of mana.]
This skill allowed him to, like the forest’s animals and magical beasts, ignore the toxic fumes. In fact, it even helped him replenish his mana, strengthening his ability to keep fighting longer.
It was no wonder it was an orange-level skill—it was incredibly powerful!
"So this is the miasma zone..." Oliver muttered to himself as he stepped into the area. The moment he did, he could immediately sense the difference.
The air was thick with a biting, spicy scent. The plants here were more lush than those outside the miasma zone. While the miasma was harmful to humans, it seemed to stimulate the growth of ordinary plants.
The wild grass and bushes beneath his feet were twice as tall as those in the outer woods. Beyond the miasma zone, it was winter, and the cold had withered many trees, leaving most of their leaves gone. But here, within the miasma, the forest remained vibrant and green, as though time itself had paused.
The boundary between the two regions was so stark, it felt like stepping into another world entirely.
“Grrr…” The big tiger growled uneasily, its muscles tense as it stayed close by Oliver’s side, clearly on edge.
In this toxic air, it was no longer the king of the forest. There were far too many dangerous creatures here that could pose a threat to it.
The wild boar, now a magical creature, appeared more composed, but the bristles on its back were raised, showing that it, too, was uneasy.
This was a perilous place.
Oliver continued carefully, but the deeper he went, the thicker the miasma became. Visibility was dropping, and the forest felt like it was being smothered by a toxic fog.
Oliver’s Devour ability was starting to feel the strain.
“I can’t go any deeper,” he thought to himself, scanning the area for any signs of valuable plants. It didn’t take long before he spotted three Moonflowers.
These rare plants, usually found on the outskirts of the forest, were surprisingly common in this miasma zone.
The value of these three Moonflowers was worth 500 silver coins—a fortune compared to what he usually made hunting on the outer edges of the forest!
For an ordinary person, however, such wealth would be impossible to obtain. Without a skill like Devour (Orange), most would have already succumbed to the toxic air and never found these plants.
Placing one of the Moonflowers in his mouth, Oliver chewed it thoughtfully and then continued to explore.
Soon, he made an even more remarkable discovery!
In the forest ahead stood a small hill, covered in thick green vines that were as large as a person’s waist. At the top of these vines, a strange flower emitted a faint glow.
In this toxic fog-filled forest, the flower seemed like a shining lantern, casting a soft but steady light—an unusual sight.
“There’s a magical aura to this,” Oliver murmured, moving cautiously closer.
“There are books at the school that cover various magical plants and creatures. Looks like I need to borrow one and study it soon.”
He thought to himself as he climbed the vines.
Oliver had been dedicating nearly all his time to practicing his spells. This had definitely helped him grow stronger. But to hunt more effectively in the forest, acquiring additional knowledge was equally essential.
As he neared the strange flower, he realized, to his surprise, that it wasn’t a flower at all—it was an orange fruit!
The mist was so thick that its glow had made it look like a flower from afar.
The fruit resembled an orange, but its magical aura was far more potent.
This fruit was certainly valuable!
Oliver’s heart raced with excitement. Just as he was about to pluck it, however, the vines around the fruit suddenly jerked into motion, whipping toward him with terrifying speed!
The vine struck like a whip, covered in thorns, slashing at Oliver’s face with deadly force.
The attack came so suddenly that even with his talent for sensing danger, Oliver had no warning.
It was possible that his talent skill wasn’t fully developed yet. Since acquiring the Unknown Hound (Red) core shape, he had not fully integrated its power.
Some of the dangers in this toxic forest were far more subtle than the massive magical creatures Oliver had encountered before, so his skill didn’t trigger in time.
Reacting instinctively, Oliver raised his arm to shield his face.
The thorns on the vine were lethal. In an instant, his leather armor was torn apart, and the thorns dug deep into his skin, sinking into his flesh. The pain was immediate and excruciating.
The force behind the strike was so great that Oliver couldn’t hold on to the wall and was sent flying backward.
He fell a full seven meters to the ground.
Though his physical conditioning was good enough that he wouldn’t die from the fall, it would still hurt like hell.
At the critical moment, the big tiger leaped up, its massive body, nearly eight meters long, catching Oliver like a cushion, softening the blow.
But as Oliver regained his balance, two more vines—thick and enormous like snakes—lashed out from the rock wall!
If it had been anyone else, they would have had no way to brace themselves and might have been struck fatally in midair.
But Oliver wasn’t like most people.
Not only did the big tiger jump to help, but the wild boar also let out a grunt, its horn glowing brightly. A beam of white light shot forth, smashing into the two massive vines.
Since the wild boar had evolved with light attributes, the brilliant white light stood out like a beacon in the dark miasma forest. The light had a purging effect, especially against the dark magic that tainted many of the creatures in this toxic environment.
The vines recoiled as though they were on fire, writhing and pulling back.
But it wasn’t just the vines that were affected. The entire cluster of vines on the rock wall trembled violently, as if the plants were crying out in agony.
To Oliver’s shock, the vines on the wall turned out to be part of the same creature!