The Head Of The Shadow Forest (1)
Atlas put the bracelets back into his inventory and took another close look at the altar. From the looks of it, nothing could be done here without the Essence of Silence.
[System Notification]
[You have discovered a special point of interest: the Abandoned Guardian Altar.]
[Cannot be activated. A key ingredient is required: The Essence of Silence.]
[Location saved in notes.
–Later, then. – Atlas muttered, stepping back: – Now the passage of the game rested on the signs of difficulty.
Since the Grove of Shadow Trees was 100% explored, it was logical to think about further actions.
Atlas opened the task log. He still had several active targets:
[Unique quest] The secret of the Locket — old Lina has been kidnapped, which means we need to go to the Southern Mountains. But access to them will only open at level 20.
[Theory – Old Lady Lin; the Guardian and ancient Seeker who had the medallion]
[Research quest] Cursed Artifacts of the Past — it remained to deal with the Eye of Silence.
[Linked to the altar] Find the Essence of Silence. Perhaps the key to this was kept in the Library of the Dra'Meara.
[Unknown] The head of the Shadow Forest could be a new area or an important point of interest.
Atlas chose to go further to a new location, he himself was on the border of the old and new locations, but when he began to walk further, the landscape began to change in a mixed way.
Everything felt different here: the air was thicker, cooler, and the light barely penetrated through the twisted, tall trees. Their trunks looked like elongated figures, as if ancient giants were frozen in anticipation.
[System Notification]
[You have entered a new zone: The Head of the Shadow Forest.]
[Recommended level: 10-15.]
[Special feature of the zone: increased concentration of Shadow Energy.]
– So I'm almost at the threshold of the recommended level. – Atlas chuckled.
The air shark hovering nearby trembled slightly. She could feel the energy of this place, and she didn't like it.
Ahead, there was an old stone path leading into the depths of the forest. Torn fragments of cloth bandages hung from the trees, and black dust particles flickered in the air, like remnants of burnt paper.
Atlas knelt down on one knee and examined the ground. The soft ground was covered with dry leaves, but there were blurry footprints underneath. Someone definitely passed through here quite recently.
– Maybe other players... or something worse. – he muttered.
The air shark nervously moved its fins, its body lit up slightly, reacting to the strange energy around it.
The system lit up with a new message:
[Sin activated a passive skill: Territory Survey (level 1)"]
[You've noticed unusual footprints: clawed footprints leading deeper into the forest.]
The footprints followed a stone path, but then they diverged. One part led to a half—rotted wooden bridge over a narrow ravine, the other to a black boulder with scratches like runes on it.
Atlas stepped into the shadow of a nearby tree and froze, observing his surroundings. The air shark hovered silently nearby, its body shimmering slightly in the dark, adjusting to its surroundings.
The forest was quiet... too quiet. Even the wind did not rustle in the trees, as if time itself had frozen here.
Two minutes have passed. Then five.
At first glance, nothing was happening. But gradually Atlas began to notice the details.
[You have activated the passive skill: "Threat Response (level 1)"]
[You feel a slight distortion in the air... someone is watching you.]
Atlas hadn't moved, but now he was sure he wasn't alone.
Somewhere among the woodlands, a dark shadow flashed by. Too fast for the average player. Then another one.
Maybe they were zone monsters, maybe NPCs, or maybe… PC players hunting in this forest.
Atlas pressed himself into the ground, his heart began to beat faster, but he remained completely calm. Deep down, he knew that in order to survive in this world, one must be able to be patient and attentive.
He watched the trees gently sway in the wind, and the shadows between them began to play with strange patterns. His gaze was focused on one point, but he knew that any slight sound or movement in his field of vision could be a signal.
Time passed as if in slow motion.
Finally, a few minutes later, one of the dark figures appeared in his field of vision. It was a player, but his appearance was strange: his clothes were covered with traces of dark magical energies, and his eyes were dimly glowing red. He moved smoothly, almost soundlessly, like a cat.
In his hands was a strange artifact resembling a fragment of an ancient stone. He didn't look like an ordinary adventurer. Perhaps it was a PC player who was looking for something in this forest-maybe even the very magical artifact that Atlas wanted to explore.
However, judging by his demeanor, he was clearly not friendly.
Atlas held his breath, not making a single unnecessary movement. His aerial shark, as if sensing the situation, lurked nearby, slowly hovering in the air, almost merging with the shadows of the forest.
The stranger's figure moved on, slowly but surely, as if he knew exactly where he was going.
Atlas noticed how he raised his hand, and the artifact he was holding began to flicker with a faint light. Suddenly, the air around him trembled slightly, as if the forest had responded to his magic power.
"This artifact… Does it activate something in this place?" – Atlas thought.
After a few seconds, the ground in front of the stranger began to slowly split apart, revealing a small passage in the ground. In the darkness, one could make out the stone steps leading down.
A hidden entrance? A secret dungeon?
The player calmly walked down without looking back, and the ground began to gradually close behind him. After a couple of moments, everything looked like nothing had happened again.
Atlas remained in hiding for a few more seconds, thinking about what he saw, after which he slowly came out of his hiding place, examining the place where the stranger had just disappeared. The ground looked untouched, as if the passage had never existed.
"So we need an artifact or some other activation..." – he thought, squatting down and carefully examining the ground.
The air shark, hovering nearby, purred softly, whether it felt the remnants of magic or was just worried about its owner is unknown.
Atlas decided to go around this place in a circle, trying to detect any signs of hidden mechanisms, secret passages or other anomalies.
After fifteen minutes of searching, he noticed a strange pattern on one of the trees nearby — its bark was covered with ancient symbols, barely visible in the semi-darkness of the forest.
He touched them, and immediately a faint flash of light ran through the trunk.
– Interesting…
The system immediately responded:
[You have discovered a hidden passage rune. Unknown energy blocks further interaction.]
Atlas frowned. This meant that the path did exist, but access to it was closed... for now. Atlas ran his hand over the interface, activating the function of creating a personal label on the map.
[You left a mark: "Unknown passage. A key or other activation method is required."]
–We'll come back here later if we find the key – he muttered, removing the interface.
The air shark swerved in the air as if agreeing with this decision.
Now there was only one thing to do — to delve further into the Head of the Shadow Forest, unraveling its secrets.
//To be continued, please like and save…