Chapter 347: The Only Candidate
Chapter 347: The Only Candidate
"The forest is hostile towards us?"
Lindsay shared the information she had confirmed with her companions.
Lezer's eyebrows shot up upon hearing this, and he immediately headed outside, his weapon already gripped tightly in his hand.
"Mr. Lezer?!"
"You all stay here, I'll go and test the situation first."
Someone from behind wanted to join him.
Lezer spoke up, stopping the person, but he had already returned to the entrance of the hidden realm.
The entrance to the valley sanctuary was a canyon.
Lezer braced himself and carefully made his way through the canyon.
Unlike when he had entered, he now walked amidst the canyon, hearing the rustling of trees on both sides as the wind blew, and his adventurer's instincts warned him of the danger surrounding them.
Lezer took each step with utmost caution.
However, his gaze remained firm, and he didn't let the tense atmosphere overwhelm him.
Bearing this invisible pressure, the adventurer took each step with heavy determination, as if walking through an endless corridor of thorns.
"The forest's hostility and animosity... should be evident from the surrounding trees, right?"
The adventurer made his judgment.
Just then, he had just stepped out of the valley entrance, and beside him was a dense thicket.
Swish—
In an instant, the trees seemed to come to life.
The branches on both sides resembled tentacles ready to strike, all aiming at Lezer.
"As expected, it's the trees."
Lezer's face remained calm.
Facing danger, he didn't retreat but advanced, finding the gaps in the trees and slipping through.
The adventurer's purpose on this trip was to test the danger, and he couldn't possibly retreat at the slightest disturbance!
Lezer sped up, but after running for a few meters, his adventurer's instincts kicked in again.
A new danger was approaching, and this time, it was right beneath his feet!
"Hmm?"
Without hesitation, Lezer leaped into the air.
The next second, the hidden plant roots broke through the ground, attacking like coiled venomous snakes. Vines also appeared in the surrounding forest, attempting to entangle Lezer's legs.
"Damn it!"
Lezer immediately swung his knife, slicing through the surrounding foliage.
But the greenery around him became denser, as if trying to trap him within the forest.
"Roar!"
Another deep roar echoed from the depths of the forest.
At this moment, the environment offered no cover, and there was hardly any place to hide.
Lezer's eyebrows furrowed, knowing that this was a futile effort.
He resolutely threw the dagger in his hand, pinning a thick vine to the ground, and then quickly retreated, nimbly weaving through the trees, heading back the way he came.
After a few minutes, Lezer finally returned to the interior of the valley.
The attack from outside ceased here.
The hidden realm seemed to divide the inside and outside of the valley into two separate worlds.
It was both a safe haven and a cage that imprisoned them with malice.
"Ha—Huff—"
Returning to the hidden realm, Lezer leaned against the stone wall at the entrance, panting heavily.
The brief adventure hadn't caused any physical issues, but the psychological burden was indescribable.
—The entire forest had turned hostile.
Even for Lezer, a five-stage Awakener, escaping was impossible.
Not to mention bringing his companions along.
"Lezer..."
At this moment, Lindsay approached him.
She had witnessed the entire scene and knew that Lezer had faced a dangerous situation.
To be blunt, this was a crisis that Lezer was adept at handling.
If any other Awakener had rushed out, they might not even have made it back safely!
Lezer smiled bitterly at Lindsay:
"It's too dangerous; there's no way to escape."
"..."
"Let me give it a try."
Lindsay examined her attribute panel, preparing to venture out.
Lezer was about to object:
"Lindsay, it's too dangerous!"
Lindsay gave the adventurer a look and then stepped outside.
She first walked to the valley entrance, and the trees that had been attacking Lezer moments ago showed no signs of movement, as if Lindsay didn't exist.
Lindsay continued walking forward for a while.
A tree root had just emerged from the ground, lying limp and flaccid, writhing only under the influence of the forest anomaly.
Lindsey stepped over the chaotic scene.
Even when he tried stepping directly on the root, it didn't trigger any reaction.
It was evident.
The description on the attribute panel was perfectly fine; the forest's hostility had bypassed Lindsey.
"..."
"So, why is that?"
Lindsey furrowed his brows.
He knew there was something special about himself, but it was hard to confirm at the moment.
- The blessing of the Nature Spirit.
- The sealed state of the Human Wisdom Codex.
- The Forest Brooch that enhances Nature Affinity.
- Or perhaps his Dataform state had immunized him against the Debt Transfer's lock.
Even the Twin Serpent Coins he had just taken from Aly Kun's doppelganger might have avoided the transfer of enmity due to the concept of Identity Rental.
"Sometimes, having too many buffs is also a problem."
Lindsey shook his head and muttered.
After confirming that he was indeed immune to the forest's attacks, he turned back towards the valley sanctuary.
At the entrance, Lezer watched Lindsey come and go. He spoke with a conflicted expression:
"Lindsey, you..."
"I have some secrets." Lindsey said, seeing Lezer's desire to speak but stopping short. "I also hope you can be spared from the forest's hostility, but this is probably not replicable."
"..."
Lezer's brows furrowed.
On one hand, he was concerned about the forest's current state, and on the other, he worried about their predicament of being trapped there.
As an explorer, Lezer had the courage to face challenges.
But this was by no means a reason for him to lead his companions to their deaths in the forest!
At the same time, in front of Lezer, Lindsey summoned a bat:
"Lezer, this bat is yours. It understands simple commands and can perform reconnaissance tasks. The task of guarding this sanctuary is entrusted to you. Is that okay?"
The explorer's expression turned stern:
"Lindsey, what are you trying to do!"
Lindsey merely described his plan:
"This is my summon. If I die outside or successfully resolve the forest's problem, the summon will be canceled. Consider this our agreed-upon signal."
Lezer understood Lindsey's words.
The companion in front of him intended to take advantage of his immunity to the forest's attacks and act alone.
But this also meant that Lindsey would undoubtedly encounter more trouble.
This naturally included the boss who had hired these sanctuary guards, the Tier Six Merchant, Aly Kun.
Lezer lowered his voice:
"Lindsey, that guy is a Tier Six Merchant!"
Lindsey replied calmly:
"A Tier Six Awakener is not entirely detached from the concept of human life. While direct confrontation is impossible, with some clever thinking, there's still a chance to resolve this."
"It's not as easy as you make it sound!"
Lezer wanted to say something more, but Lindsey interrupted him with a question:
"Lezer, if you were faced with this choice, would you do nothing because of the danger?"
"..."
Lezer fell silent.
His choice appeared in his mind, the same as Lindsey's—absolutely not!
Meanwhile, Lindsey took out his pocket watch to check the time:
"I'll leave in half an hour."
"Lezer, my primary purpose for entering the forest is to find a plant called the Soul Blue Lily. This is a sanctuary, so during this last bit of time, I hope you can help me search for it."
"..."
Lezer opened his mouth.
But in the end, he couldn't bring himself to say words of discouragement.
He could see Lindsey's determination and could only nod vigorously, promising with the most serious tone:
"Okay!"
"I'll get everyone moving right away!"
(End of Chapter)
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