Chapter: 450
Feeling the change in the forest air, I blinked and tightened my grip on the mace.
This was definitely a first for me.
No doubt about it—the game never had anything like this.
I was sure Ganshu was messing around because I flubbed his trial.
Even as I chuckled to myself, I felt a cold sweat trickling down my back.
Ganshu’s trials aren’t some simple mini-game.
Everything happening here is just as real as it gets, and in the worst-case scenario, my life could actually be on the line.
So, I shouldn’t be getting even a little bit happy about this situation.
If someone else was standing next to me like before, I might have genuinely cursed Ganshu out.
Even while thinking that, I couldn’t help but grin widely.
Right now, there wasn’t anyone beside me.
The danger lurking here was solely mine.
The only one who would suffer the consequences of my actions would be me.
Grrr…
Turning my head towards the sound from behind, I saw a creature that looked eerily similar to the fairy I had encountered earlier.
The difference this time? It was blacker and way more grotesque.
Oh, and it looked a whole lot stronger than the last one too.
Gripping my mace tighter, I watched as the former fairy spread its decaying wings.
Dust poured out from the moth-like wings riddled with holes.
Even though I had never seen anything like it before, one thing was for sure:
That thing was definitely not going to have a good influence.
Convinced of that, I spread my divine aura and created a barrier around me with my shield at the center.
My choice was the right one.
The tainted dust couldn’t get anywhere close to me.
But at the same time, my choice was wrong.
My sun-like divinity felt out of place in this moonless night.
The creatures that inhabited this forest sensed my divinity and began to approach me one by one.
Grrr…
Grrr…
Grrrr…
The sounds of bugs and crawling critters echoed from all around.
The scraping of legs.
The fluttering of wings as they flapped and stirred up the air.
All the sounds surrounding me turned icy, shivering up my spine.
Grr?
I thought about the groups that emerged from the darkness.
Taking on one wouldn’t be hard. I could definitely manage two.
But what about four?
Ten?
Anything beyond that?!
I’m no monster like Benedict, after all!
My gaze sharpened as I scanned my surroundings.
My sense of aesthetics wasn’t helping me here.
All I could hear was the collective scream of disgust.
But that wasn’t about figuring out weaknesses.
The gaps they showed me were the weaknesses I could detect.
Why were the skills given by heroes more useful than those granted by gods?
This damn perverted crow was utterly useless!
All it could do was flutter around and whine like a loser.
The weakness detection led me to three fairies lurking nearby.
A sight that would make a normal person think twice before charging in.
But I didn’t doubt the weakness detection.
Phew…
Let’s go.
Tch.
The moment I stepped forward, a loud screech erupted from the swarm of former fairies.
A multitude of attacks aimed at me debuted to eliminate the abnormal and the bizarre.
Watching the trajectory of all those attacks, I calculated how to move in my head.
One.
I would unleash my divine energy to obliterate the attacks surrounding me.
Two.
I’d charge full force at what appeared to be an opening.
Three.
I didn’t stop despite seeing the multiple attacks fired to obstruct my progress. I would make sure they were focused solely on my whereabouts.
Four.
As I reached the entry to the supposed opening, I lifted my shield and charged.
The once-fairies were strong, but they were also under the influence of the evil god’s malignant aura.
So they couldn’t help but become weak in front of my divine power.
Bam!
A former fairy slammed into my shield, sending it flying backward, opening a gap.
I stomped on the fallen enemy and burst through the encirclement into the shadows of the forest.
Think!
Ganshu’s trials are still just a trial.
There has to be an escape route somewhere.
Ganshu wouldn’t try to kill me when he was just putting up with my antics because I wanted to write my heroic tale… right?
…Right?
He wouldn’t be so out of it with this brat’s skills that he thinks of ‘we both die together’ as an option!
And with Grandpa right next to me, there’s no way something catastrophic would happen. It shouldn’t!
So first, I should grasp what this forest is all about, assuming there’s an escape route.
Knowing the lay of the land will help me find clues based on that knowledge.
Thud!
Blocking something shot at me from the darkness with my shield, I spotted a pair of crimson eyes beyond the shadows.
Damn. No time to think!
Is my divine presence too noticeable?
But if I retract it, the darkness will swallow me alive!
My sturdy defense and shield expertise whispered guidance to me as I raised my shield. The vibrations from the shield filled my ears.
I hadn’t realized.
I had failed to sense it.
An attack was penetrating my senses.
Dark power.
This was a place related to the evil god of darkness.
Considering that Ganshu was the one who crafted this trial, I had to assume there’s a historic event linked with the dark god here.
A dark god. A forest. Fairies.
All these elements combined point to only one thing.
The dark god had encroached upon the fairy queen’s forest.
As I recalled the scene I’d seen beyond the monitor, I unconsciously clenched my lips.
I knew almost nothing about that forest.
The place where the fairy queen once resided had become lifeless after the dark god passed through.
There was no way I could have known much about a location that had been designated as off-limits within the game itself.
However, I knew very well how to deal with a location swarming with dark powers.
Thud!
Once again, guided by my skill, I blocked another attack and leaped into the air, avoiding the tree roots trying to ensnare my ankles.
So all I need to do now is determine where the end of this trial is.
A few scenarios popped into my head.
All of them had their merits and suspicions.
If I were still watching from the other side of the monitor, I’d be staring blankly, arms crossed in frustration.
…Tch.
I got so lost in thought that I failed to react.
An arrow crafted from a root grazed my cheek.
I felt the sharp pain and the warm dribble of blood rolling down.
Ha. Great.
What was I thinking with my intelligence of 58?
Let’s see what my instincts have to say—where should my heart lead me?
My gut instinct immediately answered my question.
The fairy queen’s likely resting place.
The most dangerous spot in this forest right now.
It directed me to that location.
A hollow laugh escaped me.
Heading toward the fairy queen, who’d been encroached upon by the dark god, was insane.
If I met her here, I’d be done for!
I imagined the horrific scene and still moved according to my instincts.
In unfamiliar territory, that was the only choice I had.
With each step I took, the sinister aura grew more pronounced.
With each step forward, the attacks aimed at me sharpened.
With every single step I took, the noises in my surroundings thickened.
Every time I broke through all that, I collected more and more injuries.
What if…
What if I messed up?
The creeping fear of death surged within me.
Gradually.
Gradually.
It ate away at me.
Avoiding the myriad of thoughts flooding my mind, I realized how much I missed Grandpa’s comforting presence.
When I was anxious, his voice always reassured me.
When I get back, I’ll give it a proper clean-up.
He’d likely freak about why I was acting like this, but even still, he wouldn’t be entirely against it. That’s just how he is.
Thinking back on Grandpa steadied my heart as I pushed my legs to move forward once more.
If their assaults intensify, I’ll just have to move with even more force.
Onward.
Onward.
Forward again!
The moment my foot touched the center of the forest, the relentless attacks that had been tracking me suddenly vanished.
The weight of the air pressing down on me. The sounds filling my ears.
All the attacks aimed at my neck.
The mysterious dust swirling around me.
In the sudden calm, I didn’t stop questioning.
This forest was a place under the dark god’s control.
This sudden peace could very well just be a pathway leading to an even greater trial.
“…I didn’t think you’d be this cute.”
The voice that pierced through my suspicions was laced with bewilderment.
“I had certainly expected a hero to come.”
The woman before me emanating a somewhat mystical vibe was bound by the decaying roots consumed by the evil’s power.
As I infused the air with divinity, I could see the roots absorbing the energy from the woman.
“Hey.”
“What? Smells like a chicken coop, lady.”
“All… chicken coop?”
The woman’s lips floundered, as if unsure how to respond while I easily deduced who she was.
In the forest inhabited by fairies, there was only one adult figure not in the shape of a child.
The fairy queen.
The one who had been ensnared by the dark god and faced defeat at the hands of heroes now wore an awkward smile within this trial.
You may also like Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy
