Huff... huff... I'm almost reaching my limit. It's pretty tiring running around like this. I lay down on the frozen ground for a bit since I'm rapidly running out of mana.
Hmm... although it was incredibly hard to defeat those frost wolves, I still got a decent reward from the encounter.
I get up and walk around to see if I can find anything interesting left in this area. But the further I go, the quieter it gets. The sudden silence makes me doubt my surroundings; I better keep my guard up.
As I continue walking further, the environment gets darker. Is this place really a forest? It feels like it isn't. Why do I suddenly feel like I'm inside a cramped, pitch-black cave? There is definitely something suspicious going on around here.
I try to turn back to the clearing where I defeated the wolves, but I'm still trapped inside the dark. I know I didn't walk that far from the entrance.
I cast [Fireball] to illuminate the path, but the flame is consumed instantly. My interface alerts me that I am continuously expending the mana for [Fireball], but why does the fire get extinguished in this darkness the exact second it manifests?
I stop using [Fireball] to save my energy while I find a way out of this darkness. If I keep wasting spells, I might completely run out of mana.
A thought strikes me. I cast [Fireball] directly onto the floor beneath me. After casting it multiple times against the ground, I notice a structural crack appearing. I need a strong, piercing skill to blast a bigger opening through this floor.
But I'm rapidly running out of mana. I should rest for a bit to recover. Sigh... how long will it take me to get out of this place? I feel like I've been trapped here for over an hour.
After a few hours of waiting, my mana finally fully recovers. I activate my body buffs and unleash [Lightning Spear], driving it straight into the floor. The electrical blast strikes the ground, and the cracks grow visibly larger.
But even that isn't enough to break through. Ah... I realize I forgot to allocate my remaining stat points. I quickly mumble, "Status window."
Name: Lucas Ferios
Class: Restricted
Title: [Goblin Slayer 2]
Level: 31
[Hp 1281], [Mp 302]
Stats: [Str 57], [Int 55], [Vit 56], [Wis 52], [Dex 57], [Agi 57], [Luk 54]
Skill: [Thrust leap], [Force strike], [Fireball], [Wind blade], [Aura body], [Camouflage], [Mana Circle], [Lightning Spear]
Ex Skill: [Soul Extract], [Time of Life and Death]
Rp: 50
Ahh... my HP has already increased into the thousands. Hmm... should I allocate all of my remaining points into raw physical power? I make up my mind and dump the entire pool into my strength attribute: [Str 57] -> [Str 107].
Woah... a sudden surge of raw energy rushes through me. I feel incredibly boosted. Getting this much power in a short amount of time almost feels like cheating.
I rest for a bit longer, but I'm still stuck in this absolute darkness. I cannot tell where exactly I am anymore, and I start to worry that I might actually starve to death inside this place.
Sigh... I keep brainstorming my next move. Even though I made a crack in the ground, it wasn't enough to free me. I need to find another way out.
I continuously walk further, hoping to stumble upon an exit, but my limbs start to feel completely numb. I can't even tell if I'm still actively walking or just standing completely still.
I don't even know what I'm saying in my mind anymore. Is my consciousness even still intact?It feels like it's been an eternity since I last knew what was going on around me...
[Meanwhile, outside the dungeon]
"Is Lucas still not coming out?" Henry muttered, checking his watch. "It's already nighttime. I should head inside and check what's going on. Something feels fishy about this environment."
Henry stepped through the portal and navigated the snowy terrain. "Where did he go in this forest? Did he press deeper?"
He walked further and further into the woods until he finally saw Lucas ahead. Assessing his state, Henry's eyes widened.
Lucas was standing completely still in the middle of a clear forest path, his eyes glazed over as if he had lost consciousness. Henry then noticed a strange, glowing plant blooming right in front of him. He instantly recognized the flower as the Gloom of Forest. It explained exactly why Lucas was in this comatose state.
Waking up, I blinked against the harsh lights. Where am I? Am I back in a hospital? I spotted Henry sitting in a chair right beside my bed.
"Oh... you're awake, or at least partially awake," Henry said, leaning forward. "You know, you were just standing frozen in the middle of the forest path. It seems you accidentally breathed in the pollen of a specific flower, causing you to lose your consciousness."
"Breathed in a flower's pollen?" I croaked, rubbing my aching forehead. "I swear I was walking further into a dark cave, and the surrounding environment was pitch black."
"Hmm... the plant you encountered is called the Gloom of Forest," Henry explained. "The more its pollen affects your mind, the more you feel like you are trapped in an endless darkness. But that wasn't the case at all—you were just standing still in the middle of the woods the entire time."
"Is that so..." I muttered.
A nurse walked into the recovery room, checking my chart. "He is cleared to be discharged this afternoon. Make sure to drink this medicine; you will feel a bit different for a while due to the residual effects of the flower."
After checking out, Henry drove me back to my dorm. Sigh... did I really hallucinate and lose consciousness just from a flower?
Entering my room, a wave of intense dizziness and sleepiness suddenly washed over me. I sat down heavily on the couch, barely able to keep my eyes open.
[System Notification]: The Gloom of Forest has taken permanent effect on your body structure.
[System Notification]: Continuously enhancing related elemental skills...
[System Notification]: Skill evolution triggered: [Heal] -> [Guardian of Forest]
[Guardian of Forest]: Passively increases the baseline effectiveness of all active skills by 20%. The healing output is increased by 50%. Grants the ability to summon a Guardian entity.
Yawn... Is it morning already? I woke up on the couch, my stomach rumbling loudly. I'm starving. What should I cook? Maybe a hot, spicy stew.
After eating, I decided I wanted to rest for the remainder of the day. I was still incredibly confused about what happened yesterday, so I decided to try meditating to calm my mind.
I sat cross-legged on the floor and focused on my breathing for an hour. Unexpectedly, a system panel flared to life. I had gained a new skill: [Focus]. I never thought it was possible to naturally unlock an ability without learning it from a physical skill book!
[Focus]: Helps calm your mind, enhances your sensory vision, and increases passive mana and health recovery by 15%.
These hidden skills are absolutely OP. Hmm... yeah, I should take this chance to keep practicing it. I continuously meditated, losing myself in the flow of energy. I didn't even realize that time was passing until it was already midnight. I opened my interface to check the skill progress.
[System Notification]: Skill Rank Up: [Focus F] -> [Focus D]
[Focus D]: Helps calm your mind, enhances your sensory vision, and increases passive mana and health recovery by 15%.
[Effect 1]: Increases active movement speed by 20%.
[Effect 2]: Increases overall damage output by 10%.Ahh... this is a perfect utility buff skill. Nice.
[The Next Day]
Walking through the campus courtyard, I looked over at the girl walking right beside me. "Anya, what are you doing?"
"Hmm... nothing," she replied casually. "I just want to walk with you."
"I know, but why specifically with me?"
"No reason! I just want to hang out with you for the day. Besides, you didn't even call me yesterday."
Sigh. This is so frustrating. I purposely didn't call her because I wanted some space, but she didn't give me a choice. I'm starting to find her a bit annoying, and to make matters worse, everyone around the courtyard is staring directly at us.
"You know what? Come with me," I said, trying to escape the staring crowds. "I'm hungry, so I'm going to treat you to something."
"Yayy! I want a hot milk chocolate drink, please!" she cheered, clapping her hands.
"Ugh... fine, fine. Cut it out," I grumbled, rolling my eyes. "You're not even acting that cute, so drop the act... ughh, why!?"
Suddenly, a fist planted right into my ribs. Anya huffed, crossing her arms. "Hmph... just hurry up and buy it."
What the hell? Why did she just punch me out of nowhere? I didn't even say anything that bad, and I don't even find her attractive. Ugh, this is turning out way worse than why I agreed to walk with her in the first place.