Elian was now within his dream realm.Through the magic zone spreading from his body, he could still perceive the outside world. Even so, what reached his senses remained the same—a black-and-white world devoid of color.
But this time, something was different.
Within that monochrome world, blue lines filled the surrounding area, flowing through space like invisible currents that had never existed before. When he lifted his gaze upward, he saw purple threads writhing chaotically in the air, as if they were alive, yet lacking any definite form.
Slowly, Elian began to understand why those colors had come into being.
Little by little, white lines gathered around him. They moved erratically, colliding with one another, and gradually erased the blue lines that had previously filled the space.
"Ah… so this is why I couldn't see it before," Elian murmured softly."If that's the case, then everything makes sense."
Third-person POV
"Are you insane?! What are you doing?!"
The girl shouted angrily at the young man floating before her.
Just moments ago, she had felt relieved when the rain began to fall and the burning forest slowly started to calm down. But now, the situation had returned to how it was—no, it was even worse.
In front of her, the white-haired youth hovered in the air with his eyes closed, his expression eerily calm. Massive flames raged around his body, while a tornado of fire twisted violently behind him.
The fire showed no sign of dying out. Not a single drop of rain managed to touch it. The flames continued to grow, scorching the surrounding area—but just before they could reach the young man, an invisible barrier stopped them cold.
"Don't bother with him," Liana said grimly from behind."He's been crazy for a long time. After getting that power, this level of insanity doesn't surprise me anymore."
"Sena, I've already put out the flames I created," William said with a regretful look."But this fire… it was created naturally. And every time I try to manipulate it, somehow he always stops me."
"He has foresight," Sena said in frustration."With that, he can predict where the fire will die out and intercept your magic before you can manipulate any flame at all."
"Sena, I can't hold out much longer," Martin said firmly."As a tank, maintaining defensive magic is seriously draining my mana."
Sena fell silent, weighing her options. She could leave—but would Elian let them go? From what Elian had said before, it was clear he wasn't the type to care about others. If they fled now, he might chase after them… and this forest would truly be reduced to ashes.
"Give me a little time," Liana said seriously."I can extinguish the surrounding flames. Please, trust me."
Seeing the resolve in Liana's eyes, Sena finally made her decision.
"We'll hold our ground and put out the fire here," Sena said confidently."I'm sure he'll run out of mana soon, and victory will be ours."
Four magic circles, their lines interconnected, began to form beneath their feet.
"Everyone, channel your mana," Sena ordered.
Without hesitation, the three of them agreed. Streams of mana flowed from them into Martin, granting him additional magical power.
Slowly, the rain began to fall again, suppressing the flames around them. But it didn't last long. The fire suddenly surged back, fiercer than before, devouring the trees and setting the entire forest ablaze.
Liana's face went pale."Brother… just how much mana do you actually have?"
Suddenly, a violent earthquake shook the area. The rain that had been held back now poured down once more, extinguishing the flames around them.
When the fire finally began to subside, the four of them froze in shock.
Elian lay on the ground, covered in blood.Above him, a gigantic root writhed with an unsettling motion.
Before they could recover from their shock, the root lashed out at them. A heavy impact followed, and the magical barrier began to show dangerous cracks.
"This is bad. We need to get out of here, now!" Sena shouted.
With swift movements, she created a large magic circle beneath them and lifted them into the air.
But even in the sky, danger awaited.
A swarm of birds rushed toward them in a brutal assault. Sena maneuvered quickly, dodging roots striking from below and the flock diving from above.
In the middle of her evasive movements, Sena realized something—all of these attacks seemed to be herding them toward a single location.
"Everyone, recover your strength," Sena said seriously."We're about to face something truly terrifying."
William and Martin immediately pulled recovery potions from their storage rings without protest. Liana, who had been watching Sena's leadership all this time, followed suit and drank the potion she carried.
Before long, they saw a vast, empty clearing.At its center stood a massive tree, its branches trailing roots downward. Embedded in its trunk was a green sphere.
The birds stopped chasing them and merely watched from the sky.
Suddenly, leaves burst into the air and shot toward them.
Martin instantly took a defensive stance and formed an invisible barrier. The leaves slammed into it, and cracks began to form across its surface.
William fired a fireball, burning some of the leaves midair. But before he could catch his breath, another wave came—larger and more aggressive.
Some leaves slipped through the cracked barrier and flew toward the magic circle beneath them.
"Bad," Sena muttered as she felt the magic circle becoming unstable.
Their altitude dropped until they finally hit the ground.
The moment they landed, dozens of small roots lashed out from the tree's branches. Martin tried to create another barrier, but it was torn apart almost instantly. Reacting quickly, he raised his shield to block the attack.
William provided support with fireballs. Sena formed a magic circle to enhance Martin's strength, while Liana fired arrows at the incoming roots.
But some of the roots absorbed William's flames and shattered Liana's arrows before lunging toward them.
Just before the roots could reach their targets, several birds suddenly swooped down and destroyed them.
Then something shocking happened.
Something resembling a soul was pulled out of the birds' bodies and absorbed into the roots.
They stood frozen in shock—especially Sena, who was beginning to understand what was happening. Cold sweat streamed down her face. Everything made sense now—why the tree had guided them here, why it forced them to descend to the ground, and why it hadn't killed them from the start.
With a hoarse voice, Sena shouted,"Everyone! Don't let those roots touch you! If they do, your soul will be absorbed—and you'll truly die here!"
Liana, William, and Martin looked utterly shaken. They had never imagined that a trial meant for training… could instead become their grave.
"Be careful," Sena said quietly but firmly."That thing… it's hunting us."
Note: As the author, I am reminded of a novel with thousands of chapters but only a few locations. Then I came up with an idea to cut down on sentences so that with fewer chapters or words, I could continue the arc and explore the world. However, I am a little concerned about the depth of emotion, because I am afraid that you will not understand the story or immerse yourselves in it. This is quite confusing, especially since I feel that readers won't be immersed in the story if a scene happens too quickly. It's like your partner won't be satisfied if you finish too quickly. It's really sad, isn't it? Pleasure can only be felt if it lasts long and is prolonged.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)