The flickering light of the campfire, sustained by Elliot's fire magic, still danced against the cold stone floor of the temple. As we silently ate the rations from our bags, the darkness of the forest watched us from every side.
Kael chewed a piece of bread and looked at me. "When our food runs out, we'll have to hunt," he said in a grave voice.
I looked at him in surprise. "Are there even living things here?"
"There are. The creatures here are mostly high-mana beings or those that feed on mana itself. Because of that, some ordinary animals can live quite comfortably in the forest. But I hope we don't stay here long enough to need to hunt. Honestly, facing such powerful beings on the very first day suggests our luck isn't exactly holding out."
I smiled, but it was a bitter one. The fact that my luck was at 100% and this cursed stone in my pocket felt completely contradictory. Was I lucky, or was this luck dragging me into the greatest of troubles?
Asteria interjected: "This temple was built long ago when the three races imprisoned certain entities here. There used to be very strong surveillance, but that control diminished during the inter-racial wars. Now, only mages who come to study the forest use it for overnight stays."
Kael brought the conversation back to our main goal: "Lucius, Lady Asteria told me about the plant needed to awaken your mana. But what does this plant look like?"
"I know it has a bitter scent and a red color," I replied.
Asteria held the map toward the light of the fire: "According to the map, there is a large clearing nearby; it might grow there. We'll check it tomorrow. For now, rest. Who has the first watch?"
"I do," I said firmly.
Everyone retired to their spots. Inside the temple, only the crackling of the flames and Kael's heavy breathing could be heard. Sitting by the fire, I drew Antler from its sheath. As I wiped the stains from the steel, I felt a calling within me. It was enough to simply wish to see the system window for a translucent screen to appear before me:
[ STATUS WINDOW ]
Name: Lucius Tyrio Valerius
Level: 14
Titles: God's Guest (Hidden)
Main Skill: [Luck: 100%] — Passive/Active: All probabilities of fate result in your favor.
Physical Skill: [Swordsmanship: High]
Items: [Antler (S-rank)], [Silver Stag Badge], [Healing Elixir (S-rank)]
I had leveled up once more after the fights with Drak and in the forest. Just then, Asteria's cold and familiar voice came from behind me:
"What do you think drew the monsters to us today?"
"The crystal, Master..." I said, handing the stone to her.
Asteria began to move her hand over the stone. Along with the ancient sentences she whispered, the stone suddenly darkened and turned into an ordinary piece of black rock. She had strengthened the seal.
"Crystals don't just bring a mage's mana to its maximum; they can also cause great disasters," Asteria said, looking me in the eye. "If the stone shatters, all the mana inside will scatter. It could kill everyone nearby from mana overload."
"I didn't know that..." I whispered.
Asteria stood up: "Now go to sleep, I'll take the watch. We must find that flower tomorrow and leave here quickly. We will need luck tomorrow."We woke up early the next morning and took only our most essential items. After hiding the rest of our gear in a corner of the temple, we set out light. After advancing through the dense, suffocating air of the forest for a while, we finally reached the area shown on the map.
The view opening before us was incredible. This wide clearing, covered with tall, lush green grass and colorful flowers, looked so beautiful and peaceful that no one would believe it was located within the Umbra Forest. It was like a small piece of paradise inside a cursed woods. In the very center of the field stood a large, magnificent tree shedding pink leaves.
Asteria's voice broke the peaceful atmosphere, reminding us of our true purpose: "Everyone, search for the red, bitter-smelling flower."
We fanned out and began the search. I pushed the tall grass aside with the tip of my sword, slowly advancing toward the large tree in the center. As I approached the trunk, I began to sense a strange, sharp, and bitter scent in the air. My eyes searched around the roots, and finally, I found what I was looking for. Hidden inside a small hollow in the tree trunk was a deep red, shimmering flower. The scent was coming from right there.
"It's here! Come over here!" I shouted loudly, my voice echoing across the plain.
As the others ran toward me, I tried to break the wood around the hollow with the hilt of my sword to retrieve the flower. Just as I struck the hollow a few times and reached out my hand toward the flower... everything changed.
The massive tree suddenly began to shake. Pink leaves fell like rain. From the upper branches of the tree, a black, shiny orb descended slowly, gliding down. This spinning orb began to unfurl. First, long, jointed legs emerged, and then a hairy, multi-eyed head appeared.
It was a giant spider. It stood on the trunk right between me and the flower, snapping its venomous mandibles at me. My luck might be 100%, but this monster waking up exactly when I reached for the flower was fate's next irony.
Kael and Asteria were already running toward me. The spider raised its front legs, preparing for an attack. I gripped my sword tightly. As the spider descended from the tree and touched the ground, the surroundings shook—but the cause of this tremor was not the monster. The ground split open with a great roar, and three Ogres, larger and more feral than those from yesterday, emerged screaming from beneath the earth. The forest seemed hungry for the scent of blood.
Kael unsheathed his sword with a swift motion. The largest Ogre lunged at him, throwing a massive punch. Kael dove aside at the last second; the punch cracked the ground, and a thick cloud of dust enveloped the area. Taking advantage of the chaos, Kael leaped onto the giant's arm and began climbing rapidly to plunge his sword into its shoulder.
On the other side, Alfredo and Elliot stood back-to-back. The Ogre in front of them prepared to bring down a spiked tree trunk upon them.
"Now, Elliot!" Alfredo shouted.
Alfredo spun his staff, creating a powerful Wind Cyclone around the Ogres. Elliot didn't miss the opportunity; he extended his hands and blasted fire into the center of the cyclone. The force of the wind made the fire even more ferocious, and the giants began to burn within a sea of flames. But at that exact moment, the ground beneath them split again, and another Ogre lunged out. Alfredo and Elliot immediately jumped aside, narrowly escaping being crushed.
Asteria was left alone with two Ogres, but she did not retreat. With a swift movement, she blasted high-pressure water at both giants. Simultaneously, with her other hand, she split the ground beneath them, dropping them into a pit. Before the giants could understand what had happened, Asteria sent more water over them and immediately froze it. The Ogres became motionless ice statues within the pit.I was completely alone.
The spider before me was many times larger than I was, and every step shook the ground. I held Antler firmly in front of me, the creature's countless eyes fixed directly on me. Suddenly, the spider spat a sticky web. I dodged by jumping aside, but it lunged one of its sharp legs at me with incredible speed. Sparks flew as the steel of my sword hit its hard shell.
My luck might be 100%, I thought, but luck alone won't be enough to pierce this monster's armor.
As the spider raised its front legs to descend upon me with all its weight, I threw my body aside at the last second. Over there, Kael was driving his sword between the giant's shoulder blades while the giant roared in pain.
The newly arrived Ogre was running toward Alfredo. Although Alfredo created wind shields, the giant pushed forward relentlessly. Just as it raised its fist to strike, ice spears from the air pierced the giant's body. It was Asteria. She stood atop a flying rock, raining ice down upon the Ogre.
Asteria immediately turned toward Elliot and killed the charred giants closing in on him with final cutting strikes. Kael had finished his opponent; he drove his sword into the back of the Ogre's head, bringing the massive body down.
"We need to help Lucius!"
While the others fought the Ogres, the spider's eight eyes glowed simultaneously, and it raised its massive torso, lunging at me with incredible speed. As the spider's shadow fell over me mid-air, I felt time slow down. My luck was at work again; the trajectory of the leap was such that if I had taken one step back, its claws would have pierced my chest. However, my foot caught on a tree root, and I fell backward. The spider's sharp legs passed just centimeters from me and entered the ground with such force that the earth cracked.
Taking advantage of the moment, I rushed to strike at its belly. Rolling on the ground, I moved beneath the creature's torso. This was its weakest yet most dangerous point. The spider slammed its belly down to crush me, but I held Antler with both hands toward the sky, bracing the sword against the ground. As the monster descended with its own weight, the tip of the sword impaled its soft underbelly.
A horrific, piercing shriek filled the clearing. Green, sticky fluid erupted from the spider, drenching my armor. The spider stood up and began to shake; my hand slipped, and I was thrown aside, but I stood up quickly. My sword, Antler, was stuck in its flesh, and I was unarmed. The monster didn't miss the chance; putting all its remaining strength into its back legs, it lunged at me with a massive leap. This wasn't just an attack; it was an attempt to crush me with its entire weight.
Normally, this would be the end of the road. But my 100% luck spoke again.
While the creature was in mid-air, I saw a jagged tree stump on the ground. As that massive, hairy torso descended upon me, I rolled and aimed that sharp piece of wood upward, directly toward the monster's mouth.
The spider impaled itself on the sharp wood with its own speed and weight. Simultaneously, I managed to grab the hilt of my sword still stuck in its belly.
"It's over now!" I yelled, pulling the sword down toward its tail with all my might.
The steel split the monster's body in two like paper. Disgusting green fluid scattered everywhere like a fountain. The spider died mid-air and crashed onto its side. Its massive legs twitched one last time, and silence fell.
[ SYSTEM UPTADE ]
Level increased: 15
[ SYSTEM UPTADE ]
Level increased: 16
The others, having killed the Ogres, came to my side. Asteria stepped down from the rock.
"Are you alright, Lucius?"
Out of breath, I replied, "Yeah... yeah."
"Then take the flower. We must leave before other creatures arrive; we have little time."
I approached the hollow in the tree. The sharp, bitter scent was now piercing my nose. I reached out and carefully plucked the red flower.
[ SYSTEM UPTADE ]
Item Obtained: Vera Plant (S-rank)
The moment I touched it, I felt a strange tingling in my fingers. These were the first signals of the awakening of the mana that had been dormant in my body for years.