After gathering the flower, we headed back to the temple. Although no one was seriously injured during the battle, exhaustion was written on everyone's faces. After hours of tense trekking, we finally reached the ancient, protective walls of the temple.
Asteria, demonstrating her mastery over water magic once more, provided us with a way to clean our clothes and bathe. It was a relief that I had brought spare clothes; otherwise, staying in garments drenched in that sticky, disgusting spider fluid would have been unbearable. Asteria's mastery over three elements and numerous sub-magics is truly incredible; she is like a living library.
Later, we gathered around the fire Eliot had rekindled. We ate our rations with great appetite. Kael's deep voice broke the silence:
"You were all good today, especially you, Lady Asteria. You are even better than the legends say."
Asteria smiled composedly: "Thank you, General. But I believe the true congratulations belong to Lucius. Killing a spider of that size single-handedly is no small feat."
"You were magnificent, Young Master!" Alfredo and Eliot added in unison.
"Thank you, friends. We were all great today," I replied. But my mind was still on the plant in my pocket. "How will this flower work, Master Asteria?"
Asteria looked at me by the firelight: "According to my grandfather, it is enough to purify and consume a single leaf. Eating it in its bitter state can be toxic to humans. In fact, there is a risk even after purification; it's a matter of luck. But a four-leaf Vera plant like the one you found is extremely rare. Usually, those with one or two leaves are more common."
Kael chimed in: "When will you begin the purification?"
"We rest today and try tomorrow. Now, go to sleep. Who has the watch?"
"I do," I said.
Once everyone retired, I was alone. Sitting before the fire, I opened the status window again:
[ STATUS WINDOW ]
Name: Lucius Tyrio Valerius
Level: 16
Titles: God's Guest (Hidden)
Main Skill: [Luck: 100%]
Physical Skill: [Swordsmanship: High]
Items: [Antler (S-rank)], [Silver Stag Badge], [Healing Elixir (S-rank)], [Vera Plant (S-rank)]
The spider had granted me two levels. It seems battles in this world develop me much faster. As usual, I cleaned my sword and carefully sheathed it. It was hard to believe that someone who never even left his room in his previous life could sit so comfortably in the heart of a dark forest after killing a giant monster. This world was changing me.
Morning came, but the dense trees of the Umbra Forest prevented the sun's rays from entering the temple. The air inside was heavier than yesterday, almost electric. Asteria was already by the extinguished fire, carefully placing a leaf of the Vera plant into a stone bowl.
As I woke, everyone's eyes were on me. Kael leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, while Alfredo and Eliot watching excitedly in a corner.
"If you are ready, let us begin, Lucius," Asteria said in a firm but caring voice.
She held her hands over the plant. Seconds later, a deep purple light began to flow from her fingers. The red leaves of the Vera plant trembled; the bitter scent slowly vanished, replaced by a clean, minty aroma. The leaves were now transparent and shimmering like rubies.
Asteria took one leaf and handed it to me:
"Eat this. But remember, your mana veins have been closed for years. When they open suddenly, your body might feel the fires of hell. Trust in your luck."
I took the leaf. It was cold. The moment I chewed it, the taste was sweet at first, then sharp like broken glass seconds later. As I swallowed, everything stopped.
Suddenly, I felt an explosion in the center of my chest, right below my heart.
"Ah!" I collapsed involuntarily.
It felt as if liquid fire was flowing through my veins. My vision blurred, and the system window opened on its own, flickering before me. Notifications flooded in, but I couldn't read them through the pain.
[ SYSTEM WARNING: MANA VEINS UNDER STRAIN! ]
[ CRITICAL CONDITION: 100% LUCK ACTIVATING... ]
A blue mist began to rise from my body. My mana veins were on the verge of bursting when that power I called "luck" kicked in. The heat of the fire suddenly turned into a cool breeze. My veins expanded; instead of shattering, they strengthened to accept the new energy.
Kael looked at me: "Congratulations."
Asteria placed her hand on my forehead, the tension leaving her face. "Your mana is now active," she said.
I looked at the system window; a new section had appeared:
[ NEW SKILL: MANA SENSE (Level 1) ]
[ MANA RESERVE: 500/500 ]
[ STATUS: AWAKENED ]
Asteria carefully placed the remaining three leaves into a small silver container and handed it to me. "Take these, Lucius, and keep them with you."
I placed the silver container in a hidden compartment on my belt. If just one leaf had brought my veins to the breaking point, the true power of this plant was hard to imagine.
"Get ready," I said, looking at everyone. "Our work in the Umbra Forest is done."We packed our things and set out. After a few hours of hard marching, we reached the exit of the forest. From a distance, the sun-drenched green plains promised freedom. Everyone was talking, enjoying the joy of escaping the stifling air of Umbra. But that joy was short-lived.
Suddenly, the ancient trees around us began to shake violently. The silence was replaced by a terrifying roar.
"Stay alert! Something is approaching!" Kael's shout put everyone into a combat stance.
Out of the trees emerged a massive, armored Forest Warden, radiating a thick, dark mana. Every step shook the earth, and the red light emanating from its eyes heralded death. Simultaneously, hundreds of hungry, red-eyed Goblins flooded toward us like a tide. We had been ambushed.
Eliot moved swiftly, extending his hands to turn goblins into ash with successive fireballs. Alfredo used the air to launch cutting wind attacks, while Asteria created ice spears to pin goblin bodies to the trees.
"Come here, monster!" Kael unsheathed his sword and lunged at the Warden.
I drew my sword and rushed forward to fight side-by-side with Kael. But before I could reach the Warden, dozens of goblins blocked my path. Though every strike of my sword split a goblin in two, their cursed numbers did not dwindle.
Over there, Kael struck the Warden with all his might. Sparks flew as steel hit metal, but the Warden didn't even budge. The monster brought its massive sword down upon Kael. Though Kael blocked, the pressure was so great that the ground beneath his feet collapsed. The Warden didn't miss the chance, striking Kael with a devastating kick. Kael flew ten meters away, crashing into an oak tree and lying motionless.
"NO!" I screamed. I tried to carve a path through the goblins, but I was surrounded by mist.
At that moment, something horrific happened. As Eliot was repelling goblins with fire, a black-clad, inhumanly fast creature emerged from his shadow. That entity drove its sword into the center of Eliot's chest with such cruelty that Eliot's mana drained in a second. He turned pale and fell to his knees.
"ELIOT! Hang on, I'm coming!" Alfredo screamed frantically.
Alfredo cast aside the goblins with a cyclone and lunged at the creature that struck Eliot. He picked up a goblin dagger to tear the creature apart, but the mysterious being vanished like smoke. Alfredo desperately held Eliot's chest: "You'll be okay, hold on!"
As Alfredo sat on the ground, dozens of goblins tried to pounce on him, but Asteria froze them all in place with shards of ice. There was a cold determination on her face.
"Prepare yourselves! We still have that Warden to kill!" Asteria shouted.
"What about these cursed goblins?" Alfredo asked, clutching Eliot's wound.
"We will handle them. These were Vane soldiers stationed at the forest exit!"
I cut down the last few goblins in front of me and joined them. The three of us—me, a wounded Alfredo, and an icy, determined Asteria—began our final charge toward the massive Warden.
I gripped my sword tightly. This battle would be either our victory or our final resting place.
Together, we charged the Warden. The ground was covered in black mist with every step; the cursed aura around the monster took our breath away.
Asteria stood her ground and raised her hands. Suddenly, massive ice spikes erupted from beneath the earth, targeting the Warden's legs. The monster roared and struck the ground with its sword, shattering the ice spikes like glass. But that was just a distraction.
Despite his wounded leg, Alfredo moved behind the Warden using a goblin dagger and a wind burst he created. "Now, Young Master!" he yelled.
I put all the strength in my body into my legs and lunged. As the Warden swung its sword toward Alfredo, I slid toward its armored kneecap, gripping my sword and driving it into the weak point with all my strength. Metal tore metal; dark black fluid sprayed from between the monster's armor. The monster knelt in pain.
At that moment, someone ran toward us from a distance. Spitting blood from his mouth, he gripped his sword with both hands. "I'll send you to hell!" Kael leaped onto the Warden's back.
The Warden created a dark mana explosion to throw us off. We were tossed aside. As the monster tried to stand, Asteria used her final mana to bring down a massive block of ice from above. The ice hit the Warden's shoulders, pinning it back to the ground.
I didn't miss the opportunity. As the Warden swung its sword at me, my foot caught on a goblin corpse—thanks to my luck—and I fell, escaping the lethal strike. But this fall brought me right under the monster's throat.
"This is the end!" I shouted, plunging my sword into the single gap in the armor at its throat.
A scream erupted from within the monster that nearly burst our eardrums. The red light in the Warden's eyes faded, and its body began to tremble. However, before it died, it struck its chest. The mists erupting from its body gathered at one point and tore through the air like a blade.
Suddenly, a dark, swirling Portal opened at the center of the monster. The portal began to suck everything in.
"Lucius! Hold on!" Asteria cried.
But the portal's power was inhuman. In an instant, it ripped me from the ground and pulled me inside. As the darkness of the portal swallowed me completely, the last things I saw were the desperate faces of Kael and Alfredo, and Asteria's distant scream.