Dan and Elena navigated the dense foliage, the sounds of exotic birds filling the air, and a cool breeze carrying the scent of mud and dew.
The crystal in Dan's hand shimmered faintly, tracing a clear path through the twisted branches.
Dan said in a hesitant tone as he looked at the crystal:
"Do you think the others are ahead of us?"
Elena replied without turning around:
"It doesn't matter if they beat us. What matters is that we describe."
Dan paused for a moment, then looked directly at her and said:
"By the way, I owe you a debt of gratitude for saving me from that moron with the axe."
Elena paused for a second, then continued, saying coldly:
"If I lose you now, I'll have to do everything on my own. It's not in my best interest."
Dan smiled lightly:
"Thanks for the honesty."
But before he could say more, Elena stopped abruptly, raising her hand to signal him to stop.
Then she said it to me in a whisper.
"Wait, there's something nearby."
Dan looked around, noting the windless shaking of the trees' leaves and the sudden silence of the birds.
He said in a low voice:
"Are those traps?"
The answer came right in front of them: wolf-like creatures emerged from the fog, their bodies covered in bark and their eyes glowing green.
Dan whispered:
"Wolves of the forest."
Elena said, getting ready:
"Attack and I'll back you up."
Dan lowered himself into a fighting stance, his right hand gripping the hilt of his sword. He watched the movement of the wolves that slowly began to surround them.
One of the wolves charged forward, its heavy footsteps echoing through the forest as its wooden claws dug into the ground with every stride.
Dan said, tensing his muscles:
"There are at least four, and one of them is definitely bigger than the others."
Elena muttered:
"The bigger one is the leader. If we take him down, the rest will retreat."
One of the wolves lunged at Dan, its tusks open as if it were about to plunge them into his neck.
Dan slid to the side and delivered a sharp blow to the wolf's flank. The wolf hit a hard, fleshy tree, but split the bark, and a viscous green liquid gushed out.
The wolf retreated, snarling, while roots emerged from the ground and grabbed one of the other wolves, immobilizing it.
Elena said:
"Now!"
Dan responded immediately, rushing toward the cornered wolf and delivering a precise blow to its neck, sending it staggering to the ground.
The leader roared, then lunged straight at Elena. He was clearly faster and bigger than the others.
But she didn't panic. She raised her hand, and thick roots stretched out from the ground to form a wall in front of her.
The wolf hit the wall, and dust exploded. The wall cracked, and the wolf began to break through.
Dan said as he ran towards it from the side:
"Elena! Get his head out of the way!"
She shook her head, and roots sprang up from the ground, wrapping around the wolf's jaw and stopping it from biting. The wolf lifted its head up slightly.
Dan jumped up, and with a swift over-the-shoulder strike, pierced the wolf's eye and plunged into its skull.
The wolf took two hesitant steps back, then fell on its side, motionless.
The others, having witnessed the death of their leader, let out a snarl that echoed through the forest. Then they retreated and disappeared into the trees.
Dan breathed heavily, staring at the dead wolf.
He confidently stabbed a small dagger into the creature's chest, declaring:
"Get the core. Now."
Elena helped him, and they pulled a small, glowing green orb from inside the wolf's body.
Dan fed it to the crystal, and it ignited with a stronger blue light than before. A circle appeared on its surface, indicating a closer location on the map.
Elena looked at the crystal and said:
"New direction... west this time."
Dan replied with a weary smile:
"I'm not sure if it's the good news or the bad."
"I don't know if it's good news or bad," she said as she started walking.
"We'll find out in a few minutes."
They kept walking through the forest's shadows, where nothing stays quiet for long.
Dan and Elena walked silently through the forest, the autumn leaves rustling softly under their feet. The atmosphere was calm, but there was clearly tension between them.
A few minutes later, Dan broke the silence in a low voice.
"You hate me, don't you?"
She didn't answer him directly. She kept walking for a few seconds, then said:
"I hate you... no... why?"
Dan smiled bitterly:
"So you despise me."
She stopped walking. Her look of incomprehension was unmistakable.
"Why would I despise you?"
Dan looked at her, clearly perplexed.
"I mean, didn't I try to assault you?"
She looked at him strangely and sighed.
"No one's here, so why do you insist on continuing this charade? It was your idea to spread this absurd rumor in the first place."
Dan was perplexed by this.
"I don't understand what you're saying."
"Are you all right, Dan? It was your request to give me a chance to contract the Great Wood Spirit."
"I'm sorry, but my memory isn't serving me well. Tell me everything from the beginning."
Elena was perplexed by Dan's request, but she was resolute in her response.
"When you came to our family, you discovered the location of the Great Spirit and spoke with her. No one knows what you said, but the spirit agreed to make a contract with me."
"Is that... a good thing?"
She looked at him and said
"It's clear that no one has contracted with the Great Spirit since the Ancestor."
"So you don't hate me?"
"No, I'm very grateful to you."
"Then why are you acting so cold?"
She replied with an innocent smile.
"Wouldn't it be better to pretend?"
"You're right, but why did you agree to join me?"
"It's because of what the Great Spirit said about you. She said that if you had even the slightest talent for woodworking, she would have made a contract with you."
Dan thought to himself.
I'm done understanding. Is the real Dan really not a scumbag? There's no question that he would want to have a rumor like that.
I also felt a bit strange about Tia. She trusted me right away and didn't ask any questions.
Dan thought to himself:
I'm completely lost. The real Dan is not a scumbag—why he would start a rumor like that.
"So that's it... it's different than I thought." The two of them heard someone's voice.
Suddenly, two people appeared from the trees.
Dan looked at them and said in surprise:
"Cain, what are you doing here? Have you been watching us?"
Cain smiled and said lightly:
"To be honest, I was worried about You getting beaten up, but my friend here... he was worried you'd do something bad."
Cain then pointed at his teammate and joked:
"What's wrong, Lian? Cat got your tongue?"
Lian looked at Dan with hesitant glances, as if he didn't know where to start. Then he abruptly bowed and spoke in a sincere voice:
"I'm sorry... I misjudged you."
Dan stared at him, looking confused, then held up a hand to stop him:
"Don't bend over, it's not a big deal."
Elena watched intently, then confidently stated, as if she had grasped the essence of the matter:
"So that's why you asked me to tell so they'd understand right away."
Lian smiled and said:
"As expected of one recognized by the Great Spirit... you have a surprisingly quick wit."
Dan attempted to maintain his smile, but muttered to himself:
"What are those two thinking? Did they eat something rotten?"
Then Cain suddenly said, with a serious look:
"Dan, are you..."
Dan looked at him with concern, but Cain just smiled and continued:
"You're a masochist, right? You enjoy it when others despise you?"
Dan froze for a moment, then smiled as he drew his sword and advanced toward Cain in slow steps.
Kain raised his hands and said forcefully:
"Oh, come on. There's no need to get angry! I was joking. It was just a joke. Just a joke!"
But Dan kept his smile and moved closer without saying a word.
Cain swallowed, then grabbed Lian's arm and said quickly:
"Well You're look fine. We worried unnecessarily. Let's go, Lian, come on!"
They bolted into the trees.
Dan glanced in their direction for a second, then muttered as he put his sword back into its sheath:
"It's clear that I'm drawing a unique type of friend here—the kind who runs faster than his shadow when you joke with a sword."
He shook his head and kept walking, thinking:
"He was definitely worried about me. He's annoying, but he's a good guy."
Elena laughed softly as she walked beside him and said:
"Do you think everyone should act like you?"
Dan smiled as he exhaled tiredly, then said in a semi-serious tone:
"No, but I know the world would be a lot more fun if they did."
Dan and Elena kept going, and the silence between them was palpable. This silence wasn't heavy; it was comfortable.
Under the dense shade of the trees, amidst the falling autumn leaves, they continued on their way... towards the depths of the forest, where more surprises await them.