Enormous, aggressive insects swarmed the area—giant butterflies flapping wings as broad as fans, mutated bee-like creatures with massive mandibles, and all manner of carnivorous plants overwhelmed Erik.
The players gradually scattered, the boy becoming separated from his companions, save for Erik and Edward, who stayed close at his heels. The boy occasionally looked back at Erik, his gaze filled with complexity.
Erik, in turn, looked at him with growing astonishment.
There was only one reason—he had seen the boy hurl fire in a moment of mortal danger. Though the flame was weak, it had been enough to drive off the beast poised to kill him.
An NPC with such a setting? Erik's resolve to follow him deepened.
"You saw it, right? He can breathe fire!" Edward was equally stunned and puzzled. "Why didn't he use it earlier?"
"Perhaps there's a limitation. He probably can't use it freely," Erik speculated.
As expected, the boy never used the ability again, relying instead on branches he picked up to fend off threats. Unable to watch him perish, Erik and Edward rushed to assist.
Useful items were scarce in the wastelands, but the forest offered remnants left behind by those who came before. Edward had already swapped weapons several times; he now wielded an iron rod. Erik picked up a long blade that suited him better.
The two hacked through the murderous vines entangling the boy, finally managing to drag him free. Without a word of thanks, the boy took off running, leaving Edward stomping in frustration. "We just saved him!"
"Go after him!"
Before night fell, the boy climbed into a tree, selecting it as his resting place. Erik and Edward found nearby trees of the same kind and followed suit.
The forest turned far more perilous at night. Distant cries echoed without end. Erik saw glowing eyes peering out from the darkness—red, yellow, even violet. He could not guess what species they belonged to. At one point, a group of violet-eyed beasts gathered beneath the tree but made no move to attack, as if they were completely unaware of the humans above.
Even snakes, rats, and insects avoided the trees, circling cautiously around them.
These trees were not ordinary—Erik suspected they were the forest's version of "safe houses."
"Why are you following me?" the boy suddenly asked.
Though separated by several meters, his voice was weak—barely audible, if Erik hadn't been watching him closely.
"We're lost," Erik replied.
"You're strange," the boy muttered, echoing what his grandmother used to say.
"What is this place called?" Erik gently probed.
"You don't even know that?"
"No."
"This is the Greatwood Forest, currently in its hibernation season. If it weren't, the dangers would be a hundredfold worse. You came in without knowing that?" The boy was incredulous, his voice rising.
"It's true—we're not from around here. We're unfamiliar with the terrain. That's why we followed you. Don't worry, we only want to reach a safe town. We mean you no harm."
The boy fell silent, unsure whether to trust them.
Whether he believed them or not, Erik was determined not to leave his side.
On the second day within the Greatwood Forest, Erik encountered a swarm of ants as tall as a man. Nothing survived in their wake—not even the bark of towering trees, which they gnawed half a meter deep. Faced with such creatures, the only instinct was to flee; resistance was out of the question.
In the chaos, Erik was separated from the others.
She grew anxious. Earlier, she had tried using a compass, only to find it useless—the needle spun wildly. In the forest, it flailed even more madly. Fearing it broken, she had stashed it away.
Where could the NPC boy be?
Without the compass, Erik tried to retrace her steps, hoping to return to the point of separation. She remembered the direction the boy had fled.
Backtracking proved no easier. Erik encountered a massive cockroach-like flying insect, its forelegs like scythes bristling with sharp spines, gleaming with lethal menace. It descended from a tree, blades raised to cleave her in two.
Erik ducked swiftly and darted beneath the lower canopy.
Crash!
The scythes sliced through every branch and leaf in their path, debris raining down behind her. She didn't dare pause. Dodging frantically, pursued by the relentless behemoth, she suddenly had an idea—she pulled out a can of insecticide and sprayed wildly behind her.
The monstrous cockroach paused on a broad leaf, twitching its antennae, sensing in both directions, unsure where to go.
Hearing the change behind her, Erik felt a spark of hope. The spray worked! She unleashed another burst while weaving through the trees.
After more than ten minutes of tense pursuit, she finally shook off the giant insect and exhaled in relief.
Wrapping a cloth over her nose and mouth, she drenched herself in more insecticide, bracing against the discomfort and forging onward.
She could only hope the NPC boy stayed alive until she found him.
He had indeed survived—saved once again by Edward.
He stared in shock at Edward, who, moments earlier, had seemed at death's door and now bounded about with renewed vigor.
"What kind of spirit bone do you have? I've never seen anything like it."
Edward's eyes darted, and he answered vaguely, "Exactly what you're seeing."
"And the others with you, are they the same?"
"…Yes! We all are. We live in seclusion—rarely encounter outsiders."
That explained it. No wonder these people felt so different—they belonged to a reclusive tribe with unique spiritual traits. His grandmother had told him: this world is vast, and all manner of people exist within it.
This exchange eased the boy's wariness. The two began to cooperate. However, he still dared not mention his guiding necklace, fearing it would invite betrayal.
When Erik finally caught up with them, exhausted but alive, she saw the boy and Edward moving forward side by side.
Edward's face lit up. "Hey, it's you! You're not dead!"
Out of the original forty players, only he remained. Seeing a familiar face filled him with joy. He waved Erik over and reassured the boy, "She's from my hometown—she's one of the good ones."
The boy recognized her. "I remember. She runs fast."
"We all do, haha. It's a tribe thing."
Three now traveled where once there were two. With Erik's arrival, Edward felt the burden lift from his shoulders.
"We must move quickly. Hibernation season is ending," the boy warned.
Edward had just slain a giant rat. Turning, he asked, "What exactly is hibernation season?"
"You don't even know that?" The boy was stunned. "Where on earth did you grow up?"
Erik remained calm. "We have winter where we're from, but it's not called hibernation season. Tell me more about it."
"…You really are strange people… During hibernation season, large creatures—both plant and beast—fall into deep sleep. When it ends, they all awaken. Even the strongest cities and fiercest adventuring parties dare not enter the Greatwood Forest then." He pointed to a distant giant tree. "That one will wake up too. My grandmother said its branches will grow long and bear man-eating vines. Once they ensnare you, they never let go."
The towering trees they'd passed had seemed bare, but now Erik realized—they weren't lifeless. They were slumbering.
"There are also serpents so massive they can coil around those giant trees and crush them to splinters. They must be hibernating underground or in caves for now."
Edward was dumbfounded. "Those rats, giant bugs, and mutated bees we saw—those were just appetizers?"
The boy didn't understand the terms "cockroach" or "bee," but seemed to grasp the meaning and nodded. "Exactly. During hibernation, only the small ones come out—my grandmother said so."
"Thank heavens we arrived during hibernation," Edward exclaimed, glancing at Erik, who nodded solemnly.
Having grasped the severity of hibernation season's end, Erik and Edward were eager to leave the forest. Dying in an ordinary dungeon was an indignity neither was willing to accept.
"What about those trees we rested in last night?" Erik asked.
"Those are venom-trees. Anything but humans that comes near them dies instantly."
Erik was duly impressed.
On the ninth day in the Greatwood Forest, they finally made it out. They had survived on dew and non-toxic leaves, seeking out venom-trees each evening to rest in safety.
The day they emerged, the temperature soared—Erik estimated a twenty-degree spike in moments. The air grew stifling hot, with more heat rising by the second.
"Hurry! Hibernation season is ending!" the boy shouted.
The three sprinted wildly. After a thousand meters, a thunderous roar echoed behind them. They stopped in unison and turned.
From far across the forest, a colossal head rose above the tree canopy and roared skyward.
"Rooaar!!"
Countless trees toppled. The ground quaked beneath them.
A black cloud of birds burst into the sky, their wings darkening the heavens.
Erik's face turned pale. "Run! Which way is White City?!"
The boy inhaled sharply. "Follow me!"
They ran for ten more miles. Legs aching, lungs burning, but they dared not stop. The awakening forest had come alive, its beasts raging free. Some battled within, others charged beyond its borders.
A herd of creatures pursued them relentlessly.
"There! White City!" the boy cried.
A towering city loomed a kilometer ahead, its silhouette radiating safety. Edward gasped, "Those things behind us are huge! If they charge in, they'll smash everything—will the city hold? Can it breathe fire too?!"
"White City holds the Flame. No beast dares approach! Once we're inside, we're safe!"