Logging back into Evolution Arts, Sylph found herself perched on a tree branch. From the amount of daylight streaming through the leaves, she knew the sun was still out. Still, she only had a couple of hours until night fell once again.
Looking around, only the silent forest greeted her. Sylph sighed.
“I wanted to avoid them at all costs. How did we end up meeting each other right away? Not to mention those photos they took…”
Drake had bragged all day about his encounter. Liliana glowed with happiness every time she looked at her phone. She had even set the photo as her home screen for her phone.
“If it made her that happy, perhaps I should meet up with them some more.”
For a moment, Sylph thought about such a thing. Then, she remembered the dangers of getting exposed. No matter how happy it made them, she should not appear before them again.
“Now… what should I do? I originally came into this forest to hunt some monsters…”
As she pondered what to do, the bush beneath her rustled. Sylph froze and waited. The bush rustled once again. A ragged wolf with a bloody maw stepped out, savoring the kill of its latest victim.
Sylph quieted her breathing as she watched the wolf. It appeared to be alone. With the way it licked its maw, the wolf was too busy savoring its kill to notice an ambush. Despite the risks, it was a heaven-sent opportunity that would not come again.
Sylph equipped her sword and unsheathed it. Then, she converted all her mana into a hundredth of a second. Her preparations were done. It was time.
Sylph sat perched on a branch above the unsuspecting wolf. With a small leap, she jumped down from the branch. Gripping the sword with both hands, she pointed it down at the unsuspecting wolf.
Sword met flesh as Sylph attacked the wolf from above. The result was unsatisfying. The wolf still lived to growl in anger. The wolf's tough fur had deflected the brunt of the attack, causing her downward thrust to only graze the wolf.
A small yelp. As she fell, Sylph’s weight slammed into the wolf. The wolf buckled under the pressure. She had aimed to fall directly onto the wolf. Only, she hadn’t planned for the wolf to survive her first attack. Sylph hesitated a moment. That was all the opening the lone wolf needed as it threw Sylph off and stood back up.
Before she could even react, it was too late. The wolf was already at her face, claws flashing. Sylph raised her left arm in response.
Pain. She gritted her teeth as the wolf’s claws sunk into her flesh. Three gruesome lines of blood appeared. With clenched teeth, Sylph brought up the sword in her right hand.
Pow! The pummel connected with the wolf’s jaw.
A pained yelp broke out. A trace of fear entered Sylph’s eyes. The situation was bad. A full powered pummel to the face only stunned the wolf for a second. A surprise thrust from above bounced off its fur. Her left arm throbbed in pain. Moving it would only make the bleeding worse and she would not be able to draw much power out of it.
Fear crept into her mind. She would lose. Such a thing could not be allowed. Such a thing was not allowed. The consequences would be too devastating. She could not afford to die but she did not see how she would win the encounter.
Sensing her fear, the wolf growled happily. Its tongue rolled over its fangs in anticipation. Looking at the cruel set of teeth, Sylph lost her nerve and panicked. If she could not win the fight, there was only one thing to do.
“Run!”
Sylph turned away and ran. Yet, she was in unfamiliar territory. With a moment's hesitation, the wolf caught up to her. Its claws lashed out again. Pain erupted in Sylph’s back yet the attack lost the wolf some speed. Still, it would only be but a moment before the wolf caught up again. Another strike like that would likely kill her.
The pain brought her back to her senses. Sylph had no choice but to accept it. She could not outrun the wolf in the forest. Likewise, she would lose if she fought the wolf head on. So she did something different. Something she should have done the moment the ambush failed.
Sylph jumped up a low hanging branch and made her way up to the top of the tree. Seeing its prey attempt to get away, the wolf followed. Yet, jumping from tree to tree, it was no match for Sylph. Frustrated, it returned to the ground and chased her. Wolves were not meant to climb trees.
Sylph sighed in relief. As long as she was up in the trees, the wolf would not be able to reach her. Most trees were not low enough for the wolf to get up to. Best of all, if it was just one wolf. Sylph was confident she that given enough time, she would be able to lose it. As she was about to sigh in relief, a sound rang out shattering her calm.
“Arooooo!”
“Aroooo!”
“Aroooo!”
“Aroooo!”
The forest rumbled. An ominous feeling built in Sylph's chest. With renewed efforts, her legs carried her from tree branch to tree branch. Stubbornly, the wolf chased her. Cold sweat dripped down Sylph's back. If she couldn’t get away in time…
No, such thoughts were useless. Sylph picked up the pace. Her breathing was uneven, but the wolf was even more ragged. A distance opened up between the hunter and the hunted.
Sylph flashed a grin of victory. She had done it! Then, the bushes in front of her erupted in fury. The sight brought Sylph to a stunned halt. From all around her, wolves appeared in large numbers. Standing atop the tree, one hundred plus eyes stared at her.
A weight pressed down on her. She might be able to escape from one or two wolves, but a hundred? And when they coordinated their movements together? No matter how long Sylph ran, she would never escape.
She might not be able to escape, but they would have trouble reaching her. Sylph found the tree she stood on was too low for her liking. Looking around, she saw a particularly large one off in the distance. That would do nicely.
Tree branches creaked as weight pressed down. Leaves rustled as they fell. The ground rumbled as hundreds of paws trampled upon it. The forest quieted in their passage.
Sylph found jumping from tree to tree with one hundred wolves following her to be an odd experience. The scene was so bizarre that the fact one slip would spell instant death did not bother her.
“... I hope there are no players in these parts of the forest.”
Sylph was pretty deep into the forest. The levels of the monsters would be too high for the players who just started the game. What would a player think if he stumbled upon a scene of a girl running from over a hundred wolves?
“Well… If he stumbled upon such a scene, the wolves would kill him.”
Regardless of the player's strength, taking on a hundred wolves was a death sentence. Even the forest quieted in their passage because nobody wanted to get involved.
Finally, she reached the large tree. Coming to a stop, she rested against the tree. The pack of wolves encircled the tree and sat down. From their snarls, it looked like they had no intention of leaving anytime soon.
Sylph sighed. She could only wait them out. There was too many of them to outrun. She had failed miserably when she tried to ambush one wolf alone. Fighting them all was a hopeless endeavor. No, Sylph told herself, she could only wait.
“...”
Fear slowly crept upon her. She knew she was safe. Wolves could not climb trees after all. So, why was she scared? Finally, she noticed a blinking notification.
You have been inflicted with the status effects: Fear
For facing an opponent 20 times your level, stats are reduced by 20%.
“...”
She not only had to wait until they left, she also had to tremble in fear the whole time while she waited? That would not work. She tried to think of some way out.
“That clearing? No, I don't even know where I am. I would only get lost.”
Five minutes passed. Sylph still had no plan. She started to worry. The wolves were in no hurry to leave.
“...”
Another five minutes passed. Sylph's thoughts were getting darker and darker. Every scenario ended with her getting killed by the wolves and respawning in town.
“...”
Couldn’t the wolves stand atop one another and pile their way up to reach her? Was she only moments away from death? A notification interrupted her thoughts.
You have unlocked the art: Fear Resistance
Would you like to purchase this art for 2AP?
As a level 1, she would face many enemies that would induce the status effect fear. The stronger enemies would even cause Terror. As such, an art to mitigate the effect of Fear would be important to Sylph.
Sylph bought the art. Yet, she ran into her first problem. She had 5 arts already equipped.
“It will have to be 「Running」 or 「Jumping」, huh?”
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「Altered Time」 was bound to her, courtesy of a stupid time god. 「Deception」 could prove useful. She also did not want to write off 「Natural Beauty」 . As an art that she received under mysterious circumstances, the art should not be useless.
“Maybe 「Natural Beauty」 can charm the wolves and cause them to forgive me. Yet, I tested it in town and it didn’t seem to change my appearance or how people looked at me.”
Being stuck in a tree, 「Running」 would be entirely useless. Sylph swapped out 「Running」 for 「Fear Resistance」. Although not entirely gone, she felt the weight pressing down on her ease. Her fears were too ridiculous. She had all the time in the world. Surely, the wolves would tire and go somewhere else.
“...”
“...”
The setting sun dyed the sky crimson. Rays of light peeked through the canopy. The chirping birds gave the forest an air of tranquility. Yet, Sylph could not admire the scenery.
“...”
A few hours had passed. The wolves sat below her. Though less in number, she was still completely encircled. Although the wolves did not appear alert, they would rise at her slightest movement. Yet, that was not what tormented Sylph.
“... I am bored.”
Waiting for the wolves to leave grew tiresome. She had done nothing but stare at the scenery for hours. The 「Fear Resistance」 level ups were no longer enough to preoccupy her.
“...Ah, I am so bored they have appeared again.”
A familiar angel appeared on her left shoulder along with the devil on her right. Well, she roughly knew what they were going to say.
“Go ahead and give in to your desires. So what if you draw hundreds of players to their deaths? They would all die with a smile on their faces anyways,” said the Devil.
“No, this is a heavenly tribulation! You must endure this trial the heavens have sent you!”
The angel had a weird fanatical gleam in her eyes as she emphasized the enduring part. Sylph felt torn. Yet hearing the angel’s half crazed mutterings about heavenly trials caused Sylph to side with the devil.
Sylph could call for help. Maybe a dashing young man on a white horse will appear to save her. Sylph hoped so. That way, she could abandon him to the wolves while she ran away through the trees. An entire horse was probably more filling than a scrawny girl, right?
Yet, Sylph had her own pride. She would not call for help. She was not entirely sure if she wanted anyone to find her or not, even if it meant rescuing her. Her friends had kept quiet about finding her, but the rest of the world might not be so kind.
Doing anything was better than doing nothing. If doing anything resulted in drawing help from other players, then she would use that chance to escape. With such thoughts in her mind, she pulled out the silver flute.
Its appearance remained unchanged from the beta test. The last time she pulled it out, things spiraled out of control. Before she knew it, the entire world listened to her song in the Evolution Arts trailer.
She fearfully looked around. No players appeared before her. It was just her in the tree with the wolves surrounding her. She sighed in relief. Even if she played, it would not cause a huge commotion like last time. Right?
She brought the flute up and began to play.
“~~~♪”
Sylph frowned. Playing the flute was difficult. She couldn’t regain that feeling she once had. Up on the clock tower, she felt attuned with the wind. Just by following that feeling, Sylph had played out her song.
Yet, in the forest, the feeling was different. The wind’s presence was muted. Even a novice like her could tell the huge difference between the song she played atop the clock tower and the one she now played.
Her song was a failure. Playing it caused frustration to well up. She had gotten cocky when everyone praised her song. Now, she would only embarrass herself if others heard her play. Once again, Sylph realized she was not an expert at music.
She tried to explore the differences. Sylph did not make much progress. She thought she would be better off forgetting the feeling and playing from scratch. The answer eluded her. Time passed. Only when she heard the wolves howl did her song stop.
“...It is already dark.”
With a start, Sylph realized the area boss would be out on the prowl. She had gotten lucky with her midnight stroll but that would not happen a second time. She needed to hide herself but with the wolves watching her every move, she could only sit in the tree.
Sylph hoped the darkness would hide her. Yet, her white blouse would stick out quite a bit. She could take it off for something else…
“No, no, no! What am I thinking. Then my upper body would be bare! I only have equipment with too high of a level to equip or the rags that remain of my beginner clothes.”
Sylph froze.
“...Wait, equipment that is too high a level?”
When she found out her beginner clothes had become rags, she panicked. Although she saw she had equipment that was too high a level, she passed over it because she couldn’t equip it. Yet, now she pondered the implications.
Back before Sylph was cursed, she had a favorite black set that had a level 20 requirement. It had a comfortable black shirt, a long black coat with silver trim, and black pants. Praying in her mind, Sylph tried to equip the black coat.
“...No good huh? Of course, it would not be that easy.”
Sylph started the second experiment. If she could not equip it through the system, then perhaps she could manually equip it. Grabbing the item out of her inventory, the black coat appeared in her hands.
Putting it on, a weight crushed her and strength left her body. The situation was not unbearable, but putting on any more of the gear would be impossible. The result left Sylph with mixed feelings.
“So there are penalties for using items that too high a level. Not to mention if I wanted to wear the entire set, I would first have to unequip or remove what I am currently wearing.”
Wearing a skirt was already pushing her limit. Stripping clothes? If that was not bad enough, stripping out in the middle of the forest where gods know who could be watching? That was far beyond what Sylph could handle. Just the thought caused Sylph’s face to burn with embarrassment.
“... For now, I will settle with just the jacket.”
The jacket itself did a good job of hiding the white blouse underneath it and reached all the way to her ankles. It was a bit big for her taste, but she had gotten smaller after changing into a girl after all. Satisfied, Sylph turned her attention back to the situation below.
About half the wolves attention were on her. The other half looked into the forest, growling menacingly. She was still trapped in the tree, but obviously they were not as concerned with her as before.
“Perhaps now is my chance!”
She had been in the tree for hours. The wolves had waited for hours. Although they still watched her, they should be tired by now. Thinking so, Sylph carefully moved. Yet, the wolves immediately reacted to her movement and howled.
A hundred pairs of eyes stared at her once again. Sylph froze. Being stared at by so many wolves, she just wanted to sink into the tree she was resting on and hide. That is right, she told herself, I am just part of the tree.
“Don’t mind me, I am a tree. I have long limbs with leaves that sway in the wind. I am a tree. I am a tree...”
Out of fear, Sylph claimed to be a tree. The hundred stares lost focus. The wolves milled around in confusion. Seeing them, a thought arose in Sylph.
“Could it be they lost sight of me?”
Distracted by such a thought, the wolves attention snapped back to her. Why did they lose sight of her? All she thought of was being part of a tree. Could it be because of 「Deception」?
Once again, Sylph thought of herself as being a part of the tree. The wolves’ gazes lost focus. For a few seconds, they started to wonder around. One wolf approached the tree branch and sniffed.
“Aroooo!”
The wolves halted and turned to stare at Sylph. Sylph then unequipped 「Deception」. Thinking of herself as part of the tree, she monitored the wolves’ behavior. Regardless of her thoughts, their behavior did not change. They all continued to stare at her. Reequipping 「Deception」, she put her thoughts into order.
“So, 「Deception」 can cause them to lose sight of me for a moment but is not strong enough to make them ignore my scent. If I increase the level of 「Deception」, maybe I can sneak my way out of here.”
Sylph gave up for the day. She decided to go to sleep while maintaining her deception as being a part of the tree. She would have two options to try in the future. Either she outran the pack of wolves or she would sneak out in the middle of the night with 「Deception」. Hopefully the wolves lose interest in her before she manages to sneak out or run away. Hopefully, the golden eyed area boss wouldn’t show up and kill her.