Having leaped over another massive tree trunk blocking the path, Ye Lan barely managed to stay on her feet; her soles treacherously slipped on the slick mud, and a heavy stone on her shoulders nearly slid off.
Shrek, who was following her - an earthling like herself and a warrior of Steel Rank - wasn't as fortunate; he stumbled and toppled onto his side, dropping his stone. The air immediately buzzed, and the snap of a whip elicited a painful cry from him. Ye Lan involuntarily smirked. This Shrek had thoroughly worn her out with his constant advances and inability to grasp the word "no." They had known each other for over a month, and anyone else in his place would have long realized that there was no chance for them, but this guy was remarkably persistent. With everyone else, Ye Lan had long established boundaries and felt fairly comfortable within the group. Yet this thick-headed Shrek wouldn't relent in his attempts to drag her into the nearest bush.
Regaining her balance, the girl sharply exhaled, trying to drive away an insect that was determined to crawl into her nose. Back on Earth, the one who had taken the name Ye Lan in this world had traveled extensively. During one shoot, she had even been in the Amazon jungle. But the local jungles, where it seemed no human had ever set foot, showed her the difference between a film set and a true wild forest. It was as if every creature, no matter how small, from the strange checkered wasps to ordinary ants, was just waiting to take a bite out of you or lay its eggs in your warm body. And that's not even mentioning the snakes, predators, and dozens of other monsters. And in the last two weeks, the squad that included the girl had encountered quite a few of those monsters. Which was not surprising, given that there wasn't a single human settlement for many days' travel from these places.
There were no settlements, but the dungeons, which went into Overflow once a month, were everywhere in these jungles. This virgin forest seemed to her like a constant arena of endless battles. Sometimes poisonous slimes would attack cross spiders. Sometimes rockjaws would start gnawing on tree trolls. The dungeons would spew out hordes of monsters during Overflow, and these creatures not only devoured the original inhabitants of the jungle but also seemed to take even more pleasure in attacking whatever had crawled from other dungeons.
At every stop, their group had to fend off various creatures. It wasn't too difficult if the monsters were of Bronze or Steel Rank, but occasionally, they encountered beasts that had left the Wootz Dungeons. And dealing with those required considerable effort, with injuries almost inevitable each time. And considering that for every such injury to any squad member, they all had to answer to the Old Man afterward, it was even more frightening than any attack.
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The Old Man was ruthless. And no one was fooled by his kind smile anymore. Behind that smile lay a truly iron will and impossibly high standards.
Running across a fallen log over a stream and dodging a snake that fell from above, the girl looked longingly at the clearing that appeared before her. She was so tired and wanted so badly to drop the training stone from her shoulders. Drop it and collapse onto that clearing, stretching her aching legs into the water of the clear spring. But she had been in these jungles for more than just a few days and knew that if she even hinted at weakness, the twisted whip would immediately sear her back.
And they agreed to it themselves. Ye Lan sighed heavily. Themselves. No one forced them. They asked to be taught. Why did the Old Man agree to their requests? The girl felt that he didn't even want to hear about teaching them at first. And it was only his young student, whom the group of earthlings had rescued after finding him wounded at the Entrance to one of the dungeons, who managed to shake the conviction of the master, who looked like a century-old elder.
Speaking of that lad. Very young. Barely reached adulthood. About a month ago, they found him weak and wounded, having just stepped onto the Bronze Step, and now he, like her, was on Steel, and the girl was sure that he would reach the next step much faster than she would. All the more surprising, the lad was local, not one of the earthlings. He didn't have a Mithril Body or other bonuses that the questers generously "bestowed" upon both Ye Lan and other members of her squad. And yet, the lad was growing faster than they were.
And now, he glided across the mud like a seasoned skater, dodged a snake falling from distant treetops, repelled a swarm of angry, biting flies with a gust of Wind magic, and, turning halfway, winked at her with zest. It seemed he never got tired, even though the stone on his shoulders appeared even heavier than the one she was carrying.
"Aun!" The Old Man's shout cut through the jungle like a knife. "Look ahead, you rascal!"
Ye Lan looked at the sky with longing. She was so tired, and there were still at least four hours left until the evening camp.
"Sundbad, give me the strength not to fall before this damned Shrek." Her cracked lips whispered.
Immediately, the scornful, beastly, almost cawing giggle of the elusive coyote, who stole food from the camps every evening, echoed around. For some reason, none of the numerous monsters inhabiting these jungles could devour this sneaky beast. Eternally hungry, it now seemed to be laughing, mocking the girl's silent plea. Before Ye Lan could spot the creature that had exhausted all the earthlings with its thievery, she heard the quiet, demanding voice of the Old Man behind her:
"Save your breath!..."
End of Volume 7.