Tristan was returning to his resting spot, a small space surrounded by dense trees.

He placed his backpack on the ground, dug a hole, and built a small fire inside. He took out generous pieces of deer meat and set them to roast. Tristan covered part of the hole with leaves and branches, leaving only a small opening.

He used the time to study his map. Although he didn’t know his exact location, he estimated he was about halfway through this cursed forest.

Sigh.

‘If I hadn’t spent so much time investigating this place and searching for a safe route, I could have crossed this forest in just three days.’ However, he had no choice but to take a cautious approach. He knew that wandering carelessly in this place could mean the end of his life.

‘I need to finish this quickly. I must take advantage of the deer’s territory being empty.’ Obtaining tender meat and an orange core weren’t the only reasons Tristan had risked his life battling such a powerful foe. These factors heavily influenced his decision, but there was another, far more important reason.

He simply had no other option. Sometimes, a beast or a group of creatures would take control of a small area of the forest, becoming the leader of that territory until they were replaced by another. This happened often. In recent days, he had scouted the area and discovered that to proceed, he needed to eliminate one of these leaders. After much observation, he judged the Smoke Deer to be the easiest for him to defeat.

‘And even then, I couldn’t have done it without the boars’ help.'

With the deer’s death, its territory would soon be claimed by another beast.

Tristan’s stomach growled. He rubbed it, trying to calm his hunger until his next meal.

‘If I weren’t so hungry, I’d have run straight out of here.'

Earlier, he had considered whether it would be better to leave the territory first. However, he had gone too long without eating, and the risk of fainting from hunger if unexpected danger arose was all too real.

Another concern on his mind was the most dangerous thing in this place: the lack of water.

The complete absence of rain didn’t surprise him, as he had read about this strange phenomenon in his Divine Fragment.

Still, he hadn’t found water anywhere.

Before entering the forest, he had hoped there might be a hidden water source he could locate by following the animals. Unfortunately, that hope proved futile. He had followed various creatures but never saw them drink anything other than blood. He suspected the beasts in this place had evolved to survive solely by consuming one another.

The plants in the forest had membrane-like sacs on their roots containing a dark, sticky liquid. When Tristan tasted it, the flavor was rancid and metallic, making it impossible for him to swallow.

Despite gathering all the water he could carry and rationing it since entering the forest, he was beginning to think it wouldn’t be enough to get him out.

His metabolism, sped up by cultivating light, only made things worse. All the water he had was in his backpack, and he prayed it would suffice.

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His thoughts were interrupted by a delicious aroma. He glanced at the fire in the hole and noticed the meat now looked appetizing. Grabbing it, he bit in without waiting for it to cool, his dry lips moistened by the meat’s juices.

He had decided not to use salt or other seasonings to avoid increasing his thirst, yet he believed this was one of the tastiest meals he had ever had. The smoked flavor was intense.

‘This texture is so tender! Completely different from the horrible meat of those cursed boars.'

Tristan devoured his meal greedily.

Within seconds, he had finished the first piece. His stomach felt calmer, but he still wasn’t satisfied.

As he was about to grab another piece, his eyes caught something.

Something was moving toward his camp!

Tristan turned around. He saw a long, red appendage stretching through the air, giving him a familiar feeling.

Soon, he realized it wasn’t aiming at him but at his backpack.

'No!'

His heart froze.

He moved as fast as he could, leaping toward his backpack with his arm outstretched.

But the red appendage was quicker. With just one touch, his backpack seemed to stick to it.

He watched helplessly as his backpack flew away.

Tristan was stunned. His only source of survival had just been stolen in an instant.

Turning his gaze toward the direction his backpack was taken, he saw the culprit: a small creature with white and pink skin, blue eyes, large ears, a pointed tail, and long legs.

The strange figure resembled a mix between a rabbit and a salamander.

'Bastard!'

The rabbit-salamander, with his backpack stuck to its tongue, shot him a mocking look before turning and leaping away.

Tristan clicked his tongue. ‘No matter where you go, I won’t let you escape!'

He gave chase.

image [https://i.imgur.com/CJALaUN.png]

Tristan had been chasing the beast for a while. He had no idea where he was and feared entering the territory of a dangerous creature, but he couldn’t stop. He had to recover his backpack at all costs.

The small creature was fast, covering great distances with its leaps.

Thanks to his sharp vision, he never lost sight of it, noticing even the smallest disturbances it caused in the environment.

Pushing through some bushes, Tristan saw something he thought impossible in this place. For a moment, he almost believed he was dreaming.

‘A lake?'

No matter how much he looked, all he saw was a small lake. Its water seemed incredibly pure—he’d never seen water so crystal-clear before.

‘How the hell is there a lake here?'

His mouth filled with saliva, and he felt an almost irresistible urge to dive in.

Tristan narrowed his eyes.

He didn’t see the rabbit anywhere but noticed his backpack lying near the lake.

A sense of distrust grew in his heart. Resisting the temptation, he began analyzing how strange everything was. Tristan focused on the details of the area.

There was a circular platform of land in the center of the water, and the ground around the lake was covered in green roots.

‘This place is completely exposed, yet there’s no sign of any beasts. That bastard clearly lured me here on purpose.'

‘This is too suspicious,’ a mocking smile crossed his face. ‘Does it really think I’d fall for such an obvious trap? That lake must be poisoned or cursed.’ Tristan decided to ignore the lake and simply retrieve his backpack.

He found the creature’s ability to lure him into a trap intriguing.

Cautiously stepping on the roots, Tristan approached the backpack. Nonetheless, before he could reach it, something in the ground moved. A tiny fragment of earth, smaller than a grain of rice, stirred—an almost imperceptible movement. Although, to Tristan, with his vision enhanced by cultivating darkness, it was clear.

Looking around, he noticed more tiny shifts in the soil.

‘Damn…’ he thought, his body tensing in preparation.

He decided to leave, wary of an unknown threat.

Stomping the ground firmly, he prepared to leap away.

But at that moment, the roots around the lake began moving as if alive. In an instant, they rose, ready to attack. One wrapped around his foot, while others lashed out at him like whips.

[Dark Blade]

Before the roots could tear him apart, he sliced through them with his black blade.

Then, as if in retaliation, all the roots around the lake surged, forming a forest of giant, twisting arms. A massive cocoon of leaves emerged from the lake’s center, unfolding like a monstrous red orchid.