"*ding*

"Quest: Heart of the Forest 1/3

"You have been tasked with exploring the forest beyond your current boundaries.

"Rewards: +1 Level to Endurance

"Penalty: Certain Death

"> Yes

"> Yes"

"What is the point of giving me multiple options of the same options," Sky sighed as he began walking toward the cave exit. It was still the afternoon, so he thought there was plenty of time to cover part of the quest.

"To give the player a false sense of choice," Avis said with a chuckle. "It's all an illusion~."

"Is that so?" Sky asked as he came to a stop. "And what about you? Are you real or just another part of the game?"

"What do you think?" Avis asked with a smirk.

"I think you're real," Sky said after a moment of thought. "But I could be wrong."

"You could be~," Avis said. "But I'm not going to give you any answers. That's for you to figure out on your own."

"Fine," Sky said as he started walking away. "But I have a feeling that you're going to be a pain in the ass."

"Probably~," Avis said with a chuckle. "But that's half the fun."

Sky jogged around the forest with the system map that only exposed the locations of where he had been. The new areas he traversed would be exposed on the map. He was making good progress and had already filled in a good portion of the map.

"Hey, system," Sky called out as he paused to catch his breath. "How much of this map do I have to cover?"

Silence followed with no response to his question.

"Alright then..." Sky muttered as he started jogging again.

The areas he had covered across the map were mostly thick forestry. At some points, the trees were so densely packed together that he had to squeeze through just to continue. The ground was also littered with roots and vines, which made jogging difficult.

"Hey, Avis," Sky called out as he paused to drink from a small pool of clear water. "You just going to watch from afar?"

"Now, how did you know I was here?" Avis asked as he materialized next to him.

"I could feel your presence," Sky said as he stood up and started walking again.

"You sensed a disturbance in nature's affinity?"

"Nothing that special. I could see the etherlines being plucked like an instrument whenever you floated through them. It was like a harp."

"Interesting~," Avis said. "So, what do you think of the quest so far?"

"It's pretty straightforward. I already have over half of the map completed."

"Good job," Avis said. "But beware, the further you venture out, the more dangerous it will become."

"I think that depends on whether I'm walking further into the forest or away from it. Which direction I am going, I have no idea..."

"You'll figure it out," Avis said. "Just watch those etherlines for any disturbances~."

"Yeah, yeah."

Sky continued to jog for a while, this time with Avis casually floating at his side. In the beginning, Sky didn't really like Avis too much. He felt overbearing and aggressive, appearing out of nowhere and butting into his business. But as time passed, Sky realized that Avis was just trying to help in his own way. He was still a pain in the ass, but Sky couldn't help but feel grateful for his help.

"The quest is almost complete," Avis said as they stopped at the edge of a clearing. "But it's getting dark now. You should set up camp and continue in the morning."

"Sounds like a good idea," Sky said as he started to look around for a good spot to set up camp.

"Hide yourself in some foliage before heading to sleep-. " Sky picked an orange petal from a small flower that Avis had completely overlooked. What surprised Avis was when Sky ate the petal. "What are you doing?"

"Hm? Oh, this is just a little something I found while jogging through the forest. I was starving at one point and found this flower. I could clearly see it wasn't normal, and I sensed saturation when I felt its nature. I thought it might be poisonous, but when I ate it, I felt my hunger disappear and my body filled with energy."

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Hmm~," Avis said as he inspected the flower. "It is quite unusual. I have never seen or heard of this flower before. It looks unbelievably ordinary."

"Yeah, I thought the same thing," Sky said. "But there's definitely something special about it."

Avis plucked one of the petals with his teeth and ate it. "You're right," he said after a moment. "It is quite delicious. I can see why you were so tempted to eat it."

"Yeah, it was definitely worth the risk," Sky said as he stretched out. "I feel great now."

Avis remained quiet, and Sky simply set up for the night, not wanting to waste any more time on trivial things.

"Goodnight, Avis," Sky said as he laid down to sleep.

"Night," Avis said as he dispersed.

Sky lay there, covered in foliage with the top of his head and eyes exposed. The night soon passed, and the sun rose, beaming upon him and the nature around him. Nothing but the sun's warmth kept him company as he slept. It was a peaceful and calming sleep, one which he desperately needed. The rusting of grass followed by small thumping sounds of a creature approaching his resting body threatened to interfere. The large creature stopped a few feet from Sky, standing on all fours sniffing the air. It had a long scaly neck with an elongated head. Its beady eyes looked around, taking in the scene before it focused on the sleeping figure. It sniffed the air again and then huffed before turning around and walking away.

Moments later, Sky woke up to birds chirping in the distance. He did his routine stretch and yawn before getting up and looking around. Avis was nowhere to be seen, but Sky wasn't too worried about it. He had one goal today, and that was to complete the map. Without anything to pack up, he started to walk in a random direction, actively checking for any disturbances in the etherlines.

He strolled for a while, admiring the scenery and taking in the fresh air. He wouldn't wake up often without Avis hovering around him, and he was enjoying the peace and quiet. But his peaceful walk was soon interrupted by a small creature that ran in front of him, darting back and forth. It was a small rabbit, and it looked like it was being chased by something.

Sky tried to ignore it and continue on his way, but the rabbit ran passed him and took refuge behind his body. He looked around and saw a familiar reptilian creature who stood still as if it was waiting for Sky to move. The beast hissed and started to walk towards him; its beady eyes fixed on the small rabbit.

"I still didn't get revenge for you winding me the last time we met." Sky said with a smile.

Avis appeared beside him with a serious look. "What are you talking about?"

"Ever since we rid the darkness from the forest, this little guy has been watching me from afar. I think it wants to challenge me."

The reptilian creature was now close enough that Sky could feel its hot breath on his skin.

"I think so too," Avis said with a wide grin. "Will you oblige it?"

Sky smiled and nodded before taking a step to the side away from Avis and the small rabbit, who immediately ran off. The reptilian grunted, following Sky, gazing down at him. They both stood still, waiting for either of them to make a move. The beast moved first, lifting its right leg and smashing it with incredible force into the ground. A tremor released from the force echoing below Sky's feet. He instinctively dodged to the side where a stone spike took his place. The spikes littered the ground, and Sky knew if he wasn't careful, one would find its way into his body.

"I see why you winded me now..." Sky said anxiously.

'You're not the only one with a little trick.' Sky thought as he reached out toward nature's attribute.

The reptilian beast lifted its leg again to perform another devastating stomp. This time, however, Sky was prepared. Before the foot made contact with the ground, Sky ensnared its leg with roots and yanked it back down. The reptilian screeched as it lost its balance and fell to the ground with a loud thud. It thrashed about, trying to break free from the roots that held it captive.

While the reptilian was distracted, Sky quickly ran towards it with an ether-infused fist. He punched the creature in the face with as much force as he could muster. When his fist made contact with the beast, Sky could see the ether about to force itself through its head. However, he didn't expect the ether to disperse into the lines around its head, completely negating his impact. Sky could see the creature smirk before once again thrusting its head into Sky's stomach.

The impact sent Sky flying backwards, and he hit the ground hard. He groaned in pain as he slowly got up, trying to catch his breath. The reptilian slowly stood up and shook itself off before turning its attention back to Sky. It hissed and charged with a loud screech. Every time one of its legs made contact with the ground, spikes would protrude and shoot towards Sky.

He dodged the first few but was soon forced to put up a shield of roots to block the rest. The reptilian screeched and continued its assault. With every attack, it seemed to get angrier and more reckless. It wasn't long before Sky found an opening. Using simple ether manipulation, Sky disrupted the flow of its sprint, causing it to trip once again. Its enraged roar caused chills to run down his spine as it got back up. It glared at him with pure hatred before the roots of the surrounding plants wrapped the beast and pulled it underground.

The reptilian creature was now close enough that Sky could feel its hot breath on his skin. Sky eyed the beast cautiously as it inched closer. The reptilian looked up and smirked. Sky's eyes widened as ragged spikes shot from the ground towards him. He attempted to block the spikes, but they were too close for him to react in time. multiple splintered spikes wedged themselves into Sky's body, scattered from his torso out to his arms and legs. He groaned in pain as he lay on the ground, wincing in pain as he attempted to remove the spikes.

"So you didn't need to lift your leg to do that after all..." Sky muttered.

He tried to get up, but the pain was too much, and he collapsed. The reptilian sauntered over to him, gloating. It was about to deliver the finishing blow when it suddenly stopped and looked around in confusion.

Avis had appeared out of nowhere and was now floating between the reptilian and Sky. "I believe this is enough," Avis said in a sly voice.

The reptilian beast hissed and then lunged at Avis. But before it could reach him, he vanished in a puff of smoke. The reptilian growled in frustration before turning its attention back to Sky, who lay groaning. It lifted its leg again, eyes full of delight before it lowered it and simply nudged Sky.

"You win..." Sky muttered through struggling breaths.

The reptilian let out a satisfied hiss before turning and walking away. Sky lay there for a few minutes before finally getting up. His stomach hurt, and he was sure he had a few cracked ribs, but he was alive.

"You alright?" Avis asked, materializing beside him.

"I'll live," Sky mumbled. "Though I think this little guy has earned himself a new nickname."

"And what might that be?" Avis asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The Wrecker," Sky said with a blood-stained grin. "Because that's exactly what he did to me."