Sweet.
Sweet and juicy.
That is how I would describe the berries I was eating.
I had stopped at some bushes to pick them. My newly awakened insight into the outside world had told me, that those bushes had edible berries. ‘Odenwald berries’ they were called.
As per the weird-ass knowledge that was just popping into my brain, these berries not only served to satisfy hunger but also had light healing properties.
And I knew that said healing properties did not refer to replenishing HP.
Instead, my leg did not hurt anymore, my head was not heavy any longer, and my shoulders only barely reported some discomfort back to my brain.
My right hand was still a broken mess, but it did not hurt as much and was visibly less swollen too.
So I was going out of my way to pick as many as I could carry in my pockets whenever I saw an Odenwald berry bush.
I had been running for around six hours now. Having stopped only around twenty minutes to pick berries, and around fifteen minutes for some easy monkey kills.
Why easy? Because the monkeys, also level 1, decided to come down from the trees and attack me, in waves of three. After four waves of the oh-so-mighty Odenwald Monkeys. A bigger, level 2 monkey came down to face me, this took me around five minutes to kill as I only used my left.
But hey, you know what they said ‘He who rules with the left, rules the world’. Which, that was true in the ring, but not in a forest, against a jumping monkey that didn’t stop throwing shit at you.
In the end, I won, as it gave +5XP, which was more than the +2XP the lesser versions gave me, for a combined total of +54XP after taxes.
By what I mean to say after multipliers and stuff.
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Class XP: 156/300 (+54)
Race XP: 168/200 (+27)
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I was getting closer to a Race level up, and above fifty percent of a class level up.
My injuries healed faster thanks to the Odenwald berries and my right hand did not hurt so badly anymore, the pain was reduced by the minute, and I was washed by a feeling of accomplishment.
I am still lost in the situation though, and can’t help but feel worried about the proxy.
The last time I had checked the column of light, I understood that the distance had reduced to a bit less than a hundred miles now. I could also work out that I was moving at around 10 miles an hour at my current pace, which was more a jog than a run.
The fact that the sun had not come up worried me a little, but I am on this trial, so maybe the night/day cycle has not been implemented yet.
I continued my jog for another 10 miles, the last check on the column had shown me that I was now 90 miles away, when a fierce growl stopped me dead in my tracks.
Three-eyed Ursine Bear, Uncommon, Level 5, Grade E, was in front of me, standing on its hind legs, towering above by at least four feet.
It was massive. Probably over a ton in weight.
I assumed my boxing stance, left fist out front, and started my footwork, waiting for it to get closer, and closer, and closer...
Until I dashed diagonally to its left and sprinted for my life.
I kept going at a dead run for around four hours, I could no longer feel the massive E Grade’s presence following me, so I ate an extra berry for good measure, and stopped to check on the light column and my resources.
It was the first time my new system sense had told me to run the hell away. As well as the first time that I had seen an E-grade creature.
How many levels do you need to attain an E grade, can I even become an E-grade at some point, or was an F-grade some fixed designation that a human would never surpass? It was possible, I think. Another mystery for future William to figure out.
Trying to orienteer myself, I checked on the beacon again, I was still ninety miles away from it, having run on a tangential course in my escape from the big bad bear.
This part of the forest was different from where I was four hours ago, being more damp, the air musty, and instead of fallen leaves in the soil, there were now puddles of water all around, as if I was getting close to a marsh or swampy section of it.
Trust me when I say that I wanted to go back right into jogging towards the beacon, away from this new marshy section of forest, but I heard something, a small giggle, almost childish.
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As if fixated in a trance, I slowly walked toward where I believed the giggle had come from.
I wandered this ‘marsh’ part of the forest for what seemed to me like an hour or so when a flock of minuscule, ethereal forest sprites materialized out of thin air, their delicate frames adorned with iridescent wings that glimmered in the night. Their bodies emanated a soft, verdant glow as they swirled and twirled in a hypnotic dance. With playful gestures and wily expressions, they enticed me to join in their captivating movements, luring me further into the enchanted realm of the forest.
I eagerly followed the sprites as they darted off, knowing in my heart that they wanted to help me, their ethereal forms dancing in starlight. Enchanted by their magical presence, I felt like in a dream as they chased after a butterfly that seemed to be made of pure rainbow light. The air was filled with the sweet scent of wildflowers and the sound of tinkling laughter. As the sprites led me deeper into the forest, I couldn't help but feel like they had entered yet another world filled with wonder and enchantment.
I stumbled through the marshy forest, my feet sinking into a velvety spring of water, feeling how the grass below welcomed my every step. I couldn't help but marvel at the rich spectrum of colors surrounding me - from fiery reds and oranges to deep purples and greens. As I wandered deeper, I chatted with mythical creatures that promised to help me in my task, to keep me safe, I just needed to accompany them a bit further, always further in. It felt as if I had stepped into a parallel universe, or the domain of a powerful fairy queen, where anything was possible, a place where imagination and reality coexisted in perfect harmony.
Mesmerized and utterly spellbound, I stumbled blindly through the swampy forest, my senses overwhelmed by the kaleidoscope of colors and patterns dancing on the forest floor. The once-familiar trees now appeared distorted and twisted, their trunks undulating and bending in a hypnotic rhythm. The air was thick with the scent of wildflowers, water, and earth, adding to the surreal atmosphere. With each step, I felt more and more lost in this hallucinogenic world, unable to distinguish reality from illusion.
I kept stumbling through the forest, their feet treading in endless concentric circles as I followed the swaying movements of the rainbowy butterfly. Until it rested on top of a willowy mushroom. Its cap was adorned with vibrant spots of red and yellow, resembling tiny windows into another world. The stem seemed to pulse with a hypnotic rhythm, coaxing me deeper and deeper into a trance-like spell. It was as if the mushroom had a mind of its own, luring unsuspecting travelers into its grasp with its enchanting dance.
I stared in wonder at the glowing mushroom, my feet moving unconsciously towards it. The edges of its caps undulated like a hypnotic dance, drawing me closer and closer. My mind was consumed with the desire to touch it, to feel its otherworldly texture against my skin. I ignored any thoughts of caution or self-preservation as I reached out and pressed my fingers against the mushroom's smooth surface. A rush of euphoria coursed through me, and I couldn't resist giving myself completely to this new sensation.
I could feel how the gentle embrace of its soothing energy permeated my body, removing my weariness, replenishing me, and empowering me. My right hand, once injured and weakened, now tingled with a surge of vitality as my bones realigned and torn tendons knitted together. The sensation was nothing short of euphoric.
I fell to my knees in a blissful daze, while my eyes felt heavy, strength leaving my body as I welcomed sleep instead, my sight lowered, I could faintly see the soil surrounding the mushroom slowly moving as if something was coming out of it from below, I tried hard to remain awake, to see what new and fantastical wonder would pop out of the soil.
A bell started ringing in my head, repeatedly, startling me out of my reverie as a monstrous toad emerges from the murky depths, its bloated body oozing with sickly green slime. A luminescent mushroom sprouts from its head, adding to its grotesque appearance. Jaws wide, revealing a slimy, writhing tongue as it seeks to ensnare me in its putrid grasp.
My mind snapped back to reality, barely in time to see the grotesque creature looming over me. Its slick, slimy tongue shoots out like a whip and wraps around my waist, pulling me closer to its gaping jaws. The stench of decay fills my nostrils as I struggle against the grip of this monstrous assailant. My heart races as I frantically search for a way to escape before it devours me whole.
--Odenwald Hypno-Bullfrog, Grade F, Level 15--
This was not a fight I could win. Its level was too high, and I had fallen under its spell like a complete noob, in my defense, I am a noob, but still.
Feeling like an idiot and inwardly berating myself for having followed the sound of giggles, in an unknown forest, full of magical shit and where even the trees wanted to kill me was not my brightest moment. In hindsight, I felt like a complete moron. Certainly one of the worst decisions of my life, maybe even worse than falling on my ass on top of a bear.
I was about to get devoured by a stupid frog. A giant, slimy, putrid, stupid frog with a mushroom on top...
A mushroom on top...
Wasn’t it true that in fantasy stories, hypnotic creatures that depended on appendages to lure their prey while remaining otherwise hidden, were usually physically weak? And that was why they even hid in the first place?
Before I could test my theory, a pair of huge, black jaws full of angry-looking teeth got in between me and the frog, biting the slimy tongue, snapping it open, and allowing me enough room to wiggle myself out of its deadly grip.
The big E bear had caught up to me during the time that I was in a trance, and was now fighting against the stupid frog. Who had decided that the bear was a yummier snack than I was, or at least classified it as a threat that needed its immediate attention.
I could tell that physically the bear had the upper hand, by far, but as it kept swinging and biting at the frog’s tongue, which was trying to coil itself around the massive body of the bear with mixed results, the mushroom on top of the frogs head started shining, delivering into the air what looked like localized spores.
The spores fell on the bear’s head, and as the spores kept falling, the bear’s movements became slower, it started swaying a bit, and you could tell its efforts to remain awake because now and then, it would swing wildly or snap it’s fangs on the already half chewed tongue of the hypno-frog abomination, before going back to a creepy, unnatrual slumber.
I also noticed that the blood of the frog produced scalding marks on the bear’s fur and skin, patches of red flesh already visible, boring into my savior’s body like acid.
I had to do something or the bear was going to die to a combination of sleep and acid, making me the most likely next target of the frog’s hunger.
I could have tried to run, but honestly, I was one hundred percent sure that as easily as I fell on the frog’s illusion previously, I would fall again in no time. I had to save the bear, or at least help it kill the frog. Worst case scenario, I would have to fight a half-dead E grade after riding myself from the hypno-bastard.