Chapter 20: 20, Whispers from Beyond A Cryptic Quest Begins!
"Wait, future glimpse?!"
Just as I processed those words, a sound broke through, like a television abruptly turning off, and the voice vanished… Huh? Compensation through a glimpse into the future?
The only person I can think of who had a connection to both 'future glimpse' and causing trouble is that lich, Sigard, from the Wind Valley, whom I couldn't save… But didn't Sigard already pass on?
Could he be cursed? But since he mentioned compensation, he probably isn't cursed? That's what I deduced.
More importantly, the shock of this Second Quest information is immense… still, being told to go to the Maze Forest today is quite a daunting task...
"Uh, what just happened?"
"Well, I received a message, or advice, from a deceased person, saying that if we go to the Maze Forest by the end of the day, there's supposed to be a big event—the Second Quest."
"Is that so? But isn't it dangerous? A gift from the dead...?"
Personally, I'm not a fan of horror, so I'd like to dismiss this as just a hallucination, but... recalling Shigado's voice, I sensed no malice in it, just instinct telling me.
"It might be risky, but let's stock up on healing potions and go. I was planning to visit Maze Forest anyway... I want to find out what's in this Maze Forest today."
"Understood! I'll follow you anywhere, Lena!"
Honestly, I wished I could rely on someone like Ashton, but the directive was clear: just the two of us—Phoebe and I—were to venture into the Maze Forest. Bringing others along could likely result in the secondary quest not triggering.
I didn't have the luxury to level up, and I was unsure about the secondary quest's details, so I wanted to allow for extra time.
...I hope this second quest isn't another situation where running away is the only option, like the time I met Phoebe.
With those thoughts swirling in my head, I stocked up on potions and made my way toward Maze Forest with Phoebe.
Using the map given to us by the leader, we finally arrived at Maze Forest.
"What is all this? There are so many signs..."
At the entrance of the forest stood a multitude of signs.
One of them appeared to be a message left by another player:
'Beware of human malice ahead.'
I checked the others as well.
"Make sure not to lose sight of the tree markers to reach the boss."
"Jumping is effective on high cliffs!"
"I did it! So you should give it your all too!"
"I pay a good price for flower threads, so contact me if you want to sell. I really don't want to fight that thing anymore…"
"The first fork in the road is to the right."
"The first fork in the road is to the left front."
"Gather 20 threads! Good luck, blacksmith bro☆"
"This isn't the place for jokes—keep moving straight."
"What is this…"
It's a complete mess; some of it is trivial or contradicts other signs… and there's writing that seems to belong to Lily… Is that really Lily?
"Could this blacksmith brother be Lena?"
"Well, it's probably a message left by Lily after hearing from the leader…"
Phoebe focuses on the message thought to be written by Lily.
"Well, since it sounds like her usual encouragement, let's give it our best…"
With that, they step into the maze forest.
The trees obscure their view, making visibility quite poor, and the fear of ambush lingers.
"Oh, there's something ahead!"
As Phoebe calls out, they spot multiple red caterpillars, about 30 to 60 centimeters long. Cross-referencing with the information from the leader, they confirm: those must be the flower butterfly caterpillars…
Ugh, they're big and gross… Thankfully, the trees are hiding them from sight for now.
"Is that a flower butterfly caterpillar? Its attacks include biting, spitting silk, and breathing fire... It's slow, but there are many of them, so we need to be careful... What a cruel proposal."
I steeled myself, gripping my weapon, Archie.
"Phoebe, if things get dangerous, cast a support spell for me."
"Understood... Just don't push yourself, okay?"
Hearing Phoebe's voice, I dashed from the trees and swung Archie down with all my might, crushing one of the caterpillars.
The other caterpillars, alerted to our presence, turned toward us in unison, and a few spat fire!
"Damn it! Those disgusting mouths!"
I dodged the fireball and smashed another caterpillar. They may be weak, but there are so many!
Suddenly, a sticky thread latched onto my arm. The damage icon appeared below my health bar, signaling a decrease in agility.
"Speed up! Regenerate!"
As Phoebe's voice rang out, the agility decrease icon vanished, and my health began to recover.
"Nice job, Phoebe!"
I expressed my gratitude and went back to crushing more flower butterfly caterpillars…
"Lena, watch out above!"
"What?"
Looking up, I felt a slimy sensation spreading across my face, and my vision was obscured by something red... No, I knew what it was, but I didn't want to comprehend it. I had to avoid understanding it... No, get it off me, please!?
"Ughhh!!!??!?"
In a panic, my instincts kicked in. I swiped my arms to fling the caterpillar off my head and crushed it under my foot. A horrible sensation ran through me, sending chills down my spine. I took a few deep breaths, trying to regain my calm.
"Phoebe... I showed such an embarrassing side of myself..."
"No, it's understandable to be startled when a monster is on your face in such a vulnerable spot..."
As I fought against the caterpillar, I hoped to gather all twenty threads before my mental resolve faded away.
"That's ten... No way, am I just unlucky with drops... Is it really this hard to get them...?"
How long had I been battling? My sense of time was warped by a visceral disgust and instinctual hatred. Even though the monsters should vanish completely upon defeat, I felt an unsettling sensation of their bodily fluids still clinging to me.
Wait, it's only these flower butterfly caterpillars here... I heard other monsters were around... Could it be that I got lost and ended up facing nothing but these caterpillars?
The situation was clearly absurd, yet my mind felt contaminated by the caterpillars, numbing my sense of danger.
Maybe I should just buy flower threads, as the sign at the entrance suggested... That thought flickered in my mind, but if this painful task was necessary, the price would probably be outrageous...
"Are you okay? If it's too much, should we take a break?"
"I'm fine... Let's fight to finish this quickly..."
Sometimes you have to tackle the hard stuff first, just like summer homework... With that thought, I tightened my grip on Archie and steeled myself.
Where exactly was I in this maze-like forest? I caught glimpses of signs here and there, but there was no time to read them as I moved aimlessly onward... At this rate, there was no way I was going to reach the boss.
"By the way, what was that big event they mentioned in the advice from the dead?"
"I don't know... but if it does appear, maybe it will show up after collecting twenty threads..."
As I voiced this prediction, I heard a rustling sound, something crawling nearby, and a chill ran down my spine. My body instinctively bolted towards the open space.
"Lena!? Something's coming from behind!"
"Yeah! It must be the boss!"
That primal instinct shouted out; my mental stamina was depleted, but my game HP was full—battle was on the table. I turned to face Archie, readying myself, and caught a glimpse of the enemy.
"Oh... oh no..."
"Wait... why is it... here...?"
My voice trembled with pure fear, while Phoebe's was a mix of terror and confusion.
The creature before us was enormous, as large as a serpent that could swallow a person whole. But it wasn't a serpent; no serpent has so many legs. Its skin—dull and glimmering with a sickly red hue—looked as if it had devoured countless caterpillars. It displayed an unsettling shine that begged for a censorship blur.
Yes, it was a gigantic centipede… a massive shard of metal protruded from its head, but it moved its numerous yellow legs with wild abandon, as if mocking the very presence of that wound. The centipede's numerous eyes seemed to appraise us, assessing our worth.
...Seriously, game developers, is this really necessary? This isn't fantasy anymore; it's straight-up horror. Just watching those legs scuttle gives me goosebumps.
My legs felt like they were about to flee in disgust.
"Lena... I-I know this isn't the right moment to say this, but I need to retrieve the metal shard stuck in the giant centipede's head! It's incredibly important to me!"
"What!?"
Phoebe's voice trembled with emotion as the system screen flickered to life with shocking news.
**Second Quest**
**Pain, Fairies, and Archie**
**Success Conditions:**
Recover the giant metal shard and escape the Maze Forest.
**Failure Conditions:**
Lena or the fairy dies.
**Success Rewards:**
**Failure Penalty:**
**Note:**
If you choose to disengage, you will receive 10 flower threads and be teleported with Phoebe to the entrance of the Maze Forest. If no choice is made within three minutes, it will be considered a disengagement.
Wow… they certainly devised a tempting escape route. I had already collected 10 flower threads. If I disengaged, I wouldn't need to gather more, and unlike the first quest, I would be teleported with Phoebe, ensuring her safety as well. We could weigh my safety against her wellbeing, and I'm sure Phoebe would understand, right?
Honestly, disengaging seemed like the smart choice…
"Okay! I'll do it!"
Phoebe's almost tearful plea echoed in my mind. Could I really forsake that call? What good is a title without protecting something precious, a fairy?
I would not only keep her safe but uphold the vow I made when starting the first quest: I will definitely save her!
To Phoebe, that metal shard was incredibly important! It certainly had a captivating but deceptive allure. She needed to suppress her fear and prepare Archie for the confrontation ahead.
With determination, she steeled herself to face the creature she despised!
"Second Quest: The Quest of Pain, Fairies, and Archie has been accepted. Starting quest!"
"—!!!"
A fiery centipede charged at her. She leaped to the side to evade its attack. The centipede coiled and twisted its long body, quickly turning around to charge again, this time without flames.
"Power up! Speed up!"
"Here I go!"
Empowered by Phoebe's magic, she executed a high jump that felt possible only in a game, soaring over the centipede's attack. As she landed, she thrust Archie into the creature's body, but the strike barely penetrated.
"Ugh!?"
The centipede tumbled, thrown to the ground.
"Regenerate!"
"Thanks for the heal, Phoebe!"
Though she had been caught off guard and slam-landed hard, Phoebe's healing eased the pain. However, the centipede wasn't going to give her a moment to breathe; it unleashed a jet of flame her way.
"Hot!"
While her skin sizzled slightly, she used a tree as a shield against the flames. In reality, the wood would have combusted instantly, but this was a game world—so long as the tree stood, she remained unharmed…
If it burned easily, the forest would be in constant flames from the fireballs released by the flower butterfly's caterpillars. I thought the trees here could withstand fire breath, and it seems I was right.
"Damn it, you monster!"
After confirming that the centipede had finished its fire breath, I jumped from the tree to stab it with Archie. Perhaps due to the recoil from its attack, the centipede moved slowly, allowing me to land a hit without much struggle. But as I pierced it, the centipede began thrashing its legs wildly.
I had to pull Archie back and create some distance, but I needed to get close to attack!
"Ugh... there's barely any opening to strike..."
"Lena! As long as that shard of metal is glowing red in its head, it will use fire attacks! Be careful!"
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