Bab 41: 41. The Hollow Forest
The potion was kind of cold and yet also spicy as it went down his throat. He dropped the bottle to the ground once every drop was gone and licked his mouth.
He felt the strange feeling of the potion settle in his stomach, and then suddenly, it spread through his whole body, and he was encompassed in a faint yellowish glow.
It lasted only about 3 seconds before fading away.
[[Unnamed Potion consumed. +30 Space Affinity gained. +25 Fire Affinity gained. +10 Lightning Affinity gained.]]
'Status.' Zion quickly called up his status information.
[[Status]]
Race: Oracle Rainbow Fox
Name: Zion
Level: 11 (EXP: 1225/1500)
Rank: D
Magic Affinity: None
(Fire: 55%
Water: 4%
Earth: 68%
Wind: 10%
Lightning: 23%
Ice: 0%
Light: 0%
Dark: 0%
Space: 30%)
HP: 495/495
Mana: 450/450
STR: 32
AGL: 37
CON: 35
DEF: 32
INT: 45
CHA: 40
Skills:
Bite (E) (Lv8/10) - Slash (E) (Lv8/10) - Analyse (SSS) (Lv6/10) - Pounce (D) (Lv8/10) - Kick (E) (Lv8/10) - Tree Run (D) (Lv5/10) - Dash (D) (Lv7/10) - Tail Flick (E) (Lv4/10) - Triple Strike (D) (Lv4/10)
Spells:
Mind Talk (B) (Lv8/10) - Prediction (C) (lv1/10) - Dispelling Eye (D) (lv1/10)]]
'It really worked. I finally have two affinities above 50%. Now I know which form I'm taking next evolution.' He grinned internally as he lowered his status page, '"Alright. I can tell something happened... but it wasn't a strong feeling."' Zion explained.
"Damn. Probably means you haven't unlocked it yet." Sarah sighed.
"You will probably unlock it when you evolve next." Ithil spoke with a steady level of confidence.
"We should probably return to our rooms, Ithil. We must leave early tomorrow to reach the hollow forest at a good time." Aala said looking at Ithil. He smiled faintly at her and nodded before standing up.
He bowed slightly towards Zion and Sarah as he always did, then walked out.
Aala stood up and chased after him as she waved behind her, "See you guys tomorrow!"
Sarah and Zion watched them leave, then looked at each other before chuckling and giggling, '"Alright. Aala was right, we need to rest."' Zion moved to his bed and curled up, covering his face with his tail happily.
Sarah changed into her sleepwear and climbed into the bed, soon getting comfortable and falling asleep.
------------
The following day, the level 6 year three students gathered just before the Academy gates. Beside the gates were a few carriages, with Ivan standing ahead of them.
Once all the students arrived, Ivan said, "Alright, everyone is here. There are five people per carriage. The trip to Hollow Forest is at least 3 hours, so we will have a small break at the halfway point. Let's go." He didn't shout, yet his voice was loud enough for everyone to hear.
They all quickly moved towards carriages. As expected, Sarah, Ithil and Aala were in one carriage, but they also had two others they didn't know all that well.
With the size of Zion, he wouldn't fit in the carriage unless he took the spot of one of the students, so he instead walked beside the door of the carriage.
Once every student was in, they began to move. The trip was agony for these 10-year-olds who weren't used to not being able to move.
Even when they managed to stop for a break, it didn't help a lot as it was pretty short. They were only allowed 10 minutes to stretch before they had to get back on the road.
By the time they finally reached the outer edge of the Hollow forest, it had been a little over 3 hours of travelling.
All the students quickly got out, thankful the trip was over, but did not hesitate to get into the lines that Sir Ivan always preferred them to stand in.
Ivan walked towards them and gave them a nod of approval, seeing them already lined up. "Very good. Now, listen closely because your life depends on it. This isn't like the Academy, where you fight beasts one-on-one or where I'll be there to make sure nothing happens. This is the Hollow Forest. The beasts here will not hesitate to kill you, and there are a few that hunt in groups." He glanced over the faces of the kids.
"That's why you will all be working in groups. You'll need to work with this group and ensure you don't get injured or worse. Each of you will be handed a unique token. This token is a teleportation spell. Once you break it, it will teleport you back here. When that happens, you are out."
He then smirked a bit, "Also, this is a competition. Those who manage to kill and retrieve the most beast essences will get to pick a reward from the treasure hall. Are there any questions?"
Once he had finished speaking, no one spoke up in response. He nodded, "You have 5 minutes to form a team. Go." He said simply.
Quite a few people quickly gathered together or separated into smaller groups.
Zion stayed with Sarah, who remained with Aala and Ithil. One kid hesitantly came up to them, "U-um... can... can I go with you guys?" He asked.
They looked at the kid and noticed he was wearing complete plate armour and had a shield with a hammer, "Are you a defender?" Sarah asked.
He nodded, "Y-yeah. My name is Jacob, Jacob Fairfield." He said.
"We could do with a defender. We have healing, range, magic, close combat, but no defence." Ithil turned to look at the others.
'"Ithils right."' Zion agreed to Ithils analysis.
"Alright, sure. I'm Sarah, the swordwoman. This is Aala, our healing archer. Ithil is our mage. And Zion here is our... well, pretty much everything, but he acts as a scout most times." Sarah introduced everyone.
Jacob smiled shyly and nodded his head towards them all.
"Alright, we have our team. Let's spend a little time discussing our plan." Sarah said. They all gathered close and began to talk.
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
DragonQueen2105
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Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone