System, is this dungeon portable?
I'm sure I read a novel or a manga about that. Something like their own personal training ground.
[System Response:
Yes. It's portable but it eats up mana quite a lot. ]
How much are we talking here?
[System Response:
70 points per hour. ]
Shit. Just the squirrel hideout to camp is 6 hours..
And now that we're somewhere... I don't know! We're lost!
"Okay, so does anyone know where we are?" I asked.
Titan came down from a tree, I think he was trying to see the camp from a high place.
He pointed in one direction, south. And also gestured towards the trees around. I guess if he's gesturing south that means he saw a clue towards the village there?
Now that I think about it, I guess we're still at north? Judging from the distinct trees here, we are.
See the trees here at north are very sparse, down south it's dense, on the east the trees are whiter than normal and on the west it's darker. Most of the trees here at the north look like pine trees, I say look like cuz they do look one, but they bear fruit. And from what I can see, very dangerous and potent fruit too.
[System Inspection....
Name: Juky Fruit
Found: Nothern forest
Function: Use to poison, can kill a cyclops with just a bite.
Warning: Do not eat!! ]
As I read that I could also see Leah on my peripheral vision picking a fruit that looked like a pineapple but smaller, like an orange sized pineapple thingy, which fell after Titan went down. When I read the last part I quickly stopped the fruit from going into Leah's mouth!
As much as the woman annoys me, I don't plan on having murder on my hands cuz I didn't stop her.
"Don't eat that!" I said hurriedly, planning to even use Ice magic to frost her hand from moving to eat it.
"And why should I listen to you, exactly? Last I did, trouble came remember?" She said with a smirk, clearly having fun with teasing me.
This bitch...
"Fine, eat it. I don't care, I tried to stop you anyway." I said, crossing my arms and looking away from the annoying woman.
"Good." I watched Leah lift her hand holding the Juky Fruit towards her mouth, but before it could, Titan came and stopped her. Titan grabbed her hand holding the fruit.
Heh! Too bad, I was about to see a smirking dog foam from the mouth. I guess next time?
Titan shook his head towards Leah as he took the fruit away from her. Tch!
"Titan, you're too kind. You could've let her and finally teach her a lesson on not eating something that someone advised them against on eating." I said with a huff and an exaggerated shrug of my shoulder.
Titan ignored me and grabbed a snake by the middle from a tree close to him and fed the fruit to the snake's open mouth.
We watched as the snake slowly died in agony from the poison, Titan let go of it and it started trembling ang wriggling frantically on the ground before finally foaming and dying from the venom.
"You could've said that would happen!" Leah, her grin now fading, scowled at me and said.
"You weren't gonna listen anyway, so why bother?" I said while looking towards the sky. It's still early morning, about 7-8 A.M from what I can see from the shadows that the trees illuminate.
"Alright, enough chitchat and let's move." I don't wanna die from mana exhaustion after all.
Titan, as stoic as ever, took the lead, gesturing for us to follow him southward. I trailed behind, occasionally side-eyeing Leah, who was now sulking like a child who got caught stealing candy.
"You're lucky Titan saved your butt," I said, stepping over a fallen branch. "If I hadn't said anything, you'd be foaming at the mouth right now."
Leah scoffed, kicking a pebble into the underbrush. "Foaming? Please. I have a strong constitution. I'm sure I'd have been fine."
Titan glanced back and shook his head slowly, as if to say, This is why I don't talk.
We trudged on, the sparse northern trees gradually thickening as we ventured further south. The so-called "pineapple pine trees" loomed overhead, their odd, slightly spiky fruits dangling ominously.
---
About an hour in, the forest grew eerily quiet. No rustling leaves, no bird calls—just the sound of our footsteps crunching on the forest floor.
"This is weird," Leah muttered, glancing around. "Where's all the wildlife?"
I was about to shrug it off when the System chimed in.
[System Notification:
Area Analysis...
Warning: High-level predator detected nearby. ]
My heart sank. "System, define 'high-level predator.'"
Fuck. This system actually had an Area analysis? And it didn't bother to tell me?!
[System Response:
Something that can kill you in three hits or less.]
Fantastic. Very Good.
"Uh, guys," I said, gripping my staff a little tighter. "We might have some company soon."
Leah groaned. "What kind of company? The cute, fluffy kind, or the kind that wants to eat us?"
Titan unsheathed his sword in response. It gleamed menacingly in the dappled sunlight, which, I have to admit, was both comforting and terrifying.
---
We didn't have to wait long. A low growl echoed through the trees, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps.
Leah squinted into the distance. "Is that... a bear?"
I followed her gaze and froze. It wasn't just a bear—it was a pine bear.
And judging by the system's instructions, I think there's 95% chance I'm dying today!
[System Inspect:
Name: Pine Bear
Type: Beast
Danger Level: High
Tips: Answer this riddle for the weakness of the beast infront of you!
"I'm alive, but I don't breathe,
I can eat, but I don't drink.
I grow, but I don't sleep,
What am I?" ]