028 Strange Sounds

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“Ha!”

With another swift and clean slash, Duan Qing killed a wild dog beneath his sword. He put away his weapon, turned toward the others behind him, and struck a victorious “V!” pose. As usual, the response was a chorus of eye-rolls.

Another day had begun. The party continued deeper into the forest, and scattered monsters began appearing around them.

With a “high-level member” among them, they should have been able to leave all matters of combat to her. Yet Snow Spirit Phantom Ice had soon informed them that she would not be taking part in the fighting very much.

“I’ll cover you from the rear,” she had said.

As for why she would not actually help them, she had offered no further explanation.

Left with no choice, the four remaining novices had to deal with the increasingly difficult battles themselves. Though this was exactly what they had expected, every time a monster leaped from behind a tree or out of a bush, they would charge forward—and then instinctively glance back. With every such glance, their resentment grew a little stronger.

You really aren’t going to help us…

Dream Bamboo even maliciously suspected that the woman had a peculiar fondness for tormenting novice players. The Tyrant of Jicheng, meanwhile, kept muttering things like, “I’ve got countless brothers under my command. Just wait until I make you pay.”

Duan Qing himself did not care much. It was partly because he was confident, but also because he had faintly guessed at the reason—though he was far from certain that his guess was correct.

After observing her for the past two days, however, he had concluded that the woman called Snow Spirit Phantom Ice was an extremely cautious player. Whether this was simply her nature or whether she was deliberately guarding against something, he could not say.

Naturally, the constant battles carried their share of danger. Once, as they passed beneath a tangle of luxuriant branches, a long, slender, serpentine shape dropped from one of the trees above and launched itself at them like a bolt of lightning.

They killed the green snake almost immediately, but the Tyrant of Jicheng, who had been walking in the middle of the group, had already been bitten. His face had turned bluish-black in an instant. He was almost certainly poisoned.

“The system says I’ve been afflicted with acute venom… There’s a green bar in my status window… My health is going down…”

As though death were already upon him, even the order of his words had become confused.

“You’re such a jinx.” Duan Qing shook his head. “Why are you always the one who gets hurt?”

Their preparations had not included anything for curing poison. That did not mean the village had nothing of the sort for sale—the herbal shop certainly carried antidotes—but their deficit had already been written all over their faces. Naturally, they could not afford to buy anything extra.

The Tyrant of Jicheng trembled as he described his condition at length. At last, the others managed to understand that the green poison bar was also slowly decreasing. Unfortunately, it was dropping so slowly that waiting for it to empty was clearly not an option.

Even the strongest expert would have been helpless against such a “mechanics-based death.” Duan Qing had already begun reminding him to prepare his last words when a series of tapping footsteps sounded behind them.

The black-cloaked figure approached, drew a small bottle from her waist, and revealed a green liquid inside.

“Drink it.”

Her cold tone, their suspicions, and the revolting appearance of the medicine could not stop the Tyrant of Jicheng from seizing at that last thread of hope. He took the bottle and, with the expression of a man marching to his death, swallowed the contents without hesitation.

The bluish-black color rapidly faded from his face.

“Hey, the green bar’s gone!” The sensation of returning from the brink of death was always exhilarating, and the Tyrant of Jicheng was no exception. “Thank you, Sister Ice.”

This time, at least, he used a normal tone of voice.

Duan Qing curled his lip. The cloaked figure said nothing more. She simply moved aside and waited for the journey to resume.

The incident heightened their wariness of the forest. After discussing the matter, however, they realized there was little they could do against such attacks. In the end, they decided to travel through more open areas whenever possible, hoping to gain a little time and room to react when sudden attacks came.

Open ground was almost nonexistent in a forest like this, but remaining alert was still the right choice. During the exploration that followed, they encountered all sorts of strange attacks, yet managed to evade them successfully.

There was a gorilla that came charging at them for no apparent reason, packs of wild dogs, and several large cheetahs of an unknown variety. The cheetahs posed a genuine threat, but after harassing them for a while, the beasts must have decided that their prey was more trouble than it was worth. They vanished into hiding and quietly fled.

Duan Qing and the others did not realize this until much later, and spent half the time afterward on tenterhooks.

At times, strange ranged attacks came flying at their heads. Sometimes they were hard fruits; sometimes merely scattered stones. Whenever everyone looked up in search of the culprit, they saw nothing. Still, they could guess that the monkeys were responsible.

There was nothing they could do about it. They could only endure the pain in their heads and the loss of health, then hurry away as carefully as possible.

Their morale naturally suffered, but the situation was still far better than when they had first entered the forest. At least, thanks to the woman’s occasional suggestions, they now had some idea of where they were going.

The previous night, while they were making camp, the cold and distant woman had drawn up a preliminary plan based on what she had learned. The basic idea was for them to deliberately search for places where the forest had been damaged.

“According to what Azure Mountain told me, Trick—the person you’re looking for—is a… guardian of the forest. That means the reason he left so hurriedly may have been that he discovered some kind of destruction taking place here. He wanted to come and stop it, but vanished after encountering something. We don’t know what.”

Firelight illuminated the beautiful face hidden beneath her hood. A few loose black strands escaped at the side and swayed faintly in the heat of the flames.

This was the first time she had taken part in their discussion, but her voice remained as cold as ever, and her manner carried the unmistakable authority of a superior issuing orders.

“So we need to pay attention to places where the forest has been damaged. Fallen trees, trampled grass, signs of cutting or burning… Whether the destruction was caused by monsters or by people, such traces should be obvious, and the affected area should be large. Otherwise, Trick would not have been so desperate to get here.”

Her tone was almost that of a reprimand. She covered every aspect, large and small, including the details. Who would lead, who would bring up the rear, who would scout ahead, how far the search should extend while still ensuring the party’s safety…

After all her arrangements, the party’s movements became far more systematic. Even Dream Bamboo had to admit that the proud, aloof woman was highly persuasive in both speech and action. In their hearts, the others developed a strong sense of trust in their sole high-level player.

Of course, Duan Qing continued to observe the woman’s strict discipline and meticulous planning with a smile. During the day, she no longer spoke, merely following silently at the back of the party.

Everything proceeded as normally as it had the day before, except that their efficiency had noticeably improved.

They discovered many places bearing traces of destruction, but all of them appeared to be scars left on nature by battles. They had no idea which “predecessor” had once fought bravely here, leaving behind these marks as a message to those who came after.

Still, the people of Greenstone Village all knew how strange and uncanny the Emerald Forest was. Nothing encountered within it could truly surprise them. A few signs of battle did not give them the overwhelming impression that some great war had once taken place there.

Naturally, what the group had noticed about the woman behind them over the past two days did not count.

After exploring for some time, the party finally stopped to rest at noon—and that was when things changed.

The others had suggested resting several times before, but the woman at the rear had rejected them each time. Her reason was always the same: travel faster, complete the mission sooner, and return sooner.

But once it was time to eat, stopping was unavoidable.

The others sat together as usual. The Tyrant of Jicheng was still boasting to Little White and A-Niu about his former greatness, while the young Dream Bamboo watched the spectacle. From time to time, however, her eyes drifted toward the roots of a tree some distance away.

Snow Spirit Phantom Ice was continuing the conversation she had begun the previous night, questioning that shady older man for information.

Well, there was nothing worth saying. As long as she didn’t get seduced away, everything would be fine…

The situation over there, however, was somewhat different from the night before.

Snow Spirit Phantom Ice was now asking about the Emerald Forest from every possible angle—even the impressions players had of the forest and Greenstone Village. Her questions had clearly moved into the realm of abstract concepts. Ordinary players would not be interested in such matters, but after thinking for a moment, Duan Qing decided to offer some of his own views.

“Greenstone Village is… a peaceful place. The scenery is beautiful, the people are simple and honest, and it’s practically ideal as a beginner’s village. There’s almost no sense of danger there, and it even introduces the basic game mechanics and the general setting of the world…”

“And the Emerald Forest, compared with Greenstone Village…”

Duan Qing glanced at her. “I understand what you mean. Based on what I’ve learned, this forest is, in every sense, not a place a newcomer should visit after just starting the game.”

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He leaned against the tree trunk, gazing at the dense green leaves above as though he could see the sky through them.

“This place… has almost no roads. The terrain is complicated, practically a natural maze. I’ve heard people who came here say that there are hardly any fixed landmarks, making it difficult to find places they’ve already passed through. It’s as if the entire forest has been reset.

“I don’t know whether you’ve heard of this, but resets are common in ordinary games. In a free-world game… they’re highly unusual.”

He exhaled.

“And then there’s the strength of the monsters. They aren’t merely varied and powerful. Their methods of attack are bizarre as well, and most importantly… they often appear without the slightest warning.”

Watching the shifting light in her eyes, Duan Qing guessed that she had probably experienced the same things. He chuckled and toyed with the short sword at his side.

“That feeling is genuinely infuriating. You have no idea what you’ve done, yet some strange trouble comes looking for you. And once you start dealing with it, you discover that it’s so powerful it practically defies reason…”

The light in her eyes grew brighter, as if she wanted to see through him. Duan Qing knew he might have guessed correctly about certain things, but he had no intention of antagonizing her just yet. He was only a level-eleven player. If someone like her took an interest in him, he had no way to guarantee his own survival.

“Ahem. So, putting a place like this right beside a beginner’s village—indeed, almost directly beside it—is obviously… unreasonable.”

The head beneath the hood lowered once more, concealing the sharp gleam in her eyes. After a moment, a low voice emerged.

“Unreasonable… Of course it’s unreasonable.”

She lifted the sword in her hand and laid it across her knees. One finger slowly rubbed the black scabbard.

“I still want to know… why.”

As if in response to her words, another breeze passed through the forest. The instant she finished speaking, the leaves began to rustle.

Yet in the air that had just been displaced, Duan Qing sensed something unusual.

After a moment’s thought, he looked toward her. Her hood had shifted slightly. Unfamiliar insects suddenly began chirping nearby, and her calm gaze was fixed upon him. The meaning in her eyes made him swallow the words he had been about to say.

He lowered his head, then slowly began, “Generally speaking… when something like this happens, either it’s the result of the game world’s algorithms evolving naturally, or there’s some other reason behind it.”

“If it’s the former, it only means we were unlucky enough to be born into this miserable place. Personally, I don’t mind using a place like this for training…”

“But if it’s the latter, there are many possibilities.”

“For example, perhaps this forest was once ordinary, then underwent some kind of mutation like the one caused by the Magic Empire and became what it is now. Though, come to think of it, that setting sounds perfectly normal. Every fantasy game uses something like that.

“Or perhaps the depths of the forest contain an entrance to another world—say, the demon realm—and powerful creatures rule the place. What we’ve encountered so far might only be their underlings…”

“But I’ve never seen a demon realm that uses animals as its minions. Monkeys, wild boars, gorillas—would that really work?

“Or maybe this is simply a prank by the system. The free world has become so popular that all the ordinary starting locations have been occupied, so the system had to generate a beginner’s village in this remote corner. Balance was abandoned entirely.

“Still, this is the first time I’ve seen such a bizarre arrangement for beginners…”

Each time Duan Qing proposed a possibility, he immediately refuted it himself. His habit of mocking his own ideas left Snow Spirit Phantom Ice torn between amusement and helplessness. She could not refute him either.

At present, it seemed that whether in understanding beginner’s villages or in the ability to let his imagination run wild, she was inferior to him.

“Then again, perhaps this place possesses a natural will—or the will of the forest, if you prefer. Who cares what it’s called? In any case, it could be something capable of evolving on its own, causing the monsters here to grow stronger and stronger…”

His nonsense continued. The woman curled her lip.

“Let me think… Maybe powerful figures live in this forest. Or perhaps many powerful figures. Maybe even an entire race. Elves, perhaps? I’ve never heard anything about them, but it would be nice if they were elves. I’ve always admired that race.

“And if we follow the usual standards of fantasy settings, a forest inhabited by such a race becoming this strange would make perfect sense…”

He sighed theatrically. “I’m out of ideas.”

Duan Qing closed his eyes and made a pained expression. Beside him, the woman rotated her scabbard and began to laugh softly.

“Then again…”

Duan Qing opened his eyes and stared in a particular direction.

“There may be ruins of an ancient Magic Empire hidden here…”

The motion of the scabbard stopped. The body beneath the cloak suddenly tensed.

Duan Qing noticed it from the corner of his eye and smiled almost imperceptibly. After a natural pause, he continued.

“The ruins would inevitably contain remnants of the magical age. Over time, they might have settled, mutated, fermented, and affected the surrounding area…

“Or perhaps it isn’t that complicated. Maybe the ruins simply possess some kind of defensive magic formation…”

Something seemed to凝结 in the air. His voice stopped.

After a brief silence, the woman quietly raised her head. She discovered that Duan Qing was not looking anywhere else.

He was looking at her.

“I think we’ve reached the same conclusion, haven’t we?”

Snow Spirit Phantom Ice’s right hand rested on the hilt of her sword.

“Oh…” Duan Qing quickly raised both hands. “Don’t be so aggressive. That sort of vocabulary doesn’t suit a woman, especially one as beautiful as you…”

His voice lowered.

“And besides, news this big would be all over the internet…”

The woman blinked. Her body remained tense, but her words returned to the previous subject.

“Oh. I’m beautiful. That is indeed a fact.”

“So I don’t begrudge you the compliment. Besides… I wouldn’t want that beauty to be damaged.”

The woman stared at him for a while, then lowered her hand.

“So you want to help me? With abilities like yours?”

“Look, reason tells you that a little player like me couldn’t possibly threaten you. And yet you still couldn’t help letting murderous intent seep out. In fact, you’ve wanted to kill me more than once over the past few days, haven’t you?”

“You thought your spying went unnoticed? Even that little girl noticed.”

“That wasn’t spying. It was open and aboveboard… surveillance.”

It was as though they had suddenly reached an unspoken understanding. The two of them had decided to determine a winner with words alone.

The woman no longer seemed intent on drawing her sword, but her expression grew even colder. Duan Qing, on the other hand, appeared increasingly at ease, as if the confrontation meant nothing to him.

“There’s no need to beat around the bush anymore. I know you don’t trust us. You’ve probably guessed that we know something. You may even want to know which faction we belong to…”

“What are you trying to prove? That you’re an innocent bystander?”

“No, no. I’m just a beginner…”

“A beginner? Ha. You’ve concealed yourself well, but your little habits are beyond the reach of your disguise.”

“Oh, your eyesight is impressive. You actually managed to see through the true strength of the Azure Mountain Sword God. But… so what? I never intended to hide it.”

“Is that so? Then tell me everything you know. I won’t mind sharing information with you as well.”

“Why should I? Do we know each other that well, beautiful lady? Besides, I’ve already explained our situation fairly thoroughly…”

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“Stop pretending to be clueless…”

“All right, all right. I know you won’t believe me even if I tell you, but we’re all ordinary players. We just want to enjoy the game properly… Well, I don’t know what their goals are. I can only speak for myself.”

At last, Duan Qing’s expression became serious.

“So we don’t trust you either. At least, I don’t.”

“So we don’t intend to help you either. At least… I don’t intend to help you.”

“Is that your attitude?” the woman asked contemptuously. “A moment ago, you were saying that I was beautiful. If you’re trying to make me beg you, or attempting to advance by retreating, then…”

“You can calculate whatever you like, and continue indulging in your pointless speculation. With our level of strength, schemes are naturally meaningless. But by the same token, there’s only so much we can accomplish.

“Consider the advantages and disadvantages for yourself.”

“Right now, I only want to make one thing clear. If the time comes, I will stand firmly… on my own side.”

“Because I don’t like women like you.”

At last, Snow Spirit Phantom Ice’s expression changed. It was the look of someone whose control had finally been breached.

While she ground her teeth in anger, Duan Qing remained completely unconcerned. He had not intended to fall out with her so soon, but he could not deny the satisfaction of finally having his moment of triumph.

You’ve been wearing that face at us for days, as if you were some priceless endangered species.

Everything that needed to be said had been said. There was no point standing around like an idiot. Duan Qing rose and was just about to leave when Snow Spirit Phantom Ice lifted her head.

“Stop.”

As a leader who had occupied a position of authority for many years, Snow Spirit Phantom Ice naturally could not tolerate the man’s mockery. Yet for the same reason, she was also able to detach herself from her anger and calmly assess the situation.

Deep within this vast forest, she certainly could not complete the mission alone. Even with these people, her chances of success had not increased by much, but it was still better than going alone…

And setting aside the personal emotion in the man’s words, she had to admit that some of what he said was correct.

She needed help. This man… had a great many ideas. Perhaps she had underestimated him.

Though he had said a great deal…

Ahem. A true woman knew when to bend and when to stand firm. This was not the time to settle scores. Now that everything had been laid out in the open, all she needed to do was show a measure of sincerity…

As long as she could complete the mission…

Countless thoughts flashed through her mind.

Duan Qing watched the silent woman with her head lowered, assuming she was about to issue some threat. He curled his lip, then raised a hand as though he had noticed something.

“Shh…”

The woman looked up in confusion. The girl had already trotted over in small steps.

“Mister! Did you hear that…?”

“Shh…” Duan Qing gestured for Dream Bamboo to be quiet as well. “Of course I heard it.”

Everyone in the party except the woman before them had heard that sound before. It was the same eerie noise they had encountered before meeting Snow Spirit Phantom Ice.

“Clang… clang…”

Though Snow Spirit Phantom Ice did not understand what was happening, she followed Duan Qing’s gesture and gathered with the others. Together, they slowly crept toward the source of the sound.

The strange noise grew louder. Once they drew near, it became distinguishable.

It was unmistakably the sound of some object digging into the earth.

The group exchanged bewildered looks.

Was someone farming in this forest? Planting crops?

That was… far too strange.

The Tyrant of Jicheng and Dream Bamboo began struggling once more over whether they should continue approaching. A-Niu, meanwhile, was preparing to charge forward as he had last time, but Duan Qing finally held him back.

What was coming would come eventually.

When he noticed the others looking at him again, Duan Qing sighed inwardly and began thinking as well.

Farming in a place like this was utterly incongruous. But what else could a hoe be used for?

Or perhaps it was not a hoe at all, but something else—perhaps the footsteps of some kind of monster.

Yet the sound had appeared so suddenly. Could there really be a hunter careless enough to make such a racket?

Besides, it had not moved for a long time.

In any case, this was not a natural sound. Some creature—or some person—was using a tool.

The noise sounded like earth being dug up.

Digging up earth…

Could it be making a pit? A large pit in the forest could be used for…

Hunting?

A figure suddenly flashed through Duan Qing’s mind: the farmhand in the red-and-black checkered shirt, straw hat, and pitchfork.

Could it… be him?