Chapter 46: The Three Forests in Succession

Chapter 46: The Three Forests in Succession Jenna’s eyes widened in surprise. Then she realized that everything that had happened recently made sense, and some of Elliot’s words finally made sense. ’That’s why he told them they seem afraid of him now that he has awakened... It’s because they’re big enemies.’ She nodded softly. "I didn’t expect the first person I’d make friends with in this place to be someone who wants to give the Clarks what they deserve, just like me." She smiled. "Hahaha, although for different reasons, I guess we have a common enemy. So, I’ll thank you once again for saving me, and I hope we can be good friends in the future." He extended his hand and thanked her sincerely. Jenna didn’t let go of his hand. "You can call me Jenna. I hope we can be good friends." After that, they returned to eating quietly, keeping a close watch on their surroundings to avoid being ambushed. When they finished eating, they put out the fire to avoid attracting attention and stood looking at each other in the moonlight, which was filtering through the tall trees. Then Jenna asked, "Where exactly are we? This forest is too big. No matter how far we run, we’ll never get out of it." Elliot nodded before answering. "We’re in the Tall-Or Forest, west of Loen City, if I’m not mistaken. Although it may not seem like it because visibility is limited here, we should be climbing one of the mountains in the Tall-Or Forest right now." "Huh? Mountains?" Jenna looked at the ground, and while it certainly looked slightly sloped, it wasn’t enough to be a mountain. "Haha, it doesn’t seem like it because we’re still at the foot of the mountain, but if we walk further west, we’ll climb up into the big mountains. Honestly, I don’t recommend it. They say there could be Rank B beasts there." "You mean the ones that leave the dungeons... You’re right, they tend to be found in the mountains quite often." "Yes, and this is a very unexplored area due to the weakness of the nearby cities. Not many dare to venture in without large groups, so we don’t know if any large dungeons are nearby." "I see. How big is the Tall-Or Forest? And does it have any exits?" Elliot took his time to consider this, frowning. "Tall-Or isn’t essentially too big, but..." Slightly concerned about whether he should say it, he looked at her and scrutinized her face. He decided to continue, seeing that she was patiently waiting for his words. "The forest we entered initially, when the trial began, is called Tall-Ar, and this is Tall-Or. You should know that ’Ar’ in the ancient language that came with the portals was used in moments of succession of something, and only when there was a triple succession of that thing, and it means ’low.’ Then, "Or" means "middle", but since it is normally used to refer to something that is in triple succession..." He smiled a little, although he was a little afraid. "There is still a third forest, Tall-Ur, the High Forest. Essentially, it is no longer part of Loen; it almost extends beyond the borders of the Border Towns. It is a dangerous and completely unexplored forest. Tall-Ar is small. Tall-Or is large enough that we don’t know where we are right now, but Tall-Ur... If we go in there, we will probably die without knowing where we are." "Now... The way out of these woods... Well, there are two recommended routes. One is in Tall-Ur, and although it is said to be ’recommended,’ it is for Masters or powerful people who get lost inside. The other one is in Tall-Ar, right where we entered." Jenna realized they were in trouble after listening to him and paying close attention to his words. "Are there no other exits? Staying here for a long time doesn’t seem very safe..." Elliot sighed. "My father once told me that there was another exit near Mushroom Mountain, a peculiar mountain within this small mountain range, as it is shaped like a mushroom. The problem is that I have no idea where we are, I don’t know where we should go to reach that mountain." Jenna nodded. "Is that mountain inside Tall-Or?" she asked. "Yes, in the middle." "The middle? God..." Elliot smiled ironically. "Hehe, that’s right. Right in the middle." The situation was becoming increasingly complicated. From successive forests next to mountain ranges, to special mountains commonly used by intelligent beasts, the only reference point they had was one of those, and it was in the scariest place possible: the middle. How were they supposed to get to the middle of a place when they didn’t even know which way to walk? They knew they couldn’t walk back the way they came because that’s where they were waiting for their enemies. At least that ruled out one possibility, but it left many unknowns. "Is there any reference to know the border between Tall-Or and Tall-Ur?" Elliot smiled again, almost mocking their situation. "Yes, the beasts." "The beasts?" "That’s right. If we encounter hordes of beasts more powerful than Rank D and C, then we’ll probably be in Tall-Ur." "..." Jenna was speechless, staring at him. That didn’t help at all. Elliot looked back at her without saying a word. There was nothing else to say. If they encountered powerful beasts, they would surely be in Tall-Ur, and then they would die, but at least they would know where. That was the life of the weak like them. ’I guess that’s the irony of life.’ He smiled, mocking himself, and stood up. Since he had nothing else to say, he drew his sword. Then he walked toward the nearby trees and began cutting holes in them, in the shape of crosses and Xs, all pointing in the same direction. "What are you doing?" Jenna approached and asked. "Marking the territory. It will be dangerous when dawn breaks due to the high concentration of fog, and visibility will be poor. So, marking the trees is the best way to find our way around here. If we encounter beasts that are too powerful, we can still return here, if we’re lucky, and flee toward the only exit we know." "Oh, you’re right, that’s a good idea. Are you used to adventures?" "Not really," Elliot replied. "But when I was little, I used to read a lot of adventure stories, and my father used to tell me stories about them. He also taught me survival tactics and things like that." "Oh, I see. My parents never taught me any of that. They’re usually busy with their work. I envy you a little." She smiled casually. "Do they treat you well?" Elliot asked suddenly, without stopping what he was doing. "Huh? My parents?" "Obviously, who else are we talking about?" "Oh, right. Of course, they’re good parents. The best." She said with a proud smile. "But I wish they had taught me more. They usually hired someone to do that." Elliot nodded. He didn’t respond for a few minutes until he marked the last tree. Finally, he was able to breathe deeply. "If they treat you well and you still have them, I don’t see why you envy me. Good things happen while they’re with you, and learning is something you’ll do throughout every stage of your life, but you won’t have them with you for all that time." He smiled and even patted the little girl who, heroically, chose to save him. She was amazed and puzzled by his words. When she realized that he no longer had his parents, she didn’t know what to say. Perhaps she had been a little impertinent when she spoke a moment ago, so she felt guilty. She smiled and looked up to thank him for his words and apologize, but then Elliot lunged at her and pushed her out of the way, leaving her completely stunned. "Huh?" Although she was in shock, the situation wouldn’t let her process the information quickly. At that moment, a huge axe shattered the tree where they had been standing just a moment before.