The sky was clear, and the air was breezy, the warmth of sunlight slipping through the leaves and casting faint shadows over the land. Viewed from above, the forest appeared peaceful and quiet, as though it had not experienced any damage over the past decade.
Yet no one knew how many dangers lurked behind this tranquil facade.
Marcus, who had been sleeping soundly on the ground, abruptly opened his eyes, awakened by the gleam of sunlight.
Marcus gradually opened his eyes, his vision blurry from the glare of sunlight. He jolted awake immediately.
His reaction was abrupt. If someone did not know better, they might have thought he had just awakened from a nightmare.
The first thing he did upon waking was inspect himself. After noticing that nothing was wrong with him,he suddenly realized something and began looking around.
Wherever his gaze shifted, there was always a body lying on the ground, looking strangely peaceful.
Fear and confusion flashing all his face. Making his face pale white. As his body trembling briskly and his mouth is barely opened due to fear, his voice is filled with dread as he muttered, "did everyone die ?"
A thought struck him, and without hesitation, he hurriedly turned around to find someone.
But the moment he did, a pale face appeared out of nowhere and filled his vision.
The instant Marcus saw it, a single thought out of nowhere surfaced in his mind. "Ghost."
"AHH! Ghost! Mother! I was not the one who killed you!"
The sight of bodies scattered across the ground shattered his composure, causing him to break down on the spot.
Overwhelmed by fear, Marcus instantly fainted and collapsed onto the ground.
James's face twisted slightly when he saw this. Moments ago, he had been sleeping soundly, but Marcus's sudden movements woke him.
Normally, minor disturbances would not have awakened him. However, when Marcus jolted awake, his hand had grabbed James's abdomen, causing sharp pain that forced him awake.
"Hey, I am not a ghost. I am James, your ancestor," he said as he tried to wake Marcus. But Marcus had already fainted, and it was unclear whether he was unconscious or merely asleep.
The forest now had more light, making it appear more natural than before. Yet beautiful things often concealed unimaginable danger.
Marcus woke once more. This time, the moment he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was James and Lilian arguing with each other.
Because he had just awakened, he could only hear faint sounds, almost like whispers.
After a while, he finally managed to listen more carefully.
"Hey, what are you trying to say? Are you claiming I am the one who made Marcus faint?"
"You coward. If not for you, why would he faint? The first thing I saw when I woke up was you and Marcus, and then I heard him shouting before collapsing."
"Guys…" Marcus uttered faintly, his voice barely audible.
Hearing Marcus's voice, the two finally stopped and hurried to ask what had happened.
"Can you let me stand first?" Marcus said weakly, as though he had been beaten by something.
After standing up, Marcus's vision remained blurry, as though he had been staring into the sunlight for too long.
Without wiping his eyes, his vision gradually returned to normal. As clarity settled in, the first thing he noticed was a group of people casting their gaze towerd him. Meeting with their gaze Marcus couldn't help but stunned and completely speechless on the spot.
Knowing his friend's nature, James immediately chuckled before inquires Marcus.
"Ahem, why did you suddenly faint when you saw me?"
Marcus was momentarily dumbfounded by James's question. He struggled to retrace his thoughts, attempting to recall what had transpired before he lost consciousness.
After pondering for a while, his memories finally resurfaced.
He could not help but glare at James with barely restrained fury as he spoke, "It was you who scared me. I thought you were a ghost."
James felt as though his intelligence had momentarily plummeted after hearing Marcus's explanation.
"Me? A ghost?" James scoffed. "With a face as handsome as mine, how could you possibly mistake me for a ghost? Are you deliberately mocking me?"
"I wasn't," Marcus replied hastily. "It's just that your face was deathly pale at the time, almost ghostlike. And my vision was blurred, so I couldn't see your features clearly," he tried to explain.
Just as James was about to retort, Lilian's voice suddenly rang out, cutting through the tension.
"That's enough. Let me ask Marcus a question." She shot James a sharp, warning glance before shifting her gaze toward Marcus.
"A question? What is it?" Marcus asked.
"What happened last night?" Lilian demanded.
Marcus pondered for a moment before replying.
"Didn't we listen to James's story and then fall asleep? Wasn't that what happened?" Marcus said, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"…Strange," Lilian murmured in a low,
contemplative voice.
"What's strange about it?" James asked.
He then grinned smugly and added, "Oh, of course. It must be because my voice is so charming and melodious that you all drifted off without even realizing it."
Lilian seemed to recall something, an indistinct fragment of memory lingering at the edge of her mind. Yet no matter how intently she searched her thoughts, the serenity of that night felt inexplicably unnatural, as though something had been deliberately veiled from her awareness.
After pondering without arriving at an answer, she dismissed the thought and redirected her focus to the plan for the morning.
"Since this is already the second day of us being trapped in the forest, although we slept well last night, we cannot assume that this forest is entirely safe," she said, her voice calm but deliberate.
She paused briefly, considering her next words, before continuing, "For now, let us proceed with our plan. Does anyone have any suggestions?"
She already had a strategy in mind. First, she intended for Ryan's group to search for useful materials.
Her plan was divided into four sections:
The first was to construct a tent, an essential measure, since they could not sleep on the forest floor.
The second task was to locate a water source, as survival without water was impossible. Naturally, among the group, some possessed the
ability to summon it using rune magic.
The third task was to procure food. Although they had already explored parts of the forest, their search had been fruitless, and so they needed to investigate other areas.
The fourth task involved securing tools, implements capable of defending them against unforeseen dangers.
Even though some among them were proficient in rune magic, which could surpass ordinary tools in power, runes required careful preparation and couldn't be hastily invoked. Therefore, the most pragmatic choice was to gather conventional tools for immediate protection.
Aside from procuring food, the other three tasks were relatively straightforward, as the group was well-versed in rune usage. Lilian, in particular, was regarded as an expert among them.
Runes were akin to magic, yet far more intricate to wield. First, the user required a profound understanding of their principles, as even minor errors could cause the rune to fail and inflict perilous repercussions.
Second, mastery demanded precise knowledge of the corresponding symbols and incantations, which were of utmost importance. Both the symbols and incantations had to belong to the same domain.
If the symbols and incantations were mismatched or contradictory, the result could be catastrophic, triggering a volatile explosion capable of causing severe harm.
When it comes to thing that related to magic the caution is needed.
Upon hearing Lilian's request for ideas, everyone paused thoughtfully for a moment before shaking their heads.
Ryan had no suggestions either, as his sole concern at the moment was to locate food as quickly as possible.
Marcus pondered briefly before asking, his voice tinged with perplexity, "Actually… I'm a bit puzzled. If you all know about runes, why aren't you using them?"
Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly fixed their gaze on Marcus, as if he were a stranger among them.
With a resigned sigh, Lilian explained, "Have you not studied? We cannot wield runes without complete mastery. Even though I am familiar with one or two, I have not practiced them fully, and I will not employ them recklessly."
"Hehe, I thought you could all use them freely," Marcus said awkwardly.
In truth, nearly all of them possessed knowledge of runes. However, because strict family rules dictated that only students aged ten and above could practice them.
Moreover, the runes they had learned were merely the most rudimentary forms.
"Speaking of which, it has been almost a year since we began studying, yet we have not learned any combat techniques or swordsmanship. All they teach us is theory alone, which is quite peculiar," said Lumain.
Until now, she had spoken almost nothing. In fact, since the moment they first arrived here, she had only spoken once.
"Yes, indeed. I find this very strange as well," Ryan added, sharing the sentiment.
Marcus and James were equally perplexed. Despite often being fatigued, they had always applied themselves diligently in combat and swordsmanship classes. Yet their efforts were driven not by desire, but by fear of the professor.
Everyone present sensed the oddity of the situation. No matter how long they contemplated it, they could not unravel the mystery. It was as if the secret was deliberately shrouded, hiding itself behind layers of depth curtain.