With faint, blurry vision, Lilian gradually opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was James' worried face.
"Uhh..." Lilian uttered a faint voice that was almost soundless.
Everyone's attention was immediately attracted toward the source of the voice, spotting that Lilian had finally awakened.
Relief washed over their faces as they approached Lilian. James hurriedly asked, "Are you alright?"
His voice was filled with worry. Even though he usually engaged in conflict with Lilian, he still cared about her. After all, Lilian was also his friend, not only a friend but a close friend that James knew after Marcus.
Lilian seemed not to hear James' concern. The moment she noticed that she was currently in James' hold,
she immediately pushed James away and shouted, "What are you doing? You pervert!"
James furrowed his eyebrows as confusion flashed across his face. "Pervert? Tsk, I am just helping you and you repay me with this word?"
"Who asked you to help me?" Lilian was boiling with rage.
"If it weren't me, you might not awaken this fast."
Since these two were not on good terms from the start, and with Lilian always hating James, seeing someone you hate holding you while you were fainting was bound to cause a misunderstanding.
Seeing that the misunderstanding was about to grow bigger, Lumain stepped out and tried to calm Lilian down. "Hey, can you please calm down? James didn't do anything to you. He was just helping you out."
"Help me?"
Without waiting for James to explain, Lumain immediately recounted all the events when Lilian performed Rune magic, after which she fainted and was helped by James.
Even though Lilian knew the entire event, she didn't apologize to James either.
James was very furious at Lilian's actions, but he didn't say anything.
But deep in his mind was filled with resentment.
Tsk, I won't give a hint anymore. Just you wait.
With that thought, James chuckled. "Well, given your current state, even if I want to argue with you, I would only waste my time."
After saying all of this, James turned around and strode toward the nearest forest.
His destination was unknown. Lilian was speechless. After all, she knew very well that this was indeed her fault, but to keep her image, she had to do this.
"You bunch of novel lovers," she muttered under her breath.
With a turn, she darted her gaze toward the hollow-shaped earth that was currently filled with water.
This water was created through her Rune magic, and as for the origin of this water, it was unknown whether it was real water or just a projection, since this was Lilian's first time. As a result, Lilian was also lost in thought about this water.
Rapidly, Lumain asked, "Is this water safe?"
"Perhaps..." Lilian replied with uncertainty.
"Well, probably we can try." With that said, Lumain bent her back and gestured her hand toward the water to drink it.
Without any hesitation, combined with her thirst, in a flash she had already gulped the water.
Everyone watched her entire action with anticipation. It was as though this was their hope of survival.
A few breaths passed rapidly. As Lumain noticed that there were no changes in her body, she nodded her head toward Lilian.
Relief and happiness immediately spread across Lilian's face as she said, "Indeed, I have never tried this Rune magic even once. This can be considered my first time using a Rune."
"I never thought I would have such a good result." With that said, she also drank the water.
It was unbelievable for someone who had just used Rune magic for the first time and achieved such a result. This made them see Lilian in a new height that they couldn't even reach.
After seeing that the water was completely safe, everyone quickly followed Lumain's actions and drank the water with satisfaction.
Lilian looked left and right, trying to find James, but all she saw was just a flat platform surrounded by the creepy forest.
"Where did that coward go?" Not bothered to check for James, Lilian immediately turned to the situation and commanded everyone to go nearby in order to find materials that might be useful to build a tent.
James hadn't gone too far yet, as he ventured into the nearby forest to find materials. It was unknown what he was searching for.
.....
Marcus and Pin strode around the forest for a long while but hadn't encountered anything worthwhile.
Marcus felt shivers running down his spine the entire time. After searching for a while, a faint sound entered their range of hearing.
Pin came to an abrupt halt. Noticing Pin's strange action, Marcus couldn't help but exclaim, "What's happening?"
Marcus darted his eyes around in fear as he quickly ran toward Pin's side.
Pin gave Marcus a signal to be quiet.
Noticing this, Marcus covered his mouth and stood still beside Pin.
What's happening? Did this guy see something that I can't see?
As silence fell, the entire place became completely quiet. No sound could be heard.
Gradually, a faint sound of flowing water entered Marcus' and Pin's ears.
"The sound of something flowing." Unknowingly, the same thought popped up in their minds at the same time. "Water!"
They quickly looked at each other with hopeful gazes as Marcus said excitedly, "We finally found the water source."
Marcus' face was filled with happiness, as though they had finally found a way to survive.
"Judging from the sound of the water, it should be near, but we can't go now. We should be cautious," Pin said.
Marcus was dumbfounded by Pin's words as he tried to comprehend. "You mean we should be careful and go back to inform the others about this?"
Pin glanced at Marcus and said, "Not bad. You're not like the rumors said."
Of course, with Marcus always reading novels that contained high-level grammar, he likely knew a lot about words.
With that, Pin pondered for a moment before speaking. "In my opinion, we should go back to the planning location and wait for Ryan. Since he is the leader, we should seek his opinion first."
Pin's suggestion was indeed understandable. Since he wasn't a leader, he couldn't blindly make decisions himself. Moreover, in this unknown forest, he couldn't act without thinking.
Marcus didn't have any ideas either, since he felt that Pin's suggestion to go back was indeed the absolute best choices.
If this guy becomes a team leader, it would be great. At least it is better than that Ryan. That guy acts like a protagonist.
Marcus nodded his head, silently following Pin's suggestion and headed back the way they came. Along the way, they always dropped stones to mark the path.
As they followed the stones they had dropped, soon enough they finally reached their agreed gathering point.
...
Ryan was currently striding around the forest, and gradually they found something unbelievable.
In front of them stood a tree that was slightly big and filled with life. Lush green leaves, lifelike vines hanging down from the branches, and not only that, there were delicate fresh apples on it.
It was completely opposite to the trees they had met along the way.
This tree even bore fruit, which was very strange. But to Ryan's team, they didn't think so. Overwhelmed with excitement, Ryan immediately approached the tree to inspect what kind of fruit it was.
The moment he came near the tree, the vine immediately came to life!
It moved at a fast speed, and in the blink of an eye, it dragged Ryan away. Shocked by the sudden event, Ryan was terrified by what was happening as he shouted for help.
But it was no use. Due to his strength and body as a kid, he couldn't break free from the vine.
"Help me!" His voice was very loud, almost to the point of being distorted.
Seeing his cry for help, the others who came with him were filled with terror. Instinct took over, and they quickly turned and bolted away, leaving Ryan behind.
Ryan tried to shout for help. His voice turned weaker, but those two didn't even turn back.
"No!!!" His voice echoed throughout the entire forest.
Marcus and Pin suddenly caught a faint sound from nowhere as they stopped their chatting, trying to listen carefully.
"Did you hear a sound?" Pin asked.
"Yes, I did, but the sound seemed to come from far away." Marcus tilted his head as he tried to hear where the sound came from.
As he tried to identify the origin of the sound, heavy footsteps gradually echoed. The two of them quickly looked toward the source of the sound.
Two people immediately entered their vision. They rushed in hurriedly, as though they had encountered something terrifying.
The moment these two people entered their vision, Marcus couldn't help but mutter, "One... Two... Why only two? Aren't there three people?"
Puzzlement filled their expressions as the two gradually reached Marcus and Pin.
Their breathing was very rough. Terror filled their faces, and sweat soaked their backs. Not only that, even their pants were wet due to unknown reasons.
"What's happening?" Pin asked worriedly.
"Where's Ryan?" Marcus added.
"He..." one of the guys said in a trembling tone.
"He was dragged by a vine!"
Terror filled Marcus' face. Without any thought, he immediately said, "We need to run from this forest!"
Just like that, the two other guys, Marcus, and Pin immediately bolted. Their speed was very fast.
It was hard to say. They were just children after all. Even if they wanted to help Ryan, it would be like giving up their lives and being dragged by the vine as well.
After an unknown period of time, they finally saw the flat platform. In a flash, they reached it.
A faint relief washed over their faces, but it couldn't hide the terror as they quickly ran toward Lilian's team.
Seeing this, Lilian couldn't help but feel an uneasy feeling growing in her heart.
"What's happening?" Lilian asked worriedly.
Their breathing was very rough. Pin barely opened his mouth as he said, "Ryan... Ryan was dragged by a strange vine."