Extra's Fate Chapter 6: The Whispering Woods

Items.

There are a variety of items spread across the vast ga world of The Shattered Realms.

So are weapons, such as swords, axes, spears, others are armor, tools or even various magical trinkets like amulets, rings.

All of them are divided into different tiers based on their rarity and power:

Common → Rare → Epic → Legendary → Artifact

A lot of players would obviously aim for the Artifacts, however, they were extrely hard to obtain. There was no way to easily acquire them as they were the rarest and most powerful items in the ga.

There was also a limited amount of Artifacts spread across the world, making them even more coveted.

One of such items just happened to be located in a treacherous area not so far away from Oakridge, called the 'Whispering Woods'. It was a place where heavy fog obscured the vision and strange beings road the half-flooded swamp forest.

There, hidden in the ancient ruins of a long forgotten civilization lay a certain Artifact, a ring made completely out of wood.

The Ring of Blood...

The only item in the ga that can grant its wearer the ability to, upon killing an enemy, permanently absorb a small portion of their attributes.

However, it was cursed.

In return for the power it provided, the ring would prevent the wearer from leveling up. It was also impossible to remove the ring once it was worn.

The playerbase described it as a 'double-edged sword', both a powerful and constraining item at the sa ti.

While playing the ga, I was, unfortunately, unable to claim the Artifact for myself as it was already taken by other players.

However, now...

Not a single soul in this world was aware of its existence. It was basically mine to take.

Thud...

Suddenly, the carriage I was riding in ca to an abrupt stop.

Confused, I glanced outside the window at a lush forest surrounding the narrow dirt road.

By now, a little more than a week has already passed since I set out from Oakridge. I had traveled quite a far distance and exhausted most of the money I had obtained from the tutorial.

Tap... Tap...

The coachman I had hired for a pretty buck knocked on the carriage door.

"We've arrived, sir."

Standing up, I straightened my clothes and hid the sword I possessed under my garnts.

Stepping outside, I gazed upon the towering canopy of trees, their thick vines and branches obscuring the sunlight. Strange mist was perating the area, clinging to every surface.

"The Whispering Woods..."

A string of words escaped my lips.

I took a mont to look around the area, before hearing a subtle cough behind .

It was the coachman who tipped his hat and gave a polite nod.

"I'll be off then, sir. Take care."

He said, before climbing back onto his seat and snapping the reins. The horses whinnied softly, their hooves thudding against the ground as they started to move.

I watched the carriage roll away, the sound of wheels fading into the distance until it was swallowed by the thick mist. Alone now, I took a deep breath, inhaling the damp, earthy scent of the Whispering Woods.

The man looked scared and for a reason, this was an area most people would avoid at all costs.

I barely managed to convince him to take this far, but I still had more than a few miles to go by foot to reach the ruins.

'I can't bla him though...'

Pulling out my sword, I sighed.

Behind the fog that encompassed everything in view, there lurked the creatures that are as fearso as nightmares themselves.

Each step I took seed to echo in the silence, the dense fog swallowing any sound almost imdiately. The air was thick, every breath heavy with moisture and the faint scent of decay.

I moved cautiously, my eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of movent.

The creatures that inhabited these woods were cunning and dangerous. The stories told by other players flashed through my mind - tales of ambushes, monstrous beings with glowing eyes, and unseen threats lurking just beyond the periphery of vision.

Although I had played this ga for more than ten years, I had never actually ventured into this part of the world. There was simply nothing for to do here, everything was already discovered and looted.

The path ahead was barely visible, the ground uneven and treacherous. Roots jutted out like gnarled fingers, ready to trip the unwary.

I navigated carefully, the sword in my hand providing a small asure of comfort. Every now and then, a distant, eerie sound would pierce the silence - a growl, a rustle of leaves, or the splash of water.

As I ventured deeper, the fog seed to thicken, the trees closing in around . The once wide path had narrowed, forcing to squeeze between twisted trunks and hanging vines.

After what felt like hours, I ca across a shallow stream.

The water was dark and still, reflecting the twisted branches overhead like a mirror. I knew from the forums that crossing this stream marked the halfway point to the ruins.

I stepped carefully into the water, the cold seeping through my boots. Each step was slow, deliberate, the sound of my movents masked by the gentle trickle of the stream.

I could simply use 'Shadow Step' to reappear on the other side of the stream, but decided against it. The cooldown of the ability was short, however, if I was attacked right as I reappeared, I would be vulnerable.

As I reached the other side, I paused to catch my breath, scanning the surroundings for any sign of danger.

Things were going well so far.

Too well, in fact...

If I rember correctly, these areas should be swarming with monsters and yet I hadn't encountered a single one.

'Sothing is wrong...'