Deep within the Hunting Grounds
"There's not a single monster on this road leading further in?"
Lina and the others followed behind Benkert.
Not a single monster appeared on this path, and up to this point, they were completely safe.
This was truly strange. After all, this was the hunting grounds—was it possible for anyone not to encounter monsters here?
The Prism's energy decreased at an increasingly rapid pace, so everyone replenished their values once more.
It seed Benkert used another thod to avoid the illusions and toxic gases of the Dream Mist Forest, but his explanations were incomprehensible to Mo Ying and the others.
Things and spells of another world were hard to understand.
The Prism's rapidly dropping energy indicated that they were indeed moving toward the depths.
Everyone looked tense, but Benkert seed quite relaxed, even occasionally chatting with them, though most of the ti, no one was in the mood to respond.
"My wife's and my holand knows only winter. It's always covered in heavy snow, with hardly any animals able to survive there, let alone plants or flowers—those simply don't exist at all. The extre cold could wipe out nearly all life."
"Our country is very small, and very weak. There are no ample resources, nothing precious—it's a poor and fragile nation, and she is its princess."
"Her dream was to see the scenery of spring, and mine was to take her out of that country, to show her fields of flowers, to show her lands no longer shrouded in frost, and a sky no longer covered by thick clouds."
"Why did you separate?"
Mo Ying asked.
"Our country was annexed by the world's strongest nation. We were just a little place with no resources—there was nothing to gain by taking us, yet for so reason, they still did."
"Our country had no ans to resist. All we could do was endure at every turn."
"My wife was taken as a hostage, sent to another country. Sothing seed to have happened on the way... She never arrived at that country, and her escorts all vanished."
"Then, this Dream Mist Forest was born."
"I can sense that she's here. I know coming in here is almost certain death, but I had to seek her out. We once made a vow together atop the highest iceberg—we would always be together."
From Benkert's story, it was clear that the Dream Mist Forest was indeed part of another world, and the people of that world knew how dangerous it was.
"His wife disappeared, and the Dream Mist Forest appeared afterward. Do you think these are connected?"
Mo Ying asked Anlus.
"... Mo Ying..."
Anlus didn't answer her, but Lina picked up the conversation.
"Here's a word of advice."
Lina raised a finger and carefully removed her translator, so Benkert couldn't understand her words.
"Don't be curious about anything that happens in the hunting grounds. You and he are people of different worlds. Whatever happened to his wife or how this Dream Mist Forest ca to be—none of that concerns you. You shouldn't seek out those answers, because they're aningless."
Lina said.
"She's right—the way ti flows in the hunting grounds is different from the real world. After we leave and enter the hunting grounds again, it might already be decades in the future or past. For your own good, it's best not to form too many ties to anyone here,"
Anlus explained.
"This ti, you've t Benkert. If you return to the hunting grounds and ti rewinds, you might run into him again, but he won't rember you—at that point, that version of him hasn't t you yet."
"The third ti you enter, you might find him ten years older, or see only his bones."
"The hunting grounds is rust stuck in ti—or rather, a slice of ti itself,"
Anlus said, looking at Benkert.
"We're at the depths now."
Benkert stopped.
They had entered a forest even more beautiful than before, where there were many ordinary butterflies and bees.
Here, the Prism's energy values stopped dropping.
Was this the Dream Mist Forest's sanctuary?
"I can feel it—she's right there!"
Benkert abruptly grew agitated, his tone and movents excited. He rushed forward.
"Be careful!"
Mo Ying suddenly warned.
The ground before Benkert suddenly collapsed, and, completely unguarded, benkert fell.
In the nick of ti, Mo Ying grabbed his hand.
It was at least a dozen ters down. If Mo Ying hadn't caught Benkert and he'd fallen freely with his ordinary human physique, he most likely would have died on impact.
Mo Ying's spontaneous kindness had just saved Benkert's life.
"Thank you...thank you, I almost..."
Benkert, saved and pulled up, looked as if he'd narrowly escaped death and thanked Mo Ying.
"You're welco. Your wife is just ahead, right? Go find her—you two... must have been apart for a long ti."
Even though Lina and Anlus had warned her, Mo Ying still showed Benkert kindness.
"I'm going..."
Benkert continued ahead.
"Let's follow him,"
Lina decided.
She felt that perhaps the strangeness of the Dream Mist Forest this ti might be related to Benkert's wife.
They followed behind Benkert once again. This ti, benkert wasn't in a hurry, and they gradually moved from higher to lower ground.
When they reached the lower ground, Lina noticed how extrely unusual the scenery was.
The ground was covered in flowers—there was nowhere to even set foot.
They could only step on these flowers to move forward, while countless pollen grains filled the air.
A flower spirit flew above them. Strangely, unlike those at the edge, she did not attack.
"Ah."
Benkert stopped.
"I've co for you... I've found you..."
Benkert removed his glasses, tears streaming down his face.
His wife was there before him.
"Is... that your wife?"
Mo Ying's voice trembled with fear.
"As expected,"
Anlus remained calm.
Standing in front of Benkert was a monster wearing a green crown.
The entire lower half of the monster's body was rooted in the earth, while the upper half was humanoid, though her skin was completely green, and flowers and grass blood endlessly around her.
This scene was identical to the anomaly that had happened in Anzelona.
Without doubt, she was the true culprit behind everything.
"Ben...kert..."
Miraculously, the monster recognized Benkert and even called his na.
"It's , it's —Chunxin."
It seed her na was Chunxin.
"..."
While the two talked, Lina had quietly drawn her blade, inching closer.
For the sake of Anzelona's people, she had to slay this monster.
"Co... to my... side..."
The monster beckoned Benkert.
"I am by your side. We once promised, atop the snowy peak, we would never part."
"... Never...part..."
The monster reached out for Benkert.
Benkert embraced her.
"!"
Lina suddenly charged, blade in hand.
As the monster and Benkert embraced, the monster suddenly looked toward Lina.
Countless flower spirits sward Lina, attacking.
"Shields up!"
The remaining three knights leapt into action.
"..."
Mo Ying stared at the embracing couple.
She saw sothing chilling.
Benkert's body was gradually rging into the monster's, as though he were sinking into water.
In less than a minute, the monster's upper body had completely absorbed Benkert, leaving only his glasses lying on the ground.
"Together, forever," the monster now spoke more fluently.
*Crunch, crunch.* Mo Ying heard an odd sound.
It was like bones crushed, like flesh being chewed.
Was she... eating her lover?
Mo Ying dared not imagine.
"Together forever!!" the monster let out a crazed grin, and in the next mont, the entire hunting grounds began to shake.
Not just the hunting grounds—Anzelona, and the whole western Yggdonia, all began to quake violently.
"At last!"
"I can be free from here!"
The monster laughed maniacally as the earth began to collapse, revealing roots of trees where her lower body had been buried.
In the blink of an eye, the monster was gone.
Everyone felt a strong sense of foreboding.
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