Chapter 54

"Over there, my lord."

Tina, who was leading the way, drew her sword and pointed to one side.

She was now riding on the back of a small-sized Mokhyang, displaying a valiant posture, much like a general leading the vanguard.

"Escorting my lord is a knight's duty. I will safely escort you in the name of the Radiance."

"Kyo!"

"He says he will also take responsibility."

"Alright, I'll leave it to both of you."

In fact, due to its size, it felt much cuter than valiant... but who cares? As long as it's enjoyable to look at.

Karpé had successfully crafted the Spell Breaker at the workshop (after one failure) and was now heading towards the Forgotten Forest.

Their current location was deep within the forest, far to the east of the entrance to the Sea Forest.

Although it was rare, occasionally seeing users made one wonder, 'Could elves really be hiding in such a place?' But Tina, the vanguard, fearlessly advanced through the forest.

How long had they advanced?

From a certain point, monsters no longer appeared. Without monsters, it was also impossible to see any users.

"Here it is."

"Huh? Here?"

Upon hearing Tina's words, he looked around, but apart from an old, large tree, the scenery was the same as before.

Indeed, it seemed some kind of concealment barrier was in place...

"My lord, it's below."

Tina pointed to the roots of the large tree right in front of them.

One of the roots protruded from the ground, creating a small space underneath.

"We have to go through here."

"...You mean we have to crawl through that narrow space?"

"Hmm. The previous Archmage used a miniaturization spell to easily enter, but you haven't learned it. My oversight."

"No, it's not that bad..."

Still, it wasn't a hole so narrow that he couldn't enter at all.

If he crawled in a prone position, it might just be possible...

"Please bear with the inconvenience for a moment. I will scout ahead with Hwang to check for any dangers."

Tina said this and then ran into the hole under the roots with Mokhyang.

...Being small seemed to have its advantages.

"Phew. Can't be helped."

Karpé quickly resigned himself, took a prone position, and inserted his head into the hole.

"Ugh, it's narrow. Cough."

The smell of earth made him cough reflexively.

"Even if they aim for realism, do they really need to implement such details?"

-Many people like such fine details. Anyway, let's go in.

"Come to think of it, you can just slip through as a ghost. Damn, I'm rolling in the dirt."

-If you're envious, why don't you die in the game and become a ghost too?

"...I'll just endure it."

Somehow, he managed to push his shoulders through, and the rest was easier.

Surprisingly, the inside of the tree was a long tunnel. Given the actual size of the tree, this was an impossible phenomenon. It seemed some kind of magical element was involved.

"Phew. It feels like a real adventure, doesn't it?"

-There's a hidden place like this in the Sea Forest. It's no wonder other users can't find it.

Karpé got up halfway and brushed off the dirt.

Compared to the entrance, the space was much wider, but it was still narrow, so he had to walk with a slightly bent back.

"My lord! This way."

Hearing Tina's voice from the front of the tunnel, he headed in that direction. Karpé slowly moved forward.

"I thought it would be completely dark, but I can still see."

Small fireflies flying inside the tree tunnel faintly illuminated the way, allowing him to move forward.

After about 3 minutes,

A light indicating the end of the tunnel began to appear in the distance.

The moment he completely passed through the short yet long tunnel,

"Wow!"

A new world unfolded before his eyes.

A forest bathed in warm sunlight, much like a room.

The trees were clearly of a different species from those in the Sea Forest, densely packed to form the forest.

"Is this the Forgotten Forest?"

Glancing at the mini-map, there were no signs at all. It was as if they had left the game area.

"My lord, this is it."

Tina and Mokhyang were not far from the tunnel exit.

"There's a barrier right next to me."

"Really? I can't see it with the naked eye."

Karpé moved next to Tina and extended his hand into the air.

Thud.

His hand was blocked by something, and a ripple spread through the seemingly empty air.

"Indeed, this is where entry is prohibited."

From the hard-to-find entrance to the barrier enveloping the entire forest, it was clear how much they disliked visitors.

"But we have our reasons too."

Karpé placed his hand on the barrier.

He started to say "Unlock..." but then had a thought.

"No, wait a moment."

From his experience, this Unlock spell was unpredictable.

Not only did it activate at random times, but it was also impossible to gauge its range.

If he used Unlock on the barrier and it destroyed the massive barrier covering the entire forest?

...The friendship with the elves would surely be ruined. It would be fortunate if they didn't become mortal enemies.

-Yeah, I think it might cause an accident. Let's just go the straightforward way here.

"That's what we should do."

Karpé decided not to use Unlock and took out the 'Spell Breaker' from his inventory.

[Spell Breaker (Spell Breaker)]

[Grade: Unique]

[Equip Requirement: Possess the skill 'Mado Engineering']

[Physical Attack Power: 1]

[A dagger that dispels all magical effects on the target it hits. Cannot dispel 9-star skills. Destroys after 3 uses.]

Swish.

The blade of the Spell Breaker smoothly pierced the barrier.

Karpé cut through just enough of the barrier to pass through.

"Done!"

Finally, he could enter the barrier. The air inside the barrier felt fresher, or maybe it was just his imagination.

"Now we need to find the elven village. Tina, do you know where it is?"

"I'm sorry, my lord. It's difficult to determine direction within the Forgotten Forest..."

According to Tina, the interior of the Forgotten Forest had an effect that disrupted mana, significantly reducing the perception of homunculi, who were mana-based life forms.

"Hmm. Loss of direction. It would make battles difficult too?"

"Not to that extent. While movements might be slightly unnatural, fighting an enemy in front of you is still possible."

However, it would be much harder to react to attacks from behind or to act as a guide, as in this situation.

"I'm sorry I can't be of more help, my lord."

"No, you've been very helpful. Thank you."

"You are too kind, my lord."

For that reason, they were now in a situation like finding an oasis in a desert, but Karpé wasn't worried at all.

"There's no need for us to actively search for it."

-What do you mean? Suddenly?

"You'll see. Let's go this way, shall we?"

Karpé moved towards a densely wooded area.

"Cliché. Cliché."

The elves' settlement, completely isolated from human society.

It was obvious how they would react when they detected a human wandering in their territory, given their extreme caution towards humans.

After advancing into the forest for about 5 minutes,

The reaction came immediately.

Thud!

Three arrows were embedded in front of Karpé's feet as he led the way.

It was exactly the situation Karpé had hoped for.

[That's far enough, human. I don't know how you passed the barrier, but if you approach any further, the next arrow will aim for your head. Turn around and leave.]

A voice that seemed to resonate in his head spread.

At the same time, Karpé was impressed.

"That's it. This is the essence of the elves. Wow."

[What are you talking about? If you're trying to waste time with nonsense, I won't forgive you.]

"Ah, my apologies. However, I have no intention of being hostile to the elves."

[Your intentions are irrelevant. Leave. That is the only way to avoid hostility with us.]

"Hmm..."

As expected, they were stubborn, even though he had anticipated it.

'But I can't turn back just because they tell me to.'

-Yeah. If that were the case, you wouldn't have come in the first place.

'I need to persuade them more...'

While Karpé was pondering how to win the elves' favor, Tina returned to her original form and stepped forward.

"It's been a long time, Croze."

[...What?!]

The shocked voice of the elf echoed through the forest.

Moments later, three elves leaped down from nearby trees.

Two female elves and one male elf.

As elves, who often represent beauty in most fantasies, they were all stunningly beautiful.

The female elf who seemed to be the leader stepped forward.

"Could it be... Tistania?"

"That's right. It's been 800 years since we last met. You've grown a lot."

"Even elves age after 800 years. But more importantly, what is this...?"

The elf called 'Croze' looked at Tina in disbelief before turning her gaze to Karpé.

"Then, could it be that this human is...?"

"That's right. He is my lord, the one who carries on the will of the previous Archmage."

"I apologize