Chapter 64

◈ Chapter 64: The Shadow's Pursuit (2)

Before I knew it, the sun had completely set, and night had fallen.

I headed towards the depths of the forest, where no students' gazes or footsteps reached.

The situation was that the Black Dawn members who had stolen the omnipotent stone had hidden themselves deep within this forest.

Murmurs.

I could see Seorin's guards patrolling near the entrance of the forest, but they were not entering, only guarding the outside.

I easily broke through the weakest point among the guards.

They did not even realize my existence, shrouded in shadows.

'Indeed, it's because this is Seorin that there are so many dense forests within the grounds.'

There are three major forests within the Seorin grounds.

First, the 'Forest of Secrets,' where no living creature resides.

Second, the 'Silent Forest,' where all sorts of eerie events and bizarre spiritual phenomena occur.

Third, the 'Dream Forest,' which harbors immense life force and where all kinds of spirits and supernatural phenomena arise.

These forests are designated as no-entry zones, with danger levels fluctuating between 2 and 3.

It's astonishing that such places exist within the academy grounds, but it's even more surprising that they are left untouched.

'I shouldn't compare the safety awareness of people in this world to that of 21st-century Earth, but I still can't understand it.'

I thought I had adapted quite well to living here, but occasionally, the sense of disconnection from my past life is inevitable.

In any case, there are three areas within Seorin that are designated as dangerous zones, simply because they are 'forests.'

Among them, the place where the guys who stole the omnipotent stone fled is the 'Silent Forest.'

'A forest designated as a dangerous entity, filled with powerful malevolent spirits and strong mental influences.'

I heard that this land was used as a common cemetery before Seorin was founded.

The accumulation of corpses and death over a long period in the cemetery, combined with the magical resonance after Seorin's establishment, led to the emergence of supernatural phenomena.

Thus, the twisted forest was formed.

If you enter it by mistake, you might be lured by the spirits and become lost, or be possessed by the malevolent spirits and forcibly 'transformed.'

If someone with weak magical power or mental strength enters, they are bound to suffer.

That's why the forest is called 'Silent.'

Because those who enter disappear without a sound or trace.

'It's quite impressive that they maintain such a forest.'

Though I say this, Seorin has actually taken action against the Silent Forest several times.

There were even past chancellors who argued that the forest should be cut down due to its dangers.

However, the Silent Forest remains for one reason.

All attempts have failed.

'They say that if you cut down the trees, they grow back the next day.'

Some of those who tried to cut down the trees went mad or became mentally impaired.

Even powerful mages suffered from severe mental fatigue and nightmares.

When they tried to burn it, the forest, as if it had a will of its own, did not catch fire.

Many chancellors had to give up on removing the Silent Forest.

In the end, the only option left was to issue a no-entry order for the forest.

'At least the Silent Forest has a clear boundary, like a line drawn. As long as you don't cross that line, you won't be affected.'

It's fine to keep watching the Silent Forest from beyond the boundary.

As long as you don't enter, you're safe.

The problem is that these guys have entered the Silent Forest this time.

'Even if the rumors about the forest are exaggerated, it definitely has its own dangers. Are they confident, or did they have no choice but to flee here?'

I sighed and stopped in my tracks.

I had been in the Silent Forest for quite some time.

The sounds of unknown insects or beasts, or even the sound of someone sobbing.

[Die. Die. Die.]

[Sniff. I hate you. I despise you.]

[Save me. Someone, get me out of here.]

These sounds kept echoing in my head, but I didn't pay much attention. I've experienced worse things on a regular basis.

At this point, it should be fine to dispel the magic.

I immediately canceled the "Aether Nocturnus" and swallowed a mana pill.

'Are they around here?'

Glimmering spirits flew through the air, circling around me.

However, they couldn't approach me or harm me directly.

Instead, they seemed to confirm my presence and fled, screaming strangely.

I ignored the spirits and continued searching for the traces of the secret society members who had fled.

'I found it.'

Footprints in the damp soil.

There were about five of them.

'They have fewer members than expected. I heard there were at least ten.'

The rest either split up while fleeing or were caught by the trackers.

In other words, these five who successfully escaped are the most capable ones.

I followed the footprints and kept moving.

The forest was dark, with no light penetrating, and even the night fog made it hard to sense direction.

But it didn't matter to me.

I followed the traces on the ground with steady steps, heading deeper into the forest.

'The people waiting outside. They'll probably just stand guard at the forest entrance for now, but if they gather enough numbers, they'll enter immediately.'

So I need to finish this before they do.

Not as teacher Rudger Chellis, but as the First Order of the Black Dawn, [John Doe].

Rustle.

I stopped walking when I heard a sound through the mist.

I naturally suppressed my presence.

This sound is not from spirits or malevolent spirits.

It's the sound of conversation.

Following the traces, I finally reached my destination.

* * *

"Phew. Lord Demires. What should we do now?"

"There are trackers outside the forest."

"That's right. Moreover, just being in this forest continuously drains our mental strength. We can't hold on much longer like this."

"Shut up and wait!"

Demires, who had been tightly lipped at the Third Orders' words, suddenly shouted.

"I have a plan! So just follow me and stop making unnecessary noise!"

"..."

The Third Orders fell silent at Demires' almost threatening words.

However, their anxiety couldn't be resolved by just a few words.

One of his comrades who entered this place couldn't withstand the magic of the Silent Forest and went mad.

They had no choice but to leave him in the middle of the forest, and they didn't even want to imagine what had happened to him.

'Damn it. If the trackers come in, we're all dead, right?'

The Third Orders all thought the same thing.

They had blindly followed Demires, a Second Order, believing his words.

They should have sensed that things were going wrong from the start.

Demires acted without informing the First Orders.

He said he would take full responsibility, but it was a reckless promise.

'There are only two First Orders in Seorin right now.'

'Even if he's a Second Order, can he clean this up?'

'I can't even see a way out for myself.'

Everyone clenched their jaws and rolled their eyes.

In fact, Demires was just as anxious. He had acted recklessly, but he hadn't really thought about the aftermath.

'Damn it! It's supposed to be the omnipotent stone! But it's useless!'

Demires looked at the fist-sized stone in his right hand.

He had acted confidently because of the omnipotent stone.

The stone, wrapped in cloth, emitted a mysterious power just by holding it.

But that was all.

The omnipotent stone emitted a powerful force, but it didn't grant wishes or anything like that.

'I trusted the power of this stone to act!'

Demires felt like he was at the edge of a cliff.

His original plan was to wish on the stone, gain immense power, and rise to a higher position.

That's why he kept it a secret from the First Orders.

'Damn it. How am I supposed to use this?'

The power emanating from the stone was real.

But this power was separate from the mana he could handle, like oil and water.

So, Demires couldn't figure out how to use it.

No matter how desperately he wished, there was no response.

Touching the stone or channeling mana had no effect.

At this point, it was just a beautiful and powerful mana stone, nothing more, nothing less.

Rustle.

Suddenly, the sound of someone stepping on grass.

The Black Dawn members, startled, tensed up and stared at the source of the sound.

"Who's there!"

As Demires stepped forward and shouted, a man in black attire emerged from the darkness.

An enemy.

Everyone thought so and aimed their wands and weapons.

"Are these all of you?"

The sharp voice, filled with irritation, made the Black Dawn members involuntarily shudder.

It was a reflex.

They were puzzled by their reaction but realized who the man was.

"Amazing that you managed to escape this far without being caught. So, you're still a member of the Dawn, I see."

"Y-You are...!"

Demires, whose eyes had adjusted to the darkness, recognized the man's face and stiffened.

"First Order, John Doe!"

"Ah! It's really him."

The other members, recognizing Rudger, turned pale and knelt before him.

Demires also bit his lip and bowed his head.

Rudger nodded in satisfaction at their quick reaction.

Demires slowly raised his head and managed to speak.

"J-John Doe, what are you doing here...?"

"Second Order Demires."