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Chapter 23: Enemies Everywhere

After another day of travel, in the afternoon of the following day, our group of six arrived at the edge of the forest known as the Wasteland Forest.

I must say, the Wasteland truly lives up to its name; even with Epunya, that imposing earth dragon, along for the ride, Vilyric and the others still encountered several attacks along the way.

Among these were some mountain bandits looking for trouble and some strange, ferocious magical beasts that seemed to spring from nowhere, employing all sorts of tactics from digging traps to poisoning our supplies.

However, while they appeared intimidating, they were mostly just minor nuisances. Not a single opponent above the earth tier had shown up, so the girls didn’t even need to lift a finger; Mr. President and his mounted companion dealt with everything effortlessly.

The only notably strange incident occurred during a tea break at an inn on the main road yesterday when a few richly dressed fools set their sights on the girls’ beauty, intentionally coming over to cause a ruckus and make inappropriate advances.

Four of them, who appeared to be bodyguards, surprisingly had decent strength—each was at the earth tier, and one had even reached the sky tier. With such a lineup, they could practically swagger around the entire Bolt Kingdom without a care.

No wonder they were so brazen.

Then… those dandy boys were collectively hurled out of a window by Epunya, one in each hand, while the four earth- and sky-tier bodyguards met the same fate, all taken down by Leila with a spear, following in their masters’ footsteps.

In the end, those guys had to pay the innkeeper for the damages before Epunya let them go.

Vilyric didn’t seem too bothered; after all, she hadn’t been touched. Besides, since being transported to this other world as a woman, it was the first time she had encountered such a classic scenario, and found it rather refreshing.

In a sense, it was also a testament to her own charm, right?

She even stopped one dragon girl from turning those fools into dust on a whim.

However, after running a certain distance, the priestess seemed to hear those guys muttering something vague like “Wait, Empire,” but she had no clue what that meant.

Anyway, now that they had reached the Wasteland Forest, the operation to hunt the Southern Disaster officially began.

Honestly, Vilyric didn’t have any long-term plans—her only thought was to find the enemy, give them a good beating, and then see if they felt like killing the thing depending on the circumstances.

But a lion doesn’t play with a rabbit without full strength; not knowing the true power of the Phantom Cloud, the priestess also made ample preparations, ready for a big fight at any moment.

When it came to world-class disasters, one never knows what kind of trump cards might still be hidden.

The trees in the forest looked a bit strange; while they resembled the common varieties found in the Bolt Kingdom, Vilyric sensed a faint, unsettling discord from them.

“Everyone be careful; the Wasteland Forest is fraught with danger. From now on, we could be attacked at any moment, so we must stay alert.”

Our seasoned President reminded the group, stepping forward to take the lead.

Epunya wielded a plain-looking large blade. While it appeared ordinary, it was reportedly a purple magical weapon that had accompanied him for decades—once, the Martial Madman had wielded it to roam the Wasteland, rarely encountering foes.

Seeing him so cautious, fellow legendary figures, Leila and Renée, didn’t dare let their guards down either. They readied their weapons, positioning Vilyric, the most important one as the priestess, in the center for protection.

The three knew all too well that she was significantly stronger than them. Though this arrangement might not have practical significance, doing something versus doing nothing represented two entirely different attitudes.

Thus, the group slowly advanced deeper into the forest.

The lush foliage cast a slightly dim atmosphere; for some reason, despite being an undeveloped, primitive forest, there were no signs or sounds of insects or wild animals. The air was thick with an eerie silence.

“Wait.”

Only a few minutes into their trek, the half-beastman at the front suddenly stopped and raised his hand to indicate to his teammates.

Vilyric noticed something too, casting her gaze toward a nearby large tree that didn’t seem much different from the others.

It stood about ten meters high, around the girth that three people could embrace, a common tree type in the south. In the Kingdom’s technical terms, it should be called a Silver Fir, known for its solid wood, rot-resistance, and faint fragrance—usual material for building houses.

“What’s wrong, Mr. Epunya?”

The Holy Knight approached cautiously, standing beside the half-beastman and inspecting the surroundings with her cross-shaped shield, seemingly seeking the target of his alertness.

Epunya didn’t say a word; he just tightened his grip on the hilt of his blade and stepped forward.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!

Dozens of vine-like tendrils, as thick as adult arms, suddenly erupted from the ground, racing toward him like arrows!

Yet the man was prepared; his blade carved through the air with a fierce force, instantly shredding every single gray vine. Meanwhile, Leila quickly pinpointed the source of the attack, her spear blasting forward without hesitation!

“There! Renée!”

“Got it! Starlight Dash!”

Brilliant streams of light surged from the staff held by the white-haired girl, colliding with the target—the seemingly harmless tree that Vilyric had noticed earlier.

The previous assault had originated from it, which had also constructed layers of barriers with countless vines in an attempt to block Leila’s counterattack.

But the blazing meteor struck the vine wall, and although the flames from the sky magic couldn’t ignite the weird material, the meteor itself shattered a considerable number of vines, creating a large hole in the defensive barrier.

Leila’s spear perfectly pierced through the gap, tearing apart the strange tree and emerging from the other side.

The sisters’ synergy remained as strong as ever.

“Eeeeek!!!!”

Despite being a tree, this bizarre thing let out a shrill, eerie wail that bore a striking resemblance to the high-pitched screams of those strange parasitic creatures from Yanilo City.

Countless gray mists spewed from its penetrated body, clawing toward Vilyric and the others. But having witnessed a similar scene before, Edwina was already one step ahead, raising a wall of Holy Light.

While her strength and the purity of her light were far inferior to Vilyric’s, she was still much stronger than an ordinary temple believer—adequate to deal with something that only ambushed and had truly mediocre power.

A large amount of gray mist was purified by the pure Holy Light, and the strange tree that Leila and Renée had dispatched with ease quickly wilted. After the mist left its body, it turned to crumbling wood scraps within mere seconds, scattering across the ground.

“Ugh… what the heck was that? Can the Disaster even infect plants?”

Edwina, through her armor, patted her impressively ample chest in slight horror. To be honest, if Epunya hadn’t sensed the anomaly beforehand, she might not have realized that tree was an enemy at all.

If she had been alone, there’s no telling what might’ve happened—if not for a direct fatal encounter, she would’ve certainly suffered greatly from a sudden attack.

Epunya waved his large blade, his expression calm; obviously, he wasn’t new to such scenes.

“It’s been thirty years, and nothing has changed at all. Everyone, please remember that anything here, aside from ourselves, could be an enemy. Never let your guard down.”

“The Wasteland is called a Disaster precisely because of its terrifying ability to corrode; anything with life, regardless of form or size, can be parasitized. Beasts and humans are but the most basic representations.”

 

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