Chapter 314: Seventy-Seventh Floor, Euros’s Flower Forest (2)

[Survive. Time remaining: 71 hours 58 minutes.]

True to its name, Euros’s Flower Forest was an otherworldly display.

Across a background of deep and pale greens, countless flowers bloomed together, each one glowing or twisting uniquely.

The drifting spores and pollen were no exception. The pollen floating in the air somehow resembled flowers, sporting a multitude of colors.

It was a breathtaking sight—discounting the toxins contained within.

The towering trees could not be overlooked either. Although smaller flowers dominated the landscape, the massive flower-trees were scattered sparsely among them.

Roughly a nine hundred and ninety-nine to one ratio, if I have to guess.

Yet the trees that did exist were colossal, each rivaling a skyscraper.

Such a scene would be impossible to find on Earth. The plants could simply grow this way, but I suspected that a god had influenced them.

My nose began to itch.

“

Achoo!

”

I wasn’t allergic to pollen, but in this thick, misty environment, sneezing was inevitable. In fact, I could feel my blood circulating faster as it instinctively worked to neutralize the toxins entering my system.

I scanned the area carefully. Though I had told Doppy we would move soon, I wasn’t about to rush blindly into the unknown.

First, I need to figure out in which direction the center of the forest is and what may be lurking nearby.

Focusing my mana into my eyes, I expanded my sensory field.

The dull world around me sharpened instantly. I could hear spores bursting open, leaves swaying in the breeze, and buds slowly blooming into full flowers.

Still, the result was far from perfect.

The swirling spores and pollen blurred my vision and interfered with my senses, limiting their range.

Even so, I could extend my awareness to several hundred meters, but I didn’t detect any signs of humans or sentient beings.

Calling Doppy over, we began to slowly patrol the surrounding area.

The only movement nearby came from insects flitting through the flowers and small animals darting across the ground.

Of course, none of them were creatures I recognized. Their appearances were both fantastical and alien, honestly mysterious and a little grotesque.

It was strange, yet oddly fascinating, that life could thrive, even in a place like this.

No matter how much life adapts and evolves, surviving in a forest filled with poison is no easy feat.

Then again, flowers were living beings, too.

Maybe it isn’t so strange after all.

Shaking off my idle thoughts, I came to a stop.

Despite surveying a wide area, I found no distinctive structures or traces of intelligent life. None of the species that Ha Hee-Jeong had mentioned was nearby.

Looks like I have been summoned deep into the forest.

According to Ha Hee-Jeong, this world didn’t have any large kingdoms. Most societies existed as tribal groups. Among those tribes, some lived near the Flower Forest.

Despite its abundance of toxins, the forest thrived, filled with vitality and nature.

Where there is poison, there are also remedies.

Still, that wasn’t the only reason I was confident that I was deep within the forest.

Individuals from those tribes leave hidden markings to navigate the forest.

Even the tribes who lived nearby didn’t have a map of the entire forest. With pollen and spores obscuring sight, and everything looking pretty much the same, it was nearly impossible to orient oneself.

To compensate, the tribes usually left subtle markings that only they could recognize.

Ha Hee-Jeong had told me that if I followed those markings, I would eventually find a tribe.

Even after scouting nearby, I haven’t spotted any markings. They aren’t around here.

Though I considered it to be a short distance, I had combed through a half-kilometer radius, even examining the forest floor meticulously.

Finding nothing meant this place was truly deep within the forest.

The deeper one went, the thicker the poisonous pollen and spores became. Therefore, even the local tribes avoided venturing toward the center.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

That worked in my favor.

Since I am heading toward the center anyway, this is a blessing.

I wouldn’t even need to search for a guide—I had Ryun with me.

Ryun’s presence was the reason I hadn’t worried too much about this trial. With him, I could bypass many unnecessary risks.

I called out quietly, “Ryun.”

“Why... do you... call... me...”

“Can you hear the sounds of the forest?”

“The... sounds... of the... forest...?”

“You’re an ent. I thought maybe you could talk to the flowers or trees here.” I looked at him with hopeful eyes.

To be honest, I wasn’t certain. Although Ryun was an ent and had received goodwill from individuals who were more attuned to nature, this was an unfamiliar world.

The same rules may not apply.

I hadn’t asked him in the waiting room because revealing that Ha Hee-Jeong had regressed wasn’t an option. If Ryun said it wasn’t possible, I would simply have to search for a guide the old-fashioned way.

Slowly, Ryun opened his mouth. “I... cannot... directly... converse... with... the... flowers... or... trees... of... this... forest...”

“I see.”

I barely had time to feel disappointment before Ryun added, “But... because... the forest... is filled... with life... I... can sense... their emotions...”

“Really? What are they feeling?”

His comment piqued my curiosity. I had encountered divine beasts before, but sensing the feelings of plants was something entirely new.

It was something Ha Hee-Jeong had never mentioned.

“The... trees... are... at peace... but... the flowers... harbor... hostility... toward you...”

“What?”

Hostility from flowers?

The fact that plants could even harbor emotions was surprising enough, but to think they would bear hostility toward me?

“They hate me? Why?”

“I... do not... know... the exact... reason. But... they seem... to dislike... the human race...”

Judging from Ryun’s tone, it wasn’t just me. Their hostility likely extended to all humanoid races.

Is that why the forest is so saturated with toxins?

Thinking about it that way, this place began to make more sense.

Still, the question remained.

Why? Why do the flowers hate humans?

“Still... because... I am... with you... things... should be... a little better...”

“That’s a relief.”

“Try not... to step... on the flowers... if you can...”

“The ground’s covered in flowers, though.”

“Do your best...”

“Right. I’ll be careful.”

It was advice I couldn’t ignore.

Until now, I hadn’t put much thought into where I stepped, but from this moment onward, I would need to tread carefully.

The flowers wouldn’t suddenly attack me, but in a living forest, who could say what would happen?

Legends of sentient forests existed even on Earth, stories where the woods themselves trapped and swallowed the unwary.

Though Ha Hee-Jeong hadn’t mentioned anything like that, the flowers’ hostility was already new information.

Maybe that is why so many climbers vanished during Ha Hee-Jeong’s previous life.

She had warned against harming the flowers, such as burning them, cutting them down, or anything like that. Doing so would cause the surrounding flowers to unleash an overwhelming cloud of spores and pollen.

Adding in this new knowledge helped explain that phenomenon.

Still, I wasn’t particularly worried. Ryun had assured me that it would be fine as long as he stayed by my side.

Setting aside my lingering thoughts, I refocused on my original goal. “Ryun, can you tell where the center of the forest is?”

“The... center?”

“Yes. I have a feeling something important is waiting at the heart of this place.”

“The center. I... cannot... determine... the exact... direction... but... I can... sense... overwhelming... life force... from one side...”

An overwhelming life force. That has to be it.

In a forest filled with such colossal flowers, it wouldn’t be strange to find something akin to a World Tree—perhaps a “World Flower” in this case.

Hmm.

However, it felt different from what I had been told, as if something had been hidden within this trial.

The original seventy-seventh floor was supposed to revolve around conflicts between the tribes surrounding the Flower Forest. There was no mention of any issues between the flowers and humans.

There is definitely something going on.

I couldn’t help but think that the answer lay at the center of the forest.

The Flower Forest. Flowers harboring hostility toward humans.

Whether or not a god had created this world, there had to be a reason. Perhaps even the tribal conflicts were connected.

“Which direction?” I asked Ryun.

Whatever it was, I intended to find out. The scent of a hidden mission was unmistakable.

***

[Survive. Time remaining: 60 hours 32 minutes.]

Night had fallen across the field of flowers. Even with the dense canopy of leaves dimming the moonlight, the forest remained brilliantly illuminated thanks to the flowers, glowing like living lanterns.

In some areas, the light shimmered blue, while others glowed red, and still others shone gold. Under the night sky, the forest appeared even more vivid than it had during the day.

In contrast, the floating pollen and spores were now fainter. Flower activity slowed after nightfall.

Above the glowing flowers, nocturnal insects darted through the air.

Hmm.

To be honest, I wasn’t entirely comfortable.

The forest and the flowers were undeniably beautiful, but the insects were another matter. Even back on Earth, I hated bugs.

Still, I didn’t let it show.

Perhaps back then I would have, but ever since climbing the tower, many things had changed.

This is just one more thing I have gotten used to.

Mentally, I had grown tougher. It would be absurd to fear insects after how powerful I had become and how many people I had killed.

Besides, I had suspended my mana in the air around us, creating a field that prevented any bugs from getting close.

I glanced toward Doppy, who was sleeping nearby.

It has been about four hours now.

After a simple meal, I let him sleep. Traveling at night was easier here, and since I didn’t need sleep, I kept watch.

The decision to move at night was for Doppy’s sake. Even with a gas mask, he was uncomfortable. Pollen clung stubbornly to the mask’s eye covers, requiring frequent wiping, and during the heat of the day, breathing became difficult and drained stamina rapidly.

Doppy is struggling.

Meals had been another issue.

While I could eat without worrying about pollen or spores, Doppy wasn’t so fortunate. A hose connected to the mask allowed him to consume liquid meals, but it was hardly satisfying. He would definitely be hungry, but there wasn’t much I could do.

Once we returned to the waiting room, I would make sure to buy him a proper feast.

“Doppy.”

It was time to move.

The gas mask now bore a thick layer of settled pollen. I gently brushed it away from his eyes with my palm, then shook Doppy awake.

Almost immediately, Doppy opened his eyes.

“Let’s go.”

“Okay!”

We resumed our journey.

The sharp chirping of crickets echoed through the air.

Although the pollen and spores were thinner than during the day, the haze still clung to the surroundings. The closer we moved toward the center, the heavier it grew.

Wearing a gas mask isn’t a guarantee of safety at this point.

Although people in this world also had gas masks, albeit cruder ones, it wasn’t enough. The deeper one ventured into the forest, the denser the pollen and spores became, thick enough to eventually penetrate even the best defenses.

That was why no one had ever reached the center in Ha Hee-Jeong’s previous life.

Naturally, I had come prepared. I carried plenty of antidotes and other supplies, mainly for Doppy’s sake.

“Ryun, how much farther did you say?”

“Not... much... about... a day...”

“Good. That’s manageable.”

We had been incredibly lucky.

The forest was far vaster than I had anticipated. If I had been summoned closer to the outer edge, even running for three days straight wouldn’t have sufficed to reach the center.

Thankfully, nearly sixty hours still remained.

There was no need to rush. Traveling at night, when the pollen and spores were at their thinnest, was clearly the best choice.

Even accounting for rest, we will make it if we keep up this pace.

Roughly five hours later, a crimson glow began to appear at the edge of my vision. It was a dense cluster of red, luminous flowers.

The way the crimson light pushed back the darkness of the forest gave off a strangely eerie feeling. The flowers themselves looked bizarre. The entire area ahead was shrouded in that unsettling red hue.

This doesn’t look good.

Still, damaging the flowers wasn’t an option.

Perhaps I should ask Ryun for advice?

Just as that thought crossed my mind—

“Stop!”

The sharp voice cut through the night. It wasn’t the sound itself that startled me, but the sheer unexpectedness of it.

I hadn’t sensed anyone approaching.

The voice had come from above, and I instinctively looked up.

There, floating through the night sky, a boy and a girl were gliding toward me, each clinging to what looked like an enormous crimson dandelion seed.