With that, the group spent the rest of the night idling around. It was very quiet and peaceful so the atmosphere was perfect to simply have a moment of self-refleciton. They could’ve logged out, but since it was also night outside, there wasn’t a huge difference.
In fact, they felt like this campfire was a far more pleasant place to spend time. It gave them a moment of needed peace before the true storm. Each one sat there, either talking to one another about random things, or simply resting.
Eventually, the night passed and the lightless world started receiving some sun rays. That was when the group finally started gathering their stuff and preparing to leave. In a matter of minutes, the camp was emptied and the flame was extinguished.
“Are the horses ready?” Isla asked as she looked around her. It was still not morning yet and the light penetrating through the trees was minimal so the vision wasn’t perfect yet.
“Yes, they’re ready.”
“Good. I believe everyone knows what we want to do. The memory gate is less than a day away from us. If we don’t waste time then we could definitely reach it before night.” She declared. “We must keep a steady pace. If you notice any hidden items, chests, or anything of that sort, we will stop to check it.”
They all nodded their heads in agreement. There weren’t many actual hidden items on their path so they were sure they wouldn’t miss any.
With that, the group got on their horses and immediately resumed their journey. Since the weather was nice and the air was cold and fresh, they were very motivated. Even the horses were more energetic as they ran faster than yesterday.
“Hey, Arthur, want some biscuits and cheese?” Herculia asked as he pulled out a block of cheese and a bag of biscuits.
“Where did you even get that?” Arthur asked.
“I bought it from the village before we left. They’re pretty good as a snack.” He said. “Here, try some.”
Then, he threw him some cheese and some biscuits. Surprisingly, the cheese looked like the cheese he was familiar with.
‘Considering how every animal looks in this game, I don’t want to even know what animal milk they made this cheese from.’ Arthur thought to himself as he inspected them. Then, he put some of the cheese on the biscuits and threw it in his mouth. Almost instantly, it hit him.
“Holy!!! This is good!”
“I know, right?! I didn’t think this cheese would actually be this good!”
Arthur quickly swallowed the first bite and took another one. He didn’t think it would be this flavorful. The saltiness of the biscuit and the taste of the cheese was simply impeccable.
“H-Hey, give me some too,” Emmy said when she noticed Arthur’s expression.
“Ok, ok, you don’t have to glare at me.” Herculia laughed as he gave her some too. After giving it a try, she had the same reaction.
“What is this even?” She asked as she looked at it.
“I don’t know. *Nom* *Nom* but this is really good. Good job, Herculia!” Arthur said as he continued shoving bites into his mouth like a glutton.
“Hahaha, the merchant told me that this cheese was made from the milk of a two-headed fanged worm.” Herculia laughed loudly.
Almost immediately, the two froze in their places. Arthur’s mouth stopped munching completely. Then, he slowly looked up.
“… F-From what?”
“As I said, the milk of a two-headed fanged worm. I don’t know what that is, but who cares hahaha, am I right?!”
“A worm?! You gave me cheese made out of a worm’s milk?!” Arthur almost instantly felt like throwing up. The delicious taste shifted and his taste buds started noticing different things. “How the hell does a worm even have milk?!”
“I’m going to kill you, muscle head!!” Emmy started spitting it out instantly as she glared daggers at her friend.
“Why?! You said you liked it! It’s delicious so who cares where it came from?” He retorted.
“At least tell me beforehand!” Arthur sighed. ‘Worm’s milk, huh? This game is full of surprises.’
He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at this realization. It was comically sad.
“Stop messing around and focus. We’re nearing the first potential chest.” Isla said as she looked at her map. “It’s right there.”
The group stopped their horses on the path and looked at the spot where the chest was supposedly hidden.
“I will go check it out,” Danny said as he jumped from his mount and walked into the forest. The others watched him silently.
He stopped where the spot was and he looked around him. He couldn’t see anything particularly eye-catching at first. He searched around for a while, stomping the ground and checking behind bushes. However, he found nothing.
“I can’t find anything.” He announced to the others.
“Maybe it’s not there precisely,” Emmy suggested.
“No, I’m right above the chest’s location.”
“I think we should go search with him,” Herculia said.
“Goddamit, I knew this was going to waste time,” Danny grumbled as he continued looking around.
As they were about to get off their horses, Arthur stopped them.
“Hey, Danny, look for any weird engravings or runic words written on trees around you.” He said. “Usually, hidden items are behind such things in games. Maybe this is the same situation.”
“Runic engravings? Why would there be-” Before the boy could even retort, his eyes fell on a tree close to him. On its trunk, he saw some carvings that should’ve not belonged there. He blinked in shock as he slowly approached it.
“So, did you find anything?” Arthur asked
“…” Danny clicked his tongue as he put his hand on the tree. “I think I found it. There are runic words written on a tree.”
“Nice guess, Arthur!” Herculia tapped him on his shoulder with a proud laugh.
“Now, try to channel your mana into them.”
“… Tsk, don’t order me around bastard!”
Even though Danny was displeased he still did that. The moment his mana exited his body, the runes started shining brightly. Then, quickly, that light spread to the entire tree. The branches and the trunk started moving and twisting and the tree started visibly shrinking in real time.
In a matter of seconds, the magnificent tree turned into a small chest, leaving behind no trace.
“… Interesting,” Danny muttered as he blinked. The change was something that he didn’t expect at all. ‘So the chest was hidden as a tree.’
“I’ve found the chest.” He said as he crouched down and opened it. Inside, Danny found one single thing inside.
“A necklace?” He muttered as he picked it up. The item was a shiny necklace with several crystal beads linked to it. It looked old and yet also very high-quality.
[Maria’s Heilroom
Rank: C
Description: A Pure Maiden’s most important belonging. The moment she perished, the heirloom became a piece of ancient history.
Type: Jewelry
Special Ability: Reduces spell casting time by 10%.]
“This…” Danny squinted his eyes.
“What did you find, Danny? Hurry up.”
“Huh? Oh, hold on a second. This is pretty good.” He replied as he stood up. “Emmy, I found something perfect for you.”
A//N: Don’t forget to give the book some golden tickets for good luck! :3
