Chapter 59: The Great Tree

When Ren arrived back at the place where he had buried the four marker points, he felt a slight sense of relief. But since he still hadn’t found the way home, he couldn’t relax yet.

He looked around carefully, strained his ears to confirm there were no unusual sounds, and then sat down on a slightly large rock. He took the wild heal berries out of his “small box.”

“Let’s take a little break.”

He washed them with water magic and bit into the red fruit. A sweet and sour flavor spread through his mouth.

“So good…”

While cautiously scanning his surroundings, he enjoyed the fruit. The fatigue in his body seemed to ease a little. Maybe it was just because he knew it had healing properties.

“I wish I could’ve gathered more… If only the Great Boar wasn’t there…”

Remembering how the Great Boar had been greedily devouring the wild heal berries made him a little annoyed. By now, it might have eaten them all.

“Well, nothing I can do about it…”

He washed his hands with water magic, wiped them dry with a cloth, and stood up. He couldn’t afford to relax for long—monsters could attack at any moment.

He looked at the four marker points he had buried, then turned toward a direction perpendicular to the path he had come from.

“Next is this way.”

Just as he was about to step forward, he paused and checked his belongings, storing the sack he had been carrying in his “small box.” It was better to keep his bow ready to fire at any time. As for the small stones he had prepared to throw in emergencies, he kept only two or three in a leather pouch. He wanted to stay as light as possible, since it looked like a long walk.

“Alright.”

After shaking his bow and quiver slightly to confirm their weight, Ren stepped forward in the chosen direction.

The scenery remained largely unchanged from before. Along the way, he shot down a hidden Ashveil perched high in the branches. Looking at its dull gray, messy feathers, Ren fell into thought.

“They don’t look that nice, but the feather size might still be usable…”

He had wanted rainbow-colored feathers, but hadn’t encountered any suitable bird-type monsters. So far, the only feathers he had stored in his “small box” were from a single Azure Wind Swift.

“…Not sure how well I’ll be able to craft it, so I guess having more feathers is better…”

Ren picked up the ash-gray flight feathers that had gotten caught in the bushes.

With a small sigh, he stored the Ashveil and its feathers in the small box.

He continued forward, and when he stepped into an open area, he suddenly stopped.

Blocking his way was a massive fallen tree.

Its trunk was so thick that even two adults together wouldn’t be able to wrap their arms around it. It had snapped violently near the base.

How long had it been lying here? Its surface was completely covered in soft moss, with vines tangled all over it. In some places where the bark had peeled away, aged wood was exposed beneath.

He could probably go around it and continue forward—that much was clear. But whether he should proceed or not… Ren hesitated.