Chapter 15: Purple Pill Trap
Under the silent, watchful eyes of the hidden observers known as the Lantaws, Auren lay motionless on the thick carpet of moss and fallen leaves, feigning sleep. He knew. He knew this entire trial was being monitored from afar—every twitch, every move, every decision. This wasn’t just survival—it was a performance.
As if responding to an internal alarm, Auren stirred and opened his eyes with a slow, deliberate blink. He sat up and immediately reached for the familiar shape of his water bottle, tucked beside his well-worn green adventurer’s backpack. With practiced ease, he unscrewed the cap and took a swig, gargling to cleanse his mouth of the gritty forest dust that clung to his throat.
Spitting out the murky water, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and muttered coolly to no one in particular, "Alright. Let’s get to work."
[FALCON FOCUS]
A magic glyph glowed briefly in his pupils as his eye skill activated. In a heartbeat, his vision sharpened. Every detail, every flicker of movement around him became vivid and precise.
He was surrounded on all sides by ancient trees—massive Velzar trunks that stretched skyward, towering more than twenty stories high. Their bark was dark as burned iron, veined with faintly glowing rune-like patterns. The branches above were as broad as rooftops, and so vast they wove into each other like natural bridges in the canopy. Despite their size, they moved ever so slightly, swaying with the breath of the forest.
Tiny, bioluminescent insects—Flaremotes—flitted through the air like drifting stars. The mana in the air was visible to his eyes now, dancing like silver mist among the leaves, thick enough to taste. Their presence is a good sign that the area is rich with mana.
The Runewood Forest was unlike anything in the human world. Here, the concentration of mana was more than double—saturating every leaf, every stone, and every breath. And it showed in its residents.
There were Skitterbolts, lightning-fast yellow ants that moved faster than the human eye could follow. Glimmereyes, purple owls with moonlike eyes capable of weaving paralyzing illusions. Swarms of Needlewings, enormous red bees that could shoot foot-long stingers with deadly accuracy.
As for plants, Auren noted several Wispwillows, blue-leafed flora that shimmered and vanished from view when touched. Tangling around tree trunks were Velumbra Vines, pitch-black and nearly indestructible, known to reposition themselves in shadow. He even spotted a cluster of Gloom Sunflowers, their black-petaled heads bowed and dripping glowing nectar—prime material for poison crafting.
But the real threats weren’t flora or insects. It was the predators.