Chapter 21: Inside the gate
Stepping inside the gate, Draco immediately glanced around, his sword drawn and ready for any immediate threats. The transition from the camp’s safe environment to this monster-infested realm was jarring, and he wanted to be prepared for anything.
Zephyr perched alertly on his shoulder, his tiny head swiveling as he scanned for danger with those remarkably sharp eyes.
The terrain that greeted them was unexpectedly beautiful. Unlike what anyone would expect from a place that claimed lives.
Rolling hills covered in lush green grass stretched in all directions, dotted with clusters of silver birch trees. Small streams meandered through the landscape, their gentle babbling creating a deceptively peaceful atmosphere, despite the dangers lurking.
Patches of wildflowers added splashes of color to the verdant scenery. The place looked like the perfect spot to enjoy a holiday with your loved one. The air smelled clean and fresh, with hints of pine and wild herbs.
"This is a place that I would go for a holiday to...maybe when i get stronger, I will come here to relax every now and then." Draco smiled.
"What do you think, Zephyr? Would you enjoy some time here, just relaxing?"
[Yes, as long as i’m spending time with master! It’s very beautiful here,]
There was no immediate danger around him, but Draco remained vigilant as he began moving forward. He had made a conscious decision to walk straight ahead from the gate entrance – he didn’t want to risk losing track of his exit point by wandering too far in random directions.
As they walked, Draco remind the humming bird on his shoulder. "Stay alert, Zephyr. We’re looking for dangerous foxes with special leaves on their heads, we can’t let our guard down."
After about a minute of careful walking through the grass, Draco spotted his first target in the distance. It was exactly what Lyra had described, a Leaf Fox.
The creature was roughly the size of a small dog, with russet-colored fur that blended beautifully with the autumn tones of the landscape. What made it distinctive was the large leaf growing directly from the top of its head, almost like a natural crown.
Despite its undeniably cute appearance, with bright blue eyes and a fluffy tail, Draco knew better than to be fooled by its harmless looks.
These things are predators that feed on humans. Cute doesn’t mean safe.
The fox was quite far away, at least fifty meters, and seemed to be hunting something small in the grass, completely unaware of Draco’s presence.
[Master, should we check if that one has what we need?]
"Good idea. Let’s use Micro-Vision."
[Skill Activated: Micro-Vision]
Draco’s vision suddenly sharpened dramatically, allowing him to zoom in on details that would normally be invisible at this distance. The fox’s leaf became clearly visible, and he could count the distinct sections with perfect clarity.
Three petals. Not what we need.
Disappointed but unsurprised, Draco deactivated the skill and continued his search, carefully avoiding the hunting fox as he moved deeper into the gate’s territory.
...
Two hours later, Draco was still searching the rolling terrain. He had spotted dozens of Leaf Foxes during his exploration, but every single one had possessed only the common three-petal variant. He had deliberately avoided engaging any of them in combat, wanting to preserve his energy and equipment for the main encounter when he finally found his target.
[Master, we can’t find any! Are you sure these four-petal ones exist? (￣～￣)]
"They have to exist, Zephyr. We just need to try harder, patience."
Suddenly, the sound of movement and low growling reached his ears from somewhere ahead. Draco immediately crouched behind a cluster of birch trees, motioning for Zephyr to stay quiet.
The sounds were coming from about two hundred meters ahead in an open meadow. Using his enhanced vision carefully, Draco peered through the foliage to assess the situation.
Two foxes sat together in the clearing, but these were clearly different from the ones he had encountered before. One was significantly larger, nearly the size of a wolf, with darker fur and more pronounced fangs. Its leaf crown was also larger and had an ominous, almost black coloration.
That’s definitely a mutant. Stronger than regular common-rank Leaf Foxes. This is going to be much more dangerous than I planned.
But his attention was drawn to the second fox, which appeared to be a normal size.Draco focused on the leaf growing from its head, and his heart jumped with excitement.
Four petals. Finally.
The precious Four-Petal Swiftleaf was right there, growing from the head of a fox that was unfortunately positioned right next to what appeared to be a possible elite-level threat.
How am I going to separate them and get that leaf? This is going to be much more difficult than I hoped.
[Master, the big one looks really scary. Can we take them both? (°△°)]
"I don’t know, Zephyr. We might not have a choice, though. That four-petal fox is our target, and I don’t think they’re going to separate voluntarily."
...
Outside the gate, Tom’s experienced group had already entered and cleared the entire dungeon twice during the time Draco had been searching. Their efficient clearing rate of about one hour per run came from years of experience and perfect team coordination. They entered, eliminated the foxes they encountered along their path, made their way to the boss chamber for the main loot, and exited cleanly.
With their profitable day complete, Tom’s group prepared to leave the camp. As they passed the guard station, Tom couldn’t help asking about the young student who had caught his attention earlier.
"That kid from the academy, did you see him come back out yet?"
The guard looked up from his paperwork with a slight frown. "Oh, that kid? No, he hasn’t left yet."
Tom nodded grimly, his expression darkening with concern as he walked away with his team.
Once they were out of earshot of the guard station, Tom’s teammates began discussing the situation among themselves.
"Poor kid probably didn’t make it, first-years never listen to advice." one of the hunters said, shaking his head.
"Should have accepted our offer to team up, pride gets more awakeners killed than any monster ever will." another added.
"Two full clears, and he’s still in there, either he’s found himself in serious trouble, or..." Tom muttered.
"Or he’s already dead," his teammate finished bluntly.
The group departed, convinced that another promising young awakener had learned the hard way that dungeons showed no mercy to the unprepared or overconfident.
Inside the gate, completely unaware of the grim assumptions being made about his fate, Draco continued studying the two foxes, trying to devise a strategy that would let him claim his prize and escape alive.