Chapter 65: Hell-Level Difficulty
"A forest," Azure commented dryly in my mind. "If one were to test a wood element practitioner, I suppose this would be the place."
I nodded slowly, taking in our surroundings. The trees seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction, their twisted trunks creating shadows that played tricks on my eyes.
"There are two possibilities here. Either Elder Molric is giving me an advantage..." I trailed off, watching as a nearby branch suddenly withered and crumbled to dust for no apparent reason.
"Or?" Azure prompted, though his tone suggested he already knew the answer.
"Or this is going to be hell-level difficulty even with my supposed advantage."
The air felt thick, almost syrupy. Every breath carried the metallic tang of concentrated red sun energy.
"Given what we know of the elder's... experimental tendencies," Azure mused, "I rather doubt he's chosen to be merciful."
"Yeah," I muttered, "that's what I'm worried about."
A faint rustling sound made me freeze, but it was just the vine shifting position to better guard my vital points. Still, no point in waiting around to see what had it so nervous. I pulled out one of the absorption stones Elder Molric had given me.