Chapter 15: This Is A Dangerous Place Dim Dim’s danger detection had a decent range, so Alex effortlessly evaded monsters as he made his way to the northwest region of the forest. That said, it crossed the young man’s mind that he needed to stop being overly reliant on the Dim Sum God as it might dull his sense of danger. He couldn’t be sure that the Dim Dim would never be separated from him and, in case that happened, he feared being at a loss for what to do after getting used to being practically spoon-fed warnings. With that in mind, he requested that Dim Dim only warn him if their lives were truly in danger. The Dim Sum God agreed, and the young man resumed his journey. However, this time, he made sure to pay closer attention to his surroundings, slowing his progress. Alex was fine with that. It was better to develop his own danger sense than to completely rely on outside forces. With determined effort, the young man expanded his senses to his limit. The rustle of the trees, the chirping of the birds, as well as the smell in the air. He made sure to use his sense of sight, smell, and hearing to get a better understanding of his surroundings. Suddenly, he heard a crunching sound in the distance, which made him immediately crouch down and stop moving. As someone who had experience hunting in the forest, the sound he heard was likely someone or something stepping on dried leaves, twigs, and gravel. Although he could be wrong, Alex decided to trust his hunting experience. He gazed in the direction from which he had heard the crunching sound earlier and took out a sword from his storage ring. A faint smile appeared on Dim Dim’s lips because he was quite satisfied with Alex’s caution. The Floating Forest was a place teeming with wild beasts and monsters, so a single mistake could cause serious injuries or worse, death. It didn’t take long for Alex to register the sound of footsteps, which was getting louder by the second. Whatever or whoever made those sounds didn’t bother putting any effort into hiding their presence in the slightest. ’Could it be goblins?’ Alex thought as he gripped the sword in his hand tightly. While he might consider fighting against a goblin in a one-on-one or a two-on-one battle, he would never attempt to attack a group of them together. He had seen how a group of goblins fared against a Rank 2 Brown Bear, and that alone was enough to tell him that fighting a hunting party was a very bad idea. Half a minute later, a group of three people emerged from the cover of the trees. Alex felt relief internally, but didn’t make any move to make his presence known. Sometimes, humans were more dangerous than beasts or monsters, as one could never be sure whether they were friend or foe. The young man paid extra attention to the equipment of the group. All of them were men, and a single glance was enough for Alex to tell that they weren’t a bunch of newbies. One of them was walking with his hand gripping the handle of his sheathed sword, ready to draw it out from its scabbard at a moment’s notice. The swordsman’s gaze scanned the surroundings for danger, and he was clearly in a vigilant state. Standing behind him was a man wearing a white robe with a staff in his hand. He wore a silver medallion, a dead giveaway of his profession. He was a Cleric who belonged to the Order of the High Priestess. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦 There were twenty-two Deities in the world of Arcana, with some of them having their own churches. Others had cults like the Deathsworn Brotherhood and the Devil’s Covenant, who worshipped the Deities representing Death and the Devil. The symbol of the High Priestess was a crescent moon, and those who belonged to her church wore its pendant as a means to represent their identity. The last person in the group of three was a person holding a bow and an arrow. He could be an Archer, a Hunter, or even a Ranger. Just like the swordsman, his hawkish eyes scanned the surroundings before landing on Alex’s hiding spot. "Child, what are you doing this deep in the forest on your own?" the Archer asked. "It’s no use hiding from me. You better show yourself before I treat you as an enemy." When Alex saw the man looking in his direction, he stood up from his hiding place to prevent any misunderstandings. "Sir, I am a newly registered Adventurer," Alex replied. "I came here looking for Redcap Mushrooms and Thornberries for the mission I accepted in the Adventurer’s Guild." "This is a dangerous place," the Cleric stated. "The Hobgoblins and the Orcs are currently active in these parts. You should return to the outskirts of the forest. It’s safer there." "As for Thornberries, I saw a patch of them when we were passing in the direction where we came from," the Swordsman commented. "It’s just a hundred meters away in that direction. Pick them up and leave this place as soon as you can." "Thank you, Sir!" Alex replied, but made no immediate move to go to the location where the swordsman pointed. This made the Cleric nod in satisfaction, pleased with how the young man acted cautiously with strangers. "Well, then. Go back as soon as you can." The Cleric nodded at his companions. "We still have some business to do here, so we will be leaving first." After their discussion, the three people headed deeper into the forest. Alex waited until they were no longer in his sight before carefully walking in the direction from which they had come earlier. Since his mission was to look for Redcap Mushrooms and Thornberries, it wouldn’t hurt to check if the Swordsman was telling the truth. Fortunately, the man hadn’t lied to him, and he found several shrubs of Thornberries ripe for picking. Alex collected forty Thornberries, leaving the unripe ones behind. He then opened his map and zoomed in on his location. After that, he went to the plant tab and looked for a symbol of a berry. The young man decided to mark this spot, so he could return to gather more berries in the future. Although the three people had warned him to go back to the outskirts, Alex decided to continue his journey towards the Fairy Lake and see if he could get the Rare Shoes he wished to acquire. Along the way, he found Redcap Mushrooms, which completed his quota. With his two missions down, he was naturally pleased. He then hesitated, wondering whether he should continue heading to the lake or return to the town to collect his rewards. ’It’s still noon, so I have plenty of time to go to the lake,’ Alex thought. ’I’ll just travel as far as I can for now. If there is danger, I will just retreat and come back another day.’ After making up his mind, the young man resumed his journey, heading northwest. Half an hour later, he heard a scream that stiffened his body. The scream didn’t belong to a monster but to a human. Alex hesitated whether he should go and see what was happening or flee in the opposite direction. He was deep inside the forest, and the chances of encountering a strong monster were very high. While he was contemplating what to do, another bloodcurdling scream reached his ears. This time, it wasn’t only a single person screaming but two of them. "Dim Dim!" The Dim Sum God’s shout broke Alex out of his daze. It was also then that he heard the sound of something or someone running in his direction. "Run, Alex! Run!" That was what Dim Dim had told him, so the teenage boy no longer hesitated and ran away without looking back. He was afraid that if he glanced at what was behind him, he might get paralyzed by fear, preventing him from running away to safety. His legs went into overdrive, fueled by his adrenaline. Despite his unprecedented speed, he could still hear the desperate and fearful screams behind him. Half a minute later, the screaming completely faded. Two Dire Wolves feasted on the flesh of the human who had stumbled upon their hunting group. His white robe was stained with blood, and the crescent moon medallion he wore around his neck earlier now lay on the ground a meter away from his body. The Cleric screamed no more, for he was already dead. Only the sound of flesh being torn and bones being crushed echoed silently within the forest. His lifeless eyes stared at his killer, who opened its jaws to bite down on his head. Several minutes later, only the shredded and blood-stained robes remained of the Cleric who had advised Alex to return to the outskirts of the forest, where it was safer, to complete his mission.