Chương 42: The Forest Takes Its Prey

Twenty minutes had already passed since the vines actively started attacking them. At first, it felt as if they moved like snails. However, the more his skeletons cut them down, the faster they regrew. Furthermore, the new vines had started to move towards them. It was not as if they could be happy just because they cut down the vines; the severed vines continuously regrew, and new vines also moved in large amounts.

Arthur noticed another matter; the more time passed, the faster the vines moved, and even the growth of the cut down vines was fast. For the past twenty minutes, Arthur and the team did not participate in any battle. They simply stood in place, sadness lingering on their faces. Only his skeletons were actively taking care of the situation without tiredness. His skeletons were very strong and formidable.

If not only for their enemy being immortal, they could even kill all the vines that had grown for centuries of time. However, the vines were like living monsters; they could use a certain ability to regrow their tendrils once they were cut down. While Arthur attentively watched the battle play out, he suddenly noticed the speed of the vines increase on a certain level again, and the skeletons' movement between each action also increased.

"The more time passes, the more speed the vines are attacking," Susanne said, looking at the vines flowing faster.

"What do you think of the chances we survive in this?" one of the guys with a Sword affinity asked.

"Maybe zero," Arthur said.

"What do you think these vines are? Do you think they are monsters?" Nickolas asked.

"I am not sure, but whatever this thing is, it is the reason why Solomon Valley doesn't have any beasts or monsters," Arthur guessed. He was not sure how long the monsters had avoided this valley. However, over that period of time, these vines had taken over the entire valley and finally started to trap people. Unfortunately, they had become prey for it. But what was the purpose of trapping people? Was it going to drain their life force to grow stronger? Arthur did not know.

Was this new plant rumor also planned by these vines, intentionally showing some new plant to lure people here? However, didn't people already actively visit this place? Maybe the new plant was not a thing that these vines started, Arthur thought. He and his party had to find out what the purpose of these vines was, and if the new plant scam was planted by these vines or if people were behind it. Currently, he did not know how long this situation was going to go on.

Furthermore, how could the Awakening Head Office not doubt something was wrong with this place and do research on the reason why monsters avoided it? They could have easily found out these vines were invasive and destroyed them, but they did not do it. Arthur was frustrated by his complete lack of knowledge on the matter. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. While pondering these details, Arthur wondered about another matter.

These vines had grown everywhere, even at the base of the valley. So, why did they not trap them elsewhere, instead letting them arrive at this specific location? Looking up towards the sky, Arthur saw stars starting to appear. Could it be that they had waited for the sun to set?

"That could be the only reason." Being ignorant was a great sin. He had asked himself a ton of questions, yet he did not obtain a single answer. He might have to start reading a lot regarding Awakening matters if he were to live on. Currently, the speed of the vines rushing towards them had increased significantly. The skeletons' movements were the proof for it.

"Everyone, let us eat. Since we might not know when we will have food once we are trapped by these vines, let's fill our stomachs," Arthur suggested. Since he severely lacked knowledge, worrying would do nothing for them. Either they would die, or they would live for a few days before a rescue team arrived. Other than that, there were no other options. Hearing this statement, everyone who was in an alert stance slowly relaxed and put down their weapons. Arthur took out a parcel from his package and unwrapped it.

Following which, he sat down on the ground. He had bought food that could be eaten instantly, rather than cooked rations. Hence, the food mostly contained stuffed buns, gravy, sweet buns, and dried meat.

"Please help yourselves." He put down all the food in the center.

"Oh, it's hot. When did you buy this?" Nickolas placed the hot stuffed bun into his mouth as he bellowed. Everyone relaxed slightly while having their food. Meanwhile, the skeletons continuously fought the never-ending fight. Suddenly, Arthur thought about his family. They would be saddened if he were trapped and died here eventually. I should have given some more money to my family, a thought came to his mind. Tears rolled down his cheeks, which he quickly wiped away.

He could not believe he was to die here, leaving his family alone. Their lives would revert back to their past poverty. He hoped his brother would awaken a good class in three years and become a smart person, unlike him who was greedy, putting his life and the lives of others on the line. When they finished their last dinner, the speed of the vines increased exponentially. The skeletons were pushed back by the force and speed of the regeneration. The party quickly readied their tools to fight back.

With every passing second, the vine count increased, their volume almost reaching the height of their hips.

"Let us join the battle. The skeletons have been pushed back," Susanne said as she took a few steps forward, unleashing a fireball. Everyone else did the same. Arthur, himself, grabbed the cheap pickaxe that Bathory carried, which was originally carried by Cuburn. Once he got his own sword, Arthur gave the pickaxe to Bathory so he could use it somewhere. That somewhere was here.

"Do you want a pickaxe?" Arthur asked Finola as he handed her a spare pickaxe. She received it, but she struggled to hold the pickaxe steadily. Following which, Arthur also took a few steps and joined the battle. Arthur swung the pickaxe in a rugged manner. There was no form to his swing, and it dealt very little damage to the vines. However, that did not matter; he simply swung without control. Soon, the speed increased, and the vines started to crawl, tangling around his feet.

The vines' height had crossed his neck. Within moments, they would completely engulf them like a sea of water. Everyone frantically fought back. Little by little, their feet were dragged backward until everyone's backs touched one another. The vines moved tall and wide, starting to entangle their ankles, hips, and hands. Finally, they spiraled around their faces, completely engulfing everyone. Instantly, Arthur's vision turned pitch-black as his body was tossed around like a ragdoll.

He could not tell the direction. His senses were completely useless, and finally, his consciousness went blank. The entire clearing was filled with spinning vines, rolling like a snake hunting its prey. Suddenly, they stopped moving. Shortly after, they started to move again, but this time, they unfurled themselves and slowly moved back to where they came from. Within a moment, the clearing was empty; it looked as normal as before.