29 Tobias Henriksen

As the changes occurred in the once populated hall, James felt a stinging pain course through his body as passed through the Spatial Bridge. It felt as if several tiny insects had burrowed into his flesh while feasting on his muscles. Meanwhile, a rancid odor like the smell of rotten tomatoes and soured milk assaulted his nose while a violent gale blew past him. Since he could not open his eyes, James did not know what was happening. In fact, he realized he lost his sense of sight and ability to control his body. However, the system reminded him his symptoms were common to those passing through a Spatial Bridge for the first time. It told James that the pain he felt resulted from his body being torn apart at a microscopic level while being reassembled instantaneously. With this change in his body, it impaired his nervous system. The only reason James did not become worried, was because the system told him the changes would not result in a potential defect. Unlike when he teleported with the Milkyway Stone, James felt as if several days had gone by since he entered the Spatial Bridge.

…

In outskirts of a massive forest predominated by thousands of trees which towered into the sky, the faint but yet frightening howls of savage beasts and the cheerful croaks of frogs echoed into the air. The lonely crescent moon also hung in a cloudy but star studded night sky, raining its silver radiance on the pristine scenery. However, a strange occurrence suddenly followed on the grass-covered field. Which resulted in the formation of a large black hole on the grassy ground, and this singularity emitted an intense light akin to that of the noon sun. However, it only last for a moment. Since it caused no tremors or explosions, it did not disturb the tranquility of the nearby forest. In the spot where the eerie black hole appeared earlier, laid over a hundred figures who grunted and wheezed in pain while clenching different parts of their divergent bodies. These new arrivals were the youths who chose the fourth Spatial Bridge, and James laid on the ground like the other groaning in pain–a familiar feeling he hated.

While James pathetically groaned in pain, he tried his best to rise to a sitting position. Because, he wanted to determine where the Spatial Bridge sent them to, and he was cautious of what or who waited for them on their arrival. Although he did not trust the system, it had never given him a wrong information. With a 10% odds of survival, James could not afford to be negligent.

Just like him, others also sat on the ground while clenching their bodies in pain. However, none of them could hide the surprise on their faces as they stared at their new location. To the north were trees taller than anything they had ever seen. It leaves were as large canoes while its branches and trunks were thicker than five cannons. With their hands linked, it would take at least forty of them to surround one of these trees, and the most frightening thing was that it was only an average-sized tree when compared to the other vegetation on the forest.

As they stared at the dirty brown bark of the trees, covered in a dense mat of moss, they sensed a whiff of a minty, woody aroma. Flowers and grasses of varying colors and sizes also grew amidst the gigantic trees. As they observed in solitude, the faint but yet vicious roars of beast several meters away reverberated. Although no words were shared, the collective looks of apprehension of the faces of the youths showed the terror they felt in their hearts.

"Where are we?" the raspy voice of a Halfling echoed, however, silence greeted his words.

James who sat a few meters away from the Halfling, had a deep frown on his face. Unlike most of the others, he knew the forest was far deadlier than it looked. With the knowledge gained from Blay De Tovar's memories and the information from the Dumin sorcerer's vault, James could identify a few plants from his sitting position. However, according to the information in his head, those plants should not be able to grow in the same climate. And the most terrifying aspect was that most of the flowers secreted lethal poisons.

'If the periphery has such a high number of poison plants… I don't what to imagine what lies in its depths.'

While James was absorbed in his thoughts, he heard the voice of young human girl, "What's that?" she said while pointing towards the opposite end of the forest. Since they arrived, the youths only focused on the majestic forest while ignoring what laid behind them.

Turning their heads, the youths stared at a grassy field which stretched into the horizon. With the girls shout earlier, they expected to see something unordinary like the majestic forest, but their expectations was quickly dashed. Saying nothing in response, most of them averted their gazes while focusing on the forest. However, the faces of a select few had a stern expression on it, including James.

'What the hell is that? Is that Death Energy? No… Maybe a barrier? No… It looks nothing like the one at the bottom of the gorge. But why does it look like the blackish wisp from the previous room?' James mused as he stared at the grassy field.

Maybe it was because of the way the clouds refracted the silver moonlight, a majority of the youths could not see the faint tendrils of blackish energy rising from the ground.

"System, what is that?" James asked via is mind.

<Ding! >

Scanning…

Scanning Completed!

Name: Nether!

Primary use:??? (The user's level is too low to access this information)

Secondary use: Energy can activate Item-Odon Alloy Ring.

With the Item-Odon Alloy Ring, in the Inventory, It can't be activated.

System's Recommendation; the user should not absorb this energy until the user has attained the rank of Journeyman.

Will the user like to absorb this energy?

Warning! Warning! Warning!

Odds of the user surviving the absorption process: 1%

<Ding! >

'Did they set this up so we won't run away? I must study the ring later. Hopefully, some idiots will attempt to explore the grassy fields,' James thought.

Gone were the days, he bothered himself with the system's ridiculing words about his level. Rather than focus on what he had no control over, James mused on what strategy he'll use to convince the apprehensive youths that exploring the grassy field was better than the forest.

However, the moment this thought popped into James's mind, all the youths could hear the leaves on the top of one tree rustle. Scared out their minds, and before they could react, they heard a cheerful voice, "I'm sorry I was late. Please forgive me. Unlike the last batch, there are so many of you. Hahaha… This is unexpected. You guys are unlucky to have arrived here."

"Who is there?! Show yourself!" a Dark-Elf shouted while reaching for his dagger. The others also struggled to assume fighting postures, but they couldn't, because they had not recovered from the effects of the traveling through the Spatial Bridge. Powerless in such an ominous location while an unknown variable appeared, the youths could not hide their trepidation.

Since the unknown individual said nothing in response, it only made them more anxious. In fact, the rustling of the leaves intensified after the Dark-Elf's shout, and they could hear faint footsteps amidst the rustling.

"System, who is approaching? Do you sense any danger?"

<Ding! >

Scanning…

Scanning Completed!

Name:???

Race: Human

Occupation: Magical Knight.

Level: 79-Warrior & 30-Journeyman sorcerer

Odds of the user eliminating the target: 3%

I cannot detect any malice from the approaching target!

<Ding! >

The frown on James's face lessened slightly as he heard the system's notification. Although he felt uneasy about the arrival of a powerful variable, he was happy the system detected no malice from the approaching human. If the Magical Knight had the intentions of eliminating all of them, James knew they stood no chance on what would be a brutal onslaught.

Unlike James, the others still stared at the rustling leaves intently. They could all hear the distinct echo of footsteps on a wooden surface. With their anxiety increasing with each passing second, something jumped from one branch of a tree, landing just a few meters away from where the youths sat.

With wide eyes, the youths scrutinized the figure of a tall and brawny human male. He wore a strange beast hide which covered his arms, back, and his waist down to his knees. He also wore boots made from the fur from an unknown creature, and a fairly thin, hemp rope tied it together. Apart from his usual clothes, the youths could see several hideous scars which pulsated as if they were alive. Although they did not know what this man had gone through, a chill inherently went down their spines as they observed the sickening claw and bite scars which extended from the neck of the man, down to his hairy and wide chest, and his rock-like abs. As the silver radiance of the night fell on his beefy body, it highlighted his well-tanned skin.

Unlike his body, the tanned skin of the young man had no blemish. Apart from having a bald head and no eyebrows, he had a thick beard on his chin which he tied into a single braid. Below his round nose, his lips curved into a daunting smile while his brown, round deep set hooded eyes stared at the anxious youths. Their attention was focused mainly on the two pitch black battle axes hanging at the sides of his waist.

"Hahaha… Don't be scarred. I won't hurt any of you… at least not yet," the young man said with a deep Scandinavian accent while fiddling with his beard, with his back reclined against a tree. His words only made the already agitated youths more nervous, with their faces distorting in terror. At that moment, the loud hearty laughter of the young man reverberated into the air.

"What… what's so funny?" a flustered Lizardman asked in a low voice. However, the brawny youth continued to clench his stomach as he laughed.

"If you expect us to beg… You are wasting your time! I won't beg a human filth for my life!" a male Demon shouted with a condescending gleam in his eyes. Being a Demon, he hated when other races acted superior to him. Just like him the other Demons also shared this trait, even in the face of death, they would never bow their heads. To others, it was an admirable trait, but James had a different opinion. To him, vague beliefs such as racial superiority or societal values and morals, meant nothing to him. In fact, the corners of his lips involuntarily curved into an amused smile, while he stared at the male Demon like he was looking at an idiot.

Just like James, the laughing youth had the same look in his eyes as he stared at the Demons. In fact, the intensity of his laughter only increased after the Demon's shout. Exasperated from being mocked, the Demons stared at daggers at the brawny youth. However, they said nothing further.

In the silence of the night, the over hundred youths sat in silence while staring at a laughing young man. Just like their facial expressions, they had a myriad of thoughts flashing through their minds. Since they had yet to recover from their previous journey, they were at the mercy of the young man.

"Maybe this was how I looked those days…" The laughing young man muttered after finishing his bout of laughter. Meanwhile, the Demons still stared at him with a chilling glint in their eyes. But the young man was not fazed. He causally picked his nose with his index finger while saying, "Hahaha… You guys are interesting. It's been a long time I talked and laughed with someone. You don't have to glare at me like that, I'm here to help you."

Wiping his snort covered finger on the bark of the tree, the young man continued his statement, "I'm sure you guys are scared and confused. One day you were eating with your mama and papa, playing with your friends and living your mundane lives. Hahaha… But suddenly, you woke up in an unfamiliar room with unfamiliar faces from different races. It only made you more scared, right?"

At this point, all the youths had their gazes focused on the young man. Because, he accurately described what happened to them.

"However, it did not end there. People you have never met before, amicably welcomed you to an unknown place. Telling you it would aid your rebirth. They promised you will come to love it, that you will never wish to return to the world that abandoned you. They even promised you a feast to celebrate your arrival. However, in order to enter qualify for this feast, they made you do things you never thought you could. Hahaha… they made you believe you had no choice, right? With the number of times they welcomed you to Kynar, I'm sure you suspected a cult had kidnapped you, right?"

Although the youths said nothing in response, some of them subconsciously nodded their heads. Seeing their reaction, the young man could not stop himself from chuckling.

"Don't worry, Kynar is not a place like that. Oh, you can call me, Tobias Henriksen."

Majority of the youths subconsciously felt at ease after Henriksen's declaration.

"Just like you, I came here five years ago. Trust me, it would have been better if this was a secret cult who brainwashed children. However, no one will force you to kill anymore. You'll be too busy trying to stay alive. You can hear them, right?" Henriksen added while yawning.

Most of the youths had their mouths opened in confusion after his declaration. From the sickening scars on his body and the faint occasional howls of beasts they heard, they knew he was not lying.

"If this is not a secret cult, then what is it? And how can we know you're not one of those Caretakers? You don't expect us to believe what you said, right?"

The moment Asan heard this familiar voice, he had a faint smile on his face. He did not expect to see once of his Exp farms in the same location, especially after he lost several in the last room.

After asking his question, Rowan stared at Henriksen with a stern look on his face.

"I'm not a Caretaker and I don't care if you believe me. You will understand soon enough. Even after spending five years here, I don't know what this place is. The Halfling who welcomed my set back then, said this place existed for the sole aim of nurturing Dragons. A Dragonsite," Henriksen said.

However, all the youths had looks of Incredulity, which caused Henriksen to shrug in response.

"Do I look like I believe that crap? It has been five years, I've not seen Dragon poop, not to talk of a real Dragon. But one thing is certain though, the beasts in this forest would make you shit your pants. Just like me, there are others who have been here for several years. Beasts aren't the only threats waiting in the Odon Forest. Forget about what kingdom you came from or your moral compass, the path of Light or Darkness have no meaning here. Every nasty thing your mind can imagine happens here, it doesn't matter whether you are male or female, human or Halfling. When they come calling, you can either submit or wished you did. Hahaha… Don't worry, if you beautiful or useful, you can survive. Everyone has a role. If you're from the Blacks Lands, the Odon Forest is an amplified version. However, if you are from somewhere else, then welcome to hell," Henriksen said with his lips curved into an eerie grin.