Chapter 32 - Prey

It can be said that Westwood is pretty scary.

I said that sentence after I entered and know the inside of this forest. I can felt the cold and gripping atmosphere that was here.

From the other side, I can say that the fear in my heart emerges because I am alone in this forest. I can say I manage to stay calm because the trees in this forest don't block the sunlight.

The forest is quite bright and that's a good thing. It had kept me thinking positively and not thinking about supernatural things that would only make the fear in my heart grow bigger.

Now, let's find that Green Herb.

The first clue says that the Green Herb grew under a large tree, under its shadow.

The second clue is that Green Herb has a red fruit as big as a cherry. The fruit has a fairly high selling price for each gram.

The last clue, Green Herb's leaves are box-shaped.

"Strange and unique plants, where are you?"

I walked towards the place where the Green Herb grew following the clues inside the simple map in my hand. While I walk, I looked at the bottom of the trees I passed by in search of the Green Herb.

Ellis told me that Green Herb doesn't grow other than in that place. But still, I'm looking for Green Herb along the way. I can't shake the feeling that I might miss the wild Green Herb that grew outside its territory.

Inside Ark Fantasy Online, Green Herb grows everywhere. Even in the grasslands where the Peshrooms roamed.

So... Yes! I can't stop the habit of looking around to look for Green Herbs. Especially when there's no system that helps me to find that medicinal plant.

I kept going down the trail.

Then, I met the Giant Beetle. A docile insect monster. I can say that because the Giant Beetle didn't attack me as I stood two steps beside it.

Of course, I remain alert. And I'm ready to swing my short sword at any time.

I noticed the purple Giant Beetle for quite some time before finally walking away.

Why I didn't kill that monster? What about the exp I'm looking for? Why didn't I attack him? Magic Stones, meat, Skill, and bonus points from that monster, don't I want them?

To answer all those questions, first, I haven't gotten the Green Herb I need.

Two, I want to save my energy. Who knows, I'll need it later. I'll be finished if I get caught up in a dangerous situation without having the slightest bit of energy. Wasting energy before my goal was achieved was not a great idea.

Lastly, I don't want to deal with insects. They give me goosebumps. And to eat it? I hope you're kidding me.

Dozens of trees passed by and in the end, I didn't get a single Green Herb along the way to where I was going.

"I have doubts that Green Herb grew up in this forest," I said as I looked at the place where the Green Herb should growing.

This Quest won't be completed if I just stay here. So, I moved my body to look for the Green Herb in this place.

And oh! I found some Green Herbs in seconds.

It turns out that the statement about Green Herb only grows in certain places is a fact.

I instantly did my job. Picking Green Herb at the bottom of a large tree and wrapping it neatly was what I did. When I finished picking the half of Green Herb that grew in here, I went to look for the other places.

Ellis warned me not to pick all the Green Herbs that grow in one place. If I did it, the Green Herb that was growing in there wouldn't grow anymore.

I'll also get into trouble if I do it. Adventurer's Guilds could find out who was breaking the rules by looking at their documents and by hearing reports from the watchers they had.

Newbie Adventurers usually won't get any information about those things. Therefore, when Ellis told me about it was something special.

I owe her a favor.

"I'll repay that kindness someday," said I, who was putting the last Green Herb batch into my leather bag.

"Now, since this Gathering Quest is finished. It's time to hunt!"

I walked away from that place to find prey.

Westwood could be considered a unique forest because most of the monsters that roamed here were Insect-Type Monsters and Plant-Type Monsters. Other types such as Humanoid-Type Monsters, Bird-Type Monsters, or Beast-Type Monsters were rarely seen in this forest.

And yes, knowing all that makes me didn't have intended to eat the meat of Insect-Type Monsters. I could have eaten Plant-Type Monsters if the Plant-Type Monster I killed was the same kind as Peshroom.

I can't imagine myself eating trunks or the leaves of Plant Type Monsters. Well... I imagined I could eat the fruit of that type of monster. But… whatever! I will think about it later.

Now, since I found my first prey after wandering in this forest for some time, I need to focus on it.

In front of me was the Tree Golem. This monster had a Humanoid body made of wood. It was twice that adult human. Dozens of branches grew on his back and some kind of blue fruits hung on that branches.

Tree Golem is known to be a powerful monster in Ark Fantasy Online. They are strong not because they are deadly. The Tree Golem had a thick HP. This is what makes this monster strong.

Yes, this monster is strong and I'm not afraid to face it. The confidence I have is because the Tree Golem is very slow.

I challenged the Tree Golem and I attacked it with my spear.

"Hya!"

Swuss! Zhrak!

My spear can't penetrate the Tree Golem's skin! The spear could only scratch it! And more importantly, the scratches aren't deep!

"Hoo...!"

The Tree Golem gave a counterattack. It swung its big hand at my body.

And yes, I don't want to accept the attack. So, I dodged it by shifting my body to the side. Then, quickly, I stepped onto the backside of the monster.

"[Red Piercing]"

Crack!

My attack managed to penetrate the Tree Golem's skin. But unfortunately, the attack could only provide insignificant damages.

"Hoo! Ho...!"

The Tree Golem turned around and instantly launched another punch to destroy me.

I bend my body to the left side to evade that strike. Then I launched a counterattack. "[Fast Swing]"

Zhrak! Zhrak!

My attack managed to graze the monster's right knee. I didn't stop moving. I swung my spear again, making a normal attack to graze the monster's right knee once more.

The Tree Golem didn't stay standstill, it gave a counterattack. Suddenly, the monster shot towards me at a speed it had never shown before.

Monsters managed to surprise me! It managed to hit my body with its big shoulder.

Duagh!

"Gah!"

The Tree Golem attack managed to throw me backward. I fell and rolled on the ground a few times before finally stopping.

When I got up, the monster was already in front of me ready to launch another punch.