Chapter 266 263: The Eerie figures in the shadows of the trees!

Chapter 266 263: The Eerie figures in the shadows of the trees!

Oliver had used this skill once or twice in his presence, yet Val had learned it from observing him. This showed that his comprehensive ability was far greater than the average man.

"So this is what it feels like."

Val was being fed information about his surroundings by the soul threads that were spread throughout the forest but also connected to him.

This information told him where obstacles and traps were in the forest.

As a result, he easily avoided the pitfalls and hazards that he would have otherwise stumbled into as he moved through the fungi-infested part of the forest with his eyes closed.

Val was getting closer and closer to leaving the patch of the forest with the mushrooms when suddenly the threads made of his soul power came in contact with several things that were indescribable but chilly, and the sensations traveled back to him.

Before he even had the time to interpret what these strange forms could be, they began to absorb the soul power that he had extended outward in the form of thin threads.

This would have given Val quite a fright if not for his Unfeeling Trait blocking it all out, allowing him to keep his rationality. As he was able to stay rational even in this situation, Val took quick but well-thought-out action.

In order to protect himself, he severed the flow of his soul power, effectively disconnecting the threads that had been latched onto by these unidentified beings. This move had its downsides, of course; now he was blind to his environment in a sense, unable to use his soul power to feel out his surroundings, but the alternative—having his soul power drained by the unknown entities and potentially collapsing from the side effects of soul power exhaustion—was far worse, and he saved himself from it, so it was a good move.n-/0velb1n

'I managed to save myself, but at what cost? I'm back to square one, and this time I don't have the time to come up with a reasonable plan.'

Val sighed in his heart.

He decided to open his eyes for a few seconds and see for himself what the things were that could even suck his soul power as the mushrooms won't hypnotize him unless he looks at their glow for 8 whole seconds.

Val cautiously opened his eyes, quickly spotting human-like figures in the forest. They were a considerable distance away from him, lurking in the shadows among the trees, but their green and pale grey eyes were staring straight towards him menacingly.

At first glance, he completely ruled out the possibility that they were part of his original expedition into the lesser dimension. These figures were translucent and had features that could only be described as horrifying. Their visages were twisted in unsettling ways, suggesting that they were far from ordinary creatures.

Either belong to a category of entities known as either the Nameless or the Unknown or they were a unique breed of devils with the ability to consume soul power, an energy generally considered harmful to such beings.

'Whatever they are, won't I find out after using my Detect ability?'

But then, just as he was about to cast Detect, something unexpected occurred.

The figures vanished from his sight without a trace. But almost immediately, they reappeared in different locations within the forest. Not only that, they were now significantly closer to him than they had been just moments before.

This unsettling development led Val to an unnerving realization: these entities seemed capable of perceiving his intentions. They were able to somehow sense that he was about to use Detect on them and had taken countermeasures to thwart his plan.

Otherwise, it wouldn't have been possible!

'Detect won't be effective against these strange figures.'

Val believed that they would simply disappear from his vision if he tried to cast Detect, thus making it ineffective. He had to rely on other methods to deal with them.

They reminded him of devils in some respects, their eerie and terrifying features made that much clear. Val believed that the defensive shield generated by the talisman he carried would be sufficient protection against them. But for the talisman to truly work its magic, he needed to find an enclosed space, ideally with just one entrance or exit.

In a forest, a cave would be such a place.

Without hesitating, Val activated his heavenly eye skill to scan his surroundings for a cave. He found one not too far from where he stood. To guide himself to it, he stretched out tendrils of his soul power towards the cave, almost like laying down a thread to follow through a labyrinth.

Satisfied with his preparations, Val closed his eyes and deactivated his heavenly eye skill to prevent the hypnotic effect of the mushrooms from fucking him over.

Then, he used his soul power to sense obstacles in his immediate surroundings only and also activated all his bloodline skills that would enhance his physical stats—speed, agility, and strength—and began to run towards the cave.

Although his eyes were closed and he couldn't see a thing, his soul power helped him navigate through the forest with relative ease, allowing him to sidestep roots, dodge low-hanging branches as well as scenarios where he would make a fool out of himself by running into mushrooms and trees, and avoid tripping over treacherous vines that lay like traps on the forest floor.

The eerie figures watched silently as he moved further and further away, but a hint of anger could be seen in their eyes. Suddenly, they teleported, appearing closer to him than before, making it clear that the chase was far from over!

The faster he moved, the more they teleported. They teleported again and again, getting ever closer to him.

As he neared the cave, they teleported for the fourth time.

A sudden sensation of warm breath tickled the nape of his neck. Even without turning his head, he knew with every fiber of his being that they were there, standing directly behind him!