Misty Forest.
Just as its name implied, it was a forest filled with trees similar to willow trees. The leaves were yellow in color, and they exuded a thin mist from the red flower that blossomed on its trunk. Thus, the forest was filled with mist that rendered views to only 10 meters.
However, mercenaries had mapped out the area and put torchlights as a guide for anyone who needed to enter the forest in order to hunt or gather materials.
The steam train only stopped outside the forest this time, keeping its distance from it. Max walked toward the forest fearlessly while reading the parchment given by Hunter.
"Tromax is a small monster, only around 2-meter in size. Its body resembles a lizard that can run with two legs and has small arms. Its claws are sharp, but its fangs and sturdy tail are the main weapons it uses to attack.
"It's said if two Tromax with different genders met each other, they would start making children. The last time it was recorded was 10 years ago, and 100 Tromaxs are born in just a week after the couple are spotted... What is this information? Is this real?"
A hundred children in just a week was just crazy.
"It's as if Tromax is a factory to make children."
— Spoken like a true Confucious
— Factory to make children. I mean, you're not wrong
— This monster's power lies in numbers! Literally.
"Right?"
The chat agreed with him. Max entered Misty Forest, and soon, his vision became pretty limited. He could only see three lights coming from the front to guide him and the exit behind him.
"Well, this game becomes horror real quick." He commented with a chuckle.
Inside, however, he felt a little bit scared. With his vision getting pretty limited, he could be ambushed from all directions. He couldn't lower his guard even if his quest was just to find Tromax and report it. Monsters that lived in this forest weren't the children's factory alone.
To be safe, he brandished his sword and dragged it in his right hand. If any monster jumped at him, he could use it for defense. From his experience with Garrador and Raxor, he knew that killing them in one sweep was impossible.
After walking for a few minutes, Max was now deep within the Misty Forest. He looked around, but there was no sign of the monster. So, he began to sing out of boredom.
"Monster monster~ Where are you, monster? Tromax, please do show yourself fast."
— Let Breeze kill you before you multiplies
— He's so humble that he flexes his skill every time
— Oh, monster monster... Monster monster...
— Yaay!
The chat got along and sang with him. The Misty Forest didn't look so scary anymore with the lighthearted atmosphere surrounding Max.
At that moment...
Swish–
The bush a bit away from Max made a rustling noise.
"Hmm?"
Hearing it, he immediately raised his guard and gripped his sword tighter.
"Did you guys hear it?"
He got a new mission. And it had an hour time limit, unlike the previous missions.
Gulping, Max slowly sheathed his sword. He tried not to move so quickly as it could trigger Tromax. However, that was useless.
Click!
The sword made a clicking sound when he fully sheathed it. Hearing that voice, the biggest Tromax roared.
"Waaarrrr!!"
Its roar was shrill and loud. It might only be 2 meters tall, but a genuine monster survived the wilderness.
It was at this moment that he knew... he messed up.
"This is bad!"
Max quickly turned around and ran at full speed. There was no telling what was behind him. But according to the rapid footsteps he heard, he realized that all of them were chasing after him.
"Aaah! Get away from me!"
— Run Breeze, Run!
— lolol, follow the light. You will be able to get out
— Welcome to second hell... My friend, those Tromax couldn't be underestimated
— Ah, a despairing scream. What music to my ears.
"Tell me about this earlier if you know something!" He complained as he kept running, jumping over rocks and roots while following the light.
— You said no backseat
— No nay nah nein
— We just followed your words lmao
— No backseat means no information about the game at all
— You're welcome, Breeze. We said nothing so you can enjoy this
"You guys are evil! Don't backseat means don't tell me what to do, not don't tell me information about the game! I didn't ask you to keep me from any spoilers!" He gritted his teeth and ran faster.
Well, it was just Max's excuse. He actually didn't want any spoilers at all. It was due to frustration he said all of that, and partly to entertain his viewers.
Looking back, seven small T-Rex-like creatures kept chasing him as if he were a meaty pie for dinner. He knew that if he slowed down even a little, he would die.
In the middle of running at full speed, he suddenly realized something. His vision was limited even further. Earlier, he could see 10 meters in front of him, but now he could only see 5 meters in front of him. The guiding torchlight now couldn't be seen due to the thick mist.
Now, he could say one thing he wanted to say earlier.
"I fucked up."
— Honestly, yes
— You should've remembered the path. It's so easy
— I didn't even get lost lol. How could you get lost?