After 8 hours of good rest, all of them entered the Fairy Mountains. It was not only one mountain but 6 of them with a path in the middle, like a canyon.
Arthur’s group slowly made their way through the Fairy Mountains, looking at all sides, trying to find danger before it could find them.
A sense of dread, as if someone was lurking in the shadows, behind every bush, every tree, waiting for the right moment to pounce and strike.
Perhaps there were monsters hiding inside the Fairy Mountains, or maybe all of them were trapped inside an illusion and simply did not know about it?
The possibilities were endless, but all they could do was keep trying to leave that mountain range as fast as they could.
At least no one got poisoned again, and the culprit behind it was still unknown, but Arthur knew he would discover more about it, eventually.
There was a river that passed through the middle of the Fairy Mountains. A common gathering spot for all the beasts, as they needed water to survive.
When Arthur and his squad reached that location, they became more cautious. They weren’t certain beasts were lurking in the shadows before, but now it was clear as day.
The moment they got close to the river, a fox type creature dashed towards them. It was an orange fur, and 6 legs. Arthur did not feel well looking at that strange the beast.
Even the sound of that creature did not resemble a fox, contrary to how its face looked. The squad Merethyl had chosen wasn’t weak at all. Jassin was the first one to move, dashing rapidly through the forest, appearing behind that creature, slashing his dagger at the back of the head.
It died on the spot. Maybe they weren’t the most trustworthy people, but strength was something they had. Arthur was happy, as he did not need to move, and his squad did most of the job.
“This is the feeling of a king.”
They kept following the river as it led to the other side of the Fairy Mountains, which was exactly the place they had to go.
Monsters kept appearing. Whoever these were weak, and Arthur did not need to move an inch as his squad took care of everything.
“Wait. Didn’t we pass by this place already?” Arthur said.
He had better senses than these elves, so he quickly noticed something was off. They had passed through the same tree 2 times already. Arthur knew about it because of his outstanding memory.
The others had not noticed it, but kept walking and pay close attention to that tree Arthur talked about, to see if that was indeed the case.
After some time, they were once again back at the same spot.
“It is true. We are trapped in a loop.”
“A fairy illusion?”
“Certainly. How do we get out of it?” Arthur said.
These elves had more knowledge about the fairies than Arthur, so he was the one asking for guidance this time. Apparently, the fairies were hidden inside the illusion itself, using their mana to keep them inside the illusion. Therefore, if one wanted to get out, then finding the fairy was the answer.
It wouldn’t be a simple task to do so, or else the Fairy Mountains wouldn’t be famous worldwide as a dangerous place where casualties happened constantly.
“Everyone here is good at stealth and agility. So, let’s part ways and look for the fairy. If you find any danger, then flee and scream. We will go looking for you.” Arthur said.
“Understood.”
~~~~
Arthur was alone, doing his best to find the fairy and stop that illusion. Based on what the elves had told them, their bodies were paralyzed in the real world, and the beasts there could end their lives, therefore leaving that illusion was their top priority.
It was easier saying than doing it. No matter how hard Arthur tried, he could not find the hidden fairy. The forest looked normal, without a single trace of that creature.
“Maybe it is invisible? Or tiny? Honestly, I don’t know the exact appearance of a fairy.” Arthur thought.
The same beasts they found in the real world showed up to attack him. Arthur even let one of those to hit him, and the pain was real too.
Was his actual body getting wounded as well? He did not know the answer for that, but he hoped that wasn’t the case. After his testing was done, Arthur killed all the beasts that came looking for him, but the more he killed, the more it showed up.
He was inside an illusion, after all. It was not the real world where the beasts had a limited number. There their number was endless, and as long as the fairies had mana, they could keep spawning more and more monsters to attack him.
That’s why finding the fairy was their priority, or else they could end up dead, and even Arthur, who was someone powerful, could perish.
“What is the best way for me to find it?”
Arthur noticed how the area of the illusion was affected, just like the real world. For example, if he cut a tree there, then it would remain cut inside the illusion.
So, theoretically speaking, if Arthur wiped out the surrounding area, killing the fairy wouldn’t be impossible.
“Hehehe.”
He used his flight spell and made a fire signal midair so that all the other squad members gathered where he was.
“Akhur, is something wrong?”
They were all together once again, and Arthur explained them his idea. Craziness was the first thing that crossed their minds…
All the squad members got away from the starting point of the illusion, and awaited for Arthur, who was flying above the area, preparing a spell.
It took him some time to cast, but suddenly 7 magical circles appeared in the sky, and the temperature of the area increased to an extraordinary level.
“He truly knows a tier 7 spell? He’s one of the strongest beings in this world!” Jassin said.
An immense ball of flames appeared in the sky, descending into the ground. The trees turned to ashes before the ball even reached the floor, and if a fairy was there, it would not survive.