Scholar Balen was filled with excitement at that moment. He had seen a Child of the Forest, and it was a real, tangible individual, not just some villager's sighting.
Although Scholar Balen wasn't a believer, he really wanted to thank the Seven Gods right now. His vague, ethereal dream might actually come true.
However, this excitement didn't last long before Marco ruthlessly shattered it. He told Scholar Balen that he had received a divine revelation and had to go into the depths of the forest with the Child of the Forest.
Initially, Scholar Balen had refused, but when Marco suggested that he could get up close and personal with the Child of the Forest, Scholar Balen threw Big Jon's initial warnings to the wind.
"Lord Marco! You must bring her back! Hahaha! I can forge a new copper chain! Ouch!"
Scholar Balen shouted at Marco as he waved his hand, but Little Jon kicked him to the ground.
At this moment, Little Jon was being supported by two of the Snow Bear Knights, and another was raising a crossbow to keep watch.
Little Jon was filled with rage, but he couldn't vent it on the warriors beside him, so he could only take it out on his own scholar. He said resentfully:
"Didn't I tell you to stop them! What the hell were you doing? Cheering them on?"
Scholar Balen clambered to his feet, clutching his backside, and said with a fawning smile to Little Jon:
"Lord Jon! Please don't be angry! Even if you weren't injured, I don't believe you could have stopped Lord Marco!
His attitude towards these mysterious things is just like my attitude towards knowledge, fervent and reckless! Hahaha! I believe he'll be back!"
Little Jon still wanted to struggle, but the effects of the medicine hit him, and his mind instantly went blank. He could do nothing about it, and could only manage to say brokenly:
"Old Gods!... Above! I hope you! Bless Lord Marco! Otherwise! My! Father and the others won't let me off!"
Meanwhile, deep within the forest, Marco and his companions were walking towards the Weirwood Tree. Moonshadow said that their hidden cave was nearby, and the monster was likely there.
The forest was eerily silent, not even a chirp of insects or birdsong could be heard, as if some terrifying presence had scared them all away.
The reason for all this was a faint, chilling aura permeating the forest, a power that seemed to be growing stronger with each passing moment.
Marco could sense a cold energy spreading everywhere, not the chill of melting snow, but a cold that pierced the soul.
With Marco's level increasing, he seemed to be able to feel the flow and operation of some energy.
The Shadow Lynx let out a low growl, and white mist billowed from its mouth. The special energy made the surrounding temperature exceptionally cold, instantly causing its whiskers to be covered with a few glistening ice beads.
Child of the Forest Moonshadow turned her head and said to Marco, "Humans who speak the First Tongue, you are getting closer and closer to that Weirwood Tree. Aren't you afraid?"
Marco looked at her, amused, and said, "In our eyes, you're just a little girl. If even you're not afraid, why should we be?"
"I'm not a little girl. In your human terms, I'm already 1600 years old! I... I just haven't actually fought, and I don't use combat magic either, but I have animal companions, and they will help me!"
"Woof!" ...
The Shadow Lynx let out a warning growl, interrupting the two who were still talking. Marco, reacting quickly, immediately ordered everyone to be on guard.
Since "Little Jon" and the others weren't around to watch, Marco had Henk and the others bring out their Obsidian weapons.
A shadow flashed within the blackthorn bushes deep in the forest, and several forest wolves suddenly burst out. Upon closer inspection, it became clear that these forest wolves had already become Wights.
Their gray-white eyes emitted a terrifying blue light, appearing eerie and terrifying.
These Wights quickly charged towards Marco and his group. Their slender bodies allowed them to nimbly dodge several crossbow bolts.
Following them, over ten more Wights emerged, including a giant brown bear and a skeletal horse.
Perhaps because the dragon hadn't been resurrected yet, these Obsidian weapons didn't cause the Wights to rapidly decay and vanish as they did in the television series.
Marco saw a Wight wolf that had been hit by four Obsidian arrows still running fast. However, although the effect was weakened, it didn't mean it was ineffective. As long as there were enough arrows, these Obsidian arrows could still kill the Wights.
Loren Hawk-eye, standing beside Marco, seized the opportunity and fired two more arrows at the Wight wolf, hitting its head and chest respectively.
This time, the Wight wolf finally couldn't hold on any longer. After letting out a strange howl, it slowly decayed and dissipated.
Seeing that it finally worked, Marco's heart settled. When he first saw that the Obsidian weapons didn't have the effect he expected, his heart had clenched.
Marco realized he often made the mistake of relying on "experience," each time relying on his knowledge of the TV series to make wild guesses about things, "Wildfire" was like that, and so were the "White Walkers."
Thinking about it, if he hadn't encountered this quest, he might have been wiped out by the Wight army when he went to the Wastelands.
Marco's original idea was that with Obsidian weapons, he and his men could walk all over the Wastelands, but he didn't expect reality to slap him so hard.
It seems I really can't underestimate these local forces, or I'll really suffer a big loss! White Walkers have existed for thousands of years; they can't possibly die as comically as in the TV series!
Marco thought silently. He was now somewhat relieved that he had encountered the White Walkers early on; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
The second wave of Wights, led by the Wight Bears, charged forward. These White Walkers were severely decayed, so they weren't as fast as the Wight Wolves.
Seeing the brown bears and skeletal horses rush towards them, Sas Tin and his two companions raised their shields and met them head-on.
As level 3 soldiers, they were already powerful. With Marco's skills buffing them, their speed and strength had noticeably increased.
Marco, watching his three guards charge, immediately cast "Blessing Ritual." A giant angel's phantom flashed in the air, bestowing the three system soldiers with immense strength and courage.
Naksis, standing beside Marco, also received the blessing, filling him with courage. He almost wanted to rush in and engage the Wights in close combat.
Bang! Bang!
Two impact sounds rang out. Two animal Wights clashed with Sas Tin and his companions. They were all skilled swordsmen, and with the protection of their shields,
the two Wights couldn't inflict much damage. With the shield bash ability activated, the two terrifying Wights had their heads lopped off.
With the experience gained from the initial attack, the Snow Bear Knights all focused their fire on the same wights. By the time they reached Sas Tin and the others, each one had at least five or six arrows sticking out of them.
Obsidian weapons still had a certain suppressive effect on these wights. When Sas Tin and the others dealt with the wights that charged forward, they were basically one-hit kills.
Watching the wight horde being wiped out, Marco revealed a satisfied smile. At first, when the obsidian weapons weren't effective, he almost wanted to use magic.
However, as someone traveling outside, he had to conserve his mana. He tried not to use magic unless absolutely necessary, especially in front of others.
Although he had the characteristics of Naksis, which allowed him to save a certain amount of mana each time, without the replenishment of a magic guild, he couldn't use magic as he pleased.
If he accidentally used up all his mana, Marco would only be able to rely on drinking blood or finding magic items to restore his mana. The Wastelands were much more dangerous than here, and mana was a precious resource.
Marco had once experimented with his own blood and found that it did indeed have the ability to restore mana, but this method could only be used once a day.
The first time, it could restore about half of his mana, but the effect would weaken in the following days.
Moreover, there seemed to be a certain impediment when using blood to restore mana. Marco discovered this during his experiments; the attack power of his magic skills decreased, and the casting time also increased after using blood.
Just then, an ice spear suddenly shot towards Marco. He only felt someone forcefully pull him back.
In an instant, he was moved away from where he had just been standing. Although somewhat disheveled, he had still managed to save his life.
At this moment, an entirely ice-composed spear landed, impaling itself about 30 centimeters from where he had been. Marco turned his head and saw that Henk had pulled him back just in time.
Marco thanked him and then turned his gaze to a large tree not far away. A humanoid creature was standing on the crown of that tree.
He was full of deathly aura, with cracks all over his dark skin. When the sunlight fell on him, a hint of blue-black blood mixed with ice shards could be vaguely seen, slowly flowing out of his wounds.
With Henk's order, the Snow Bear Knights' seven obsidian crossbow bolts quickly shot towards the creature.
However, unlike the wights, he was very agile. Long before the crossbow bolts were fired, he had already flipped and jumped down from the tree.
After seeing the wights eliminated, it didn't linger, but instead ran into the depths of the forest. It seemed to possess some intelligence.
Seeing this, Marco immediately ordered everyone to pursue, and at the same time, he called over Moonshadow, the Child of the Forest, who was already eager to try.
Marco asked her, "Can your companion smell that thing's scent?"
Originally, Marco could also communicate with the Shadow Lynx, but this big cat was extremely wild, and showed a fierce expression to everyone except Moonshadow.
This always left Marco feeling helpless. He always felt that this Shadow Lynx seemed to be very hostile towards him, but he couldn't figure out what the problem was!
After hearing Marco's words, Moonshadow immediately nodded in agreement, then lowered her head and whispered to the Shadow Lynx. Then Marco heard the Shadow Lynx growl, seemingly saying, "Yes."
So Marco had Moonshadow follow behind the team, chasing into the forest. Along the way, the seven Snow Bear Knights were still continuously using their crossbows to shoot at the White Walker.
After everyone had chased for more than 200 meters, Loren Hawk-eye, who was beside Marco, seized the opportunity and launched a fatal blow. The obsidian arrow flew out and instantly pierced the White Walker's heart.
The force of the arrow knocked the White Walker off balance, and it crashed to the ground, a low growl escaping its throat.
The White Walker yanked the obsidian arrow from its chest, where it had pierced its heart. Wisps of steam still rose from the arrow, suggesting the obsidian had some effect, though it didn't dissolve the creature into dust as in the tales.
Seeing this, Marco immediately ordered the attack. Most of the obsidian arrows were aimed at the White Walker. It howled, its body beginning to tremble violently.
Marco and his men slowly approached, finally getting a clear look at the White Walker. It still retained a human-like form, though its body was covered in cracks.
This creature was unlike the White Walkers Marco had seen before. It still had human hair and eyes. Now, struck by the obsidian arrows, its wounds were widening.
Just as the Snow Bear Knights prepared to deliver the killing blow, a ghostly blue energy surged from the White Walker.
A frigid, biting wind erupted from the Wight, seemingly with a will of its own, and swept towards Marco and his men. The chilling energy caused a wave of numbness to wash over them.
Without waiting for Marco's command, the Snow Bear Knights loosed their crossbow bolts. The glass-like obsidian arrows instantly struck the White Walker.
His head and heart were the focus of the attack. Finally, under the barrage of arrows, the energy within the White Walker was completely neutralized. The White Walker's body slowly turned to dust, dissipating into the air.
Marco, relying on his faint senses, also sensed the changes in the White Walker. The cold energy within its body seemed to be the opposite of obsidian's properties.
The reason obsidian could kill White Walkers was ultimately due to the fire magic energy it contained.
Obsidian was also known as "dragon glass." It was a medium for magic in this world. The Children of the Forest and the Valyrians both used dragon glass to cast spells.
The Valyrians called dragon glass "frozen fire," while the Children of the Forest believed dragon glass was forged by the gods using the flame of life.
Marco had once studied this famous magical item, but perhaps because of the different magic systems, dragon glass showed no reaction in his hands.
Thinking of this, Marco murmured, "Dragons! Dragons! It seems that only when dragons revive will these dragon glasses display their true power!"