#216Black ForestAI Model: gemini-2.5-flash
Chapter 168 The Black Forest
Chapter 216: Black Forest
"Hmm? Have we gathered everyone so quickly?"
Mu Yang rubbed his eyes, stretched, and got out of the armored vehicle.
Brother No-Umbrella hadn't seen his appearance clearly before, but now he realized that, apart from Old Baal, they were all familiar faces.
So, the group reintroduced themselves simply. However, what caught Su Xiao's attention was that compared to Brother No-Umbrella, who had repeatedly escaped death, and Old Baal, who was cunning and sly, Mu Yang seemed more concerned about the naive Little Confused.
If Su Xiao knew of his confusion, Mu Yang would only nod. Even without knowing the plot, it was normal for him to prioritize Little Confused.
Not to mention he had seen Little Confused's general information.
After learning that he was about to advance to Tier 2, Ruo Yi and Xiao Xian, through merchant guild channels, compiled a list of powerful Contractors in Tier 1 who might advance to Tier 2 around the same time as him.
Su Xiao and Little Confused were both on that list, along with some simple intelligence, such as the former being a master swordsman and the latter being a stealth assassin skilled in disguise.
However, even if he knew nothing, Mu Yang would not underestimate Little Confused, and the reason was simple.
A child without adult care, yet able to survive in a man-eat-man place like Reincarnation Paradise until the advancement trial.
Normal people might feel pity for the child, thinking she had a hard life; but Mu Yang was certain that there was something unusual about this girl, and she was definitely not as fragile and simple as she appeared.
Because a child who can advance to Tier 2 is either a ruthless killer with extremely strong disguise abilities, or possesses powerful abilities and is valued by a large adventure group.
If the girl were the latter, she would definitely halt the world's progress and wait for her group members to advance to Tier 2 together.
But now she was alone, and the specific situation was self-evident.
"Let's go. We only have three days at most. If we encounter any unexpected delays on the way, we won't make it in time."
"Okay."
"Alright."
Compared to the proactive Mu Yang, Brother No-Umbrella and Little Confused seemed less willing.
Because he and Su Xiao voluntarily entered the Black Forest, while Little Confused, Brother No-Umbrella, and Old Baal were forced.
A thin blood vine was attached to their necks, which was the Daughter of Yang's method of controlling them, so they had no choice but to go.
Old Baal, on the other hand, due to his identity, couldn't defeat the Daughter of Yang, so he also had to enter the Black Forest.
"Since we're a team, should we elect a leader?"
"That's meaningless. Let's just go."
"Alright."
Old Baal put away the map. As the person most familiar with the Black Forest, it was natural for him to hold the map.
However, everyone else had memorized the map, so it didn't matter who carried it.
Since Su Xiao had been driving for a long time, Brother No-Umbrellatook over the wheel.
The journey was not peaceful; they frequently encountered those attempting to hijack the vehicle, but they all ultimately died under Mu Yang's flames or Su Xiao's blade.
After several hours of high-speed travel, the armored vehicle slowly stopped, and a dense forest appeared in the sight of the five people and one dog.
"The Black Forest truly lives up to its name; the tree trunks and leaves are indeed black."
"Drive in?"
"No, the armored vehicle makes too much noise. If we go in, we'll surely die."
Mu Yang said with a solemn tone, and Su Xiao also nodded in agreement with his words.
In Mu Yang's perception, this Black Forest in front of them was like a black beast devouring the world, and its danger level was definitely not something normal Tier 1 Contractors could navigate.
"What about water and supplies? There are so many of us; we'll definitely need a lot of water and food."
Little Confused carried a small backpack; with her physique, it was only enough for her own supplies.
"I'll carry them."
Mu Yang emptied a portion of his storage ring space and put the items inside.
No one was suitable for carrying heavy loads; they might encounter danger next, and heavy loads would affect their body movements, leading to accidental death.
"Then I'll lead the way."
Brother No-Umbrella put on his gear and strode to the front.
Although he was a tank, his equipment was not a shield, but a pair of heavy metal gauntlets that covered his hands all the way to his forearms.
This was also the choice of most combat tanks, offering both defense and offense.
As the group approached the Black Forest, they discovered a layer of black mist shrouding the forest. Even Brother No-Umbrella, with the weakest perception, could sense that directly touching the black mist was not a good idea.
Seeing this, apart from Mu Yang and Old Baal, who already knew the inside story, the other three frowned simultaneously.
With this black mist, the Black Forest was like a cage, only allowing entry and exit from fixed locations.
But if they encountered danger in the forest, they wouldn't have time to distinguish paths, so this journey meant they could only go forward, not retreat.
In fact, the entire Devouring Island was a cage, imprisoning some powerful beings.
On the last day of the trial, these black mists would disappear, and the prisoners of the Black Forest would break free, unleashing a disaster.
"How do we get in?"
Although the entrance was right in front of them, black mist also drifted there, though it was much thinner compared to other areas.
"One minute."
Saying this, Old Baal took a deep breath, and his eyes instantly turned fiery red.
A wisp of white flame shot from Old Baal's mouth, flying directly towards the black mist.
The black mist seemed to ignite and explode, making crackling sounds.
It took a full minute for the thin black mist at the entrance to be burned away, creating a hole just wide enough for one and a half people to pass through.
"Quick! The hole will only last for a dozen more seconds!"
After Old Baal finished speaking, he rushed in first, followed closely by the others.
Ten seconds later, the black mist at the entrance slowly surged, and the broken hole gradually healed.
In a sense, the group had no way back.
"So it's not black after all."
Only after truly entering the Black Forest did Little Confused realize that the trees were not black; they only appeared black from the outside due to the black mist.
"—Is this problem really worth dwelling on for so long?"
Brother No-Umbrella said speechlessly.
Completely different from the dead silence they had imagined, the Black Forest was not only filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, but the air even carried a hint of sweetness.
"Sweetness!"
"Don't worry, it's not poisonous."
"That's good then."
[You have entered a dangerous area: Black Forest!]
[You are being eroded by the Source of Black Mist, taking 1 point of true damage per second. After more than ten minutes of erosion, the damage will double!]
[After enduring the erosion of the Source of Black Mist for half an hour, an instant death judgment will be made every 5 seconds!]
Mu Yang took out a primal seed treated by the Daughter of Yang, and with a gentle squeeze, tiny blood vines grew from the seed and clung to him, and the erosion effect of the black mist disappeared.
The primal seed was the entry ticket to this Black Forest. Without it, even if one took medicine to resist the black mist for half an hour, they would eventually be killed by the instant death judgment.
[After enduring the erosion of the Source of Black Mist for half an hour, an instant death judgment will be made every 5 seconds!]
Mu Yang took out a primal seed treated by the Daughter of Yang, and with a gentle squeeze, tiny blood vines grew from the seed and clung to him, and the erosion effect of the black mist disappeared.
The primal seed was the entry ticket to this Black Forest. Without it, even if one took medicine to resist the black mist for half an hour, they would eventually be killed by the instant death judgment.
"Let's quickly decide on a route; we don't have much time."
Hearing this, Old Baal took out the map.
"We are here,"
Old Baal pointed to the bottom left corner of the map, "and our destination is through half the forest, all the way to here."
He pointed to the right side of the map, meaning everyone had to cross half the map.
Mu Yang, however, had a premonition that his goal was further than everyone else's; he had to cross the entire forest.