Episode 39:
Forest of Old Trees Still, a few users were seen at the beginning.
X canceled the summoning of Yongyong. Yongyong’s appearance is enough to attract users’ attention. Men who appeared to be at a party were having a conversation.
“Brother, no matter what, the forest of old trees is a little….”
“Baby, are we in a position to choose hot and cold food? Those who aren’t with us should hunt here at least. “Even if you can’t make money, you still have to raise your level.”
“But don’t go too deep, right?”
“of course. “Because the rumors are also scary.”
A ghost story from the forest of old trees!
‘You said you had auditory hallucinations, right?’
It is a forest of old trees that users already avoid. Moreover, there was a widespread rumor that if you go deep into the cave, you will hear horrifying auditory hallucinations.
X snorted and passed the men.
‘Where are the ghosts in the world?’
Children are the only children in the world!
For X, whose self-confidence was sky-high, auditory hallucinations were not an obstacle. Rather, I was glad to hear auditory hallucinations. It will prevent other users from entering the deep area.
“I just have to pull out the mulberry.”
I took a deep breath and felt the damp air.
It was dark due to the old tree preventing sunlight from entering, but not enough to light a torch.
While X was looking around, he felt a presence behind him.
“Excuse me?”
“yes? “What’s going on?”
“Do you have a party? We also plan to hunt in the Forest of Old Trees, so if you don’t have company, why not join us? “There is no priest, but that guy learned healing magic.”
These were the men who had been talking at the entrance just a moment ago. They were the first to talk to X after seeing his good-looking equipment. X replied slyly.
“I don’t have a party, but I’m not here to hunt. Just take a quick look around and you’ll find what you need. As you know, the Forest of Old Trees is an ugly place, right?”
Lies flowing out loud.
The men nodded at X’s words.
“Whew, you see. I guess it’s a forest of old trees. After all, it’s not easy to find a party. We’ll have to give up here too. take care!”
“thank you.”
The men came to the forest of old trees to cry and eat mustard, but they seemed reluctant to go in. That’s because once you enter the forest of old trees, you can’t see any other users.
‘There may be a few people in this large place.’
The thick and tall old trees blocked the view like a wall.
For general users, these psychological factors could not be ignored.
But X is a monster blinded by greed!
“I guess I can hunt properly without worrying about how I see?”
Raise your level, increase your stats, and increase your skill level!
X headed toward the forest path with a greedy smile on his face.
Patter! Soon, a presence was felt on top of a tall old tree.
‘They don’t attack you easily.’
Variants that deal with magic and mana.
Therefore, it could not be said that he had any physical strength. They didn’t even come close, as if they knew about it. Suddenly, something flew over X’s head.
Shoo! A small but fast and threatening throw!
X lowered his head and exclaimed in exclamation.
‘Is it true that squirrels also use magic?’
What flew away was an acorn. However, an acorn wrapped in mana had more power than a stone sling. The ground where the acorns fell was hollow.
‘I guess I’ll have no choice but to use a bow here.’
X found a mutant squirrel on an old tree. Green light was flowing from its body. It was evidence that mana was controlled under the influence of the old tree.
X aimed the bowstring.
“I can shoot a bow better than most archers?”
What X said was not a lie.
Currently, X’s agility exceeds 520 points, and his skill in using an accurate bowstring exceeds 30%. No matter how nimble a squirrel was, it was still capable of hitting it.
Pang! When X let go of the bowstring, the arrow flew out.
Sigh! The squirrel, unable to avoid it, fell from the old tree.
X clenched his fists.
‘For now, clear the squirrel with ease.’
Who is the next meat, or the next prey?
X’s sparkling eyes scanned the old tree. And it wasn’t long before he found his prey.
“…What an amazing looking deer.”
Goooooh.
A mutant horned deer that emits green light just like a squirrel! Perhaps because of his belligerent nature, the guy started stamping his feet when he saw X. Mana flickered from the guy’s body.
‘It’s definitely anomalous magic.’
Animals living in the forest of old trees became mutated by receiving the energy of the old trees. Therefore, it seemed to use magic similar to anomalous natural magic.
Shuuuuuk! An illusion of a horned deer charging towards X!
The horned deer attacked X with an illusion created from mana.
Swish! X turned his body, but the illusion also turned to follow X.
‘I think I understand why users turned away.’
The level of difficulty is considerable!
They were variants that used difficult natural magic.
General users without magic resistance will have no choice but to struggle. Hana X felt good.
“You have to do this to get the feeling of fighting!”
The food you eat after working hard is the best!
For X, who always wanted to do his best, these attacks were welcome. X moved his body around to avoid the barrage of anomalous attacks.
“ouch.”
Occasionally, I couldn’t avoid the acorns flying from a blind spot, but all I could see was X avoiding them. The battle did not last long. Even though it is anomalous, it is not enough to handle X’s stats. X cleared the surroundings in an instant and took the loot.
“The only ingredients are real ingredients and meat.”
Even though it was a variant, its base was an animal. The reward was definitely low compared to the level of difficulty. Still, the leather contained a subtle energy of mana. These become material items for a robe.
“Of course, there is no trophy better than this for me.”
It was X who had handled and cooked countless meats.
Therefore, dozens of flavors could be created with just one new meat.
That means you can increase your stats dozens of times!
“My satiety level also dropped. “Shall we get started soon?”
Let’s start cooking!
There were three new ingredients that X obtained from the forest of old trees.
Variant Squirrel Meat Variant Venison Meat Variant Rabbit Meat.
Except for squirrel meat, I was sick of venison and rabbit meat.
However, the names of the items were different. It was definitely a different meat.
“You’ll find out when you eat something.”
X first picked up the mutant rabbit meat.
-Variant rabbit meat (rare)
Meat from rabbits that only live in forests of old trees.
It contains the energy of an old tree.
Saturation: +50%
Special Effect: No penalty for eating without cooking. The saturation gained from ‘Stunted Rabbit Meat’ is lost 50 percent more slowly.
‘I tend not to get caught after eating rabbit meat.’
Repeated cooking effort!
It was X who cooked consistently. Thanks to this, I gained a sense of how to cook ingredients.
X lit a fire and seasoned the rabbit meat.
‘I think this will be enough at first?’
Of course, many spices are waiting for you next time. Golden brown! X roasted the rabbit meat, turning it carefully to prevent it from burning. It was painful to hold it in because my satiety level was low.
“done.”
All at once! The finished variant of roasted rabbit.
Munch! X tore into the roasted rabbit with a skewer.
[The heavenly sense of taste has discovered the hidden taste of ‘roasted mutant rabbit’!]
[The mana contained in the mutant rabbit is absorbed into the body!]
[Maximum mana increases by 100 points!]
[Intelligence increases by 5 points! ]
“What the hell?”
Be surprised by the taste and be surprised by the notification!
Roast rabbit without spices increases mana and intelligence?
It was a different effect from the previous effects of eating meat, which mainly increased maximum stamina and strength.
“Is it because they are guys who control mana?”
The first monster that used magic was X. X’s eyes sparkled as if he felt proud of discovering a new fact.
‘Then what kind of buff does Heavenly Cooking give?’
It seemed like it would probably give a buff that would make it easier to operate in the forest of old trees. Like the heavenly dish that improved movement speed in the forest. But this is no ordinary forest.
“Heavenly cuisine.”
Ssssss! The shadow of the Gourmet King led X.
The Gourmet King’s recipe wasn’t complicated either. Following the shadow’s guidance, X put some leaves picked from nearby old trees into a pot and boiled water. Bubble bubble! When the water boiled, I added the mutant rabbit meat and covered it with a lid.
“The more I look at it, the better I seem to be doing, right?”
Half seriously, half joking.
X muttered about the simple recipe and opened the lid.
A heavenly dish is ready.
“thank you for this food!”
The moment you bite into it, the concentrated flavor spreads into your mouth.
A refreshing taste that is not greasy or fishy.
I never thought meat would taste more than just refreshing, it would taste refreshing!
“That was a cheeky remark. teacher.”
An apology came out of nowhere.
It was the first time I had ever tasted something like this.
Soon a notification came to mind.
[The heavenly sense of taste has discovered the hidden taste of the ‘Ilseong Cooking Old Tree Rabbit’!]
[The energy of the old tree is absorbed into the body!]
[Movement speed in the Old Tree Forest is doubled for 60 minutes!]
[60 minutes Intelligence increases by 100 points in the Forest of Old Trees!]
[The ability to communicate with nature increases significantly for 60 minutes!]
X tilted his head.
‘The ability to communicate with nature…?’
Other effects were intuitive. These are also effects we are familiar with.
But the ability to communicate with nature? This is my first time receiving such a bulky buff.
Let’s get it done before it gets cold.
X thought deeply as he ate the leftover food.
‘It would be a fitting effect for the Forest of Old Trees…’
Heavenly cuisine is closely related to the characteristics of the monsters it is made of.
As I thought about that, a thought passed through my mind.
“…Natural magic!”
Mutants who used anomalous natural magic!
Wouldn’t a significant increase in the ability to communicate with nature increase one’s ability to use natural magic?
After thinking that, X immediately stood up.
“You’ll know when you try it. Dancing stems!”
Kuddeuk!
A stem rose up from the ground with a tremendous sound.
“What?!”
A stem that is not only large but magnificent!
Currently, X’s intelligence has increased by 100 points due to the Heavenly Cooking effect. However, even if the intelligence increased by 100 points, it was a huge increase that could not be compared to before.
“what?”
Moreover, the stem moved as X led his hand.
There was definitely a difference from before, when it was sprawling out as it pleases. X, confident, smiled.
‘This is what I meant by the ability to communicate with nature.’
As your ability to communicate with nature increases, the power of natural magic increases. Although it may not seem like a big deal, it is a natural magic that is not known to the world. I felt good when I thought I had discovered the secret.
“I need to stock up on a lot of mutant meat.”
Since it greatly increases the control and power of natural magic, it seems like there will be many uses for it over a long period of time.
X released the dancing stem and took his place.
“Is it time to start using spices?”
Time to increase your stats in earnest!
X, who was diligently taking out spices from his inventory, paused for a moment.
Whisper quietly.
‘…What are you talking about just now?’
I felt like I heard a small voice.
Is it an illusion?
X shrugged his shoulders and picked up the cooking utensils again.
Wow! Then he was so shocked that he threw away the cooking utensils.
It was worth it.
Because the giant tree in front of me had a face on it!
The giant tree’s mouth gaped.
-Can you… hear… our… voices…?
“I am a tree talking?”
A bizarre auditory hallucination echoing in the forest of old trees!
X, whose ability to communicate with nature has greatly increased, unintentionally discovers the cause of his auditory hallucinations.
The old tree continued.
-We… need help… your help…
help?
Even though X was dumbfounded, he did not miss the old tree’s words. Whatever the reason, I was able to understand the old tree. The old tree in front of you is asking for help. Isn’t this clearly a quest?
‘I’m sure. It smells like a quest!’
X answered quickly.
“Of course, just order anything!”
Munchkin that I eat all by myself
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