Chapter 208: The Young Kek’s Mystical Forest (4k)
“Indeed, just a construct?”
Dark walked forward and bent down to examine the two giant bears’ bodies, hoping to find some additional gains.
However, as soon as his fingertips touched them, the giant bears suddenly disintegrated into scattered starlight, along with the core in Black Diarumon’s palm dispersing in the light.
It was as if they had never existed!
But the stone pedestals on either side of the passage, and the scattered fragments of stone shells, still remained.
“Could it be that they were not constructs?”
Dark picked up a bit of stone powder and observed it closely, feeling puzzled.
When he originally found this place according to the treasure map, something felt off.
Now, he suddenly remembered, gradually realizing the issue.
He quickly took out the map he had purchased from Traveler’s Street and examined it. Indeed, although the map included the area underfoot, it did not mark the two giant bear statues!
Clearly, they were so obvious and perfect for being map markers, yet there was no trace of them.
“Does this mean that these two statues did not exist before I arrived?”
“But that can’t be right; these are the third markers on the treasure map, they should have been here all along…”
“Unless, they are bound to the treasure map.”
“Because I have the treasure map, they appear.”
“This makes sense.”
Dark pondered for a while, thinking that the path ahead might not be peaceful.
Then, carrying a small imp beast would not be safe.
He thought for a moment and picked out a four-star mana spirit card from his deck, summoning it using a regular summoning spell.
After more than a minute, a white cat wearing a sacred ring around its tail leaped out of the mana spirit card!
Deoxys glanced at the Black Diarumon, which evolved from the imp beast, and a hint of undeniable disgust showed in its amber eyes!
There was an innate repulsion between sacred-type digital beasts and dark-type digital beasts.
Moreover, Deoxys and Black Diarumon were like the dual aspects of light and darkness.
If it weren’t for knowing that Black Diarumon was the evolved form of the imp beast, Deoxys might have already sent it to heaven with a “Kitty Punch”!
“Miaow—”
Black Diarumon ignored Deoxys’ hostility and simply put its scarf back on properly, then hugged Dark’s arm while the evolution was still ongoing.
Dark stroked its head and took a deep breath: “Let’s continue!”
…
A few minutes later, Black Diarumon returned to the imp beast form, taking up reconnaissance duties again.
Deoxys began consuming its own mana to sustain itself.
Though magic duel competitions prohibit it, magi can continuously inject mana into mana spirit cards or directly touch mana spirits to recharge them.
Unlike energy potions, recharging mana spirits is a slow process and cannot instantly add hundreds of mana points.
So long as Dark held the mana spirit card of Deoxys, he could continuously recharge it.
With his current extraordinary rate of mana recovery, it was enough to replenish the mana consumption of a four-star mana spirit.
However, as the recharging continued, a faint blush rose on Deoxys’ cheeks, and the warm flow entering its heart made its body slightly warm.
Dark didn’t notice Deoxys’ slight anomaly; he kept comparing the treasure map with the map, constantly adjusting their route. Finally, near noon, he found the fourth marker!
It was a wall composed of 16×16-1 sections.
The wall itself was very eye-catching.
But the hand-drawn pattern on the treasure map was of a wide-mouthed cat!
If it hadn’t been for finding a pattern resembling a cat’s paw on the wall sections, Dark wouldn’t have been able to confirm that this wall was the fourth marker.
There were 255 sections on the wall, each movable.
By comparing the treasure map’s pattern, Dark quickly understood that this should be a puzzle challenge.
The goal was to arrange the 255 sections into a cat pattern.
Although it seemed like a children’s puzzle, 255 sections were truly numerous!
Moreover, the sections high up on the wall could only be moved by the imp beast.
Worse still.
While the treasure map’s markers were cute, the frescoes on the walls were surreal!
In other words, the two images were completely different!
…
Dark first tried moving the sections within the frame to form the pattern but quickly realized how difficult it was; it couldn’t be completed in a short time.
Frustrated, he started trying to remove the puzzle pieces from the wall…
To his surprise, it worked!
Those sections were magnetically attached to the wall; pulling them out forcefully was easy!
Holding a section, Dark couldn’t help but recall past times playing with a Rubik’s cube.
Sometimes he would dismantle it when it couldn’t be solved…
This drastically reduced the difficulty of the puzzle!
Dark dismantled all the pieces and began assembling them according to the image in his mind.
About two hours later, he finally completed the assembly, revealing a mural of a lion roaring in the forest!
“Drawing a lion as a cat? You really got me, Alvaraite!”
Dark looked at the lion mural, his expression darkening.
If he hadn’t found a way to cheat, he would have been stuck here today!
“Click!”
Suddenly, a strange sound came from inside the wall.
Dark’s expression changed, and he saw a bright white light flash between the gaps of the puzzle pieces.
In the next instant.
The roar pierced through his eardrums!
The wall suddenly floated up, accompanied by a strong wind.
A foul stench followed the wind, hitting him.
Dark’s gaze met the lion’s closing mouth.
bl**d-red eyes filled with rage turned into a sinister growl.
Thick saliva dripped from its mouth.
It lowered its body and stepped out of the wall!
First, it gathered strength, then burst forth.
“Roar!”
Carrying a fierce aura, the lion lunged out like lightning!
…
Dark quickly retreated several steps, but his expression remained calm.
Although he didn’t expect the mural lion to come alive, this wasn’t too frightening.
As soon as he thought, a white figure suddenly appeared in his peripheral vision.
With a familiar presence flashing by, the white figure swiftly dived under the lion.
In an instant.
That fierce and mighty lion was disemboweled!
Though there was no bl**d splatter.
Its body plummeted, life rapidly fading, even its fur turning transparent!
What was once a painted figure returned to the painting.
As it dissipated with the wind, Dark saw Deoxys standing with its claws retracted!
And the door on the wall slowly opening.
“Next target!”
…
With the imp beast returning after scouting, Dark entered the gate in the wall.
When he emerged, he was already on a path not recorded on the map.
Up to this point, the map drawn by the student had become useless.
Dark had to reassess his direction and make his own markers.
To handle such situations, he brought a “fluorescent pen.”
This fluorescent pen, using magic dust as ink, could leave markings on the wall that lasted at least a week.
After a week or two, the markings would automatically dissipate, avoiding pollution of the secret passage.
Dark stopped to eat and then continued exploring.
Though the new map lacked reference points, the distance between markers was clearly shorter.
If things went smoothly, he might find the markers faster than before.
Originally, he thought so!
But he soon discovered that the secret passage from this point onward had changed in terrain and environment!
After just a few steps, the entire passage seemed to merge into an ancient forest. The monotonous white walls gradually disappeared, and the torches guiding the path vanished, replaced by entangled ancient trees, vines winding around the ceiling, huge rocks scattered in corners, and luminescent moss everywhere on the rocks.
The ceiling grew higher, and the ground became wet soil.
Multicolored luminescent moss reflected an eerie and fantastical world.
It felt like diving into a fairy tale forest, filled with vivid colors that instantly exploded!
Walking in this world, it was no longer just the sound of endless footsteps.
The rustling of leaves, the roar of wind, the chirping of insects…
The secret passage suddenly came alive, filled with an eerie vitality!
Yet, vibrant colors often indicated hidden dangers.
Dark became increasingly wary!
…
Half an hour later.
Feeling tired, Dark sat down at the base of a giant tree that even six or seven people couldn’t encircle, and took a sip of apple juice.
Deoxys stood faithfully by his side, while the imp beast continued searching nearby.
The fifth marker was an anchor.
But in an environment like an ancient forest, how could one find an anchor?
Dark first thought about finding water, as an anchor might represent a ship, which would be moored by a lake.
But he hadn’t seen any signs of water during his journey.
This was rare in an environment with large plants.
Yet, this area didn’t seem entirely natural, making it hard to judge.
He put the water bottle back in his bag, looked up at the dense canopy, and felt a tranquil yet incomplete forest atmosphere.
If not for the constant danger, this would be a good place for cultivation.
Just then, Deoxys flashed, and a mottled green snake blending into the shadows was sliced in half and thrown away.
“Well done.”
Dark stood up, feeling relieved.
Without Deoxys protecting him, he felt he wouldn’t last ten minutes in this environment.
Deoxys crossed its arms, glanced at him, then turned away with a subtle smile.
Then…
“Help! Help!”
The imp beast screamed frantically, running in like a wasp hive had been disturbed.
Dark instinctively reached into his card pack, and Deoxys’ eyes glinted sharply.
Both looked toward the imp beast’s direction.
“d*mn!”
“Did we really disturb a wasp hive?”
Behind the imp beast, a swarm of glowing, firefly-like bugs chased after it.
The number of bugs was countless, forming a colorful stream like a rainbow in the forest, as if in a fairy tale dream.
Dark read in books that these were called “glow bees.” Each one was as long as a finger, and their stingers emitted a rare “light poison.”
The poisoned parts absorbed bl**d and turned into light.
As the light spread, the bl**d drained, muscles withered, and eventually, they turned into glowing skeletons.
Glow bees nested in the skeletons, continuing to multiply.
From the description, this was a terrifying insect.
The most common antidote was to cut off the glowing parts entirely!
Since the toxic areas glowed, they were easy to identify.
In a split second, Dark flicked his finger and drew a mana spirit card.
He held the card between his index and middle fingers, summoned it to his lips.
In just over three seconds, the regular summoning spell was complete.
Piplup appeared in a watery blue light!
…
To deal with a massive swarm of bugs, one needed a mana spirit with a wide-range skill.
Though Deoxys was powerful, it wasn’t well-suited for this.
Dark’s options included Eevee and Moon Eevee, both four-star mana spirits.
So, this was a chance for the newcomer to show its skills.
This was Piplup’s first battle!
“Momo!”
Piplup appeared and tried to nuzzle for a pat.
Dark stopped it, commanding: “Use Hypnosis on the swarm!”
Piplup tilted its head, confused: “Mo?”
Dark: “I’ll pet you later!”
Piplup: “Mo!”
Dark already had the selection card ready: “Don’t worry, the imp beast fears nothing.”
In an instant, Piplup’s eyes hardened, and it opened its mouth towards the approaching swarm!
With a clear, melodious call, the “Hypnosis” gained additional power from “Moist Voice,” transforming into layers of water waves, spreading rapidly like ripples, covering the entire sky in a blink!
“Hypnosis” wasn’t particularly powerful.
But it was enough to k*ll glow bees.
The hypnotic sound transformed into a d*ath knell.
Swarms of glow bees fell from the sky, their tails still glowing in seven colors, like light falling to the ground, painting the ground in a dreamy, colorful hue.
Dark waved his hand, and a light converged. The imp beast was already back in the selection card.
Once everything settled,
He released the imp beast again and asked: “What did you find?”
The imp beast excitedly replied: “Cat, I found a cat!”
Deoxys: “Meow?”
The imp beast puffed up its cheeks: “It’s an anchor, not a cat!”
