Chapter 453: Dark Demon Enters the Gray Mist Forest at Night (63/233)
Katrina Isaiah was also just a second-year student. Even with her relatively quick development, her height was only comparable to Dark’s.
Moreover, her slender figure made her appear even younger.
She had black hair that she wore with a straight fringe, barely covering her eyebrows. It was very low-key and delicate.
Her first impression on others reminded one of Vini Scarlet.
However, the top students of the Mana Academy seemed to share this common trait.
Dark and Katrina continued their conversation for a while before returning to their game against Tudor.
When Dark broke Tudor’s castle, the unyielding Tudor insisted on a best-of-three match, leading to another round of play.
Soon after, the Mana Train emitted a loud roar, shaking the entire car slightly.
“Is it about to start?” Tudor exclaimed excitedly.
Diana peered out the window, “It seems so.”
Rose’s expression was less than pleasant. “We’ll have to sit on this train for three whole days…”
Pistons chimed in, “There’s a restaurant, right? Three days is fine, as long as we can eat our fill.”
Diana immediately gave him a look of agreement, and their eyes met with a sense of mutual understanding.
“Rumble!”
Another loud sound echoed.
A sudden surge of mana rippled from the front of the train.
The light of mana spread along the chassis, quickly enveloping the entire Mana Train.
Then, amid the students’ cheers, the Mana Train lurched forward and started moving.
The intense vibrations were uncomfortable for the students.
It took two to three minutes for the Mana Train to stabilize somewhat, though it still occasionally shook.
For those prone to motion sickness, this was akin to torture.
Rose’s face turned slightly pale.
But she maintained a forced smile and silently endured.
…
The beautiful scenery flew by on both sides of the Mana Train, as swift as the passage of time.
By midday, the attendants reminded the students to stand up and head to the nearest restaurant for a light meal.
“It’s quite good; it must be the work of a halfling chef.”
Dark savored the taste of the grilled steak, casually placing the dessert—thin pancakes—onto Diana’s plate.
Diana’s eyes lit up as she wolfed down the last piece of steak and began eating the now doubled cake.
Pistons across from them looked envious and nudged Tudor.
But Tudor, of course, refused to give up his cake, pretending not to notice.
After lunch, the six of them spent a little time in the dining area before returning to their seats and dozing off.
Sitting and sleeping wasn’t comfortable, but there were no bunks yet in Saint Maryan’s Mana Train.
Given the technology’s infancy, they couldn’t ask too much.
In Dark’s compartment, Diana offered her seat to Rose.
Rose rested her head on her arms and slowly fell asleep.
Dark moved to the outside, sitting face-to-face with Katrina, both reading books.
Tudor and Pistons quietly played Mana Chess, with Diana watching from the side.
The Mana Train interior gradually quieted down.
Time stood still.
…
The Mana Train traversed plains and canyons, diving into underground tunnels and crossing lakes.
Traveling from the northern border of the kingdom to the south, passing through multiple stations, it finally arrived in Phoenix City before nightfall.
Legend has it that an immortal phoenix descended upon the land, burning a poisonous wasteland to black ash. Decades later, new life sprouted from the scorched earth, turning it into a thriving place.
People who migrated here made the phoenix their totem and built a massive phoenix statue.
As times progressed, one of the phoenix statue’s wings was broken during the war, and the original Phoenix Town became Phoenix City.
Phoenix City station was a major stop. Emma Maltis and Robert Broheim were among those who got off here.
With many people disembarking, the Mana Train became slightly more spacious.
After stopping for about half an hour, the Mana Train set off again.
Twilight descended.
The Mana Train passed through the sunset and entered the thick darkness.
After dinner, Dark and the others played around for a while before lying on the table, closing their eyes for a nap.
Travel fatigue was no joke; prolonged travel in the Mana Train wasn’t comfortable.
Around nine o’clock, Dark quietly got up, grabbed his backpack, and went to the bathroom. There, he adjusted his emotions, extracted the “Capital Sin” card, particularly choosing “Greed” due to insufficient “Pride” points.
After completing his nightly routine, Dark brushed his teeth and washed his face before quietly returning to the compartment.
The other students were deeply asleep, and the imp beast was snoring loudly on the table.
Dark smiled faintly and closed his eyes.
…
As night deepened, the Mana Train passed through the wilderness, skirting the edge of the Gray Mist Forest.
The forest ranger, standing outside the track guardrails, watched the roaring train pass, slowly pulling down his hat brim.
The dense gray mist was shattered by the Mana Train, and a cold aura seeped inside.
…
Dark Demon’s眼角 twitched slightly, and he instinctively frowned.
Then, he suddenly opened his eyes, and an eerie silence filled the air.
Everyone in the compartment was already asleep.
Rose lay on the table, burying her face in her arms.
Diana leaned against Rose, occasionally moving her mouth as if eating something.
Katrina sat upright, sleeping with a book on her knees.
Tudor and Pistons huddled together like the letter “人,” occasionally making sounds.
The imp beast sat up with a dazed look, its eyes full of moisture.
The surroundings felt oddly empty and eerily silent.
After a while…
Dark suddenly realized, “Ah, the Mana Train’s noise has stopped. Has it stopped?”
He grabbed the imp beast, placing it on his shoulder, then pushed open the compartment door and stepped into the corridor.
The entire carriage was very quiet, as if the other students were also deeply asleep.
He looked out the window, through the foggy glass, seeing a layer of dark green in the darkness.
Those were towering trees in the forest.
As his vision adapted to the darkness, the outline of the forest became clearer, and faint insect sounds could be heard.
Dark turned to look at the projection screen, where the words slowly scrolling read the name of this place—Gray Mist Forest.
“Gray Mist Forest, I remember it being somewhere between Etheland and Bagroya…”
Dark rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit dazed.
He subconsciously took a step.
When he came to his senses, he was already standing at the entrance of the carriage.
The door was inexplicably open, and the cool night wind blew in.
Faint moonlight poured down, dotting the dark ground with specks of light.
The railings on both sides of the track shimmered with clear mana runes, with two pillars standing on either side.
Stepping off the Mana Train, the insect sounds in the Gray Mist Forest suddenly grew louder.
Dark walked through the thick night, noticing the forest ranger standing outside the tracks and then spotting the small house behind him.
The forest ranger looked up, revealing a weathered face.
“Would you like to come in for a moment?”
The forest ranger stepped aside, revealing the small house behind him.
Dark nodded slightly and entered.
Inside, there was a lamp, a bed, a wooden table, and two chairs.
Outside, there was a smaller room, likely a kitchen.
The elderly forest ranger pulled out a chair from under the table, inviting him to sit. He handed a handmade cup of water to Dark.
Dark sat down, holding the cup with both hands, not drinking.
Only when the forest ranger sat opposite him did he speak, “This is the Gray Mist Forest?”
“Yes, and no,” the forest ranger replied, taking a sip of water. The liquid flowed down his throat.
Then he put down the cup and said hoarsely, “Do you know why water flows downhill?”
[Of course, but will you understand what I say?]
Dark casually replied, “Because people move upwards.”
The forest ranger: “…”
The insect sounds outside paused momentarily.
The forest ranger, after a brief pause, continued, “Do you know why fire is extinguished by water?”
[Of course, because water is an inflammable substance that absorbs heat, lowering the temperature of flammable materials below the ignition point.]
Dark stated, “Because water overcomes fire.”
The forest ranger fell silent for a moment, “It seems you have a thorough understanding of attribute counteractions.”
Dark: “I memorized the attribute counteraction table.”
The forest ranger’s eyes already had a heavy shadow, “Do you know why we always see lightning before hearing thunder?”
[Of course, because light travels faster than sound.]
Dark blinked, “Without lightning, how would there be thunder?”
“Crack!”
The forest ranger’s cup instantly developed cracks.
The remaining water seeped out through the gaps.
His hand grew coarse hair, rapidly swelling, becoming extremely thick.
That “swelling” spread from his palm, transforming his originally thin arm into a muscular giant arm, with a hard shell suddenly bulging on his shoulder.
The half-lit face in the light reflected a twisted gorilla-like face, starkly contrasting with the human half.
“Roar!”
A wild beast-like roar erupted from his throat.
The forest ranger smashed the wooden table with one hand and stood up.
The sudden burst of ferocity made the insect sounds cease abruptly.
Dark slightly turned his head, and wood splinters flew, cutting his cheek and drawing blood.
But he laughed instead, “That’s right, we’re all civilized, so why use words when we can fight?”
He then leaped backward, fingers flicking through his card pack, and two Mana Cards were already clamped between his fingers.
“In the name of Dark Demon, Mana Summon—Mana Spirit!”
伴随着召唤之光闪耀，墨绿色的幽灵系魔导精灵急窜而出。
“妖咪——”
或许是发现此处并非决斗场，梦妖一出来便往达克脸上蹭，如鱼得水般欢快。
达克伸手将其捞到面前，神情已放松下来。
虽然不知身处何地，但既然能顺利召唤魔导精灵，那就没什么好怕的了。
而他对面的森林守护者虽化作半人半猩猩的狰狞模样，却并未如其气息一般凶暴地扑上来，而是左手探入，从左腿挂着的卡包中抽出了一张魔导卡！
毫无疑问，他也是一名魔导师。
达克神色微动，嗤笑道：“原来是同行。”
森林守护者用半边人类的身体低吟道：“我见过你的决斗，你的魔导精灵每一只都有着极高的智能等级。”
达克坦然道：“既然是特意因我而来，想必已经做好了承受死亡命运的准备。”
“死亡不过是新生的开始，命运存在的意义就是被打破。”森林守护者的语气中带着兽吼。
达克无所谓地说：“那就再死一次——启动吧，吸血鬼秘仪！”
“妖咪！”
梦妖猛地向前飞出，鲜红如血的液体从其身前滴落，在与地面接触的刹那向外层层扩散。
一个巨大的鲜血法阵迅速铺就，撑着黑色洋伞的吸血鬼千金从中优雅迈出。
“鲜血祭祀！”
达克夹着魔导卡的两指并起，抬手指向森林守护者。
吸血鬼千金细长的双目猛然眯起，一丝血光闪耀。
随后她收起洋伞，从指尖流淌出的血液如蛇般缠上伞柄，使得漆黑洋伞散发出红到发黑的光芒。
当那血光亮至极致时，她踩着舞鞋的脚尖猛一发力，整个人如风起一般冲向森林守护者，右手上的洋伞化为致命的武器，缠绕其上的光化为血的风暴，如长枪般刺向森林守护者的胸膛！
但森林守护者在“吸血鬼秘仪”发动之时便有所警觉，手中魔导卡早已亮起。
“丛林兽甲！”
绿色如蔓藤一般的光从其卡面中爆射而出，眨眼间已经爬满身体。
穿戴完毕的森林守护者毫不退缩，粗壮的猩猩右臂狂猛拍出，试图抓住吸血鬼千金的伞柄。
但那大手在触及到缠绕洋伞的鲜血风暴之时，便被瞬间割裂出无数伤痕。
吸血鬼千金长驱直入，伞尖毫无迟滞地刺入了森林守护者的人类左半身。
“噗嗤！”
绿色的“丛林兽甲”根本无法抵挡“鲜血祭祀”加持下的这一击。
森林守护者的左胸豁然被击穿出一个恐怖的大洞！
“竟然是七星的魔导精灵！”
森林守护者的脸色惨变，但在左胸被击穿后点亮了第二张魔导卡。
一道狂猛的兽吼便是从灰雾森林之中爆发，大地为之震动！
