Chapter 250: First Experience in the Carnivorous Forest Secret Realm
In the Witch Secret Realm Association, there is a large area filled with waiting seats. Although you can apply and queue for the secret realm using your phone, it’s clear that many people still prefer to wait in line or meet others directly here.
I even saw a senior temporarily forming a team here.
The Witch Secret Realm does not forbid multiple people from exploring or undergoing trials, so it’s natural that there will be many participants, both solo and in teams.
Because of this, within a single secret realm, or even a large secret realm, you might encounter many other seniors, whether they are alone or in teams.
Moreover, in the secret realm, students are not allowed to k*ll each other.
The secret realm is fully under the control of the academy; the association mainly manages it. After all, entrusting a place like the secret realm to someone who isn’t of extraordinary level is something I can’t handle, so the academy must intervene, although they won’t involve themselves directly.
Because of this, if someone does commit m*rder, the academy can easily know what happened through the earth vein information retrieval.
This could lead to compensating the victim for their revival and various other costs, and if someone gets framed, demanding emotional damage compensation is very normal.
For this reason, the Witch Secret Realm Association has a specialized team for adjudicating deaths and responsibilities, and they have signed a contract, ensuring there is no partiality. If there is any doubt, the association will even conduct a public vote.
In short, the Witch Secret Realm is filled with trials, opportunities, and dangers. As long as you have the ability, you can indeed receive substantial rewards.
But all of it depends on luck.
Of course, there are also other transactions involved, such as obtaining valuable internal intelligence about specific secret realms, allowing you to save time or directly solve secret realm puzzles.
However, upon seeing the price, I gave up immediately. I don’t have a clear goal right now and don’t feel a pressing need for anything, so there’s no need to spend that extra money. What I’m after is the trials within it; I want to experience the process, not cheat.
At this moment, perhaps the rewards of the secret realm would not be as valuable as the insights I gain throughout the process.
“Hello, classmate, are you planning to enter the secret realm?”
“Huh? Who are you?” I looked up at the senior who spoke to me, feeling puzzled since I didn’t know them.
“Oh, we just wanted to ask if you were interested in forming a team to explore the secret realm? If you don’t have that thought, we won’t disturb you.” The leading senior stated.
“I am interested, but I haven’t decided where to go yet.” I glanced around, “By the way, quite a few people here seem stronger than me; you shouldn’t have found me so easily, should you?”
“Don’t joke around, senior. Your magic source strength is already over a thousand, right? We need a powerful companion. Mainly, the two of us are a bit concerned about handling everything on our own, so we thought we would reach out to you.”
“I see…” I instinctively looked at my Witch Cloak. Could they not tell what I was wearing? Calling me senior right away?
“What secret realm are you exploring? I’m curious to ask.”
After all, forming a temporary team sounds remarkably more efficient than exploring alone.
“We’re heading to the Red Copper Secret Realm, Carnivorous Forest, which is an open-type secret realm. It has many rare plant samples and seeds inside, and the restrictions aren’t too tight. You are allowed to damage the plants within the secret realm to some extent. Are you interested in that?”
“The Carnivorous Forest? Plant samples? What are you planning to do in that secret realm?” I asked curiously.
“Oh, since you seem quite interested, let me introduce you to my friend. This is Sofiry, a planting master who loves cultivating unusual plants. She’s also a potion maker!” The girl pulled the one beside her for an introduction.
“Well, I’m not truly a potion maker. I can only brew a few specific potions; strictly speaking, I’m just a planting master…” The girl named Sofiry corrected.
“Ah, it’s all the same! If you can brew potions, you’re a potion maker! By the way, I’m Cheng Yu, good at summoning magic. I haven’t asked for your name yet…”
“Just call me Yue.” I directly took a character from my name, “Also, you don’t need to call me senior; I’m not necessarily older than you, but I’m good at energy manipulation spells.”
“Huh? Energy manipulation? That’s a violent means, isn’t it? By the way, can you use fire-type spells? Don’t go starting a great fire in the secret realm like Xiao Han did during the exchange match.”
“Um… I’ll be careful.” I replied somewhat awkwardly, “And I also have water spells to put out fires.”
“Oh, good! Otherwise, I’m worried we’ll get penalized if we burn down the forest inside the secret realm. Our assets can’t handle that kind of trouble.” Cheng Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
“Alright, but you haven’t told me what you plan to do in this secret realm.”
“Ah, I forgot to mention. I’m mainly accompanying Sofiry to gather plant samples and see if we can find rare plant seeds or transplantable branches. The main output of the Carnivorous Forest secret realm is roughly these.”
“Of course, there might also be many planting cultivation methods and notes left by seniors, not to mention that we might find potion formulas. Sofiry has previously found incomplete formulas in there, and after improvements, they have become brewable potions!”
“So impressive?” I stared at the somewhat introverted Sofiry in surprise. Improving formulas, even with constant trial and error, shows persistence. If she has tremendous knowledge, that would be even more astonishing.
“No… Actually, that formula…”
“Alright, alright.”
At this moment, Cheng Yu interrupted Sofiry’s explanation, clearly not wanting her to reveal more, and immediately took the initiative to address me, “So, do you have any interest in accompanying us to take a look? The rewards we gain will definitely be shared with you. Even if you don’t want them, you can give them to us, and we can exchange them for extraordinary materials to give to you. How about that?”
“Hmm.”
I nodded in agreement. Although this was somewhat different from what I imagined, the planting methods and notes they mentioned would all come from the skills in the secret realm. At worst, I could transcribe a copy into the Memory Shelf Spellbook as a foundation; who knows, it might come in handy someday.
Most importantly, having someone to guide me through the secret realm’s process is a great opportunity.
Seeing my agreement, they immediately smiled.
Although the Carnivorous Forest isn’t highly dangerous, it’s not without risks. Having one potion maker and one summoner might not be enough. If we had a powerful energy manipulation mage, that would indeed be great.
Under their guidance, we… finally got to the front of the queue.
That’s right, we still have to queue; after all, there are quite a few people here, especially for an open secret realm with no limit on numbers.
However, we didn’t have to wait long, and soon it was our turn.
The fee for entering the secret realm requires each person to pay their share, but I was shocked by the entry fee for this secret realm; it only required one Red Copper from me.
“What’s the matter? Didn’t you already pay?”
“I did, but is it really just one Red Copper?” I asked, confused.
“Uh, you haven’t seen this before? After all, our strengths aren’t very strong, so we don’t dare to go to high-level secret realms. Although this secret realm has a low entry fee, it’s subject to entry limits. Most public open secret realms usually restrict the number of entries; however, the Carnivorous Forest can’t be re-entered for at least a month.”
“At least? A month? That’s quite long. And the time isn’t fixed?” I asked again.
“Didn’t you notice? It is indeed not fixed. Depending on the internal situation of the secret realm, the Witch Secret Realm Association will also adjust the interval for entering it, but it doesn’t have much impact. Let’s go; let’s enter the secret realm first.”
Cheng Yu explained to me. After all, explaining things to someone who doesn’t know can give one a sense of achievement, so she seemed quite happy to talk to me.
It feels like she mistook me for a strong senior who didn’t care to enter such a cheap secret realm…
What a misunderstanding, but I didn’t correct her. After all, this could prevent a lot of unnecessary trouble.
The way to enter the secret realm is through a teleportation array. After registration, we’ll be guided to a spacious area equipped with a fixed teleportation array, operated by the association’s personnel.
To exit the secret realm, we need to reach specific teleportation points for immediate transport; we can’t leave at any time, which is why so many seniors have perished because they didn’t escape in time.
However, if someone is afraid of dying, they can spend more resources to buy a disposable alchemical teleportation array.
But that is quite expensive, and it might not even offset the gains from the secret realm.
As my vision shifted, a different sensation from entering a dream pod washed over me. A vast energy enveloped us, transporting us to another place in an instant. This process was brief, yet it still affected the body to some extent, such as making me feel dizzy.
“Yue, are you alright?”
“Um… I’m fine.” I nodded, forcing down the discomfort.
Then my gaze was captured by the scenery in front of me. Although this was the location of the teleportation array, and the surrounding area had clearly been cleaned, one could still feel a sense reminiscent of a primeval forest deep within.
Strange plants and towering trees obscured the sky, while the sounds of insects filled the air.
“I didn’t expect you to be the type to get dizzy from teleportation, but that’s alright. Let’s rest here for a bit first and apply some potions. There are many poisonous insects here, and the potions can help avoid a lot of trouble.”
“Thank you.”
I took the potion that Cheng Yu handed over. It was a common type, a slender test tube sealed with a cork, with a label handwritten saying “Insect Repellent Potion,” so it seems this was also brewed by Sofiry herself.
Used to repel insects? Potions are indeed convenient; I even feel like I want to learn potion brewing myself.
However, compared to potion brewing, I still prefer alchemy.
After all, potion makers are merely one branch of alchemical stone practitioners.
Alchemical stone practitioners study formulas to brew potions, while potion makers simply rely on those formulas to concoct potions.
If I had to choose between alchemical stone practitioners and potion makers, I would definitely opt for the alchemical stone practitioner direction.
Although thinking this way might be a bit overly ambitious, who among us hasn’t had some initial aspiration?
Upon opening the potion, a mix of plant fragrances wafted out. Although the potion appeared somewhat murky, there were no visible suspended particles. After all, filtering out visible substances would be enough; Sofiry wouldn’t be careless with a potion she brewed for her own use.
I still applied a little of the potion on my limbs, but with my understanding of protection spells, I could provide direct protection to my body and limbs.
At that moment, Cheng Yu waved her hand, and a summoning spell appeared, causing a massive figure to appear next to her.
It was a giant bear, and I could immediately tell that this giant bear was not merely a spell effect but a summoned contract beast. It was a real giant bear, perhaps one she raised at home or a creature from another world or realm.
From the bear’s back, which resembled rock-like exoskeletons, it was evident that this bear could harness earth elements, and its power was quite fearsome; even standing on all fours, its height was already much greater than mine.
“This big guy is our companion; its name is Yan Yan. It’s not a spell creation, and its strength shouldn’t be underestimated!” Cheng Yu introduced with a smile.
“Oh, really? It’s an honor…” I tightened my grip on my magic wand and smoothly cast a protection spell on myself, “So, are we ready to go?”
“Wait a moment. Let’s check the map. Last month we explored where, and marking it properly can save us a lot of detours.”
When Cheng Yu saw I could use protection spells, her eyes lit up, but it quickly turned back to calm. After all, while protection spells are good, they also have limitations, and it’s uncertain whether I could cast protection spells on others, so it’s still better to focus on my own tasks.
And so, I watched as she pulled out her phone and brought up the map, which had many annotations, suggesting they had visited this place several times already.
I was surprised that she could still use her phone here!
However, when I opened mine, I found I couldn’t connect to the academy network. Alright… it seems it’s in offline mode; they’ve probably prepared the maps ahead of time.
I leaned in to take a look because we are now a small team, and it’s necessary to understand the upcoming circumstances and directions.
After glancing over, this so-called Carnivorous Forest covered a large area, with trees densely populating the entire secret realm, without many noticeable landmarks.
Seeing me look over, Cheng Yu didn’t stop me; in fact, she explained the general situation here.
The region of the Carnivorous Forest is basically divided by the characteristic plants of each area.
The map also marked the locations of other teleportation arrays, making it convenient to find the nearest teleportation array when we need to exit.
“The last place we explored was the Giant Thorn Vines area. This time, our goal is to get past the Giant Thorn Vines, gather some samples and seeds, and then go to the nearby area where the Shadow Thorn Grass grows.”
“I see… So, where are those notes, techniques, and formulas you mentioned found?” I asked curiously.
“Generally, they are hidden in special places. It may depend on what sort of temperament the senior who left the Witch Secret Realm had. In the case of the senior who left this Carnivorous Forest, she liked to store these things in bottles and hide them within the bodies of aggressive plants. The last time we inadvertently encountered a plant similar to a man-eating tree, we discovered it after Yan Yan toppled it over.”
“I see.”
I nodded; that seems reasonable. So if I want to enter other secret realms, I need to search carefully for those too.
Otherwise, heaven knows what crafty methods those seniors might use to conceal their legacies in abstract ways.
“In addition, we need to be cautious because this is the Carnivorous Forest. Many dangerous beings here aren’t animals or poisonous insects but those plants, which can really eat people, especially with their corrosive digestive juices. We must be careful.” Cheng Yu kindly explained to me.
“Mhmm, thanks for the reminder. I have protection spells, so you don’t have to worry too much. Do you want me to cast them on you? Just a heads up, with full-spectrum protection, your attacks might also be blocked. But you’re skilled in summoning spells, so it should be fine.”
“Really? That’s amazing! Please do!” Cheng Yu replied excitedly.
“Uh… I can throw potions to assist in combat; do we really need full protection?”
“Of course, but you’ll have to be mindful of that.” I certainly had no objections, as my purpose in joining them this time was to gain experience, not to lead.
However, I must showcase certain abilities and values because I’m not like the two of them; there’s naturally a gap, and I need to prove my worthiness to be alongside them. After all, nobody likes a burden.
“No worries; I have my own tricks.” At this moment, Sofiry also finished donning her equipment, and I saw that she had many slots on her body all meant for holding potion vials. Just a quick glance showed almost ten different potions!
This isn’t combat; it’s throwing money, isn’t it?
“Uh… what’s wrong, Miss Yue? Why are you looking at me like that?” Sofiry asked, feeling a bit uncomfortable under my gaze.
“Oh, I just feel you have so many potions. Is this your combat method?”
“Mhmm, this is the Corrosive Potion, and this one is the Withering Potion; they are quite effective against aggressive plants here…”
“Wait a minute, I didn’t mean that; I meant this… you’re pretty extravagant.” I hurriedly said.
“Oh, since I can brew potions, I can still earn some side income. Besides… the cost of these aggressive potions is actually not high, or else I wouldn’t use them as my regular means of attack. Miss Yue, I still have quite a few left; do you need any for defense? Just consider it a return for the protection you’re granting us.”
“Oh, no thanks. I prefer spells; they just work better for me. Now that we’re all set, let’s go.”
“Yeah, we indeed should set off; the sooner we leave, the sooner we can return.” Cheng Yu said from the side, “In any case, Yan Yan and I will take the lead.”
“I’ll take the rear.”
I nodded; the potion master Sofiry would be in the middle for protection. I should rank as the strongest in this team, at least on the surface. Thus, I’ll control the situation from the back, providing support when needed, and so on.
