Volume 2, Chapter 33 ~The Gluttonous Forest

Under the darkened canopy, two pairs of beautiful eyes met, each seeing the strange look in the other’s gaze. A cold sweat broke over both of us—those thoughts just now had been... unsettling.

This forest was indeed abnormal.

I hadn’t been able to put my finger on it earlier, but now I understand. This was a lush, thriving forest, and yet since entering, I hadn’t sensed any sign of living beings—not even insects.

A healthy forest should be teeming with life. Even if there were no low-tier demons, insects were essential. But here—not a single chirp, buzz, or flutter. That was already deeply unnatural.

Either this forest had no insects at all, or their numbers were so absurdly low as to be unnoticeable. Both possibilities were terrifying.

A forest’s vitality was closely linked to insects. That this forest could be so flourishing despite such a void—even by elven standards, that was highly abnormal.

The blue glow from my [Golden Butterfly Hairpin] shimmered faintly as I resisted the creeping hunger and activated Divine Appraisal. What I saw made my pupils constrict sharply.

The normal view was one of silent black trees under a starless sky. But through the lens of Divine Appraisal, the entire forest transformed dramatically.

The sky above bled red. Blood-colored chitin veined the forest like spider webs. The trunks beneath us pulsed like living flesh, like we were sitting inside a massive, breathing creature.

The grotesque, sanity-blasting sight made my eyes ache—I immediately cut off the skill.

Could it be that this forest had no demons or insects because the crimson chitinous filaments in the air were altering their senses—driving them to hunger and madness, prompting them to attack and devour each other?

But that didn’t explain everything. I had felt a powerful, irrational impulse earlier—one I’d never experienced before. That implied the forest’s effect wasn’t just hunger—it also heightened aggression, making creatures frenzied.

Wenfu must have stumbled over the bones of a demon devoured by its own companions, driven mad by the forest’s influence.

Neither insects nor low-tier demons were particularly intelligent. It made sense that they’d succumb to the forest's lure almost instantly, attacking each other like beasts.

Now I understood—this forest had no monsters living in it because it was the monster.

Suddenly, Astrid swayed beside me and fell backward off the branch.

Her eyes were wide open, seemingly still unaware she was falling. But as an elf, she should’ve easily caught herself or twisted midair.

Yet she remained frozen. Something invisible bound her body, immobilizing her completely.

It was like being surrounded by an army of unseen enemies—ones even her elven instincts couldn’t detect.

As she plummeted, hair trailing like silver ribbons, I caught her ankle at the last second.

She stared down, startled by the terrifying height of the fall. Her silver hair and skirt flared downward—under different circumstances, it might’ve been an elegant sight, but this was no time for such distractions.

“Astrid! Right side!” My hairpin glowed blue, and my eyes shimmered gold under the Divine Appraisal lens.

Astrid turned instinctively.

There was nothing there.

She didn’t understand—why would I warn her if there was nothing? But since she couldn’t see anything, she had no way to evade.

A moment later, she felt something tighten around her neck—pulling her downward, opposing the grip I had on her leg.

Something invisible was dragging her toward the earth.

To her, the world looked normal. But in my vision, the forest grew more horrific.

The ground had transformed into writhing, rotting red tissue. From it, a tendril of flesh reached up and wrapped around her neck, yanking her down.

I pulled out a [Frostkiss Potion] from my thigh strap and smashed it.

Icy shards exploded like a blooming snow lotus, frost coating the tendril’s surface. But it did nothing. The spreading frost didn’t even slow it down.

Of course…

These tendrils weren’t real. They existed only in the spirit realm—visible only through advanced Divine Appraisal. That’s why Astrid’s instincts had failed her.

Normal attacks wouldn’t work. So how could I fight something like this?

If Divine Appraisal could perceive it, then mental force—spiritual energy—could likely affect it.

Worth a try, at least.

I focused all my will on the tendril wrapped around Astrid’s neck.

This was one of the few offensive skills available to an unaligned Divine Child: Psychic Shock.

Normally, it could only be learned after choosing the [Witchcraft] path in second year, but the basic version was simple enough to attempt early—if fate allowed.

The tendril coiled tighter.

A second one began slithering toward me.

I ducked, narrowly dodging it, eyes never leaving the one around Astrid.

It was like focusing sunlight through a magnifying glass. I poured my will into that point, slowly building pressure.

The tendril twitched—like a hammer had tapped it. It wasn’t much, but it was enough.

I used the moment to yank Astrid back onto the branch.

The pressure vanished. Astrid exhaled deeply.

“Thank you... Lady Teresa.”

Though I hadn’t said anything, she’d sensed it—sensed I had seen something she couldn’t. She assumed it was a racial gift—something Gold Elves possessed.

But then she saw me staring down at the tree with horror.

In my vision, as I pulled Astrid up, a grotesque face had surfaced on the trunk—twisted features like a melting mask.

“We need to go!” I grabbed her, one arm under her knees, the other around her waist, and leapt.

To Astrid, the tree seemed perfectly normal. So her attention went straight to me.

Under the moonless sky, two beautiful elves in a tight embrace spun gracefully through the air, landing with elegance.

Astrid could smell the blend of mint and wildflowers on me—hair? Skin? Hard to tell.

The moment we landed, dizziness swept over me.

Using a spiritual skill for the first time, with too much exertion, had left me drained.

“Behind you!” Astrid reacted first, blade rising to block a greatsword slash from behind.

She wasn’t braced, so the impact knocked both of us back.

I turned to see Felicia—amber-haired, trembling, advancing slowly with her greatsword. From the other side, Wenfu stalked toward us, eyes blank and cold.

“Felicia? Wenfu?” Astrid’s voice trembled with disbelief.

But I remained calm.

In my eyes, they were wrapped in writhing tendrils—entwining their limbs and puppeteering their movements.

Their bloodshot eyes locked on us with a predator’s hunger.

They’d been ambushed in their sleep—taken over.

Astrid sensed something was off. Her instincts screamed danger, but her eyes told her nothing. She didn’t know what to believe.

I tugged her behind me.

“Stay close,” I whispered, then turned to face the controlled pair.

They weren’t the true threat. The real danger was beneath our feet—those tendrils trying to bind us.

Meanwhile, hunger clawed at us, gnawing at our minds.

We were losing rationality fast.

I couldn’t free them like I had Astrid. My psychic strength wasn’t enough. Trying would only burn me out.

I was the only one who could see the tendrils. If I collapsed, the team would fall apart.

What to do...?

These weren’t real bindings. They were spiritual shackles, rendered visually by Divine Appraisal for my benefit. From Astrid’s perspective, it just looked like the others had lost control and attacked.

Fortunately, the tendrils couldn’t replicate Divine Authorities.

That gave me a chance.

I drew my longbow.

Light spread from both ends. A glowing arrow formed.

I didn’t release it immediately. First, I activated my second Divine Authority: Verdant Fragrance.

Green buds coiled around the arrow. I loosed it at Felicia.

She batted it aside—but that was fine. The arrow exploded into vines on contact, wrapping her up like a dumpling.

A new technique—imbuing arrows with Verdant Fragrance for multipurpose use.

But then—Wenfu vanished.

“Behind you,” Astrid warned.

“I know,” I said flatly.

I glanced at my shoulder, where Wenfu had somehow climbed up and was biting me, leaving a trail of drool.

I wondered if I’d need rabies shots when we got back.

Peeling the strength-5 kitty off, I tied her up with another Verdant Fragrance arrow.

I looked around at the blood-red forest—trees leering, clawing from the earth.

So the tendrils were roots—psychic projections, not physical matter.

That meant...

If I couldn’t attack their minds—maybe I could destroy the forest instead?

I drew a giant light arrow and fired.

It blasted a hole clean through one tree’s trunk, sending it crashing down.

But the faces on the trees didn’t scream. They laughed—detaching from the trunks and swirling through the air.

Astrid looked puzzled. She didn’t understand what I was doing—but she trusted me.

I realized something.

These trees weren’t the true enemy. The monsters were just inhabiting the forest. Burning it would be pointless. They could always regrow it.

I stared at my bow. Was there nothing else I could do?

Felicia was nearly free.

No choice. Time for my last resort.

In a single thought, black substance gathered in my hands, morphing into a long black halberd—twice my height.

One end burned with black fire, reeking of destruction and despair.

The other glowed with pure, holy white flames.

[Blade of Destruction and Creation: Sacred Oblivion] —Form Release.

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