CH81

The more Helag thought about it, the more he believed this place belonged to a wizard or a wizard organization.

The potion ingredients in the fields and the items in the houses were likely cultivated and maintained by wizards for long-term harvesting.

"This area falls under the jurisdiction of the Aruf Swamp. Could it be their people?" Helag speculated.

He sighed, knowing it was pointless to dwell on it. Although Aruf Swamp had a good relationship with Moonlight Woodland, it didn't matter to low-level wizard apprentices like him. They would still be killed if caught.

Helag stood up, surveyed the potion ingredients around him, and began selecting and harvesting high-grade materials.

Many were unfamiliar to him, but he had a method for identifying them.

High-grade potion ingredients typically had more energy particles, a useful way to distinguish their quality.

After about half an hour, Helag heard some noise in the distance.

He crouched in the field, observing the source of the commotion.

It was a barren area, devoid of any vegetation.

Suddenly, the ground cracked, and something began to emerge.

A massive white bone broke through the soil.

"Roar!"

A loud elephant-like call echoed from underground as the bone continued to rise.

Soon, Helag saw the full form of the bone.

It was a complete mammoth skeleton, towering three stories high.

A green flame burned brightly in the skull, representing the mammoth's soul fire, indicating it was an undead creature.

"I always found the term 'undead creature' awkward," Helag thought. The term "creature" implied a living being in his language, but here it didn't.

"Does having a soul make it a creature?"

Helag had no time to ponder this as the mammoth turned its gaze toward him.

Realizing he was spotted, Helag quickly cast Blessing of the Wind Spirit and ran.

The mammoth gave chase, but what happened next surprised Helag.

The mammoth, initially fast, slowed down near the fields, carefully stepping on the empty spaces between the potion plants, avoiding the fields.

The narrow paths between the fields restricted the mammoth's speed, allowing Helag to escape.

Taking advantage of this, Helag sped up.

He chose a direction and ran.

"Hope I don't end up like at the mountain's base."

Helag's main concern was suddenly finding himself in another location, potentially near the mammoth.

The mammoth's strength was immense, capable of breaking through any shield with a single stomp.

After passing the fields, Helag entered a small pine forest.

He slowed down, knowing he needed to be cautious in new areas.

"So many spider webs?"

Helag's expression turned serious, casting three shields on himself.

The pine forest was filled with spider webs, covering the ground in white silk.

Such extensive webbing indicated a magical spider, a difficult foe.

Roar!

The mammoth's call grew closer as it navigated the narrow paths, its gaze fixed on Helag.

"I can't go into this forest."

Helag ran to the side, avoiding the pine forest.

Despite the mammoth's pursuit, the forest's inhabitants could be even more troublesome.

Running to the side risked being caught by the mammoth, but entering the forest meant facing both the spiders and the mammoth, a certain death.

Taking a deep breath, Helag increased his speed, running around the pine forest.

The mammoth closed in, eventually leaving the fields and accelerating, knocking down trees.

Simultaneously, rustling sounds came from the forest, growing louder.

Helag glanced back, seeing countless spiders, each over a meter long, emerging from the forest.

He realized this was a spider colony, with these spiders being the smaller ones. Deeper in the nest, there would be a larger, stronger spider queen.

"The spider queen's venom and silk are valuable potion ingredients. This must be maintained by a wizard."

Seeing the spiders not targeting him, Helag felt relieved.

"Good thing I slowed down. If I had startled them, I'd be dead."

The spiders swarmed the mammoth, which crushed them underfoot with its massive tusks.

But the spiders seemed endless, continuously emerging and increasing in number.

Soon, the mammoth was covered in spiders, thrashing around the forest like a headless chicken.

The ground was littered with webs and green spider ichor from crushed spiders.

Helag didn't linger to watch, running ahead without looking back.

A loud noise and the mammoth's cry came from behind.

Glancing back, Helag saw the mammoth on the ground, wrapped in spider silk.

Initially, the mammoth broke the webs, but more replaced them, quickly entangling it.

The spiders then dragged the mammoth into the forest.

"Can they eat bones?" Helag wondered, seeing the spiders treating the mammoth as prey, wrapping it in webs for storage.

As he mused, the spiders suddenly stopped.

They severed the webs holding the mammoth and turned towards Helag.

"Oh no, really?"

Helag felt a strong sense of danger. The spiders had received some command, likely from the spider queen.

He realized his position was exposed, and the spiders had now targeted him.