-1638- [ Sinister Flicker ]

Territory of the Sylphs – The Ancient Forest

This vast forest lies in the northeastern part of the Sylph territory, just a step away from the highlands.

The Sylph capital, Swilvane, is already far behind them.

No matter how hard one tries to focus, the iconic Tower of the Wind can no longer be seen from here.

There is no bustling crowd in this place; only monsters roam outside the boundaries.

Few people come here to hunt.

This area lies deep within the neutral zone, where the monsters are high-level. In fact, any random wild creature here could be considered a boss in the beginner dungeons of the Sylph territory. Regular players wouldn't dare venture this far, and even if they did, they'd be few and far between—making it difficult to encounter others within the forest's vast expanse.

However, right now, Rozen and Leafa find themselves standing in the midst of a group of monsters.

"Roar!"

"Roar!"

With bloodthirsty howls, the monsters surround them from all directions.

These creatures, named Sinister Flickers, look like large, one-eyed lizards with wings.

Although their basic stats aren't particularly high, they possess a deadly advantage: they can fire curse magic from their violet eyes. Any player struck by the curses will suffer a significant reduction in all their abilities for a short time, making these creatures some of the most troublesome in existence.

The ideal strategy against them is to lure out a single monster at a time. Players usually form groups of three: one acts as the vanguard, taking the brunt of the monster's attacks; another stays in the backline to cast offensive magic for support; and a third is tasked with dispelling curses on cursed teammates. Without this teamwork, even the best squads risk total annihilation.

Imagine curse rays shooting from every direction, leaving no room to dodge. Players, with their stats drastically lowered, would have to fight monsters under those circumstances—how helpless would that feel?

Thus, most players follow the strategy above to ensure safety.

Yet at this very moment, facing the encircling Sinister Flickers, Leafa feels her scalp tingle with fear. But Rozen remains utterly calm.

"Whoosh!"

With a sudden flap of his wings, Rozen shoots forward like a rocket, moving not backward but straight into the fray.

"Roar!"

"Roar!"

The Sinister Flickers howl, their single eyes glowing as beams of curse magic shoot toward Rozen like lasers.

The scene is a terrifying web of magic rays, so overwhelming that Leafa feels her skin crawl. A primal urge to flee grips her, and she almost wants to turn and run to avoid becoming a sitting duck.

Even a seasoned player like Leafa, with a year of experience in ALO, feels this way. It's easy to imagine how much more terrifying it would appear to others.

It's not that Leafa is cowardly—rather, anyone with experience would feel the same. If struck by those rays, even the strongest player would be reduced to a powerless target, devoured, torn apart, and trampled by the horde of lizard monsters until their HP hit zero. Watching oneself get consumed like prey would easily leave anyone with psychological trauma.

No one, especially top-tier players, would ever want to be caught in such a scenario—it would be a complete loss of face.

Yet Rozen remains undeterred, advancing and chanting an incantation as he goes.

"————∑·∈·≤————"

As magical runes flash around him, a whirlwind forms around his body.

Using only a low-level defense spell, Rozen boldly charges through the storm of curse rays, undaunted by their effects.

"Buzz—!"

One curse ray after another strikes Rozen, but each impact turns into black mist that dissipates around him, scattered by the swirling wind.

It's a scene that would make anyone's jaw drop.

The curse rays of the Sinister Flickers are so potent that even high-level defense spells can't fully block them. Only special items that amplify magic defense can nullify their effects entirely. Yet Rozen, with just a low-level spell, achieves the same result.

A closer look reveals the light shining from a wing-shaped ring on Rozen's hand.

The key lies in the magic immunity effect of the Feathered Wing ring. The low-level defense spell was merely an extra precaution.

With the Feathered Wing protection, Rozen renders the curse rays completely ineffective, flying through them as if they didn't exist. He swoops toward the nearest Sinister Flicker.

"Splurt!"

With a flash of his fairy sword, the Sinister Flicker is cleaved in two.

Rozen moves like a meteor, dashing toward the next target with astonishing speed.

"Splurt!" "Splurt!" "Splurt!"

Every flicker of the sword cuts down another Sinister Flicker, each monster split cleanly in half.

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"

The dismembered bodies explode into polygonal fragments, signaling their defeat.

Rozen dives into the group of Sinister Flickers like a wolf among sheep, hunting them at will.

Meanwhile, the monsters' curse rays remain entirely ineffective, leaving them vulnerable as helpless prey.

In just a few minutes, Rozen eliminates every monster in the area.

"Boom!"

When the final Sinister Flicker bursts into polygonal shards, Rozen flaps his wings one last time and descends from the sky.

"G-good job…"

Leafa approaches him, though her voice carries a hint of awkwardness.

It's hard to blame her—Rozen looks far too refreshed, as if he'd just gone for a pleasant outing rather than fought a fierce battle.

In truth, Rozen had been enjoying himself.

"It's been a while since I've had this much fun clearing a challenge," he says with satisfaction.

The thrill of combat in a game is completely different from real life.

Just as a kendo master might relish the excitement of a tournament but feel anxious during a real fight to the death, the experience of fighting in a game is vastly different from reality.

At least in a virtual world, fighting with an avatar truly feels like playing.

Whether gaining experience, earning loot, or farming gold, the sense of tangible reward in a game stands in stark contrast to real-life conflicts, which are driven by interests and survival.

This difference brings Rozen a unique kind of enjoyment.

As a result, Rozen had taken on most of the battles along their journey from Swilvane to this place, with Leafa offering magical support from behind. They had finally reached the end of this leg of the adventure.

"Any further, and we'll be entering a much more dangerous area," Leafa warns. "Should we log off and take a break before that?"

It's getting close to bedtime, after all.

"Alright," Rozen replies with a tinge of regret, "Let's switch out for now."

"Mm," Leafa nods in agreement.