Chapter 39: Forest

Perseus POV

After defeating the giant flesh-eating bat and emerging from the cavern, I was greeted by 2 adventurers who were surprised to see only one person emerging from the boss fight and asked for me to help locate the other corpses.

They were then a bit more surprised to find none and gifted me a small bottle of red healing potion before sending me on my way. I eventually found myself standing in the vibrant grassland of the fifth floor. The sun shone brightly overhead, casting a warm glow over us.

The sun... just really proves that this whole place has a separate spatial dimension on the inside. I then just walked toward that town. As I approached the town, I could see that it was teeming with adventurers from all sorts of places.

Making my way through the crowded streets, I caught sight of a merchant selling various treasures and trinkets gathered from the depths of the dungeon. Without hesitation, I approached the merchant and offered him the fang in exchange for a decent sum of money. 

He inspected it and threw an offer back, I gave a counter offer and he then accepted the deal. It was around 20 silver coins and like 50 copper, the fang can probably be used as a material to craft a good and more expensive weapon for beginners, but it's not like I have a use for such things when I got a great weapon already.

I don't know how long has it been since I've been stuck in this dungeon as I sometimes hid for weeks when I knew I couldn't get past certain sections...but I'm making good progress. I'm too lazy to ask the system about it as well.

I can't rely on it too much, and letting time fly by seems to be better for me, it's going to take time before I can get out of here safely...the outside was just as dangerous for me. And even more so, with Elpis by my side, who's hiding in my cloak and hood.

*****

As I was walking around town and trying to buy supplies, I heard a lot of interesting things about the outside.

"It's madness, I tell ya," one adventurer exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief, "Who would have thought that the academy would come under attack? And by terrorists, no less!"

"Aye, and it's not just the academy that's been targeted. There have been reports of similar attacks in other parts of the world as well. Seems like the whole world's gone mad." his companion replied

"It's only getting worse. I hear there's talk of rebellion brewing in the countryside. If things don't change soon, we'll be in for a world of trouble."

"The common folk are rising up against the nobles, and with good reason." a nearby merchant joined in, "The discrimination against them has reached intolerable levels, and it's no wonder they're fighting back.

"The nobles have grown fat and complacent, lording over us with their wealth and privilege, but they forget that it is the common folk who toil in the fields, who labor in the mines, who put their lives on the lines to fight for them while they're on their stupid horses...Without us, they would be nothing."

"Aye, it's high time the nobles were brought down a peg or two." the first adventurer grumbled

Well, most adventurers are commoners after all...but I sometimes can't help but think how good it would be if they stood up for us, but they sided with those damn royalties and made no attempts of helping us out.

I listened to their conversations and opinions, and sure enough, commoners were discriminated against by the nobles...the others, at Cedric's residence, are being discriminated against by both nobles and some of the commoners.

But a good portion of the commoners did finally understand what my people felt like after all this time...Zenis would be happy to hear something like that...but unfortunately, it's not like I can bring her back.

*****

As I made my way toward the forest that loomed on the horizon, a visible distance away from the town, I breathed a sigh of relief as I got a distance away, I took off my hood and let the air hit my face, I don't have to hide as much, and it was just too hot hiding in that thing.

As I entered the cool shade of the forest, a wave of calm washed over me. The air was thick with the scent of pine and earth, and the only sounds were the rustling of leaves and the distant call of birds.

I then eventually found a secluded spot beneath the shelter of a towering oak tree next to a river and set about making camp. I gathered fallen branches, logs, and dry leaves, fashioning them into a makeshift shelter. It wasn't much, but it would suffice for now.

I'll eventually build a makeshift cabin...but I just need to relax and have a place to sleep for the time being.

As I worked, my mind drifted back to the events that had brought me here. The chaos and turmoil of the outside world seemed a world away, and for the first time in what felt like an eternity, I allowed myself to relax.

I built a small fire at the center of my camp, the flames dancing merrily in the gathering dusk. The crackling of the flames was a soothing sound, and I found myself sinking into a state of deep contemplation as Elpis was accompanying me in silence.

For so long, I had been running, fighting, struggling to survive in a world that seemed determined to crush me at every turn. But here, in the heart of the forest, I was free from the burdens of the past. Here, I could breathe, and for the first time in a long while, I felt truly at peace.

"What do you plan to do once you save the world?" Elpis asked

"I...I just want to go home...this world just isn't for me."