SHIKARI’S HUNTING GAME (9)

Following what Arex considered to be a pointless encounter with Merfestina, he immediately fled. In the back of his mind, he was aware of the fact that he also detested Roxina. On the other hand, he was unable to conceive of himself as a tool for the vengeance of other people.

"What does she really think? That I would eventually fall into her trap just because I needed her to team up with me? It's not like I would need to win this game anyway." Arex let out a sigh. Even though the conversation with Merfestina had only lasted a few minutes, he was suddenly overcome with exhaustion as a result of it. 

Later on, he continued by saying, "It is likely that sooner or later, they will come to the conclusion that joining forces with me would be the best option."

Immediately following that, Arex proceeded to the subsequent location, where he had the opportunity to discover yet another special item. On the other hand, what took Arex by surprise was the sudden and unexpected change in the environment outside of that cave. It seemed as though he had been transported to a different location entirely.

He found himself in an unfamiliar setting, where the surroundings had transformed into a tropical paradise overnight. It seemed as though he had been banished to a desolate island where there was a wide variety of wildlife hiding within its confines. However, Arex was actually feeling more concerned about where he could even begin looking for the special items in this state. It was not like he was even afraid of the potential dangers that could come to him; rather, Arex was concerned about where he could even begin looking for them.

"At this point, it would appear that I will need to make twice as much of an effort in order to locate the special items." Arex eventually said this as he struggled to gather his thoughts and look around.

At this point, it was no longer possible for Arex to determine where he would go next because, in comparison to how things appeared earlier, it had become too difficult. There was an abundance of tall grasses and towering, thick trees that were over a hundred years old in this location. 

In the recesses of Arex's mind, this was the genuine representation of what he envisioned the jungle to be like in reality. On the other hand, he was also aware that this would eventually cause him to face challenges in his search for the next possible location where the special item could be hidden.

Arex then came to the conclusion that the reason for the fact that the weapons were concealed within one of the caves in that desolate location was possibly due to the fact that the majority of the weapons were constructed from minerals that were present in the soil. 

"How intriguing," Arex utted.

With that theory in mind, Arex could not help but consider the possibility that the following item might have some sort of connection to this wild forest. In addition, while Arex was still wandering around, he suddenly became aware of the peculiar-looking plants that were somewhat similar to the plants that were found in Leomold's plant laboratory.

"Bet Leomold would certainly be interested to be here if he sees these." Arex reacted while holding his gaze fixed on it.

Moreover, it was precisely at that moment that Arex suddenly had a different theory come to his mind abruptly. Instantaneously, the idea occurred to him that the special healing item that was concealed within this arrangement was in fact a special item that is connected to these plants in some way.

Arex quickly responded, "Of course," as he picked up one leaf and immediately inhaled it he had just picked up. "It is a plant that is used in herbal medicine. This is an antidote. It is only possible that the item that is available to be found in this location is a healing item given the presence of all of these. The only issue that arises, however, is the precise location of the special item."

As Arex tried to identify where he could possibly find the healing item. He tried to become more vigilant about his surroundings. Although his main priority was to find the healing item, he must also ensure that nobody among the lords participating in the game would find him unprepared.

Arex found himself increasingly ensconced within the forest, and as he did so, he found it increasingly difficult to determine what time it was already. He was only able to make a rough estimate that it was possibly somewhere between the middle of the morning and noon at this point.

Due to the presence of an excessive number of branches and leafy features, the exterior was obscured. At that moment, Arex had the sudden thought that he had been confined within this forest, as if it were a sphere containing an ecosystem that was confined within it.

It would appear that Arex was already spending a significant amount of time trying to figure out where the unique item could possibly be found. He harbored a nagging suspicion that, given that other lords did not go to the cave in order to acquire any weapon, it was possible that they had taken all of the healing items that were available in this area.

"There is no way that they could have taken everything at once. At the very least, there must have been one that exists that is still available." And as he continued to look for one, Arex could not help but make a remark.

Unwavering in his determination to locate a healing item, he continues to search. Arex reminded himself that he would not leave this location until he had finally located special item that could be the healing item.

Despite the fact that Arex had been searching for a healing item within this forest for a considerable amount of time, he had not yet discovered any. He was beginning to experience some level of frustration due to the fact that the process of locating even a single item was already taking him a significantly long amount of time.

Eventually, Arex decided to take a break.

He sat on one of the large chunks of roots that were attached to the trunk of a tall oak tree in order to take a short break. And while he was taking the time to sit there and rest, Arex did not anticipate that he would develop a greater capacity for patience inside of him.

In a typical scenario, he would eventually make a scene and then ask someone else to come and find the unique item. On the other hand, even he was taken aback by the fact that he was actually making an effort. Additionally, this only serves to strengthen Arex's conviction that he was determined to finally locate the unique healing item.

As Arex sat there, freeing his mind and allowing his thoughts to wander, he engaged in considerable introspection. He was unable to anticipate what was going to happen until the next thing he knew, someone suddenly arrived and broke Arex's moment of silence. He failed to anticipate what was going to happen.

Arex was quickly alerted, and in a flash, he quickly looked around with a surprised expression on his face. But aside from that, he was also surprised to discover who it was standing behind him.