Chapter 95. Intruder in the Grove.

Flor sat on the <Lignified Defensive Wall>, looking outside with a worried face. Lately, things have been getting increasingly dangerous. From reports of the Rose Fairies, Fire Ants, and even some of the Myconids, many more intelligent races had been spotted roaming around the Golden Sap Forest. 

Moreover, strangely, they were at a relatively low level, most being between Level 4 and Level 7. Now, the reason for this to be worrying was that if they saw a Rose Fairy or any other monster, they would usually attack without asking questions. 

It was a natural action. Yet, the problem lay in the consequences of their actions were they to retaliate. If Flor told her people to kill them or heavily injure them, the fact that the Golden Sap Forest was becoming more dangerous would spread. 

However, if they did nothing, their place would be overrun by intelligent races as a natural paradise to harvest wild plants and other materials freely.

So, taking everything into account, Flor was lost and hesitating. "But… If I let them roam freely, won't this place be eventually uncovered? We've been protecting this area by creating clear marks of danger, but…" Flor showed an annoyed expression as she muttered the next words. "Not all creatures that are 'Intelligent races' are, well, intelligent. A dumbass with braveness bigger than their wit might come disregarding all signals and-."

As soon as she spoke those words, a hasty Rose Fairy flew in her direction from the forest, making Flor's face twist with helplessness. 'Did I jinx it?'

"Queen Flor! We've spotted a group of humans coming this way!"

Flor sighed and looked at the clear blue sky with the occasional white cloud. 'Really… I even purposely sparred with Ignatia around those areas to create more natural destruction. Can't you see that big monsters live around? Are you so eager to die?'

Flor asked, annoyed. "What are their levels?"

The Rose Fairy felt Flor's mood and stuttered. "T-Three Level 6s human women, one Level 7 female bearfolk, and one Level 9 human male. The human male is leading the group." 

Flor looked in the direction pointed at by the Rose Fairy and sighed. 'What to do with these? Will they be able to see my Level? Our strength difference should be big since I became E Rank… Moreover, there are no Sylvans in the group, so… Perhaps I can intimidate them? But…' 

Flro remembered the fourth person in that group and sighed. 'Beastfolk have really sharp instincts. Won't she piss her pants or something if I appear to be showing murdering intentions?'

Flor slowly stood up and asked. "How far are they from Liu Shu's detection range?"

The Rose Fairy commented. "They should be entering it in a few minutes." 

This surprised the Rose Fairy Queen. "What? Are they already so close? What happened to the other scouts?" 

The Rose Fairy shook her head. "I don't know. I saw them and decided to come to inform Queen Flor right away." 

Flor was a bit worried and wanted to rush, but she extended her hand and patted the petite Rose Fairy's head before going. "Well done. You did a great job."

While Flor was small compared to human-sized creatures, she was gigantic compared to other Rose Fairies. The average Rose Fairy measured around 20 centimeters in height, yet Flor was 45 centimeters tall—more than double their average height. 

With such a size difference, Flor's hand could easily wrap around their entire head, making the little Rose Fairy smile happily. "Thank you, Queen!" 

Then, using her abilities, Flor rushed into the forest at incredible speed. 

Meanwhile, around seven hundred meters from Liu Shu's town, the group of five was speaking with each other silently. 

One of the human women spoke with a timid tone. "Say, do you think this is a good idea? We saw very dangerous signs before entering here, right? I think we should leave." 

The female bearfolk snorted. "If you don't want to follow the leader, then you are welcome to leave when you please. The leader is a real male for not being intimidated and knowing that danger and reward come hand in hand."

The man naturally felt his ego being satisfied and said. "Don't worry! Didn't I tell you that I recently became Level 9? I am much stronger than you might think. Look, my <Physique > stat is already in the sixties, thanks to my equipment. What kind of forest creature could even match up to that? I can probably blow away all types of forest creatures with a single punch!"

A human female batted her eyelashes charmingly and approached coquettishly. "You are so strong, mister. Thank you for taking us on this expedition and helping us~."

The man saw the woman pressing her arms together and emphasizing her cleavage as she looked up at him, and he felt a rush of excitement. "Of course, don't worry! We can celebrate later in my room." 

The woman laughed charmingly while she received three pairs of piercing eyes. "Of course~, I will always be up to celebrate with mister~." 

The bearfolk, as direct as she could be, interrupted. "If you want to mate, don't forget me!" 

The man coughed a few times, but looking back at the tall, athletic, and big-breasted bear woman who could probably carry him to bed like a princess, he decided not to speak. 'Hm… That should not be bad.'

"You are quite relaxed for being in a dangerous place in the forest." 

The five of them became alert and drew their weapons while the man shouted. "Who's there!?"

"Does it matter? I am giving you one chance to turn around before I send you."

The man frowned. "Send me where?"

The female's voice echoed with a soft laugh. "I recommend not asking about it. Now, leave or bear the consequences."

The bearfolk woman frowned. "Hey, are you making fun of me?!"

The humans looked at her with a stunned look that transformed into speechlessness once they realized she was serious. 

"Huh? Making fun of you? Why would I do something so boring?"

The bearfolk spoke. "You are underestimating our strength too much!"

The humans realized that she was not referring to the "bear with me" but the fact that they were being underestimated. 

'Ah… we misunderstood…'

"Also, what's that 'bear with me' bullshit? That's racist!" 

The humans felt a drop of sweat falling through their temples. '... Or we didn't. Also, isn't "bullshit" racist too!?'

In the shadows of a tree, Flor looked at them with a face full of disbelief. 'What is this? They are being threatened by a hidden enemy in the heart of the forest, and they have time to joke around? Is their survival instinct that of a rock!? Especially that bear woman, I've been sending hints of my murderous intent for a while, but she has yet to react!' 

However, remembering what the Rose Fairy told her, she spoke, using her wind attribute to make her voice echo. "You should've met a few creatures while entering this part of the forest. That should be enough warning."

The human male spoke with actual confusion. "What are you talking about? You are the first being we've encountered since entering the grove! Now, show yourself, coward!" 

Flor frowned. 'Were they lucky? No…' Flor's eyes squinted. 'Something's wrong. I need to deal with these people and return quickly.'

"You have five seconds to turn around and flee. Otherwise…" Flor's face became ruthless. "I'll kill you." 

She wasn't interested in killing them at first, but things had changed. If someone could come this far without being spotted, they either had outside help or something bad had happened to the beings guarding the entrance to the grove. 

The grove Liu Shu lived in was nearly four kilometers from side to side, filled with quite dense trees that could block view of more than 100 meters. 

Now, feeling an actual threat, not only the bear woman but all four others became alert. The human male, feeling extreme danger, stuttered. "W-Wait, we can talk about it, right? Why do you need to-."

WHOOSH!

BOOM!

A massive wind crescent attack detonated where they stood, creating an explosion of dirt and blasting all five of them away with deep cuts around their bodies. 

Five messages appeared in Flor's eyes. 

[-641]

[-847]

[-753]

[-581]

[-912]

She had controlled herself not to kill them and just tried to scare them. With her current strength, Flor could've instantly killed a few of them. However, she decided to give them one last warning. 

"This was a warning. Now, leave." 

The five of them felt their hearts speeding up as adrenaline rushed through their bodies. They hadn't imagined that the creature speaking with them had such a terrifying strength. Enough to blast them flying with a single attack.

The human male quickly stood up and approached the girls, who were groaning in pain and on the ground, blood staining their previous pristine clothes. "C-Come on, stand up. We can't stay here any longer!" 

This time, even the bear woman, who had a brave heart, knew that they'd encountered a powerful foe. She quickly recovered her bearings and grabbed one of the girls while telling the man. "Grab two, and let's go! That thing might attack us at any moment again!" 

The human man lifted them up onto his shoulders and then the five of them fled the place. 

Flor looked on with cold eyes as they left and didn't bother following them. 

At this moment, she heard the buzzing of a Rose Fairy approaching. Her voice was ragged, and she was clearly tired from rushing here. "Queen Flor, haaa… Where are the humans?" 

Flor commented while looking at her. "They left. Let's return. I need to speak with Ignatia." 

The Rose Fairy nodded with a confused expression and heard Flor speaking. "Follow them and make sure they leave the grove. If you feel any danger, return. You are Level 7 and F+ Rank, so you should not have problems fleeing from anything below Level 10." 

The Rose Fairy pointed at her chest, where a pretty amulet hung, and said. "I even have this from Liu Shu! So, don't worry!" 

Flor remembered. "Right, she started creating a batch of them, right?" Quickly analyzing, Flor saw their stats.

[Level 6 Wind Leaf Amulet (Basic-Grade Flawless Level)]

+144 Aether Mana

Aether (+18)

[Windy Currents (active)]: Use to increase movement speed by 20% for a short 2-second duration. It can be used every 10 minutes or by using 10 Aether Mana.

Flor couldn't help but be surprised. "How many of these did she make?" 

The Rose Fairy Smiled. "Three! Moreover, she did another three with pure Sylvanium, and they are muuuch better… Ah. One of them is yours, right?"

Flor smiled and looked at her chest. "Yes." 

[Level 6 Wind Leaf Perfected Amulet (Basic-Grade Flawless Level)]

+108 Aether Mana

+108 Phoer

+108 Anima Energy

Aether (+18), Physique (+18), Anima (+18), Willpower (+18).

After looking at the stats, Flor refocused on the thoughts she had just now and decided to quickly fly back and ask Cinderielle and Verdantia about their opinions together with Ignatia.