Insect Forest,
The swarm of carnivore bugs continuously attacked the remaining members of the Igneous Earth team. Half an hour later, there were nothing but bones left on the ground.
Morgan Buck watched everything carefully. He couldn't explain the horror that he felt inside. His long-lasting friends have now become food for carnivore bugs.
More than angry, he feels scared right now. He is not dumb enough to charge towards this swarm of bugs. Even hiding inside this hole, he doesn't feel safe. His mind is still working to come up with some sort of solution.
Next, the swarm of bugs turned towards him. Morgan Buck's pupils constrict. He knew these bugs were aware of his scent. All three sides were protected by tree trunks. He only needs to cover up the hole to avoid the monster.
He remembered his good friend Caleb had given him a silver shield previously. It's a medium-ranged defense artifact. Morgan feels the size of the artifact is enough to cover up the hole.
Right now, the swarm of bugs has started to move towards the tree. They are just following the scent of humans.
Seeing that, Morgan brought the silver shield in front of him and held it above his head. Coincidentally, the oval-shaped shield is wide enough to cover the trunk hole.
Morgan breathed in relief, but he still felt it was not enough. With his other hand, he takes out the bottle from the pocket. After removing the cork, he poured the insect repellent powder on himself.
This method previously failed, but he remains hopeful that the stench will deter the bugs.
On the other hand, the carnivore bugs came to the large shade tree by following the scent.
The clouds of carnivore bugs are divided into small groups. Some flew around the large tree, while a few flew towards the trunk region.
Morgan Buck didn't make any movements. He firmly held the shield. So, there is no light inside the dark space. He didn't know what was happening outside.
As the seconds go by, his heart starts to beat faster. Like a ticking clock, he can hear his heartbeat clearly. He laughed self-deprecatingly in his heart.
His greed blinded his intelligence. Now, there is no remorse for medicine.
Everything now is based on the actions of insects like bugs.
Time went on.
The carnivore bugs finally gave up looking for the missing prey. Then a small group of bugs immediately gathered to form the previous cloud of carnivore bugs.
BUZZ
When all the bugs join together to form, a cloud-shaped pattern, their flapping wings begin to reverberate throughout the surroundings.
Hearing that, Morgan almost scared shit inside the trunk hole. The buzzing sound was so loud that he felt the bugs were waiting outside.
His palm starts to tremble. Fortunately, he was able to hold on. He didn't let go of his grip.
The cloud of carnivore bugs then immediately flew in the east direction.
Time went on.
Morgan remains hidden in the trunk hole for another half hour.
Finally, Morgan felt assured that there was no more buzzing sound. It's been more than half an hour since he heard that sound.
Now he can put away the silver shield with confidence. His eyes begin to look out for the surroundings after placing the shield back in the storage bracelet.
After five minutes of hesitation, he walked out of the hall.
THUP
Morgan completely collapsed into the ground because of tiredness. His mental energy is almost drained. He needs some time to get back into normal shape.
Now he is breathing in relief. Then, unknowingly, he falls asleep under the tree.
For the past several hours, the igneous earth team has been dealing with a continuous fight. Now the team is wiped out, leaving Morgan behind.
With that, Morgan's mental strength crumbles down. At this point, only good sleep can make him recover.
...
(From MC's perspective)
Following the narrow path, I'm quickly able to walk out of the forest. After finding the outside plain area, I knew this was one of the entrances and exits to this insect forest.
Then I walked along the plain area, which then led to another sand road, which connects the wall of the iron post city.
On the way, I encountered many warriors, covering up their entire bodies with protective gear.
I couldn't help but wait and watch until the group entered the forest.
Seeing that, a small smile rose on my face.
It doesn't matter what type and grade of protective gear it is. It's impossible to escape from those tiny bugs.
As long as there is a small gap in your protective gear, it will give those bugs a chance to attack you.
One thing is certain now: there is a lack of intelligence about the inner forest. I believe my information will sell like hot cakes. I can make extra money out of this.
While placing my fingers on my chin, I began to contemplate. A certain person's image flashed before my eyes.
I grunted, "Remington Talley."
"What is he doing right now?" I muttered to myself.
A quick glint flashes in my eyes.
My idea seems to be a good one. I need to have a good talk with him. So, we can both make a lot of money with intelligence.
After gaining some clarity, I continued to walk along the road.
Ten minutes later,
After walking past incoming bandit hunting warriors, I spotted a few resting tents ahead of me. From looking at them, I knew these were private tents of the teams.
Without minding them, I continued to walk along. Soon, I caught a glimpse of a large tent.
Seeing that, my lips curved into an arc. Spotting that tent means I'm closer to the city wall now.
This is the same tent where I met Remington Talley for the first time. Then I thought about checking out his little beverage shop before continuing my journey.
After the wide spread of the new notice, I believe he is back to his little shop.
Compared to my first visit, there were many warriors this time.
Coming in and going out of the camping site.
Then I increased my speed to reach the place. After reaching the tent, I quickly moved ahead to find the little beverage shop.
When I followed the old route, I quickly spotted a little beverage shop. There were a few customers standing in front of the counter.
Seeing that, I smiled and walked towards the shop.
When I got closer, I found someone else behind the counter. A disappointment rose in my heart. I realized that Remington may not be here. Shaking my head, I turned back to walk towards the exit.
"Mr. Zack!"
Suddenly, I heard a loud voice from behind.
Hearing that, I turned back to see the person.
Seeing that he was none other than Remington Talley himself, I sighed in relief.
On the other hand, Remington Talley let out hearty laughter, "Ha...Ha...Ha..."
Then he said, "Mr. Zack, I thought you went back to your home already."
After saying that, Remington didn't give Zack any chance to reply. He gently dragged him towards his tent, located at the back of the shop.
No one noticed their little conversation.
"This guy," I uttered while following him towards his little tent. I remembered him talking about a bandit hunting team last time we were here.
Both of them sat in chairs after stepping inside the tent. For a moment, both of us looked into each other's eyes.
I realized that, looking at his bright mood, Remington is doing fine.
On the other hand, Remington was obviously happy to meet Zack again. But he doesn't know where to begin the conversation.
He remembered Zack being interested in insect forests at the time. He didn't know what happened then. It's been several weeks since their last meeting.
"Cough" "Cough"
Remington coughed twice to break the silence.
Then he asked, "Mr. Zack, What did you do after our last conversation? "
Hearing that, I smiled. I'm not going to reveal the entire truth. So, I replied, "I'm doing some rounds in the outer area."
Remington Talley wasn't surprised by the answer. Upon seeing Zack, he obviously guessed this much. But he didn't know which team he had joined.
Previously, he had recommended many teams to Zack, so he asked, "What about your team?"
Hearing that, my lips curved into an arc again.
Then, looking into his eyes, I uttered, "Solo."
"What! Are you joking right now? " Remington Talley exclaimed in surprise. A series of changes have taken place since their last meeting.
He couldn't believe Zack was venturing out solo this whole time. He didn't think about the inner area. For him, that place is taboo.
Looking for bandits in the outer area is a big thing in itself. So, it took him some seconds to digest the answer.
At the same time, looking at the shocked expression of Remington, I felt my answer was too much for him to handle.
I added, "What are you so shocked about? I have been there only twice. So far, I have encountered only two special trainee bandits. "
Hearing that, Remington sighed in relief. He really has imagined something else now. Then, looking at Zack, he reveals an embarrassing smile on his face.