The Dreamer's POV

[Time Left: 30 Days, 7 Hours]

<Current Number of Participants: 12,035>

The whispers continued.

"... GIVEEEEE MEEEE…"

They kept echoing in my ears like the repulsive grinding of metal that constantly seared me from within.

"... THEEEE RUUUUUNNNNNEEEESSSS…"

What annoyed me the most was the fact that I could do nothing to stop the whispers. Blocking my ears didn't even help in the slightest.

It was like the whispers were playing within my head.

"I just… have to endure…" Whispering tiedly to myself, I unsummoned my Dark Demon Tree, leaving me alone in the forest.

'I know the location of my target concerning the second Quest.' A smile spread across my face as I lifed my gaze.

Activating <Grand Flight> in no time, my feet slowly dislodged from the earth, and I felt a pull lift me to the starless sky.

With my body light as a feather, and my body capable of fluid aerial movement, I dived straight into the sky, swiftly ascending far above the trappings of the ground.

In no time at all, I was far from the twisted roots and gnarled tree branches, watching as those became smaller in my line of sight.

I eventually towered above the tree canopies, watching instead as the mix of green and dark brown blended to form a sea beneath me.

"Alright, then… far east." My eyes sharply went in the direction I needed to go, and my body followed soon after.

~WHOOOOSSSHHHH!~

*******

[MINUTES LATER]

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Finding no reason to hold back, I utilized my full speed in the air, causing me to arrive at my destination much faster than I would have if I had chosen to trek or simply glide through the dark skies that I occupied.

Now above the location I was directed to, I looked below me.

"Hm… certainly doesn't look like anything out of the ordinary."

I didn't see any clearing or sign that indicated that something special was going on down there. However, considering the fact that I followed the specifications of the Quest, and I listened to the trees, I was confident in the results.

~WHOOOSSHHH!~

Diving in, I closed in on the sea of trees. I felt the wind lash on my face as my dark hair danced behind me, but the sensation hardly fazed me at all.

Once I neared the dense forest's canopy, I slowed my pace. I further slowed down once I neared the rugged branches.

'I don't think they'll hurt me or anything, but I better not send branches and trees flying in case they harm the guy I'm trying to save.'

My careful descent ended with my feet—well, more precisely, my shoes—slowly touching the ground.

While this was happening, my eyes darted in multiple directions, my attempt at securing the area. I swiftly activated <Immersion>, which instantly sent a signal into my head.

'Ah… there it is!'

My lips spread out in excitement as I bolted towards the area that sent me my signal, becoming a blur as I approached it within a second.

As soon as I blinked, I was there already.

"Well, well, well…"

The sight before me was a bit unexpected, but after staying in this place for almost a day, stuff like this didn't surprise me any longer.

A massive oak tree stood right in front of me, its complexion much lighter than the remaining dark brown trees that surrounded it. It had a somewhat greyish glow, and its body wasn't as twisted as the other trees.

It's fat trunk, and extended branches were testaments to its rich structure, and even its leaves appeared different than usual.

However, even with all of these things, the weirdest thing about the tree was the man poking out of it.

Yes. There was a man whose body was partly outside the tree and partly sucked within it.

If I had to estimate, more parts of his body were within than without.

The man had disheveled grey hair, an aged face, and from what I could pick up from his attire, a dirty brown leather jacket and white shirt.

Most of his body was covered in the tree, but I could see the unconscious man pretty clearly from the point where I stood.

'I've gotten my second target. Time to get out of here.' My thoughts echoed as I drew close.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

However…`

~SHWUUUUUUUUUP~

The moment I reached out, a cluster of vines suddenly wrapped themselves around my arm, forcefully holding it.

'What?'

I tilted my head behind me, my eyes trailing the source of the constraint, only to find that it came from one of the many trees around me.

'The hell…?' I instantly tore through the vines that served as a constraint, and the moment I did so, many more took their place, all charging at me.

'No you don't!'

Instantly activating <Turbo>, I swiftly dodged all the vines, ripping them off as they missed.

I also drew closer to my target in the process, though at this point, it felt like I was going to be dealing with more than mere branches and vines.

"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR…"

Hearing sounds like these echo from the forests, I witnessed the rooted trees suddenly begin to move.

They shifted from their transfixed states and drew closer to me, their branches becoming malleable, and their twisted forms suddenly becoming more and more horrific.

At this point, I could say I understood two things.

One. The trees didn't want me to get close to the oak, and the man within it.

Two. They would do whatever it took to stop me.

"UROOOAAAHHHH!!!"

Their barks split into what I could only describe as sharp teeth, giving the trees even more horrific forms than pumpkins on Halloween.

They rushed at me in their numbers, baring their wooden fangs at me in fury, but to me they were just slow lumps of wood charging forth.

No match at all.

"Advanced Grand Rock."

~BOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!!!~

The rock easily rushed towards my opponent, shattering their wooden bodies in a ricochet.

~WHAM!~

And as it did this, I approached the lone oak tree, my arm extended towards the lost traveler.

"Quest complete."

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[A/N]

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