The Dreamer's POV

Time Left: 30 Days, 4 Hours]

<Current Number of Participants: 7,056>

"We've arrived."

Upon hearing Fitz's words in a low hum, I slowed down my dragon's speed until it finally stopped.

The hulking beast hovered above a cluster of especially tall trees, and I could already see them rustling and moving as if they were alive.

"It seems the trees are still after you, Fitz." I smiled, watching them dance.

"Haha! It would seem so." He replied nervously.

A bead of sweat fell from his face, and an awkward smile covered his face. I couldn't help but praise the System for its fine work once again.

"Alright, then. Leave them to me." I answered.

Whether it was due to the excitement I had about the treasures I would find here, or the fact that I was nearly done with my mission, I was suddenly filled with so much energy waiting to be let loose.

"This shouldn't take too long."

~WHOOOOOOSSSSHHHHH!!!~

In a flash, like a bolt of lightning, I left my place in the sky and descended below—to the trees that readily awaited my arrival.

Of course, their reaction speed was nothing compared to my enhanced state—or even my base form if I was being serious.

I swifly infused my blade with energy and brandished it, prepared to swing it at any moment.

"UROOAAAAHHHHHHH!!!" The trees roared, all of them closing in on me the moment I landed on the ground.

However, they were too slow… and too weak.

~SWISH!~

My wyvern blade easily sliced through them like hot knife through butter, causing their loud screams to slowly dissolve into helpless echoes.

The vines and branches they lunged at me fell powerlessly like marionettes whose strings had been cut off, none of them capable of much else.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

It took a few seconds at best to dispatch them since they were slow and weak.

'I wish I had a sword-based Skill, though. It would make all this easier, rather than me just doing this manually…' I found myself thinking as I eliminated the last nearby tree.

Perhaps once I got more Currency, I would be able to do something about that.

'For now, though… let's focus on the task at hand.'

To my surprise, the other trees beyond the darker, taller ones, didn't make any move against me.

I had thought they would act the same way the trees at the oak behaved—with all of them closing in at once—but it seemed the circumstances here was different.

'Makes sense. I don't want to have to tear down this entire forest just to complete this Quest.'

That would be too exhausting and time-consuming.

"Alright, dragon, bring Fitz down." I murmured, looking above me as the colossal beast slowly descended.

As it did this, I took the liberty of looking around me.

The area had been leveled, courtesy of me slicing and dicing so many trees. It was much easier to see through everything around me, and the air also felt much cleaner for some reason.

I activated <Immersion> and became one with my surroundings. My goal was simple: find the entrance to the treasure room that Fitz was so fond of before he—

"There it is! The entrance is over there!" Fitz's voice echoed in my ears, pulling me out of the zone I was getting immersed in.

It was frustrating having him easily point out something I was trying very hard to get right.

Fitz dismounted the dragon in what appeared to be a hurry and excitedly rushed to my side. He had that same annoying smile on his face, one that I had grown to tolerate.

All the energy I thought I had already dissipated at this point. I felt sleepier and grumpier than ever, but managed to hide it.

"Haha, really?" I forced a smile, glancing in the direction he pointed at.

There seemed to be nothing but dirt, but something pulsated within all the soil that covered the ground.

"Hmm… curious." I murmured, watching Fitz rush towards the area with an eager smile on his face.

I was the one getting the treasure, yet you'd think otherwise with the way he acted.

'He's just a System prop, yet he can display such human traits. It feels too real…'

Then again, I couldn't be too surprised.

The System had always been like this—surprising me at every turn.

"Watch your steps, Fitz, and make sure to… h-hold on… watch out!" My casual tone slowly shifted into something else.

Something darker.

All in a matter of seconds, my relazed gaze transfomed into that of shock and instant worry.

~WHOOOOSSSHHHH!!!~

With swift steps, I rushed to Fitz, reaching out to grab him while he still maintained his usual smile.

He was yet to fully grasp the severity of the situation, considering how slow he was. His innocent gaze was on the Entrance… but mine was on something just a few meters after.

Something that had suddenly appeared the moment Fitz drew close enough to it.

The Whispering Treant!

Having a hulking height of at least fifteen meters, its enormous mass made it appear even bigger and more intimidating than any monster I had ever encountered in the past.

It had slimy green moss covering its dark brown bark, and its robust arms and legs felt like they could crush me a thousand times over.

The dragon I had already unsummoned was even inferior to it in both height and mass—though I wasn't sure about the power aspect.

It's shimmering eyes begged for terror, and the moment it showed up, the whispers that disturbed my head grew even louder.

The noises trasncended the realm of annoyance to that of pain. I could feel a searing, inescapable pain resonate within my head.

However, that didn't stop me from moving—from desperately grabbing the man and pulling him away from the raised foot of the Whispering Treant.

Why would I do something like this? Why would I go so far for someone I barely knew?

Fitz had been a sketchy character from the start, and he was most likely a prop designed by the System. His entire personality was annoying, and I found his supposed optimism to be off-putting.

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Yet… here I was saving him despite the pain coursing through me.

All for a single reason.

'You can't die on me! Not until I'm sure your role as my guide is over!'

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[A/N]

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