The Dreamer's POV

Time Left: 30 Days, 4 Hours]

<Current Number of Participants: 7,009>

I had a choice to make.

Save Fitz, or worry more about myself.

I had barely a second left to decide what answer I was going to give.

There was a chance that Fitz still had a role to play in my mission of finding the treasures hidden in this forest.

If that was the case, then letting him die would affect me more negatively than positively.

Since that was the case… it was a no-brainer that I would rush to pull him away from danger, even if my head felt like it would explode at any moment.

~BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!~

The Whispering Treant's stomp sent a quake spreading across the entire landscape, raising a cloud of dust in its wake.

Fortunately, Fitz and I were a distance away, enough to only experience the shockwave it generated.

"Whew! That was close…" I whispered, tightly holding Fitz with both hands.

There was no way I could let my prop die that easily.

"Y-you… you saved me…?"

I could hear Fitz sniff, but I didn't bother looking in his direction. I knew I would only get sucked into his glittering eyes and feel annoyed once again.

Plus, there was a more pressing matter that required my attention.

"How is the Whispering Treant here? It's supposed to be in the North!" I thought aloud, having no particular person in mind to answer me.

But, of course, having an Explorer beside me made that notion redundant.

"Perhaps it migrated here after the you saved me from the trees. It must have known this would be our destination."

Fitz's response made sense. Explore stories on empire

I instantly chastized myself for not being cautious enough. However, there was probably no way of really knowing unless I kept a Minion to constantly watch the Whispering Treant.

And that was a luxury I couldn't afford at this point.

"That monster is currently standing on the entrance to the treasure room. It won't budge, I'm sure." Fitz began, worry and fear lacing his tone.

Well, if I hit it, I was sure it would budge.

"It's unfortunate that the trees have been felled, so we can't use them to take any cover.'

I actually had a Concealment Cloak which could render me completely undetectable.

"I can think of one plan… but it will require one of us to be the decoy."

I could summon a Minion to act as a decoy, though.

"Since you're the one with the Runes, I believe you should be in hiding while I act as the decoy. All you have to do is wait for my signal. I'll distract the monster and lead it away from the entrance, and then you'll use your incredible speed to reach the entrance, unlock it with the Runes, and venture into the entrance…"

After listening to Fitz's plan, I could think of at least half a dozen methods that were much better and would achieve the same results.

However, I said nothing.

'This is a prop of the System. If he's saying this without any prompt, then its probably the route the System wishes to take. In essence, this could be the way I get rid of him—his final purpose.'

When I thought of it critically, everything seemed too convenient.

Having the Boss leave its position and arrive here, just for us to be presented with this choice. It was most likely that Fitz would sacrifice himself for me, allowing me to recieve all the rewards.

'I suppose that's how it's supposed to go…'

It didn't make any sense that I would be sharing a reward with a System prop, to begin with. I thought I would have to kill him, but I suppose I didin't have to worry about that.

"I know you're concerned about me right now, but it's fine. Honestly. I wish things could go another way, but this is the only way I see us winning…"

I looked at Fitz, forming a genuine smile for the first time since we met.

"I trust you to get the treasure and come back for me. I can't hold it off for very long, so please… come back for me once you get them all."

I nodded, maintaining my smile.

"Of course. How could I not come back?"

I had to finish off the Boss, after all.

I was sure Fitz would be long dead by then. Not only would he get speed blitzed by the Whispering Treant, but he was also too weak to do much against it.

I was probably not going to see his face when I got back out.

"Thank you… thank you, young man."

Giving me a final farewell smile, he tapped my shoulders and gazed in the direction of the Whispering Treant.

The cloud of dust around us was beginning to settle, so I reckoned it wouldn't be very long until the Whispering Treant began to make its move.

"Go and hide. I'll distract it!" Fitz yelled, charging into the halfway cleared dust, his tone suddenly taking on the form of determination. "Don't worry about me. I won't die! I'll survive! I'll definitely make it back!"

I swiftly activated my Concealment Cloak and left Fitz's presence, utilizing <Immersion> to take full cognizance of my surroundings as I approached the entrance of the treasure room.

"ROOOOAAAAAARRRRR!!!"

Right on schedule, the Whispering Treant's roar instantly cleared all the dust, revealing Fitz' hopeless attempt to get its attention.

It looked more or less like an ant trying to get a wild beast to look in its direction. I could have sworn that the Whispering Treant had no reason to pay Fitz any mind.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

However, because this was a scenario conjured up by the System, the colossal Treant glared at Fitz and left its initial position, its eyes shimmering brightly.

It slowly chased after Fitz, leaving the entrance alone.

'Haa… so convenient.'

The entrance was a stony structure, having three various signs that matched the sigils that warbled on my palm.

I placed my hand on the stone, and as expected, it immediately reacted to me.

~VWUUUUSSSSHHHHH!!!~

I heard the howl of wind, and then felt light envelop me. My entire self seemed to be getting sucked into the stone monument, which would lead me to wherever my destination was.

'Well, Fitz…' I smiled, stealing one final glance at the struggling man.

Prop or not, he was extremely useful.

'... It's been a pleasure.'

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[A/N]

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