Chapter 22

Anyone who dared to enter the Green Ocean had to be acknowledged by the guard. Technically, since Floria was a border town and the Captain's influence only extended as far as the end of the cultivated fields, it was possible to avoid scrutiny, but practically anyone sane of mind went through the town, since braving the untamed wilds very rarely ended in anything but death.This meant that Eugene Crowley, the Captain in charge of public order and the highest legal authority, had the power to impose requirements. One of those was that to enter the forest, you had to be either an E-rank adventurer—a rule that ensured green teenagers who had just gotten their official plate couldn't throw their lives away, as they all started at F-rank—or be accompanied by a D-rank or an equivalent tier of a recognized Guild.

Nick was neither of those things. He wasn't even an adventurer in the first place. And though he intended to become one sometime soon, he doubted his mother would let him before he could reliably use the Stalking Gait to run away from dangerous enemies.

That was a reasonable concern; ordinarily, he would have abided by it. Unfortunately, his attempts at learning the martial skill were all failing. No matter how much time he dedicated to it—and thus took away from fascinating magical research—he couldn't even get the System to recognize his efforts.

The only solution he could devise that wouldn't require months, if not years, of effort only to produce a mediocre result was skipping ahead.

Now, Nick wasn't reckless enough to mess with the System itself. He had barely begun to understand what it was, much less how it worked or how to exploit it, even though that was a long-term goal he intended to pursue.

Instead, he intended to do something similar to the . He had developed a theory about what the Stalking Gait was and how it worked, and using that, he wanted to temporarily grant himself the greatest affinity possible, thus bypassing his Class penalty, and finally learn the skill.

That was another thing he had only learned about recently. Surprisingly, it came from one of the temple lessons, where Vicar Alexander explained that following one's Class wasn't just the holy thing to do, but also the practical one.

Anyone attempting to learn skills from a different class would find their progress significantly slowed. The further it was from their intended path, the longer it would take.

Being an Occultist, Nick was possibly the furthest thing from the Knight class his mother and brother had. It was no wonder that he hadn't been able to learn the breathing skill.

Still, Elena was unapologetic. She knew it would be difficult for him, but she saw it only as a minor obstacle. In her opinion, the benefits of learning the Stalking Gait would be well worth it.

Thus, Nick was preparing an expedition to the Green Ocean to obtain the ingredients he needed to temporarily overcome his Class's limitations.

"Is it going to take much longer?" Elia whined, swinging her arms in annoyance.

Rhea grunted, pouring a bubbling liquid from her portable cauldron into several vials, "It takes as long as it takes. Drinking a botched healing potion can do much worse things to you than a monster can."

"Does that mean we could deliberately brew them wrong and use them as weapons?" Nick asked curiously.

The older girl rolled her eyes, "Every new apprentice thinks that. Unless you were a Master Alchemist, you wouldn't be able to predict what effect would come from the botched potions. It could range from giving you a rash to melting your organs. And Master Alchemists have much better options at their disposal."

Nick hummed, filing away the information. Rhea was a real goldmine, even though she didn't seem to realize it. From what he knew, she came from a prestigious family and had lived in a city for most of her life. Compared to her, Elia and he were two country bumpkins.

Vicar Alexander knew his stuff, but he couldn't compete with specialized instruction from private tutors.

Nick took out the dagger his mother had gifted him, whose grip was made of thunderhoof horn, and tested its weight. It wasn't enchanted—that'd be too expensive to give someone who wouldn't use it—but he'd rather have it and not need it than the opposite. He checked its edge, running a thumb along the cold steel, and nodded to himself. It would have to do. He wasn't planning on getting close enough to any monster to need it anyway.

The small room they'd commandeered in Ogden's shop was cluttered with vials, scrolls, and scraps of parchment covered in scribbled notes. Nick stood over a map he'd nicked from his father’s study, its edges curling from years of neglect. He traced a path through the town with his finger, furrowing his brow in concentration.

"We should take the route around the temple's fields and enter from there," he muttered, glancing up at Elia, who was leaning against the doorframe with her usual air of impatience. "It did lead us to the Dryad's territory last time, but if we keep close to the edges, we might be able to walk to the main paths without being noticed by the sentries."

"As long as we don't get close to the huge tree, it's fine with me. It was you she wanted anyway." Elia grinned.

Nick shot her a look but didn't rise to the bait. "It's the only way we can get around the wall. If we're careful, no one will notice us."

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Rhea set down a tray of freshly corked vials. "You're sure about this path?" she asked, folding her arms. "The forest around the temple has been pacified and is usually quiet, but it's still risky. If we get caught, we're not just looking at a slap on the wrist."

Nick nodded, rolling up the map and tucking it into his satchel. "I know. But the acolytes are usually within the temple in the morning. No one should be there to see us. And it's not like we're going in without preparation."

Rhea glanced at Elia, who admittedly didn't project a threatening image with her fluffy tail and childish face; her skepticism was clear. "Preparation or not, this isn't a game."

Elia straightened, her grin fading. "You're the one who insisted on coming."

Nick stepped in, not wanting to rehash the same argument. "You don't have to come with us if you're uncomfortable. But we're going. We've talked about this before, and we'll be careful."

For a moment, Rhea hesitated, scanning their faces. Finally, she sighed and picked up her satchel. "Fine. But if you two idiots get yourselves killed, I'm not dragging your corpses back."

Elia snorted. "Deal."

Soon after, they left the shop and took the furthest paths from the town center until the temple fields stretched before them, rows of crops rippling gently in the morning breeze. The three moved cautiously, sticking to the edges of the fields where the tall stalks provided some cover.

Nick led the way, his eyes darting between the forest on the horizon and the path ahead. Every rustle of leaves or snap of a twig made his heart pound, but they encountered no one. The temple grounds seemed deserted, just like he had hoped.

"It's too quiet," Rhea muttered, her voice barely audible. She kept a hand on the strap of her satchel, ready to grab a potion if needed.

"Quiet is good," Nick whispered back. "Means we're not running into trouble."

They skirted the edge of the temple's outer wall, its stone surface weathered by years of exposure. Beyond it, the Green Ocean loomed as a vast expanse of trees stretching endlessly.

Nick paused at the treeline, glancing back at the others. Elia was sporting her perpetually amused grin, apparently not bothered by the danger. On the other hand, Rhea looked more wary than ever, her lips pressed into a thin line.

"This is it," Nick said. "Last chance to turn back."

Rhea exhaled sharply. "I'm not the one second-guessing myself. You sure you want to do this?"

Nick nodded. "Absolutely." He already had and active. With , he didn't need to fear emptying his reserves too soon, and he'd bet his lunch that something would attack them.

"Then let's stop wasting time," Rhea replied.

With that, they stepped into the forest. The air changed immediately as the sounds of the outside world were muffled by the dense greenery. The ground beneath their feet was soft with moss and fallen leaves, and the scent of earth and foliage was overwhelming. Shafts of light filtered through the canopy, illuminating patches of the forest floor in an otherworldly glow.

Nick tightened his grip on his knife, keeping his senses peeled. The Green Ocean was beautiful, but it was also deadly. He knew better than to let his guard down.

They moved in single file, Nick taking the lead while Rhea followed closely behind, constantly scanning their surroundings. Elia brought up the rear, padding along silently. She might act carefree, but Nick knew she could hold her own in a pinch.

After a while, Rhea broke the silence. "I can probably guide you to the nightcap mushrooms, but have you thought about how to get the rest?"

Nick didn't slow his pace. "The mushrooms alone would make the trip worth it. I can trade them for the rest with Ogden if we can harvest enough. If we find a flying monster, though, and we don't think it's too dangerous to fight, I'll take its organs."

Rhea rolled her eyes. "Great. Very reassuring."

Elia snickered.

Despite her sarcasm, there was a tension in her voice that Nick didn't miss. She was on edge, and for good reason. The Green Ocean didn't tolerate carelessness, and even the most experienced adventurers treated it with respect.ic barrier. He gritted his teeth, his mana flaring as he expanded the shield to cover all three.

"This is ridiculous!" Elia shouted, ducking as a nut ricocheted off the barrier.

"I can't hold them off and attack!" Nick growled, his voice strained. "There are too many angles!"

"Leave it to me." Elia stepped forward and conjured a small blue fireball. With a flick of her wrist, she launched it at one of the squirrels. The foxfire burst against the branch, igniting it and the creature. Its squeaks of pain as it fell were not pleasant.

Undeterred, the squirrels attacked, pelting the barrier with enough nuts to strain the spell. Elia fired more fireballs, striking the branch just below the closest squirrel.

It died. The experience wasn't enough to be worth mentioning, but Nick didn't care. He just wanted them gone.

Elia picked them off one by one, aiming unerringly even as the squirrels tried to evade her attacks. Realizing they were outmatched, the remaining monsters retreated with angry chitters, disappearing deeper into the forest.

Nick kept the spell active for a couple more minutes until he was sure he couldn't hear anything nearby. Reassured, he lowered his mana usage until the field was once again passive, sighing in relief. "Nice work."

Elia smirked, brushing her hands together as if she'd just finished a chore. "Told you I could handle myself."

Rhea looked at the burned branches and shook her head. "You two are insane. Who even uses fire magic in a forest?"

Elia only giggled in response while Nick went to inspect the fallen squirrels, taking out his dagger. If he had to suffer the indignity of being attacked by critters without leveling up, he might as well get some ritual material.