Chapter 582: Crystal Tree Forest (2)

Feeling a sense of excitement welling up inside upon realizing he might have chanced upon a treasure ground filled with precious mana rich herbs waiting for him to harvest, Verdell understandably began looking around for an entrance to the underground space beneath the small crystal tree. Leaving Scaly watching at the side confused at the sudden change given how they should have still been trying to escape from the approaching blizzard.

But then again, he had mentioned something about them being able to hide underground from the blizzard, so she decided to just follow along and help him in finding a way to the underground space he was so confident was hidden beneath the smaller crystal tree she had ended up crashing into.

Unfortunately, as the two of them searched for a path underground, the path in question remained out of sight while the blizzard grew closer. Reaching the point where the wind around them had already started becoming more turbulent alongside the temperature dropping even further. Soon enough, forcing Scaly and Verdell to abandon their search of a path underground and set off looking for another place to hide away from the blizzard that had already started descending upon them during their search.

Still, though the blizzard had already reached them, it was only the weaker edges that had managed to reach them so far, with the stronger and more deadly core of the blizzard still being some time away from reaching them.

While this might have still been deadly out in the open, within the crystal tree forest, the crystal trees weakened the blizzard enough so that they could still survive and move around.

Not that this did much more than buy them a bit more time while also warning them that it was about time, they gave up searching for a path leading underground no matter how reluctant Verdell was to give up on the potential treasure ground waiting below the small crystal tree Scaly had crashed into earlier.

Whoosh-!

However, as they began to move through the crystal tree forest again in search of another place to hide away from the blizzard, the wind around them seemed to pick up in strength. Brushing past the two of them with such force that Scaly was almost dragged off her feet and into the sky.

The only thing that kept her grounded and avoided the scenario of the two of them being flung up out of the crystal tree forest into the blizzard that had already descended upon the crystal tree forest, was her fast reaction in using wind magic to stabilize herself before she and Verdell could be dragged away by the powerful wind.

Squeaaaak-!

[Crystal Tree Rodent, lvl 54]

Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like everyone had been able to brace themselves in time, as Scaly and Verdell both saw a small crystalline monster being dragged out of a nearby crystal tree before disappearing into the swirling sea of snow and ice above the crystal tree forest. Death certain, as there was no way either of them could see that little monster surviving being dragged off into that terrifying blizzard outside the protection of the crystal tree forest.

But at the same time, it was also their first encounter with a local of the crystal tree forest. Although this first meeting was neither in a clash for a safe hiding place nor a sudden ambush like the two of them might have originally expected their first meeting with the local monsters of the crystal tree forest to go.

In any case, it highlighted the danger of the current situation and also made it clear to them just how important it was to find a place to hide away and avoid being dragged off like the unfortunate crystal tree rodent that hadn’t been able to use wind magic to anchor itself in place.

At the very least, though the powerful wind had just been about to drag the two of them off to the frozen hell above, it wasn’t a constant flow of wind trying to drag them off and shortly after the disappearance of the crystal tree rodent, the two of them regained their ability to move forward again.

The main difference from earlier being that the two of them were obviously feeling far more anxious when it came to finding somewhere to safely hide away from the blizzard that was rapidly growing in intensity with each passing second.

Strong as the crystal tree’s weakening effect might be against the blizzard, the crystal trees also had a limit to what they could endure-

Rustle~

Something that became clear to the two of them, as some of the smaller crystal trees began shrinking their crowns to better protect themselves as the blizzard became hard to resist. Revealing several small crystalline monsters in the process that were quickly swept away by the blizzard the second they were thrown out of their hiding spots by the crystal trees.

The only positive about the situation was the fact that the crystal trees didn’t all close at the same time. Instead, it began at the outer edges of the forest before slowly moving inwards. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

Still, the closing crystal trees was a clear sign that the two of them were running out of time, as the second the crystal trees around them decided they couldn’t withstand the blizzard any longer and closed up, the two of them would be doomed to face the blizzard on their own, something that was impossible given their current strength.

To say Scaly and Verdell were panicking would be an understatement, as Scaly used all her strength to rush forward through the still intact part of the crystal tree forest, while the dwarf on her back kept using fire magic to keep the two of them warm while at the same time looking out for any place that might be suitable for them to hide away from the blizzard.

"There! A cave entrance!"

And during this desperate situation as the blizzard closed in on them, Verdell finally spotted a cave entrance in the distance. Serving as a ray of hope in their current deadly situation, Scaly didn’t even hesitate for a second before turning to rush in the direction Verdell was pointing out without even seeing the cave he had mentioned. Knowing that there was no time to waste and feeling certain the dwarf on her back wouldn’t just randomly give her wrong information that would inevitably put them in an even more dangerous position.

After all, if she ended up within the blizzard outside the protection of the crystal trees, so would he... And neither of them would survive.

Because of this, while the cave he had pointed towards was off course from the best possible escape, she didn’t have much of a choice but to risk her life trying to reach it, something that ultimately meant that she might not get to it before the crystal trees surrounding the cave entrance decided it was time for them to close up.

Still, it was the only clear escape path from the blizzard that had emerged.

WHOOOSH-!

"Damnit, this bloody blizzard truly is just as horrible as those seniors told me!"

Unable to hear the dwarf on her back cursing out loud, Scaly didn’t have any time to react as the crystal trees that had been guarding her and Verdell against the true might of the blizzard closed without any warning. Throwing the two of them directly into the blizzard without any protection.

To say it was horrible would be an understatement, as Scaly could barely move while keeping herself anchored to the ground. Still, she had to force herself to continue forward through the swirling mass of ice and snow that now blocked her vision. Having a general direction to move in as she pushed forward.

The only reassurance she had about her direction being correct was the fact that the dwarf on her back still providing some warmth as he clung to her neck to avoid being blown away pointed her in the general direction she needed to move whenever she got off course by igniting fire magic at the side of her head she needed to turn.

Although she didn’t know how that little dwarf could see in that kind of situation, it didn’t stop her from following the guidance- and soon enough she successfully reached the entrance to the cave he had spotted from afar. Crashing through the thick layer of snow that had started piling up at the entrance as she finally felt the terrifying cold that had engulfed her within the blizzard vanishing as her sight started to return.

Allowing her to not only see the shivering dwarf hanging off her neck as he let go and plopped down into the snow below, but also the owner of this cave she had ended up intruding into without any regard for whether this owner would allow her and Verdell to hunker down while the deadly blizzard raging outside calmed down.