Chapter 213
As a Senior...
Soft Ruby Beetles were different from bees, which died after attacking. These beetles could shed their bristles. Their wings were covered with bristles—some had about 10, others 5 or 6. They died only after shedding all their bristles. Thus, anyone facing these beetles was always advised to "run" as fast as possible.
If there’s only one beetle, you might survive, but what if there’s a swarm!? Even with antidotes, you’d need mid-level ones at least. Did you really think low-level antidotes could counter the massive poison from Soft Ruby Beetles!?
"Ah!!! Why are we so unlucky! Hurry, run as fast as you can, get out of the forest immediately!" The senior’s scream snapped everyone back to their senses. Nara, despite her exhaustion, forced her body to run for her life, leading the others.
Unfortunately, they were already very tired from walking around looking for herbs. How could their limited strength allow them to outrun the Ruby Beetles? Even though Nara ran ahead first, her small legs eventually gave out, and she collapsed to the ground. The 4 of them cried out and tried to fend off the beetles’ sharp bristles from hitting vital points.
The beasts they had with them were also greatly affected. Despite trying to protect their masters, they were not in much better shape.
“Waah, waah. Help...” Nara wept, unable to believe her misfortune. Just coming to the forest to find herbs, she hadn’t even disturbed the venomous insects’ nest, yet they were viciously attacked!
The Soft Ruby Beetles showed no mercy. Even after shooting many bristles at their enemies, they wouldn’t stop until they saw their foes lifeless. The young women from the Beast Training Branch felt like this was the end of their lives.
Just before they gave up and stopped struggling, a dark brown cloak, nearly black, appeared before them. Although the person in front of them wasn’t as large as the men they dreamed of, his arrival was something they would remember for the rest of their lives.
The small figure swung his hand, revealing a chain knife that didn’t seem particularly expensive, considering the spending power of the upper class. However, he was clearly not just an ordinary villager but likely a hunter who made a lot of money or someone with a well-off background. His appearance and status were less important than his skill in handling those poisonous creatures.
The 4 female students couldn’t even see how the person in front of them swung the knife. All they saw was him swinging the chain, and the Soft Ruby Beetles began to fall one by one like raindrops from the sky.
And yes! Despite the impressive sight, it wasn’t the chain knife doing the work. These Soft Ruby Beetles were incredibly fast; no one who had just started using a knife could handle them. What appeared to be skillful use of the chain knife was actually Ellie disguising the use of her spores to kill them.
The little Blue Apple, who had been on her shoulder, jumped down when it saw that few enemies remained. It grew to the height of her leg and happily began eating the dead Soft Ruby Beetles one by one.
Nara watched the figure before her with warmth in her heart, even though her swollen face made it hard to see clearly.
“Do you not have any antidotes? If you don’t want to die, drink them now,” Ellie, in the guise of Luke, warned. The 4 students seemed to have just snapped back to reality. They had prepared antidotes before entering the Fragrant Held Forest because this forest was filled with poisons. Although Nara didn’t have much money, she had spent her remaining funds on antidotes for survival. Without them, she would surely have died today.
“Who are you, sir? I noticed you have a beast too. Are you from the Beast Training Branch?” one senior asked curiously.
Ellie glanced at her indifferently, waiting for her little Apple to finish eating the small beetles before thinking of leaving. There was no need to maintain a relationship between Luke and these girls.
“Senior...may I call you that? Actually, we’re here to gather herbs for a mission. Unfortunately, we were attacked before finding enough. We barely survived the Poisonous Fireflies attack earlier. Who would have thought we’d encounter Soft Ruby Beetles next? We really are unlucky, aren’t we?”
“Hmm? You encountered Poisonous Fireflies?” Ellie, who had intended not to converse with them, changed her mind upon hearing they had encountered Poisonous Fireflies.
Searching for the nests of these poisonous insects with spores might take some time to spread around the 1st floor. However, it would be more efficient if she could collect the poison for the little Apple without waiting.
“Yes, we encountered Poisonous Fireflies, Black-tongued Moles, Mison Lizards, and Red-tear Mice. Everywhere we turned, poisonous creatures kept attacking us. We don’t understand what’s happening.”
The more Ellie listened, the more excited she became. The list of creatures they mentioned all had potent poisons. Normally, if someone came to the Fragrant Held Forest for a mission, as long as they didn’t disturb the nests, they wouldn’t be attacked like this. Initially, she thought it was just her good luck to get information from these girls. However, after some thought, Ellie realized she had almost forgotten some plot points from the novel!
Because it was not a very significant role, there was a mention in the novel about the students from the Beast Training Branch taking on a mission. During that time, strange incidents occurred, just like right now. One student had a severe aversion to the Fragrant Held Forest. No matter how many times they entered, they were always attacked by the beasts within.
Initially, the professors didn’t suspect anything and blamed the students for disturbing the nests of poisonous creatures. It wasn’t until Nara, the heroine of the story, studied magic with Professor Lucien and discovered that "magic power" in each element sometimes had hidden properties for some person.
For example, Professor Lucien had light elemental magic power, but his hidden property was the purity of his magic, making it easy to adapt and change things. He could use a variety of magic powers, unlike others who excelled in only one area. Nara also had light magic power with hidden properties. Her light element possessed the property of life, making her beloved by many living beings. Forests and even beasts felt a positive inclination toward her light element.
Professor Medik had the botanic element with more special property than anyone else, which was healing property, making his potions more effective than others, even if they performed the same work. This was an example of these special properties, but not everyone had them. Some could only use the basic elemental power.
Nara’s discovery allowed a senior student at the institute to realize that every time she used her magic power in the tower, it attracted poisonous beasts to attack. This was due to the hidden properties in her magic.
Simply put...the subplot about the senior with hidden power was to show that Nara’s research had saved the life of 1 senior student...
Ah...well, it was just a way to showcase the heroine’s special abilities. Without saving this senior, the research on hidden powers would only have academic and future significance. The heroine had to be grander than that, like saving others’ lives and solving life’s difficulties, earning high praise afterward...
Ellie didn’t pay much attention to this subplot. She only read about Nara and Professor Lucien spending time together researching magic, becoming closer. During this time, Professor Lucien struggled not to fall in love with his only disciple, but every day Nara was so adorable that he couldn’t resist anymore. Eventually, Professor Lucien confessed his feelings to Nara.
However...Nara was troubled by this confession. She never thought of Professor Lucien in that way, and it took a long time to resolve this dramatic storyline. Eventually, Nara accepted Professor Lucien’s feelings but still asked to remain his "disciple."
Despite this, Nara felt happy and her heart raced with Professor Lucien, marking the first time she crossed the "teacher zone."
Well...this was a sweet romance novel, after all. The writer focused on the love and relationships of the main characters. The success stories of helping others were just side plots to make the protagonists smile at the end. The results must look good for this reason.
Under her cloak, Ellie frowned. She looked at the 4students. Excluding Nara, the heroine, there were only 3 possible candidates who could be the unlucky student with an aversion to the Fragrant Held Forest. A mysterious smile gradually appeared on Ellie’s face. She changed her plan from staying away from these annoying girls to “following the beast bait.”
Since she had encountered a lucky charm, why waste it? Wouldn’t it be better if Ellie could just walk around and find food for the little Apple?
“It’s really unfortunate for you all,” Luke said in a deep voice. The female students, feeling better after resting and drinking their antidotes, nodded wearily at his words.
“We don’t know if we’ll be able to complete the mission. Everywhere we go, we face obstacles. If it weren’t for you, Senior, we wouldn’t have survived.”
“Mirin is right. We’ve almost died many times.”
“Emma, why do you speak so unpleasantly? Who talks about dying in this scary forest?”
“What should I say, then, Lucy? Oh...we’re so strong, we’ve run hundreds of kilometers and can keep going?”
“P-please, Seniors, let’s not argue,” Nara interjected. She acted like a good girl again after recovering. Her face was gradually returning to normal, although some spots were still swollen. With the quality of the antidote, she would soon be completely healed.
“Huh! We weren’t initially arguing, but when you started talking, our conversation has turned into an argument,” Emma said irritably. She often felt that Nara’s words were problematic. Unlike Mirin, Emma wasn’t patient. She didn’t understand why Mirin, like their mentor, was so protective of Nara.
For Emma, someone like Nara, who constantly caused trouble and had weak powers that declined after a year of training, didn’t deserve to be called a “junior” sincerely.
“Senior...” Nara said softly. She knew they disliked her, but what could she do? Even if they didn’t like her, Professor Lily did. Despite her declining powers, the professor didn’t scold her but encouraged her to work harder. Besides...it was only Senior Emma who tried to pick fights. Senior Mirin was often kind to her, and Senior Lucy wasn’t much of a problem as she was usually quiet, occasionally mediating to stop arguments.
So, the person she really needed to pay attention to wasn’t Senior Emma, who openly disliked her!
"Alright, alright, let’s not argue in front of our senior. By the way...what is your name, Senior? We are juniors from the Beast Training Branch at Ares Institute," Mirin introduced herself, and Ellie, in the guise of Luke, nodded politely.
"My name is Luke."
"Senior Luke! Is your beast one that likes to eat poisonous beasts? I saw it eating all the Soft Ruby Beetles," Emma observed.
"Yes."
"I see. Senior, your beast is very powerful."
"Senior! I have a good idea. Since your beast likes to eat poisonous creatures, traveling with us would allow it to eat to its heart’s content. I can guarantee it."
"That’s right! Senior Luke, would you join us? Since we’re so misfortune and seem to attract so many poisonous creatures, you could come with us. You’re on a mission alone, right? What is your mission? Maybe we can do it together. What do you think?"
Emma was very enthusiastic. They had seen how strong Luke was, so having him accompany them would be beneficial. He could handle the surrounding beasts, and they could stay safe behind him. Senior Luke would benefit because his beast liked eating poisonous creatures, and they would be safe. It was a win-win situation.
"Mmm...that’s a good proposal," Luke pretended to ponder, acting as if he hadn’t initially intended to take advantage of their bad luck. The girls watched anxiously, hoping the senior would agree to join them.
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