Standing beside one of the long Forest trees, was a girl, who could see only but enemies. The presence her eyes had met was that of elves who surrounded Dimm, and in her mind, they had captured him.
Even though, Dimm was yet to recognize who she was because he hadn't seen her, of course. She had done so after sighting Dimm from a long distance while he approached with Minxx.
Her initial intention, on sighting the cultivators had been to ask for direction. She wanted to ask if there would be any other path she could take since she wasn't certain following the forest parts would lead her anyway.
It was in this course that she saw Dimm walking alongside Minxx.
While they walked, Dimm didn't possess that confidence that meant his safety. And it quickly mattered to the girl, [400]. To add to her suspicions, the other cultivators surrounded him as soon as he reached closer, and Dimm displayed an expression of shock.
And she thought, 'Probably, he has fallen into the hands of the evil ones.'
The game card, which they had used for bilocation into this game, contained instructions, two of them. Every snack that was sold in their real world, contained these game cards.
The first instruction was called The Bite That Awakens and it said—
Take a single deliberate bite of the snack while holding the game card. If done correctly, you will feel a slight tingling sensation. This tingling sensation is proof and signifies your consciousness is syncing with the virtual realm.
Close your eyes, focus on your desired character form, and let the transition begin.
This second instruction was called the Full Consumption Method—
Eat the entire snack in one sitting without breaking the card. As the flavor intensifies, your body will undergo a momentary disconnect.
Keep the card pressed against your palm and once the sensation fades, you will find yourself existing both in the real world and in the game.
Out of fear of the unknown, the second instruction became the commonly used instruction while consuming the snacks. Even though bilocating will mean keeping their real body temporarily dead, it was better than the first instruction.
That was what they were made to believe.
Dimm had actually made use of this second instruction, but he didn't follow the steps. He had dropped the game card on the floor, before consuming the chocolate she had given him.
And to much of her knowledge about the game, any misstep during consumption was also believed to grant the user with misfortunes and disadvantages.
On her part, she made use of the first instruction, even though she hadn't changed completely. She had only thought of her same self, except with various modifications that were going to fit her well in the game. But why?
"Tsk," the girl sighed and came out of hiding behind the tree.
***
"Hey! Hey!!"
Everybody in the field turned their heads toward the direction where the voice had come from. It belonged to a girl.
Her posture exuded a striking and powerful presence. Her long, red hair flowed behind her back with a metallic hairpin affixed to it. She wore a white, form-fitting blouse with a corset-like bodice that was layered with metal armor pieces.
"What a good sight to behold," Minxx said, with a smile.
"Huh," Dimm was confused. Before he knew it, the elves before him had already readied themselves for whatever was coming, possibly a fight.
"Do you face things like this often?" Dimm asked, feeling concerned.
Minxx grinned. "We've never faced a human being. They were mostly beasts or, during our unlucky days, monsters."
"I see," Dimm said. "Then, I will have to face this being head-on. She might be a deceptive form of a monster."
Minxx patted him on his shoulder and muttered, "Don't bother. They will take care of it."
Dimm averted his gaze to the cultivators. The aura around them has changed. The wind that whirled around them carried an otherworldly energy within its force of rotation.
They were all taking their forms and cultivating positions.
"Is it all about cultivation?" Dimm asked. "How will one be able to control all the power gained through this cultivation of a thing?"
Minxx shifted to a safe corner, with Dimm following beside her. "As you cultivate, you generate a Qi."
Before Dimm could ask further questions, she explained. "A Qi is like the life force of cultivators, the energy that is formulated within them each time they cultivate their skills."
"The amount of Qi a cultivator can amass will determine the strength of that cultivator with the skill's usage. And that is also a reason why there are levels of cultivation in each skill."
"You graduate and advance into higher levels, if you can break the Qi score for the lower levels."
"You didn't tell me that before," Dimm said. "No issues, though; at least you've told me now."
Dimm returned his attention to the scene that was about to begin.
The group that especially caught his attention was the Energy Manipulators. Their lineup was attractive, and they seemed to be lined according to their various levels in a descending order from the back.
Their first squad will be those in the front. Around them, they had conjured the stones of earth to float in air waiting for action.
Dimm traveled his eyes to observe the other cultivators before turning to Minxx. "Is this not cowardice?"
"What is cowardice?" Minxx asked.
"Isn't it weakness, sending this horde of cultivators to go against one person?" Dimm clarified his question.
"Oh. Well, it's not called cowardice. It's called preparation in case of overwhelming," Minxx stated.
"Preparation?"
"Yes. You said yourself that before taking up Squiggon while alone in that forest, it had initially been a flock of beasts, right?" Minxx asked.
"Yes. And that is why I'm still confused as to how you still referred to it as the guard of Gabty Forest," Dimm replied.
Minxx chuckled. "I will still come to how, later. However, put yourself in the position that you prepared to fight Squiggon only, and it had done the reverse by mutating into the initial various beasts."
Upon the realization, Dimm shook his head and smiled at Minxx.
"Lesson number one: In battle, always prepare for unexpected variables. A warrior should never assume a fight will go exactly as expected," Minxx had barely finished before they heard the sound.
DUUUMM!