Cornflower Witch

Chapter 95 Ogre

On the flat ground outside the forest, Yero stood beside Maester Hyde and inquired about the examination.

“Teacher, this forest seems quite different from ordinary forests.” He put down the telescope tube in his hand.

“Yes, it must have been the work of a witch.” Maester Hyde’s eyes were deep as he recalled some past events.

"A witch?" Yero was quite surprised.

“That’s right. You should have heard similar rumors. In the early days of the Kingdom of Legas, witches were secretly involved.”

“Such rumors do have some basis. They are powerful, but their training environment and system are completely different from the Candleburg School that you and I belong to,” Maester Hyde thought for a moment.

"If I'm not mistaken, the one who created this testing ground should be a powerful 'nightmare' type witch."

"Their power is enough to permeate the forest and cause some kind of change."

……

Inside the forest, Hiltiah, wielding a black steel short sword, battles several black wolves that attack.

These black wolves have blood-red eyes and black fur. They lack the arrogant and ferocious spirit of the tigress, but possess a different kind of madness that is unafraid of pain, which is chilling.

As the girl spun around, the black blade sliced ​​through a sharp semicircle, cleaving one black wolf in two. Meanwhile, the other, crazed wolf fearlessly leaped into the blood, biting at the girl's sleeve.

At this moment, the corpses of three black wolves lay at Hilti's feet, while the remaining four did not flee but swarmed forward, trying to tear her apart and pounce on her.

Seeing this, Hilti no longer hesitated. She reached for the lantern at her waist with her left hand, and then an orange-red ring of fire bloomed in the dark forest, accompanied by several painful wolf howls.

The remaining four black wolves were burned into fireballs, rolling and struggling wildly in the woods, baking the damp leaves and sending plumes of white smoke into the air.

Soon, their activity gradually ceased, their bodies turned charred black, and they collapsed to the ground.

Stepping forward with her sword, Hilti examined their condition and made a rough judgment in her mind.

It's getting more and more dangerous. These wolves were probably just ordinary wild beasts, but they've been corrupted by the 'Nightmare' aspect, becoming exceptionally frenzied, and their strength and speed have been enhanced to some extent.

Could it be that all the wild animals in the mountains have been affected?
If this was the work of the assessment team, then what level of professional would be capable of casting such a large-scale spell? The girl felt she needed to readjust her understanding of high-level professionals.

……

Before nightfall, Hiltiya finally followed the faint trail and found the hidden spring halfway up the mountain.

Cool spring water flows from the cracks in the rocks in the mountains, icy to the touch, and contains a faint 'mist' quality.

She carefully took out a portion and tasted it in small bites, discovering a slight sweetness, which must be the 'sweet spring' the instructor had mentioned.

Then, Hilti took out three small water bottles she was carrying, filled them with water, plugged them, and placed them on the belt around her waist.

Thus, the first goal was achieved.

She looked at the darkening sky and decided to find a relatively safe place to sleep and rest.

With a simple twist of the lantern in her hand, she opened the closed iron window, revealing part of it. The 'Fire Orchid' blooming in the glass bottle emitted a faint halo, illuminating the mountain path in front of the girl.

The invisible light and heat rippled outwards, burning any mosquitoes or ants that came near. Hiltiya, riding the specially made lantern, walked safely through the dark mountains.

However, the other trainees were not so safe.

Mick crouched at the foot of a cracked cliff, a campfire burning in front of him, wisps of smoke rising, but he was still suffering from the onslaught of various mosquitoes. "There are so many mosquitoes here," he muttered, taking out a small piece of mosquito repellent and lighting it, which emitted puffs of smoke.

"I wonder where Brother Jero and the others are now. This should be where they spent the night a few days ago." He followed the path of Jero's team. The road was clear, and he didn't encounter many wild beasts, but he also didn't find any clues about the spring.

"That's enough for now. Get a good night's sleep. We need to speed things up tomorrow." He stirred the campfire in front of him, picked up the thin blanket he had brought, wrapped himself in it, and leaned against a nearby rock.

……

On the other hand, Karen secured herself to a high tree branch for the night, which, although not very comfortable, was safer.

Komia also started a fire in the woods, baking her and 'dough' their dinner for the night.

"Don't touch it, it's not cooked yet." Komia grabbed the white wolf's paw and continued to sprinkle salt on the rabbit meat, adding a touch of flavor.

Thorin didn't light a fire. After taking the antidote, he found a secluded spot, wrapped himself in a blanket, and half-buried himself in the ground. By this time, he was too weak to do anything but pray that no other wild animals would find him that night.

The young nobleman, Baron, squatted on a rocky hillside, an egg roasting in front of him, gazing at the distant mountains, calculating how long it would take to reach them the next day.

Other trainees either lived in caves, built temporary sleeping places for themselves with tree branches, or took unconventional routes.

Even in the night, Iona did not stop. The power of the 'blazing sun' aspect within her body gave her endurance. The torch in her hand illuminated the mountains in the night as she gradually approached the place where the spring water flowed.

……

The next morning, Hilti woke up under the sleeping tree, stretched, and stood up.

She slept well last night. The lantern in front of her not only provided stable light and heat, but also drove away many small wild animals, preventing them from approaching.

If we connect the starting points of each student to form a U-shape, then their current positions are gradually moving towards the center of the U-shape, increasing the probability of them meeting.

……

"Huh, huh-"

A student was running frantically through the mountains. He was wearing chainmail with a robe over it, and his sword was nowhere to be seen. Behind him, a tall figure was playfully chasing the student, pushing aside tree branches as if shooing away chicks.

“Ogres… there are ogres here.” The student was filled with fear and staggered along the way.

"Awooo—" The tree canopy behind him was torn open again by a thick blue hand, revealing a head with a thick, single horn.

With an ugly face and wearing tattered animal skins, this ogre was nearly three meters tall, carrying a wooden club on its thick arms, and once again swung at the students hiding under the tree.

The trainee hurriedly rolled over, but was still grazed by the thick wooden stick. One of his arms was broken and twisted behind his back, and the intense pain made him scream and shout.

"Why are there cannibals in the assessment..." He muttered to himself as he fled with his last bit of strength, his face covered in mud and blood.

As a great enemy of mankind, ogres are not tolerated by any secular country, and are always attacked whenever they appear. Unexpectedly, they have appeared here.

"Heh, heh..." The ogre looked at the howling student and let out a chilling laugh. Then, its large feet moved forward again, cracking the soil in the mountains, and one hand reached out to grab the unfortunate student.

Soon, cries of fear and deformity spread through the mountains, startling flocks of birds into flight.

The first casualty occurred during this assessment.

(End of this chapter)