Chapter 00021: The Distant Forest
# The Distant Forest
Chapter 21
Novel: AFK Game: Portal to Another World
Chapter 21: The Distant Forest
The rain came down like hanging ropes, heavy drops pounding the windows and rooftop with a loud rumble.
Lightning flashed across the sky from time to time, but Li Chengxi continued staring at the screen.
"This key… must be some kind of crucial item..."
He only found the key by accident.
When the Royal Guards were searching Roy's room, Li Chengxi happened to press the alt key and highlighted all the objects in the room.
That’s when he noticed a hidden compartment.
With a few careless clicks of the mouse, he opened it up with ease.
On the screen, Viola tucked the key close to her before leaving the scene with Shelly.
They still had a lot to take care of—like figuring out which of the mountain bandits were true criminals, with blood on their hands, and which ones were just refugees swept up in it all, trying to survive.
Different people required different responses.
Li Chengxi didn’t switch the camera view right away.
Instead, he looked at the item info panel he had just opened on the side of the screen.
Name: Key of the Demon King
Grade: Decorative
Effect: None
Description: An ancient key imbued with powerful spells, protected against the erosion of time.
Can be used to open a certain treasure.
Just by the description and its name, it was obvious this was an important quest item.
The problem was—where was the treasure?
And speaking of treasure, he suddenly remembered something.
One night, when he couldn’t sleep and booted up the game, he had discovered a ledger inside Lord Leon’s secret safe.
Come to think of it, that ledger had something that looked like a treasure map...
“No way it’s that much of a coincidence… right?”
– – – – – – –
Year 648 of the Demon Lord Calendar,
April 5th, Late Night.
Hill was leading her people in pursuit of the fleeing mountain bandits.
“Boss, the tracks are here. Tracking these guys is easier than hunting rabbits.”
Maybe it was because they ran in panic, but the trail the bandits left behind was clear as day.
They didn’t even bother trying the simplest tricks to cover their tracks.
Hill’s subordinates chuckled at that.
This was turning out to be one of the easiest jobs they’d had in a while.
“Can’t blame them for being scared out of their wits,” she said. “Think about it—if you were a bandit, and suddenly a giant hand fell from the sky murdering everyone, then you saw Princess Viola show up at your doorstep, wouldn't you run too?"
Hill signaled, and her unit moved like shadows along the hillside, silent and swift.
Even small animals hiding in dens didn’t notice them passing overhead—proof of their exceptional discipline and skill.
"Stop!"
About twenty minutes later, Hill raised her hand and brought everyone to a halt.
They'd now tracked their quarry to the edge of a forest.
In the darkness of night, faint glowing dots could be seen floating inside the trees.
It was hard to tell whether they were fireflies… or ghost lights.
One of her subordinates checked the grass around them for signs and judged by the way some leaves were bent:
“Boss, they passed through here. Less than five minutes ago.”
They were practically on their heels.
But Hill didn’t order a pursuit.
She kept her eyes fixed on the pitch-black forest ahead of them, as if trying to sense something within.
“We're heading back.”
“Huh? We're not chasing them?”
“No. We’ll just report to Her Highness that they’re dead.”
Her hand was still on the hilt of the scimitar at her waist.
The rest of her crew took note of her alertness and also reached for their weapons, their eyes wary as they scanned the forest.
“I remember the locals saying they never dare cut wood from this Distant Forest. They claim… the forest eats people. I used to think it just meant wild beasts. But it’s clearly more dangerous than that.”
“What did you see, Boss?"
“The whole forest is saturated with enchantments and magic. This isn’t any ordinary forest. I even spotted some fairies and elves—they’re here, and they don’t welcome outsiders, not even us.”
As Hill explained, she tilted her head slightly and listened to the rustle of the woods.
From under her hood peeked a pointed ear...
– – – – – – –
Year 648 of the Demon Lord Calendar,
April 6th, Early Morning.
At the heart of the Distant Forest—which locals avoided like the plague—there was a small settlement.
As the morning mist gradually faded, Lia pushed open the small door of her treehouse and quietly climbed down a rope ladder with a basket in hand.
Lia was a young, maybe even very young, elf.
Carefree and cheerful, her biggest daily worry was usually what game to play with her friends.
She stepped lightly on the soft grass below, readjusting the raspberries in her basket so they looked a little more presentable.
“Mm! Shanafi will love these!”
Suddenly realizing she’d spoken a bit too loudly, Lia quickly covered her mouth.
Like a squirrel, she tiptoed away from the treehouse.
Shanafi was her best friend.
Lately, though, she hadn’t been feeling well, and hadn’t come out to play in days.
So Lia decided she’d bring her some of her favorite forest raspberries.
Once she had put enough distance between herself and the house that her older sister wouldn’t see her, Lia returned to her usual bouncy self.
“Hey! Don’t give up! Drink the herb mix! Can you hear me!?”
“I… maybe…”
“I won’t let you leave me!”
*cough cough*
From nearby treehouses came the sounds of crying, coughing, and people struggling in agony.
But Lia didn’t pay it any mind.
Like we said, she was still a young elf—she didn’t have to worry about such things.
She only had to think about how to have fun today.
With her raspberry basket in hand, Lia tiptoed through a small wooden tunnel beneath the treehouses.
Rounding a great banyan tree, she knew she’d soon see the pond.
Lately her sister had forbidden her from going near the pond, but this was the fastest route to get to Shanafi’s house.
Since she had snuck out anyway, Lia didn’t care about the warnings.
But now, she noticed the once lush banyan tree had lost nearly all its leaves.
The grass around it was yellowed and dead.
And on the ground…
…filthy, fetid water trickled past.
Lia didn’t notice the danger.
In fact, she found it a little fun.
Like playing hopscotch, she carefully skipped over the puddles, trying not to get her new straw sandals—gifted by her sister—dirty.
“Ah! It’s the Elder sister water sprite! What are you doing lying by the pond?”
Lying beside the pond was a creature barely able to hold a shape, her whole body made of sluggish, flowing water.
And the pond itself, once clear and sweet, now shimmered with a sinister purple glow.
“Are you feeling sick?”
Lia crouched down and pulled a little handful of forest raspberries from her basket, placing them carefully beside the water sprite.
“They’re really sweet. If you eat them, you’ll feel better.”
The water sprite gave her a weak smile.
The pure, clean water that once made up her body now reeked like the pond itself.
Struggling, she took one raspberry into what passed for her mouth and said:
“They are very sweet. But Lia—you shouldn’t be here. Please, get away.”
“Mm, I have to go to Shanafi’s place. You eat more, okay? You need energy to feel better.”
Lia still didn’t suspect a thing.
With the same cheerful smile as always—so bright it could almost melt hearts—she waved goodbye and skipped off again.
She never noticed that right as she turned around, the water sprite’s form completely collapsed, dissolving into a stream of toxic fluid… and merging with the purple-glowing waters of the pond…
(End of Chapter)