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墨書 Inktalez
"What's with the strange wind? Trying to scare someone?" Xiong Tai suddenly exerted force from behind and slapped Ross, causing the eerie laughter to gradually fade away.
Ordinary people would never feel such emotions over trivial matters, experiencing a mix of sadness and joy. Where did the sadness come from, and where did the joy arise? They followed Ross's gaze upward, where a massive cliff wall loomed. Above it were black vines that appeared to hang down individually, seemingly not intertwined. It was unclear what had caused them to look so peculiar.
He must have felt a surge of emotion after witnessing such a sight. The view was slightly better here, and Freyr wanted to climb up to see for himself, but Ross quickly stopped him.
"Are you out of your mind? Let me go instead. You have no idea how vicious these Black Vines are. Just watch; I'll show you some evidence." As he spoke, Ross picked up a stone from the ground and threw it high into the air.
The Black Vines on the wall suddenly writhed like snakes as if reacting to the stone. All the Black Vines stood upright and lunged toward the stone. Then there was a muffled thud as one of the Black Vines wrapped around the stone and shattered it.
"Got it? These Black Vines are actually what happens when green vines grow old. Initially, the green vines are vigorous, but as they age, the Black Vines become rejected foreign objects. They turn into anomalies within the mushroom symbiotic system. You could even say they are a kind of antidote. We need to cut one for ourselves; that would be ideal. However, getting an entire one is likely difficult. I can only try to get a little bit; if everyone takes some with them, it should be sufficient," Ross continued.
"Alright then, let's get started. No time to waste; after all, we have a long way back," Freyr said as he stepped forward and patted Ross on the shoulder.
"I'll do my best. Can I borrow your weapons? Something that feels good in hand would be best," Ross said, greedily extending his hand as if asking for something.
"Sure, let’s keep it simple. Here’s this." Freyr unfastened his Boots and pulled out a military dagger from a seam beside them. He had initially hidden the dagger for security and also as a backup weapon in case of emergencies. It was an excellent choice; he liked doing this. However, there was no other way—many veterans had this habit; once accustomed to it, they were reluctant to change. He was one of those people.
After handing over the dagger, Ross gratefully accepted it and turned toward the nearby stone wall.
He realized that there were no gaps on the wall for him to grip; the only places his claws could reach were either the vines above or the mushroom behind him. But there was something deadly lurking above—the terrifying plant vines. Although these black vines seemed slow here, they were still fast enough that an average person couldn't dodge them.
To them, this speed seemed quick but not impossible to evade. However, if just one came at them, they might manage to deal with it; but if a whole bunch surged forward, they would likely be exhausted trying to escape—a conclusion that was clearly unacceptable.
There was no path above, and he could only stare at his feet as he climbed up little by little. This was the technique of free climbing. Few would dare to attempt such a feat beneath a sheer cliff without any protective gear, but Ross managed to do just that, ascending steadily. The black vines seemed to stir slightly, but when Ross paused, there was no further movement from them.
As he climbed higher, he gauged the distance ahead. Eventually, he spotted a closer black vine. It seemed to sense something, writhing and coiling like a snake. Ross had no option to evade; retreat was impossible. Below him was a considerable drop, and even if his physical condition could withstand such a fall without death, it would certainly leave him crippled.
He swung his dagger down decisively. The blade was still sharp enough; as he sliced through, he could feel the resilience of the vine. The vine indeed acted like a ghostly hand, continuously wrapping around him, constricting around vital points like his neck and making it hard for him to breathe.
Yet he persisted in cutting through the outer layer of the vine. Finally, the tough tendril was severed. He gasped in surprise; he had truly done it.
He tossed the severed vine down from above. A mass of black vines surged toward him, but as long as he remained still, it shouldn't pose much of a problem. They clearly aimed for the rapidly falling object. Fortunately, since the black vine had already hit the ground and the remaining vines couldn't reach him, they slowly began to retract.
It was indeed thrilling; after an unknown amount of time, as the black vines gradually returned to calmness, Ross carefully began to descend from above.
Climbing up was easy; descending was difficult. Now it seemed that although exertion was required to climb up, it was far easier than going down. After nearly half an hour, he finally reached the ground.
“Time to test this out; if I'm not mistaken, this should be it.”
With excitement, Ross used his dagger to slice open the vine bit by bit. Fortunately, the strength of the black vine was robust enough that cutting through it wouldn’t cause any issues. After all, this particular black vine was effectively dead now, so he dismantled it with just a few swift cuts.
"How do we test it?" Freyr asked.
Ross smiled at the question, then wrapped the vines tightly around his arm. He stepped closer and continued, "This is how we do it. It's such a simple principle, isn't it? Right now, I just want to test it out. If nothing happens, then it should be their nemesis. We can all go in together. If I get caught, you all..." He paused for a moment before adding, "There's no need to take any more risks. Just follow the path we came in on and head back. If you're smart enough, you should be able to make it down the mountain without fear of continuing forward. It should be fine."
"But—"
Before Freyr could finish his thought, Parker had already pulled him back a bit. Everyone stepped away from Ross as he slowly approached the mushroom, extending his arm bound with Black Vines toward it.
What happened next was unexpected; the green vines seemed to consciously avoid him. Perhaps due to his lack of caution, he leaned his entire body against them this time. Initially, the vines exhibited a strong instinct to retaliate.
However, at the moment they lunged at him, they quickly recoiled to the side, leaving the area he occupied clear of vines in no time.
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