Chapter 401 - Hunter, Gatherer

"This is it," he said, "it's the end of the 'tutorial'." 

"Ren…" Iris looked at him. 

He chuckled with a hint of embarrassment, "Sorry, I forgot you don't really understand those terms...I mean that we've reached the real start of the final floor." 

Iris gave him a smile and a nod as together, they were the first to reach the summit of the cavern slope, standing at the gaping exit of the vast cave system. 

It wasn't but a few seconds later that the rest of the group caught up--they each stopped to take in the awaiting scenery. 

"It's huge," he muttered. 

He referred to the colossal tree that sat in the center of the island, reaching high and stretching far with its ceiling of white, radiant leaves. 

"I'd say that is an understatement, Nakamura," Mencius added while in awe, "that tree is greater than any I have laid my eyes on before." 

Directly surrounding them was a forest, densely packed with ashen trees that bore illuminating leaves. 

"No point in gawking at it. You'll be seeing it for the next month," Macheo spoke abrasively as he stepped past the others. 

"Where are you going?" Valerie stopped him with a raised eyebrow. 

The young prince stopped, looking back as if insulted by the question, "We need to make a camp for the time being, right? I'd rather get that done sooner rather than later." 

As lacking in tact as his words were, they held truth as they pulled themselves from the trance of the fantastical forest of mystical white. 

"You know, that kid's attitude pisses me off sometimes," Valerie huffed. 

There wasn't any sort of trail to move along as the group pushed past the dense foliage together, with Valerie hanging near the back alongside Jae-Seong and Hongse. 

"He's a prince, what do you expect? It's in his blood to be a bit...commanding, you know?" Jae-Seong smiled, pushing a low-hanging branch out of the way. 

"I don't give a damn if he's a prince or a king, a little respect wouldn't hurt," the draconic knight glared at the back of Macheo's head, who marched at the front. 

Jae-Seong laughed her comment off, though the draconic demi-human gave him a burning glare for his lackadaisical behavior. 

It wasn't just her, Mencius found the casual, nonchalant way the brown-haired, golden-irised man simply strolled along.

He'll be the death of me, Mencius sighed to himself. 

Walking alongside Macheo, he cut away the overgrowth with his sword, pushing past the thick foliage. It was a tiring endeavor; the density of the natural growth required him to cut away with every step he took. 

"Are we heading anywhere…specific?" He asked, stepping over a protruding tree root.

Macheo slapped the branch away from his face, "Preferably, a clearing of some sort…if that exists in this damn place."

"If that's the case, we could probably make one," Iris spoke up. 

The two young men leading the group stopped, turning to her. With their stop, the rest of the group halted as well.

"Yeah? Might be our best bet," he sighed, "my arm is gonna fall off by the end of this…"

Before he could commit to that long-winded process, she stopped him with a shake of her head.

"Not that," Iris said, "we should use magic for it."

"Listen, right now magic isn't a substitute for hard work. Mana is limited as is," Macheo rejected the notion. 

Again, she shook her head, this time letting out a huff as it seemed whatever she was implying didn't exactly strike home.

"It's better to use some mana than to leave ourselves exhausted physically! If we do that, we'll wind up helpless if something attacks!" Iris insisted. 

Aiko, taking her side, fervently nodded her head as her short, beige hair bounced, "I agree with her. And we have someone that can handle the task perfectly!"

By the way Macheo was absent of words with his tough exterior shattering, it was clear to recognize his weakness had been exploited.

Way to go, Aiko, he thought.

"…And that is?" Macheo asked.

As the two girls turned around, they faced the unsuspecting, verdant-haired member of the group, who was paying little attention while he fiddled with one of the low-hanging leaves.

"Mencius!"

The Jinyuen scholar snapped into focus, pointing to himself, "Me…? What about me?"

There was nothing he could do to reject the job bestowed upon him; utilizing his Gaia magic, the effeminate, spring-robed man cleared away a small, tucked-away patch of the dense forest.

He withdrew the foliage back into the soil, or rather, he converted the living green into nutrients for the surrounding trees.

With the finishing touches of his natural magecraft, a clear, unlittered territory of soft, verdant grass was left, guarded by walls of trees. 

"Is that good enough?" Mencius asked, wiping sweat from his brow. 

"Perfect!" Ren clapped his hands. 

He could still sense that the mood was somber from the fresh wounds they endured from loss, but he tried his best to hold the group together. 

We've all learned...even in times like this, we have to smile, he thought. 

The encumbered panda dropped the supplies he was carrying, setting them on the forest floor before dropping onto his rear with a heavy, relieved sigh following.

"I'm beat…walking is not my strong suit," Hongse complained.

Aiko sat down by the panda with a smile, "Aren't you an adventurer? I think that requires a lot of walking…"

"Doesn't mean I like it," Hongse replied.

It didn't take long for the crimson-furred panda to begin munching on a loaf of bread while the rest of the group settled down.

After settling down for an hour, a chill caused the group to begin trembling slightly and embracing themselves to combat the change in temperature. 

"It's pretty cold out…I imagine it'll only get colder," Jae-Seong looked up towards the abyssal sky.

"You're not exactly dressed for the cold, Jay," He chuckled wryly, "I'll grab some firewood. Val, can you light it up when I'm back?"

"Sure thing," Valerie waved her hand while sitting down on a log beside the panda.

"If you're going out, try to find some clean water, and some berries," Mencius asked.

"Got it," he nodded. 

Before he could head out into the densely-packed forest of white, illuminated leaves, he was stopped by Jae-Seong.

"I don't think going alone is a good idea," Jae-Seong advised. 

Mencius added, resting on the ground, "I don't think it's a good idea to go out at all. We have no idea what's out there yet." 

"True, I don't plan on going too far...but around here, yeah, alone isn't the way. I understand it's dangerous, but that's why I'd prefer to scout around just a bit before we all head out together. A large group sticks out, you know?" he stopped, looking back.

It was a contentious decision, he expected as much. 

I get it. We just lost a member of our own group, and this floor is unknown to us, but still...we won't get anywhere by huddling together under the trees. If  there's one thing Purgatory rewards, it's being proactive, he thought. 

"I agree with Ren," Iris supported his decision, speaking up, "I trust him to be cautious."

Nice save, Iris! He thought, giving the girl a thumbs-up. 

Valerie spoke up herself, though she kept her eyes closed as if barely paying any mind, "As long as he brings somebody else with him, it's fine. If you go alone, it's a death sentence, but with somebody to watch your back...well, that's one hundred times better." 

After her words, the silence around the camp seemed to indicate there was no further questioning of his small mission. 

"urr…Aiko? Want to come with?" He offered. 

I think Iris needs some rest, and I've got a headache so…Macheo is out of the question, he thought, I think Aiko has been waiting for some chances to prove herself. 

Choosing mostly at random, he pointed his words towards the beige-haired girl. 

He gave a small wink to Iris, who reciprocated the gesture with a tired smile before laying back.

Good; you need some rest, he thought. 

Although she tried to hide it, her expression lit up as she jumped to her feet, "Alright!…I-I mean, sure!"

Macheo clicked his tongue, leaning back and closing his eyes—though he took it as a sign of approval.

Anything short of him yelling is his approval, he thought. 

"Let's go, then," he waved his hand for the girl to follow.

Following close to his side, Aiko ventured into the unknown forest with him. 

A few steps into their mission, Aiko stopped the snowy-haired young man, "You should mark the trees. It looks easy to get lost in this place."

He stopped and smiled, "Good idea."

Using his sword, he nicked the nearby tree before the two continued their stroll.

Every third tree they passed, he marked with a swift cut before continuing their voyage through the packed foliage.

"You're looking for firewood, right? Why not just cut away from one of these trees?" Aiko asked.

He answered without looking back, cutting away a veil of vines in front of himself, "These are all drenched from the rain. Besides, we have an endless supply to choose from anyway."

That being said, he did find himself not wanting to venture any farther than he had to; when their steps and words came to a stop, the ambience of the enigmatic forest made him question why he left the camp at all.