Chapter Thirteen: The Path of Our Forebears

“Stop!”

On a suspension bridge, Little Bob suddenly halted, his sharp gaze fixed on the far end of the bridge shrouded in darkness. He then motioned for Ashes and Wine Deepening to quietly retreat back onto the floating island they had just crossed.

Neither Ashes nor Wine Deepening, lacking in perception, could discern anything unusual ahead. Only after Little Bob explained did they realize that a group of dozens of wasteland explorers had chosen a note-bearing floating island as their stronghold, ceaselessly “fishing” for Bloodvine from the Abyss to harvest Bloodvine Cores.

This revelation made Ashes and Wine Deepening immediately aware that they had reached the first checkpoint of the hidden quest. However, when Little Bob activated his detection ability, deeply stimulating his optic nerves and gazing far into the distance, he declared with disdain that they needn’t worry.

“Just a bunch of self-important fools. Ignore them. We'll bypass that island and search for the third note.”

The network of suspension bridges allowed the trio to take an extremely flexible detour. Sure enough, before long, they’d located the general direction of the third note. Along the way, Little Bob revealed some of the Bloodvine Sea’s secrets to Ashes and Wine Deepening, helping them understand why he’d dismissed the wastelanders as fools.

Those people believed that with Bloodvine artifacts for protection, they could act recklessly, not realizing that such “fishing” would anger the Bloodvine—especially on such a large scale. Little Bob’s earlier use of his detection ability had, in fact, been to observe changes on the sea’s surface. As expected, he’d spotted the furious Bloodvine preparing to strike. In his estimation, by the time they found the third written record, that group would meet total annihilation.

Before long, the group successfully reached the floating island hiding the third note. Behind a stone pillar, Little Bob discovered a message left by his father.

…

After relentless searching, I finally have a clue.

Why is not a single living fairy tale character to be seen here?

Because—they’ve all left!

As for where they went, when, or why, I do not know, nor have I time to find out. The Gardener is about to force us into the inner ring, as the Great Tree Institute, unable to restrain itself, has finally acted against us. Are they afraid we’ll uncover the secret of the Sun Staircase first?

Ha! Little Bob, I wish you could see their frantic faces!

Who would have thought that small fry like us could make those lofty magnates so uneasy!

…

The information revealed by this message was undoubtedly exciting, but Little Bob’s expression grew even darker. He raked his fiery red hair and gritted his teeth. “The Great Tree Institute—always the Great Tree Institute. Do these tycoons really have to hoard every resource before they’ll stop?”

“Can you tell us about the Great Tree Institute?” Ashes asked, pointing to his Bloodvine bracelet. “The organization that developed the method of cultivating Bloodvine must be formidable, right?”

“Huge—of course it’s huge, not just ordinary huge. The Wasteland Consortium is a coalition of all the great magnates of the wasteland world, representing its supreme power. The Great Tree Institute is one of its core pillars. They can mobilize immense resources at will—even quarantine the life-forbidden zones as they please. My father must have discovered something extraordinary for those jackals to bare their fangs!” Little Bob made a fervent judgment. “We can’t waste any more time. The Institute is about to launch a full assault on the core area. I swear I’ll make them pay!”

Seeing Little Bob on the verge of losing control, Ashes and Wine Deepening exchanged glances. The recurring mention of the Great Tree Institute made them realize they would have to confront this wasteland colossus sooner or later.

“No wonder this game’s difficulty is near nightmare level. Members of the Great Tree Institute must all be elite at minimum. If our combat prowess hadn’t improved so much, we couldn’t possibly survive so many frequent elite encounters,” Wine Deepening whispered to Ashes.

“When the soldiers come, we’ll meet them with generals; when the water arrives, we’ll block with earth. As long as we’re cautious, we’ll carve a bloody path through,” Ashes replied with conviction. Even though he could imagine how dire the surrounding situation was, he firmly believed that one—or several—hidden paths led in the right direction.

Little Bob then activated his detection skill again, seeing that the “towering waves” were receding. Worried the note might be destroyed, he immediately led Ashes and Wine Deepening across the bridges to the floating island of the second written record.

The scene on the island was far from as gruesome as expected. After the Bloodvine’s great wave, most of the wasteland explorers had been swept into the abyss. The few who survived, having hidden in a stone hut and escaped the surge, were still ultimately drowned by the surging Bloodvine, not even bones remaining.

Thus, there wasn’t a drop of blood to be seen on this island. If not for the Bloodvine artifacts, food, medicines, a chest of Bloodvine Cores, and several Bloodvine vines caught in the stone hut and unable to return to the sea, Ashes would scarcely believe that dozens had just been stationed here. This allowed him and Wine Deepening, after dispatching the nearly helpless Bloodvine, to gather the spoils without a shred of guilt.

[Notification: Your “Bloodvine Bracelet (Growth Stage)” has successfully devoured same-tier Bloodvine artifacts.]

[Notification: Your “Bloodvine Bracelet (Growth Stage)” has successfully devoured “Tenacity: Bloodvine Core (Growth Stage)”.]

[Notification: Your “Bloodvine Bracelet (Growth Stage)” has undergone a life transformation and entered the “Mature Stage”.]

[Notification: You have completed the second phase of the main quest “Blossoming”. Cultivate the Bloodvine Bracelet to its “Complete Form” to fulfill the third phase task objective.]

…

[Bloodvine Bracelet] (Mature Stage/Quest Item)

Equipment Type: Accessory

Effect 1: +100 Health, +50 Sanity

Effect 2: Virus Resistance (Normal level; immune to normal-level viral infections; can grow)

Effect 3: Fear Resistance (Normal level; immune to normal-level fear effects; can grow)

Effect 4: Devour & Grow (Devour “Life Cores” to enhance equipment effects.)

Requirement: None

Description: Omitted

[Notification: This item is a quest tool. Players may only hold it for one assessment cycle.]

…

During its growth stage, the Bloodvine Bracelet had increased Ashes’s health by fifty and sanity by twenty-five. Who would have thought that, without a single battle, he could again achieve the conditions for transformation so effortlessly? This unexpected boon was turning Ashes into a veritable blood-tank warrior, while Wine Deepening, ever more focused on extreme damage output, continued down her chosen path.

“Two hundred percent damage boost… Two hundred percent!”

Little stars seemed to twinkle in Wine Deepening’s eyes as she boasted to Ashes, “My basic attack damage is up to twenty-seven, and my critical arrow hits for fifty-four! If two more wasteland warriors show up, I could probably take both at once. It’s a pity: even though the Bloodvine upgraded twice, its defense didn’t go up. If only we could use these people’s Bloodvine accessories! Not only are they info-bound, the usage requirements are so harsh—three points in Perception, for heaven’s sake. Luckily, ours aren’t so troublesome. Even after my recent level-up, I’m still short by a point!”

Hearing her sigh, Ashes teased, “Wishful thinking! You can’t have all the benefits. Did you forget who told me to stick to my path without turning back? Why are you reneging now?”

“Oh! I’m just worried I’m too fragile and might get one-shot! If real danger comes, you have to protect me!”

Despite her words, the eager light in Wine Deepening’s eyes betrayed not a hint of concern. Ashes smiled, nodding in agreement, just as Little Bob finally discovered the last inscribed note in the collapsed stone hut.

…

Little Bob, my son, you would never believe what we’ve been through…

Right before we broke through, the Great Tree Institute launched a siege. Only then did I realize there was a traitor in our team, and that the Institute’s true target wasn’t my research findings.

But none of that matters. What matters is—we survived.

When driven to the brink, I activated the Nightmare Invitation, and we won. The Institute’s people were destroyed in the nightmare.

This nightmare, compared to the other, was practically a fairy tale. Even better, we used a fragment of a witch’s soul to secure direct access to the inner ring. Ha! Those scum from the Great Tree Institute never anticipated that, no matter how thorough their net, they couldn’t stop me!

And this strange experience taught me something else.

All those vanished fairy tale characters entered the inner ring on the same day. Now, I too will set out for the Sun Staircase!

…

“Nightmare Invitation…”

Little Bob, dazed, could hardly believe his own father had used it to snatch victory from defeat. This realization prompted Ashes and Wine Deepening: perhaps using a Nightmare Invitation was the simplest way to break through the Great Tree Institute’s blockade.

Knowing the Institute’s standing, Ashes had never hoped for an easy road to the inner ring.

Now, the only question was—how to persuade Little Bob to face the nightmare once again?

He didn’t even need to think, for a squad of Great Tree Institute members appeared from behind, erasing all the wrong answers.

“Hurry, hurry! You’ve grabbed those fools’ Bloodvine artifacts, so get into the inner ring ruins now. As for their gear, it’s all junk, not even worth salvaging—how could it compare to our Institute’s refined equipment?”

“Those idiots were so easy to trick. We didn’t even have to lift a finger to collect the growth-stage Bloodvine artifacts, hah! Whose clever idea was that?”

“Who else? Of course—wait, careful, looks like there’s still someone alive!”

A sudden, chilling warning turned the situation instantly volatile.

Little Bob, caught in a daze and failing to notice the approaching danger, suddenly saw the Nightmare Invitation appear in Ashes’s hand. He parted his lips, wanting to object, but his mind was in chaos and the words wouldn’t come.

“Who opened the first invitation?” Ashes asked.

“The Gardener.”

“What are your key attributes?”

“…Perception six, Strength three, Agility one.”

“How strong is your father?”

“About the same as me.”

“I thought so!” Ashes got the answer he wanted. In the face of this dire situation, he smiled and asked Little Bob, “Do you want to spend your life lost in nightmares, or will you walk your father’s path with courage?”