Adam try selecting on 10 random box only to receive thrash items. Ranging from empty bottle, rags, sticks and stones. Lyra suggest that it would be better to proceed and recover the scattered item for his survival since he won't be able to carry much if he continue to use the coins. Adam agrees to Lyra's suggestion and create a makeshift bag with the rags he receive to carry the item before proceeding to the location.
The Red Zone jungle was a spectacle unlike anything Adam had ever seen, even with his newfound Mana Vision. The raw mana infused the vegetation, warping and enhancing it into bizarre, vibrant forms. Towering, bioluminescent fungi pulsed with soft light, casting an eerie glow on the path. Trees with bark like polished amethyst twisted towards the perpetually twilight sky, their leaves shimmering with internal mana.
Lyra, ever the fount of information, continuously identified the strange flora.
"Adam, observe the Glimmering Sapling to your right," Lyra's voice chimed in his mind.
"Its leaves, if carefully harvested and combined with purified mana, can produce a Grade 3 Mana Restoration Potion. Not critical now, but useful later."
Adam, moving with a cautious urgency, reached out and plucked a handful of the glowing leaves, stuffing them into his pocket alongside his empty bottle. He was learning, adapting. Every peculiar plant, every strange mineral, held potential value in this alien world.
"The Crimson Bloom, directly ahead," Lyra continued, "highly toxic in its raw form due to concentrated chaotic mana. Do not touch. However, its petals, after a complex alchemical process, are the primary ingredient for a Grade 5 Mana Shield Potion. Extremely valuable."
Adam veered widely around the beautiful but deadly flower. His mana vision now allowed him to perceive the faint, dangerous aura around the Crimson Bloom, a shimmering red haze that subtly repulsed him.
Navigating the Red Zone's Dangers
The journey was a tense, silent dance between Adam and the unseen denizens of the Red Zone. Lyra was his eyes and ears in the mana currents, her warnings precise and timely.
"Large mana signature, fifty meters to your left, concealed by the Shadow-Weave Bushes. Identifies as a Stoneback Crawler. Low-tier predator, but its chitinous hide is exceptionally tough. Best to skirt around the northern edge of the thicket."
Adam would instinctively shift his course, his eyes now trained to detect the faint, shifting mana outlines that Lyra described. He saw the Stoneback Crawler, a low, scuttling shape barely visible even with Mana Vision, its mana signature a dull, earthy brown.
"To your right, the sound you hear is a Screeching Willow. Its root system is sensitive to vibrations. Walk lightly on the mossy path to avoid triggering its sonic pulse attack."
He moved like a ghost, his bare feet barely disturbing the moss, Lyra's mental map a constant overlay in his perception. He saw where mana density shifted, where the invisible threads of energy pulsed stronger, indicating potential danger or unique flora.
He encountered:
* Mana-Swollen Beetles: Their iridescent carapaces hummed with unstable energy, best avoided.
* Whisper Vines: Beautiful, shimmering vines that would ensnare anything that brushed against them, slowly draining mana. Lyra guided him to step over them carefully.
* The lingering, faint mana trails of larger, unseen predators – a spectral paw print here, a shimmering, dissipated breath there – chilling reminders of the Red Zone's true inhabitants.
The air grew thicker with mana as they neared the target location, a buzzing symphony that was now almost comforting, rather than overwhelming, thanks to his mana regulation. The setting sun painted the sky in its final, desperate streaks of orange and purple, casting the alien flora in sharp relief.
Finally, Lyra's voice chimed with a hint of relief. "We have arrived, Adam. The energy signature is strong here. The scattered item should be within this immediate vicinity."
Adam looked around. They were in a small clearing, surrounded by colossal, gnarled trees, their roots snaking across the ground like ancient serpents. In the center of the clearing, amidst some scattered debris, was a faint, almost invisible shimmer.
"There," Lyra confirmed, "directly ahead of you. A small, black, unassuming cube. That is the Item Box."