[
Congratulations, player, for obtaining the origin of Tier 1 Serpent – Bloodcurse Snake.
]
As the sound ended, Lucan felt something surge into his body.
Closing his eyes, he could feel a powerful force awakening deep inside him, spreading through every part of his body. His senses grew sharper, and his muscles felt stronger than before.
Bloodcurse Snake, huh… never heard of that one, he thought.
Even so, he could sense that an ability had awakened within him – the same kind of skill that almost everyone gains at Tier 1, Level 1.
With a single thought, a warm sensation spread through his teeth and nails. He could feel their toughness, sharpness, and even their length shifting slightly at his will, along with something deadly flowing within them – venom, he assumed.
But right now, he had no way to confirm it. It wasn't like the game, where he could just check skill names and descriptions on a screen.
"Lucan!!"
A loud shout from the side snapped him out of his thoughts, and he turned to see everyone staring at him.
"You're finally out of your daze," Fred said, dark circles under his eyes as he rolled them at Lucan.
"Sorry, Sorry , I was just checking out my new abilities, that's all," Lucan replied back with a awkward smile.
The others nodded slightly and didn't say or asked much.
"Alright everyone, let's focus on what we have right now," Fred said.
"You all felt the first task that appeared in your mind, right?" he asked.
"Yes," almost everyone replied.
Lucan also felt it. A moment ago, some information had appeared in his mind, but he hadn't checked it until now.
'Cross the Dark Forest and reach Safflemore Village.'
That was what the message in his head said.
"And since we don't know much about this forest or how to reach Safflemore Village, we should start by checking if we have anything useful like a map," Fred continued after a short pause. "So, everyone, go through your bags and see if there's anything inside that can help — clues, notes, or maps."
"Hmm," the others nodded and began rummaging through their bags.
Some clothes, a few silver and copper coins, and a blanket, Lucan thought as he went through his bag, finding nothing particularly useful.
"Found it!" Sieg's voice came from the side as he pulled out a rough-looking map from his bag.
"I-I also f-found this," Alice stammered, pulling out a folded piece of paper from hers.
They all gathered around, circling both the map and the parchment in the center.
The map looked hand-drawn and old, the ink slightly faded but still readable. It marked several places: Dark Forest, Crystal Lake, and Safflemore Village, connected by a single path that wound through the forest, passed by the lake, and reached the village.
"Um… although we've got the map, do any of you actually know where we are right now?" Fuen asked, his voice uncertain.
"Hey, let me see," Michael said, stepping forward. Taking the map from Sieg's hands, he crouched down and carefully studied both the paper and their surroundings.
After a few moments, he raised his hand and pointed to a certain spot on the map.
"Here," he said.
"Hey, how can you be so sure?" Lors suddenly asked, a questioning look in his eyes.
The others also turned to look at Michael.
"Hmph, who knows. If you want to believe, then believe. I'm not forcing you," Michael replied with a snort, ignoring Lors's tone.
"What do you mean, huh?"
"I mean, if you don't want to listen, then don't," Michael said back, shrugging.
"Okay, okay, everyone. Let's not start another fight and just solve this peacefully," Fred interrupted again, rubbing his forehead.
"We can decide this calmly. What do you all think?" he asked, turning to the others.
The rest of the group looked at one another, unsure of what to say, while Lors and his gang, along with Michael, had already turned their faces away from each other.
"Well, I think we should first try following Michael," Lucan said suddenly, breaking the silence. "You all know we're a team, and I don't think he'd make random assumptions. Besides, we need to complete this task. If he's wrong, it'll be a problem for him too."
His words earned a good look from Michael, though Lors and his group sent him unpleasant glares – except for Fuen, who didn't even dare meet anyone's eyes.
Lucan ignored their looks. He knew this was the right choice – just like in the game. Supporting Michael would help him gain favorability and save time instead of wasting it searching for another path.
No matter how unreliable Michael looked when he pointed out the location, there was no doubt he was right. Lucan had learned that the hard way in the game when he once chose not to follow him.
Fred thought for a while after hearing Lucan's words, then said, "Alright, let's settle this by a simple vote. Raise your hand if you agree to follow him. If not, keep your hand down."
As he finished speaking, Lucan immediately raised his hand, followed by Michael. Next were Sieg, Caroline, and Alice, who also lifted their hands. Caroline even gave Lucan a small thumbs-up, as if to say, we're with you.
Lors, Fuen, and Jeff didn't raise their hands. They simply stood still, watching.
Looking at the divided group, Fred hesitated for a moment, then slowly raised his hand as well. Leo followed right after him.
Looking at the obvious result, Fred nodded and confirmed, "Ok then, the majority decided to follow, and so we are doing."
"Hmph." Lors didn't say much but didn't give them a good look either.
"What do you mean, huh?" Caroline, irked by his voice and actions, finally couldn't bear it anymore.
Without waiting for Sieg and Alice to react, she raised her hand a little as a spear formed in her hand, which she pointed toward Lors.
"Do you want to get beaten, or will you learn to talk properly by yourself?"
"You can try."
Lors also took a fighting pose as a ray of light appeared on his fists.
Following him, Jeff now held a dual pair of knives in his hands, while Fuen had bear-like claws covering his own.
Seeing the tense situation, Sieg also had a few whisker marks appear on his face as his hands turned into white tiger-like claws, while Alice now held a wooden wand bigger than herself in her hands.
"You all, can't you stop fighting for a moment?" Fred almost shouted, a book now in his hand, while Leo behind him held a large shield and sword in the other.
"Well, well," Michael muttered as he looked at Lors and his group, while his eyes turned into compound eyes and a pair of colorful wings appeared behind him.
As they were eyeing each other – Lors, Fuen, and Jeff on one side, and Caroline, Sieg, Alice, and Michael on the other – while Leo and Fred stood in between, a sound interrupted them.
"*Hiss* Well, how about we deal with them before you start fighting each other," a cold voice interrupted as Lucan, with a pair of dark yellow snake-like eyes and his snake-like tongue forking out, interrupted.