The Next Day...
After breakfast, Arian visited the library. He had already finished reading the other books, so he decided to check around for anything else that might help him understand the world better, just like the previous ones had.
He climbed onto a ladder, searching the higher shelves for a similar book or a continuation of Base. His tiny hands accidentally knocked over a book, and it fell to the ground. He came down from the ladder and squatted to pick it up.
As he did, he noticed a folded paper lying beside the book. It seemed it had fallen out of the book when he accidentally knocked it down. He picked it up and noticed it was folded; the paper looked old and slightly torn on the side. Making sure it didn't get torn even more, he carefully unfolded it.
After spreading the paper on the floor, he realized it was a map of a forest located close to the Kingdom of Guadantam.
It showed danger zones, with the inner forest clearly marked in red. Looking at the map, Arian felt there was more to this forest than what was shown on the front. When he turned it over, he saw words written on it.
'The Map of Giaya Forest.'
'Giaya Forest… Why would a copy of its map be here?' Arian wondered inwardly.
Minutes turned into hours as Arian studied the map. At times like this, his skill—[Instant Learning, Compression, and Understanding]—proved extremely useful.
The library door creaked open.
Arian thought it was Yumi or Ater, but to his surprise, he saw his father, Benoth.
"I had a feeling I'd find you here," Benoth said with a smile.
"Kids your age should only be playing and running around the yard, but it seems you love reading," Benoth said as he walked over to meet him.
"So what are you doing…?" he asked.
"Just looking at the map that fell out of this book," Arian replied.
"Hey, you found the map of Giaya Forest," Benoth said. As soon as the map came into view, he picked it up and carefully folded it.
"It seems I left it here by accident," he added.
"Arian, how about I tell you about the history of this forest?" Benoth asked Arian.
Arian gently nodded.
"Okay, let's sit down first," Benoth suggested as he held Arian's hand and walked to the nearby desk.
"Once upon a time," Benoth started after they sat down, "the population of the Kingdom of Guadantam was far greater compared to recent times. This was because, close to the kingdom, large portions of land—about 12,500 acres—were used for farming, while twenty percent of it was reserved for livestock like pigs, goats, cows, chickens, and more. It was the golden age for the people of this kingdom. Food was abundant, and prices were low. Everything was peaceful." Benoth paused for a few seconds before continuing.
"Near this farmland was a mangrove, several kilometers away. The crops and livestock proved too tempting, attracting creatures from the mangrove, which were mostly Tier 1 mutants and hybrids. But they couldn't get past the adventurers stationed nearby to protect the land, so everything remained under control. However, the trouble was yet to come…"
Scene Changes...
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On a beautiful, starry night close to the fences surrounding several acres of land, three young men in their mid-twenties could be seen drinking and playing cards. They all looked fairly average and were around the same height.
One carried a sword at his waist, another wielded a whip, and the last bore a broadsword.
"Hey, how do you beat us every time?" the man with the broadsword asked.
"If you want to know, it'll cost you," the man with the whip replied with a grin.
"That's enough horsing around," the man with the sword said. "We should scan the area once more and set up camp."
"I know you're just doing your job," the man with the broadsword said confidently, "but there haven't been any signs of creatures from the mangrove all week. Besides, we're all Grade One with Flow Stimulation powers. We can handle hundreds of Tier 1 mutants or hybrids."
"Don't you find it strange that nothing has shown up?" the man with the whip asked uneasily.
"Yes, and that's why I said we should—"
*Rumble—!*
Before he could finish, a deep rumbling sound echoed nearby.
"What was that?" the man with the whip asked.
"Who are you asking? Can't you see we're all here together?" the man with the broadsword replied irritably.
"It's a rhetorical question, you dumbass," the man with the whip retorted back.
"What did you call me?" the man with the broadsword said as he drew his weapon from his back.
"Calm down," the man with the sword said. "The moon's hidden behind the clouds. Once it comes out, Humid and I will check it out. It must be a group of Tier 1 mutants or hybrids," the man with the sword said, clearly the leader.
"No, Trey should go," Humid, the man with the broadsword, suggested. "His sound Flow Stimulation powers make him perfect for surveying."
"You're right," the man with the sword agreed.
"Alright, the moon's out. Let's go, Trey," he added as he walked forward.
Trey, the man with the whip, looked back at Humid and raised his middle finger at him.
Humid ignored him completely, which only left Trey more pissed. Seeing him leave angry made Humid reveal a victorious smile as he went back to play cards by himself.
As the two walked toward the source of the rumbling, which was in the direction of the mangrove, neither of them noticed the two gigantic crimson eyes glowing from the treetops at the edge of the mangrove.
As they approached the route leading into the mangrove, the air suddenly felt wrong.
High above, something shifted among the branches.
Trey's entire body tensed. With his power being related to sound, he was extremely sensitive to it. He sensed something approaching, and it was approaching fast.
"MOVE—!" Trey shouted as he shoved the man with the sword aside.
A violent blur swept past where they were standing. There was a sharp tearing sound, and then silence.
The man with the sword turned just in time to see his friend dragged upward, crushed, and swallowed whole by something massive hidden in the darkness as the moonlight was once again blocked by clouds.
"Trey…!" he cried. It seemed pushing him away a second too late had cost Trey his life. He didn't even have time to scream. One moment he was there, the next he was gone, his blood splattered across the ground.
Rage and terror flooded his chest.
He drew his sword.
The moon emerged from behind the clouds, revealing the creature's immense body.
A Tier 2 Mutant Anaconda.
'I can't win… but if I can injure it and make it in time to signal Humid, that's enough.' With that thought, he charged.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Steel clashed against scales. Sparks burst with every strike. The creature's movements sent shockwaves through the ground, throwing him back again and again.
Still, he fought. It seemed his constant slashes had injured and irritated the beast. The anaconda reared back, jaws opening wide as venom gathered, and that was what he wanted.
"Open your mouth for daddy!" he snarled as he rushed toward the Mutant Anaconda's mouth. Before it could release its venom, he acted first.
"Fire Flow Stimulation 1, Sparks!" he roared as embers cracked along his sword. He directed it straight into the Mutant Anaconda's mouth, igniting the venom mid-air. Flames burst inside its jaws.
The creature shrieked, thrashing violently. Smoke poured from its mouth. Now was his chance. He ran with all his might toward their camp site.
"HUMID!" he yelled as he approached.
"What's up with Travis?" Humid muttered to himself as he ran to meet him. By this time, Travis, the man with the sword, was covered in blood and fresh wounds.
"Hey man, whaa—what the hell is that?!" Humid asked when he saw the silhouette of the massive beast approaching.
"It's a Tier 2 Mutant Anaconda, and it ate Trey. I want you to take the horse and signal the town lord while I hold it off," Travis said.
"No, what do you mean it ate Trey?" Humid said, refusing to accept it.
"And are you nuts? You can't hold it back, not in your condition," he added.
"It seems its venom is flammable. You can't use fire powers, but I can, so do as I tell you and get out of here, this damn overgrown snake won't let us chat, now hurry!" Travis said.
"Damn it," Humid cursed as he quickly untied the horse and rode back toward the kingdom at full speed.
Seeing him gone, Travis looked at the Tier 2 Mutant Anaconda that was about six feet away from him and said, "It seems it's time for round two."
"Fire Flow Stimulation 1, Sparks."
Humid reached the gates of the kingdom. Seeing it was one of the adventurers stationed at the farmland, the guards were surprised.
"Hey, Humid—" before the guard could finish, Humid quickly said, "No time! Quickly, tell the town lord that a Tier 2 Mutant Anaconda is near the farmland, and Travis is holding it off!"
"What about Trey?" one guard asked. Seeing the grief in Humid's eyes, the guard quickly understood and ordered another to inform the town lord about the crisis.
Five soldiers of the Guadantam Military under the town lord's command, along with five adventurers and Humid, making a total of eleven people, quickly headed to the farmland. By the time they arrived, some crops had been eaten, others destroyed, and all the animals had been killed and devoured by the Mutant Anaconda. The beast was still approaching the kingdom.
"Let's kill this b*tch-ass snake!" Humid yelled in anger as they all charged in. Weapons drawn, Flow Stimulation powers active, and battle cries filled the land.
They fought the Tier 2 Mutant Anaconda until daybreak, before it was finally brought down, its head severed by Humid.
The battle ended with one death and a few injured.
They cut open its body and searched for its corrupted Base Core. After locating it, they brought it back to the kingdom.
It took almost a week for the body of the anaconda to fully disintegrate, but this also changed the land. Trees grew insanely fast, and mutants and hybrids from the mangrove began pouring into this new forest.
After this incident, the king issued a decree stating that nobody was allowed into the farmland. He changed its name to Giaya Forest because of the sudden transformation of the land, and he ordered regular extermination of mutants and hybrids there, but it seemed there was no end to them.
Seeing the crisis, the Guild Leader suggested that since the forest was filled mostly with Tier 1 mutants and hybrids, rookie adventurers should handle it to gain experience.
The King agreed, and that was how the Kingdom of Guadantam became the number one hotspot for rookies, and how Giaya Forest earned its nickname, the Rookies' Hotspot.
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"The adventurers stationed at the farmland were brave. If it were up to some people, they would have run and abandoned the kingdom," Benoth said, praising them, after he finished the story.
"Why didn't they, stationed the soldiers instead?" Arian asked with curiosity.
"In the Kingdom of Guadantam, the military is held in high regard. Soldiers are stationed to protect key figures, not farmlands. Those adventurers were there for money, yet they still risked their lives for others. That alone shows their character. May their souls rest in peace," Benoth said.
"When did this happen, Dad?" Arian asked.
"About 20 years ago," Benoth replied.
"So the mangrove is now the deepest part of Giaya Forest?" Arian asked.
"Yes, and also the most dangerous part too, it is the inner part you saw on the map earlier." Benoth said.
"Even when the King sent out two survey parties of Grade 1 and Grade 2 adventurers… they never returned, so from the day on nobody has ever ventured into the mangrove which is now the inner part of Giaya Forest, again, even rookies adventurer are warned as to not venture past the mid region of Giaya Forest." Benoth added.
"Alright that's enough for today, should go play," Benoth said.
Arian noded his head as they both left the library.