"Drip! Drip!"
Dewdrops fell from overhead, striking Gauss's forehead and bursting into countless tiny splashes.
In the early morning Emerald Forest, the air was cool and thin, making Gauss shiver despite being only half-awake.
He groggily opened his eyes. Just as he was about to roll over and climb out of bed as usual, he discovered that he could not move his limbs.
After a brief moment of confusion, his brain awakened from its sleeping state.
"Right, I'm in a sleeping bag up in a tree." Gauss turned his head and glanced beneath him.
He was now at least a dozen meters above the ground.
Fortunately, he had tied the ropes tight beforehand. Otherwise, if he fell right after waking up and failed to remember to cast Armor, even if he did not die, he would break a leg.
Still, despite the hidden danger of sleeping in a tree, this was already the safest place Gauss could think of for spending the night in the forest.
At least, after an entire night had passed, aside from the soreness in his immobilized body, there had been no danger.
He untied the sleeping bag, tossed it to the ground, and nimbly climbed down the tree.
After landing, Gauss stretched his arms and legs on the spot.
In the morning, Emerald Forest was shrouded in hazy mist. Every breath felt as though it were replenishing his body with moisture.
After a simple rest, he slung his pack and bundle of spoils over his back and began following the mental map in his mind, retracing his original path.
It would probably take another half day or so to get out.
Traveling through the forest was not fast, and with so much weight on him, Gauss had to stop and rest from time to time