"This..."
Mu You frowned at the words written at the bottom of the box, suddenly feeling his scalp prickle.
The Witch seemed to have foreseen that someone would enter her home and discover this box, so she had left this message inside ahead of time.
That raised a question: could he really accept such a straightforward invitation?
"Why does this feel like a devil tempting me...?" Mu You wore a strange expression.
If going to the Dark Forest really would get him the Witch's treasure, it would certainly be worthwhile.
The problem was, since the Witch had known someone would enter her home, if she really wanted to leave her legacy behind, why hadn't she simply put it in the box? Why insist that they travel to the perilous Dark Forest a hundred li away to find some little cabin? What was her purpose?
Besides, the Witch had deliberately left an invisibility cloak in her home. It was undoubtedly intended specifically for entering the Dark Forest. Wearing it into the forest would immediately reduce the danger considerably. Even the weakest person would have a chance of crossing the Dark Forest unscathed and reaching that cabin...
In short, the whole thing looked like a carefully laid trap, just waiting for him to jump in!
"Could there be some taboo about learning black magic? Does it have to be learned somewhere deserted?"
Mu You pondered this, then shook his head with a sigh. He had no idea. He still knew far too little about the Star Spirit World, and could only guess blindly about many things... But perhaps he could ask Cola about this.
Mu You looked up at the bed.
Cola was still sprawled on the bed like a hopeless shut-in, watching anime without moving a muscle.
"Cola, have you heard of black magic?"
"Black magic? Why are you asking about that?" Cola remained motionless, eyes never leaving the phone, only flicking a tail in acknowledgment.
"I wanted to ask what would happen if I learned black magic," Mu You said.
"Meow?"
Cola suddenly turned around in shock, staring at Mu You with wide eyes. "You want to learn black magic? Are you crazy?"
"What, is that not allowed?" Mu You asked.
"Of course not, meow! Black magic is all demonic sorcery, evil magic that grants power by harming others and yourself. Anyone who comes into contact with black magic will lose themselves in the power of darkness until they become one of the Fallen! Anyway, it's something you must never touch, meow!" Cola declared with utter seriousness.
"The Fallen... So what harm does it actually cause?" Mu You asked with a frown.
That was what he really wanted to know: whether learning black magic would actually harm his body, leaving a curse or some permanent negative status effect, for instance... Simply saying he would "fall" was far too vague.
"How would I know, meow! The Wizards' Association issued a ban on black magic hundreds of years ago, declaring all black magic forbidden. If anyone dares to dabble in it and gets found out, they'll be hunted down and killed. There haven't been any Dark Wizards in the Star Spirit World for ages!" Cola said.
Hearing this only made Mu You more curious. "So you're saying nobody nowadays has even seen black magic. Then how do you know learning it will make someone 'fall'?"
"The Wizards' Association said so, meow! Learning black magic brings terrible disasters upon yourself and the world around you. That's common knowledge throughout the Star Spirit World, meow!" Cola said.
"So isn't that just the Wizards' Association's side of the story?" Mu You spread his hands. "They can't produce any evidence either, can they?"
"Well, um..."
Cola had no idea how to answer. After a moment, Cola added, "But even if learning black magic doesn't make you fall, once someone finds out, you'll become the enemy of the entire Star Spirit World. Every wizard will hunt you down!"
"That's easy. Just don't let anyone find out." Mu You smiled.
You couldn't tell what magic someone had learned just by looking at them. As long as he didn't display black magic in front of others, or killed every witness who saw it, he could ensure his secret stayed safe.
"No, that's not right, meow..."
Cola kept shaking that feline head. Mu You's thinking felt dangerous, but Cola couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong with it.
"What's wrong with it?"
Mu You gave a cold laugh. After hearing Cola's explanation, he had a pretty good grasp of things. There was definitely something damn fishy about this Wizards' Association!
Black magic might have some side effects and cause some harm to its user, but it was absolutely not as evil as they claimed!
There was only one possible reason why the Wizards' Association hated black magic so fiercely, going so far as to practically brainwash the entire Star Spirit World for centuries to brand it as evil: they feared that power! And they feared the Dark Wizards who wielded it even more!
Natives of the Star Spirit World might stay away from black magic out of fear of the Wizards' Association.
Players, however, were different. As Fools, they were already on the opposing side from the Wizards' Association!
Mu You hadn't forgotten the overarching objective the game's backstory had given players when he first started playing "Fool": overthrow the Wizards' Association and establish a new order!
So Mu You would feel no moral qualms or psychological burden about learning black magic.
Of course, he wasn't going to head to the Dark Forest right away. There was no rush to learn magic. At the very least, he needed to finish exploring the village map first, then grind as many monsters as possible to raise his level.
Once his level was higher, venturing into the perilous Dark Forest would surely be much easier.
Having sorted this out, Mu You stopped asking about black magic.
In the game, he controlled his character and left the Witch's House.
Now that he had poison in hand, he felt brimming with confidence and wanted another encounter with the Werewolf!
Mu You then began roaming around the locations he had already explored in the game.
Unfortunately, even after several rounds, he still hadn't encountered the Werewolf.
Finally, hoping he might get lucky, Mu You headed back to his own little cabin for a look.
[You returned to the Night Watchman's cabin. Just as you were about to enter, a Werewolf sprang out of the grass beside the road and lunged at you ferociously. You chose...]
"Damn, this bastard really was camping at my doorstep. You could've told me sooner!"
Mu You grinned and promptly chose to play dead.
[As the Werewolf lunged at you, you immediately dropped to the ground and played dead! Seeing you lying motionless, the Werewolf hesitated for a long time, but ultimately did not dare approach to tear into your flesh!] [The Werewolf quietly walked away.] [You survived!]
"Is this Werewolf a total coward? It wouldn't attack even then?"
Mu You thoroughly scorned the Werewolf, inwardly regretting the missed opportunity. My "act" was so perfect, but the Werewolf still didn't take the bait...
With no other choice, he made his character stand up and prepared to leave.
Just then, however, new text suddenly popped up in the game.
[The Werewolf had not gone far!] [Unsure whether you were playing dead, the Werewolf had hidden behind the bushes beside the road. Seeing you stand up again, the Werewolf immediately sprang out and lunged at you once more!] [You were bitten to death by the Werewolf! Lifespan -1. Remaining lifespan: 39 years.]
Before you continue