"... Strong people... is this also a test?"
Strange clenched his fists, and his chest heaved violently. Even in Kamar-Taj, the magical holy land, he had never seen such good things and places, so he felt uneasy.
Just when his mood fluctuated violently, inexplicably, the magician's control over his own mental power made him raise his head.
Maybe it was because of his extraordinary talent, or maybe Li Ge didn't completely cover it up. In short, Strange saw a blur of colorful light rising from his head, and then merged into the river in the sky, like rainbow-colored silk flying in the air, winding and swimming to a distant place.
"Is this what Divine Power will look like after being collected?"
The gorgeous scene in the sky dazzled Strange, and he couldn't help but murmur to himself.
Colorful streams of light filled the space between the sky and the earth. In the distant sky, the same brilliant rivers of light had clear goals. They rushed to one place and attracted the attention of Strange.
"That's Heaven-Reaching Mountain right there!"
The tall trees blocked Strange's sight, preventing him from seeing anything else, but the meandering figures of those rivers of light undoubtedly pointed him in the exact direction.
Strange's expression suddenly became determined, and a blazing flame burned in his deep eyes, which was the determination after finding the goal.
"Huh..."
Exhaling a fiery breath, Strange picked up the wooden sword and torch again, took one last look at the dead tree, and strode forward in the direction of Heaven-Reaching Mountain without hesitation.
The sunlight shines on the wooden armor, giving the dark color a golden halo, like a general about to fight on the battlefield.
Strange walked cautiously in the dark forest, and the fallen leaves made a slight sound of rubbing and breaking.
He held the wooden sword tightly in his hand and observed the details around him with the warm yellow light of the torch.
Highly focused, Strange is like a lone prey walking in a dark forest, and needs to be alert to any disturbance at all times.
The little monster who was mentioned in those messages but had not yet met Strange was always weighing on his heart.
Obviously, the dark forest he is currently in is the most suitable place for horror things to happen. Instinctively, Strange feels depressed by the environment here. It seems that a ghost emitting a rotten smell may jump out of the dimly lit place at any time.
I walked past a tall tree about two meters in diameter. Along the way, the thick fallen leaves were soft to the touch. Occasionally there was an open space covered with moss, ferns or some unnamed flowers and plants.
The air was much moister than that of the dead tree. Combined with the unique dull atmosphere deep in the dense forest, Strange felt that every breath required more effort.
"Pa..."
The sound of broken dead branches was so clear and even a little scary, it was like having a gong struck against your ears while you were sleeping, making your whole body tremble.
Strange couldn't help but stop, crouched down, and made a defensive posture.
He glanced at his feet, then rubbed the soles of his feet, and the torch moved downwards, illuminating a circle of fallen leaves under his feet. There were no dead branches, and there was no frustration of stepping on something hard under his feet.
This does not reassure Strange, it can only refresh his tired mind and make him more vigilant.
It's not him... who is that?
The torch was in front, trying to illuminate more places, and the wooden sword was behind, ready to chop at any time. The body was low, so that he could rush out immediately.
"Pah... pah... pah..."
The rhythmic snapping sound continued to come, approaching his direction unhurriedly, but other than that, there was no other sound.
Cold sweat was secreted out uncontrollably, making the palms holding the sword hilt and torch slippery. I had to tighten my grip even harder, my heart was beating violently, and I didn't know whether it was excitement or fear.
As the sound came closer and closer, the wooden sword began to be raised high, and the shining end of the torch was pointed straight at the place where the sound came from, trying to see clearly who the enemy was at the first time.
"Pa..."
The sound of broken branches sounded again, this time directly at the edge illuminated by the torch.
"Die... monster!"
His eyes widened, and before the owner of the voice could fully enter the light, Strange could no longer suppress his desire to attack. He took a step forward and slashed the wooden sword down hard.
"Bang--!!"
Contrary to his expectations, his wooden sword failed to strike down successfully, and was held firmly by another wooden sword that suddenly stretched out halfway.
"Not good!"
Strange As soon as he saw another wooden sword, his heart tightened. He knew that the person coming was probably a player, and his attack was too reckless.
He quickly raised his sword and retreated, still looking there warily, but the wooden sword was slightly lowered, and the torch was gently thrust through.
"Sorry, I thought you were some kind of monster."
Strange apologized before he could see the person clearly. After all, he was the one who made the first move.
"Frank."
"What?"
"You can call me Frank."
"Ah... Hello Frank, I am Strange."
The person who came stood there, letting Strange's torch illuminate him. His strong muscles stretched the short-sleeved T-shirt tightly, and a white ferocious skull pattern was printed on his chest. Under the neat cut, there was a resolute and cold face, even the corners of his mouth were tightly pursed. He looked at Strange quietly with calm and indifferent eyes, without blinking.
Strange's eyes just made contact with him, and he felt goosebumps start to form on his body. An indescribable feeling told him that he was in danger.
He subconsciously turned away and looked at Frank's hands.
What he held in his right hand was the dark wooden sword that had blocked his chop just now, while his left hand held a few small dead branches.
Strange's eyes were startled, and he thought of the crackling sound of dead branches just now. Could it be that Frank deliberately reminded him?
Frank obviously noticed Strange staring directly at the dead branch in his hand, raised the corner of his mouth, and then disappeared again.
"When contacting a stranger in a strange environment, you need this kind of reminder to prepare him and give him buffer time."
Strange knows, this is the explanation given to him by Frank.
He said, "Frank, have you also completed the first copy?"
"Do you want to go to Heaven-Reaching Mountain with me?"
Knowing Frank's goodwill, Strange took advantage of the opportunity and sent him a team invitation.
Frank looks fierce at first glance. With such a teammate, he can be safer.
Frank, who had this intention, did not refuse and nodded directly in agreement.
Then Strange held a torch in front to light the way, and Frank stood by to watch out for the surroundings. Together they embarked on an adventurous journey to Heaven-Reaching Mountain.