Upon hearing the words " The Hanged Man," Klein's heart skipped a beat, and he had a bad feeling. He didn't try to maintain any persona, put down the lantern, took out two sticky notes from his pocket, crumpled them into balls, and stuffed them into his left and right ears respectively.
Seeing that Gehrman Sparrow did not ask any questions and simply did as instructed, Alger couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He thought to himself how easy and worry-free it was to work with an experienced guy. Even an adventurer with a reputation for being crazy would listen to reasonable advice and know what he should and shouldn't do.
He was about to throw the still-warm dead rat in his hand at the Hallucinatory Wind Chime Tree to lure it into catching him when he suddenly saw the bushes and weeds swaying nearby, and a yellow-skinned, black-striped tiger emerged.
Amidst the melodious tinkling of wind chimes, the tiger walked step by step toward the strange tree ahead. Its movements were normal, but its gaze was vacant, exuding an indescribable eeriness.
Seeing this, Alger lowered his arm, temporarily abandoning his attempt to throw away the dead rat. Enduring a severe headache, he calmly watched as the yellow-skinned, black-striped tiger walked to the front of the Hallucinatory Wind Chime Tree amidst increasingly urgent and loud melodious sounds.
It crouched down, raised its right paw, and with a snap, its sharp claws slashed across its own neck.
Blood gushed out, but the tiger seemed to have lost all feeling of pain, continuing to pull at its claws, making the wound deeper and longer. Then, it began to peel off its own fur little by little, revealing its bloody and mangled "naked" body.
As the sound of the wind chimes gradually subsided, the branches suddenly came to life, spreading downwards and piercing into the tiger's body, which was now bare and unprotected by its fur—a sight too painful to behold.
Alger, who was already prepared, immediately drew the short blade from his waist, opened his mouth, and sang in a hoarse voice:
"Impact, impact, impact"
"O sea, crashing against the gray, cold rocks!"
"Impact, impact, impact"
"The sea, it crumbles at the foot of the rocks!" (Note 1)
His singing voice was rough and bold, but completely off-key, defying normal human and biological cognition, and possessed a metallic, booming, noisy quality, full of power that made people irritable, nauseous, and had headaches.
The branches of the Hallucinatory Wind Chime Tree trembled simultaneously, retracting as if to curl up together, and the beautiful chiming sound that followed slightly diluted the terrible noise.
Although Klein, who was next to Alger, had plugged his ears with crumpled paper and consciously restrained his Spirituality, at this moment, the veins on his forehead throbbed, and he was suddenly overcome with the urge to kill the singer and destroy everything in front of him.
Moreover, he felt a tearing sensation in his mind, and the muscles and blood vessels under his skin began to twitch slightly on their own.
Others sing for money, but Mr. "The Hanged Man" sings for life! Klein used complaints to fight against his inner irritability.
"Impulse! Impulse! Impulse!"
Each word Alger uttered gradually drew closer to the sound of waves crashing against the rocks, and streaks of silver lightning followed, like bursts of cheers.
Silvery lights flashed one after another, striking the surface of the Hallucinatory Wind Chime Tree. The strikes caused the strange tree to tremble uncontrollably, its branches swaying stiffly and chaotically, unable to produce a uniform Hypnosis sound.
Alger seized the opportunity, dropped the dead rat, and extended the short blade in his hand.
With a sudden whooshing sound, invisible blades whistled past, striking the branch at the very top of the Hallucinatory Wind Chime Tree closest to its trunk.
Snap!
The fist-sized, colorless, translucent fruit fell straight down, was swept up by a strong gust of wind, and flew into Alger's palm. The tree, whose surface was covered with eye-like cracks, froze, and the remaining branches drooped down, losing their vitality.
Sure enough, as long as the correct information is gathered and mastered beforehand, supernatural plants with relatively low intelligence are easier to deal with than animals of the same level... Alger took out the prepared metal tube and put away the fruits of the Hallucinatory Wind Chime Tree.
Then, he turned to the side and looked at Gehrman Sparrow, saying:
"Let's continue..."
His words suddenly stopped, and the phrase corresponding to "forward" disappeared from his throat.
At that moment, he saw Gehrman Sparrow's cold face Distortion slightly, the whites of his brown pupils turning slightly red, as if he were about to explode at any moment and attack him.
Alger tensed up immediately, took a slow breath, and completed his sentence:
"Let's keep going."
"Let's go," Gehrman Sparrow replied in a low voice, taking the lead by bypassing the withered Hallucinatory Wind Chime Tree and heading into the depths of the Black Forest.
He didn't bother with materials imbued with Spirituality, such as tree bark and branches, because he was certain he would encounter many extraordinary creatures later on, and since he didn't have any so-called storage artifacts, he naturally wanted to reserve space for more valuable gains.
Besides, carrying too many heavy items would obviously hinder the " Clown's" agility.
It's a pity that those are all lifeless materials, without their own blood, so they can't enter " The Groselle's Travels "... They could be brought in using Marionette, but that would be very troublesome and not conducive to subsequent exploration... Klein sighed silently as he calmed himself and shook off the lingering influence of the " The Hanged Man's " song.
This is the most awful and provocative singing he has ever heard in both his previous and current lives!
If the " The Hanged Man " had continued for another minute or two, he couldn't guarantee he would have been able to control his urge to beat the other person.
Simply plugging the ears with paper and suppressing one's Spirituality can only weaken the influence, not truly isolate it... Even the deaf can still hear it, which includes "communication" on a Spirituality level... This should be the most difficult ability for the " Ocean Songster " to defend against, plus the " Lightning Strike " that, once it appears, is unavoidable and can only be avoided in advance. This Sequence 5 is quite powerful... However, why does Mr. " The Hanged Man's" singing feel completely different from that of the Elf Singer Siatas... Klein summarized and analyzed his experience while some doubts arose.
At this moment, Alger, who was walking beside him carrying a lantern, couldn't help but ponder a question:
"Even Gehrman Sparrow couldn't stand my singing for long, how am I supposed to Acting the ' Ocean Songster '...?"
In the silence, the two moved quickly forward among the thick, snake-scale-like trees, approaching the ancient ruins.
With the " Navigator " by his side, Klein saved the energy of Dowsing and focused on guarding against any sudden attacks that might occur around him.
In the pitch-black, silent environment, reminiscent of a horror story, the two walked for an unknown amount of time before noticing that the trees in the Black Forest were beginning to thin out in a regular pattern.
This was different from their previous encounter with the Demigod- level Feathered Serpent. There, the trees suddenly thinned out, making it seem abrupt, while here it was a gradual process, giving the illusion that they were about to leave the Black Forest.
"Once we cross this area, we'll reach the edge of that ancient ruin," Alger broke the silence.
He paused, then added casually:
"Based on my experience, the closer you get, the more dangerous it becomes. The traces of Demigod- level supernatural beings I've discovered before were all found in this area. However, what's strange is that there are absolutely no clues left by supernatural beings at the edge of that ancient ruin. As for its depths, I have no idea."
This is most likely because there is an even more terrifying being inside that ancient ruin, and that area is its "territory," so other creatures dare not approach... Klein muttered.
He had a premonition about the danger of this expedition, and had even performed Divination above the Gray Fog beforehand. The divination revealed that there would be setbacks and problems, but the possibility of leaving safely was not small.
After the " The Hanged Man " finished speaking, Klein chuckled and said:
You should be able to guess what I'm guessing.
He didn't say much and entered the area overgrown with weeds and sparsely wooded.
Alger walked silently to the side, increasingly convinced that his judgment of Gehrman Sparrow was correct.
Both calm and crazy!
After walking several dozen meters, they suddenly saw a pair of eerie blue eyes appear at the end of the lantern's light.
It was a black baboon perched on a tree branch. Its fur was naturally curly, and black crystals grew from its head, forming a strange crown that grew upwards in an irregular pattern.
Upon seeing the black baboon, Klein and Alger simultaneously felt an urge to lower their heads, as if they dared not look directly at it, feeling that it was the master of this forest, their lord.
Lord... Alger, relying on the intense headache brought on by the " Spirit Whip " ring, shook off the effects and hurriedly stepped to the left, trying to clear the way for the unknown species of extraordinary creature to be left to Gehrman Sparrow.
This was their prior agreement.
However, although he clearly stepped to the left, he ended up walking forward, and his legs were limping, as if he suddenly needed a cane.
Instinctively, Alger drew his short blade, sending sharp Wind Blade whistling towards the black, curly-haired baboon.
Just then, the baboon grinned, revealing a smile.
The Wind Blade in mid-air suddenly changed direction, veering to the left, drifting to the right, rising upwards, or sinking downwards, perfectly avoiding their target.
Upon seeing this, Klein abandoned his plan to approach using normal methods. His left glove suddenly became transparent, and his body also became invisible.
Alger stopped his impulsive action and saw Gehrman Sparrow, wearing a half-high silk hat, suddenly appear behind the black curly-haired baboon, less than 5 meters away.
Immediately afterwards, the black curly-haired baboon's body suddenly stiffened, as if it had lost most of its control. It even struggled to raise its palm, half gouging at its own eyes and half trying to Distortion something.
Taking advantage of its momentary lapse in attention, Gehrman Sparrow raised the iron-black revolver in his right hand and aimed the dark, deep muzzle at its head.
Then, the mad adventurer pulled the trigger without any expression.
Note 1: Excerpt from Tennyson's "Impulse, Impulse, Impulse". Mobile version URL: m.