CHAPTER 77: TO GET THE LEAF

"The Leaf that we are searching for will have a distinct energy that’s neither Mana, nor Holy power, nor Aura. It’s going to be pretty pure and you can just tell it’s something different from the way it feels."

The duo was back to the searching once again and this time, they were searching in the northern part of the forest.

There were many taller trees here, trees that were so tall that they had to jump from one tree branch to another to look through the leaves. They were like monkeys, jumping around to find something to eat.

It was funny seeing the two of them, in fact, there were many tree creatures that were having fun looking at the two and even following them to mimic what they were doing to make fun of them.

But the two of them avoided them. They weren’t a threat. They were just funny creatures having fun.

If anything, the two of them were looking out for the insects that lived up here. The creatures that were an actual threat to both of them.

They needed to be very careful around the nests of these insect-type monsters. If they got too close to them, they would be attacked by not one or two but a dozen of their kind.

And that would not be just attacking. They would get attacked by beings that were specifically born to fend off intruders so they would have strong skills and even position and means to deal with intruders like them.

"If the energy residues were present on that hilltop, then the leaf’s current position shouldn’t be far from there."

They were looking for a leaf but the leaf itself wasn’t the target. It was the being that carried the energy that KiRA was following.

This energy was specifically the reason that he needed the one that produced the energy. He wouldn’t get any chance to obtain this piece on the next many floors so he needed to put in everything he had to find the leaf even if he had to wait until the floor was cleared.

"It wasn’t around the hilltop or around the hill itself. Why are we moving further up when we should be going down? Isn’t that how it should be?" Izzy knew what KiRA was after but then again, finding a certain leaf in a forest?

The idea itself was absurd so she didn’t like the whole search itself. There was no actual reason to get what he was looking for, he could take his time and get it later on as well.

But he wouldn’t do that because he was the great KiRA. Moving through the floors as efficiently as possible was his motto.

He did not want to waste the opportunity that was present right in front of him. There was a reason he wasn’t focusing on the quest, as well. Most of the things he was doing within this tower had its reasons, most of which even she could not understand.

’Even saving Lia and the others had something to do with his special Authority.’

He was saving people and doing good things but as they go up, there will come a time when he will start doing things that don’t make any sense.

The reason she stopped playing the game was also because of the way he changed when he had to do some things that even he did not understand and still did because they were ’supposed to happen’.

She would have seen the top of the tower if it wasn’t for all those crazy things he was doing without knowing why he was doing all that, but that didn’t happen.

But now that their lives were on the line, she wasn’t going to let him fall to those crazy tasks and ’casual’ requests.

’He knows how to take care of those things now though. So I guess I won’t have to do much.’

He wasn’t a dictator, a judge, a minion playing in the hands of the grand system, or a puppet of the Twelve Principles.

He belonged to her. And if push came to shove, she would press that fact in their ethereal faces.

"I’m bored again..." Well, she could not do anything about this boring search though.

They were searching, and searching, and running around from one place to another.

’It has already been a week since we met Lia’s group.’

Time flew by so fast that she didn’t even notice it... well, she was bored most of the time so except for their occasional lunchtimes and their nights, she didn’t remember much of anything.

It had been more than a week since they entered the 2nd floor as well, and she was now reaching her limits.

"We should find it soon. It shouldn’t be far from here."

KiRA also knew how the flow of that residual energy was moving upwards instead of how it was in the game.

’They’ preferred to go down as time passed, but the opposite was happening here.

"I can feel a few places with residual energy here too." KiRA was certain.

The leaf was around this part of the forest.

Now...

"How about we search separately? It would be-."

"Do you want me to go back home and leave you here all alone?"

She would rather go home than search this place by herself. It was simply too boring for her...!

"Well then let’s continue what we were doing."

KiRA was bored as well, but then again, he did what he needed to.

He continued searching for the leaf in the daytime, and as night fell...

"Hmmm... Mmmmm... hehe~." He fought against the horny blessing and appreciated Izzy’s help with every fiber of his being.

They had a good, private tent that they could use, a magic item that cost him a pretty coin, but that much was worth it for a long term item like this one.

The two enjoyed their nights, and then retired to their search for the leaf in this grand forest once again...

[{ Master! Master looks here! }]

Another week and a half had passed since they entered this area with tall trees when Unity suddenly came across something.

Her senses weren’t that great just yet, but she was still sensitive to energies.

It was faint but she could feel it.

"Amazing work, Uni."

And, while KiRA found this to be a stroke of luck... she was right.

This was it.

This was exactly the leaf that they were looking for!