CHAPTER 54: THREE MORE TO GO

A stillness settled over the forest as we moved deeper into the shaded terrain. The thick canopy overhead cast warped shadows across the ground, making it hard to tell what was just a root and what was something waiting to strangle us. Every step felt like tempting fate.

Julien exhaled through his nose. "So, uh... what’s the best way to grab this thing without getting strangled to death?"

"Carefully," I muttered, eyes scanning the undergrowth.

Wallace adjusted his glasses. "A controlled burn could work. Stalker Vines have a natural reaction to heat. If we force them to move first, we’ll see where they are before they see us."

Mira smirked. "I like the way you think."

Felix paled. "Hold on. Fire? In a forest? That sounds like a great way to die."

"It’s controlled," Wallace reassured. "Just enough heat to make them shift, not enough to start a wildfire. And don’t forget that our professor is skilled in flame magic, we all saw how he pierced through profesor kellan’s leg with a flame Lance on the capture the flag yesterday."

Julien whistled. "Yeah, that was brutal. Almost felt bad for professor Kellan."

Mira snorted. "Almost."

I sighed, shaking my head. "Less reminiscing, more focusing. Wallace has the right idea. A little heat should force the vines to react without burning the whole damn forest down."

Felix crossed his arms. "And if they don’t react?"

"Then we’ll know we’re safe." I flexed my fingers, summoning a small flame in my palm. "But trust me, they’ll react."

The others stepped back as I directed a thin wave of heat outward, letting it roll over the undergrowth. It wasn’t enough to ignite anything—just a slow, creeping warmth.

Seconds passed.

Then—movement.

A section of what I’d assumed was a normal vine curled inward, recoiling from the heat. Its smooth, scaled surface glistened faintly in the dim light as it tensed, preparing to strike.

"There," I said, pointing.

Julien grimaced. "That’s not normal plant behavior."

Leo swore under his breath. "Yeah, no kidding."

More vines began shifting, the subtle motion sending a ripple through the undergrowth. Some were draped along tree trunks, while others coiled along the ground, hidden among actual roots.

Mira clicked her tongue. "You know, I was really hoping you were making these names up."

Felix groaned. "Why are there so many?"

"Because they hunt in clusters," Wallace muttered.

Julien raised an eyebrow. "How do we take one without getting mobbed?"

"Simple." I clenched my fist, letting the flame flicker higher. "We cut it off before it can react."

I shifted my stance, watching the nearest vine carefully. The trick was making the first move before it did. Too slow, and it’d lash out. Too reckless, and we’d be swarmed.

I exhaled. Then, in one sharp motion, I slashed my burning hand through the air, sending a controlled burst of fire straight at the vine’s base.

A hiss split the air as the Stalker Vine convulsed, recoiling violently. Before it could fully react, Julien lunged forward with his dagger, slicing through the weakened section. The vine thrashed once—then went still.

Mira smirked. "Not bad."

I bent down, inspecting the severed piece. The inside was fibrous, with a faintly pulsing core. Exactly what we needed.

"That’s one," I said, tucking it into my pouch.

Felix exhaled in relief. "Can we leave now?"

"Not yet." I glanced around. "We need at least three more samples."

Leo groaned. "Of course we do."

Julien rolled his shoulders. "Well, at least we know how to deal with them now."

Wallace adjusted his glasses. "Let’s be quick about it. The more we disturb them, the riskier this gets."

I nodded. "Agreed. Let’s move."

We spread out, working carefully to collect the remaining samples. With controlled bursts of flame and well-timed strikes, we managed to avoid any major incidents. The vines were aggressive, but predictable once you knew their triggers.

Within minutes, we had everything we needed.

I secured the last piece, rolling up the list. "Seven down."

Felix wiped sweat from his forehead. "Alright, what’s next?"

I checked.

"Mana Infused Crystal."

Wallace perked up. "Oh, that one’s interesting. Mana-Infused Crystals usually form in places with high ambient mana concentration. Caves, leyline intersections, or areas affected by residual mana."

Julien smirked. "Great, so we’re looking for a glowing rock in the middle of nowhere?"

Leo groaned. "You know what this means, right? More walking."

Felix looked up at the thick canopy overhead and sighed. "And probably more things trying to kill us."

I snapped the list shut. "There are only three more items left, including this one. Which means every other class is probably hunting for them too."

Mira arched an eyebrow. "You think they’ll be ahead of us?"

"Unlikely," I said. "But the closer we get to the last few items, the higher the chance we run into competition. Some of them might not take kindly to us getting there first."

Julien grinned. "So, what? We fight ’em?"

I gave him a look. "Only if they start something."

Felix groaned. "Great. So not only do we have to worry about the forest trying to kill us, but also a bunch of overcompetitive lunatics?"

"Pretty much." I motioned for the group to move. "So let’s find this crystal before they do."

We moved quickly, navigating through the dense forest with renewed urgency. The thought of other classes closing in on the same targets meant we had no time to waste. If we were lucky, we’d reach the Mana-Infused Crystal before anyone else. If we weren’t... well, I wasn’t opposed to throwing a few students into a bush if they got in our way.

Wallace adjusted his glasses as he kept pace beside me. "The most likely place for a Mana-Infused Crystal is underground. If there’s a cave or a ravine nearby, that’s our best bet."

Mira glanced at him. "You’re saying we should start looking for holes in the ground?"

"Essentially, yes," Wallace replied.

Felix groaned. "Fantastic. I love the idea of walking into a dark, cramped space where we can be ambushed by gods-know-what."

Julien grinned, slapping Felix on the back. "Look on the bright side. If something jumps at us, at least you’ll be the first one to scream."

Felix scowled. "That’s not—ugh, whatever."

I scanned the surroundings, looking for any terrain that seemed off. Natural cave formations weren’t common in this part of the forest, but small fissures or underground pockets could exist. And if we were dealing with an area of high mana concentration, there might be visible signs.

I halted, motioning for the others to stop. "Look there."

A few meters ahead, a large tree had partially uprooted, its massive roots stretching over a jagged opening in the earth. The exposed ground beneath it was darker, damp, and... the water on that place were faintly glowing. In a soft, bluish colour.

Wallace’s eyes widened. "That’s it. That’s residual mana, sometimes dense residual mana can be infused into water and it was the most common method to find if an area have any residual mana."

Mira crouched near the opening, scooping a bit of the glowing water onto her fingertips. She rubbed it between her fingers, watching the faint shimmer spread before dissipating.

"Yeah, this is definitely mana-infused," she muttered. "But that doesn’t mean there’s a crystal down there."

Wallace adjusted his glasses. "No, but it increases the chances. Residual mana like this tends to settle in areas where denser formations have already taken root. If there’s a source, it’s likely deeper inside."

Julien peered into the crevice. "So, what you’re saying is... we have to go in?"

"Unless you want to wait and see if another class does it for us," I said dryly.

Felix let out an exhausted sigh. "This is a horrible idea."

Leo crossed his arms. "Name one thing we’ve done today that wasn’t a horrible idea."

Felix opened his mouth. Closed it. Groaned.

"Alright," I said, stepping forward. "We go in carefully. No rushing ahead, no poking things that glow unless I say so, and if anything starts moving, assume it wants to kill you."

Mira smirked. "Sounds like a typical academy field trip."

Julien stretched his arms. "Let’s get this over with."

One by one, we slipped into the crevice, descending into the damp underground passage. The deeper we went, the stronger the residual mana became. The air was thick with it, making our skin tingle.

Somewhere ahead, the faint glow of something unnatural pulsed in the darkness.

We weren’t alone down here.