Chapter 409 - 408: Belated Rescue
「Three days later.」
The grayish-white layer of fog was like a silver-gray Shield.
Colin gazed at this Shield, wishing that the wings of a white pegasus would tear it to shreds at any moment.
'Kase and the others would never abandon their companions. If they made it out, they would have been back for us by now…'
Colin wiped the sweat from his palms onto a nearby mushroom cap. The cool sensation eased some of the anxiety in his heart.
'After I get out of here, I have to learn some practical Magic, like Feather Fall and Sending. I'll learn them even if I have to buy Scrolls.'
Colin shook his head, trying to clear his dizziness.
He had been unable to tell time over the past few days, eating and sleeping whenever he felt like it. This had thrown his internal clock into disarray, but Ale, being a Half-Elf, seemed to be doing just fine.
The two of them hadn't just been sitting idle, though.
Colin and Ale had tried to climb out using their Climbing Rope, but as soon as they entered the dense fog, they would inevitably end up back at the bottom of the rift, no matter which direction they went.
'This is probably some kind of regional Magic effect,' he thought. He remembered the Forester, Aidan, mentioning something like this when he first entered the Supreme Forest.
Colin didn't understand the principles behind it, but he knew one thing for sure: they couldn't get out on their own.
Worse, they could only pray the flow of time hadn't been altered in here. It would be a disaster if they emerged to find five hundred years had passed.
Just then, Ale, who was sitting beside him, asked, "What do we do now?"
Colin hesitated for a moment before speaking. "We should head southwest. We've nearly eaten everything in this area. If we stay here, we'll either starve or run out of food before we can find a way out."
"If I resort to that method, we should be able to get out, but it would be very risky."
"Let's save that for a last resort, then. I never take a gamble unless I'm one hundred percent sure I'll win." Colin packed away his sleeping bag and slung his pack onto his back.
Hearing this, Ale nodded silently.
The two of them then set off toward the southwest.
After all, there were only two paths before them. Even though Colin and Ale were nowhere near as skilled at wilderness Survival as Kase, there was little chance of them getting lost.
The pair followed the rugged path, making their way between mushrooms of all shapes and sizes.
Even with the stream flowing nearby, Colin felt these fungi were growing far too lushly. 'At least the mushrooms in the Kobold caves weren't like this,' he mused. 'I wonder if they grow like this in the Underworld, too.'
He lost track of how long they walked.
Feeling dizzy and groggy, Colin made his way down to the stream and stopped.
He steadied himself against a half-meter-tall mushroom, crouched by the water's edge to splash his face, and then wiped his hands on its cap.
Still feeling a little light-headed, Colin thought for a moment before getting up. He found another mushroom of a suitable height to sit on and said, "Let's rest for a bit, Ale."
The Half-Elf agreed and sat down on a nearby cap.
Colin glanced at the path ahead and sighed at the sight of the endless, multicolored mushrooms.
Judging by the number of times they'd stopped to eat, they had had about six meals on the road.
The creatures they'd encountered along the way had all been non-aggressive, and any they managed to catch were added to their meals.
And since they could forage for mushrooms as they walked, they hadn't used up many of their rations.
'They probably had enough food, but,' Colin thought, 'I still have no idea what we'll do once we get out of the Fog-Locked Rift.'
'The Supreme Forest outside is nowhere near as safe as it is in here. Who knows what kind of trouble we'll run into?'
The two sat in silence for a while until Colin noticed some distant mushroom caps suddenly begin to sway. He first assumed it was a strong gust of wind, but he felt no breeze.
"Something's coming,"
Colin said, getting to his feet and drawing the Giant Sword from his back.
The two stared intently in the direction of the swaying caps, but even after watching for some time, they couldn't make out the uninvited guests.
Then, a mushroom with legs walked out from among the fungal grove.
Yes, a mushroom with legs.
The mushroom stood about a meter tall, its torso a solid, gray stalk. Its cap was a pale blue, and a faint blue phosphorescence glowed from beneath it. Eye-like holes were vaguely visible within the gills under the cap.
A dozen more legged mushrooms followed, the shortest only half a meter tall, while the tallest was nearly the same height as Kase.
"Are those… Mushroommen?"
"They're Mushroommen. That's what the books call them," Colin said.
'The book also mentioned that Mushroommen are one of the few intelligent species that don't display extreme aggression toward outsiders.'
'They get their food and nutrients by cultivating mushroom fields, so maintaining stability in their territory is vital for them… That would explain why all the mushrooms around here are growing so well.'
While the two spoke, the Mushroommen stood a short distance away, silently watching them without moving or speaking.
"Let's try putting our weapons away," Colin said, tentatively planting his Giant Sword in the ground beside him.
Ale nodded and quietly set her Magic Staff on the ground.
A moment later, a two-meter-tall Mushroomman emerged from the rear of the group.
Colin could clearly see the gills beneath the Mushroomman's cap begin to quiver, and a moment later, a mist of pale blue spores drifted out.
*Outsiders… why have you come?*
A heavy voice echoed in Colin's mind.
The sensation was very similar to Dorn's telepathic ability, which was powered by his Spiritual Energy.
Mushroommen have no mouths or noses; their method of communication is the telepathic spores they release. They also possess calming spores, which can render other creatures unconscious, and hallucinogenic spores, which can create illusions.
It was also worth noting that many scholars believed Mushroommen had a close connection to Spiritual Energy, and that their miraculous spores were some form of application of its Power.
Colin tried to project his thoughts back, just as he would when speaking with Dorn. *We fell in here by accident. We mean no harm, we're just passing through.*
As he replied, he glanced at the surrounding Mushroommen.
He couldn't read their intentions from the telepathic message, but judging by their posture, the Mushroommen had not yet lowered their guard.
*Proof…*
*How are we supposed to prove that?*
*Flesh-ones… prove you are harmless.*
Colin frowned. *We just want to follow this path out of the rift. You can follow us and watch us leave with your own eyes. Other than that, I can't think of any way to prove our intentions.*
The instant he finished the thought, the caps of the surrounding Mushroommen began to glow with a red Spiritual Light.
'I'll never understand how these mushroom people think.'
As he had this thought, Colin silently rested his hand on the hilt of Burning Blood at his waist.