The Cornflower Witch

Unconsciously, two months had passed since arriving in the Gloomy Forest. Sylutia felt these past two months were probably the most relaxed she had experienced in two years — no classes to attend, no work to do, and none of the messy mundane affairs to worry about.

But now, it seemed her rest was about over, and it was time to get moving.

She decided that before leaving the Gloomy Forest, she would deal with the "Hermit Spider" she had encountered earlier, marking the completion of one goal for her stay at this Shadow World outpost, and also solving a long-standing problem for the local explorer apprentices.

"Ruca, come here~" she called to the Shadow-Walking Beast playing in the hut's backyard.

During this time, she had given the beast a name: Ruca. The name had no deep meaning, it just sounded smooth and wouldn't conflict with other common words.

The Shadow-Walking Beast leapt up lightly. Its tall frame moved with a windlike agility. It looked impressive when running, yet was completely silent. If one didn't watch it with the naked eye, one might not notice it at all.

It came to Sylutia and bowed its head so the girl could reach out and stroke its neck.

Feeling the beast's pulsing heart rhythm transmitted a wave of affectionate information. After interacting with it for a while, Sylutia let go. The beast's form dissolved into flowing darkness and merged with her shadow.

Back in the hut, Sylutia picked out some simple exploration gear and set off.

For many apprentices, team exploration was safer and better for handling emergencies. But for Sylutia, not teaming up allowed her to use her full strength.

If she did not have to worry about exposing her identity and power, she could often clear an entire secret realm alone.

Wearing a green-and-white cloth skirt, the girl walked easily through the woods, brushing grass and leaves with her fingers, occasionally stopping to admire wildflowers by the path, as if she were on a countryside outing.

With Sylutia's powerful perception, she easily avoided Second- and Third-Tier monsters along the way and headed straight toward the next layer.

When she reached the Gloomy Forest's second layer, the light dimmed significantly and the roadside trees grew bleaker.

Sylutia grew a bit more serious. She spread her hands and silver threads appeared, wrapping around her wrists and quickly forming into lively little mountain sparrow white birds.

[Biomimicry Spell · Silver-Throated Sparrow]

About thirty small silver-white birds flew off in all directions. Thin, almost invisible filaments trailed from their tails as they threaded through the forest, weaving these threads like a spiderweb.

Still a bit slow, the girl thought. She summoned another thirty silver-white birds. They spiraled outward like expanding ripples, laying down more fine threads.

After an hour, the forest within several kilometers around Sylutia was sealed with ultra-fine silver threads.

This was the area where she and other apprentices had encountered the Hermit Spider during her last expedition. Even if the monster had left, traces would remain.

After finishing the setup, Sylutia calmed herself, sat slowly on the grass, closed her eyes, and concentrated to sense where the silver threads connected. Gradually, the forest's layout formed in her mind, and the movements and sounds of birds, insects, and animals traveled along the threads to her perception.

Among this massive, chaotic information, Sylutia continuously analyzed and stripped away known and irrelevant data to hunt for clues.

About an hour later she stood and walked toward a corner deep in the woods.

There she carefully examined corrosive venom marks lingering on the branches. Her eyes flicked as she analyzed with Discernment Eyes and the "Inspiration" assistance of the Secret Word Aspect.

Those should be marks left two days ago. It did not necessarily mean the Hermit Spider had fed there, but aside from venom traces, some branches were broken.

Two days ago, then. It seemed the spider still operated in the vicinity; it wasn't clear where it had hidden.

Sylutia thought for a moment and decided to try something.

She gathered her spirit, floated into the air beneath the forest canopy, and clasped her hands lightly behind her. A finely crafted silver-blue Astronomical Clock materialized, and in front of her a clock disc engraved with ornate markings gradually sketched itself into being.

[Clockwork Engraving · Hulier's Eye]

The tempered crystal pointer under the silver disc spun and pointed to the clock's eighth tick — the Star-World Eye that parses all things.

At the same time, the phantasmal Astronomical Clock at her chest and the large clockwheel behind her started to turn. The last pointer inlaid with a blue crystal stopped, aiming at the third slot.

The clockwheel faded away and a huge eye formed of pale blue flame opened — cold and merciless.

Sylutia fed the information she had gathered into that pale-blue flaming eye. Its gaze drifted, slowly sweeping over the forest.

One after another, information streamed into Sylutia's consciousness — the other traces the Hermit Spider left behind — and they gradually fused into a pattern of its habitual movements.

Following that trail should lead to the spider's nest.

Having identified the direction, she flew low along the trail.

About twenty minutes later she stopped. She had reached the end of the Gloomy Forest's third layer. Ahead lay the fourth layer, an abnormal zone where the Twilight Sea and the Shadow World blurred together — space warped and strange phenomena frequent.

In such an environment, low-tier creatures faced near-certain death. Only an approximate Fifth-Tier existence could resist it for a short time, and even then they could not stay long.

Sylutia peered at the lightless tangle below. The scenery within moved oddly, like everything was submerged and swaying under water.

She descended carefully, constantly sensing the surroundings and checking her condition.

Fortunately, as one with a Star Origin, she was not corrupted by Distortion, though the unstable, writhing space still affected her.

How could the spider live here? Why build its nest in such a place, she wondered.

Suddenly, as if she understood something, she guessed what core ability the spider used to advance.

If she was right, it was the Nesting Insect. Relying on that core ability, the creature could stabilize the space inside its nest. Being able to nest successfully in an especially dangerous place proved its strength.

Soon, as she descended, the surroundings writhed and shimmered more wildly, like ink diluted into many colors, dazzling and chaotic.

Invisible forces invaded from all directions, trying to warp and mutate her, but the girl remained radiant, completely unaffected. She descended straight into the fuzzy spider nest.

In the lightless chamber, pale-blue flames burned. An ice-blue eye opened and stared out.

[Clockwork Engraving · Shuriel's Eye]

The Hermit Spider revealed itself and lunged violently at the open eye. Its claw tips exuded strange venomous radiance and shredded the gazing eye. But that destruction did not matter — Sylutia only intended to use Shuriel's Eye to force the spider out; she didn't expect to finish it with this secret art alone.

Inside its nest, the spider's strength had increased significantly. As a Mist Shadow Aspect creature, after reaching Fourth Tier it gained another trait: its state became difficult to observe and confirm. Opponents could not tell illusion from reality. The Aspect's power ebbed and flowed like illusory tides, letting the spider feign Fifth-Tier momentum or shrink back like a weak Second- or Third-Tier monster.

In the fight, the Hermit Spider blurred and split into two identical phantoms that attacked Sylutia from different directions.

Sylutia moved nimbly to avoid one strike. Then she brought her hands together in front of her. A huge hardened steel hand mirrored her motion at her side. Its fingers formed a cage that protected the girl, while the other spider strike hit the outside of the spectral hand and scattered fragments.

So fast. Her current reaction speed could only match the Hermit Spider; one-on-one there was room to maneuver, but not when facing three at once.

After all, her current profession was Mage, and the only method she had to enhance physical abilities was the Breathing Technique. Matching the spider was already rare.

It seemed the Mage Alliance had a reason for letting apprentices reach Third Tier before entering the Shadow World. Mages were at a disadvantage in sudden, high-intensity skirmishes like this; a single lapse could mean being killed.

Hidden Grove Alliance apprentices adapted to Shadow World combat from the Second Tier onward. Their practical experience was rich. Though their abilities were not as broad as mages', their specialization had become instinctive, allowing them to activate and apply skills extremely fast.

Once Sylutia found her footing, she began to scan her repertoire and recall the secret arts she knew.

For Mist Shadow creatures that excel at ambush and sneak attacks, if you cannot eliminate them immediately or control them with illusions, defeat is highly probable. They are not like Scorching Sun Bloodline types that endure hardship with immense stamina and regeneration.

The failed attack left the Hermit Spider frantic. Iridescent poisonous light glowed on its sharp legs as it struck again, cutting at the hardened hand and carving corrosive lines.

Given more time it could break through her defense for sure, but that time was exactly what Sylutia needed to prepare her counter.

She opened her palm and three silver gems surfaced, emitting light and slowly rising. Sylutia parted her hands slightly and focused. The three gems became glittering filaments that sketched silver runic imprints in the air.

[Sovereign Spell · Silver Declaration (Lustrous Moon Crystal)] (Secret Word)

"Ancient sovereign decree: If 'purity', 'beauty', 'praise', 'will', and 'status' — each surpassing the opponent — the bearer gains empowered might."

What is purity? Unstained by dust and filth.

What is beauty? That which astonishes and moves the world.

What is praise? Deeds sung and passed through the lands.

After the silver runes finished tracing, Sylutia released her protective palm cage. The instant the Hermit Spider reappeared, her sight, the declaration rune, and the spider aligned in a straight line. The rune exploded into dazzling radiance and struck the enemy.

The Silver Declaration's five elements were tested in that instant.

On purity: nestling inside the Twilight Sea's nest, corrupted by Distortion, the Hermit Spider was truly filthy.

On beauty: the spider's monstrous face and mismatched limbs could not compare to the hovering girl.

On praise: the monster had no fame and no one sang its glories. Sylutia, however, had been remembered and thanked by many, whether in Regas or the Western Mountain Range.

As for will and status, those too fell short.

Each winning element increased the sovereign spell's potency. With all five elements in her favor, the spell's power surged threefold, instantly piercing the Hermit Spider's mind. Its spirit was shattered, it fell unconscious, convulsing on the ground.

Sylutia descended, a silver greatsword patterned with vine motifs appeared in her hand. She swung, bisecting the giant spider and killing it on the spot.

The Hermit Spider's Fate Card shattered. The scattered Mist Shadow Aspect condensed for Sylutia, slowly forming a mist-colored xenon-box gem that contained a faint spider phantom.

[Spider Gem] (Fourth Tier · Rare); a special gem condensed from a dead Mist Shadow Aspect spider. It can be used for rituals and crafting oddities, or given to a Mist Shadow Aspect creature to boost its power.

She pocketed the gem. Sylutia took out a dagger and carefully cut the spider's venom glands. Using Blood Clan secret techniques, she collected the corpse's blood and filled three vials.

[Spider Venom Gland] (Fourth Tier · Superior); contains strange toxins that can paralyze an opponent and remove their ability to resist.

[Spider Blood] (Third Tier · Good); the spider's blood contains peculiar power for rituals and medicinal preparation.

Although a Fourth-Tier creature, its blood quality was not high. It must have been physically weak. If it were a True Dragon, dragon blood quality would match the creature's tier.

Sylutia recalled Blood Clan refining methods. After she returned she could attempt refining the three vials of Spider Blood into one vial of Third Tier · Rare quality blood.

With the Hermit Spider dead, the nest deep in the Twilight Sea collapsed and the environment turned stranger under Distortion. Sylutia did not linger and left the area.

Half an hour later she returned to the relatively safe third layer and landed from the air.

Though the process was troublesome and had consumed three Third-Tier gems, she had solved her opponent and reaped a decent harvest.

Walking back, her shadow twisted, expanded, and rushed out to her side, coalescing into the Shadow-Walking Beast.

It rubbed against Sylutia's left hand and transmitted curiosity and longing. Sylutia knew what it wanted — it definitely had its eye on the Spider Gem she had just obtained.

As another Mist Shadow Aspect being, if the Shadow-Walking Beast ate it, it would gain a considerable boost. But to Sylutia, that would be wasteful.

"Nope, you can't have it yet," she explained as she petted its mane.

"I need to take it back and refine it into Spiritual Medicine — the effect will be much better. Besides, you're still far from advancing. Feeding it to you now would be a waste."

The beast made a disappointed whimper. Somehow it had learned to act spoiled and look pitiful.

"Nope, whining won't work either." Sylutia patted it again to soothe the creature.

Failing to get what it wanted, it gradually gave up and retreated into Sylutia's shadow once more.

The girl felt both helpless and amused.

It really was like a child that hadn't grown up yet — always wanting tasty things whenever they went out. She wondered who had taught it that.