Artificial Fantasy

Chapter 40: The Plague's Source

This was all too surreal for me to believe. I thought we were going to die at the claws of the tiger boss monster we had accidentally encountered. But now, Kazu had befriended it so easily! Even more, he was somehow able to communicate with him no problem. I had to admit, his avatar's race was something else.

However, another thing on my mind right now was the plague killing the <Tested Wilds>. I agreed to help eliminate the source thanks to Kazu, but just the thought of stopping the plague made me worried about the upcoming battle. I knew we'd managed to gain some levels of strength, but I didn't know if that would be enough to defeat it completely. Not only that, but I was also wondering about the source of the plague itself. If what Kazu and Bai Hu said was true, then there was a possibility that something is going on in this world that we don't even know about yet. Regardless, I knew there was no turning back now and I had to make sure we prepared for the worst.

----

After a few minutes, I started to yawn as I kept seeing the same trees in our path. Man, how far was the plague's source? Even better question: just how big is this forest anyway? I was about to close my eyes just to catch a few Z's when suddenly, I heard Bai Hu's roar. At that, I got up around the area frantically. I then felt a tap on my shoulder, revealing to be Kazu holding his staff.

"Wind, Bai Hu says we're almost there," he informed me. "He also says he's going to cast his blessing onto us right now."

Oh, right. The tiger had mentioned that this special blessing of his could protect us from the plague's effects. It was a relief since he said that the plague could drain most of our [MP] when we're inside its domain. I just nodded to Kazu and said, "Alright. I'll get my stuff ready right now."

I quickly opened up my inventory to check on my current gear and expendables. Considering we had only used one [Smoke Bottle], it looked like we should have enough for our next big battle ahead. But as I did so, I heard Bai Hu's roar again, which to my surprise, our bodies began to glow in a light blue aura.

[NOTICE]

[The [White Tiger of the Beginning], [Bai Hu] has given your party the [White Tiger's Blessing] buff. You will be immune to the [Mysterious Plague's] effect as well the skill, [Symbol Speech] for one hour.]

So this is Bai Hu's blessing, huh? Just the description alone made me sigh with relief that we're now protected against the plague's harmful effects. But I was a bit confused at the last detail they gave to me. What kind of ability is this [Symbol Speech] is this?

[Young [Human] Wind, do you hear me?]

H-Huh?! Who said that?!

[Don't panic, [Human]. It's me, Bai Hu. It seems my blessing managed to get through to you.]

So this was Bai Hu's voice in common language? It was strange considering I could now understand the tiger's growls and roars, yet also a bit easier for me since I now didn't have to rely on Kazu to translate everything that he said.

"Y-Yeah... It's kind of weird, but I'll get used to it," I said, trying not to get any more shocked than I already was.

[I'm glad you managed to adjust to my blessing. With this, you can communicate with me without relying on your brother all of the time. However, this is still a temporary solution and so does my protection. So you must act fast if you want to eliminate the plague without any trace of it.]

"I understand, Mr. Bai Hu."

He did mention this multiple times, but it was for a good reason. The plague's domain was very dangerous, even to Bai Hu. According to Kazu, if we stepped into the fog without Bai Hu's blessing, our [MP] could be drained over time. So if we even go in there prepared, that fog will still weaken us to the point we can't use any spells. However, there was also something that had been bothering me for a while now.