Normally, I would have circled the forest and taken a different route, but this forest was quite large, and even a thorough detour would take two full days. To say I wasn't annoyed would be a lie. In a situation where time was of the essence, with no time to waste, this was a choice that would inevitably lead to a quagmire of conflict. After about ten minutes of deliberation, I made my decision.
I decided to close my eyes tightly, cover my ears, and run, to trust myself. Of course, there was nothing I could do about the voices filtering through my ears, but I still felt it was better to sacrifice myself than wait two days to get there, so I set off.
I closed my eyes, covered my ears, and took each step, step by step. I kept running, praying I wouldn't hit a tree. I kept running, and of course I banged my head on it. But I was glad I didn't hit a horse. With that thought in mind, I kept getting up. I wonder how long I'd been running. I was out of breath, my legs were starting to ache, when someone spoke to me.
"Uh, are you okay?"
I unconsciously opened my eyes, wondering if I was outside. In front of me was a man carrying a fairly large bag and what looked like a stall.
"...who are you"
"Oh, I'm a person who sells things here and there, a general store."
Come to think of it, there was a pocket next to the stand. He was holding a piece of paper in his hand, and the bag was designed to be easily opened from the front.
“Uh…what do you want to buy? There’s food…and medicine…”
I looked at the paper in my hand and recited the items for sale. The selection was wider than I expected, so I bought a few.
"Oh, then... please give me some bread, some ointment, and a firefly vial."
“Uh…then just give me 5 gold!”
Wow, this is much cheaper than the local grocery store? The products they use are similar... Usually, I'd get at least 8 gold for this... Are they secretly trying to make a profit?
"Which way are you going? I can give you a map!"
Just as I was about to leave after buying everything, he called me over again. I told him I was heading to the Army Night Forest. He rummaged through his bag for a moment and then pulled out a piece of paper. It contained a simple map, helpfully indicating the location of the stables and even the route he was taking.
"Oh, thank you."
At that very moment, something flashed through my mind.
“By any chance… do you have anything like a sedative?”
The man paused for a moment, then looked at the paper again. He took a vial of potion from a large pocket in his large bag and handed it to me.
"It's 10 gold."
I hesitated for a moment at the sharply increased price, but then obediently paid the 10 gold. Since this forest wasn't over yet, I could have collapsed and frozen to death at any moment.
"My name is Jeon Jungkook. See you later."
His speech and actions felt strangely stiffer than before, but the time was running out, so he didn't have time to think about it. He offered a brief thank you and was handed a piece of paper. Jungkook insisted that she read it after he left, and quickly left.
‘What on earth is written here… that makes you so anxious?’
After confirming that Jungkook had left, I carefully unfolded the paper to examine it. It was so folded that at first, I couldn't understand why he was giving me a single bean. I unfolded the crumpled paper and carefully scanned the words. The words were simple, but they filled me with a sense of tension.
Beware of the Vicious Horse Monster
The reason it was so crumpled was probably because Jeongguk didn't think much of it. He must have intuitively assumed someone with some sort of trauma related to horses had been running blindly, ears plugged, and eyes closed in the middle of a forest of horses, since he'd bought a tranquilizer.
Thanks to that, I was able to navigate the forest smoothly, while also minimizing the risk of unexpected attacks. I expressed my gratitude from afar, steeled my resolve, took a sedative, and continued on my way. The scenery of the Forest of Words, as I gazed at it with both eyes wide open, wasn't bad.
The sunlight and clear sky, once thought to be obscured by the dense forest, now fell upon the grass growing on the ground. The scenery was so beautiful I paused to admire it, but too much time had already passed. Leaving my regrets behind, I quickly ran toward the Amibam Forest.
Fortunately, I didn't encounter the ferocious horse monster. The Horse Forest was a vast forest, and perhaps because of their inherent rule that even monsters are not to be disturbed by warriors, I didn't see a single trace of the horse monster. After leaving the Horse Forest, a path stretched out on a fairly high mountain.
This road is frequented by travelers, and today, there were quite a few of them. I felt quite good. As I walked along the road, looking around, I felt an unexpected sense of romance sweeping me. As I trudged down the steep slope, a wide meadow greeted me. Beyond the endless meadow, a forest loomed faintly. That was the Amibam Forest, where I was to visit today.