“What do we do with Elisia as the main attacker?” Tevanny asked.

“We will block its movement by throwing water. I will attack it from all directions so it doesn't see Elisia. When I give the signal with a swipe of my two swords, Elisia will use her abilities to attack Forgotten.” Risk explained.

“Is there a pond or lake around here?” Dao asked.

“There is one not too far from the nest. We can take water from there,” Elisia replied. ”But what are we going to use for it?”

“Dao asked Upgrade to install a water reservoir on Dao's belly. Dao will shoot water from the hose under Dao's hand,” Dao explained.

Tevanny looked up at the darkening sky. “Looks like we have to hurry. Forgotten will be out in a moment.”

“Wait!” Risk stopped all movement. “How can Forgotten not find this house when it's close to the nest?”

“I use the fir wood in this forest. The creature hates this type of wood, so I'm safe in it,” Tevanny replied.

“We have little time. We are quite far from the nest.” Elisia took out her spear from the pendulum.

Risk moved from the trunk. “Let's move!”

Everyone prepared the equipment needed for the attack. Tevanny bring herbal medicines as a healer. Dao prepared a special stomach to hold water. After all the preparations were complete, the journey begun.

They crossed the night in the forest with palpitations. Creatures stared from behind the dark. Elisia got goosebumps for no apparent reason. Looked like the plan this time would depend a lot on it. In her heart, there was a sense of fear that rose, making her remember something.

...

All dark rooms. No movement seen. It was so quiet that it gave her goosebumps. She called out to someone, but no reply could save her from the dark creatures that could have pounced on her. Tears came out of her eyes, unstoppable.

A glimmer of light appeared before her. Its rays illuminated the path, repel evil creatures. She grabbed the light and ended up in a warm embrace. They moved away from the sinister passage, hoping to find the light again. Unexpectedly, the door opened and light filled the room. All was well, no one sacrifices for it.

However, the hug disappeared as the light grew more and more. No one knew or understood, but she believed. Light didn’t take away what it had, but send what it had to a better place.

...

Risk's voice interrupted Elisia's shivering thoughts. Suddenly, she shook her head to forget the memory that blurry where it came from.

“Elisia, before I give the signal, don't come out first. Be in good shape if you want to use your abilities,” Risk command.

“Understand.”

Elisia held her pendulum again. The heat returned. This time, it felt different. This hot air brought peace and tranquility to Elisia. The girl felt confident in her abilities. If possible, Elisia would use the combination of attacks written on [Hex Aegis].

Elisia recalled how she overthrew Forgotten. Looked like she hit the neck, just below the jaw. She didn't really remember, but it explained the monster's true weakness. If she remembered again, the explanation contained the thorns growing on its body. The girl had seen the decoration light up when she ate Kryptadium rocks.

“Risk, I have something to tell you about Forgotten!”

“Just say it! I'm listening.”

“We have to cut all the thorns on its body. That’s its true weakness!” Elisia said firmly.

Risk stopped and turned around. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah, it's written on Monstra. I also saw it light up when eating Kryptadium. I think that's the source of its strength,” Elisia explained.

Tevanny was a little surprised. “Oh, she’s right! I remember it too.”

“That means we don't need water?” Dao ensured.

“We still need water to distract that monster. Risk will cut all Forgotten's thorns to nothing. After that, I will slash its head,” Elisia said.

Everyone fell silent, and their heads nodded. Elisia felt they understood what she meant, even though she didn't really understand what she read in Monstra either. There was a lot of hidden information in the book.

“Elisia's words could be a new plan. We can implement it,” Risk said.

A huge growl suddenly sounded from their position. The movement started and Risk started the plan from now on. Elisia ran after Risk, while Dao turned to the right. They could feel the vibrations of the ground on their feet when they were on the ground. The creature had moved!

“Tevanny…, what does Forgotten usually do… when it comes out of its lair?!” Elisia asked as she ran.

“Forgotten...?! It stared at the moon for ten minutes… After that it started moving…”

“We have enough time. Let’s move!” Risk sped up his run, leaving Elisia and Tevanny behind.

As planned, Elisia would take Tevanny to hide among the bushes. She would wait until Risk gave the signal. The girl tightened her grip on the spear so the heat could flow into her weapon. If she looked at the description of the [Molten Flame] skill, her attack could ignore (DEF) of Forgotten, so she could slash its neck.

The sound of swords clung. Risk seemed to had started the attack. Elisia looked for thicker bushes, then grabbed Tevanny's hand to hide. From behind the bushes, they could see Risk's quick moves to distract Forgotten. A message appeared in front of her.

“Warning! Warning! Warning!”

“Minor Boss Detected: Forgotten level ???”

.

“Objective:”

“Defeat !”

.

The monster's growl grew louder. It clenched its fists and slammed it to the ground. The waves released from it swept all the leaves from the tree. Elisia and Tevanny had to hold on to the bush's trunk so the waves wouldn't blow them away.

Risk continued the attack behind the monster. He saw some shining thorns near its tail. Without thinking, Risk cut it off. The monster weakened, and both hands didn’t support its body. The monster's growl grew weaker.

Elisia tried to check the status of the monster using [Sixth Sense], but there was nothing to see other than the level of the monster. However, there was an exclamation mark next to the level number. There seemed to be something wrong.

[Forgotten] level 40(!)

Dao came right after Risk finished taking care of Forgotten. His body looked wet with water coming out of his stomach. Risk raised his right eyebrow.

“Problem with the water reservoir?” Risk asked, who immediately knew the problem.

“Dao is overly imposing the system. It's fortunate that the main Dao system not damaged,” Dao replied.

“Risk, be careful! I sense something odd about that monster!” Elisia cried, warning her two friends.

Risk turned around. “Huh, what's wrong?”

The creature moved again. A crimson aura seemed to envelop it, as if it was giving off an even greater power. The two large thorns that were on both of its shoulders glowed with a red color. They heard the growl throughout the forest until all the sleeping birds flew away.

Risk and Dao stepped back slowly. Risk saw a very strong aura from the monster. Elisia came out of hiding to go help her friends, leaving Tevanny alone who had forbidden Elisia to go.

Risk turned to Elisia, who was approaching her. However, he looked displeased.

“What are you doing here?! Run!” Risk exclaimed.

“The only last resort is to cut off those two big thorns! The energy is gathering on that thorn!” Elisia pointed at the two large thorns growing on Forgotten's shoulders.

“Elisia, I will take you far from here!” Dao embraced Elisia immediately.

Too late for them. The creature hit the ground with a bang. The resulting thrust wave was so large that it could uproot all nearby trees. It threw Elisia and her friends along with the ground and trees. The creature roared loudly after that.

Elisia threw between the flying grounds. Rocks and wood hit her body. The wave carried her quite far from the monster and knocked her unconscious. The state of the forest turned into a deadly battle arena. Forgotten continued to roar.

Risk and Dao got up from the heap of earth. They turned their heads in all directions, things became very chaotic. The first thing that crossed Risk's mind was Elisia. Suddenly, he immediately looked for his disciple with Dao. They found her, and her body was visibly dirty with dirt and wounds all over her body.

They felt the ground shaking from behind them. They turned. Forgotten walked. Risk grinned, not knowing what to do.

“Dao, distract that monster! I'm going to find Tevanny,” Risk ordered.

Dao drew his sword and moved swiftly towards the monster. The robotic man continued to move around Forgotten's body, giving Risk plenty of time to searched for Tevanny among the piles of dirt.

Elisia felt that her body couldn’t move. Neither could her eyes opened. The girl seemed to be in between sleep and wakefulness. She could hear the voices of Risk and Dao struggling to beat Forgotten. Elisia could only cry in her heart. But, she felt the heat energy from her pendulum. Her entire body felt the power coursing through her. Elisia felt that there was a big upheaval that was about to occur. Instantly Elisia's body could move. Both eyes could open.

She felt a great energy flowing through her. Elisia had never felt this much power. Her body also emitted a bright, fiery yellow glow. Forgotten caught Elisia's presence with all its five senses, then walked over to her. Elisia gripped her spear tightly. She mounted a stance with a spear pointed forward.

Forgotten approached Elisia. The girl estimated the closest distance to launch an attack. Just a few feet away, Elisia ran into Forgotten. The creature launched small spikes from its stone skin towards Elisia. The girl dodged all attacks. Thorns shot out quickly, made Elisia had to hold back some thorns with her spear.

Elisia started climbing up Forgotten's legs and jumped onto its shoulders. She swung the spear from the left; it cut the thorn in the left shoulder off. The energy beam broke out and made Forgotten lose balance in its body. The creature didn't give up. It woke up again by gathering energy from another huge thorn. However, Elisia had to cut it again until Forgotten fell. It had wiped the red aura that enveloped it out.

Elisia landed before the weakened Forgotten. The creature could no longer stand up. The girl activated the [Molten Flame] skill, which burned the blade of her spear. Forgotten growled at Elisia to push her away, but the girl's body remained firm. Elisia swung the spear from the right. The resulting slash of fire hit Forgotten's neck, nearly decapitating it.

Red blood gushed from the slashing wound. The liquid wet the ground. Forgotten stopped breathing and its body clung to the ground. There wasn't any movement from it, even its body turned gray, where it had been blue before.

Elisia looked at the giant's corpse to confirm that her opponent was dead. Everyone, including Tevanny, saw Elisia's glowing body. After two minutes of motionlessness, Elisia returned to normal and her spear melted. Her slender body fell to the ground.

Before closing her eyes, Elisia got a notification from her stats.

“Congratulation, You have defeated [Forgotten]!”

“Battle result:”

“EXP = 1 × 500 = 500”

“Total EXP = 500 points”

.

“New Achievement unlocked: Abandoned Infected”

“Reward : [Monstra book], Player Exp + 300, Skill Exp + 250”

.

...

The next morning, right in the middle of a rather cloudy weather, Elisia opened her eyes slowly. The light was blinding her eyes. She glanced to the right. The window seemed to glow from the outside. She got up from the bed made of wood while holding her head.

“What happened?” She said.

Elisia felt the leaf blade covering her wound. She took off the one on her right mid-foot. The wound had healed. She sat on the edge of the bed, remembering last night's events. She had defeated Forgotten. It would establish the peace in the village of Grasswood from this moment on. Elisia felt happy to be a hero for everyone.

She checked the stats to see her progress after last night's fierce battle.

Elisia Naumann

Level 5 (850/1000 exp)–Vanguard

Max HP : 714/714

Stamina : 560/560

Skill Point (SP) : 118/118

ATK : 370

DEF : 186

RES : 10,2%

Agility : 45

.

Skills

1. Molten Flame (level 2 (300/500 exp))

SP Requires : 44

ATK +40% and every attack gains 40% chance to ignore 20% Enemy Def

Duration : 27 second

2. [Unknown]

3. [Unknown]

4. [Unknown]

5. Sixth Sense (level 1 (250/400 exp))

Can see the level of other characters, including their enemies

Duration : Passive

6. [Unknown]

.

Equipment

1. Wool Jacket (Not Equipped)

2. Dublin Spear (Saved)

3. Flame Pendulum (Equipped)

4. Book of Hex Aegis (Available)

5. Monstra, Book of Monsters (Not Available)

.

The door opened, and Tevanny entered. Seeing Elisia had woken up made Tevanny run over and hug her friend. Tears seemed to come out. Elisia wiped the tears away. Tevanny looked at Elisia's face.

“You're great! All the villagers should know this!” Tevanny said happily.

Elisia smiled. “You're great too.”

“No, you are great! You are a hero to my village.” Tevanny denied Elisia's praise.

Elisia smiled and hugged Tevanny again. Risk and Dao entered the house and found a sight that pleased them.

“Elisia, Dao is grateful that Elisia is fine.”

“Once again, you proved to me you are really great. I shouldn't underestimate you,” Risk said.

“You are also great at your abilities. I can't do it myself without your help,” Elisia said, who denied her friends' words.

Tevanny and Risk looked at each other. They looked at Elisia together, making Elisia confused. Elisia turned to Dao. He didn't know either. The blonde-haired girl looked at the two of them with a curious face.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Elisia asked.

Tevanny touched Elisia's left cheek and smiled. “We are just happy. Tomorrow, we will return to the village.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, after Dao finished collecting Kryptadine samples from Forgotten’s lair as a reward for Upgrade,” Risk said. “I also want to fulfill the promise I made to Rhino.”

“Oh, Rhino! I miss him too. Is he okay?”

“He's the one who worries you at most. I have to bring you home safe,” Risk replied.

“Yeah, Dao also feels sorry for Rhino because he almost doesn't want to–”

Risk shuts Dao's mouth. “I thought you understood what I said before this trip.”

Risk removed his hand from Dao's mouth. “Dao means Rhino is anxious about you. We will go home and bring this surprise to Rhino.”

Elisia nodded. “I understand.”

Everyone started leaving Elisia to do other activities, except for Risk. Elisia looked at the man who was holding something. It was like a piece of wood, but black. The girl could see the name of the object, but didn’t know its function.

[Piece of Resistance, level 10]

Elisia took Hex Aegis to find the function of the thing. However, there was no information about the object or other sacred objects. The book only described the relationship between sacred objects and their users. Elisia read it a bit and found that each item had its own effect on the user. Elisia held her pendulum and thought it had not only abilities, but Elisia's memory, maybe.

Elisia turned to Risk. “What are you doing?”

Risk surprised and put it in his shirt pocket. "Nothing. Just thinking.”

“Thinking of what?”

Risk leaves Elisia. “It’s nothing.”

Elisia suspected what Risk was hiding from her. It seemed like he was hiding something. The girl calmed her mind and kept herself from thinking about it.

Suddenly, Risk reappeared from the door. “If you're in good condition, you can train with me.” The man left again.

Elisia smiled happily and immediately got out of bed. She stretched her stiff muscles and walked to the door. In outside, the forest was more crowded with birds chirping. The forest dwellers had welcomed the news of Forgotten's death. Descending from the house, Gray ran over to Elisia and immediately pounced on her. It licked its master's face.

“Stop it, Gray! I'm fine!” Elisia tried to keep her dog away from the face.

Gray moved away from Elisia. The girl straightened her hair and clothes after lying on the ground. Then she stroked Gray's head.

“You must miss playing together like yesterday,” Elisia said.

An idea crossed Elisia's mind about Gray. She looked for Risk, who said he was training. She followed a small path that led her to a wide expanse of meadow. That was where Elisia found the person she was looking for, dancing while swinging a sword.

“Risk!” Elisia called while running.

Risk stopped moving and turned around. After Elisia approached, Risk turned around.

“You are in good condition. Want to train together?” Risk offered.

“There's something I want to ask you,” Elisia replied.

“Huh what?” Risk looked at Gray, who was sitting in front of him.

Elisia sat down and stroked Gray's neck. “Can we train a dog like Gray to be a guard dog?”

Risk knelt down and watched the dog. “If I remember, your dog is Norwegian Elkhound. We can train it to be a guard dog, or even an attack dog–”

“Really? Does that mean it’s a strong dog?” Elisia cut.

“True, but I'm not an animal trainer. You need a special person to train this breed of dog,” Risk continued. “Besides, I have never seen this type of dog in the forests of Nusantara. I mostly found this dog in Kazimriez and Columby.”

Suddenly, Elisia felt something as Risk said Kazimriez. A memory flashed through her head, but it seemed vague. Elisia was silent as stared blankly at the grass below. She felt that the name very attached to her, but didn’t know what it had to do with it.

Risk looked at Elisia, who looked lost. He patted Elisia's shoulder until the girl surprised. Elisia looked straight into Risk's face.

“Is there something wrong?” Risk asked.

“Hah, there’s nothing,” Elisia replied curtly.

Elisia still couldn't explain what she was feeling right now. There were a few things that had been bothering her lately, let alone a memory flashing through again. The girl threw away all strange thoughts and focused on training with Risk.