The Invincible Full-Moon System

Rex is sitting on one of the black maple tree's trunks while waiting for the others.

With his current speed, traveling the underground passage only takes no more than half an hour but when he reaches the end of the passageway it's blocked by rocks and also subtle energy. He already scans the energies and finds that it's a spell that is linked to an Awakened that blocks the passageway, and if he forces through it then the Awakened will know.

Because of that, he needs to go through the normal route that will take them a bit of time.

After waiting for a moment, Rex saw the others approaching.

Leaping through the murky water and landing on the ground, Rex slowly approaches the others before pointing in a direction, "We need to take a detour, it's blocked"

Rex takes out a map from the inventory before he added, "It'll delay us for a day"

"But if we move fast enough we can go through the Everpurple Conifer Forest, it's another shortcut that if we manage to go through there then we're only delayed by half a day. We really need to pick up the pace, we need to go through Everpurple Conifer Forest before the Mutated Bug Wave occurred"

While explaining his plans, Rex glance back at the others, "The Mutated Bug Wave is not going to kill us but there are many of them, it'll delay us longer if we rea-"

Rex stopped mid-sentence when the others are looking at him blankly.

This makes him tilt his head in confusion seeing each one of them is looking at him weirdly, even Delta is also looking at him with weird eyes, "What's wrong?"

"Did something happen?", Rex asks again while facing them.

But Adhara is the one that quickly recovers, she then shakes her head and replies hurriedly, "Nothing...where are we going again? Everpurple Conifer Forest right?"

"Yeah...", Rex mutters still in confusion.

About a couple of hours later, Rex and the others went through a grassland but the grass is not lush green but instead dark purple and seemed poisonous.

They took this route since there will be no hindrance to their path, the grassland gives off a fragrant scent despite its looks but this further shows that these grasses are poisonous. Going through here will make their journey unhindered by the abstract terrain of the normal route toward the Great Barricade so they decided to take a detour here.

With an item from the system, Delta can travel through this poisonous grassland easily.

Delta becomes faster than before thanks to absorbing the corpses, her body eludes white lighting that even covers the others as she dashes in a straight line through the grassland. It didn't take long for them to stop at the end of the grassland.

In front of them lies hundreds of thorny lush trees that are reaching high to the sky.

Each one of the trees in front of them is like a skyscraper that makes them look very tiny in comparison, the width of the tree is at least house-size and looks very strong and sturdy.

"This should be Everpurple Conifer Forest", Rex mutters from the side.

Just like the names of the forest, not only do the trees in front of them has purple leaves but they also have thorns. The tree trunks, branches, and even some of the leaves are filled with thorns, and the ones that are not covered in thorns are crawling with mutated bugs.

From what the forest looks like, it's clear that no one ever went through this forest. This forest screams death to whoever decides to embark inside of it.

Only the most stupid of people will go through this forest that looks extremely deadly and filled with mutated bugs, but since Rex and the others are racing against time and also Werewolves they will be fine going through this forest.

Evelyn on top of Delta then looks at the forest in front of her with a frown, "Is there no other way around? This doesn't look safe"

"Why is my feeling telling me that going there is a bad idea?", Kyran also added from the side, he looks up to the tall trees and even finds some huge bugs the size of himself crawling on them. The mutated bugs make Adhara and Evelyn shiver in disgust.

Rex smile wryly as he also didn't expect this forest to be this bad, "Let's just go through here, if we go back we'll be delayed by 2 days", he said before Delta dashed inside the forest.

Just even after a couple of minutes of going through the purple forest, Rex and the others have already encountered many problems. Everything inside the forest is trying to kill them. Literally everything inside of the forest.

Mutated bugs, trees, the air, the dirt, and even droplets of water are trying to kill them.

But such a harsh environment is where Gistella's protection power comes to play, she covers Delta's entire body with her energy and also creates a barrier above them so the toxic droplets of water will not hit them.

Aside from that, Rex also gave them a couple of elixirs for the toxic air they were inhaling. It will at least last until they got out of this forest.

Rex starts to praise himself for turning Gistella back then instead of killing her.

Her protection ability is not only useful in combat but it also can be useful in places like this, 'I really did make the right choice', Rex thought while looking at Gistella.

PSHHH...!

"Delta, jump!", Kyran exclaimed when he sensed something shot at them.

Upon hearing Kyran's warning, Delta jumped and dodge a purple liquid that came out of nowhere. She's already alert ever since stepping into this forest, so she manages to dodge that.

While Delta is leaping away, Kyran jumps out of the barrier with his body cloaked with darkness.

The black spear in his hand got imbued with terrifying spirit energy and dark mana, he then throws the spear with all his might aiming at a mutated plant on the side.

Stab!

It happened swiftly and the mutated plant got stabbed right in its mouth.

Rex looks back and saw a big plant that got impaled by Kyran's spear, he scans it and finds it to be a sixth-rank mutated plant that has its entire body shaped like an earthworm's mouth with razor spiral teeth. It's the one that spits the purple liquid to attack them sneakily.

Since the entire place is filled with smokey purple mist that clouded the entire forest, this mutated plant that also has the same purple color can camouflage in this kind of terrain that even Rex can't sense fully.

Only Kyran can sense this mutated plant and warn Delta to dodge the attack.

The purple liquid that the mutated plant shot hits a tree beside them before letting out steam and blending with the air, everything inside this forest is extremely dangerous.

After killing the mutated plant, Evelyn praised, "You have really good senses"

"Kyran here is our eyes and ears, his senses are extremely sensitive even beating mine", Rex said before he glance at Kyran that got back on Delta, "Put your senses to the max, we'll need it", he instructed.

Seeing Kyran nod his head, Rex then looks back at Evelyn and Adhara.

"Can you two light up the path in front, we're almost blind in here. Your fire can provide shadows in the mist if anything tries to attack us", Rex added before Adhara and Evelyn did just that.

Swoosh!

Both of them conjure two basketball size fireballs to their front.

Thanks to the two fireballs that light up their front, the travel through the forest becomes easier as every mutated bug and even mutated plant that moved can be seen through their shadows.

It's relatively become easier to go through the forest.

But after about thirty minutes, the mutated bugs that attacked them are starting to get more frequent and they're coming by the two instead of one at a time like before. It has been going on for two minutes now.

Slash!

Rex fires a lightning strike into a flying mutated beetle killing it instantly.

Dozens of black lightning tentacles came out of the ground and grab every mutated bug that are trying to get close to them, and with a pulse of lightning, all of the mutated bugs got paralyzed.

Just like Rex, the others are also doing the same as they take down the mutated bugs.

"These bugs are not strong but there are many of them, it's increasing by the minute!", Adhara complained after burning a mutated mantis with a flick of her hand.

Hearing this, Evelyn then asks, "Is the Mutated Bug Wave starting?", just like Adhara, she too is killing the approaching mutated bugs that emerge from beyond the purple mist. Only Gistella is the one focusing on the barrier so none of the mutated bugs will reach them.

Rex also frowns as the swarm of mutated bugs clearly indicates that the wave is starting.

Since he suspects that the passageway is already blocked by the Cessation Knight, he already prepared an alternative route and also consult Duncan about this.

Realizing that Rex wanted to go through the Everpurple Conifer Forest, Duncan told him not to since the place is literally a dead zone and feared even amongst the sixth rank Awakened. Higher rank Awakened tends to avoid it too.

But any other route will take longer, this one is the fastest aside from the passageway.

After Rex pressed further wanting to go through the forest regardless of how many fear to go through it, Duncan finally gives in and tells Rex about the Everpurple Conifer Forest that will host a Mutated Bug Wave nearing midnight.

Looking at his phone, Rex finds that it's already eleven at night.

"Delta, move faster! The Bug Wave is starting", Rex commanded while pointing forward, Delta complained with a rough growl but she increases her speed anyway.

Rex and the others travel through the forest picking up their pace.

From the map that is in Rex's hand, they should be near the end of the Everpurple Conifer Forest but out of nowhere, a notification from the system took his attention away from the map.

<Debilitate Purple Water has been detected near the user's location!>

Upon reading the notification from the system, Rex frowns, 'What is that for, System?'

<The Debilitate Purple Water is one of the components to make Argent Debilitate Liquor, one of the requirements to finish the Blood Moon Quest - Commitment>

<Does the user wants to be led to the Debilitate Purple Water?>

'Show me where', Rex thought after deliberating for a moment.

Just after he thought of that, a hologram red arrow appears in his vision pointing to the northwest and fixating on a direction as Delta moves through the forest with her giant leaps.

Seeing this, Rex then said, "Delta, go there first!"

Hearing this, Delta looks in the direction Rex points at before she dashes there, 'If it's easy to get then I will get it, if not then I'll just save Rosie first before coming back here', he thought before Delta take a sharp left.

The others saw the sudden change in confusion, "Shouldn't we go straight?", Evelyn asks.

"You said that we need to get out of here before the Mutated Bug Wave, why are we going that way?", Adhara added seeing that a dozen of mutated bugs are on their backs and increasing.

Without turning back, Rex then said, "I'm checking something, it's not going to take long"

Although they still questioned Rex's decision, they didn't voice it out. After going northwest for about three minutes, the hologram arrow disappeared slowly before a notification replaced it.

<The user has arrived!>

Rex looks around the place after the system's notification, he looks around but only sees purple mist and trees the same as before, but as Delta walks around the place he suddenly saw a tree that looks different than the other trees.

This one is not as tall as the other, it's the size of a normal tree which makes it looks like a dwarf tree contrasting the other trees that are like skyscrapers.

"Get closer to that tree", Rex said before Delta approaches the tree with light steps.

It's not that Delta can't just dash there since they're in a hurry, but the ground around the tree is not dirt but it's something else. The ground still looks like dirt but it feels slimy and watery, this made Delta becomes cautious since everything inside this forest is probably poisonous.

While approaching the tree, the others are also looking at the dwarf tree.

But seeing that the mutated bugs are going to swarm them if someone didn't try to save them off, the others jumped down from Delta's back intending to face the swarm of mutated bugs.

Each of them is cloaking their bodies with their respective elemental aura while looking at the buzzing flying and crawling mutated bugs that are nearing them, they seem to be attracted to Rex and the others.

Preparing herself, Adhara holds both of her Duality Daggers and shouted, "Don't be long Rex!"

"It's going to become way worst if we stayed any longer", she added.

Not long after Adhara shouted that the first mutated bugs collide with Gistella's barrier, Adhara and Evelyn started to attack them with their fire spells. With Gistella's ability, they can attack the mutated bugs while inside the barrier. Their attacks can go out but the mutated bugs can't go in.

Gistella holds onto the barrier before Kyran gets into his battle stance, "I'll be going out, I can't help you guys from the inside", he said before he went outside of the barrier and started brawling with the mutated bugs.

"Be careful!", Adhara shouted from the side.

With that, the four of them engaged in a fight against the swarm of mutated bugs while waiting for Rex to finish whatever he was doing.

Meanwhile, Rex approaches the tree with a cautious gaze.

Even if the tree looks harmful even after seeing it up close, the experience he got from traveling through this forest puts him in a state of suspicion even if he saw a normal rock in this forest. The forest is just that deadly, everything in here is able to kill.

Rex scans the tree before he finds that it's the same as other trees here, only way shorter.

Upon nearing the award tree, Rex gets off Delta's back. His eyes then landed on a puddle in front of the dwarf tree inside some kind of natural container.

After scanning the water, it turns out the water is the Debilitate Purple Water.

From a glance the Debilitate Purple Water doesn't look anything special, he then reads the description from the system.

<Debilitate Purple Water>

Water that is created from the death of a seventh-rank mutated tree and constantly exposed to toxic air, the water turns purple from the constant exposure to toxic air. The water contains toxins that can weaken anything that drinks it gradually over a span of time. One of the key components to make a Debilitate Argent Liquor.

Rex's eyebrows creased in confusion upon reading the description, ''Why is the Blood Moon Quest asking me to search for something like this, I don't get it', he thought before he slowly approaches the water.

Just as he was about to put his hand in the water to store it in the inventory,

Swish!

A vine that came from the dwarf tree suddenly attacks Rex, he retracts back his hand instinctively when he saw the vine coming. It was very fast and it tries to snatch Rex's hand but failed.

"What the hell was that?", Rex mutters in surprise.

After failing to strike Rex's hand, the weird vine went inside the small tree again.

This makes Rex steps back a couple of steps before he crouches down, he looks at the bottom of the small tree and finds a small hole there just by the base of its trunk.

It looks like an ordinary hole but since he just got attacked, it certainly contains that thing.

Rex tries to peek into the small hole but still keeps a safe distance from the hole in case the vine attacks again, he then saw a glimpse of the vine inside the hole before his eyes glisten.

<Virulent the Curator of the Purple Forest - Enhanced>

Race: Etheote

Power: Seventh Rank (Middle) - Deadly Toxicity

Mental: 3001

Strength: 5933

Agility: 2412

Endurance: 2500

Intelligence: 4154

Upon seeing the vine's stats that turn out to be somekind of a creature, Rex steps back in surprise as he didn't expect that whatever the thing that attacked him had mid-seventh rank power!

'It must be sleeping, but its body sensed me somehow', Rex thought while stepping back.

Although the Debilitate Purple Water is very near just within his reach, knowing that there's a powerful creature guarding it makes Rex wipe the thought of taking it now.

Even if he can beat it, he will need time to take it down.

'I don't have time now, I'll get it later', Rex thought before slowly stepping back.

Delta who is not far from him also kept still the moment that vine suddenly appeared, and after mounting Delta, they immediately went to the others who are still fighting the mutated bugs.

Right now, the mutated bugs are at least in the hundreds.

They all are swarming the place like ants, but thanks to two Fire Elementalist which are Evelyn and Adhara, they manage to stave them off rather well as fire is very effective in this kind of situation.

Of course, all of that will change if they met with that mutated plant inside the small tree.

"Let's go!", Rex shouted attracting the others.

After seeing that Rex is already mounting on Delta signaling to them to leave, the three of them stave off a bit more of the mutated bugs before they all leaped onto Delta.

With all of them on board, Delta rushes again to exit this damned purple forest.