Magic Farm 86

Chapter 86: The Forest of Giant Trees

Dan Xingyu gently ground his teeth, letting out a humph. “Fine, go ahead and eat.”

Qi Yu was completely oblivious to his friend’s minor mood, happily devouring his meal.

After the two of them finished breakfast, Qi Yu finally said, “Well, I’m heading out now. Dan Xingyu, goodbye.”

“No, that’s not right.” He corrected himself meticulously, “It should be, let’s talk next time.”

Dan Xingyu was caught off guard by his cuteness once again. “Mm, mm, let’s talk next time!”

With a storage backpack, going out was truly as convenient as could be.

Qi Yu decided to head north.

Last time, when he’d gone that way, he’d seen a giant tree so vast it blotted out the sky, and on its branches, he’d spotted swarms of swallows hanging everywhere.

He hoped he’d encounter them again this time.

Qi Yu replenished the energy tower to full, cast the daily blessing magic on his people, and prepared to set out.

Just before leaving, he made a point of checking on the state of the demon vine.

The little fellow had probably eaten its fill last night and, for once, wasn’t loudly shouting that it was hungry. Still, the emotion it sent over left Qi Yu a little speechless:

“Swallow… swallow… tasty!”

All right then, if it tastes good, eat as much as you like. Anyway, for the time being, you should be able to eat your fill.

Since today’s focus wasn’t on gathering resources but on searching for swallows, Qi Yu cast a wind spell on himself and sped north at an incredible pace.

The heavy rain would hinder a person’s vision, but it could not obstruct the probing reach of spiritual power.

Soon enough, Qi Yu discovered a small flock of swallows.

He wasted no time—mana surged, and dozens of water arrows shot forth in an instant, finishing the job in a single move.

[Killed Level 1 Mutant Swallow x45, obtained Swallow Meat x20, Swallow Feathers x20, Level 1 Beast Crystal x5.]

While collecting the spoils, he continued on his way.

Rain pelted the leaves, making the entire forest more lively than ever before. Yet, at the same time, it was unprecedentedly silent. As he walked, apart from the swallows, Qi Yu could barely sense any other creatures.

He didn’t know whether it was because the swallows had “cleaned things up,” or if everything else was hiding away for the rainy season.

It wasn’t long before Qi Yu saw the familiar giant tree.

Even seeing it a second time, he was still awed by this ancient, colossal lifeform.

Awe, and also delight.

He suspected that the swallows had probably made this tree into some sort of “nest.”

Just like last time, the tree was once again densely covered with white swallows.

But this time, seeing such a scene, Qi Yu no longer found anything strange about it.

Look at them—those snowy white, fluffy little swallows were simply adorable.

Since this time he was here to rack up points, he didn’t bother hiding as he had before, but openly exposed himself to the gaze of the mutant creatures.

The first swallow spotted him.

Soon, sharp cries rang out.

Flap, flap, flap.

The sound of countless swallows beating their wings, for a moment, even drowned out the rain.

As he watched them leave the giant tree, Qi Yu’s eyes shone brilliantly. “Perfect.”

Water arrows hid within the curtain of rain, so fast they were nearly invisible:

[Killed Level 1 Mutant Swallow x300, obtained Swallow Meat x139…]

[Killed Level 2 Mutant Swallow x42, obtained Swallow Meat…]

…

On the points leaderboard, everyone who happened to be watching noticed that the points for “I Love Survival Games” were soaring upward by the second.

【CockroachTasteIsWeird: What’s going on now? Has the game boss teamed up with someone too?】

【TheMoreYouGrindTheWorseItGets: At this rate, the boss couldn’t have just wiped out a swallow nest, could he?】

【StrayDogOnTheRoad: Unlikely. The boss’s points have always increased at a steady rate, which means the number of swallows attacking his shelter is stable. Could it be that a swallow leader brought a huge flock to attack his shelter?】

【GrumpyOldBro: Huh? Wasn’t it said that life class players don’t have much burst potential? Why does the boss seem different from what some people claimed?】

【DuskSong: You’re all thinking too simply. A leaderboard boss like this has more good stuff than you can imagine. Don’t think he’s suffering like ordinary players, guarding his shelter all day. As the number one on the shelter leaderboard, his shelter most likely has enough defensive capability and doesn’t need constant guarding.】

【DuskSong: With this kind of massive point increase, the boss has probably left the shelter to hunt swallows.】

【CockroachTasteIsWeird: Damn, it’s the shelter leaderboard boss! I’ll buy that, since your rank is so high.】

【LiverKing: Such an unfamiliar ID, another reclusive boss has been drawn out.】

【DuskSong: @LiverKing, why don’t you check your own ranking?】

【LiverKing: I’m just a little noob, my ranking’s all thanks to grinding.】

Watching Qi Yu’s points skyrocket, “MyFateIsMineNotHeaven’s” felt a surge of anger. “What’s he up to now?”

The siblings “ReachForTheMoonInSeptember” had basically given up on one person’s points to focus on boosting the other’s score. He could understand how they’d managed to surpass him.

Besides, the points leaderboard didn’t offer any extra rewards; what truly mattered were the points themselves. To put it bluntly, the ranking wasn’t all that significant.

And everyone knew that “ReachForTheMoonInSeptember” was currently being played by two top players together. Even if they surpassed him, no one would think it was because he—“MyFateIsMineNotHeaven’s”—was incompetent.

But then, what was going on with “I Love Survival Games”?

Everything was fine last night, but today, his points had suddenly shot up like crazy.

He had a talent skill that doubled his points. As for that farm owner, what was he relying on?

“MyFateIsMineNotHeaven’s” immediately sent a message in the small group chat of the Hall of the Gods.

【MyFateIsMineNotHeaven’s: I’ve got a locator teleport scroll in hand. @ImVeryDominant, @TinyOldMe, you two, hurry up and decide who’s coming to my shelter.】

【ImVeryDominant: Boss, my ranking is still pretty high. Wouldn’t it be a waste for two of us to be at the same shelter?】

【MyFateIsMineNotHeaven’s: What nonsense? Two people are easier to coordinate. Once the points are high enough, do you think I’d shortchange you?】

【MyFateIsMineNotHeaven’s: @ImVeryDominant, Dominant, are you unwilling?】

TinyOldMe had been pretending to be busy and ignoring the conversation, but as soon as ImVeryDominant replied, he knew things were settled.

【TinyOldMe: I just finished a round of swallows and didn’t see your message, boss. I just acquired some potions that attract mutant creatures. Boss, should I send them to you? If you can’t find anyone else, I’ll head over to your shelter.】

Hearing this, MyFateIsMineNotHeaven’s was even more satisfied, but his dissatisfaction with ImVeryDominant grew.

Ever since “HandsomeBelow” had died unexpectedly, he felt that ImVeryDominant had become increasingly disobedient.

【MyFateIsMineNotHeaven’s: Dominant, I’m sending you the teleport scroll.】

He gave no chance to refuse.

ImVeryDominant gritted his teeth and sneered.

【ImVeryDominant: All right, boss.】

【ImVeryDominant: Boss, do you have any shelter protection items? Lend me one, will you? This points event lasts several days, and if something happens to the shelter after I arrive, it’ll be a problem if I can’t defend it.】

MyFateIsMineNotHeaven’s thought he was just angling for benefits and felt annoyed. Of all the subordinates he’d recruited, only TinyOldMe was really up to standard.

He sent over two items, impatiently:

【Enough. Pack up and get over here!】

.

[Killed Level 1 Mutant Swallow x1900, obtained Swallow Meat x1000, Swallow Feathers x900, Level 1 Beast Crystal x498.]

[Killed Level 2 Mutant Swallow x400, obtained Swallow Meat x181, Swallow Feathers x200, Level 2 Beast Crystal x90.]

…

Qi Yu opened the event leaderboard.

First place: ReachForTheMoonInSeptember, 13,900 points.

Second place: MyFateIsMineNotHeaven’s, 9,730 points.

Third place: I Love Survival Games, 8,460 points.

He’d just earned nearly four thousand points this time, so it seemed that back at the shelter, after he’d left the territory, they’d managed to get nearly a thousand points as well.

Sure enough, when he opened the territory log, it was filled with repeated messages: “Your territory has been invaded,” “Your territory crisis has been resolved,” and so on.

Qi Yu wanted the Level 3 Shelter Blueprint, which required 120,000 points. The event lasted seven days in total, so he’d need to earn at least 17,000 points per day on average.

Not easy.

Now Qi Yu understood why the ReachForTheMoonInSeptember siblings had chosen to cooperate.

Many people in the channel had questioned it, since both of them were top players and their shelters surely had enough defensive capability. There was no reason they’d be stuck in their shelters for the whole event.

If that was the case, there didn’t seem to be any need to give up one person’s points and work together.

Looking at it now, they must have thought that earning 120,000 points in a week would be tough and wanted to combine their efforts to secure at least one Level 3 Shelter Blueprint.

Qi Yu cast a blessing spell on the giant tree as thanks.

Continuing north, he suddenly remembered he had a tool he’d never used.

The Azure Sky Wings that Dan Xingyu had given him could currently be used for an hour of flight each day.

Using them to search for swallow flocks was clearly an excellent choice.

With a thought, Qi Yu equipped the Azure Sky Wings.

In an instant, a pair of enormous, azure wings unfurled from his back. The wings glimmered faintly, and the power of the wind element kept the rain at bay.

Qi Yu glanced back at the magnificent wings, marveling at Dan Xingyu’s impeccable taste.

So beautiful. He loved them.

With survival game items, as soon as you equipped them, you instinctively knew how to use them.

Spreading his wings, Qi Yu soared into the air.

The world shrank rapidly beneath his gaze. The giant tree that had once filled him with awe and a sense of oppression now diminished with his rising altitude, becoming just another unremarkable being among the life of the earth.

So this… was what the sky felt like?

A completely new world unfolded before Qi Yu’s eyes. Looking down, the green Star Forest stretched boundlessly, seeming to spread to the ends of the earth and sky.

He extended his spiritual sense and continued flying north.

This time, it took less than three minutes to find signs of swallows.

[Killed Level 1 Mutant Swallow x187…]

[Killed Level 1 Mutant Swallow x98…]

With the help of the Azure Sky Wings, his efficiency in finding swallow flocks increased dramatically.

In nearly an hour, he found six small swallow flocks—at least ninety-eight Level 1 swallows in the smallest, and over four hundred in the largest.

Points +1500.

With only a few minutes left on the Azure Sky Wings, Qi Yu continued flying north, scanning the land below.

Suddenly, his gaze froze.

Between the gray sky and the endless green waves, he saw another color.

It was the starkest black and white.

He had seen it before.

A black tree stood like a giant between heaven and earth, while the pale swallows used the dead tree as their nesting ground.

The difference was, last time he’d seen only one tree. Here, there was an entire forest of black trees, and swarms of swallows beyond counting.

Qi Yu put away the Azure Sky Wings and slowly landed.

A living person had wandered into the monsters’ domain. Countless cold, glinting eyes opened, fixing on him with icy intensity.