Chaos Carrier With A Broken Talent

It seemed that before Menir and Ethan, someone else should have found the Essence of Rotten Forest. In a way, this was true, as it was not the first or last Essence born in the Rotten Forest. The Essences constantly appeared as long as there was enough energy in the area. 

When an Essence emerged in an easily accessible place, someone quickly found it. It didn't take much time. However, when an Essence was born in dangerous and remote areas, no one was in a hurry to become an explorer.

The Poisonous Field was not the only forbidden zone in the Rotten Forest, so if a Carrier wanted to find out where the Essence was born this time, he had to go into these zones blindly and hope for luck.

For this reason, Ethan and Menir did not rush and took a month to prepare, or rather, until they had enough money to buy the Green Mist Stones. 

They set out on a scouting mission the day after they used Revolve and discovered that the Blind Voyager was pointing to the depths of the Poisonous Field. Then, their plan became clear.

"Do you think anyone is waiting for us there?" Ethan asked as a poisonous mist loomed a few steps ahead.

Menir nodded. "There are monsters that are immune to this poison, however, I doubt we'll encounter other Carriers. Nothing has changed in a month, the Essence is still here, which means this isn't the most popular place."

They exchanged glances as they pulled out one stone each.

They clenched the stones tightly, causing cracks to appear as a thick, green mist poured out, enveloping their frames.

Most of the mist remained around their mouths, covering the lower parts of their faces like wide scarves.

"Shall we go?" Ethan's muffled voice rang out.

"Sure. Just be careful."

From their first steps, the poisonous cloud engulfed them, trying to drive them away from the forbidden land, but Ethan and Menir didn't collect money for the Green Mist Stones for nothing.

Buying a similar product was not a problem, it could be found at a merchant or directly from the army if necessary. Some people specialized in creating Products, they were called - the Fabricators.

Strangely enough, among them were both ordinary people and Carriers. For both, it was a good opportunity to earn money and gain influence through a solid reputation and connections. Sure, many Fabricators were involved in this dangerous business because of their desire to create.

Like the Artifacts, the Products could be found throughout the world, but they were much easier to create, and although their usefulness was not as significant, it was constant and flexible.

If a Carrier went into battle against a fire monster, he could buy a suitable Product for a reasonable price to increase his protection against fire. The effect would only last for one battle, but that was enough to cover the cost of the purchase and make a profit on top of that.

Ethan and Menir were in a similar situation.

True, they had to find the Essence of Rotten Forest, but without the Green Mist Stones, they couldn't do that. They would die as soon as they entered the Poisonous Field.

The unpleasant smell of flowers filling the forest lingered with them with every step, as did the dry roots protruding from the ground like spikes.

Menir constantly spent energy to maintain the Blind Voyager, the hand from the orb showing them the way.

"We've been going straight for quite a while now. We'll probably come across something new soon."

She was right, as a multitude of sharp thorns appeared out of the mist.

Dry vines intertwined with each other, creating an Impassable wall that enclosed the center of the Poisonous Field.

Ethan approached, examining the thorns closely.

'Hmm, they don't look poisonous, but why is this place fenced off from everything else?'

The answer was simple: something or someone was trying to protect themselves.

It must be something defenseless, because the poisonous mist wasn't enough, an additional barrier was needed, a thorny one.

A smirk formed on Ethan's face.

"Looks like we're moving in the right direction, isn't it?"

Menir nodded. "Yes. That's what happens when the Essence remains undiscovered for too long. It begins to adapt the territory around itself to provide better protection and give itself more time to absorb more energy."

Unlike the Remnants, which preserved the spirit of the deceased and were able to exist by drawing energy from their territory, the Essences were representations of various lands.

This was an opportunity for the Essence to attract more energy and change the territory. Sure, the Remnants were also capable of influencing this, but only locally, and a Remnant was the core of the denser energy around it. 

At the same time, the influence of the Essences spread much further and could affect both the Remnants and the Anomalies around them. 

When the Essence accumulated enough energy, it returned everything to its territory, creating a powerful wave that greatly changed the area. This event was called - the Essence Impulse.

The problem was that it was impossible to restore the land to its former state, only to reduce the density of energy, but this was a difficult and long process. The Second Rank Carriers were needed to kill the strongest monsters and dispel the new Remnants and Anomalies.

The Remnants were not as dangerous as the Essences because they could not simply disappear. It was always possible to simply clear a Remnant and kill its Spirit. But if the Essence Impulse occurred, quickly fixing the situation was not an option.

It was unknown how much time Ethan and Menir had left, but it was obvious that the Essence of the Rotten Forest was preparing for something major.

Slash.

Menir swung her sword several times, cutting through the vines. The cold blade left an icy layer on the severed edges as frosty vapor mixed with the poisonous mist.

"Let's not rush, but we should remain vigilant."

Ethan nodded as they entered the inner circle of the field.

A faint glow in the distance drew their attention until a writhing shadow closer to them became their priority. The hidden silhouette of a great creature trembled, causing Ethan and Menir to hold their breath.

Ethan narrowed his eyes.

'Well, well, the Essence has gathered guards for itself? However, fighting monsters is much better. As my old man used to say, monsters at least don't hide that they want to kill you, they're not so cunning like humans.'