Defense specialization and friend enhancement.

PV one million. Bookmark one thousand.

Both achieved.

Thank you!

"Good, arrived!"

Sally reached the small house deep within the forest. A log cabin.

Next to the house, a clear stream flowed, and a waterwheel turned slowly.

Before the house, a small garden and several unsplit logs remained, left behind after firewood had been chopped.

The chirping of small birds echoed pleasantly.

Sally approached the house and knocked on the door with a soft knock, then waited.

After a moment, the door opened from within.

An elderly man emerged, leaning on a staff, his white beard long.

"Rare to find someone coming here... Come in, for now. There are many troublesome monsters around these parts."

The old man led Sally inside. She followed without hesitation and entered the house.

Without sufficient AGI, the old man would not be at home, and no event would occur.

Inside, there is only the barest furniture.

The only thing of note is a short sword atop a shelf at the far end—worn with age, yet radiating undeniable presence.

Sally sits in the chair near the table, as instructed.

The old man sets down a teacup filled with tea before her.

Drink it. You will rest a little.

Yes… thank you. I accept.

Sally drinks the tea. Her body does indeed rest, as the old man said.

Specifically, her MP is fully restored.

HP did not decrease, so she cannot be certain, but according to the information, it has been restored.

Hmm… Rest for a while. I shall go fetch some 【Magical Water】.

Magical Water is drawn from a spring where magical energy restores itself. The location of this spring can be learned from an NPC in the Town of the Second Layer.

It lies roughly thirty minutes away from the current location.

Here, Sally speaks as if waiting for just this moment.

"Yes, then I shall fetch it for you."

"Ah, is that so?... Perhaps I shall rest here... My legs have been feeling weak lately."

The old man says this and hands Sally a glass bottle.

Before Sally, a blue monitor appears.

Yes, No — the options are displayed.

Sally presses Yes and accepts the quest.

Magical Water was tested by production-class players upon entering the Second Layer, but they could not draw water from the spring no matter what they tried.

They were able to drink it on the spot and restore MP, but at present, carrying it back is impossible.

Only one method exists to retrieve it—using the glass bottle handed out during the event.

Yet even that vanishes from the inventory one hour after retrieval.

A spot designated solely for this event.

"Then I'm off!"

"Sorry… I'm counting on you."

Sally bursts from the loghouse and heads toward the spring.

Three types of monsters inhabit this region.

First is the Big Spider.

As its name suggests, it is a large spider. Its size measures one meter. The web it spins to immobilize targets proves dangerous.

Second is the Sleep Beetle.

A rhinoceros beetle that induces sleep. Slightly larger than a normal beetle, it is easily overlooked. A surprise attack is its greatest threat.

Third is the Trench.

It mimics a tree. Specializes in ambush attacks.

Yet it is the only tree in this forest bearing red berries.

Knowing this beforehand would increase evasion rates. Even so, its branches and roots extend far, lashing out with long reach. Many players are overwhelmed when surrounded.

Sally moves through the forest.

As expected, no monsters appear.

After precisely thirty minutes, she reaches the spring.

"Beautiful..."

The water, clear as glass, glimmers faintly, illuminating the trees and wildflowers around it.

Sally pauses, watching the spring for a moment, caught in its otherworldly light.

She drinks from the spring, restoring her MP and sharpening her focus.

"From here..."

Sally fills a glass bottle with the spring water and places it in her inventory. The time limit is one hour.

If she does not return to the log cabin within that time, the event will fail.

And the monsters, absent on the way in, now flood back into the forest as if waiting.

Let’s go…

Sally turns, plunges into the woods, and runs. The unpleasant buzzing of spiders echoes.

This is where the real trial begins.

Return from a thirty-minute path without monsters, within one hour with them.

To obtain 【Hyper Acceleration】, she must pass through this trial.

Spider silk whines through the air from trees and thickets. A single touch means capture. Game over.

Yoo! …! 【Illusion】!

Sally runs. Sleep beetles collide with her body in numbers.

Yet they twist, sag, and dissolve into the air.

Unfazed, Sally breaks through the swarm of sleep beetles.

Dangerous… too close…!

Sharp wooden roots surge from beneath Sally’s feet.

Her status would not survive a single strike.

Sally dodges the roots, scanning her surroundings.

Three trees bearing crimson fruit. Undoubtedly treants.

“[Fireball]!”

A blazing orb strikes the slow-moving treant, igniting its trunk with violent heat.

The treant’s怒り echoes through the forest.

“This…? Might have missed…”

The approaching monsters, drawn by the treant’s voice, trigger Sally’s [Sensing Presence II].

“[Mirage]!”

Sally sends a phantom of herself running toward the spring.

The stag beetle is successfully lured. The spider is not. It moves directly toward her, as if aware.

“Caught! [Slash]!”

A double strike, evading the spider’s web.

The HP bar visibly drops, yet still holds at about seventy percent. There is no time to fall.

“Damn it... Trent is annoying…!”

The number of enemies is extraordinary, each moving with independent intent.

Worse still, the spider’s AGI is quite high. Nearly equal to Sally’s.

After all, this quest is specifically designed for AGI-focused challenges. It is expected.

“[Great Ocean]!”

Water spreads thinly beneath Sally’s feet. The pursuing spider plunges into it, slowing.

“[Slash]!... [Wind Cutter]!”

Sally severs the branch and roots Trent extends, pressing forward.

The distance between her and the spider steadily increases.

Yet Sally’s nerves fray.

She must keep moving. If she stops, she will be caught. But this is a forest.

Trees stand thick and uneven. Shrubs crowd the ground. Mud could lie anywhere.

If her foot is caught, the situation will worsen instantly.

Sally hears the sound of wings. She turns sharply toward the noise.

"Another beetle!? … No way."

The monsters that dwell in this forest are, primarily, three types.

Yes. Though rarely encountered, there is one more.

A giant dragonfly approaches from behind.

Its name is the Wind Dragonfly.

Accelerating with wind magic, it flies at high speed, as if trees were nothing.

"Bad luck! … Damn it! … Wind Cutter!"

She releases a blade of wind behind her, a warning.

There is no time to fight. She must escape at all costs. The distance closes with every second.

Wind magic of high refinement passes around Sally with a cutting sound. She avoids the attack by using trees as shields, spreading her 【Ocean】 to deter the spider.

The Sleep Beetle flying from the right is deflected by 【Mirage】. As she continues running, she is soon surrounded by monsters again.

A flicker of urgency appears on Sally’s face.

“Spiders coming from ahead… Left is a Trent. This way—left!”

She maximizes her 【Sensory Awareness II】 to gather as much information as possible, choosing the best route.

Any direction where trees grow thick and dragonflies cannot fly. Three Trents stand before her. There is no time to engage.

“【Mirage】!”

The Trents fall easily into the illusion, thrusting their dozens of sharp branches toward Sally’s phantom.

The Trents possess a clear sense—laughing with a disturbing, smug tone.

Thank you! I really appreciate it!

Sally murmurs, relief in her voice.

It was not Sally who was pierced.

A single wing of the wind dragonfly.

Even a wind dragonfly could not entirely evade an unexpected attack.

The speed of the wind dragonfly faltered as its wing was torn.

Distance grew between Sally and it.

Creaking with a grating sound, the wind dragonfly releases a wind spell toward Sally, but the desperate attack never reaches her.

Hah… hah… arrived! Haa… I think I’m the most exhausted I’ve ever been…

Before Sally’s eyes stood the log house.

Fifty-two minutes had passed. She barely made it.

Sally opens the door of the log house.

I’m back!

Ah! I was waiting. Safe and sound—nothing matters more than that…

Sally, having survived dozens of near-death moments, gives a faint expression. The old man does not notice. He continues speaking.

Fhum… must return thanks… wait a moment.

The old man draws a scroll from the cabinet and holds it forth.

Skill [Hyper Acceleration]—this one can be learned. Will prove useful… no need to hesitate.

His form blurs and vanishes.

Not needed by me.

A voice from behind Sally. She turns sharply.

There, the old man smiles—a boyish, pleased grin, as if his trick had worked.

Fufu… keep striving.

Y-yes!

She answers instinctively, then leaves the loghouse.

A new power acquired.