The group of eight returned to their campsite after the discussion and divided up the gopher that had finished roasting. After enjoying the slightly gamey meat filled with juices, the dark sun had begun to dip beneath the horizon.

“It’s getting dark. We need to set up a night watch to protect us from attacks while we’re sleeping,” Edward said. He then proceeded to arrange the group into a rotating watch. The arrangement done, they all piled into their temporary shelter with their weapons in arms reach.

Chronus wouldn't be so naive as to entrust all of his safety to others, especially a group he just met. He stayed awake practicing his meditation technique. Now in the Distorted Void, his meditation now could exert its effects. The technique he practiced was the same as most other tower masters, the Clear Mind Meditation. This meditation was the most basic and commonly available one, but it's the most suitable for tower masters.

It carried the effects of slowly increasing mental power and strengthening the spirit, but more importantly helped tower masters to think clearer and more rationally. The profession of tower master is extremely demanding on one’s intellect, one having to manage all aspects of their tower while seeking improvement. Not aging for as long as they controlled their tower core, the slow but steady increase was not a detriment but a boon to a tower master.

Seeking short term improvement at the cost of instability or side effects is a mistake only the most inexperienced of tower masters would make. Being a basic meditation technique with no other special effects, the Clear Mind Meditation also wouldn’t conflict with one’s established tower’s system. With the tower already providing the tower master with a power system, there’s no need for a meditation to grant them to a separate one.

Chronus ended his meditation as morning arrived in the Distorted Void. The night was peaceful, allowing the team to have a good rest. The group woke up one at a time not long after. Having experienced a day in the new world, they had gradually begun to adapt and were not as agitated as before. They ate various foraged foods to start off the new day. Chronus had some small black fruits from a vine he knew to be safe to eat.

“We discovered a forest nearby, right? I want to explore that area for prospective materials,” said Chronus, wiping the black fruit juice off his mouth. Almost all the materials Chronus needed could be found in a forest. Whether or not they were in the one nearby would be a matter of luck, but the chances were quite large.

“I want to go to the gem mine,” said Kenan, munching on some meat jerky he had brought, “I have a feeling the object I want to absorb is there. Why don’t we split up?”

Edward disagreed with the idea of splitting up, but after seeing the group was split in half over the locations, relented. Griffin, Emily, and Leopold followed Chronus to the forest, while Edward, Kenan, Alice, and Charlene set their sights on the magic crystal vein. Chronus’ team departed from their temporary camp towards the forest to the north, following the directions of Griffin, who had discovered it. As Chronus carried an axe and seemed the most reliable out of the group, he was instantly assumed to be the leader.

While on the way, Chronus continued what he had been doing ever since he had arrived, searching for materials and examining his surroundings for any information that could be useful. Compared to the previous day, his search did yield some results. A small variety of plants with minor medicinal effects were collected, with effects such as stopping bleeding or removing toxins. The others noticed his actions but didn’t think much of them.

Most of their attention was on guarding against potential dangers. After Leopold found out that the more he used his mud shot ability, the more smoothly he could use it, he became obsessed with firing it every time his mental energy recovered. Amid the occasional sound of a glob of mud splatting on the ground, the four arrived in front of the forest after trudging through a scarred wasteland for over an hour.

A drastic contrast with the surrounding area with only crooked weeds and bushes, the forest was filled with lush vegetation. From its appearance, it slightly resembled the rainforests of Earth. Exotic trees loomed over the undergrowth sprawling in their shadows. Particularly eye catching were the many plants that were a myriad shades of black and purple. A light fog hung in the humid air, obscuring the gloomy depths of the dark forest.

Emily nervously looked at the gaping maw-like expanse of trees that threatened to envelop them. Stuttering, she said, “W… We’re going into that?”

“I’ll protect you!” said Leopold loudly, puffing his chest out in an exaggerated manner to mask his uneasiness. Griffin closed his eyes and prayed, as if accepting his doomed fate.

Noticing the depressed atmosphere, Chronus quickly spoke up. “Our goal this time is only to detect some potential materials for our towers, not to explore the whole forest. We’ll stick together and start by searching the outer areas.”

“That’s right! There’s nothing to be afraid of!” said Leopold, regaining his confidence.

With Chronus and Leopold leading the front and Emily and Griffin bringing up the back, the four stepped into the shadowy embrace of the forest. The first thing they noticed was the silence. The only thing they could hear was the mushing sound of the leaves and soft soil beneath their feet. The air was stagnant. No wind blew through the trees. They couldn’t hear any trace of birds or small animals.

“Stay on guard and start examining our surroundings,” stated Chronus, summoning his embryonic tower core and bringing it up to a black crooked fern nearby. The others followed his lead, tightening their grips on their wooden spears and bringing up their tower cores in their other hand. Leopold, lacking an embryonic tower core, guarded them while also curiously examining the dark and silent forest.

Soon, suppressed voices sounded out from the team.

“Druid and nature magic,”

“Nature magic.”

“Alchemy and death magic.”

While the team slowly shuffled through the forest while identifying the rule fragments in the nearby objects and plants, Chronus was in a good mood. “From the relatively high mana concentration in this forest, nine times out of ten the materials I need can be found here. There are no signs of prey animals, so there shouldn’t be any dangerous beasts. The lack of small animals most likely represents that the danger in the forest comes from the vegetation. This greatly lowers the risk of exploration,” he silently thought.

“Oh, this flower has complete magic and alchemy!” said Emily.

The other three gathered around the cluster of small white flowers. Chronus identified them as bellflowers, one of the most basic plants for potion brewing. It is a very suitable birthing material for a “farming” style of tower that focused more on production of resources that pure combat power. The inclusive nature of its rule fragments also brings it a large number of development directions.

“That sounds interesting. Let’s collect it,” said Chronus. The bellflowers were gathered and placed in a basket Griffin had woven out of thin branches.

“Complete magic means it has all types of magic right? Then what’s the point of my tower that only has curse and earth magic?” complained Leopold, questioning his life choices.

“Having more areas to specialize in might not be a good thing. It could be more difficult to develop the tower or one could be mediocre in many areas,” said Chronus. Hearing this, Leopold perked up again. Chronus found Leopold to be very innocent. One statement was enough to please him.

Continuing their search, Chronus found a plant he needed. Quicksilver grass, a thin silver grass whose leaves looked like flexible knives. The liquid squeezed from their stems were excellent for portraying alchemy formations. He gladly collected them. Half an hour later, another necessary material was found, blighted marshweed. This unremarkable plant with dark purple veins was a material used in many types of witchcraft and dark magic. He also gathered a grass of affliction, which had the use of increasing a person’s pain, as well as a few plants with auxiliary uses.

Chronus wasn’t the only one with gains. Emily and Griffin had found many plants they were interested in. Griffin discovered one that he was particularly interested in. It looked like he was tempted to decide on absorbing it, but was waiting for more options before doing so. After a stretch of time, all the materials in the outer bounds of the forest had been scanned and new ones were difficult to find.

“We’ve seen almost everything in the outer edges of the forest. Let’s move further in!” said Leopold excitedly. This sort of exploration, where everything was unknown greatly stimulated him.

“If everyone else is fine with it, we can. There’s still plenty of time left in the day,” said Chronus.

“I’m okay,” said Emily.

“I’ll follow you guys,” said Griffin.

Seeing their responses, Chronus nodded.

“Let’s rest for a bit, then continue.”

Once they rested and slightly filled their stomachs, Chronus led them deeper into the forest. After walking a distance, the shadows had grown noticeably. Chronus had to use up precious battery life in his flashlight to illuminate the darkness. The four instinctively moved closer together and slowed their pace.