Chapter 41: Serependity

Some of the boss’s drops were also known to contain Ancient-grade potions and rare potion recipes.

Ryan leaned back in his chair and thought about it.

Perfect Loot can take everything from the boss, including its potion-making abilities, knowledge, and recipes.

That would save him an enormous amount of time.

Learning potion-making from scratch would take years, especially if he wanted to reach the level of an Ancient-grade potion master.

With Perfect Loot, he could obtain everything the Serendipity Witch Doctor had accumulated throughout its existence.

Ryan looked at the information about the dungeon again.

The Serendipity Spring of Elves was dangerous, but the rewards were clearly worth investigating.

"Looks like I found my first dungeon."

Ryan closed the information and stood up from the table.

He had already decided where he was going next.

The Serendipity Spring of Elves.

Ryan left the Tower Association and began making his way toward the city gate.

He already knew the general location of the dungeon from the information he had received. It was several hours away from the city, but that distance was not a problem for him.

Ryan walked through the busy streets while keeping a low profile.

There were many Climbers around him, and most of them were heading toward different dungeons or hunting areas.

Some were carrying weapons and armor, while others were transporting monster materials they had collected.

Ryan soon reached the city gate.

After leaving the city, he increased his speed.

There was no reason for him to travel at an ordinary pace anymore.

His movement skills allowed him to cover large distances quickly, so the journey that normally took several hours would not take nearly as long for him.

As he traveled, Ryan occasionally checked the information stored in his Memory Transmission Crystal.

He wanted to make sure he remembered the important details about Serendipity Spring of Elves before entering it.

The dungeon was dangerous, but Ryan was not particularly concerned.

The Serendipity Witch Doctor was what interested him the most.

Its knowledge of potion-making alone made the dungeon worth visiting.

After traveling for some time, Ryan finally noticed a large forest in the distance.

The trees were unusually tall, and a faint green mist covered the area.

Ryan slowed down as he approached.

According to the information he had received, Serendipity Spring of Elves was located somewhere inside this forest.

He looked at the forest for a moment before continuing forward.

As he entered the forest, the temperature gradually dropped.

The surroundings also became much quieter.

Ryan continued walking while keeping his senses active.

He did not want to waste time fighting every monster he encountered.

His goal was simple.

Find the dungeon and locate the Serendipity Witch Doctor.

If he could obtain everything from the boss, the trip would be worthwhile.

Ryan continued deeper into the forest.

After walking for several minutes, he finally noticed something unusual ahead.

A faint green light was coming from between the trees.

Ryan approached it and soon saw a massive ancient tree lying across the ground.

Its trunk was enormous, but most of it had already decayed.

Strange roots spread across the surrounding land, and faint green light could still be seen beneath the damaged bark.

Ryan recognized it immediately.

"This should be the remains of the Tree of Life."

He looked around the area.

The forest around the fallen tree was filled with strange plants and pools of dark-colored liquid.

Several large footprints could also be seen in the soil.

Ryan slowly moved forward.

According to the information from the Tower Association, the entrance to Serendipity Spring of Elves was located beneath the remains of the fallen Tree of Life.

Ryan began searching the area.

After a short while, he found a large opening beneath one of the roots.

A faint mist was coming from inside.

Ryan looked at the entrance and then stepped inside.

The moment he crossed the entrance, the scenery around him changed.

He had entered the Serendipity Spring of Elves.

Ryan found himself standing in what looked like a withered forest.

The trees around him were tall and twisted, with dark, dried branches spreading in every direction. Most of the leaves had fallen long ago, and the few that remained were dull green and covered in strange black spots.

A thin layer of green mist covered the ground.

Ryan looked around carefully.

"This place is quite different from the forest outside."

The forest outside had been quiet, but this place felt completely different. There were no birds, insects, or other normal signs of life.

Instead, Ryan could hear the sound of water flowing somewhere in the distance.

He took out the Memory Transmission Crystal and checked the information about the dungeon again.

The Serendipity Spring of Elves was not simply a normal forest dungeon.

The entire dungeon had been formed around the remains of the fallen Tree of Life. The land had been corrupted by the blood of the fallen elves, causing the plants and creatures living here to change over time.

Ryan put the crystal away.

"Let’s see what kind of monsters live here."

He continued deeper into the forest.

After walking for a few minutes, he noticed several strange plants growing beside a dead tree.

Their stems were dark green, while their leaves were covered in small red veins.

Ryan approached one of them and used Spirit Sense to examine it.

A system window appeared in front of him.

[Corrupted Bloodleaf]

[Rank: Rare]

[Description: A plant that has absorbed the blood of fallen elves. Its leaves can be used as an ingredient for several poison and blood-type potions.]

Ryan looked at the plant with interest.

"Even the plants here can be used as potion ingredients."

He did not harvest it yet.

Instead, he continued moving through the forest.

A few minutes later, he heard something moving nearby.

Ryan stopped and looked toward the trees.

Several figures slowly appeared from behind the trees.

They looked like elves at first glance, but their appearance was very different from normal elves.

Their skin was pale and covered in dark marks.

Their eyes were completely black, and strange vines grew from their bodies.

Each one carried a crude wooden staff.

Ryan examined them with Spirit Sense.

[Corrupted Elf]

[Level: 150]

[Rank: A]

[Description: Elves that have been corrupted by the blood of the fallen Tree of Life. They have lost most of their original intelligence and attack living creatures on sight.]

There were seven of them.

Ryan looked at them for a moment.

"Level 150. Not bad for normal monsters."

The corrupted elves noticed him at the same time.

They immediately raised their staffs.

Several dark green spells began forming around them.

Ryan did not draw his weapon.

He simply raised one hand and released a small amount of Death Energy.

The corrupted elves were instantly surrounded by the dark energy.

Their bodies weakened, and the spells they were preparing disappeared.

Ryan walked toward them and finished them with several simple attacks.

He then looked at the corpses.

"Most of the monsters here seem to be affected by some kind of corruption."

He continued walking.

The deeper he went, the stranger the forest became.

Some trees had grown together and formed large arches over the path.

Others had huge holes in their trunks, with dark liquid slowly flowing from them.

There were also several small streams running through the forest.

Unlike normal water, the streams were dark green.

Ryan stopped beside one of them.

He carefully examined the water.

[Corrupted Spring Water]

[Description: Water affected by the blood and energy of the fallen Tree of Life. Dangerous for most living creatures. Can be used as a potion ingredient after proper purification.]

Ryan smiled slightly.

"This place really is filled with potion ingredients."

He continued along the stream.

According to the information he had received, several areas of the dungeon contained rare plants and corrupted springs.

However, the deeper areas were controlled by stronger monsters.

The Witch Doctors were among the strongest monsters in the dungeon.

They were fallen elves who had retained their intelligence and developed powerful potion-making abilities.

Ryan was particularly interested in them.

If he encountered one, he could examine its abilities and learn more about the dungeon.

He continued following the stream for another ten minutes.

Soon, he noticed several small wooden structures between the trees.

They looked like abandoned huts.

Ryan approached slowly.

There were several clay pots placed outside one of the huts.

A strange smell came from them.

Ryan examined the pots.

[Unknown Potion]

[Quality: Rare]

[Effect: Unknown]

Ryan looked at the potion for a moment.

"Looks like I found the Witch Doctors’ territory."

He looked around the area.

There were no monsters nearby.

Ryan walked toward the largest hut.

The door was slightly open.

He pushed it aside and entered.

Inside, the walls were covered with shelves filled with bottles, plants, bones, and various monster materials.

Several books were also placed on a wooden table.

Ryan’s eyes immediately focused on the books.

"These should contain information about potion-making."

He walked over and picked up one of them.

Before he could open it, he heard footsteps outside the hut.

Ryan turned toward the entrance.

Someone was approaching.

Judging from the footsteps, it was much heavier than the corrupted elves he had encountered earlier.

Ryan put the book back on the table and waited.

A few seconds later, a tall figure entered the hut.

It was an elf.

Unlike the corrupted elves outside, this one wore a long dark robe covered with various potion bottles.

Its skin was pale green, and several black veins could be seen running across its face.

It carried a wooden staff in one hand and a large leather bag filled with herbs in the other.

Ryan immediately recognized it.

"A Witch Doctor."

The elf looked at Ryan.

Its expression changed when it saw an unfamiliar human standing inside its hut.

"Human?"

The Witch Doctor raised its staff.

Ryan calmly looked at it.

He had finally found one of the creatures he had been looking for.