Chapter 207: We need to be strong enough

Sounds of Eva’s laughter echoed through the forest as a figure sailed through the air before landing on another plant slide.

"She hasn’t gotten bored of those slides. It’s been four days since we stumbled upon this forest." Julian shook his head helplessly as he watched Eva jump onto another purple, vine-shaped flower for another slide.

"You don’t understand how fun this is! Wheee!" Eva screamed as her figure sailed through the air when the flower shot forward.

She was high in the sky, but they weren’t scared that she would fall to the ground. In the next second, she landed on a square-shaped cotton flower. Her body sank into the flower, showing just how soft it was.

It was like a giant slide high in the air with a soft landing.

The first time they had chanced upon the forest, her heart had been filled with caution, afraid that the flowers would suddenly turn into man-eating plants. But nothing of the sort happened. Instead, she had so much fun that the gloom from the sunflower illusion attack gradually faded.

The huge purple vine flowers acted as natural slides with a bounce. Their surfaces were cold and sleek like a snake’s scales, allowing them to slide easily with just a little push. Once they reached the edge, the flowers would bounce them forward into the air.

Meanwhile, the ground below was covered in square-shaped cotton flowers. No matter how high she fell, she wouldn’t break a single bone.

The entire area was covered in these flowers, and to reach the other side, they had to use the slides.

Ethan couldn’t muster any strength and could only remain lying on one of the cotton squares. His face was deathly pale, and he held a bottle of water in his hand to rinse his mouth whenever he threw up.

He had become like this every time he used the vine flowers to slide. For the life of him, he couldn’t understand why he felt like throwing up whenever the vines bounced him into the air.

"Are you still feeling sick? I thought you’d get used to it by now," Eva asked with a furrowed brow as she waddled toward him.

The square was too soft, making it difficult to walk normally. Her feet kept sinking into the cotton.

By the time she reached him, one of her shoes was missing, and the area beneath her feet was covered in tiny cotton particles.

She wobbled slightly before steadying herself by spreading her arms for balance.

Eva let out a relieved sigh. Luckily, she hadn’t fallen face-first into the cotton again. It had been difficult to peel the particles off her face the last time.

"I’m fine," Ethan forced out, his voice weak.

But when he saw the field of vine flowers with no normal land in sight, his stomach churned. He quickly shut his eyes.

Eva sighed before taking an orange from her space and peeling it. She fed him a segment.

"Eat something, at least. You must have thrown up all your food today. But I don’t understand how you can fly normally through the air without feeling sick, yet you can’t handle a bouncing slide," Eva mused aloud, feeling that his condition was strange.

Ethan couldn’t explain it either. To make matters worse, he couldn’t fly out of the area because of the flowers’ obstruction.

Otherwise, he would have simply flown out of there.

Unfortunately, the powdery substance released by the purple flowers weakened his strength, making it impossible for him to move a muscle.

Julian’s figure sailed through the air and landed on the cotton square beside Ethan.

He was amused by Ethan’s strange condition, finding it rather funny.

"Hey! You have to toughen up. We still have half a field to travel. Hopefully, we’ll see the exit of this forest soon," Julian said, a smile threatening to slip onto his face.

"Laugh all you want," Ethan muttered, too exhausted to even face Julian.

Just the thought of sliding through the plants sent bile rising into his throat, and he closed his eyes.

Eva shot Julian a glare before feeding Ethan another segment of orange.

"Don’t worry. I’ll take you into my space to rest. Don’t think about it and have some orange," she consoled him.

She suspected Ethan was suffering from motion sickness, but only when it came to the slides.

He could sit on a moving beast and fly through the sky without trouble. It was only when they encountered these flowers that he became this way.

"Hmm."

Ethan let out a weak hum and chewed slowly, completely enjoying her special treatment. It would have been much better if he didn’t feel so nauseous.

Julian watched as Eva attentively fed Ethan, and the slight joy he had felt at Ethan’s suffering faded.

"I want some too," Julian called out from the side, his tone sounding slightly sour as he felt neglected.

Eva shot him a bland stare before looking down at the bowl filled with oranges, then back at him.

"Don’t you have hands?" she asked blandly and averted her gaze.

"He has hands too, but you’re feeding him," Julian muttered under his breath.

For a moment, he wondered if he should pretend to be weak like Ethan, but he quickly dismissed the thought with a regretful sigh.

Ethan gave him a pointed look, clearly guessing what was running through his mind.

He really wished they could trade places at that moment.

Julian would suffer the nausea and dizziness in his place while he pranced around, enjoying this death trap of nature.

The chef was relaxing on another cotton square. The softness beneath him caused his eyes to grow heavy.

Upon noticing that Ethan and the others weren’t continuing their journey, he rested with peace of mind. Dinner was already prepared and stored in Eva’s space, so he had nothing else to do.

Eva lay down beside Ethan as soon as she finished feeding him the oranges.

She stared at the clear blue sky and inhaled deeply. The light scent of flowers washed over her, filling her heart with tranquility.

"Have you thought about what to do once we’re done touring the two islands?" she mused aloud, asking the question that had suddenly come to mind.

The square was wide enough to accommodate all three of them, so Julian lay down beside her and fell into thought.

"We’ll take a much-needed break before searching for a dungeon to upgrade our power levels. I keep getting a hunch that there are more dangerous monsters lurking in the dark. We need to be strong enough to face whatever comes."

Julian said this after giving it some thought. The flashes of that huge shadow sometimes haunted his dreams at night.

Ethan hummed from the side, agreeing with his words. His animal instincts could sense hidden danger, and he hadn’t expected Julian to share the same feeling.

Eva was silent for a moment before adding, "I want a full-body massage and to soak in a hot spring with freshly squeezed juice and a plate of braised, glistening meat on the side."

A suspicious gulp escaped her.

She practically drooled at the thought of a platter filled with all kinds of meat.

"You glutton. Do you think of nothing but food all day?"

Julian pinched her cheeks, his tone filled with indulgence.

Eva slapped his hand away with a scoff.

"Food is life! Without it, where do you think we get all that energy to fight the beasts, huh?! Don’t pretend I didn’t see you drinking secretly behind my back."

"Oh, what did the chef make for dinner?!" Julian shouted over her voice, trying to drown out whatever she was saying.

But it was too late.

He stiffened when he felt Ethan’s icy-cold stare on his back.

"Ah, I remember. My beast is waiting for me."

Julian offered a lame excuse and was about to slip away, but before he could take a single step, an icy chain bound his feet and hands.

Suddenly, Ethan was filled with boundless energy as he sat up.

"Did you drink from my own stash? You clearly finished your own wine before we came to this island."

Ethan’s voice grew colder as he said those last words.

Julian’s hair stood on end as he sensed the danger. He quickly fled toward the flowers while shouting over his shoulder.

"It was only one pod!"