The unbound rolling turtle should be able to bite through the vines, so Li Pu didn't think Wu Guinan was really completely trapped.
He had delayed here for quite some time. If he didn't hurry, he might end up second to last.
So, bringing the straw man along, they quickened their pace and shortly arrived at a fork in the road.
"It was mentioned before, depending on the chosen path, the obstacles encountered would differ."
Standing at the fork, Li Pu stroked his chin.
The advantage of trailing behind the large group is being able to observe everyone's direction.
He had some experience in watching for footprints in the dense forest.
At this fork, there were a total of four paths; two were cluttered with many footprints, while another path had fewer.
As for the one on the far side, almost no footprints were present.
Because the guide light crystals were only installed on the three paths, the last fork had none.
This meant that this path might not be considered part of the racing area.
"Perhaps there's a chance to take a shortcut?"
Li Pu was tempted.
Since it was within the same forest, even if it wasn't a recommended route, the last path couldn't be too dangerous.
He had a good sense of direction and a certain degree of outdoor experience.
Taking an unpopulated shortcut might be a good choice.
He didn't listen carefully when the senior explained the rules, but it didn't seem like following the light crystals was mandatory?
In fact, it hadn't been mentioned.
Moreover, it was intentionally left unmentioned.
One of the purposes of this competition was to acclimate everyone to the Summoner's world.
Unlike answering questions on paper, in reality, a 100% correct standard answer doesn't often exist.
Some rules are meant to be broken.
Actually, among the freshmen, some noticed this as well.
But the herd mentality prevailed, and even if they had thoughts, putting them into practice required courage.
So, those without relevant experience, mostly dared not attempt it.
Only a few individuals dared to try in secret.
Undoubtedly, Li Pu belonged to the type with that courage.
Without much consideration, he chose the fourth path on the far side.
He had just walked a few steps when a nearby large tree suddenly made a sound.
[Cough cough...]
The tree was very close to them, especially to the straw man.
[Grass!]
Straw Man: Grass! A magical beast attack!
Startled, it immediately lifted its foot and delivered a side kick to the noisy tree.
Bang!
Then, Li Pu saw a figure clutching its stomach, collapsing to the ground.
Thud!
"..."
Now he could see clearly.
The soundmaker wasn't a magical beast but a person.
Not just any person, but someone he knew.
The head of their dormitory, senior Chang Shoushang.
"Senior, are you alright?"
Clearly, Chang Shoushang was in pain now.
After all, getting kicked hard in the stomach by the straw man was not pleasant.
[Grass grass! Grass grass grass!]
Straw Man: Misfire! Sorry, sorry!
"I'm fine... already used to it."
A pale-faced Chang Shoushang stood up and waved, only to find a soda bottle placed in his hand.
For the straw man, this might be the highest level of apology it could express.
Of course, it was the smallest bottle size.
"..."
For a moment, Chang Shoushang didn't know what to say.
Most upperclassmen had yet to return, so the organization of the elective contest was slightly understaffed.
Chang Shoushang was roped in by his senior; otherwise, no one would want to squat in this lousy forest early in the morning.
The task he was assigned was actually to remind or warn all students choosing the fourth path.
Those bold enough to take this path could be considered more flexible thinkers among freshmen.
However, whether this was good or bad was yet to be determined immediately.
"Actually, there's another unspoken purpose to this competition."
"It's to encourage broadening one's thinking, to break free from the rigid habits formed during school."
"So taking shortcuts is allowed."
"But I need to remind you that going further will lead to losing the light crystal's illumination."
"If you get lost, you risk being eliminated."
"Whether you want to take that risk is up to you."
Chang Shoushang said a few more words to Li Pu, as a form of care.
With the previous freshmen, he just briefly warned them about the lack of light crystals ahead and reminded them to be safe.
Anyway, the mist would dissipate by midday, and even if lost, no one would get lost.
"Thank you for the reminder, senior."
Li Pu understood the goodwill, nodded in thanks, and continued forward.
[Grass!]
Straw Man: If you're not drinking the soda, can I have it back?
However, the straw man turned back after a few steps, but unfortunately, Chang Shoushang couldn't understand its grassy language.
"Perhaps I should follow and take a look."
After watching them disappear, he thought.
By this time, all freshmen should have reached the fork.
This meant his task was successfully completed.
Following Li Pu was also because this kid was under his dormitory supervision.
Although this forest had no major dangers, a little oversight was possible.
Of course, Chang Shoushang knew that if he intervened, Li Pu would be considered eliminated.
Thus, unless it was an extreme situation, he wouldn't act.
As for the natural mist, it was no match for him.
"Oh dear oh dear oh dear!"
With a cry of pain, Chang Shoushang pulled a fist-sized light crystal from his storage.
With this crystal, he could easily follow Li Pu's footprints from a distance.
...
Ten minutes later.
"..."
Li Pu stood enveloped in mist, somewhat speechless.
His visible range was less than ten meters.
The other fork's shimmering guide lights were now out of reach.
Indeed, he was lost.
It was all due to the straw man.
Initially, he planned to use the adjacent path's light crystals as a reference, intending to take a direct forest path.
Halfway through, the straw man claimed to smell something fragrant, then forcibly dragged him off-course.
Had he refused, the straw man couldn't have moved him.
The issue was his own sensory skills, having caught a faint whiff of a fragrance.
Thanks to the straw man's action, he was convinced it wasn't an illusion.
Normally, he'd prioritize the competition.
But as he got closer, he seemed to temporarily forget the event.
Because as the scent grew stronger, he thought it smelled familiar.
If he remembered correctly, it resembled the scent of his grandfather's cherished tea leaves.
To be more specific, magical beast tea leaves.
Could there be high-grade skills beckoning?
...
...