This was...a very abstract humanoid creature.

Its overall shape was humanoid, wearing crude clothing woven from animal fur. It was over two meters tall, with a hunched back, a robust and muscular upper body, and withered, stick-like legs.

Its face was flat and distorted, with a protruding chin, somewhat like a crescent moon. Its right arm had scorched, cracked skin, while its left arm was as pale as snow.

An extra, slender arm grew from its chest.

Each arm held a black cloth bag with a strange odor. Below the bag in its left hand was a large patch that looked like dried bloodstains.

The strange man landed nimbly on the wild boar's head with a dexterity that belied its size. Its bare feet stepped onto the sharp thorns without any injury.

"Hehehe..."

It scanned Li Ang and the others with sharp eyes, opened its chapped lips, revealing yellowed teeth, some of which were missing, and chuckled.

The slender arm in the middle of its chest drooped down, gently resting on the wild boar's forehead.

The wild boar, which had been aggressive and ready to toss Li Ang and the others into the air, now trembled all over with fear, as if it had encountered an irresistible natural enemy. The thorns on its body rustled, and it didn't even have the courage to resist or flee.

Boom!

The strange man's fist, hovering two or three centimeters above the wild boar's head, popped out like a spring.

It struck the wild boar's forehead.

The sound of the wild boar's frontal bone shattering echoed continuously. Blood spurted from all seven orifices, and the fearful look in its dark eyes quickly faded.

Its life was taken with such casual ease.

So strong.

David's eyelids twitched. This creature, whose bizarre appearance rivaled Quasimodo of Notre Dame, was definitely no less powerful than any player in the first tier.

David himself could certainly kill the giant wild boar instantly, but his power system meant that he could never achieve such effortless ease, displaying the ultimate fusion of strength and technique in a single punch.

"It's been so long since I've seen living people..."

The strange man slowly bent his knees, sat cross-legged on the head of the completely dead wild boar, and scrutinized the players. "You came from outside?"

Outsiders?

What does that mean? Is he a native creature? Or can he tell that we're players?

Hohenheim's mind raced, but he remained silent. They could understand the other party's words, which meant that the system had automatically translated them.

The fact that it only killed the wild boar and didn't continue attacking meant that it could communicate and might be a key NPC in this script mission.

The first stage mission goal was to reach the Sacred Mountain within five hours, which meant that the mission time was relatively generous. It was possible to take a shortcut with the help of an NPC to avoid going too far.

So, how should we answer...?

The strange man looked at the players who had suddenly fallen silent, his eyes narrowed slightly, and his expression gradually turned unfriendly.

"We might be,"

Li Ang said alertly, "It mainly depends on how you observe and define it.

I don't know what you are..."

"I have long forgotten my original name. You can call me Claude."

The strange man, who called himself Claude, glanced at Li Ang. "You've come for the Pale Sacred Mountain?"

Li Ang raised an eyebrow. "How did you know?"

"Dressed in bright, flashy clothes, walking with blind confidence, completely unaware of how dangerous it is here,"

Claude said coldly, "Combining all these characteristics, you can only be outsiders coming to worship the Sacred Mountain.

However, you are very strong. You were actually able to pass through the Boundless Deep Sea and the Confused Canyon to get here, and your mental state is still so good."

Boundless Deep Sea?

Are these two place names outside the forest?

Judging from what he said, the natives of this world generally worship the Pale Sacred Mountain, and people often risk coming here to worship?

While thinking, Li Ang nodded and tried to use the Seeker of Secrets title skill to read the other party's mind while verbally responding, "It's okay.

We usually exercise regularly. The gym we go to is especially good. Even sensitive skin can use it, and kids love to eat it (rave reviews). It's just that there are too few color schemes for the equipment in the gym, and the 512 memory is a bit too large, so it's easy to burn the pot when installed on the rearview mirror. But the courses are really free, so you can safely smoke on the balcony."

???

The faces of the other teammates showed strange expressions. Are you a Taobao robot brushing up comments?

The strange man Claude was also puzzled. "Has the language of the outside world developed so quickly?

Where did you come from?

Niflheim or Flame City?"

Li Ang felt relieved. The reason he was making up nonsense just now was because the other party said that he hadn't seen a living person for a long time, and he probably hadn't left this forest, so it was better to make up nonsense than to fabricate something seriously.

"Neither, we come from a small place. I don't know if you've heard of it,"

Li Ang took a breath and said, "The Office of the Leading Group for Historical and Cultural Heritage Work of the Villagers Committee of Nalinggaga Village, Nalingge Second Village, Wulanhadasumu, Chahar Right Wing Rear Banner, Ulanqab."

"Huh???

Ulanmuchabu Chaba..."

Claude subconsciously wanted to repeat this long and outrageous sentence, but he forgot the words as soon as he opened his mouth, and stared and said, "Forget it, forget it.

You want to go to the Sacred Mountain, right? How about making a deal with me?"

"A deal?"

Li Ang narrowed his eyes. "What is it about?"

"I'll tell you how to get to the Sacred Mountain,"

Claude grinned, "You outsiders may not know, but to worship the Sacred Mountain, it's not enough to just enter the forest—this forest is alive.

It moves its position every once in a while, and actively arranges illusions and sets up circular routes to target the actions of outsiders.

If outsiders don't know the specific way to get out, they may never escape in their lifetime, and can only be assimilated into a part of the forest after exhausting their strength.

Not to mention the Sacred Mountain, they can't even reach the foot of the Sacred Mountain."

"Is that so..."

Li Ang exchanged glances with Hohenheim, David, and the others. Hohenheim's expression changed slightly, and he nodded lightly.

The divine power seeds that Li Ang had planted behind the forest also showed that their positions had changed—proving that the forest behind had indeed changed its position.

The other party may not be lying.

"Then,"

Li Ang asked, "What do we need to do?"

"Play a game with me."

Claude said calmly, "If you win, I can not only show you the way, but also give you the treasures I have on hand."

He raised the three bulging, dirty, and tattered cloth bags that he was holding in his three arms and smiled, "As for losing, just leave the lives of three of you behind.

How about it, isn't it very fair?"