Chapter 46: Thornheart Secret Realm

Ethan appeared in the Secret Realm.

He looked around. There was something familiar about this place, although he couldn’t remember where he had seen it before.

A system notification appeared in front of him.

[You have entered the Thornheart Secret Realm.]

[Time Limit: 1 Day]

[Remaining Time: 23:59:59]

[Special Environment: Extremely Dense Wood Elemental Energy]

[Warning: The lifeforms within the Secret Realm possess unusually high vitality and regenerative abilities.]

Ethan read through the notifications.

His eyes stopped on the name of the Secret Realm.

Thornheart.

Secret Realms were ranked from one star to ten stars, with higher-ranked realms generally containing more dangerous environments, stronger creatures, and better resources.

Thornheart was only a three-star Secret Realm.

Ethan had entered this place once in his previous life.

Thornheart was known for its rare herbs and plants. Some could be used to make powerful healing potions, while others could restore energy, strengthen the body, or be used to create poisons.

There were even a few plants that were hard to find anywhere else in the world.

Ethan suddenly felt something wrap around his foot.

He looked down.

A long green stem had wrapped tightly around his ankle.

Before he could react, it pulled.

Ethan was dragged forward and slammed onto the ground. The stem continued pulling him through the grass, dragging him deeper into the forest.

Ethan reacted immediately.

"Solar Elementals."

Golden light appeared around him.

The fifty Solar Elementals appeared at the same time, their bodies glowing with orange-gold cracks.

"Solar Ray."

The Elementals raised their heads.

Fifty thin beams of orange-gold light shot forward and cut through the stem.

The pulling stopped instantly.

Ethan stood up and brushed the dirt from his clothes before looking at the severed stem.

It was much longer than he had expected.

The part that had grabbed him disappeared into the forest, while the other end slowly moved across the ground.

Ethan stared at the severed stem for a moment. Although Thornheart was filled with valuable herbs, the plants were just as dangerous.

Carnivorous plants, poisonous flowers, vines that could move on their own, and even plants with rows of sharp teeth could be found throughout the realm.

If someone wasn’t careful, they could be attacked without even realizing it. That was one of the reasons Thornheart had always been dangerous despite being only a three-star Secret Realm.

"If I let the Shadow Wraiths fight them, it’ll take too long."

The plants in Thornheart had extremely strong vitality. Cutting them apart wasn’t enough to kill some of them, and the more troublesome ones could keep regenerating as long as their roots or cores remained intact.

Fire and heat were much more effective against plant life.

That was why Ethan had summoned the Solar Elementals first.

Still, the Shadow Wraiths weren’t useless here.

Ethan summoned them as well and spread them throughout the surrounding shadows. They didn’t need to fight.

As long as they remained concealed within the shadows, they could keep watch over the area and warn him before anything got close.

Ethan glanced deeper into the forest.

"The Thornheart Flower should be blooming around this time."

He started walking.

"This Secret Realm is controlled by the Verdant Alchemy Hall, a Middle Faction known for making potions and medicines."

Ethan thought for a moment.

"If I remember correctly, they searched for the Thornheart Flower every year, but they never knew exactly where it would appear."

He continued deeper into the forest.

"But this time is different."

"I entered the Secret Realm much earlier than I did in my previous life. I’m not sure if the Thornheart Flower will appear in the same place."

His previous-life memory could only tell him so much. If the timing was different, the flower might have appeared somewhere else.

"Looks like I’ll have to search for it myself."

Ethan continued walking toward the deeper part of the forest.

"Let’s go."

The Solar Elementals followed behind him, while the Shadow Wraiths remained spread throughout the surrounding shadows.

...

Far away from Ethan, on the other side of the Verdant secret realm, three figures suddenly appeared in the middle of the forest.

Two men and one woman.

The young man standing between the other two looked around at the endless green trees.

"So this is the Thornheart Secret Realm?"

He looked around with clear interest.

"It’s so green."

The woman beside him glanced at the surrounding trees.

"Beautiful, isn’t it?"

She paused.

"Don’t let that fool you, Young Guild Leader Kael. This place is just as dangerous as it is beautiful."

Kael laughed. "Of course I know. I was only admiring the scenery."

His expression soon became more serious.

"Anyway, Father went through all that trouble to get me into this Secret Realm."

He looked around the forest again.

"Even though I managed to get into the Order Academy after being killed by that blind gunslinger, it’s not like that means I’m already one of the best."

He clicked his tongue.

"There’ll be plenty of geniuses there. If I don’t get stronger before we leave, I’ll just fall behind."

"That’s why Father sent me here. He wants me to use this place as training."

He paused and grinned.

"But more importantly, we’re here for the Thornheart Flower."

The young woman nodded.

"That’s also why I came with you."

She was a member of the Verdant Alchemy Hall and had also been selected by the Order Academy. Her profession fell under the Support category, and she specialized in Alchemy.

She had no combat ability, but when it came to plants and herbs, she was far more knowledgeable than most people.

She glanced toward the deeper part of the forest.

"If you do it wrong, you’ll damage the flower and lose most of its value."

Kael nodded.

"That’s why I wanted you here."

The woman looked at him.

"If I can help you get the flower safely, then..."

Kael waved his hand. "Don’t worry, Liana. If you can do what you said, I’ll keep my promise."

He looked toward the older man standing beside them.

"And with Uncle Garrick here, we don’t have to worry about anything life-threatening."

Garrick gave him a brief look before nodding.

"Of course. I’ll make sure to follow the Guild Leader’s instructions."

"Good. Then let’s get moving."

Liana pulled out a folded map

She opened it and spread it across the ground.

"I marked the areas where the Thornheart Flower has appeared before."

She pointed toward a section deeper in the forest.

"We’ll start here."

The three of them headed deeper into the forest, with Garrick following closely behind Kael and Liana.