Beside the Screaming Forest, Pandora slowly turned around to look in the direction of the sound, where she saw the person who made it.
It was a not-so-tall man dressed in a pitch-black wizard robe, who did not seem to harbor much hostility, but rather had a gentle look in his eyes. The only thing was that the man’s face was devoid of any healthy flesh, with his entire skin flayed off, leaving large scabs of clotted blood, resembling a mask. Moreover, because of the movement of the facial muscles, some scabs cracked open, oozing thick pus, a sight that made one’s hair stand on end.
The man’s eerie face, combined with his gentle gaze, created an indescribable sense of oddity.
The man was now looking over intently, introducing himself, "Little girl, my name is Casol, from the faraway Main Continent."
After he finished, he asked, "And what about you, little girl? What is your name?"
Pandora, upon hearing this, did not respond. Her gaze swept over Casol’s body and then drifted toward the entrance to the pathway, thinking of the task Richard had given her.
Seeing that Pandora did not answer for a long time, Casol stepped closer, blocking her line of sight, and squinted as he spoke, "Little girl, why are you silent? Can you not tell me your name, or do you not wish to?"
Pandora remained silent, not wanting to engage with Casol at all, wishing only to run into the passage to warn Richard of the danger. But with Casol in the way, she could not do as she wished.
Casol was stepping closer and closer. Pandora could hardly bear it anymore and glared fiercely at Casol with a look of disgust. She stamped her feet hard and dashed to the left, attempting to bypass Casol and head toward the passage.
But after just a few steps, she heard a "whoosh" sound as Casol’s body created a series of afterimages, blocking the path she had to pass.
Casol, having intercepted Pandora, flashed a colorful look in his eyes and smacked his lips, "Not bad, not bad at all. The speed you just demonstrated exceeds many others. Some wizards wouldn’t even be able to match your speed, which is quite impressive. Of course, compared to me, there is still a significant gap. Now, I’m even more curious about who you are. My dear little girl, what is your name, where do you come from? What about your parents?"
Pandora was silent, her goal clear: to ignore Casol’s words and enter the passageway to send a message to Richard.
Pandora, having been blocked, stomped her foot again and ran to the right, attempting for the second time to bypass Casol.
But it was in vain, for Casol’s speed was much greater, and he flashed in front of her again.
"Little girl," Casol said "seriously," "I told you, you’re not as fast as I am, so you can’t go anywhere you intend to go without my permission. Better to give up."
Pandora wasn’t listening, persistently fixated on what she had decided to do.
Pandora took a deep breath and stamped her foot again, attempting for the third time to bypass Casol.
No good, blocked again.
A fourth attempt, no good, blocked again.
Pandora repeated the same attempt over a dozen times, without exception, all ended in failure.
Casol laughed, looking at Pandora with a hint of mockery, "Little girl, are you truly unable to understand what I’m saying? You’re not as fast as I am, so without my permission, you won’t be able to go anywhere. How about this, you tell me who you are, and maybe I’ll consider letting you leave."
Pandora looked up, biting her lip with a hint of anger in her eyes, opened her mouth and said, "Scram!"
"Eh?" Casol was taken aback, a bit puzzled, "What does that mean? Scram? Is that your name?"
Pandora answered Casol with her actions.
The ground shook slightly as Pandora stomped on it with all her might, launching herself like a cannonball. This time, she did not attempt to take a detour but instead charged straight toward Casol.
If she couldn’t bypass him, then she would fight!
Pandora’s thoughts were clear as she clenched her fist in midair.
However, just as she was about to close within half a meter of Casol, she suddenly felt an extremely strong repulsive force that grew as she approached.
Eventually, with a "snap," Pandora was flung back and landed on the ground, stumbling back several steps before stopping.
Casol, from a distance, first expressed surprise—astonished by Pandora’s sudden attack, as well as the power behind it. Then he laughed and said, "Little girl, the surprises you bring me just keep on coming. Not only do you have super-fast speed, but you also possess strength greater than that of a normal Wizard. If it had been an ordinary First-level Wizard, they would have been injured by your attack just now. But not me, I’m no weakling.
That being said, although I like the surprises you bring, I don’t like naughty children. You still haven’t answered my question or told me your name. If this goes on and my patience runs out, I might have to spank you!"
By the end, there was a hint of menace in Casol’s voice.
Pandora was not intimidated at all. She glanced at Casol, regained her balance, and stomped fiercely on the ground again, hurtling at high speed toward Casol and throwing a punch.
As expected, Pandora was repelled for the second time.
Then she charged again, only to be thrown back a third time.
The fourth charge, and the fourth time being repelled...
It all seemed like a repetition of the earlier attempts to circle around. But there were some differences.
Earlier, while circling, Pandora had gone all out, as fast as she could each time with no significant difference. But now, in her anger, she was performing above her level, each blow stronger and more threatening than the last.
After a dozen or so attempts, the transparent Energy Shield Casol had been sustaining was visibly failing, riddled with cracks and on the verge of collapse.
Pandora charged once more, and with a "crash," the Shield shattered, and she immediately threw a vicious punch toward Casol’s face.
Casol watched without much surprise or fear. His gaze icy, he watched Pandora’s fist coming closer and scoffed before sending out a punch of his own.
Fist met fist, and the two fists—large and small—collided heavily. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮
For a moment, time seemed to pause. Then Pandora drifted back like a leaf with no branch to cling to, while Casol stood firm, his body barely swaying, swiftly regaining his stance.
Pandora landed clumsily, creating a dent, then propped herself up with her hands and climbed out of the pit.
Once out, it was evident that the back of Pandora’s hand was torn, and blood was seeping from her mouth; clearly, she had suffered a great deal from the exchange with Casol.
Blood dripped slowly from Pandora’s mouth and hand, falling to the ground and hissing "sizzle" as it evaporated into a whiff of white steam in the cold winter air.