Over the next few days, after leaving the Shire and passing through Bree, Mike and his group arrived at the dense forest outside the Old Forest.
The several days of travel finally quieted down Pippin and Merry, those two energetic little fellows.
Never having traveled far from home, they had almost exhausted all their strength to keep up with Mike's pace.
Of course, this was intentional on Mike's part.
At least the physical exhaustion would stop the Four Hobbit Children from asking endless questions.
"Mr. Frodo, do you need me to carry you?" Surprisingly, after several days of high-intensity travel, Sam still had energy left.
Seeing the tired expression on Frodo's face, this simple Hobbit asked.
"No, no need, I can still keep going." Frodo shook his head, not wanting to trouble his companion.
After all, although Sam was a bit stronger physically, he was carrying everyone's luggage. All things considered, his stamina couldn't have been much better than anyone else's.
"Sam, why didn't you ask us?"
"Yeah, we're tired too, and need to be carried..."
"..."
Pippin and Merry exchanged glances, then both looked at Sam.
They clearly wanted to tease him.
"If any of you can help me with the luggage, I could carry the other person forward." Sam's honest nature led him to give a truthful answer.
"Oh, then forget it, we can still keep going..." x2
Pippin and Merry looked at the huge pack on Sam's back and simultaneously shook their heads in refusal.
In terms of weight, that large luggage was not much lighter than a Hobbit child.
Pippin and Merry wanted to be lazy, but neither of them wanted to take on that hard task.
"Mr. Mike, how much longer until we reach the Old Forest you mentioned?" Frodo, taking a moment to catch his breath, asked the question on his mind.
If the itinerary had been planned reasonably, they should have rested in Bree.
However, Mike found it troublesome, so he encouraged everyone to rest together once they reached the Old Forest.
"Do you see that lush forest ahead? That's the Old Forest. So, everyone, just bear with it a little longer, and we'll be able to rest soon." Mike explained with a smile.
They were at most two or three kilometers from the Old Forest, or rather, they had already entered its outskirts.
"That's great!!! Merry, did you hear that? We'll be able to rest soon!"
"Of course, once we reach the Old Forest, I'm going to get a good night's sleep..."
"..."
Seeing hope right before their eyes, Pippin and Merry instantly "came alive" again.
They held onto their last bit of strength, playfully chasing and laughing as they continued forward, which livened up the otherwise dull atmosphere.
"Stop!" After walking about another kilometer, Mike suddenly called out to everyone, asking, "Is anyone among you afraid of spiders?"
"Spiders? Who would be afraid of such tiny things?" Pippin replied casually.
"I once saw spiders the size of a fist in Hobbiton, they didn't scare me at all..." Merry chimed in.
At the same time, Sam and Frodo also had expressions of indifference on their faces.
Hobbits love nature, and their homes are mostly built on hillsides and under large trees.
Such environments inevitably lead to contact with small animals; spiders, beetles, and the like were long commonplace.
If a Hobbit claimed to be afraid of small insects, they would likely be ridiculed.
"Very good, get ready then." Mike looked at the Four Hobbit Children and said, "A large group of spiders is approaching us."
At first, seeing Mike's serious tone, everyone thought he was joking.
However, as the rustling sounds in the surrounding jungle grew louder and louder, they immediately put away their nonchalant expressions.
"Mr. Mike, are you sure it's spiders and not a pack of wild beasts?" Frodo had already drawn sting and stood back-to-back with Sam in a defensive posture.
Pippin and Merry each picked up a branch from the ground for self-defense.
It wasn't that they were overreacting; it was simply that the commotion around them was too terrifying, as if a thousand troops were surrounding them.
"They're here!" Mike called out a reminder to everyone.
Just as he finished speaking, a dozen or so watermelon-sized spiders suddenly crawled out of the jungle.
"What, they're a bit big, but they still don't scare me—"
"So, the spiders outside are this big..."
"..."
Pippin and Merry still had surprised expressions, but they were much better than when the spiders hadn't appeared.
Perhaps annoyed that they had been scared by the spiders' commotion earlier, the two lively little fellows immediately raised the branches in their hands and threw them at the spiders.
As the spiders were splattered with their insides, the two little fellows' faces showed expressions of triumphant revenge.
As for Frodo, who had been observing Mike's expression, he was more cautious, pulling Sam into a watchful stance.
Just then, the death of a dozen small spiders seemed to enrage the "monsters" in the forest.
With a crushing force, countless branches snapped, and then hundreds of buffalo-sized Giant Spiders appeared before them, vying to be first.
Eight compound eyes arranged in two rows looked like countless small lights, and their fangs were as sharp as sickles.
"Oh my goodness!!! Are these still spiders???"
Pippin and Merry were startled by the sight before them. After dodging the Giant Spiders' first wave of sneak attacks, they quickly rushed behind Mike.
"You're a Dragon Slayer, or a Troll Slayer, you should be able to handle these spiders, right?" Pippin asked with a trembling voice.
It was as if he considered Mike his last resort.
"Of course, these spiders, apart from being a bit large, aren't actually that scary. You just need to pierce their heads or the heart in their chest armor to kill them..." Mike conjured a Holy Light barrier, preventing the Giant Spiders from advancing, and continued, "Your journey to Mount Doom will be even more dangerous, so you can practice your courage here first..."
"Go for it, I'll protect you from behind."
Mike still needed to return to the Lonely Mountain to command the Lonely Mountain Alliance, so he couldn't babysit the Four Hobbit Children indefinitely.
Therefore, it was very necessary to train their courage.
"They really can't get in..." Pippin, realizing he was safe inside the barrier, immediately stepped forward and taunted the Giant Spiders outside the barrier, "Big guys, come and bite me!!!"
He even provocatively patted his backside amidst his triumphant laughter.
On the other side, Merry also followed his companion forward and tentatively extended a branch outside to tap one of the Giant Spiders on the head.
"Interesting, these big guys can't do anything to us!!!" Merry, having accomplished the feat of attacking a Giant Spider, then showed a joyful expression.
And so, circling the edge of the barrier, the two lively Hobbit children began to repeatedly jump around and attack the Giant Spiders.
For a time, they were having a blast...
"Is that what you want us to do?" Frodo, in the center of the barrier, seemed to have discerned Mike's intention to train everyone.
"Yes, since you have chosen to embark on the journey to Mount Doom, you will encounter many dangers along the way. These Giant Spiders are just the beginning; the journey ahead will only be more difficult than this." Mike kindly explained further.
The dark forces of Middle-earth existed by relying on Sauron. Frodo, wanting to go to Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring, which was tied to Sauron's fate, would certainly face many obstacles from the dark forces.
This was more like a war between the dark forces and the forces of light.
And Frodo, holding the One Ring, was at the center of this storm.
"I understand." Frodo understood what Mike wanted to convey, and then raised sting and walked towards the edge of the barrier.
Sam, nearby, found a log and followed behind Frodo to protect him.
Then, after getting familiar with the Giant Spiders' attacks for a few moments, Frodo led Sam out of the barrier.
Eagles cannot fly out of a birdcage, and flowers cannot be cultivated in a greenhouse.
Frodo understood that only by facing true danger could one be trained.
Thus, Mike's "arrangement" would not be in vain.
Before long, Frodo picked out a lone Giant Spider, and with Sam's support from the side, finally plunged sting into the spider's chest.
'This doesn't seem difficult—'
Frodo, having achieved his first kill, gained a significant boost in confidence.
Just as he was momentarily distracted, several Giant Spiders surrounded him.
"Mr. Frodo, hurry and go, I'll cover your retreat!" Seeing them fall into a desperate situation, Sam swung his log, blocking Frodo's path.
He had already disregarded his own life and death.
"No, if we go, we go together!!!" After the initial panic, Frodo again raised sting and walked alongside Sam, severing several Giant Spider legs in succession.
However, compared to the ever-increasing swarm of Giant Spiders, Frodo's destructive power was clearly still far from enough.
"Frodo, Sam, be careful, we're coming to help you..." x2
Seeing their companions in a tough fight, Pippin and Merry, with a strong sense of loyalty, also rushed out of the barrier and headed towards Frodo and Sam's position.
However, the saying still held true: facing a mountain of Giant Spiders, the strength of the Four Hobbit Children seemed very limited.
In such perilous circumstances, they were constantly at risk of being killed by the Giant Spiders.
Mike, seeing that the Four Hobbit Children had pretty much exhausted their stamina, gathered Power Of Faith and with a wave of his hand, sent the surrounding Giant Spiders flying.
Then, using his divine power, he lifted the Four Hobbit Children back into the barrier.
"Very good, you have proven your courage. However, Frodo, I still need to remind you not to be careless until you're completely out of danger." Mike affirmed the Four Hobbit Children, while also pointing out Frodo's shortcomings.
Of course, for a first encounter with this level of danger, Frodo had actually done very well.
Just as Mike was about to casually deal with the large number of Giant Spiders before him, Tom's figure suddenly rushed out of the Old Forest.
"Damn spiders, I warned you not to come to the Old Forest!!!"
Along with Tom's angry tone, the surrounding trees seemed to come alive.
Branches and vines intertwined to form a large net, encompassing countless Giant Spiders.
Immediately after, as the net contracted, countless Giant Spiders screamed as they were strangled to death.
Sickly green fluid dripped everywhere...
"How dare you harm my children, you deserve to die!!!"
Amidst a harsh shriek, a Giant Spider mother with a human head, her long dark green hair, swept towards Tom.
The seemingly soft long hair was like steel wire, cutting through all the trees in its path.
"Oh no—!"
Tom was in a state where his old strength was depleted and new strength had not yet emerged. Facing Shelob's ultimate move, he could only temporarily control a few nearby tree vines to resist.
However, if even tree trunks couldn't stop the long hair, temporarily woven vines certainly couldn't.
They were quickly shredded by Shelob's dark green hair.
"Boom—!!"
Just then, a pure white flame flew from Mike's hand, instantly igniting Shelob's hair.
And following the hair, it burned towards Shelob.
"Are you alright, Tom?" Mike went to Tom's side and asked with concern.
"I'm fine, that spider is still far from being able to hurt me!" Facing the concern, Tom smiled and shook his head.
The situation just now seemed dangerous, but in reality, it couldn't threaten Tom's life.
After all, his energy was connected to the entire Old Forest behind him; as long as the Old Forest was not completely destroyed, he could recover quickly.
Even in a war of attrition, he could exhaust Shelob to death.
As for Shelob, she was the mother of the Giant Spiders, and before, she had been leading her children to harass the Northern Highlands for Sauron.
However, she encountered tough individuals like Gandalf, Aragorn, and Legolas, and was then expelled from the Northern Highlands.
Of course, to have survived for sixty years without being eliminated, Shelob herself must have had some abilities.
Now, under Mike's holy fire, though she looked miserable, she wouldn't die anytime soon.
"It's not your fault to be ugly and have a horrible voice, but coming out to disgust people is unacceptable—" Mike freed his hand, conjured a giant light fist, and with one punch, smashed the struggling Shelob into a meat patty, making her as dead as can be.
This Shelob, with a human face full of fangs but a spider body, was indeed an unsightly sight.
"Is this the power of a Dragon Slayer?"
"I never thought the terrifying Giant Spiders would be dealt with so easily..."
"..."
From Tom's arrival to Mike's action, it was actually only a minute or two.
After truly witnessing Mike's abilities, the Four Hobbit Children's admiration for him grew even stronger.
Tom, who had also eliminated a large number of Giant Spiders, became a foil for the Dragon Slayer.
"By the way, Mike. How did you find time to come to the Old Forest, and even run into a group of Giant Spiders?" Tom was an optimist; after the trouble with the Giant Spiders was resolved, he reverted to his old mischievous self.
"It's a long story. I was invited by Gandalf to escort these Four Hobbit Children to Rivendell..." Mike began to explain.
"Stop, how can there be a story without good wine?" Tom invited, "Let's go into the Old Forest and talk slowly; I just brewed a batch of fruit wine."
The Old Forest was like spring all year round, so there was no shortage of fruits for making fruit wine.
Moreover, Tom was quite interested in news about Gandalf.
...
"So Gandalf found the One Ring, and you plan for that little fellow over there to take the Ring to Mount Doom to destroy it?" Tom revealed a surprised expression in front of the treehouse in the Old Forest.
The Old Forest's current state was naturally inseparable from the spiritual energy within Middle-earth.
As the master here, Tom had the right to know about the One Ring being destroyed.
"Yes, Gandalf believes this is the only way to prevent the dark forces from resurfacing." Mike nodded, then reminded, "As the One Ring is destroyed, the spiritual energy within Middle-earth will slowly disappear. You should prepare early."
"Thanks for the concern," Tom felt Mike's good intentions, then smiled and said, "But there's no need to worry too much. Without spiritual energy, the Old Forest will still be the Old Forest; it won't affect me much."
That's right, Tom had already become one with the Old Forest, and without spiritual energy, the trees in the Old Forest would not die.
At most, they would follow nature, budding in spring and shedding leaves in winter.
Although Tom's strength would also be somewhat affected by the seasons later, his fundamental power would not change.
The fruit trees here would still bear fruit in autumn.