Central Forest

At this point, the game starts to become a bit less linear. The Central Forest connects the Graveyard of Bachular to both Fosbus' Swamp and Warlic's Lake. Fosbus is your next target, but you can't reach her without Aqua Boots, which are found in Warlic's Lake. In fact, there's no reason to head to Fosbus' Swamp just yet.

The enemies in the Central Forest tend to be slow-moving and dull, but tough. You'll find Green Potato Bugs for the first time, soon followed by their tougher White cousins. All these tough enemies are much easier to take out with the Valley Sword, which you may want to go back for if you haven't already picked it up.

While your immediate goal is to make it to Warlic's Lake, don't miss the two Life Potions and the Bible in the area. They are all reasonably priced. One Life Potion is in the southeast corner, but the other items are conveniently located near the central river.

You can venture into Fosbus' Swamp now if you want, but you don't need to do so just yet. The coastal areas of Warlic's Lake are less dangerous and hide the Aqua Boots you need to find Fosbus. Therefore, head west to a second brick path for now. However, make sure you have a Maximum Gold of at least 20,000 before you go, so you can afford the Aqua Boots.

There is an amusing screen just east of the brick path. It has perhaps the most difficult-to-find cave in the game. You'll need to defeat 32 (!) White Potato Bugs to open it. What do you get? An admonishment not to pick on weak creatures.