Chapter 29: Chapter 29: The Journey’s Destination Reached

[ Discovered Zone: Sholan - Southern Great Forest of Ildhena ]

[ Discovered Area: Sholan Eastern Edge. ]

The atmosphere changed almost immediately as she entered the forest. It was like things suddenly went from being a part of civilisation, to completely wild territory. She kept following the river, but there was no sign of a trail that had been used by people here. Any hunters probably entered from closer to the capital, and Adventurers probably wouldn't enter from this side either except out of sheer curiosity.

The mobs of the forest gradually revealed themselves to her. There were some beavers by the river that were eyeing her warily, sleeping owls up in the trees, high-level fish in the river, and she could smell a bear, which made her activate Erase Presence. The trail wasn't super fresh, but she didn't want to take any chances. While stealthed she also passed a very large moose, which had the brightest, strongest mana signature she had encountered so far.

[ Sholan Noble Moose (Cleric Lvl 29) HP: 202/202 ]

Wait, why is it a Cleric?

[ Skill List ]

[ Active: ]

[ Solid Kick Lvl 9 | Ram Lvl 9 | Stomp Lvl Max | Charge Lvl Max | Body Slam Lvl Max | Blessed Smite Lvl 9 | Blessed Shield Lvl 9 | Greater Heal Lvl 9 | Blessing of Defence Lvl 9 | Blessing of Wisdom Lvl 9 | Rock Blast Lvl 9 | Stone Hammer Lvl 9 ]

[ Passive: ]

[ Night Vision Lvl Max | Keen Ears Lvl Max | Insulation Lvl Max | Heavy Blows Lvl 9 | Balance Up Lvl Max | Light Element Up Lvl 9 | Mana Manipulation Lvl 9 | Strength Up (Small) Lvl Max | Defence Up (Small) Lvl Max | Wisdom Up (Small) Lvl Max ]

A lot of this she recognised. Solid Kick was just the upgraded version of Kick, so nothing surprising about the physical attacks. That were a lot of spells she hadn't seen before though. And one new passive.

[ Heavy Blows (Passive): Increase knockback force of all physical melee attacks. Effect increases with skill level. ]

Okay, that's simple enough. But what are all these other things?

[ Blessed Smite (Active): Strike with a blessed bolt from the sky with light element property. Damage value: (1.2+(0.04*skill level))*magic power. Splash radius: 1.5 metres. (Reminder: Only direct hits have a chance to inflict critical damage.) 60% chance to inflict Blind(?) status on targets for 6 seconds. Its vertical nature lets it bypass shields. Cost: 4 MP. Cast time: 3 seconds. Refresh: 3 seconds. ]

[ Blind (Status Condition): Impairs vision. Accuracy drastically reduced. Other senses may help compensate. ]

[ Blessed Shield (Active): Conjure a magical shield with light element property around target that absorbs incoming damage. Shield strength value: (1.2+(0.12*skill level))*magic power. Duration: 1 minute, or until broken. Scales with Wisdom. Cost: 15 MP. Refresh: 1 minute. ]

[ Greater Heal (Active): Restore target's HP. Potency: (1.3+(0.05*skill level))*magic power. Light element property. Cost: 5 MP. Cast time: 3 seconds. Refresh: 3 seconds. ]

[ Blessing of Defence (Active): Increase target's Defence attribute by (15+(1*skill level))%. Light element property. Duration: 1 minute. Cost: 8 MP. Refresh: 15 seconds. ]

[ Rock Blast (Active): Fire a magical projectile with earth element property. Medium knockback force. Damage value: (1.2+(0.04*skill level))*magic power. Splash radius: 1.5 metres. (Reminder: Only direct hits have a chance to inflict critical damage.) Critical hits inflict Stun(?) status for 8 seconds. Effective against heavy armour, and buildings. Cost: 4 MP. Cast time: 3 seconds. Refresh: 3 seconds. ]

[ Stone Hammer (Active): Conjure a magical stone hammer with earth element property to strike a nearby target. Strong knockback force. Range: 2 metres. Damage value: (1.4+(0.04*skill level))*magic power. Effective against heavy armour, and buildings. Cost: 6 MP. Cast time: 3 seconds. Refresh: 15 seconds. ]

So... it can protect, buff, and heal itself. It can knock its opponents away, and attack with ranged magic, or just stomp them in melee. And most of these are upgraded skills, aren't they?

"Correct."

Sara concluded that moose were scary, and best to be avoided, so she swiftly moved on.

A little further in she found her people! Well, a pack of three wolves. She used Identify on one of them.

[ Dire Wolf (Fighter Lvl 27) HP: 134/134 ]

So that's what a Dire Wolf looks like.

It was basically a larger Timber Wolf, but instead of grey fur with hints of white, it was grey fur with hints of brown.

[ Skill List ]

[ Active: ]

[ Chomp Lvl 6 | Rend Lvl 6 | Body Slam Lvl 8 | Crush Lvl 4 | Charge Lvl 8 | Back Attack Lvl 6 | Howl Lvl Max | Inner Power Lvl 4 ]

[ Passive: ]

[ Night Vision Lvl 17 | Keen Eyes Lvl 17 | Keen Ears Lvl 17 | Keen Nose Lvl 17 | Flanking Lvl 5 | Camouflage Lvl 6 | Solid Coat Lvl 5 | Balance Up Lvl 6 | Strength Up (Small) Lvl 7 | Agility Up (Small) Lvl 7 ]

Most of that looked familiar, except for two things.

[ Inner Power (Active): Increase user's attack power by (15+(1*skill level))%, and attack speed by (10+(0.5*skill level))%. Duration: (15+(0.5*skill level)) seconds. Cost: 10 SP. Refresh: 1 minute. ]

[ Flanking (Passive): Gain +(5+(0.5*skill level))% damage inflicted, and +(2+(0.03*skill level))% critical hit rate while attacking a target's side, or back. ]

While the Dire Wolves weren't exceptional on their own, they were solid creatures, and it seemed like their pack tactics were even better than those of less evolved wolves.

Sara was supposed to be on the same evolution tier, though she had some advantages over the average wolf. She might even be capable of taking on all three of them, though she didn't have much experience in fighting groups.

Of course her motive was not to fight her fellow kin in the first place.

She deactivated Erase Presence, and called out of them: "Hello!"

They looked at her for a moment, then at each other, and then ran off, leaving a very confused Sara behind.

What was that about?

The three of them ran along the river further into the woods, and Sara didn't have any better ideas than to just follow them.

* * *

[ Discovered Area: Sholan East. ]

She was getting tired. She'd had to sneak past another moose, ignore more sullen beavers, and had not seen another wolf.

Aina? Is there any place I can go to sleep?

"Hold that thought, Sara. I think you have an urgent matter ahead."

Before she got to ask any more about that, her Danger Sense started going off. Not like intensely, but enough to be recognisable. Similar to how she felt when there was a trap ahead. More of a 'possible danger' than a 'direct danger'.

Wolves. Lots of them. At least 20 Dire Wolves approaching her. And in the middle, walking out to directly face her, was a wolf with a coat so dark brown it looked nearly black, and yellow eyes. She had never seen its type before, but it looked to be at least 50% larger than a Dire Wolf.

[ Sholan Warg (Warrior Lvl 30) HP: 249/249 ]

[ Target Status ]

[ Species: Sholan Warg | Gender: Male ]

[ Genus: Wolf ]

[ Class: Warrior ]

[ Level: 30 ]

[ HP: 233/233 +16 | SP: 241/241 +18 | MP: 89/89 +8 ]

[ VIT: 82 + 16 | END: 91 +18 ]

[ STR: 109 +21 | DEF: 72 +18 ]

[ AGI: 108 +21 | DEX: 84 +16 ]

[ INT: 46 +9 | WIS: 41 +8 ]

[ LUK: 46 +9 ]

What the hell is this? Warg? Warrior?

"Warg is on the next evolution tier to yours, and Warrior is one of the classes you can upgrade Fighter into," Aina helpfully chimed in.

The Warg was giving Sara a menacing look. Then he spoke.

"Are you here you challenge me for my territory?" he asked. His deep voice matched his appearance well.

"Huh?! N-no, I... I... I just came seeking shelter. I heard there might be more of my own here, and..." She wasn't sure how to follow that up. At least she felt wide awake now. She snuck a further peek.

[ Skill List ]

[ Active: ]

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[ Chomp Lvl Max | Rend Lvl Max | Body Slam Lvl Max | Back Attack Lvl Max | Crush Lvl Max | Shred Lvl Max | Charge Lvl Max | Pounce Lvl Max | Savage Blow Lvl Max | Stomp Lvl Max | Pack Leader's Howl Lvl Max | Inner Power Lvl Max | Provoke Lvl Max | Taunt Lvl Max | Sense Presence Lvl Max ]

[ Passive: ]

[ Keen Senses Lvl Max | Danger Sense Lvl Max | Flanking Lvl Max | Desperation Lvl Max | Claw Expertise Lvl Max | Camouflage Lvl Max | Insulation Lvl Max | Solid Coat Lvl Max | Firm Grip Lvl Max | Balance Up Lvl Max | Leadership Lvl Max | Vitality Up (Small) Lvl Max | Endurance Up (Small) Lvl Max | Strength Up (Small) Lvl Max | Agility Up (Small) Lvl Max ]

Is... is this a boss?

While there were some things she was curious about, it was sadly not the time to start reading skill descriptions.

"You are not welcome here," the Warg said. "Leave."

"W-wait!" It had been so long since she'd had an actual conversation with anyone but Aina that she wasn't sure how to find the right words. "All I need is a tiny place somewhere I can stay hidden from the people. I'm not asking more than that. O-or I can join your pack."

"No." He flat out refused her. "You are too strong. Others will want to follow you. Conflict would be inevitable."

What do you base that on? She wanted to ask. His strength was way above hers. Even if she reached the same level, she wouldn't be that strong. But she could feel that it would be pointless to ask. This guy was not flexible.

"Then where do I go..." she muttered as she hung her head. She had come all this way, and there was nothing to go back to. It was frustrating to the point of tears. She had looked forward to this so much.

Silence persisted for a while until she heard: "The north."

She looked up, blinking her eyes at him. "Huh?"

"The east is controlled by the people. The west has another leader. But the north is unruled. Go there, or leave the forest entirely."

But I don't want to rule. Not that there was any point in saying that. "Okay. Thank you." She did feel grateful, even if it seemed like it would be a little while longer before she got any sleep.

"Be careful going up through the east," he offered as parting advice. "The people are very active during the day. May the next time we meet be as equals, and not as adversaries."

Next time? Maybe he isn't so inflexible after all.

"Thank you," she said again. "Um... w-what's your name? Mine is Sara!"

It felt like he raised an eyebrow at her, even though the gesture was hard to recognise on a wolf's face. "I have no need for names," he said, and then walked off, with the rest of the wolves following him.

Once her senses told her she was alone again, all the tension left her like a deflated balloon. Thankfully Danger Sense had calmed down while they were talking. The surroundings wolves had still felt like they might pounce at a moment's notice, but the Warg himself had stopped feeling hostile.

Now I feel even more tired than before, but I don't think he would accept me going to sleep anywhere around here, so I'll need to reach the north first. Unruled, huh? Hopefully the wolves there are more welcoming.

* * *

[ Discovered Area: Sholan Northern Edge. ]

She wasn't entirely sure how far into the woods she had gotten before the confrontation, so she wasn't sure how close to the capital city she'd have to pass on her way north.

[ Discovered Zone: Ethuun - Eastern Great Forest of Ildhena. ]

[ Discovered Area: Ethuun Southern Edge. ]

Well, she had reached the eastern forest, apparently named Ethuun. All she could really do was keep going straight north, and try to get around whatever was in her way.

She wasn't exactly sure how she knew that it was north. One of the senses she had picked up along the way had to have some sort of compass function built into it, because she had a feeling for which directions north, east, south, and west were in. And she was sure she was currently going directly north.

While it was technically all one big forest, she still got the impression that Ethuun felt a little different from Sholan. Not quite as dense, and maybe a little brighter.

[ Discovered Area: Ethuun South. ]

And the mobs she saw were definitely weaker. There were squirrels, deer, cats, large sparrows, woodpeckers, and probably more. She didn't have any interest in inspecting any of them at the moment, as her focus was finding a bed... er, a sleeping place, but she could still feel that they were weaker. Thankfully none of them seemed interested in picking a fight, even though she was moving uncloaked. Sprinting helped keep her awake, and somewhat alert.

[ Discovered Area: Galaani Orchard. ]

That made her slow down, and she managed to not burst right into the grove of fruit trees. They were noticeable shorter than the surrounding wild trees. If she hadn't been so tired, she would have loved to explore this place more, but right now she had to find a way around it. Or maybe she could get away with going through it.

She activated Erase Presence, and stepped into the orchard. There was no fence around it, but it wasn't hard to tell how much neater the area around the fruit trees was compared to the wilder forest surrounding it. It didn't take long for her Sense Presence to detect people, but so long as they weren't directly in her path, she was just going to keep going. She was getting more and more pings, though.

[ Discovered Area: Komeron East Way. ]

She had reached the road. She kept watch from some distance in between the trees, just in case someone with strong detection skills happened to walk past.

There was a lot of traffic. Adventurers, civilian looking Residents, wagons driven by merchants or farmers or something. Probably several types. Also carriages. And guards. They really stood out, not just because of their uniforms, but also because their mana signatures were immense. There was a pair that walked past in Identify range that she couldn't resist at least a brief glimpse at. One with a spear and shield, and the other with a bow.

[ Alrond Kenrii - Elf Komeron Guard (Paladin Lvl 36) HP: 283/283 ]

[ Mureen Yerds - Elf Komeron Guard (Marksman Lvl 35) HP: 226/226 ]

Ah... these have to be the kind of 'OP NPC Guard' types MMOs are famous for, the kind that are meant to discourage players from fighting.

And she could see their names, which was interesting. She had sort of forgotten that skill upgrade already.

Wait... Residents. Wanderers. I can't believe I slipped back into old habits that quickly just because it reminded me of a game thing...

Chiding herself over that wasn't going to solve the problem of how to get across the road, though. It seemed pretty much impossible. It had to be close to noon, maybe early afternoon, which was probably the busiest time of day. She'd just been really unlucky with the timing.

But... if I can't go across... how about I go over?

She assumed the Ildhena trees were meant to be old, as they were generally taller than any other trees she had seen so far. If the canopy hadn't been so dense, they'd be great for scouting. But with her array of skills, she should be able to just hop from tree to tree. It wouldn't be as fast as Sprinting, since she couldn't build up any initial momentum to give Leap the extra speed and distance, but she also wouldn't need to slow down anywhere.

She climbed her way to the top of the tree she was under, and then hopped gently to a nearby tree that was even taller. If these trees could move, then scaling the fortress walls wouldn't be a problem.

To the east she could see well out into Meerna, though most of Milheen was obscured by the trees. To the south was just a sea of trees. To the west was Komeron. It seemed like there was a gap between the forest, and the walls, probably to prevent anyone from scaling them via the trees. They were definitely taller than the ones around Milheen, though the style of looking like it had grown together was much the same.

She could explore that more at a later date. Right now her focus was north. She could envision a 'path' from tree to tree, aiming for the ones that made the best springboards. It would be good consecutive jump training. She just needed to brace her legs, and Leap!

Sailing through the air like that was an entirely different experience from Leaping at ground level. She was really high up, and the scenery flew by below her.

[ Discovered Area: Hildred Herb Field. ]

[ Discovered Area: Ethuun North. ]

[ Discovered Area: Ethuun Northern Hunting Post. ]

[ Discovered Area: Ethuun Northern Edge. ]

[ Discovered Zone: Nyolund - Northern Great Forest of Ildhena. ]

[ Discovered Area: Nyolund Southern Edge. ]

Finally.

She kept going a little further.

[ Discovered Area: Nyolund East. ]

That should be good enough. She just wanted to get away from the edge before finding a place to sleep. She slid her way back down to the ground.

Aina? Where can I go to sleep?

"There is a nearby empty burrow that will do. I recommend finding something better when you wake back up, but I can tell how tired you are. Just follow this marker."

Sara nodded, and started walking. Thankfully it didn't look to be far. Halfway there she heard some noise above her, and looked up to see a couple of ravens cawing at her.

They reminded her of the ravens back in Merwyn, so she took a moment to wave at them with her paw. "Yes, hello to you too," she tried to say, even though it probably just sounded like 'woof' or something. Hopefully they understood the sentiment.

She made her way into the burrow without paying attention to anything else. It was admittedly a little small, so she understood Aina's comment, but that wasn't important at the moment. Nor did she care about trying to make another hammock. As soon as her body hit the ground, she was out like a light.

When I started writing the journey arc, I naively thought it was going to be like three chapters before I could start the forest arc, which I had been planning for a long time. It turned into a lot more than that. It could probably be a light novel volume all on its own.

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