Gaining insight into the element of air was no small thing. I didn’t just gain a sense of power, but rather, a feeling that was almost indescribable.

Air represented freedom, it was an expansive force of nature that, when given direction, could become immensely destructive. The nature of a gaseous substance was to expand, not restricted to any mold or form. I took that knowledge to be significant in any progress I sought to make from here on out.

I leaped forward, easily clearing twenty meters of space with the wind at my back. My hooves reached the ground, softly pressing into the grass before I lightly sent myself further.

For now, there was nothing I couldn’t scale, no matter how steep or uneven terrain, I could move as quickly and spryly as a gazelle. For an animal that had to weigh hundreds of kilograms, the speed and agility that the wind granted me were deadly.

Of course, it was not without its drawbacks. In exchange for my burst of speed, I needed an adequate amount of food and rest. In the case of the former, nearly 3 times as much vegetation was needed than I usually consumed for an hour of travel while making use of the wind.

There was also the matter of tight spaces, where clusters of trees made quick and sharp movements especially draining on my mental and physical endurance.

‘Again, there it is!’ I spotted a flicker of a wispy light for a moment.

It had been happening recently, ever since the night I had broken free, I had begun to catch glimpses of light, what I thought to be spirits.

As I passed other animals, none of them seemed to take notice and if they had, I guess they weren’t smart enough to realize the importance behind it.

I stopped at a watering hole where several other creatures had gathered. A group of foxes, several rotund squirrel-like creatures, a solitary bloodhorn, and a–

‘Woah,’ If I had the ability to, my jaw would be dropped in awe.

A bird that stood nearly half of my height was dipping its beak into the water. The massive creature of avian origin didn’t seem predatory as the foxes ignored it and it, in turn, did the same.

‘So just what do you eat?’ I pondered, asking inwardly.

The bird turned its head, shaking its colorful feathers that ranged from orange to blue. Its beak was bright yellow while its eyes were two dark orbs that took in the surroundings. It stared at me for a few moments that turned uncomfortable, but it eventually flew off.

‘I wonder…’ I called the wind to me and began my furtive chase, keeping my eyes on the bird that ascended further than I could ever hope to reach.

It became a small dot in the sky, but I didn’t let myself lose sight. The treetops nearly turned me around, but since the bird hadn’t changed direction I continued in a straight line, only moving to avoid an oncoming tree.

I broke through the tree line and came to a halt, my hooves scraping through the mud as I made a complete stop. What greeted me was a large mountain, devoid of any obvious plant life.

A steep wall full of sharp assemblies of jutting stone and footholds hardened soil lay right in front of me.

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Overhead, I could see birds of similar color, a gradient orange that slowly turned blue toward the end of the feathers. They circled around the cliff’s peak, letting out shrill cries before landing somewhere just out of sight.

‘The question is do I attempt to climb or do I just leave.’

A spark of curiosity led me here. Logically, animals that were of an extreme size needed a source of food able to support them. Now, that didn’t necessarily mean the volume of whatever they consumed needed to be high, it could be something small with plentiful energy. This was a world where I, who had been a former human, was now in the body of an elk.

‘Show me my progress on my next physical transformation.’

To achieve your next physical evolution, Alderhorn Elk, three prerequisites must be met.

-A total of 60,000kg worth of organic matter must be consumed.

-One plant infused with the energy of nature spirits must be consumed.

-You must spend at least 300 (100/300) hours inside of a heavily forested area.

Now, I don’t know if I was much a gambler in my past life, but I wagered that there might be heavy spiritual energy up there.

‘Just what are those birds anyway?’

The Bright Feather Screechers are birds who make their nests in high elevations, typically mountains. Their diets consist of a very specific fruit that, when consumed, increases the intensity of their colorful plumage as well as the power of their calls.

‘Oh?’ I discovered a nifty little feature to bearing the Spirit of Nature.

I sort of regretted not looking for it sooner. It was only then did I remember that anything related to the Spirit of Nature was on the table. The knowledge was within me, but it didn’t appear without being prompted.

‘A very specific fruit, huh?’

I rushed ahead and tried to scale the towering mountain, my hooves touched a foothold, but I was far too large and I tumbled downward. My body rolled on its own as I lost my footing and I stood up, slightly dazed from my fall.

I shook myself, clearing the dust from my fur before making another attempt that ended in failure.

‘Maybe I need to try somewhere else?’

I stayed positive and made attempt after attempt. I climbed, jumped, and crawled a little bit further each time, but my efforts were short-lived, never actually resulting in any real success.

I was forced to give up after since my body was too exhausted to try anymore.

To gain a beginners insight into the understanding of elements, the following is needed:

-120/500 hours of meditation (Air)

-50/200 hours of meditation (Wood)

-15/200 hours of meditation (Earth)

-0/500 hours meditation (Water)

-0/1000 hours of meditation (Lightning)

-0/5000 hours of meditation (Fire)

-0/5000 hours of meditation (Metal)

Necessary hours are based on your current affinity with each element. Locations that are related to a specific element will drastically increase the rate at which you gain insight. To commune with Spirits, you must gain insight into at least 2 elements.

As I dragged my body to a well-hidden hollow, I figured that there were two obvious solutions ahead of me. To gain insight into the element of earth or wood. I assumed that wood encompassed all plant life while earth dealt with soil and stone.

With either of them obtained, I could try my hand at ‘elk rock-climbing’ and rig up some sort of method to ascend the mountain.

However, they weren’t my first options since I had only approached the mountain from one side. For all I knew, there could be an easy path upward if I just went around it. So, for now, I decided to at least explore my area before sinking myself into constant meditation. Without the protection of the herd, I was wary of letting my attention wander in a new environment.

As night fell, I hunkered down with my back to a large boulder. Each breeze revealed my surroundings to me and I could rest easier knowing that I could at least feel if something charged me. I’d have at least seven or so seconds to mount a response which was a large amount of time given the nature of this world. Where giant wolves roamed. And who was to say they were the only things around? I shuddered when I realized that there was much more that I hadn’t discovered. Though, from my previous conflict, I also felt a sense of relief.

I, as a non-predatory animal, could protect myself with greater ease. I made myself comfortable, settled down, and closed my eyes.

Tomorrow, I would search for an alternate route.