Mike sat down on a large rock, utterly exhausted. He had no idea where Lana had teleported him. He had been walking for days but couldn't find the slightest sign of civilization.

"She wants me to suffer, and she's achieving that goal," he sighed. Even with his quasi-rank 9 strength, he had no power to resist Lana. Now, not only was his magical strength sealed, but even his physical state was barely better than that of a pure mortal.

After resting briefly, Mike stood up and began walking again, randomly picking a random direction.

Fortunately, despite walking for days, he hadn’t encountered any dangerous predators or bandits. The weather remained mild, and there were enough insects for him to feed on. Water was his main issue, but luckily, he had come across small streams to quench his thirst.

...

Mike continued to walk, and finally, after a whole year, he found a "city"—if it could even be called that. It was a settlement of wood elves, but it didn’t seem like a serious city. There were a few houses atop massive trees, but the population was small, no more than 1,000.

It was called North Forest City. Fortunately for Mike, Lana hadn’t sealed his ability to read mortal minds to learn their language. That’s how he managed to communicate with the wood elves.

By then, after over a year of wandering, his clothes were nearly destroyed. He discarded them, but unfortunately, the wood elves had no clothes to offer, as they were known for not wearing any. Mike didn’t care much—his priority was figuring out where he was.

To his surprise, Lana hadn’t taken away the red card; it remained active. When Mike displayed it, the wood elves' attitude toward him instantly changed from indifference and hostility to reverence and respect. Even in this remote city, the red card was well-known.

They quickly housed him in the most luxurious home, built atop the highest tree, and even sewed him clothes from tree leaves. While it wasn’t comparable to proper clothing, it was still impressive, considering how difficult it was to weave hundreds of leaves together.

...

"Southern Forest?" Mike asked the wood elf standing before him.

"Yes, my honorable guest. Our Southern Forest is underdeveloped and is occupied by us wood elves and the green men to the west. Other species, like goblins and lizardmen, live far to the south, but you need not worry about them," said the elf.

"How can I reach human settlements?" Mike asked. He wanted to meet Lana again and beg for forgiveness. Despite believing that Lana only wanted him to suffer, he still clung to the faint hope that she might show a hint of pity and let him go.

If she allowed him to leave this world, he swore he would never return—not for revenge, not for anything. He would find a rank 10 world and stay there until he reached true rank 10.

"My honorable guest, human settlements are far from here. Our savior, Queen Lana, has completely isolated us in the Southern Forest from the northern continent. The only way I know of is using the great teleportation array in the capital city of the Wide Forest," the elf explained.

"How do I reach the capital city?" Mike asked.

"That would be difficult," the elf replied, shaking his head. "The trade caravan just left five years ago. They won’t return for another 95 years."

"Do you have a map?" Mike asked.

"My honorable guest, don’t even think about traveling alone. The trade caravan is guarded by many supernatural masters who fend off the dangers on the way to the capital. Even with their help, it still takes years, and many lives are lost. You, my guest, are a pure mortal. Attempting this alone would be suicide," the elf said, his tone somber.

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"Can I stay in your village?" Mike asked, deciding to wait out the 95 years.

Although he appeared to be an ordinary human in size, Mike was still technically in the body of the "Big Demon," an immortal being of great power. Lana had sealed its strength and magic, reducing its size to that of a human. But despite these limitations, Mike still had one advantage—an infinite lifespan.

Having spent millions of years in the endless void of space, a few centuries felt like the blink of an eye. He preferred waiting to risking his life.

In his current weak state, even an ordinary wild beast can take his life; he prefers not to die in that miserable way.

"Of course, my honorable guest! You have the red card! You are welcome to stay in my humble house. We, the residents of North Forest City, will serve you with great joy," the elf bowed deeply.

Mike nodded, still surprised that the evil, crazed demoness Lana was so popular among the elves. However, it was also possible that the elves didn’t like Lana but acted this way out of fear. Another possibility was that they were treating him so well because, with the red card, he could be considered extremely wealthy, able to withdraw 10,000,000 RM every day.

"Thank you. Then I will remain here in this room and meditate. I won’t need much, just food, water, and daily necessities. I won’t be any trouble," Mike said, uninterested in exploring the small city.

"Of course, my honorable guest. I will leave now and let you rest in peace," the elf said, bowing before leaving the room.

...

Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, 95 years had gone by.

The wood elves of this world had lifespans of 5,000 years. They lived in remote forests and were extremely peaceful. Most had no ambition beyond living in their small villages for their entire lives.

This peaceful existence was thanks to Queen Lana, who had isolated the Southern Forest from the rest of the world. Had she not, modern human civilization would have undoubtedly encroached on this underdeveloped region.

The Southern Forest was extremely vast and completely undeveloped. The only city with stone buildings was the capital of the Wide Forest. All other settlements were primitive, with no species wearing clothes—whether wood elves, goblins, lizardmen, or werewolves.

However, once every 100 years, something exciting happens.

Starting from the capital, the great caravan traveled across the Southern Forest, visiting every settlement. It was the one opportunity for the residents to trade with the outside world.

Most of the Southern Forest’s species had long lifespans, so waiting a century for the caravan was not a big deal. The birth and death rates were roughly equal, and the region remained stable, with no invasions or conflicts. Life was peaceful.

Mike hadn’t known any of this initially, but after living among the wood elves for so long, he gradually learned the details. He was surprised. The Southern Forest’s peaceful existence seemed in direct conflict with Lana’s evil nature. Why had she sent him here? He couldn’t figure it out, no matter how much he thought about it.

...

"Mike, the caravan has finally arrived! I’m sad, honestly. We love having you here! Please, stay!" Eryndor, the village chief, said. Mike had stayed in his house for nearly a century, and the two had become close over time.

"Maybe I should," Mike thought.

After nearly a hundred years, his perspective had shifted. Even if he left the forest, there was no guarantee he would find Lana. For all he knew, in this world, Lana was a god. She could see him whenever she wanted. Returning to human lands wouldn’t bring him closer to her.

And even if he did meet her, begging probably wouldn’t help. Lana might just grow angrier, punish him again, or worse, kill him. The best way to escape her interest was to act as though he didn’t care about being imprisoned in this world. Perhaps then, she would let him leave.

"I’ll stay in this village and cultivate," he decided. His current strength came only from the Big Demon’s physique. If he lost it, he would be as powerless as a mortal. He needed to learn the supernatural ways of this world and cultivate his own power.

Financially, Mike had no worries. His red card, with its 10,000,000 daily withdrawal limit, was still active despite him not participating in any contests for nearly a century. Even these remote wood elves accepted RM currency, and Mike had paid generously for his stay.

"Alright, I’ll stay," Mike nodded.

"Really?" Eryndor asked, surprised. Mike had waited for the caravan for nearly a century, and now that it had arrived, he suddenly changed his mind. Eryndor was genuinely happy, though. Not only was Mike a calm, trouble-free guest, but he had also brought Eryndor significant wealth over the years.

"Yes, really," Mike confirmed.

"Do the caravans sell methods for supernatural training?" Mike asked.

"Of course! The caravan has everything you can think of! Let’s go—I’ll lead the way!" Eryndor said with a broad smile.