Begrudgingly caressing my hand, I got up from the ground. Throwing a glare at the tree that had greedily taken away some of my mana, I resisted the urge to hurl a barrage of insults at it.
The root had long vanished into the ground again. I still carefully eyed the spot from where it emerged, but nothing happened even after some time passed. Checking with my status, I had lost twenty mana from this encounter. Considering the size of my pool, this would normally be considered a small amount, but right now, it was an amount that I could not expend.
Knowing that I had no chance to get my mana back, I grit my teeth in frustration. This was my fault to begin with. I basically fed it my mana and it just took what had been offered.
In my defense, I was not acting logically and instead let my instincts guide me, but ultimately, resenting the tree seemed illogical. With that being said, emotions were often against reason, so my resentment held firm.
There was a gravity to the feeling of loss I felt right now. As if a part of me had been taken away. It was comparable to the loss I felt the day my ears had been cut off, just without the pain.
Holding my ears briefly, my mind struggled to free itself from an irritating memory, but eventually, I returned to reality.
Giving the tree another look, I sighed.
Looking at it in a positive light, the twenty mana had brought upon me some insights and new information. One was that I should refrain from pushing my mana into other things, the other that trees were greedy bastards.
Despite my less than favorable opinion on the trees, I was fairly certain that they were not hostile. At least not in a sense that I needed to worry about surprise attacks from them. The difference in our level determined which of us were superior to the other and it was clear that I stood no chance against the tree, much less all of the others around. As for why assumed them to be not hostile even after attacking me?
Well, the tree held back in its attack. The attack only left me with a slight abrasion and nothing serious. And I had no illusions that this was the case because of lacking strength on the tree’s side. Not that it mattered. It was not the injury I was mad about, but the partial loss of a valuable resource. And it was much more frustrating knowing that there was nothing I could do to get it back or retaliate.
It had always been like that. Someone hurt, humiliated or insulted me and I could do nothing against that. Throughout all my life, I had to endure this kind of treatment and I remained at the mercy of my betters. Even in freedom this seemed to remain unchanged.
Well, if the world and people around me insisted on treating me still like a worthless person, I would need to grasp the reins of change myself and make it so that I will be respected and not to be trifled with.
I will vanquish the very idea of opposing me from the face of this world. And those who disrespected me and made me suffer will taste my wrath.
After spending some time in a wishful future, a measure of humility settled over me and I gazed at the reality before my eyes. My ambition calmed, yet my determination remained. Before thinking about the goal, I would need to find the road that was going to lead me there.
Taking a few steps back and spinning around, I turned my back on the tree and walked away. I was not going to find the road to greatness if I just stayed here. I had a long journey before me, of that much, I was certain.
The tree had shown me a part of what it meant to be high level, the freedom of toying with your lessers. It was frustrating to be on the receiving it and it reminded me that this place was not to be taken lightly. Especially for someone with my… qualities. The fact that the trees alone were a possible threat to my life was enough to hammer a sense of awe into me. If I was not careful, my journey might be forcefully cut short.
As I moved away from the tree, I surveyed my surroundings, but found that no matter where I looked, everything looked the same. The river sealed off an entire direction for exploration, so my only options were following the river downstream, since upstream would just get me back to the clan’s territory.
Now that I think about it, I wonder how far away I am from them. I doubt they will get here anytime soon, but should I be concerned? No, even I did not expect to survive that fall, so there is no way they are going through the trouble of collecting a dead body. Actually, I kinda see Malik doing exactly that. Crazy Bastard.
Thinking about the possibility of the clan coming to look for my body just reinforced my initial plan to leave this place. While leaving the forest altogether might have been the best option, I doubted that it was going to be easy. Apart from the unknown threat posed by the wildlife, I was clueless about the specific direction I needed to take in order to reach the end of this forest. No matter which direction I chose, there was a possibility that I would just walk deeper into the forest instead.
As long as I followed the river downstream, I would get further away from he clan’s territory, but staying close to a fresh source of water brought its own risks and dangers. For one—even if I was an exception to that rule—as far I knew, living beings required water and food to sustain themselves. It was only a question of time before a thirsty creature, in its search for water, could stumble upon me and deem me a convenient feast.
With that in mind, it was for the best to get away from the river. While it was a useful point of orientation, there were risks to it that I was not willing to take.
It sucked, but with my mana running low and my capabilities of defending myself being as they were, there was nothing I could do. With behind, left and right out of the question, there was only one option left.
Forward it is.
The forest was uninviting in all its ways. From the creepy and conscious trees to a undergrowth-covered ground, traversing it would be a challenge no matter how I looked at it. The slight veil of fog in the air would only make my life harder, although all things considered, it didn’t matter much.
Casting a final glance behind me, I made my way deeper into the woods.
While walking through the forest, my foot unexpectedly encountered an obstacle, possibly a protruding root. Before I could process what had happened, gravity swiftly pulled me downward, bringing me closer to the earth.
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The outcome was a sprained ankle and a body marred by bruises and scrapes. True to my luck, the bush into which I had stumbled happened to be adorned with an abundance of thorns. With careful effort, I gingerly rose to my feet, ensuring I avoided any further pricks, while untangling the entwined strands of my hair that had become ensnared in the prickly foliage.
I had been walking in the forest for a some time now, but not long enough for the sky to change colors. During this time, there were quite a few instances in which I stumbled or fell, but this was the first time I walked away with an injury.
Despite my fondness for my long hair, I couldn't deny its impracticality within the confines of this forest. The tangled mess it had become served as a clear reminder. Contemplating the situation, a chilling thought crossed my mind—I might have to resort to cutting it. The mere idea sent shivers down my spine. It was not that long hair was so meaningful to me, but rather that I did not want to make changes to my body. My hair was like any other of my limbs and cutting it just felt… wrong.
When my hair was free again, I finally hobbled out of the bush and activated Regeneration to fix my ankle. There were probably some valid reasons to to conserve my mana rather than spending it already, but I wanted to be able to walk properly. In a place with unknown dangers, having the ability to run away slowly was still better than not being able to run at all.
My mana turned into a healing wave that swept over my body and healed it. Luckily, there were no serious wounds or else my mana might now have been enough, but with just a twisted ankle and a few scratches, it was just a hundred mana.
When the tree took my mana, I was left with a feeling of incredible loss, but now it just felt like nothing special. However, I was quickly confronted with the effects of reducing my mana pool to a tenth of its original size. Right after the soothing surge of healing energy, a relentless wave of exhaustion crashed over me.
I wobbled, struggling to stay on my feet. Seeking support, I leaned against a nearby tree, gradually allowing myself to slide down to the ground. I noticed that the absence of a pulse coming from the tree and looking behind, it was just a normal looking tree.
Keeping track of time was impossible in this place, but I spent roughly thirty mana worth of time resting. Hitting the hundred and fifty mark, some of my vitality seemed to return. Seeing just how drastically my condition changed by just spending some mana, I figured it would be wise to look into the exact numbers some time. It would be good to know how much mana I could spend without consequences.
Even without knowing the exact time, the day had to be already nearing its end. If possible, I would want to find a shelter before nightfall. If the forest was going to become even darker, still trying to find my way through would be simply reckless.
Briefly, a doubtful thought crossed my mind. Had I made the right choice? No, it was too late for doubts now. And even if it was the wrong choice, it wasn’t like I could go back.
Looking around me, there was no sign of a river or an opening in the canopy. Even if I wanted to return, I probably wouldn’t be able to. I was lost and not only lost in this forest, but in the entire world. I had no idea where anything or what anything was, so my only option was to go forth and gather this knowledge. How do they say? Experience is the best of teachers.
With my doubts cleared, I moved on and continued to walk until I encountered something else that filled me with worry.
Ahead of me stretched an open area, the ground was painted black with spots of bubbling green liquid. All plant life had been eradicated here, leaving nothing but death behind. Only withered stumps were proof that trees once graced this place with their majestic presence and flourishing foliage.
As I appraised the death and destruction before me, the green puddles coalesced and slowly formed into a sphere. Wary of the phenomena, I stepped back and the sphere did not stop growing.
One Identify quickly ascertained me that I was not looking at strange-behaving liquid, but a living creature.
[Slime Nucleus - Lvl. ???]
I observed the Slime Nucleus curiously, even after seeing its high level. It was continuously growing, but the lack of limbs, face or any other feature a living being should possess, its appearance was not scaring me away.
Maybe that was a mistake, since the Slime Nucleus had yet to stop growing. It was also very likely that it was the reason for the forests destruction.
All things considered, it was probably for the best to leave. I should not make assumptions based on my feeble comprehension of the world. I had already witnessed where this would lead.
Just because it did not look like a threat, didn’t mean it wasn’t one. Same principle as with the tree—although its appearance was already very alarming.
My worry was reinforced when I noticed that the creature's growth showed no signs of stopping, and it had already surpassed me in height. There had been countless puddles around and even though it already absorbed a fair share of them, there were still quite a lot left.
Maybe far too late for my own good, I finally spun around and walked away. At least I planned to walk, but looking behind me and reconsidering with the Slime Nucleus’ level in mind, my steps quickened and before I knew it, I was running with all I had.
While I was running, the simple thought of slowing down sounded like pure insanity and I questioned my own decision-making for even taking my time to appraise the Slime Nucleus.
There was a possibility that Iron Will had suppressed my fear or at least, delayed it. Until now, the skill had helped me greatly, but was it now interfering with my ability to evaluate danger? That was a worrisome thought and one that I could not afford to be distracted by right now.
But it was already too late. It took me a moment to realize what was happening, but the pain did not wait for my mind to steel itself for what was to come.
A guttural scream left me as my skin and flesh corroded. I yanked my foot out of the slimy substance, my thoughts already muddled. Pain and panic initially consumed me, but quickly transformed into seething anger. Blinded by rage, I rained my foot down on the slime even while my flesh was burning away. It splattered into tiny pieces, but I continued to pummel down on it, ignoring that each stomp only further ate away at my flesh.
Only when a system notification appeared in my vision did I halt my foot.
You have slain [Slime Lvl. 25]. Experience will be awarded. Level difference detected. Bonus experience will be awarded.
[Species: Unregistered]: level has increased from 5 to 6!
[Species: Unregistered]: level has increased from 6 to 7!
The mixture of pain and exhaustion paired with a wave of relief sent me sprawling to the ground. I lacked the strength to shed tears or writhe in agony, so I gritted my teeth and squeezed my palms, feeling my fingernails dig into my already damaged skin, as I endured the relentless acid tearing through my foot.
As I lay on the ground in pain, suffering in silence, the world around me faded into a hazy distant realm. I was still conscious, but barely enough to understand what was happening around me. My mind was empty and spiraling in a circle of pain.
After what felt like an eternity, I managed to regain my senses. Tears streamed down my cheeks, and saliva dribbled from my mouth. The burning sensation in my foot persisted, though it had diminished to a more tolerable level. However, as soon as I attempted to put weight on my injured foot and rise to my feet, the pain intensified dramatically. The corrosive acid had eaten away the majority of my right foot’s skin, and I could even catch a glimpse of the bone in one area. Naturally, with the loss of protective layers, every touch sent sharp waves of agony through my hypersensitive foot.
It was not like this was the worst thing that ever happened to me, but the fact that it was a result of my carelessness was mortifying. I had been distracted by what was behind me and forgot that this forest was not my friend. Twice on the same day no less.
This encounter was different from the one with the tree though. I had been injured this time, but I also increased my level to two by killing a level 25 creature. On my own no less. Normally, I would call it impressive, but portraying the figure of my victim in my mind, I just could not be proud of stomping a sphere of liquid to death.
Although this raised doubt in me if a higher level truly was as significant as I made it out to be.
Putting that issue aside for now, I returned attention to my foot. First I had twisted it and now it was a skinless, half-molten mess. To be honest, I doubted even Regeneration could do anything about it, much less with the low amount of mana I had access to.
Just in case, I checked my mana reserves and my eyes widened in shock when I read the number.
Mana Pool: 687/1,000
Just how long had I been lying around here?