The scent of Wildwood was reminiscent of Valier Forest's floral fragrance, as one would expect from a forest. Nevertheless, the divergence between them was primarily because of the differences in the flora and fauna. Most of Valier Forest comprises dense thickets, towering trees, and crisp soil while Wildwood had soil as hard as a rock and plenty of trees as skinny as a famished beggar.

The feeble branches would sway back and forth with the slightest breeze, nearly hurling themselves toward the closest living organism. Dominating the floor were sections of red and white mushrooms, with the grass sporting a color akin to that of a light fall. Given the rapid approach of fall, it was to be expected. Tyrus would have to get a coat­–and gloves–to garner some warmth from the brutal winter. Surviving another chilling season should be easy enough.

Following a two-hour meditation session, Tyrus's mana heart experienced a moderate expansion, albeit not to the extent desired. One hour of meditation has a correlation with one hour of physical activity. Like running or lifting weights, improving strength and efficiency took time.

To check progress on how his mana heart was faring, Tyrus had to resort to accessing the Sorcerer Plane and gazing at the mana tree–the root-like image of mana in the background. They weren’t actually roots, more like dull branches. He found it easier to think of it as a tree.

There were many branches, and the ones in the middle and top had no glow, like muddied pearls. The ones that did glow were at the very bottom of the canvas, and only two were as bright as the sun. Each time he completed a meditation session or used mana, a branch would brighten up with a bit of light.

It was like drops of liquid falling into a vial, and it would continue until there was no more space left and move on to the next. When he finished meditating, he had two complete branches and a new one. It was safe to assume that the more shining branches, the bigger his mana heart.

Opening his eyes, Tyrus took a deep breath and exhaled. “The mana tree is just way too big; there were at least a hundred of them! I understand why sorcerer training takes so long.”

A funny thought occurred to him–what would Selena’s mana tree look like? To conjure a firestorm without breaking a sweat must mean she has significantly more than his. Her range would probably be in the thirties or forties, taking her age into account. Actually, how old was Selena? Despite her youthful looks, she's likely old since she's Fiona's aunt. To reach that strength, would he be her age? Or is it possible to become that strong with enough training?

Tyrus grinned. “That only motivates me even more! I’ll just train twice as hard as she did.”

After rising from his sitting position, he stretched his dormant muscles. Once finished, it was time to exit the cave. The slimes and bats had fulfilled their purpose and thus were no longer necessary. Paying no attention to them, Tyrus exited the cave, protecting his eyes from the glaring sun. He then peered into the Wildwood stretched before him.

“What should I do in the meantime? Push-ups? Sit-ups? Or maybe a jog?”

In any case, performing all three was inevitable. It has been quite some time since he last trained his body's strength and stamina. Too much going on caused basic training to be neglected, which was not a good thing. A body that tires easily or is weak; what is its usefulness? Focusing solely on the mana heart and spellcasting during training appeared unwise.

Keeping that in mind, Tyrus determined that beginning with a jog would be the best course of action. Since he was already planning to go deeper into Wildwood, jogging would fulfill two purposes. Following another stretch of his legs to prepare them, Tyrus immediately began jogging through Wildwood. He noted the scents and fauna living here, vigilant of any dangers lurking.

Brown squirrels with horns on their foreheads scurried by, either by climbing on trees or hiding inside bushes. Near a mound of rocks, a mole with reddish fur almost his size had poked its head out of the dirt. Its narrow peach snout twitched for a moment before the beast disappeared into the ground.

Tyrus watched the scenery in silence; each step taken aligned with his beating heart. He kept jogging until his legs grew burdensome. Once fatigued enough, he slowed his pace tremendously and leaned over, gathering his breath. He was unaware of the distance covered or the duration of his run, but he sensed the opportune moment to halt. Running until he couldn’t walk anymore would probably jeopardize his life if a beast were to come forward. Fiona’s warning was still fresh in his mind, and he was actively searching for any trees marked with claws. Thankfully, he found none.

A few minutes of deep breaths later, he leaned against a tree bigger than the rest. Waiting for his heartbeat to slow, he meditated. Meditating served as a resting period for Tyrus, and he’d take advantage of conducting the session after a workout.

I’ll have to find food around here, he thought. While the place was unfamiliar, food should be plentiful in these parts. The problem would be what’s edible and finding the most efficient hunting spots. There was also the case of what beasts were prevalent and if he’d need to avoid them at all costs. Lots to do and ponder…

Amidst the tranquility, an unexpected disruption shattered it. A rickety and unsettling noise reached his ears, like the creaking protest of falling trees. Slowly, he opened one eye, his senses attuned to the source of the disturbance. What met his gaze were branches, their forms resembling gnarled fingers that seemed to reach out from the shadows.

The creaking persisted, growing in intensity and urgency. Tyrus’s instincts flared to life, a surge of adrenaline coursing through his veins. His heart quickened its rhythm, and his muscles tensed as he braced himself for whatever was to come.

As the noise grew nearer, a sense of foreboding settled upon him. Something was definitely wrong, and he couldn't shake the feeling of unease. The branch-like appendages moved frighteningly fast towards his exposed neck, just as his intuition forewarned him of danger.

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Reacting with lightning reflexes, Tyrus’s instinct merged into a seamless motion. His hand shot forward, fingers closing around the hilt of his trusty dagger. The harsh metallic ring cut through the air as he swung the weapon with precision, the blade colliding with the wooden assailant.

The dagger’s bite tore through the branch-like fingers, the blade cleaving through the wood with a satisfying impact. A shower of splinters erupted into the air, the fragments borne on the momentum of the strike, and a ghastly wail occurred. Tyrus propelled himself forward, evading the remnants of the lurching appendages, and thwarted the attack. With an agile slide and an instinctive twist, he distanced himself from the threat and landed near a few rocks.

He gasped at what stood in front of him. The tree he was leaning on had uprooted itself from the ground, sending a cloud of dust into the air. A tree-like figure emerged and rose to full height, glaring at him with its piercing yellow eyes. Long humanoid limbs of tough bark and a jagged mouth of sharpened wood greeted him. Tyrus craned his neck upward at the creature.

“A tree coming to life? Never heard of you before. It’s one thing after another…”

Tyrus stood up and gripped his dagger, staring at the tree creature. Despite the absence of its left hand, the tree did not seem to be concerned. The creature focused its ominous gaze on the boy, waiting for him to make a move. Another wail emanated from its mouth, and it charged forward with earth-shaking steps.

Instead of cowering from the daunting creature, he smirked at the challenge. A mightier opponent than bats and slimes had shown up. It was the perfect time to test out his skills against another creature. The last time he had trouble against a creature was the boar, and that was when he was starting out as a sorcerer. It was uncertain how much stronger the tree was than the boar, but it was worth investigating.

“Lightning Bolt!”

The power from his palm whizzed past, hitting the tree square in its chest. Even though a small part of its chest had blackened, it continued its pursuit without slowing down. It roared and lunged forward with its other arm. Tyrus infused some mana into his legs and sidestepped the attack.

A Lightning Bolt hadn’t done as much as he hoped, which meant the creature’s trunk was sturdy enough to shrug off the spell. Using Light Bolt against it would only tickle, so using that wasn’t an option. The idea of fire came to mind, as it was a tree after all, but it was still feeble. What remained was Dual Shot. One Dual Shot would suffice, given the abundance of mana in his mana heart. If it could break through a rock spider's exterior, then it could definitely deal with a mere tree.

Tyrus backpedaled from the creature, gaining some distance as he raised his arm. Once the incantation left his lips, two orbs formed seamlessly above him. The spell was in the process of being prepared when the tree had already barreled toward him. As soon as they were in proximity, the orbs shot forward. Tyrus's legs grew heavier and heavier as he depleted his mana heart.

Tyrus presumed that the moving tree would not learn its lesson and receive the attack head-on, yet its next action left him bewildered. It grasped pointed stones in the free hand; it must’ve picked them up without him noticing. In a display of swift precision, it launched two projectiles directly at the Lightning Bolts, resulting in their simultaneous explosion in mid-air. A frown formed on Tyrus's face when the spell missed the tree.

“Yeah... Way smarter than the rock spider and boar.”

The creature propelled its arm forward, skillfully avoided by Tyrus, who leaped upward and landed on a nearby tree. The branch shuddered from the extra weight, but it held on. In the depths of his heart, he hoped that the tree he observed below was just the usual tree.

It looked around in a daze, wondering where he had gone before looking up. It squinted its yellow eyes as it lumbered forward. “Pitiful human!” It rumbled, its voice as loud as trees rustling in a storm. “Leave our territory or encounter the fury of the Wildwood treants!”

Tyrus's mouth opened as he surveyed the fuming treant. “A talking tree?! Did I fall asleep from meditation?”

“The stench of blood and death surrounds you!” it said. “It saturates every fiber of your being. There will be no further trespassers who will put my brethren at risk!”

“Another trespasser? What do you mean by that?”

Rather than responding, it hurled another barrage of stones toward him. He nimbly jumped onto a nearby tree, deftly dodging every attack as it pelted bigger rocks around him.

“Hey! Can’t we talk this out or something?” Tyrus shouted. After realizing it could converse intelligently, he wished to avoid any conflict if possible. Not only had he just completed a tiring run, but his legs were also shaking, leaving him completely drained. He couldn’t dodge the rocks forever.

Casting Dual Shot didn’t help either, and it shrugged off the Lightning Bolt attacks. Getting in close to unleashing lightning from his hands could work, but that would take a lot of time and effort, and he did not know what else the treant had under its sleeve; or would it be bark in that case?

“Leave the Wildwood or face the consequences,” the treant said after another slew of rocks. “Elder Treant is burdened already with the escalated number of beasts to deal with because of you humans!”

An amusing thought wormed in. Once the treant had depleted its stash, Tyrus cleared his throat. “Hey, I have an idea. If you let me live and train in Wildwood for a week, I’ll help deal with your problem. This Elder Treant wouldn’t refuse such an offer, right? You’ve seen what I’m capable of.”

Tyrus was unfamiliar with the Elder Treant, leaving him uncertain whether he would agree. He made a speculative offer, hoping the treant would take the bait. If the problem involves only weaker beasts, such as lesser hounds or boars, he could easily handle it. However, if the situation proved too challenging for him, he would train elsewhere. Fiona's warning of the beast had him hoping it wasn't the same one.

Standing still, the treant watched Tyrus intently. Tyrus feared his plan had failed and the treant would keep attacking with more rocks.

“I concede,” it boomed. “In these desperate times, it's highly likely that Elder Treant would accept your proposal. You possess… considerable power for a human.”

“So if I drop down, you won’t attack? Can you swear it?”

“I vow solemnly on Mevena, the deity of nature and health.”

There’s another god besides Sthito? Must be a treant thing. Still don’t trust it; I’ll have to be careful from here on out.

Though hesitant, Tyrus descended from the tree and began moving toward the treant. “Okay, what now? Where’s this Elder Treant?”

It raised its wooden arm over Tyrus's shoulder. “The Elder Treant can be found in the depths of the Wildwood, where the powers of Mevena are most potent. The root of our problem can be found there. To be of assistance, I suggest you follow me, human. If not, it is not too late to leave Wildwood. My brethren can be called upon to eject you by force...”

Suddenly, it raised its body towards the sky and let out a wail of such magnitude that Tyrus had to cover his ears. Hundreds of trees seemed to have joined forces to strike each other with their twigs and frail leaves. Following the termination of the cry, a deafening sound of trees being uprooted in the distance ensued.

The quivering ground caused a shudder to run down his spine, and a mob of treants materialized from various locations, effectively encircling Tyrus. He counted ten of them, all of whom were equally tall and unsettling. At that moment, he felt a sense of relief for not having killed the treant, as doing so could have exposed him to a potential ambush by the others.

“Lead the way,” was all he could muster up.