Crouching behind a massive stone, Karien unfolded a parchment scroll in his hands to examine it closely.

The scroll was a dark yellow, adorned with a circular magic circle. Familiar with magical theory, Karien recognized it as a "Whistling Flame Burst" spell, drawn from the four elements of fire, wind, lightning, and darkness.

To his knowledge, this was a fourth-tier spell, suitable for medium-range attacks.

Earlier, Karien had noticed that Horus had been holding onto this scroll but hadn’t activated it yet. He suspected Horus was waiting for the enemy to come closer before launching a surprise attack.

However, the short man in the black robe didn’t close the distance; instead, he initiated a long-range "Elemental Explosion." If Karien hadn't intervened, Horus would have surely perished.

After inspecting the scroll repeatedly, Karien decided not to rush into using it; instead, he temporarily stored it away.

He planned to research it further upon returning. Suddenly, he realized he needed to find a way back. He quickly searched his body, but the glass orb was missing.

Panic set in as he ran back to where he had initially arrived, kneeling down to search the ground carefully.

Fortunately, he soon spotted the orb nestled in the grass, surrounded by a faint mist that it was continuously absorbing.

This orb was drawing in magical elements? Karien recalled that he had been transported because the orb absorbed the magic crystal given to him by Elder Alysson.

This meant that each teleportation consumed a significant amount of magical energy.

As he picked up the orb, Karien noticed that its core color was slowly changing.

When he first arrived in this world, the orb had been nearly transparent, with only a faint silver core. After absorbing Alysson's magic crystal, the silver had rapidly expanded to fill much of the orb.

Now, it was once again mostly transparent, but the silver core was steadily growing. This indicated that the orb stored magical energy and, once fully charged, would allow him to teleport!

Realizing this filled Karien with excitement; it meant that once the orb was fully charged, he could return to the Palos Magic School.

However, he was puzzled as to why the orb could recharge here. Did this mean the magical energy in this location was particularly dense?

It then struck him that Horus had mentioned this was the Misty Fog Forest. Wait! The Misty Fog Forest!!! This was one of the three most dangerous areas in the Durant Kingdom.

Ordinary people would find it perilous, and even high-level wizards only dared to explore its outskirts. Given the density of magical elements around him, he might be deep in the heart of the forest!

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Fear crept over Karien as he worried about sudden magical beasts attacking him.

Glancing anxiously at the orb, he murmured, “Come on, come on, hurry up!” Yet, regardless of the magical energy density here, it couldn’t compare to a magic crystal. At the current rate, he estimated it would take at least half an hour to fully charge.

Half an hour! He doubted he could last that long! He scurried back behind the large stone, resembling a frightened mouse, and pulled out the scroll given to him by Horus for study.

Initially, he intended to examine it later, but now he needed a self-preservation strategy!

Though he lacked magical talent and couldn’t absorb magical elements, he possessed a wealth of magical theory knowledge and had practiced meditation since childhood, making his mental energy reasonably strong.

Focusing his attention, he used his mental energy to sense the magic circle inscribed on the parchment.

After some exploration, he discovered that this "Whistling Flame Burst" magic circle resembled traditional magical inscriptions, using special materials and techniques to concentrate multiple magical elements on the scroll.

The scroll also contained an activation pattern that could be triggered by concentrating mental energy, enabling him to release the magic inscribed on it. This was a ray of hope for Karien.

However, such magical scrolls were incredibly expensive, as stabilizing and maintaining the magical circle required skilled engravers and rare materials.

With the method of using the scroll confirmed, Karien let out a sigh of relief. He glanced at the teleportation orb and noted that it still needed at least twenty minutes to charge.

He settled in to wait patiently, hoping no dangers would arise.

After a few minutes of boredom, as he observed his surroundings, he suddenly recognized the plants nearby—they looked familiar. Moving closer for a better look, he gasped, “Wow, isn’t that White Leaf Orchid?”

For wizards, this was a valuable herb and a primary ingredient in many magical potions. Karien recalled that White Leaf Orchids were originally found in the Misty Fog Forest.

Every year, numerous adventurers ventured into the forest to collect herbs, including White Leaf Orchids. Now, looking around, he saw that he was surrounded by them!

Stunned for a few seconds, Karien suddenly jumped up in excitement. “I’ve hit the jackpot!” He bent down and began harvesting the White Leaf Orchids eagerly. In just a short time, he had collected over a hundred.

With no backpack, he had to strip off his shirt to bundle the harvested orchids.

Just as he was about to continue collecting, he suddenly heard a faint rustling sound. Looking up, he spotted a pair of enormous eyes peering at him through the brush.

After a moment of shock, Karien quickly drew the magic scroll and aimed the inscribed magic circle toward the approaching danger.

In the next second, a monstrous lizard-like creature, covered in purple patterns, leaped down from the slope.

This beast was over four meters long and radiated dark elemental energy.

Despite his fear, Karien focused his mental energy and activated the scroll’s pattern. The magical scroll unleashed a torrent of raging flames, engulfing a wide area in front of him and turning many nearby trees into charcoal.

To Karien’s shock, when the flames receded, the lizard beast appeared largely unharmed.

It opened its mouth and let out an angry roar. As Karien turned to flee, he froze in place, unable to move.

This was a mental magic attack!

With its target immobilized, the lizard creature slowly advanced, its mouth widening in pleasure as it savored the hunt.

Karien felt the threat of death drawing ever closer. Just as he was gripped with panic, the cold voice echoed in his mind once more:

【Please set the coordinates.】

Grasping at a lifeline, Karien struggled to speak the two numbers: “(0, 0).”

Unaware of his exact coordinates, he guessed that his position after crossing over might correspond to the original coordinates, so he opted for zero. Even if he ended up in the wrong place, it was better than staying here to die.

【Coordinates recorded: 0, 0.】

【Commencing teleportation.】

Just as the lizard beast prepared to snap its enormous jaws around him, the human suddenly vanished before its eyes.

With a loud "smack," the beast found only empty air.