I held onto the tree branch firmly as the trees swayed. Soon, the source of this event came into view. It descended from the sky like a bolt of lightning, its wings beating with a power that stirred the air into a furious gale as it touched the ground for an instant.

A majestic creature, standing over 12 feet tall at the shoulder with a large wingspan that blotted the sky. Its body is armored with golden fur that glimmered like polished metal while its eagle-like head bears razor-sharp, obsidian-black beak and glowing amber eyes. Its talons had dug into the troll laying on the forest ground.

[Irontalon Griffin - Lvl ??]

Upgrade: Identify Lvl12 -> Lvl14

The earth shook as the creature yanked the forest troll off the ground as if it were weightless. The Griffin’s wings thundered as it lifted higher, the troll’s massive body dangling from its talons.

I didn’t dare to move for a few moments even after it left. When I finally dropped from the tree branch to gaze into the sky, the Irontalon Griffin had already soared high and far enough that I could barely make out its outline.

I scanned my surroundings for any other surprises. My ears were still ringing from the griffin’s shriek. It took several long moments to steady my breath and shake off the overwhelming sense of vulnerability that gripped me.

Upgrade: Will +2

Most of the trees are uprooted and lay sprawled on the forest floor. I have no intention of staying in this place any longer. I went to the riverbanks, quenched my thirst and took a quick dip in the cool water. The Griffin’s entrance seemed to have led any dwellers in the place to flee away.

Before setting off, I checked the nearby trees for any more fruits or other produce. Of the different types of trees present here, only the Dawnspire Cedar with reddish brown bark and pine-like leaves seems to have any fruit. I found a couple of those and ate them for my breakfast. I could feel my bruised fingers rapidly healing and the ringing of my ears subsiding as I munched through a couple.

[Fruit of the Dawnspire Cedar]: Enhances Constitution

Upgrade: Constitution +2

I could feel the rewards from each fruit dwindling after each one so didn’t bother searching for any still hidden. I evaluated my upgraded skills; rather do it now, than find out in the middle of battle.

Phantom Blink Shot (D): The blink shot of Phantom Whisper enables the wielder to teleport to where it lands

At first glance, I thought nothing changed in its details. On closer look, I see it changed from ‘the wielder to instantly teleport’ to ‘the wielder to teleport’.

I mentally marked a spot on a tree bark right above a branch about two hundred feet away and fired the blue tinged arrow of [Phantom Blink Shot]. The moment it landed, I could feel the tug of the shadows about to shroud me and I resisted. The effect didn’t trigger. I actively resisted for two seconds and the mental tug disappeared. The arrow disappeared as well.

I fired at the same spot, the same sensation washing over me again. I resisted again, for two seconds before letting it take hold. The familiar shroud of darkness enveloped me and the surroundings became a swirling vortex of shadow and light with whispers that felt like guiding me.

*blink* Standing on the marked tree spot now, I decided to test a few more arrows to assess if anything else has changed. At the end of it, I discovered that the range of teleportation has increased to a little more than 500 feet now. I can perform a delayed teleport of upto two seconds or even cancel the effect completely. The mana drain per activation seemed to have increased a little. Pretty decent upgrade overall

Silent Arrow of Nex (D): Specialized technique of Nexyna that allows Eidikos to stifle the sound of arrows fired.

This one’s description also changed slightly - ‘dampen the sound’ changed to ‘stifle the sound’. I tested the upgraded arrows. The arrow turned a shade darker when I activated the [Silent Arrow of Nex], the sound of the bow twanging as the arrow launched barely audible even for me. I couldn't hear anything as the arrow silently whizzed through the air. It already fires with barely a whisper. Wonder what the next upgrades would do

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At this point, I was keeping my [Phantom Shroud] ability active throughout. While it didn’t drain me too badly, it made sense to ensure that I have enough mana to use the rest of the arsenal multiple times without worrying in battle. Even though the active title provides a stat bonus in battles, assigning a few points to Wisdom made sense.

Upgrade: Wisdom +6

Stats:

Strength: 40

Dexterity: 21

Constitution: 14

Wisdom: 11

Perception: 33

Will: 13

ASP: 0

With my hunger satiated and arsenal fully tested, I was ready to set out. I evaluated my options. I have no idea what each direction possibly holds except for the one I came from. Choosing to stick close to the river makes sense. If there are any human settlements here, it's likely that they stick closer to the river

An idea struck me just as I was about to set off. Until now, I had been caught up in constant skirmishes, leaving me little opportunity to scout ahead the forest around me. I chose the tallest tree in the vicinity. With the upgraded blink shot, I teleported to the highest branch and steadily climbed the bark till I was at the very tip of the tree.

The sunlight shone with a fierce intensity. As I adjusted to the brightness, my gaze swept across the dense tree canopies surrounding me in every direction. A wide variety of trees are spread across -farther from me, I see many trees towering very high, like the ones that surrounded me when I first woke up in this place. The terrain shifted slightly on the opposite side of the river, rolling hills that rise and fall like waves. Yet as far I can see, the land is blanketed in vibrant greenery.

Only at the precipice of my vision, I could make out the mountains that loomed high even from this far away. Even with my enhanced perception, they looked hazy with their peaks so high and obscured in the clouds that I doubt what I saw was even half their height.

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting to find but it was clear that I am probably not getting out from the jungle anytime soon. Perhaps this is how it is here throughout the world. It is possible there to be many towns within the area I just saw, obscured by the dense canopy and shifting terrain

I decided to follow the river downstream, but not too close that I’ll be out in the open. The mountains in this direction seemed a bit closer, though I can't quite tell if that impression is maybe due to their size being bigger than others.

I was soon at ease, darting in the shadows, from tree cover to cover, the [Phantom Shroud] muffling my footsteps. I occasionally used blink shots to teleport to higher positions, scanning my surroundings and to avoid wading through dense shrubs where any beasts could be lurking.

I noticed the changes as I journeyed through the jungle - I frequently encountered trees with bark that looked like charred wood with fiery red leaves. They occasionally bore small glowing seeds that seemed to sparkle.

[Fire Nut of Crimson Ember Oak]: Invigorating effect

It crackled and popped as I chewed on one. I felt a warm sensation from my core spreading out and a slight tingle enveloped my skin. The weariness from the journey so far felt like it faded a little bit

Soon, I found a few across the trees in the path. I don’t have a pouch to carry them so I popped them in right away. As I was scanning while making my way downstream, I saw another Crimson Ember Oak tree. This time, an aviary creature had already found the nuts first.

Perched high on a gnarled branch of the Crimson Ember oak, its plumage blended well with the surroundings - a blend of fiery reds, deep oranges, and subtle yellows. It blended a bit too well, for I was only a hundred feet away before I spotted it. Just as I was about to take cover, it caught sight of me.

[Emberbeak Specter - Lvl 15]

The Emberbeak Specter is an omnivorous bird that feeds on nuts and smaller prey

Core Qualities: Sharp Talons, Quillstorm

It vocalized its displeasure immediately - with a shrill squawk in a high pitch tone. It dived from the branch, talons outstretched. I had no intention of letting those sharp looking claws dig in so I fired a blink arrow that whizzed past it. I waited till the last moment and teleported out as its talons tried to take hold.

As I turned to observe the Specter, I heard a chorus of squawks from the back - it had called for reinforcements. The Specters are fast, flying with barely a flutter of wings. I teleported to a different tree. One of them spotted me and immediately gave a squawk to alert others.

The arrow struck its neck interrupting its screech at the end and it pierced through, nailing it to a tree behind. I spotted three more of the Emberbeak Specters close by. I fired a blink shot straight ahead and without activating it yet, nocked another arrow aiming for the closest one. I fired and snagged its left wing, the specter going down immediately. Another specter paused in mid-air, its wings arched high as it swung them with force, unleashing a flurry of sharp feathers that darted through the air like deadly projectiles.

*blink* I re-oriented myself, an arrow already being nocked and scanned the surroundings again. Three more to go.