Chapter 64: Investigation

Having completed his first objective in the Forsaken Woods, Zaos turned his attention to the next one.

[Since I transmigrated in this forest, there might be some clues on the reason for my transmigration here. If there aren't, I'll have to direct my focus onto the gods of this world as they might be responsible for my situation…] Zaos mused as he slowly navigated through the forest.

[Whoever or whatever pulled me into this world has the power to influence both worlds on a scale I probably cannot even begin to imagine. Without gaining a proper connection with this entity, I won't be able to understand their agenda for bringing me here, I might even be returned to my original world without understanding the whole situation…] Zaos clenched his fist.

For someone obsessed with strength like himself, his original world wasn't worth returning to. On Krulon, as long as he diligently practiced his techniques, he would eventually evolve into an extremely powerful being. His lifespan would increase and strength would also improve, yet if he were to return to Earth, the possibility that he would revert to an ordinary person was high.

Zaos sighed as he continued his contemplation.

[This situation is beyond me, I can only continue seeking strength while searching for a way to communicate with whatever brought me here…]

After reaffirming his goals, Zaos shifted his attention to his exploration of the Forsaken Woods.

[I should probably start from the place I awoke in. If I don't find anything, I can head deeper into the forest…]

Zaos seized his movements and began mentally visualizing the scene where his transmigration had taken place. Once a stable image had formed in his head, Zaos activated his elemental weave and teleported to that location.

His figure soon reappeared on an unassuming patch of land surrounded by trees. Zaos gazed around, yet he couldn't find anything out of place.

[This place is as ordinary as it can be…]

The site looked no different from the rest of the forest.

Zaos sighed and decided to keep on searching, but after a few minutes of gaining no results, he chose to give up and headed deeper into the forest.

[As long as I don't run into any Elder Savage Beasts, I should be fine…] Zaos thought as he marched forward.

Savage Beasts were creatures that could channel Mana into their bodies to improve their physique. The longer the Savage Beast lived, the stronger they could become, so the elves came up with a simple ranking for them; Fledgling were the weakest, followed by Mature, then there were Elders, and lastly were the Archaic Savage Beasts.

However, it was difficult to discern the age of a Savage Beast without facing it in battle or without a powerful sense of danger.

At Zaos' current level, he could effortlessly handle Fledgling Savage Beasts like Skiviis, and fight equally with most Mature Savage Beasts but an Elder Savage Beast was beyond his capabilities.

[There should be at least one Elder Savage Beast in this region, if I can sense it before it senses me, I can escape easily…] Zaos maintained a good amount of caution as he traversed through the forest.

Halfway through his journey, Zaos was forced to temporarily halt his advancement due to an unexpected discovery he had made.

[Those are Wilbors! How can there be so many?!] Zaos gazed in astonishment at the small flowerbed a few hundred meters away from him.

Wilbors were flowering plants highly sought after by the ruling forces of the Dark-elf Tribe. Wilbors' Ash-colored flowers were used in the concoction of a potent truth serum alongside some other plants.

This made them extremely valuable, but cultivating them wasn't an easy task and the potency of domesticated Wilbors was much lower than wild ones.

Finding wild Wilbors was also challenging as they grew in random places and in small amounts.

Yet, at this moment, Zaos had found more than a dozen Wilbors growing freely here!

[A single Wilbor with two flowers sells for about 10 good-quality mana gems. These have at least four flowers each, the prices could go as high as 20 good-quality mana gems for a single one!] Zaos was ecstatic. He wasn't lacking funds but he wasn't against gaining more.

He walked over to Wilbors and began harvesting them. While he worked, Zaos mused.

[I guess these Wilbors were able to survive for so long because they have no natural predators in the Forsaken Woods. I should leave a few here, I can come here to fetch them if I ever need more…] Thus Zaos chose to leave a few behind. He stuffed the ones he harvested into his sac and continued on his journey.

On the way, Zaos found a few more rare plants and happily took as many as he could, however, he was unable to find anything related to his transmigration.

A few hours passed by and the dim radiance of the distant stars soon illuminated the dark sky.

Noticing this change, Zaos decided to end his search for the day. He teleported to the cave he had spent the previous night and set up his base.

He soon lay in his beast fur sleeping bag and went to sleep.

The next day, Zaos awoke with rejuvenated vigor. He packed up his items from the cave and teleported to the location where he had ended his search previously.

However, when he appeared at the location, Zaos' instincts flared. A few meters away from him was a Savage Beast radiating strong pressure that put him on high alert.

Unfortunately, it was too late to hide himself as the creature had already locked on to him and had launched an attack.

[Shit!] Zaos reacted quickly and dodged the attack. Immediately he was out of harm's way Zaos teleported away from the site.

He reappeared at another location where he had previously stumbled upon some rare plants.

Zaos swiftly employed his invisibility as his figure materialized. He surveyed the surroundings and after confirming that it was devoid of any creatures nearby, he sighed in relief.

[This is the only downside to teleportation. I never know if there is a new variable in the vicinity…] Although he could maintain his invisibility while teleporting, doing that would put more strain on his psyche which increased the rate at which he reached exhaustion from Mana Overuse.

[This forest is too unpredictable, I'll have to use teleportation carefully from now on…] Zaos frowned when he recalled his earlier encounter.

He hadn't been able to take a good look at the creature but from the pressure it released, he estimated that it was a powerful Mature Savage Beast.

He sighed again before choosing a route to explore.