Promise And The Mystic Forest

Leo finished organizing brat's memories and realized that his final moments were filled with agony. As an orphan, brat's struggles and ambitions resonated with Leo, who also shared the same foundation at his core. However, Leo had long past stop caring about the world or seeking its approval. Having lived a harsh life for years, full of efforts and no gains, he had accepted himself and focused on survival.

Although he sympathized with brat, Leo couldn't approve of his actions or his yearning for acceptance from the world. In Leo's eyes, anything beyond survival was meaningless and futile. The world didn't deserve his efforts.

Leo paused for a moment before thinking, 'brat, or maybe I should call you by your name from now on. Even if the world doesn't accept your efforts, I will accept them, leo.' With that, Leo took full control of brat's body.

As he did, Leo discovered something unexpected. Young Leo willpower was still alive, even after death, holding on to the last thread of life and seeking acceptance from Leo. Leo couldn't help but be awed by this realization and laughed in amazement. 'That's one hell of a willpower' he thought.

Looking at Young Leo body, Leo spoke aloud, "Before you go, Leo, know this: I will accept you and your body. I will show you how to live in a world that doesn't accept you and that's my promise to you so rest in peace, Leo. I will take over from now on."

Leo tossed the lifeless beast aside and stood up. He took a moment to strech his limbs and evalute his new body. 'There's no awkwardness in my movements' he thought to himself. 'Even though I'm smaller, I don't feel any different than before.'

After finishing his stretches, Leo got to work. He extracted the beast's core and a Water Elemental stone from the wall with the sword at his waist, stowing them both in his bag. As he searched the tunnel for anything useful for his return to the sect, his gaze landed on the beast's body. 'I should take this with me' he reasoned. 'It could come in handy.'

He dismembered the beast with a swift stroke of his sword, filling his bag with its meat. Satisfied with his haul, he made his way to the tunnel opening, took a deep breath, and plunged into the water below.

Leo swam towards the surface, emerging on the shore of the lake some time later. As he stood up, he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the water. He saw his green eyes, pale face, and messy hair that reached his shoulders from the sides and his eyebrows from the front.

He found himself growing irritated at the unevenness of his hair. A quick search of his inner robe pocket yielded a hair tie, and he set about fixing his hair. He tied the back up into a half bun and separated the front based on his nose line. Satisfied with his new look, he continued his journey towards the forest border that connected to the mystic town.

As he walked, he pondered the place of his birth. 'Funny enough' he mused, 'if you ignore the dangers around the forest, it's a very nice place.'

Leo walked towards the forest border in awe of the natural wonder surrounding him. The sun's rays peeked through the treetops, illuminating the forest floor with patches of yellow light. The majestic trees, towering high into the sky, cast their own shadows that covered the ground in deep blackness. As they competed for dominance, the forest floor became a canvas of contrasting patterns, with streaks of yellow and black forming intricate designs.

Leo moved with careful steps, his feet landing softly on the ground as he performed a delicate dance of camouflage. He wanted to become one with nature and remain hidden from any potential threats. His eyes remained fixed on the border ahead, determined to reach his destination.

As Leo made his way through the forest, he suddenly remembered a crucial detail that had been lingering at the back of his mind. He recalled the mechanical voice that had spoken to him and brought him to this world, calling itself the Oracle System. His curiosity piqued, Leo tried calling out to the system, hoping for an answer. "Hey, System, where are you now? Can you hear me?"

[ Oracle System Will be launched in five days ]

Leo, who heard a response from the system, thought, 'Five days? Wasn't it supposed to be seven days? That means my transmigration took only two days.' Leo tried to ask the system some questions, but every time he received the same notification about the launch of the system. Frustrated, Leo put the system subject to the back of his mind and started to think about his journey.

He estimated that it would take him approximately two days to get out of the forest and reach the mystic town. From there, it would take another two days to get to the sect. 'That will make a total of four days after reaching the sect, and it will probably take me a day to familiarize myself with the environment,' Leo thought to himself. 'So, after I reach the sect, the system will be launched.'

Leo had been walking for almost six hours, yet he realized he had not made much progress. He understood that carelessly moving through the forest would only increase his risk of encountering danger. 'I should take it slow and steady and not let my impatience get the better of me. This world is entirely different from Earth,' Leo reminded himself.

Leo had been walking with a steady tempo for nearly eight hours and didn't feel even a bit tired. 'This must be the benefit of cultivation' he thought to himself. Leo looked up at the sky and noticed that the sun was beginning to retreat from the battleground, while the black patterns on the ground were growing.

Suddenly, Leo heard a noise from ahead and tensed up, slowing his pace and opening his ears, fully focused on trying to make out what was happening. "Damn it," he thought, "Here I thought I could make it through this forest without encountering any danger, like the Leo who came here without any difficulty."

Leo realized that the sounds were not getting any closer. He found himself in a dilemma 'Should he hide and stay put, or take a risk and investigate the source of the noises?' Leo's thoughts were interrupted by the realization that one of the sounds had ceased, while the other was slowly fading away. Unable to contain his curiosty any longer, Leo cautiously made his way towards the location of the sounds, carefully moving behind forest trees and bushes.

Upon reaching the scene of the commotion, Leo cautiously peek his head around a nearby tree. He surveyed the area and noticed that the ground was stained with red, forming a large puddle in some places and smaller dots of red in others. The air was thick with the scent of iron and blood. As he continued to observe, he saw two beasts in the puddle: a barely alive mutated three-eyed rabbit with black spots on its skin a sign of mutation, and a giant red fox that lay motionless beside it.

As Leo observerd the scene before him, he couldn't help but notice the contrasting states of the fox and rabbit. While the fox appeared to be lifeless, the rabbit looked as though it was on the brink of death. Leo's eyes widened and his breathing quickened as he realized that both beasts were at the sixth realm of Qi condestation. A sense of greed began to grow inside him, fueled by the opportunity that lay before him. Suddenly the beast turned its head and started inspecting the surronding area, causing leo to freeze in his tracks.