7

Once the horse sensed its lead going limp, it neighed nervously. The merchant's head landed on the ground a second later, which frightened it further. It stomped its feet on the ground, then neighed even louder.

Ray noticed the horse wanted to flee, so he gave it a menacing stare.

To the outside eye, all Ray did was look at the horse. However, once the horse noticed Ray, it came to an abrupt stop.

Its eyes were locked on Ray, and its breathing was heavy. It desperately wanted to run, but it couldn't get its legs to move.

All Ray had done was release a portion of his mana onto the horse, which made it think that Ray was a predator it couldn't escape. Ray needed the horse so he could travel easily, so he used this method of 'hijacking' the soul to tame the horse.

This was one of the more useful tricks he had learned in his previous life. The only downside was that it only worked on beasts with low intelligence. Otherwise, they would be smart enough to realize what had happened.

Ray slowly walked behind the horse, then took the controlling lead.

He took a quick look through the merchant's goods, but there was nothing of interest. The only thing he could use was the merchant's food and water to restock his supply.

Ray slumped onto the chair inside the carriage, then let out a sigh of relief. The first mission would be the hardest since he had no funds for preparation. But now that he had a carriage to relax in while he traveled to the forest, most of his pressure was relieved.

While the horse trotted along the road, Ray tried to recall any information about his new life's location.

Based on the maps provided by the mission posters, Ray knew his new body was in Province 96.

In the Mage's Association, the provinces were organized such that the important provinces were located in the middle and the discreet provinces were located at the border.

Since his province was ranked 96 out of the 100 provinces, this province was likely neighbors with a different empire. Generally, a lower-ranked province wasn't necessarily weaker than a higher-ranked province. The main difference was their safety, since the outer provinces would be the first to be attacked in an invasion from nearby empires.

'I need to reach my previous strength as soon as possible.' Ray thought to himself.

Once one reached the strength of a god, most worries, such as lifespan and unexpected invasions, would all be solved.

Of course, the realm of gods was a long way from Ray's present state. His current goal was to become an official mage, which would give him a basic amount of freedom.

A few hours later, Ray could see a thick line of trees sprawling in the distance. The width of the forest was long—so long that it spanned out of Ray's vision.

"This must be it," Ray muttered to himself.

His figure was no longer relaxed. Instead, he stared at the forest with an alert look in his eyes.

He was a little worried since he could feel a faint aura of danger when he focused on the forest. He had long since learned to take his intuitions seriously since they were unconscious signals sent from his soul.

Before entering the forest, Ray tied the horse to a tree so it couldn't escape while he was gone. Despite being shackled, the horse seemed glad that Ray was finally leaving.

"Don't be so happy; I'll be right back," Ray said, patting the horse on its back.

A few minutes later, Ray found himself at the entrance to the forest. Just as he suspected, the spiritual energy was noticeably denser in the forest, even though he was only on the outskirts.

He could imagine that the center of the forest had terrifying monsters dwelling inside. For now, he had no intention of verifying his guess.

His focus wasn't on an earth-shattering beast but rather on a cute Blood Rabbit. Of course, the Blood Rabbits could slaughter a squad of mortals with ease, but it was still cute in Ray's eyes. Compared to behemoth sea monsters that spewed violent storms of toxic waste, what other word could describe the little critter?

The forest was dense with giant trees and lush greenery. The birds chirping in the distance gave off a peaceful vibe, but Ray knew the forest was anything but peaceful. Those same birds letting out gentle chirps could be blood-sucking monsters for all he knew.

He cautiously walked along the perimeter of the forest, careful to minimize any noise he made. He probably wouldn't encounter any powerful monsters being so close to the edge, but there was no point in alerting all the creatures to his presence.

After walking for a few minutes, Ray noticed small drops of blood on the ground.

He immediately tensed up and froze in position. His pupils were dilated, and his mana was ready to be cast at any moment. The blood was fresh, so Ray knew there was a chance of the perpetrator being in the area.

After a few minutes of silence, Ray took a closer look at the blood-stained dirt.

There was a large pool of blood next to a tree that had large gashes on its trunk.

It was pretty easy to deduce that a fight had occurred at this spot, and one of the animals had taken a serious injury.

After inspecting the tree's wounds, Ray happily concluded that the attacker was a Blood Rabbit. There was no sign of the other animal, but Ray could see a trail of blood heading toward the core of the forest.

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