Chapter 206 - First day

Huh, I hadn’t noticed from just looking out, but it seems that fall is already here. Adion thought as he came down the mountain and noticed the greenery around showed signs of the changing of seasons.

It was a good thing I left when I did. I really don’t want to travel through winter.

Hopefully, it doesn’t take too long before I reach civilization.

Adion had now idea where he was. The only clue he had was that Shindo’s storage ring was only slightly harder to activate here than in the Saba Desert. That should mean he was still on Shiora at least.

As such, Adion could only head south and hope for the best. As long as he traveled south, he would eventually reach civilization.

The only issue was that there was a huge mountain range to the south, and Adion didn’t feel like crossing it. That would make his journey far too slow. It was better to head to the west and see if he could go around it. 

Adion didn’t walk too deep into the forest. He wanted to be close to the mountains so he didn’t lose his way. He also thought it should be safer than heading deep into the forest.

At night, I can head into the mountains to take cover. It should be safer there. At least I’ll have a good view of my surroundings. 

Adion used his aura sense to see if there were any beasts around. He had to be alert now that he was alone in a strange area. For all he knew, this area could belong to a Soul beast. 

Hopefully, I’m not that unlucky. As long as I don’t encounter any Soul beasts, I should be fine. 

Thankfully, beasts tend to show off their aura when they aren’t preparing a sneak attack, so it’s unlikely for me to stumble into the area of a Soul beast unaware. 

And a Soul beast should have numerous Gold and Diamond beasts under its command. As long as I’m not stupid, there shouldn’t be any problems. 

Adion couldn’t help but think about his time traveling through the Endless Forest when he first started out as a mage. He didn’t remember all the details from those days yet, but he could feel those memories clearing up slightly as he once again experienced something similar. 

I was so weak at that time that I would die just from encountering a Silver beast. I didn’t have any aura sense to speak of either…It’s amazing that I made it out alive. I guess it’s thanks to White.

Adion picked up his pace, traveling at a slow jog. He wasn’t that concerned about the beasts. He could always teleport away if he faced a foe he couldn’t defeat. He also carried a lot of Profound Water with him, so he didn’t need to be afraid of tiring his Will. 

It weighed quite a lot, though. But at least the weight gave him a sense of security. 

I can’t help but be jealous of Shindo’s storage ring, though. How much easier would my journey be if I didn’t have to carry everything with me on my back?

I guess I need a way to figure out how to make my own storage ring in the future. Traveling without one feels so inconvenient now that I know that something like that exists.

After jogging for a little over an hour, Adion stumbled upon a small creek flowing down from the mountains.

Great. Seems like I don’t have to go thirsty for a while yet.

Even if Shindo had access to water through his storage ring, Adion didn’t want to take too much. Shindo would be staying up in the mountains for a very long time, after all.

Adion took out a few empty bottles from his backpack and filled them with water. He took the opportunity to drink as much as he could as well.

It would be great if I could find a beast for some meat as well. I’m getting tired of eating dried meat. 

Adion was worried about encountering groups of strong beasts at first, but after over an hour and not sensing any beast at all, he couldn’t help but wish for some action.

Adion continued his journey after filling up on water, looking out for any beasts. But it was hard to be 100 percent focused on something like that for too long, and Adion’s mind wandered. He thought about everything he had been through lately, and how his family would react when he finally returned and could tell them everything. 

Thinking about his family, Adion’s pace increased, and the load on his back didn’t seem so heavy anymore. 

A few hours later, Adion finally felt the presence of a beast further ahead. 

That’s…an Iron beast. Good! Even if a Silver beast would taste better, I can’t complain about encountering such easy prey.

Adion didn’t need to exert much effort to slay the beast, which turned out to be some kind of deer with black horns and copper fur, just freezing it in space and sizzling its throat did the trick.

Adion didn’t recognize this type of beast, but he felt that its bloodline shouldn’t be too weak.

I should be careful. The tribe this beast belonged to might be pretty strong, and not very far from here.

Well, as long as I stick close to the mountains, there shouldn’t be any danger.

Adion looked up to the sun and noticed that there were only a few hours of sunlight left, so he decided to head up the mountain slope to eat and rest for the night.

He first gathered some firewood before freezing the beast in space and carrying it along after him. Luckily, it was only an Iron beast, so it wasn’t too heavy to carry up the mountain.

Reaching a small plateau at the height of the nearby trees, Adion thought it would make for a suitable resting place. 

He skinned and gutted the beast before lighting a fire to cook the meat. 

When the meat was cooked through, Adion eagerly bit into the juicy meat and let out a moan in satisfaction.

Damn. It’s been so long since I ate a warm meal. 

It would be better if I had something else to eat it with. Maybe I’ll see if I can find some fruit tomorrow. 

After finishing his meal, Adion put out the fire and sat down to watch as the sun went down below the treetops. 

If I wasn’t in a hurry to get back home, I wouldn’t mind taking my time. 

Maybe Sell and I can go out on an adventure on our own to the Endless Forest before it's time to leave for Quemer. That would be nice. 

Adion decided to meditate to pass the time. He wasn’t ready to sleep yet, and he felt that it would be a waste not to increase his strength during the journey, so he planned on meditating for a while each day. 

Maybe I could even afford to paint in the morning. As long as I’m in an area without any strong beasts, it should be safe.

Well, I’ll see how I feel about it after I’ve been traveling for a while, no need to rush into it. In the meantime, I can try to clear the foggy areas of the memories I’ve already regained. 

Adion felt the surrounding strands of space mana through his mana sense and grabbed hold of them with his Will and pushed them into his already full core, slowly expanding it. 

When he felt that his Will was starting to weaken, he opened his eyes to see that the sky was still a little bright. He took out one of the flasks containing his Profound Water and took two small sips. 

No need to completely exhaust my Will when I have access to the Profound Water. 

Adion once again closed his eyes and began another session of mediation. He felt that his progress was a lot quicker after all he had been through since he left the Academy. It wasn’t very strange, since he had been through a lot, and generally experience in all its forms sharpened one's Will. Especially life and death experiences, which is why fighting on the Outskirt is such a popular choice for mages who feel that they don’t have the Will to advance.

But Adion had also tempered his Will through recovering his memories, and felt that was a different kind of tempering from fighting beasts. Adion didn’t think one way was better than the other, but he felt that it should be good to have some variety in training his Will. 

After a few more hours, Adion opened his eyes and saw that it was already completely dark. The sound of insects in the dark forest in front of him seemed especially loud. 

I’ll probably be able to advance to high Silver in around two months if I make time for a session like this every night. That’s incredibly fast!

But I’m still far from catching up to Shindo. I can’t believe he’s middle Gold already. How did he do it? Is it just the Profound Water, or does his family have other methods that he hasn’t told me about?

Probably.

I need to find some of these methods myself. Just the Profound Water is a complete game-changer. But it’s not going to last forever.

Even if I’m faster than most mages on Shiora, it seems I’m nothing special compared to geniuses like Shindo. I can’t become complacent. 

I’m sure I’ll reach the top eventually, but if it is going to take me decades to reach the Soul stage…I don’t know if I have the patience. And how long will it take for me to reach the Immortal stages? Centuries? 

I can’t leave the safety of my family in the hands of others for such a long time. 

Hopefully, I’ll manage to get some answers when I get to Quemer. 

Until then, I can only keep at it and increase my strength little by little. I’ll see if the Headmaster has another way for me to sharpen my Will, that would make progress faster. 

I’ll also see if he knows anything about Profound Water. If it only exists on Quemer, I’ll see if there is a way to trade it. Even if it’s rare, I have a few pills and elixirs that should be worth a lot more and be a lot rarer. 

If I can trade another Elixir of Life for Profound Water instead of money, that would be great. I would probably manage to quite a bit. 

It would be even better if I found out how those families manage to produce it. If I could have my own source of it, that would solve all my problems. 

Suddenly, Adion felt something that sent a chill through his spine and pulled him out of his thoughts. 

Looking up with dread, he realized that an incredibly powerful presence was approaching. And it was approaching quickly.

Adion hurriedly kicked the signs of the fire away and grabbed his backpack before running away. He quickly spread his space mana and noticed a small crevice where he could hide. 

Teleporting over, he hurriedly hid his aura as much as he could. Utilizing all his Will, he tried to grab hold of any vague signs of aura and pull it into himself. 

Adion didn’t dare use his aura sense to investigate. He closed his eyes and tried to think about something else, less his aura be too agitated.

The seconds passed slowly, and after a couple of minutes, Adion finally felt that the presence was gone. 

That beast…I’ve never felt anything like that. Is that the aura of a Soul mage when he’s utilizing his aura to the fullest?

Adion had been around the Headmaster a lot and was familiar with the man’s powerful aura, but it was always restrained in front of Adion. It didn’t feel frightening. It only inspired awe. 

But that beast was different. The aura was flaring. Adion knew that it would kill him like a bug if it spotted him and was in a bad mood.

Was it at the Pure Soul stage?

Even if it wasn’t, it wasn’t much weaker. 

But why was such a strong beast doing around here? Is this its area? Or was I just unlucky to cross its path as it made its way through?

“Haaah,” Adion breathed out, calming himself. 

I’m still weak, after all.