Chapter 160 What Happened

---> Some time ago.

With a colossal explosion, we fall to the hard ground surrounded by dense trees and the fall was great.

[[ Master!? Are you ok?! ]] Celes asked, and I happily stood up with the blood flowing out of my knees.

"You ok, Zoe?" I asked as I stood up and took a low-grade potion to clean up this wound.

Thankfully, she was ok from this sudden fall, but we were thankfully out of that hellish forest.

I was out... out of that great forest like hell, one that I spent my almost six years.

A place I survived and came out alive and... with two members of my family I will have to protect.

I was free now, outside of that ferocious place and the place we were right now was... a comparatively easy forest.

Well, I knew we would just fall like this or something and the place we were standing at this moment was a mess already.

There was a giant creator almost some meter deep, and we were just standing inside it.

Well...

I was out of that hell, and I knew no forest could be as dangerous as that one.

I knew no place would have an as horrible night as that place and I knew there would be nothing I could do in a place that was actually like that one.

Well... I was ultimately out.

Looking at Zoe with a smile, I called out to Celes and said, "Let's go back." in a warm voice.

She cheerfully nodded, and Celes flew into the sky with the same happiness.

[ "Go scout the area Celes. See if you find the road to the outside of this place and see if there are any dangerous beasts.

We should kill some and take them with us to sell.

We will need money and the boar we have is too much.

Oh... I also have many other bodies I killed... no?

Those things have higher Mana, so selling them for cheap would be meaningless.

I will give them to mom and we will auction them at our auction house.

Ok, go~ and be safe." ]

She cheerfully smile giggled and flew in the air.

With a bright, white light covering her, many butterflies just like her came out of her glowing body and floated away.

[[ I can just send them and be with you, master. Hehehe. I am strong now~. ]]

Yes, that was a good option, too.

Thankfully, she was smarter than me to remember that in this situation.

"Ok, you little gorgeous. Come here. Let's get out of this place first." I smiled at both of them and walked out of the giant creature.

Leaving something like this in a hunting ground was too much so, I used earth magic and returned the devastated land to normal.

Looking around after things were good enough, we started walking on the path that looked the most used.

This jungle was a place many beasts lived after making territories and from what I knew, there would be a boss monster in each area, just like in games.

Well, this was almost the same as the great forest, so it did not surprise me.

Celes's clones were flaying in different places and I can see everything each one of them was seeing one at a time and Celes was seeing everything at the same time, so she reported every time she saw something different.

Looking at the straight road with the footsteps of many beasts passing through it, I knew we were now entering some beast's territory.

[[ Master, this area is clear and there are signs that someone has already cleared this whole place. ]]

Celes said with a certain voice, and my eyes widened in surprise.

'What...?' I couldn't believe what she was saying, so I looked through every butterfly in this area and, she was actually right.

There were clear signs of someone eradicating everything in their path and even killing the ruler of the beast of this particular area.

And... was this possible?

Was there someone, a single person in this part of the great empire, that would just kill everything in the area?

Like... it was actually foolish in the long run.

A new group of beasts would fill their place and a new king would be born every time one was killed.

And this transition would be fatal for those who used this hunting ground frequently.

Well, whoever killed them was definitely desperate for something.

Most probably a beast core?

And... I would do the same if I wanted something urgently, without hesitation.

Hunting grounds were natural places, and if you think they will always stay the same, you are kidding yourself.

Only an adventurer can enter this place, and being an adventurer would naturally mean you were on your own.

Whatever happens in this place would be your responsibility.

Well, whatever.

Whoever this person was that killed countless (red), (Orange), and even the ruler of the place that would be at the very least (Green) ranked was a strong one.

And that person didn't find anything from the looks of it and they didn't even leave the dead body of the beast.

"Well, let's first see who this person is. Celes, go check the tracks of that person.

I can sense water and darkness attributes, so check carefully.

Darkness is a rare one and if someone can kill these many beasts in a short time, then they would definitely be strong."

Looking at Zoe, I nodded in a serious tone.

And she understood me as always and got behind me as we started walking.

All I can understand from these marks was the enemy was overwhelmingly strong.

Maybe (tier-5) or more mage and a [Rank-4] knight?

And that was just speculation on my part.

It was clear that only one person made those deep cut marks on the ground and trees and the way they were perfectly refined and measured, It was clear this person was a weapon wielder who can use magic.

Meaning they were like me, dual professionals.

Well, I could never compare anything with my master, she was an entity so great that I might never see something like her again.

So, this person was running wild, having fun killing creatures of this hunting ground of the main city [Hygge].

I really wanted to see this person myself. Well, why wouldn't I?

I knew nothing was going to happen to me.

However strong my opponent was, they had no way of actually killing me.

And I was confident that this one was one of those so-called 'fortunate encounters'.

Maybe I can ask this person to guide us around the city for a bit until I finish the preparations and go to the capital through [Warp gate].

It would be really nice if that happened.

Celes flew away in the search herself, leaving her clone with me.

These clones can't talk, but even if they die in some circumstances, though I would never let happen, she would only receive some injury.

I knew she was smart, and she had survived for long enough to never die by some normal means, so I wasn't worried.

And she was excited to meet someone like me or more like another human for the first time in her life.

So I didn't mind her going on her own.

I knew she was strong. No creature in this weak forest with far lower Mana density than the great forest can harm her.

So, I also looked at Zoe and smiled.

"Let's see this powerful person..." I mumbled under my breath, and we started walking.

Zoe was hesitant, but I could feel her excitement, too.

She was a fun person to play with.

Oh, I will have to help her select a weapon that matches her, too.

She wasn't her mom, so the whip won't be the best weapon she would use.

She might be interested in a unique weapon and her body was the best for learning whatever she wanted so, she had endless options to choose from.

We didn't get that chance in the tower, as we were in a hurry, but she had the idea of every weapon there was.

She had all the knowledge in the world her mom had but she was ok. I was with her.

Now.. I was looking forward to that one and also, for now, seeing the first person after six years of forest life.