The Tremur Forest was one of the largest forests in this world which was fondly known by the natives as AIGAS.
A world where magic reigned supreme above all else. Cultivating power was hard but worthwhile as those who wielded it usually lacked nothing. Riches, fame and honour would follow those that dedicated their lives to learning magic in any of its broadly intricate forms.
The Tremur Forest housed all sorts of monsters, powerful and weak but in a manner that those who had visited before would know, provided they lived long enough to find out.
To the North, East, West and South of the forest, two powerful beasts would share the territory and be responsible for protecting it. They usually did not interfere with the lives of other beasts as their duty was to ensure that all outside threats were dealt with in their own corner, from greedy humans to the occasional visitor from other worlds.
A rather specific visitor or rather a set of them.
Local beasts usually stayed away from the areas near the beasts' Territories due to their inborn instincts, which is why Skullius had not bumped into any other beast other than the boar which had its own story to tell.
Skullius had appeared in the Eastern part of the forest where the Great Mane Mountain Ape along with the Aqua Ripper called their territory.
There were many things in this forest that would draw the attention of men and other monsters besides the high concentration of mana and overall controlled system.
Labyrinths, Temples, Mazes and other magical structures where Warriors and Mages from thousands of years ago had buried their treasures under the watch of mystical beasts until certain individuals came looking for them could usually be found in places like the Tremur.
The Legacies, Inheritances and Powers stored within were nothing scoff at, being hunted down by those who could from many nations.
Powerful gems cultivated under the rich soil of the forest, natural treasures formed by chaotic energies, mysteries to more advanced applications of mana among many other wonders that would draw the thirst for adventure were not in short supply when one ventured into the depths of this purposeful lush land.
.....
Skullius and Red Rage jogged for hours as they traversed the forest. Due to their endless endurance, they could keep at it for days if they wanted to. And they wanted to.
Skullius had confirmed that after Summoning Red Rage, he didn't need to keep spending mana. However, if his fellow bro got injured, he'd be burning through his mana to prompt the Apostle's recovery or worse.
They had met a few small creatures that were either too fast or too little to kill which was very frustrating. While Skullius was patient, he didn't deign to kill every single thing he came across.
As they travelled, Skullius familiarised himself with all his and Red Rage's skills.
He had scrolled through all the basic skills like [Static Limbo] and [Null Extraction] which he was very interested in, studying their effects.
However, Skullius was mainly interested in his Class skills above all else as next on his list was [Apostle Armament] which he really wanted to try.
Red Rage was outrageously weak at the moment and as the description of the skill had stated, he had to make his Apostle useful.
When it came to the mana requirements, he was made to take into account a sensitive issue he had neglected.
Mana recovery.
He had used some mana for [Apostle Summon] and another portion to reattach his arm, getting to witness thereafter just how slow it was to recover that lost mana.
It was only after 4 hours of travelling (which was now) that he had finally seen his Mana fully recover.
If he was to empty his tank, he dreaded how long it would take to fill it up again automatically.
Unless he used the Mana Sense.
Skullius came to a halt and looked at his guidance field.
~~~
[ Mana Sense | Lv. 10 (Permission to evolve) ]
The ability to sense the presence of mana within a certain range.
~~~
"Hmmm. Interesting, I guess. No, it actually sounds boring when it's explained like that. Last time I couldn't evolve this skill because apparently, the Moronic Undead couldn't handle it. Let's see if I can handle it now," Skullius said. "Evolve skill."
Skills had Tiers of their own.
Mana Sense was a Tier 0 skill used for sensing Mana.
The standard for magic in this world was so outrageously high that such a skill that had actually saved his life once because of its large sensory range of mana, was considered third rate in this world and would be graded as 'for the commoners'.
Tiers of all kinds doubled their required levels the higher one went.
To reach Tier 1 in a skill, one had to pass 10 levels. For Tier 2, one had to pass twenty and so on.
Skullius felt a burst of mana erupt from his core. The mana in the air raged as it was drawn to him.
The Boneman felt a cold sensation that embraced his foggy grey body. His socket flames blazed with excitement as he noted a huge difference in his body's response to mana.
[The skill 'Mana Sense LV10' has evolved into the skill 'Basic Mana Manipulation']
"Oh! Great!" Skullius exclaimed.
He immediately pulled out the skill information to see what it could really do.
~~~
[ Basic Mana Manipulation | Lv.1 ]
The ability to manipulate mana at a basic level.
~~~
"...."
Skullius was dumbfounded by how little detail was expressed on the status.
However, that did not discourage him as he was confident in being able to find it out for himself.
He focused on the sensation of mana which was many times more vivid now and found out that he could feel the energy coursing through the atmosphere. It moved around his body according to his command, though the range was dismal, being barely 10 centimetres from his body.
'Hmm. I didn't think [Mana Sense] would help me manipulate mana. If feels like I jumped a few steps. Is it because of the guidance field?' Skullius thought, ultimately being left to speculate.
He was more than grateful however and even though [Basic Mana Manipulation] was not some incredible skill yet...
"Not a problem! What's a thousand more years?" Skullius said as he clenched his fists.
[Red Rage approves of your actions. +1 Favourability]
Skullius found Red Rage giving him a thumbs up again.
"Are you saying you approve of my courage and charisma as a stubborn and motivated master?! Great!" said Skullius as he towered over the shorter figure of his Apostle with his flames burning like bright lamps!
Red Rage shrunk, seeing his master's enthusiasm.
The sun was beginning to set over the horizon and the two resumed their journey, being watchful of Territories along the way, though they didn't come across any.
Skullius was wondering how to get more Null Life Essence as the concept showed itself it appeared, he already had 50 points of it.
'That must have been a free benefit, I guess,' he thought.
The lush forestry began to become less and less pronounced, making way for sparse vegetation. Tree stumps became visible all around and Skullius became vigilant. The light that was visible within his chest was bothering him quite a bit as with the sun dipping behind the hills, he knew he would be a target, especially when considering that he would finally be meeting more monsters. Cut apart vegetation signalled this.
It didn't take long for Skullius to find the first small civilization within this forest.
He and Red bro hid behind some bushes as they looked at the situation.
A few mud and wood structures were erected in a collective fashion. The area that housed these structures was clear of any greenery whatsoever, some heavy deforestation having taken place.
A few creatures sat by a fire conversing in their native language.
When Skullius saw them, his socket flames blazed fiercely, almost licking the leaves from the bushes he did behind.
He had no idea what these creatures were but he knew he was about to have a good harvest. If he played his cards right.
They had large hairy bodies with pale and pink skin. They were bald with large teeth poking from their lips with pig-like noses, this detail making Skullius turn to Red Rage who scratched his skull.
These beasts wore animal skills, sitting comfortably by the fire where smaller, skinned animals were being roasted.
"Are they your friends?" asked Skullius to Red Rage.
Red Rage merely looked blankly at Skullius who gave up on getting an answer.
He watched for a while, taking in all the detail that was almost 30 meters ahead.
From a corner of the settlement of these creatures that housed at least 50 of them, Skullius saw a large cage within which a few creatures could be seen.
"What the... isn't that?!" he exclaimed in surprise as he saw something that made him turn to Red Rage again.
There were five boars that looked similar to Red Rage in that cage!
They were Dead-end-apocalypse-boars!
"Bro, do you mind telling me what's going on?" Skullius asked his Apostle who merely stared blankly for a few seconds before making a fist gesture.
"Huh?" Skullius was confused.
From the distance, a bit further from the settlement of large creatures, Skullius suddenly felt movement. The creatures around the fire stood and looked in the same direction.
A few figures, their forms different from the bulky ones Skullius had seen first, languidly strolled over with somewhat dignified steps.
They were short green creatures with beady eyes. They numbered around 10, coming to a halt when they were ten meters from the large hairy beasts.
Skullius watched from afar wondering what would happen next.
Was a fight about to break out...?