Having left the Guild, Kael headed to the eastern border of the Lancaster Territory as originally planned.
There, the largest defensive force of the entire Lancaster lineage was stationed, and it was his destination for leveling up today.
Excluding a small number of magicians who solely relied on bloodline magic spells for their lackluster performance, magicians, as a magic-based profession, also needed to study magic models.
Mastering the use of bloodline instinct in magic models compared to relying on instinct to use magic models, the gap between the two can't be put into the same category.
Furthermore, excavating inherited magic models is, in itself, a process of inheriting the knowledge of original bloodline spells.
Usually, if one wishes to make progress in this area, there are two simplest methods.
One is to follow the scholars' path of Mages, making fine adjustments to one's own magic models through knowledge inheritance and tutelage from esteemed teachers.
The other is to take the practitioners' path of Mages, disregarding everything else and just doing it.
It's not that just fighting can optimize the magic models, but that after a fight, you'll know the shortcomings of your magic models when facing an enemy.
With a new direction for development and the help of specialized magic books for reinforcement, many magic models with practical battlefield functionality are developed under such circumstances.
However, for Kael at this moment, the most important thing was to follow his past life's path in magic direction and climb back up, focusing on raising his too-low professional level by going through dungeons.
As Kael gradually approached the border, he could almost visibly feel the concentration of magical substance around him steadily increasing.
Old White, who sat next to him with stern posture, also began to emanate a changing aura, and Kael sneaked a glance at him.
Old White was indeed a man of strength.
He also seemed to be a man with a story.
"Young Master, we are nearly at the area where the portal to the lower world is," Old White said softly.
"Hmm, I hear it," Kael replied.
The sound of hooves and the friction of armor, he could faintly hear it.
Gazing at the border, which was far different from what he remembered in the Lancaster memories, he suddenly felt as if he was worlds away.
"Clip-clop~"
A series of hoofbeats sounded, and Kael saw a cavalryman charging toward the edge of the region.
As the carriage slowly came to a stop, Kael felt the knight dismount before the carriage and kneel on one knee: "Lord, your knight, Jonathan, has come to escort you."
Old White stepped out of the carriage, reaching out to catch Kael's hand as he was about to disembark.
Kael stood in front of this knight, looking somewhat bewildered towards Old White.
"Jonathan is the Knight Captain of the frontier rangers and a trustworthy individual," Old White stated softly.
Kael nodded, extended his hand to help him rise, and asked, "What's the situation around the portal to the lower world now?"
Jonathan responded, "The Rune Magic Statue in the center of the 'Twisted Jungle' shows no signs of activity, but recently, there has been a wolf crisis in the area, with many Corrupted Tree-men and Huge Hoofed Deer fleeing.
We could attempt to redirect some of the Huge Hoofed Deer to the pasture on the west side of our territory for settlement, but the Corrupted Tree-men and the Shadow Wolves causing the wolf crisis are somewhat troublesome."
"Shadow Wolves and Corrupted Tree-men?" Kael nodded in understanding.
It was just as he knew from the game.
The Dungeon in the borderlands right now should still be the 'Twisted Jungle,' a place from a special world afflicted by the misuse of magic.
It was filled with a large number of giant Golden Trees that required over a dozen people to embrace and stood hundreds of meters tall, all influenced by the magical substance.
Their habitats were home to the Huge Hoofed Deer capable of leaping on the massive tree trunks and the Shadow Wolves that preyed on the Huge Hoofed Deer.
As for the Corrupted Tree-men, players from his past life only learned after clearing the dungeon that these tree-men came from a magic civilization of their world before it shattered, the uncontrolled biological weapons created from the abuse of magical substance.
Their combat capabilities were average, and because of their plant-like nature, they could even be considered somewhat sluggish in reaction.
The greatest threat was probably the large amount of corrosive liquid that sprayed out when they died and their bodies exploded.
These Corrupted Tree-men were Kael's targets.
He looked toward the forest shrouded in a mist and the protruding arch-like gateway on the ground, which, in his eyes, was surrounded by countless magical essences as beautiful as the stars adorning the night sky.
That was the gateway to the Dungeon.
A slight smile crept across his heart.
Twisted Jungle, your undertaker has returned!
"Lord, are you entering the Dungeon?" Jonathan said, noticing Kael's eagerness, "Shall I call a small squad of Light Cavalry to accompany you?"
"Jonathan." Old White spoke up, "Bring me a sword, I alone accompanying Lord Kael in should suffice; let's not disturb the other guards."
Jonathan hesitated, his expression flickering, and said in a low voice:
"With your protection, certainly better than a troop of Light Cavalry, I am at ease. But please be extra cautious; it seems that a leader among the Shadow Wolves in the Twisted Jungle has emerged, posing no small threat."
Old White looked at Kael, and Kael nodded, saying, "Let's decide on that then. This time, we'll mainly look around the outer ring. It's not necessary to delve deep into the jungle."
Jonathan nodded, "Then let me escort you both there."
With that, the group headed toward the archway.
...
Passing through the gateway, accompanied by a slight sense of dizziness.
Kael saw the magical essences, like stardust, rushing towards him, passing through his body.
He gagged, then raised his head to look at the scene in front of him.
The hundred-meter-high Golden Trees blended with the thin daylight and the mist in the distance.
Faint howling from the wolves in the forest could still be heard.
Kael's gaze gradually changed, and a few calculations began to form in his mind.
At the beginning of different versions of "The Door to the Netherworld," the supercomputer "Divine River" that supported the game would periodically produce various promotional CGs.
According to the habits of the "Divine River" supercomputer, these promotional CGs would generally consist of randomly edited clips from many recent events in the game.
But in the early days, when the game needed to attract players' attention like a peacock spreading its feathers, "Divine River" would select representative clips from recently outstanding NPCs, as [Promotional Materials] for different professions.
Most importantly, these CGs that resembled large advertisements for attracting investment, primarily judged not on strength but the professional's appearance.
Attractive enough or standing out in a unique way.
High entertainment value of skill effects.
Higher damage from skills compared to peers within the same level.
This was the experience summarized by players after having encountered the corresponding NPCs upon entering the game.
Although no one could verify whether the internal test CGs were based on these criteria, Kael felt he might as well try.
He was confident in his looks... pah!
He was confident in the entertainment value and strength of his unique skills.
"Young Master, we're here," as the master and servant delved deeper into the Twisted Jungle, the sound of rustling gradually surrounded them.
Soon, several hunched creatures that resembled distorted, hollow tree trunks slowly approached them.
"Grandpa White," Kael placed a hand on Old White, who was about to draw his sword, and chuckled, "Don't be nervous, just watch me perform."