Thousands of years after the collapse of the known worlds, some of the strongest survivors divided the human world into large continents formed after the devastation that left other races without worlds to live in. Others created hidden places to avoid any connection with other creatures.
Of course, these places wouldn't be made public and would always remain hidden because many of the unshown races feared what others might do if they started to live in proximity. One of the hidden zones was deep within a blue forest, covered in enormous nearly indestructible trees that protected the population of moon elves, whose hair was silver, and whose beauty was extraordinary.
Although these elves had never had direct contact with other races, they maintained a close relationship with other elves who received their help whenever they were in danger. These moon elves shared the secret of the hidden zones with a demonic clan, the celestial race living in the clouds, and finally, the sacred prophets who resided in towers traversing the sky.
The area they entered was a new one, created by pure humans who had lived here for an indeterminate amount of time, as it was impossible to determine for how long. Their deaths were a mystery, but upon Gilgamesh's inspection, he discovered a few things.
This area was suitable for training, surviving, and facing nearly impossible challenges in the outside world. If humans lived here, it meant they were preparing for something specific that was unknown. Furthermore, the dangers were not fatal in this place, as there were special areas where the intensity of the beasts' offensive was lower, such as the divine tree.
Within a radius of fifteen thousand miles lay the actual training area. Only the most powerful would dare to enter, those confident in their own abilities. Thus, for powerful organizations, this place would be perfect for training their armies.
It seemed that warriors below the Sword Saint rank or mages capable of casting King-ranked magic at least could survive in this place, but anything below that would be highly unlikely.
This area served as a sacred battleground since the challenges one could find here were extremely challenging, preparing warriors to face specific enemies, those enemies that are similar to mindless beasts and ruthless killers, such as demons.
So, fifteen thousand miles from the thirty thousand-mile safe area was the battlefield. Only armies of twenty thousand men would dare to enter that place because of how intensive it could become. How dangerous it would be depended on luck. If one had bad luck, they would encounter tens of thousands of beasts; if they had good luck, it would only be a few hundred beasts.
Naturally, these areas were subject to valuable rewards, along with extremely rare medicinal plants. The corpses of the beasts were also of great value.
After the last race of humans living here was exterminated by a particular enemy, no one who had ever found this place would dare to enter, and for those who did, they never returned. Among the adventurers who entered alongside Gilgamesh's group, there were some who considered this place a no-man's land. There was a possibility of encountering millions of beasts in this area.
From the perspective of any expert warrior, entering this place meant seeking death. Even Sword Saints bled easily in this place, and entire armies were consumed in clashes with the beasts.
As for how large this land was, very few were sure, if any. Even Gilgamesh had explored only a tenth of what this place hides.
There were some who even claimed that this place harbored an extremely dangerous beast. Others said that it was a battlefield lost by the human race, so if you ventured beyond what your eyes could see, you would die.
Another rumor among adventurers indicated that this place had a malevolent demon lurking within, a demonic being superior to any demon the world had ever faced.
No matter what, none of those who arrived dared to venture deeper into the forest, let alone into the deeper area where the real trials lay.
The groups of adventurers immediately took measures, and no one wanted to retreat, so they set up their camps in strategic locations where they could defend against the attacks of any beasts.
In a short period, these groups of adventurers had established themselves in this desolate area, making it more lively. Mercenary groups that knew they were beneath the powerful adventurer groups stayed in quieter areas and worked within a smaller radius, seeking medicinal plants.
The stronger adventurer groups entered the forest where the harvesting area was, according to their own ambitions. All of these adventurer groups had elite squads that ventured kilometers into the forest without much trouble. They began battling the beasts as soon as they entered the forest, eliminating most of them with relative ease.
Regarding the challenge zone, only Gilgamesh's group was present in the area—or so they thought, until a new opening appeared at the far end of the zone, from which several moon elves emerged.
"It appears that the assumptions of the ancient elves were correct; the pure humans have lost the battle against the enemy. I find it astonishing that, being considered the sole guardians of the ancient tree, they perished in battle..."
In this hidden area, a large group of moon elves gazed at the place with cold expressions, all of them feeling especially sorrowful.
"How difficult was it to keep the gate sealed?" asked a young elf who appeared to be a few hundred years old, as he looked at the condition of the area.
"At the very least, they did seal the gate. We couldn't have kept it sealed even with the help of the affiliated races that serve our purpose. Despite their death, they've shown that their existence goes beyond merely being alive. Worthy forebears of humans. So it is our task to find the gate and return to the Blue Forest before the time of the first opening." An elderly elf, his body enveloped in a powerful aura and clad in silver armor, mounted his powerful reindeer and began to advance through the green forest.
"It seems we weren't the only ones to find the entrance; non-ordinary humans have entered this place..." A silver-haired elven woman with blindfolded eyes murmured these words, but everyone could hear her perfectly.
"I'm not so sure about that. They can do as they please in this place because to enter the central area, they need to be much stronger."
"Then let's go."