The Mountain of Magical Monsters was vast and boundless. Within it, Renji could see ancient pines that were centuries or millennia old, blotting out the landscape. All sorts of various grasses filled the land, and thistles and thorns were equally commonplace. Dry leaves covered the land, and with each step, they crackled and popped. Ancient vines and weeds could be seen everywhere.
"With all of these weeds, dense vines, and trees which have been around for who-knows-how-long, even if a magical beast were just ten meters away from me, I still probably wouldn't sense it." Renji grew apprehensive.
Grandpa Kaiya appeared by his side as well. "Ten meters? Renji, even in the grass right in front of you, there could be a magical beast in wait, such as a giant snake." Kaiya Tanaka laughed as he spoke. Renji involuntarily glanced at the grassy area in front of him, which was almost half as tall as him. Such thick, tall grass really could hide a snake.
Taking a deep breath, Renji stood there as he began to mumble the words to a spell. Suddenly, a gentle gust of wind emanated from Renji, spreading about in all directions before finally dissipating. Wind-style magic – Windwatcher!
Generally speaking, a magus of the third rank would be able to execute the Windwatcher spell. But of course, the more powerful a magus was, the wider an area the Windwatcher spell could cover. The Windwatcher spell of a magus of the third rank would only affect an area of around ten or so meters around him, but the Windwatcher of a magus of the fifth rank had a diameter of over a hundred meters.
"Within a hundred meters, the only magical beasts around are a magical beast of the first rank, a Foamfur, and a few magical beasts of the second rank, 'Stoneclaw Scorpions'," Renji said confidently. The Windwatcher spell could discern the aura and lifescent of any living creature.
"Don't be too cocky. A powerful magical beast could burrow under the earth, and some Saint-level magical beasts can even disguise their power level," Kaiya Tanaka reminded, but then he chuckled. "But of course, if they wanted to deal with a little fellow like you, would a Saint-level magical beast bother to hide its power?"
But upon hearing these words, Renji grew all the more cautious. "Ambush through disguising power levels? In some books, it was said that the intelligence of magical beasts rivals that of man's. Looks like it's true," Renji said to himself. Glancing at the little Umbramouse, 'Echo,' on his shoulders, he thought, "This little fella, Echo, already has a really high level of intelligence. I can't let my guard down."
Air swirled around Renji's feet. This was part of the byproduct of Renji's 'Rapidstream' spell. Renji quietly passed into the Mountain of Magical Monsters. He carefully surveyed his surroundings, while on his shoulders, the little Umbramouse, Echo, also perked up and stared in all four directions, his beady little black eyes peering about him. Slowly, the two of them traveled deeper and deeper into the mountains.
"The Mountain of Magical Monsters is over ten thousand kilometers long, with an average width of seven or eight hundred kilometers. In the outermost hundred-kilometer region, the magical beasts are mostly of low rank. If we go more than a hundred kilometers deep, we'll meet lots of magical beasts of the fifth and sixth ranks. If we go still deeper inside, we will see many beasts of the seventh, eighth, and ninth ranks, and perhaps even Saint-level magical beasts." Kaiya Tanaka once more began to lecture Renji about the Mountain of Magical Monsters. "But of course, nothing is absolute. Perhaps a magical beast of the ninth rank might be bored and go for a stroll in the outer territories," Kaiya Tanaka said. "And perhaps you might be so unlucky as to meet with a huge, ten-thousand-unit strong pack of wolf monsters. If that happens, all I can say is, you have terrible karma."
Hearing Kaiya Tanaka's words, Renji's lips pursed. That went without saying! The Mountain of Magical Monsters was enormous. How could he be so unlucky? But if he was, Kaiya Tanaka, who survived only as a spirit, would not be able to assist him in any way. A Saint-level Grand Magus without Magic force had no way to attack.
"Grandpa Kaiya, I know this already. Be quiet and don't distract me," Renji said discontentedly. Kaiya Tanaka immediately chuckled. Stroking his white beard, he no longer spoke.
The Mountain of Magical Monsters was a place of deep mountains and ancient trees. The trees were so thickly clustered that virtually all of the rain was blocked, with just a few drops occasionally sprinkling down. After walking for a period of time, he realized that this outer region was indeed not that dangerous. Renji exerted some strength with his legs, and almost as if he were floating, leapt up on top of a seven or eight-meter high tree branch as he carefully scanned about.
"Boss, far away to the right, there's a wild pig." Echo's voice sounded out in Renji's mind. Hearing these words, Renji couldn't help but turn and look. Indeed, approximately a hundred meters away, a wild boar with a single horn was carefully scanning his surroundings. If Renji didn't have such a high vantage point, Renji perhaps wouldn't have been able to see this Horned Tusker.
"Horned Tusker, a magical beast of the third rank, an earth-element creature. The only technique it has is that of the 'Earth Spear' technique." Some information regarding the Horned Tusker came to Renji's mind. "Even though it's just a beast of the third rank, at least it will serve for dinner. Boar flesh is quite tasty."
Nimbly and vigorously, Renji crept through the trees as he stealthily approached the boar. Due to the density of the local flora, the boar had not noticed Renji either.
When he got within ten meters of the boar, Renji lay down flat in the grass. Peering through the dense grass, he could still make out the outline of the Horned Tusker.
Whoosh! Like a serpentine dragon leaving its lair, Renji leapt out from the grass. When the Horned Tusker turned his head and stared in shock, Renji fell down upon it like a gust of wind. The Horned Tusker let out an indignant roar and thrust its long, thick horn straight at Renji.
"Hrrg!" Renji reached out with his left hand, grabbed the horn, and gave a tremendous tug. That huge Horned Tusker, weighing several hundred kilograms, was tossed up seven or eight meters into the air by Renji, who then began to fiercely kick at it with his left leg, using it like a giant claymore and slamming it into the boar's head with thunderous power and speed.
"Thud." With a sickening, bone-crunching sound, the Horned Tusker was kicked into a tree. When it fell to the ground, the very earth shook. The bones of the Horned Tusker had already been shattered, and brain matter had already begun leaking out from its shattered skull. A trail of fresh blood streamed forth from its mouth. Its four limbs quivered momentarily, then grew still. Just based on his prowess as a warrior, killing a Horned Tusker was not a tough feat for Renji.
"Although the magicite core of a magical beast of the third rank is only worth ten or so gold coins, I can't let it go to waste." Renji withdrew the Direct Chisel from his backpack, and with just two or three simple slices, he cut the boar open. An entirely unremarkable earth-colored magicite crystal rolled out. Renji wiped it off on the grass, then placed it in his backpack. And then, with practiced ease, Renji skinned the boar and cut off the boar's legs.
After casually chopping down a few branches, with a flick of his wrist, Renji summoned forth a small flame. As the fire began to grow, Renji began to roast the boar legs. The little Umbramouse, Echo, began to drool. His eyes were fixed on the boar legs.
"Boar legs are delicious. Boss, hurry up, hurry up. Why don't you just directly use your fire-element magic to roast the boar, wouldn't that be faster?"
"Fire-element magic? I only have a bit of fire element Magic force. And what's more, when it comes to cooking, using higher temperatures isn't necessarily superior," Renji smirked as he spoke, withdrawing some coarse salt and other ingredients from his backpack.
When Renji had originally tested for magical aptitude, he had exceptional affinity for both earth and wind elemental essence, but just average affinity for fire elemental essence. Honestly speaking, for an ordinary person, average affinity for an elemental essence was quite good. But for someone like Renji, he couldn't be bothered to spend time and energy working on his fire magic. After all, if he wanted his abilities in fire magic to match his abilities in wind and earth, he would probably have to spend ten times as much time. Thus, Renji would usually just casually refine a little bit of fire element Magic force. He did, however, definitely have enough to generate some fireballs without any problems.
After finishing roasting two boar legs, Renji and Echo each shared one while Renji began to work on roasting the other two.
"Wow. Delicious." Echo chatted while eating enthusiastically. "This wild boar tastes so much better than those farm-grown hogs. It tastes so fragrant. But naturally, your roasting abilities also played a big role, boss." Echo was so happy that he even began flattering Renji a bit.
Renji couldn't help but start to laugh. "Boss, I want more." After finishing one leg, Echo looked at Renji with a pitiful expression. Seeing Echo's sad gaze, Renji didn't feel sorry for him in the slightest. He sternly lectured, "This boar leg is way larger than a roast duck. One leg is more than enough for you. The other two legs will be dinner."
After speaking, Renji turned away and ignored Echo's pitiable face. After finishing roasting the two legs, Renji used two large leaves to wrap them up, and then placed them within his backpack. He began hurrying along the road with Echo still perched on his shoulders.
As they moved deeper into the Mountain of Magical Monsters, the atmosphere grew heavier. The trees seemed older, their branches thicker and twisted, with leaves that blocked out more and more of the sunlight. The sounds of rustling leaves and distant animal cries echoed through the air, adding to the tension.
Suddenly, Echo's ears twitched, and he whispered into Renji's mind, "Boss, something's watching us."
Renji immediately halted, his senses on high alert. He narrowed his eyes, scanning the surroundings with sharp focus. "Where?"
"Not sure, but it's close. Really close," Echo responded, his small body tensing up.
Renji concentrated, his mind honing in on the Windwatcher spell again. He sent out a pulse of wind, trying to detect the presence of any hidden threats. This time, the wind didn't just travel smoothly through the air—it hit something, something big.
"Over there," Renji whispered, his gaze locking onto a cluster of trees to his left. The leaves rustled, and then, without warning, a massive creature burst forth from the underbrush. It was a Thunderclaw Bear, a magical beast of the fourth rank, known for its speed and ferocity.
The bear's eyes gleamed with a savage intelligence as it charged towards Renji, its claws crackling with electrical energy. Renji didn't flinch. In a split second, he gathered the earth-elemental energy within him and slammed his hands into the ground.
"Stone Wall!" he shouted. Instantly, a thick wall of stone erupted from the earth, blocking the bear's path. The Thunderclaw Bear collided with the wall, causing it to crack but not crumble.
Renji used this moment to launch his counterattack. He leapt onto the wall and, with a swift motion, summoned a gust of wind that propelled him high above the bear. From above, Renji thrust his hands downward, unleashing a powerful wind blade.
The blade struck the Thunderclaw Bear, causing it to roar in pain and anger. The bear retaliated by swiping its electrified claws at Renji, but he was too fast, dodging the attack by a hair's breadth.
The battle continued in a fierce exchange of blows. Renji's wind and earth magic clashed with the bear's brute strength and electrical attacks. The forest around them shook with the force of their conflict, trees snapping and rocks shattering.
But Renji was relentless. He was a Highgod, trained to push beyond his limits. With a final, concentrated blast of wind and earth energy, he brought the full force of his magic down upon the Thunderclaw Bear.
The bear let out one last, thunderous roar before collapsing to the ground, defeated.
Panting, Renji landed lightly on his feet beside the fallen beast. Echo jumped down from his shoulder, inspecting the bear with a mix of caution and curiosity. "That was close," Echo muttered. "But you handled it, boss."
Renji wiped the sweat from his brow, nodding. "Yeah. This place is full of surprises. We need to stay on guard."
With the immediate threat gone, Renji retrieved the bear's magicite core, a more valuable and powerful one than the earlier boar's. He added it to his collection, knowing it would fetch a good price—or perhaps be useful in crafting something more potent later on.