The sun moved overhead as stray clouds accompanied it, lazily drifting in their freedom. When he slipped from the elves, Klein hadn't considered what he would do to fill his stomach. Some of those mushrooms are still in the dimension sphere, though those couldn't be eaten just to fill his stomach. They were natural treasures, a valuable resource of cultivation. Using them for sustenance was a horrendous idea.
Klein would have to meditate and exercise if he wanted to get the best result out of those mushrooms.
He decided that was not a bad idea. That reason alone pushed him to flee from the elves. He remembered how the other group of elves looked down on him because he was low in cultivation. Now that he got a chance, Klein would do his best to overtake them.
He was not just someone who would be satisfied by getting closer to others. He revelled in overtaking others in skill or power.
Still, he decided to hunt a rabbit to complement the mushrooms. Taking shelter under a giant tree, Klein brought out the things needed for cooking from the dimension sphere. First, he made a fire and left the meat to roast. As for the mushroom, he cooked it the way Elowen did, which was prepared in half an hour.
He didn't waste even a bit of the mushroom soup and gobbled them up all. Soon, the familiar burning ache surged through his body, drawing in the wild power to wreck his body. His muscles swelled in the fierce burning. Klein sat cross-legged in deep meditation, channelling and directing his energy to every part of his body.
The mushroom seemed to nourish the body more compared to the sun peach, which mostly increased his energy capacity. Thus, these mushrooms took more effort on his part as his body was a weakness compared to his spiritual power.
As he had gone through a breakthrough a couple of hours ago, Klein didn't have to be worried about another one, not that he'd reject such a notion. In about an hour or so, he managed to calm down the surging energy, letting it nourish his body.
Now all he had to do was challenge his body through exercise.
"Who said meditation is a calming exercise?" he questioned. Of course, he wasn't just meditating, he was cultivating. Meditation was simply the way to keep his mind calm. His Will flourished while the wild energy sailed through his body.
"Who indeed," a voice replied shortly, causing him to leap on his feet.
Klein spun, his mind working to manifest as many essence Bolts as he could. He managed four before he even received the sight of the person.
"Oho, those look real threatening," said the fellow, as Klein finally found him in the branch of the very tree.
The idea that he was understanding the language of another person simply didn't register in his mind at first, as Klein studied his surroundings. He hadn't noticed the guy come in, or climb the tree. No, it wasn't simply because he was engrossed in meditation.
Even though the youth looked laid back, Klein could tell he was a threat.
"Also, can you put down those?" the youth asked, gesturing towards those translucent essence Bolts. "It really makes me unnerved."
The fellow was tall and handsome, though his face was more on the angular side—even more than Klein himself. His chin was a bit prominent, which made it look like he was smirking and grinning. His shoulder-length black hair was unable to hide the slightly pointy ears.
Klein didn't dismiss his spell and made his voice stern to ask: "Who are you?"
"Come on, brother," the half-elf said. "You have nothing to fear for me. I'm not one of those snobby elves capturing humans for just a few contribution points. Well, don't look too stern. I'm three-quarters human, which makes me almost harmless."
Klein frowned at him. The guy didn't show any signs of fear under the facade, which meant the simple essence bolts couldn't possibly be any threat to him. He also didn't show any hint of harming him either, other than appearing on the very tree he was meditating under, like a ghost.
Did I really find another reasonable person here? Klein couldn't help but think. Not to mention, he could really talk with somebody and get the necessary information.
Klein dismissed the spell, though his eyes didn't waver from the half-elf.
Quarter elf? Discount elf? He mused and then shook his head.
"Curious," the stranger asked, finding him staring in incredulity. "What's made you shave your head, and even eyebrows? Don't get me wrong, I'm not judging you. I just couldn't endure the burning curiosity."
Klein ignored the question. "Who are you?" he repeated his question.
"Emir," the guy sighed. "Now, about your fashion sense..."
"I'm not like this by choice," Klein sighed.
"You don't look like you are around from here," Emir said, narrowing his eyes. "Far from home?"
"You have no idea," he said. Klein still planned on keeping his identity safe, just in case. "I have a question for you... how am I able to understand you? I do not know the local tongue, and everyone else I met didn't speak my language as well."
"Ah," the youth's eyes widened. "I didn't even notice without you pointing it out. But now, it kind of makes sense..."
"What makes sense?" Klein furrowed his brows.
"You see--" Emir cut himself short and flipped from the branch immediately, as in his place an arrow piece through the trunk completely, creating a gaping hole in the tree.
The next arrow flew past his ears and targeted where Emir was standing. Thankfully, at the right time, he ducked, the arrow missing him by a fair margin.
"Holyshit!" Klein cursed.
"Brother," Emir called. "I'll need some help to survive this."
Saying that, he hid behind Klein's tall stature, using him as a meat shield.
"Siona, cease fire!" Emir shouted. "I know your path does not allow you to hurt innocent bystanders."
An elven came from ahead, still holding her bow, an arrow aiming in his direction.