"Jahohshs ajshie ywkbsbs!?"
Gill, the veteran knight standing before Leylin Farlier, desperately tried to speak. His tone was deeply humble, his posture bent in a pleading stance while the young noble girl, France Greg, shivered uncontrollably beside him in the damp grass.
Ignoring the old warrior's incomprehensible frantic pleas, Leylin calmly closed the distance to the young knight, Eta.
Without a hint of hesitation, he reached out his right hand, directly pressing his palm onto the top of the boy's head.
Weng!
The moment contact was established, Eta's eyes turned blank. His irises bled into his sclera until his pupils vanished entirely into a void of pure darkness.
Seeing the terrifying transformation, both of the remaining companions flinched away in horror.
Gill's instincts flared, but instead of drawing his weapon, the veteran knight forcefully waved his hand at France, pulling her back.
His grim expression made it entirely clear that he had forsaken the young knight to ensure the lady's survival.
Deep within Leylin's consciousness, a massive torrent of images, memories, and fragmented voices replayed at lightning speed, looking exactly like a video fast-forwarding before his eyes.
This was a high-tier soul-searching spell, a cruel method that allowed Leylin to ruthlessly sift through the memories of lower-ranked beings by tearing directly into their spirit.
Right on cue, the familiar, mechanical prompt of his A.I. Chip chimed within his mind:
[Beep! Task Established: Gathering linguistic data regarding the native subterranean language. Classification: Identified as the 'Beast Language'. Status: Storing phonetic and syntax structures into the central database...]
The A.I. Chip worked at high speed, filtering out the boy's useless personal memories to gather and organize every vital piece of cultural and geographical information.
The organized linguistic data was then smoothly transmitted directly into Leylin's memory.
'Good!' Leylin mused internally, his lips curling into a satisfied expression. 'This language structure shares a resemblance to the ancient language of D'animaux. This confirms that I have not dropped into an isolated, dead world. There are Magi, or at least some branch of them, operating within this dimension. If that is the case, there is a very high chance I can eventually get my hands on an intact teleportation formation.'
Once the valuable information was completely extracted and logged, Leylin casually withdrew his hand.
Overspent by the spiritual load, Eta's limp body collapsed face-first into the dirt unconscious.
If Leylin had chosen to be ruthless, the invasive nature of the soul-search could have easily rendered the boy a complete retard; however, he simply couldn't be bothered to destroy an ant.
"What... what is he doing to Eta?" France asked in a terrified, hushed whisper, her eyes fixed on her fallen guard.
"It seems he used some sort of profound method to torture him." Gill replied softly, his voice trembling as he shielded her. "And looking at his reaction... it seems he cannot understand."
"Then what should we do!?" France whimpered, her hands clutching her dress. "How do we get out of here alive..."
Gill's eyes darted cautiously around the silent clearing. "I don't see any hidden elders or master summoners around controlling those dark warriors, which means they are likely his own personal power. To be capable of controlling this many unique, powerful beasts simultaneously at his age... he might be an elite powerhouse at the Master Sergeant Stage or even the Lieutenant Stage."
The moment the estimation left his lips, Gill's expression morphed into a mask of great regret and distress.
How could they have possibly known that this mysterious youth, who looked just a little older than Miss France herself, was actually such a fearsome, legendary figure?
Leylin turned his attention back to the two trembling natives. Thanks to the A.I. Chip, he could now loosely understand their whispers.
He stood silently, reviewing the newly acquired data regarding the geography, power metrics, and dominant factions of this unknown world.
In this world, the primary source of all supernatural energy was a mysterious force known as Spirit Aura.
Monsters completely dominated the wilderness across the world. According to historical lore, mankind had only managed to open up their own paths of cultivation in ancient times after successfully discovering and activating a series of ancient relics.
Through the data, Leylin noted that society was strictly divided by Two Paths of Cultivation:
The Path of the Warrior—This was the path that vast majority of the common populace opted for. However, much like the Knight's Path back in the Magi World, the Warrior path was not very broad.
The ultimate heights a practitioner could reach were exceptionally weak compared to their counterparts, reducing Warriors to essentially nothing more than servants and guards to the ruling class.
Cultivation Stage of Warriors—
Iron Kid
Bronze Man
Silver Knight
Gold Supreme
Blade Saint
The other path was the Path of Beast Tamers— This was the supreme profession of this world, allowing qualified individuals to forcefully tame, contract, and weaponize monsters.
Access to this path was strictly limited to those born with unique spirit qualifications, sharing a striking similarity to a Magus's innate aptitude. These individuals operated as the true rulers and high Nobles of the world.
Cultivation Stage of Beast Tamers—
Private Stage
Specialist Stage
Corporal stage
Sergeant Stage
Master Sergeant Stage
Lieutenant Stage
Captain Stage
Major Stage
Colonel Stage
Brigadier Stage
General Stage
Marshall Stage
There is a rumoured stage above it too, but normal people didn't know much about it. France is currently a novice at the Private Stage, while her father, Ramon Greg, is at the Corporal Stage.
Based on Eta's memories, their immediate faction was anchored within a lower-level border town of the grand Felineca Empire, known as Linthin Town.
France's father ruled over the sector as the official City Lord, carrying the noble title of Viscount to his name. As for any higher geopolitical structures or secrets, even a valued guard like Eta simply lacked the authority to access such knowledge.
'This noble girl's lineage is more useful than I anticipated,' Leylin pondered, his dark eyes locking onto France.
"Carry him," Leylin commanded smoothly, his spoken Beast Language sounding slightly accented as he pointed a finger down at Eta's unconscious form.
He began walking slowly toward France, his gaze causing her to shrink back. "I have graciously chosen to let him keep his life. You had best treat his wounds soon; otherwise, I shall not be held responsible for his death."
"Ah—!?" France gasped, her mind going completely blank when the white-robed stranger suddenly addressed.
However, she immediately gathered her scattered wits, nodding frantically as she glanced at Gill. "Tha—Thank you, my Lord!"
Gill immediately went forward, bowing deeply to Leylin to show his compliance before scooping the limp, one-handed Eta securely onto his shoulder.
"You mentioned earlier that you originate from Linthin Town, correct?" Leylin asked, his tone polite, as if he were merely requesting her company as a traveling scholar. "I happen to have heard a lot of grand rumors regarding your region's famous Waspbear Honey Wine. Let us journey together, if you will allow me the pleasure of your company."
Although his words were a courteous request, France was far from a fool; she knew with certainty that she possessed no option other than acceptance. To decline meant execution.
"It... it would be our family's greatest honor to host your highness," France replied, performing a deep noble bow.
Turning quickly to her guard, she added, "Let us move, Sir Gill. Let us escort our esteemed guest outside the boundaries of the Wampus Forest."
As they began to lead the way down the mountain path toward where their noble carriage was stationed, Leylin utilized the opportunity to look at his surroundings.
This terrain was known across the empire as the Wampus Forest a massive, dangerous hotspot for wild monsters that regularly attracted high-tier Beast Tamers from every corner of the province.
The primary reason Leylin hadn't encountered a single human soul over the last three months was simply due to the low overall population density of qualified Beast Tamers, paired with the strict imperial laws governing entry into the woods.
Typically, independent hunting teams had to be meticulously selected by the regional guilds, with specific dates fixed beforehand to allow controlled entry.
France was an exception to this rule; being located so near the border and belonging directly to the City Lord's family granted her benefits.
Her family operated as the official imperial overseers of the entrance town guarding the Wampus Forest.
Although their household wasn't exceptionally powerful on a grand scale, they were the descendants of a powerful Clan that actively supported the throne of the Felineca Empire.
Through the gathered data, Leylin successfully mapped the forest into three distinct ecological zones:
The Outer Region: The outermost perimeter, It was populated by lesser beasts operating at the power levels of standard Magi Acolytes. France had ventured into this specific layer today with the sole goal of taming a basic beast to secure her breakthrough to the Private Stage.
The Inner Region: The secondary layer housing many dangerous monsters operating at the Corporal and Sergeant Stages. According to Leylin's clinical approximations, their energy outputs directly aligned with Level 3 Acolytes and Rank 1 Magi.
The Core Region: The absolute center of the Wampus Forest, riddled with hidden spatial dangers and ancient anomalies. It was populated exclusively by apex beasts operating at the Master Sergeant, Lieutenant, and rumored Captain Stages. No regular hunter dared to intrude into this territory without a death wish.
'That unique three-eyed tiger clan I encountered when I first reached here a few months ago... judging by their attributes, the winged leader was a powerful creature at the Rank 2 which is probably the Captain Stage? Well I wonder how would they feel if they knew I skinned the strongest beast of this forest.' Leylin thought amused scratching his chin.
He cast a sideways glance at the beautiful noble girl walking nervously beside him. 'These common guards don't really possess much high-level knowledge regarding the world's true power structure. Even France likely doesn't have any more information than what I have already extracted. Her father, Ramon Greg, however... as the City Lord, he will undoubtedly hold more precise geographical and political intelligence.'
With a calm smile locked onto his face, the Leylin stepped out of the shadow of the trees, preparing to officially introduce himself to the civilizations of this new world.