About ten kilometers from Valmiris City lay a vast forest.
As it was an untamed wilderness, the forest was home to various beasts—wolves, black-fanged tigers, knife-toothed bears, and other deadly creatures.
Each of them stood over three meters tall, monstrous and powerful.
Naturally, neither ordinary mages nor commoners could hope to defeat them.
To prevent casualties, the forest was guarded by soldiers dispatched by the Malvain and Caltheron families.
Additionally, a magical boundary had been established at the forest's edge, preventing ordinary people from entering without permission from the guardian mages.
At that very moment, two kilometers deep into the forest, there was a massive cave. Hidden among dense vegetation—trees, moss, and thick underbrush—the cave resembled a five-meter-tall boulder.
On its right side, an entrance lay concealed behind a curtain of overhanging weeds.
Inside, an old woman sat cross-legged atop a one-meter-high rock, deep in meditation.
