Lynn's heart tightened, and he gripped his longsword.
He thought it might be a good chance to test his newly enhanced strength, but before he could even move, the figure suddenly collapsed to its knees with a thud right in front of him.
Lynn slowed to a halt.
It was a man, gaunt as a skeleton, wearing nothing but a filthy scrap of cloth around his hips. His cheeks were sunken, ribs jutting out beneath paper-thin skin.
But what drew the eye most was his left arm, a long, narrow wound ran along it, rotting and festering, pus oozing out, the corruption spreading to the shoulder. The stench was enough to turn one's stomach.
Lynn was silent for a moment, then gently pushed the sword guard with his thumb.
Clang.
The cold gleam of the longsword's edge flashed from the scabbard.
The man shuddered violently and quickly shuffled out of the way.
Lynn sighed inwardly and continued forward.
In his previous life, those unable to work might have received aid,
But in Emeraldwood City, people in such a state could only wait for death in the shadows.
A few minutes later, a low earthen wall came into view.
It was more symbolic than functional. There was no guard, no gate, just a wide gap serving as the entrance.
On either side of the gap stood numerous parked carriages, likely left by those venturing into the Emerald Forest.
Farther out, scattered on both sides, were markets of various sizes.
They rarely had fixed names, but were collectively known as the Emerald Markets.
This was exactly where Lynn had been headed.
Stepping inside, he noted the difference from Bauhinia Thorn Street:
These markets charged no entrance fee, instead taking a small transaction fee from each sale.
"Moonlight Grass, 1 gold dragon per stalk."
"Blue-spotted Umbrella Mushroom, small ones, 60 silver wolves; large ones, 80 silver wolves each."
"Wild hare meat, 5 silver wolves per pound."
Stalls selling herbs or meat from ordinary beasts were usually tucked into the corners, manned by burly, mundane hunters.
These men made their living in the dangerous Emerald Forest largely by sheer luck.
"Man-eating Vine Heart, 5 gold dragons each."
"Blackback boar meat, 1 gold dragon per pound."
Lynn knew of the Blackback boar, a magical beast prized for its exquisite flavor and its ability to nourish the body.
Once grown, it developed a natural talent akin to the spell Stone Armor,
and even an ordinary third-rank apprentice might struggle to deal with it.
One gold dragon a pound… if a full-grown boar weighs 300 pounds, that's the equivalent of 30 lesser magic stones?!
Lynn drew in a sharp breath.
He continued, and the next sight made him pause in astonishment.
"Living Windbreath Fox, 35 magic stones."
On the stall to his left sat an iron cage made of fine steel. The black cloth draped over it had been lifted at one corner, revealing a blue-furred fox sleeping soundly inside.
A small crowd had gathered around, most of them wearing wizard's robes.
Behind the cage, a middle-aged wizard in a black robe lounged casually, idly toying with a short emerald-green staff in his hand.
At least a second-rank apprentice, Lynn thought, pulling his gaze away and not daring to stare for too long.
An adult Windbreath Fox possessed a unique ability: it could absorb the power of the wind, stilling even the fiercest gales, and when needed, release it as a wind blade equivalent to a mid-tier zero-ring spell or turn it into a gentle breeze to speed its movement.
The most exceptional of these foxes could even grant themselves the power of flight, making them extremely difficult to capture.
Lynn wandered the market for quite some time, gradually forming a basic idea of the common goods harvested from the Emerald Forest and their market prices.
Turning to leave, he stopped at the gap in the earthen wall and looked out.
Beyond a small stretch of sparse open ground lay the edge of the forest.
After a moment's pause, Lynn drew in a deep breath and stepped forward.
Since I'm already here…
He decided to take a closer look.
At first, a tree was just a tree, and the forest just a forest.
But the closer he came, the more immense they became in his eyes until they looked like an unbroken range of "mountains."
They're so tall…
Standing at the entrance, Lynn tilted his head back to take in the towering trunks before him.
Each tree here was over a hundred meters tall, the trunks so thick that even with arms spread wide, one could not wrap halfway around. Gnarled roots jutted from the earth, twisting over the uneven brown ground like massive, coiled dragons.
Under their shadow, Lynn felt like nothing more than an ant at the feet of a giant.
From this angle, the forest seemed even vaster than the sky itself.
Endless green stretched away in layered waves, vanishing into the distance.
"Emerald Forest…" he murmured.
According to his former instructor, the Emerald Forest was larger than all of Earth's forests in his previous life combined.
The Hossens Wizard Enclave was situated to the north of it, relatively deep in, but far from its heart.
If one traveled north by merchant airship, it would take about half a month to leave the forest's bounds.
As for going south… his instructor had never spoken of it, and Lynn had no way of knowing.
But it was said that crossing the Emerald Forest from end to end was a feat only a third-rank wizard or stronger could hope to accomplish.
The forest teemed with uncountable lifeforms: some so frail they could be crushed underfoot, others so powerful that even a seasoned third-rank wizard might meet their end upon encountering them.
After taking it all in, Lynn decided not to venture any further.
He was not a reckless man; if he truly intended to hunt in the Emerald Forest, he would first make thorough preparations.
In the bright sunlight, he turned and strode back toward Emeraldwood City.
A gentle breeze rustled the leaves behind him, and the vast Emerald Forest whispered in the wind.
…
Clink…
Clink-clink
"Ant, can you stop playing with that coin already?!"
Outside a two-story stone house, Giggs couldn't help but snap at the boy beside him, Ant, who had one hand in his pocket, repeatedly grabbing and releasing the coins inside.
Clink
"Sorry…" Ant withdrew his hand, his gaze fixed anxiously on the stone house before them.
"Leo's been in there for so long. Why isn't it done yet?"
"Be patient. Extraordinary modifications aren't something that can be completed so easily," Giggs reassured him, though his own eyes betrayed an unmistakable restlessness.
Click.
The door to the stone house suddenly swung open.
Both boys jolted before quickly stepping toward the entrance.
A burly man with a blank, almost wooden expression emerged, Matt, the modified servant of a second-rank apprentice named Somlai.
"Sir Matt, my friend, did the procedure succeed?" Ant asked urgently, craning his neck to look past him.
Thud!
Without warning, Matt shoved a hand onto Ant's shoulder and, with sudden force, pushed him back.
Ant let out a startled cry, stumbling several steps before Giggs caught him.
"You okay?" Giggs asked in concern.
"Keep your distance," Matt said stiffly, his face like stone.
"Sir, my friend," Giggs began, still supporting Ant, but his words abruptly died in his throat as though something had lodged there.
Thump.
Matt tossed out a bundle wrapped in all-too-familiar clothing.
It hit the ground with a heavy, muffled sound.
Crimson seeped out from beneath the bundle, pooling in the reflections of Giggs' and Ant's wide, trembling eyes.
"Clean this up. Then leave," Matt said coldly before slamming the door shut, leaving the two boys frozen outside.
The summer wind no longer felt hot; it was icy, biting to the bone.
The two youths stood in silence for a long moment before, with legs heavy as lead, they slowly approached the bundle wrapped in Leo's clothes.
With a trembling hand, Giggs loosened the fabric.
…Inside were scattered fragments of a human body.
Giggs went rigid.
Ant clapped a hand over his mouth, choking back a sob.