The Journey Begins

The shattered wood that exploded outwards tore through the broad leaves of the surrounding bushes, shredding them to pieces. A small tree, 30 centimeters in diameter, was snapped in half. The stone, imbued with immense kinetic energy, continued its flight for over 50 meters after breaking the tree before finally impacting a small hillock, kicking up a cloud of dust before disappearing from sight!

"This power... it's almost as strong as a sniper rifle!"

Punk observed the broken stump, thinking with no small amount of surprise.

According to the System's analysis, the magic power consumed by this Minor Telekinetic Projectile was less than one-tenth of Punk's total magic power. In just three seconds, his magic power had fully recovered. Punk knew that while his recovery speed was indeed faster than that of an ordinary Mage, it wasn't that much faster, perhaps only ten to twenty percent.

So...

"The power level of this world is quite high. This is just a low-level spell; I wonder how powerful the advanced spells will be."

Unconsciously, Punk's resolve to become stronger grew even firmer!

Afterward, Punk practiced a few more spells. Through repeated practice, he finally managed to compress his casting time to within one to two seconds. Moreover, these spells granted Punk flexible and diverse methods. Especially the Minor Mage Armor spell, which, according to the System's analysis, offered defensive capabilities no less than a three-centimeter-thick steel plate!

Now, with defensive and offensive capabilities comparable to an armored vehicle, Punk finally possessed sufficient means for self-preservation. It was time to begin his journey.

First objective: find a village or town!

Punk was not a hermit Mage, and the knowledge left by his parents was only sufficient up to the Formal Level. Therefore, communication and learning were indispensable.

However, Punk had no idea how large the jungle he was in was, or how far away a village or town might be. In the world of Faerun, vast land and sparse population were not just empty words! Punk didn't want to wander through this damp jungle for ten days or half a month!

At times like these, Divination Spells could always help lost travelers.

Punk searched his memory for a spell that seemed reliable based on its description. Although it was only an Apprentice Level spell, and its information-gathering ability was worth considering, the information Punk wanted to obtain was not magically shielded, nor did the target of the information possess any unusual power. Therefore, this "Viscera Divination" should be sufficient!

Punk stared blankly at the puddle on the ground... which was now called "meat paste," but had once been a rabbit...

"As expected, magic isn't really suitable for hunting..."

Punk wanted to "borrow" the internal organs of a small animal. Although theoretically, the internal organs of higher-level creatures yielded better results for Viscera Divination, all Punk could find at the moment was a rabbit...

"According to the System's analysis, it is recommended that the host use the 'manual stone throwing' method to capture small mammals."

"...Shut up."

Although he was reluctant, the facts proved... the System was right!

Now, Punk stood in a small clearing, holding a small rabbit whose head was bleeding. The rabbit, dangling in mid-air by its ears, seemed to sense impending doom. It struggled desperately, ignoring the pain in its ears!

Even though Punk was a Mage with little physical strength, it wasn't so little that he couldn't catch a rabbit.

Punk quickly sliced open the rabbit's belly with the silver knife he found in his pocket. With the System's precise assistance, the knife cut precisely through the rabbit's skin and muscle, without harming its internal organs.

Punk quickly began chanting an obscure incantation. The principle of Viscera Divination was to use a creature's internal organs as a shortcut to connect with its soul, amplifying one's own soul's perception of obscure information in the unseen world to obtain intelligence.

Therefore, the more the rabbit's soul dissipated, the worse the spell's effect would be!

As the long incantation was softly chanted, Punk opened his mind to receive information. He felt as if a layer of mist had descended before his eyes; the verdant jungle began to blur, and something viscous seemed to burrow into his brain, churning incessantly. Then... he felt information that seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"Go west for half a day, and you'll find a small river. Follow the river downstream for half a day, and you'll find a village or town!"

The next second, the mist and the viscous sensation vanished. Punk found himself squatting on the ground, his staff discarded to the side, holding a large mass of rabbit entrails in his hands, as if about to smear them onto his face!

Punk dropped the entrails and stood up, his brow furrowed slightly. No wonder this magic was classified as leaning towards evil; the casting sensation was indeed very strange. Punk guessed that this spell was likely invented by a very powerful Mage, and the principles it utilized were of a very high level, allowing even an Apprentice Level user to cast it. But it was like a child using a firearm – merely following instructions without understanding the true profundity.

"Even low-level spells are full of charm. This world is truly wonderful."

A flame called excitement ignited in Punk's heart. He casually used an Abjuration spell, Purify. The friction from the filthy bloodstains was converted into Aether energy and dissipated. Within seconds, the friction on the bloodstains would be "Aetherized," and the blood on Punk's hands quickly fell to the ground, leaving his hands clean and white once more.

He cut a few small pieces of fat from the rabbit and placed them in the pockets of his mage robe (the robe was designed with numerous pockets for easy storage) as spell components for future use. He ignored the still twitching rabbit on the ground. Since his rebirth, he had felt his appetite leaning more towards fruits and vegetables than meat, a trait he attributed to his Primordial Elf bloodline.

After casting Minor Mage Armor on himself and then See Invisibility (to see through thinner objects and detect enemies; those who thought otherwise could go face the wall), Punk happily set off westward.

"Only cautious Mages live long."

Punk thought.

The jungle wasn't actually that large. In just two or three hours, Punk emerged from the jungle, reaching the borderland between the jungle and the plains.

With the System's navigation, Punk easily locked onto the westward direction, ensuring he wouldn't deviate. It was still early morning; the two suns had just risen from the southwest (that's right, the world of Faerun had two suns, both rising in the southwest and setting in the northeast). The grass underfoot crunched with a springy resilience. It was currently the Greenleaf Season (Faerun had six seasons: Greenleaf Season, Evergreen Season, Sunscorched Season, Harvest Season, Rising Wind Season, and Winter Season). The dew on the grass blades wetted Punk's leather boots, but he paid it no mind. He walked briskly, staff in hand.

As Punk intentionally increased his pace, he encountered the river mentioned in his divination in just half a morning. It was less a river and more a super-sized creek; the entire riverbed was at most four meters wide, and the water was very shallow. However, the river water, untouched by industrial pollution, was crystal clear, allowing Punk to see the pebbles at the bottom. There weren't many fish in the river; Punk only saw a few small fish with slender bodies and small horns on their heads that emitted a faint blue glow, swimming sparsely in the water. Everything looked elegant and serene.

But... "I need to clear out some disappointing little monsters before I have time to appreciate the beautiful scenery!"

Punk looked towards an unusually large clump of bushes by the river. His eyes, enhanced by See Invisibility, were surrounded by a faint aura of magic light swirling around his pupils!