Harvest

Kalei originally intended to meditate near the Moonwell to recover his physical state as quickly as possible, but upon turning his head, he found two sentinels standing there like wooden statues, staring at him unblinkingly. He had no choice but to leave in embarrassment.

As he rode Big Black away from the Moonwell, he suddenly heard Linda laugh, "Haha, this little guy is interesting. He's actually quite handsome."

Luna asked, "What, have you taken a fancy to him?"

"He's interesting, but he's too young. You know I never eat tender grass, and besides, he's too timid."

"It's you who were being too blatant. Why were you staring at the little guy for no reason? You scared him off so quickly; I was actually thinking of going over to chat with him."

"Chat! Here? Don't let the squadron leader see you."

"Let her see, then. If nothing else, I'll just hand him over to her. I heard she quite likes this type."

"Go on, don't talk nonsense. The squadron leader isn't into that, and besides, she still hasn't forgotten that person from the War of the Shifting Sands back then."

"Sigh, living like that is just too exhausting for the squadron leader..."

"Holy crap!" Hearing the conversation behind him, Kalei nearly fell off Big Black's back. He had assumed these sentinels were all stern and rigid; he never expected them to be such a group of "closet perverts."

However, Kalei wasn't truly surprised. Although most Night Elf individuals preferred a calm and elegant life, there were always exceptions.

These individuals grew weary of a long, peaceful existence and began seeking excitement. They often added flavor to their lives through adventure, combat, travel, creation, and hedonism.

Kalei had always held a welcoming attitude toward such people; he felt these enthusiastic souls added vitality to the otherwise still waters of the Night Elf society.

It was just that too much enthusiasm could be a problem. These beings, who had lived for who knows how long, were all seasoned veterans. Kalei had no desire to fall into their hands and be devoured whole.

He gave Big Black's rump a gentle pat. The beast looked at him with confusion, but upon understanding his intent, it quickened its pace.

Kalei did not head to the dormitory assigned to him by the village, but instead rode Big Black to the side of a small creek to rest.

The banks were overgrown with waist-high shrubs, beneath which lay a thick layer of tender grass that felt soft underfoot, like a natural carpet. He dismounted, found a spot on the grass, and stretched comfortably.

Big Black circled him once, cast a look of disdain at the daylight in the sky, and turned to leave.

Big Black understood Kalei's plan, but it had no intention of accompanying him to bask in the sun; it needed to find a good place to rest and head into the village to find food.

Kalei watched Big Black and smiled smugly.

The benefit of raising a Saber is that as long as you raise it from a cub, it will take care of itself, leaving the master with nothing to worry about.

He adjusted to a comfortable position and lay down, resting his head on the soft grass, feeling the warm sunlight and the intoxicating breeze. Before long, he drifted into a deep sleep.

After a night of rushing about and combat, Kalei slept exceptionally well. By the time he woke up, the sun was about to set.

He climbed up from the ground and let out a massive stretch, feeling every tendon and bone in his body loosen up, as if every inch of his skin had been nourished by the earth. It was an indescribably relaxed and pleasant feeling.

In truth, this wasn't an illusion; it was the harvest he had reaped after the battle.

The strength of a Druid essentially depends on how much recognition one can obtain from nature. To gain that recognition, one must understand the philosophy of nature while performing beneficial acts for the balance of the natural world.

When Kalei arrived in this land, the surrounding area had been polluted by the shadow power of Satyr and Furbolg. This had undoubtedly disrupted the natural balance of the land and simultaneously enraged the forces of nature.

Kalei had used and channeled natural energy to help defeat a Satyr and numerous Furbolg, which inevitably earned him the favor and feedback of nature, allowing his Druid cultivation to grow significantly in a short period.

He checked his panel, and the results were as he expected: his Druid level had risen by 1, reaching level 29.

In addition, he had comprehended two intermediate professional skills over the past two days: Rejuvenation and Mass Entanglement.

He checked the skill progress:

Rejuvenation (24/100)

Mass Entanglement (14/100)

The progress of these two skills was increasing quite rapidly, especially during combat. It was much faster than before, when neither training nor combat could yield even a point of progress over dozens of days.

Kalei suppressed the joy of his growth and began his daily routine.

His so-called daily practice began with using each of his learned skills several times.

Next, he would attempt to learn any skills that met the requirements for comprehension.

Finally, he would exercise his body and practice martial arts.

As a mage, why did Kalei train in martial arts?

Because Kalei discovered that all professionals in this world, while appearing powerful, were essentially glass cannons.

A "glass cannon" refers to someone who possesses powerful abilities but whose own body is as fragile as paper, shattering at the slightest touch.

Kalei had no desire to be a glass cannon, so once he identified this problem, he sought to change it.

Over the years, he had followed his teacher, Matt Hardwood, flipping through the ancient texts collected by the Night Elf, constantly trying to find a way to enhance his physical constitution.

After much searching, he found that the only way to achieve a minor increase in physical strength without side effects was to pursue a profession focused on Life Force.

Among the known professions on the Azeroth Continent, those belonging to the Life Force path included the Druid, Warrior, and Monk.

Currently, Kalei was already practicing as a Druid, but the boost to physical strength provided by the Druid path was limited. Thus, he decided to take up another Life Force profession.

He first considered the Monk, but he couldn't find those Pandaren anywhere, so he had to settle for the Warrior.

Kalei trained according to the methods used by Night Elf warriors for decades, but he couldn't even master Rage; he simply wasn't cut out to be a Warrior, which left him wanting to cry.

Fortunately, his decades of persistence were not without reward. At the very least, he had forged a strong body and learned many techniques for using weapons, ensuring that even if his mage abilities failed him one day, he could still hack enemies down with a blade and not be stabbed to death by some lowly grunt.

Following his decades-old routine, Kalei exercised by the creek for nearly an hour, and only when the sun had completely dipped below the horizon did he head back toward the village.

He hadn't gone far before he found Big Black under a large tree. Seeing him, Big Black let out a massive yawn, hauled himself up from the ground, and gave a roar as a way of saying hello.

Kalei laughed, "Big Black, where did you run off to find food last night?"

Big Black barked at him a few times, implying: You have the nerve to ask? You didn't even prepare food for me, so I had to go find it myself.

Kalei teased, "You're so big now, do you still want to be fed like when you were a cub? You need to learn to be self-reliant."

Faced with such shameless words, Big Black couldn't be bothered to respond; he simply wagged his tail, turned around, and headed toward the village.

Kalei and Big Black bantered as they arrived in the village. The sentinel Luna came galloping over on her Saber, pulling up beside him to say, "Kalei, where have you been? The squad leader has been looking for you for ages."

Seeing her, Kalei was reminded of that wanton, unrestrained laughter from the night before.

As he saw her staring at him intently, his body couldn't help but shudder involuntarily.

Luna looked him up and down, smiling, "What's wrong, Kalei? You didn't get into any trouble, did you?"

Kalei hurriedly composed himself and replied loudly, "Nothing at all. Did something happen that the squad leader needs me for?"

Luna said, "Priestess Laria has sensed that source of corruption and wants you to come discuss a strategy."

Kalei's spirits were instantly lifted. "Oh, then let's go quickly." Without waiting for a reply, he mounted Big Black and galloped off toward the temple.

Recalling the strange look in Kalei's eyes, Luna realized that this little guy must have overheard their conversation, and a smile couldn't help but bloom on her face.

She flicked her tongue to lick her lips, then squeezed her legs against her mount to follow in Kalei's wake.