Deep Investigation

Kalei Nightdew first found a concealed vantage point, hiding behind a massive pine tree, before opening his panel to confirm his current abilities.

[Name]: Kalei Nightdew

[Status]: Normal

[Race]: Night Elf

[Class Level]: Level 35 Druid / 27 Arcanist

[Personal Talents]: Nature Affinity, Arcane Affinity

[Racial Talents]: Omitted

[Class Talents]: None

[Druid Skills]

Basic Skills: Omitted

Meditation (64/100)

Primary Class Skills:

Thick Skin (24/100)

Abundance (36/100)

Starfire (45/100)

Healing (Mastered)

Entangling Roots (Mastered)

Intermediate Class Skills:

Rejuvenation (33/100)

Mass Entanglement (21/100)

[Arcanist Skills]

Basic Skills: Omitted

Primary Class Skills:

Conjure Food (83/100)

Conjure Water (74/100)

Slow Fall (36/100)

Counterspell (3/100)

Arcane Mirror (18/100)

Blink (23/100)

Magic Shield (8/100)

Arcane Missiles (78/100)

Mana Equipment: Druid Robe (Common), Crescent Staff (Fine)

Mana Items: Life Gem (Epic), Seed of the Soul Ancient (Legendary).

During the days Kalei had spent at home, he had worked hard to cultivate his Druid path, gaining another 2 levels while comprehending quite a few Arcanist skills.

He believed that with his current spells and casting ability, he could hold his own against any professional of a similar level, though facing a high-level professional like the Satyr leader in Bearclaw Valley would be a different story.

An excessive gap in levels often meant a comprehensive disparity in life force, source energy control, and combat experience; challenging a higher-level opponent with a lower level was exceptionally difficult.

However, as the saying goes, apart from races with inherently powerful physiques, many professionals in this world were glass cannons.

Facing glass cannons, even with a level gap, it was entirely possible to overcome the strong with the weak, provided one gathered information on the opponent and formulated a strategy before the battle.

Therefore, for Kalei to defeat his enemies, it would depend on whether he could find their flaws before engaging them.

Hiding behind a large tree not far from the wooden cabin, he carefully sensed the movements around the structure, but after a long while, he detected no activity inside.

He knew that if he wanted to gain anything, he would have to take certain risks.

After considering it for a while, he hit upon a good idea: he would cast Arcane Mirror, attach his consciousness to the reflection, and control it to approach the cabin for reconnaissance.

He acted immediately, waving his staff gently to manifest an exact replica of himself, which then strode toward the cabin under his control.

While the Arcane Mirror spell was primarily intended to distract enemy targets, Kalei's use of it for reconnaissance was truly ingenious.

The entire scouting process went exceptionally smoothly; Kalei maneuvered the mirror around the cabin, only to discover that there was no one inside at all.

This left Kalei somewhat surprised and equally disappointed; he feared his deductions were wrong, or worse, that the target had already departed, which would cause the trail to go cold once again.

To be cautious, he decided to inspect it himself.

He dispelled the Arcane Mirror and released a surge of natural energy, which spread out like an invisible net to sense the surrounding life force and energy fluctuations; only after confirming there were no anomalies did he approach the cabin to investigate in person.

There were three wooden cabins in the pine forest. The overall condition of the cabins and the furniture inside were exactly as Lox had described—already quite dilapidated, looking as if no one had lived there for a long time.

However, after careful observation, Kalei discovered that there had likely been activity in the cabins recently, only the traces of these activities had been deliberately cleaned up.

Why would the other party clear away the traces of their own presence? It was clearly out of fear of being discovered. This deliberate concealment undoubtedly deepened Kalei's suspicions.

Beyond that, Kalei also vaguely sensed a lingering aura of shadow energy permeating the surroundings.

He followed the scent of this energy, searching carefully, and eventually found some bandages and herbs under some rocks by the river not far from the cabins.

These bandages and herbs not only carried a thick aura of shadow energy but also emitted traces of arcane energy.

Kalei carefully used a branch to lift the bandages, discovering dried, dark bloodstains on them, mixed with significant remnants of shadow and arcane energy.

From these bandages and herbs, it could be determined that not only had someone been active here recently, but this person was also injured, and the wound seemed to be related to arcane magic.

Investigating this far, Kalei became increasingly certain that his guess was correct, as he remembered the battle in the cave at Bearclaw Valley over ten days ago, where the Satyr leader had been slashed across the chest by Jinli with her scimitar.

Satyr, who had transformed from Night Elf, possessed powerful regenerative abilities, but Jinli's twin blades were clearly no ordinary items; that Satyr leader must have been severely wounded by Jinli's blades, which caused the wound on his chest to never heal.

So, was it possible that after this guy escaped from the Bearclaw Valley cave, he ran back to his old home to nurse his wounds, never expecting that the shadow energy from his wound would seep into the river water through the bandages, affecting the fish in the river? These fish were then discovered by Lox, thereby attracting Kalei's attention.

This forced Kalei to recall a proverb from his past life—the net of heaven has large meshes, but it lets nothing through.

However, the good news was that Kalei had likely found the Satyr leader, and he seemed to have unhealed wounds; the bad news was that the guy had disappeared again, and Kalei had no idea where to look for him for the moment.

Kalei walked around the cabins a couple of times with some regret, but finding nothing else, he had no choice but to leave.

Before leaving, he once again released natural energy, like a spring breeze sweeping across the earth, erasing his own footprints and aura to ensure no traces were left behind.

The next day, Kalei returned to Green Pine Valley, but still found nothing. On the third day, he changed to a more concealed position to lie in wait, but he still came up empty-handed.

After four consecutive days of coming up empty, on the afternoon of the fifth day, a thin, gaunt male Night Elf with loose skin and the appearance of someone in his forties or fifties walked in from outside the valley, acting suspiciously.

His movements were extremely vigilant, and he looked back from time to time as if afraid of being followed. He wore a tattered brown robe and walked with a slight hunch, looking extremely exhausted.

Kalei was hiding in a tree, and the moment he saw this guy and sensed the faint Satyr aura on him, he was certain his suspicions were correct.

To be safe, he first scouted the opponent's strength, and the result showed his level was 47.

This made Kalei even more certain that this person was Ordos, the same Satyr leader from Bearclaw Valley. Forty years ago, it was he who led a group of Satyr to attack the village, leading to the disappearance of Kalei's father to this day.

Kalei did not expect that after four or five days, Ordos would actually return here, and he was overjoyed.

He guessed that the other party must have spotted Kalei at the valley entrance that day and was likely afraid that Kalei would enter the valley and discover his secret, which was why he had hidden away in advance.

He had hidden outside for a few days, and seeing no movement, he assumed the danger had passed, so he snuck back.

Regardless of why the other party returned, Kalei only wanted to strike immediately, defeat this guy, capture him, and interrogate him about his father's whereabouts.

But just as he was preparing to act, Ordos suddenly stopped, his expression changing drastically as he jerked his head up toward the direction where Kalei was hiding. His nose twitched slightly as if he had smelled something, and his eyes were filled with vigilance and killing intent.

Clearly, Kalei's activity in the area for four or five days had left behind some traces he hadn't fully eliminated. As soon as Ordos entered the valley, he quickly discovered these traces, which alerted him.

To Kalei's surprise, Ordos did not launch an attack, nor did he approach; instead, he turned abruptly and bolted toward the valley entrance like a startled leopard.

The body that had looked so frail just a moment ago now erupted with astonishing speed. His footsteps were light and Quickness-filled, moving across the rugged mountain path as if it were flat ground, covering over a dozen meters in the blink of an eye.

Kalei was stunned for a moment and cursed under his breath, "Cunning Satyr!" He then jumped down from the tree where he was hiding and chased after his enemy.

He knew this operation could bring him great danger, but to prevent his father's enemy from vanishing before his eyes, he had to take the risk.

The two Night Elf moved rapidly through the mountain forest illuminated by the setting sun, one chasing the other.

Ordos seemed to travel through this mountain forest often; his pace was extremely fast, and he was more agile than a mountain goat when running, quickly putting distance between himself and Kalei.

Kalei had to call upon the help of natural energy, letting the natural energy support his body to lighten his weight and increase his speed.

Even so, the distance between him and Ordos grew ever wider. The other party seemed to have inherited his parents' talent for hunting, utilizing the natural environment to the extreme. Every turn and every stride perfectly leveraged the terrain and the power of the flora, making his speed faster and faster.

Kalei chased after him for half an hour before gradually losing sight of him.

Watching the sunlight in the sky gradually dissipate and night about to fall, Kalei had to stop.

As a blessed one of Elune, Kalei was not afraid of facing any enemy at night, but he feared his mother would worry about his safety.

He looked at the mountains gradually sinking into darkness with some frustration, sighed softly, and turned to walk home.