The Lost Forest
Now that my strength had greatly increased, as long as I didn't provoke a god-level powerhouse, I'd face almost no danger to my life. I should go out and see more of the world-especially the classic map, the Magical Beast Forest. I still haven't been there myself. Although he'd seen many kinds of magical beasts in the cities, Rog had yet to see any "wild" ones.
The Lost Forest.
This was a magical beast forest located on the border between the Eilex Empire and the Loi Er Empire. It also served as the border for three or four other nearby kingdoms. The forest covered an area larger than the Eilex Empire and was home to countless magical beasts. There were even all kinds of legends about Saint-level magical beasts deep in the Lost Forest; even human Saint-level powerhouses didn't dare venture there lightly.
The outer reaches of the Lost Forest were relatively safe, with few high-level magical beasts, and plenty of mercenaries and adventurers came there to explore. The main danger came from the schemes and treachery among humans. Every year, countless human adventurers died in the Lost Forest because of infighting.
The inner reaches of the Lost Forest were far more dangerous. Whether it was the legendary Hydra King, the Saint-level Tyrannosaurus, the Saint-level Blood-Eyed Mane Lion, or the Saint-level Earth Violent Bear, none were opponents ordinary human Saint-level powerhouses could challenge. These Saint-level magical beasts each had their own territory. If someone trespassed and was discovered, they would most likely meet their end.
"Such a young eighth-level mage. Is that for real?" In a shadowy corner in the distance, a seventh-level assassin hid himself. He never hunted magical beasts himself; he only needed to hunt those who came back "laden with loot."
Although he was skeptical that Rog had reached the rank of eighth-level Magister at such a young age, his targets were the "returning travelers," while Rog had nothing to show for himself and was the sort who was heading in. So he simply watched in silence without making a sound.
"This makes no sense. This guy actually didn't make a move. Whatever, I'll spare his life." The assassin thought he'd hidden his presence well, but Rog had spotted him long ago. Still, since the man was so "wise" and hadn't come looking for trouble, Rog let it go.
"Pretty brutal." Rog traveled alone, and along the way he encountered many other adventuring parties. Some had injured members who'd lost arms or legs after being attacked by magical beasts.
But they all kept their distance, wary of him, and none came over to strike up a conversation. The farther Rog went, the fewer adventurers he encountered, because this was already the territory of high-level magical beasts.
After walking for another ten minutes or so, a tiger's roar came from up ahead. Rog headed toward it, passing through several giant trees, and suddenly the view opened up. The scene before him made his eyes light up. Well, well-
In a clearing about ten meters ahead, two magical beasts were fighting for their lives.
"A level-nine magical beast, a Red Demon Tiger. And another level-nine magical beast, an Earth Violent Bear." The Red Demon Tiger was clearly at a disadvantage, with none of the bearing of a forest king. The Earth Violent Bear's two massive paws slapped it around until it was in a sorry state, dodging here and there. It looked like it wouldn't last much longer.
But that was only to be expected. The Red Demon Tiger could only reach level nine, while the Earth Violent Bear had the potential to become a Saint-level magical beast. Even though it hadn't broken through yet, it was still no match for other magical beasts of the same level.
But, as the saying went, even a rabbit would bite when cornered, let alone a naturally savage Red Demon Tiger. With nowhere left to retreat, the Red Demon Tiger was knocked over again. It threw its head back and roared, rapidly gathering fire element in its mouth. The color shifted from deep yellow to pale red. Though the color had grown lighter, Rog could clearly sense that the fire element in the fireball had become extremely violent.
The pale-red fireball shot rapidly from its mouth toward the Earth Violent Bear, which had risen onto its hind legs.
"Boom!"
An explosion rang out, raising a cloud of sand that obscured the battlefield. After a long moment, the dust settled.
On the battlefield, the Red Demon Tiger's abdomen seemed to have been pierced by something, and its intestines spilled out in a steady stream.
Blood had pooled all over the ground. It was clearly dead. Across from it, the Earth Violent Bear sat on the ground, its chest blackened and blood streaming from it as it panted heavily. It was clearly the victor of this fight. "Heh heh, but in the end, you still ended up benefiting me, young master." Rog appeared, a sly grin at the corner of his mouth. The Earth Violent Bear noticed the human who had suddenly appeared and grew wary. The Red Demon Tiger's final attack had left it seriously injured, and Rog gave it a strong sense of danger.
"Roar!" The Earth Violent Bear abruptly retreated. Its instincts made it choose to give up its prey and feign weakness as it backed away step by step, letting out a series of low growls.
"Well, you do have the potential to break through to Saint-level. I'll give you a chance to live." A gray beam shot from Rog's eyes. The powerful suppression on the soul level left the Earth Violent Bear unable to move. The little soul-defense ability it had instinctively developed was completely useless against Rog.
Of course, Rog didn't kill it. Instead, he enslaved its soul. Although he hadn't comprehended the Rule related to this, his soul was strong enough that he didn't need a Rule to deal with a level-nine magical beast. He could simply use the magic from the Death Rule inheritance-crude and direct.
"Whine~" In no time, the short-tempered bear had become Rog's pet. But since it was still only a level-nine magical beast, it couldn't speak, and Rog hadn't signed a contract with it, so he couldn't communicate with it for now.
"Absorb this Red Demon Tiger's magic core. From the look of you, you should be close to Saint-level." Magical beasts and humans had different conditions for advancing. For magical beasts, bloodline was what blocked their path forward.
The Red Demon Tiger, for instance, had already reached its peak, but even when it died of old age, it would most likely still be a level-nine magical beast. The Earth Violent Bear, with the bloodline of a Saint-level magical beast, could reach Saint-level at its peak.
Judging from how this Earth Violent Bear had just dealt with the Red Demon Tiger with a considerable advantage, it had already reached full maturity. The only reason it hadn't broken through to Saint-level was that it hadn't accumulated enough energy.
"Wait in your territory until I come back. If the energy in this Red Demon Tiger's magic core isn't enough for you to break through, I'll reward you with some more magic cores." Although he couldn't communicate with it directly through their souls, he could still give it some simple orders.
The intelligence of a level-nine magical beast wasn't low. Once it broke through to Saint-level, it would be able to speak. By then, it would also be able to freely grow bigger or smaller. The Earth Violent Bear, four meters long and built like a tank, could even shrink to the size of a puppy and stay by his side as a pet.
Rog left the Earth Violent Bear here for the time being, while he himself went deeper into the forest. Although Rog didn't need to take advantage of anyone, he wouldn't hold back if he came across a special situation like the one just now. After all, a future Saint-level magical beast was free for the taking. Why turn it down?
The northern region deep in the Lost Forest was the territory of many high-level magical beasts, especially a Saint-level Black Dragon that occupied the deepest part. Its immense dragon might radiated outward, driving weaker magical beasts away when they couldn't withstand the pressure, sending them fleeing toward the outer reaches.
Aside from the Saint-level Black Dragon, there were also several other Saint-level magical beasts in the entire northern region. Without realizing it, Rog had already entered the territory of a Six-Armed Demon Ape.
Unlike other Saint-level magical beasts, this Six-Armed Demon Ape not only possessed an extraordinary body, but could also use weapons such as blades, spears, and staffs. Its weapon skills were quite advanced, and its overall strength was second only to that Black Dragon.
"Hmm? A Four-Armed Demon Ape with six arms. Did it undergo a mutation?" The Four-Armed Demon Ape was also a well-known level-nine magical beast on the Glais Continent. Its intelligence was no less than that of an adult human, and it could use weapons, making it very difficult to deal with. Human warriors of the same level had a hard time defeating such an opponent.
But the Four-Armed Demon Ape's bloodline, like that of the Red Demon Tiger from earlier, was only level nine. If nothing unexpected happened, it would remain a level-nine magical beast for its entire life, with little chance of breaking through to Saint-level. Judging by the ape's two extra arms, it didn't seem to have broken through because of the good fortune of absorbing another Saint-level magical beast's magic core. It was more likely that its own bloodline had mutated.
"Human, this is no place for you." The Six-Armed Demon Ape's dark-gold animal eyes fixed coldly on Rog as it issued a warning that was not particularly friendly. It had been a long time since any human had dared enter its territory, the territory of Dimont.
As a Saint-level magical beast, Dimont had long since sensed that Rog was also a Saint-level powerhouse, and that he didn't look easy to deal with. So it didn't attack him directly. If it had been another level-nine human or a relatively weak human Saint-level powerhouse, it might have already charged over and beaten them to death with its staff.