Parker flapped his wings as he flew toward them, a dazzling line of crimson flames erupting straight from his mouth.
The most destructive Fire Element among the natural elements displayed its full might at this moment. Everything in its path was ignited and consumed by the flames.
Corrupted Tree Demons, fallen leaves, dried branches, and Twisted Tree Spirits—these forest creatures perished entirely within the inferno.
"Fire... Fire! It's fire!"
"Ah!"
"Terrifying, terrifying!"
The greedy Corrupted Tree Demons finally experienced fear for the first time. They screamed and scattered in all directions, including those Tree Demons clinging to Lynch's back, which hastily leapt off him.
Flames inherently restrained all plant-based life and non-life. These creatures were instinctively horrified by fire.
In an instant, the surrounding Tree Demons had fully fled, clearing a patch of open ground.
By this time, Lynch had already rolled down the hillside, landing hard on the ground. The branches tangled around his ankle had been burned away by Parker's flames. Yet more branches were writhing toward him—the Twisted Tree Spirits, being of slightly higher Level, retained their fear of fire but weren't as blindly terrified as the Corrupted Tree Demons.
The Twisted Tree Spirits still attempted to reclaim Lynch, but Parker refused to give them the chance. Another arc of Flame Breath swept across, driving the branches back while simultaneously igniting them.
"Chirp! Chirp!"
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Parker landed in front of Lynch, lifted a claw toward him in a beckoning motion, and raised his head to gesture toward the hillside.
Lynch understood Parker's intent and immediately raised both hands. Parker swooped forward, folding the sharp edges of his claw plates inward and using his soft pads to grip Lynch's hands. With a powerful flap of his wings, Parker began lifting him upward.
Though Parker was small in stature, his Power Coefficient was solidly above 3, triple that of an average human. While long-distance flights carrying Lynch weren't quite feasible, hauling his less-than-forty-kilogram frame up the hillside posed no problem at all.
Under Parker's strong wingbeats, Lynch gradually left the ground, and before long, he found himself back on the hillside.
Without a moment's delay, Lynch scrambled forward, rolling and diving into the thicket ahead. This time, he successfully re-entered the Tower Protection Zone without incident.
Suddenly, the chaotic world seemed to quiet down.
Boiling swamps, restless Corrupted Tree Demons, furious Twisted Tree Spirits—all the hostile forces in the wilderness felt as if they had been momentarily frozen in place.
"Gone... My treasure is gone..."
"My precious..."
"Gone... It's gone..."
The Corrupted Tree Demons let out aggrieved cries, their voices brimming with helplessness, but they gradually dispersed, retreating into the shadowy corners beneath the branches.
The boiling swamp calmed down, shifting back into solid ground.
Only the Twisted Tree Spirits remained, howling in bitter rage, furiously whipping their scorched, mangled branches against anything nearby. Yet no matter how wild their fury, not even a single branch dared to extend toward the hillside.
"Haha! Haha! Haha!"
Lynch collapsed onto the hillside, gasping for breath, his face flushed with a mixture of agitation and elation.
It wasn't the excitement of surviving a deadly ordeal; after all, he had maintained control over the situation from start to finish. Even during those seemingly perilous moments, he still had uncast Spells in reserve.
Nor was it the joy of gaining a treasure. Though tens of thousands of Magic Stones seemed unattainable for now, Lynch was confident that as his Strength grew, earning Magic Stones would become increasingly easy. He wasn't the type to get overly thrilled by such gains.
The true source of his emotional upheaval was—
Adaptation!
Yes, adaptation.
Once an ordinary office worker, Lynch had spent two years in this world, yet he'd confined himself to limited areas for study and training.
Days spent holed up in a stone dwelling for Cultivation weren't so much an effort to grow strong as a response to fear.
Fear of the unfamiliar surroundings, fear of unfamiliar rules, fear of an unseen future...
This fear compelled him to constantly wrap himself in layers of effort, hoping to forge an impenetrable armor that could protect him within this unknown world.
But how long could this truly last?
Baby birds must eventually face the skies; wolf cubs must learn to kill. In a world fraught with danger, he couldn't remain forever in his stone cottage conducting research. Like all other Wizards, he would inevitably need to venture forth and fight.
To continue on the Wizard's Road, he would have to adapt to the Wizard World's environment.
In the past, Lynch had often wondered when that moment would come. Countless times, he'd attempted to set out, only to retreat in the face of potential dangers, consoling himself with excuses like "I'll go when I'm stronger."
But just moments ago, he had finally done it—truly leaving the sanctuary of the Tower's Protection Zone, stepping into the tangible Dark Forest, the unrelenting Wizard World, to complete a perilous and thrilling expedition.
The fledgling had soared at last!
"Huff, huff! Huff, huff!"
After a brief rest, Lynch gradually regained his composure. The intense flush in his face faded back to normal.
With his adrenaline subsiding, his body's pain began to surface. The first thing Lynch noted was: It hurt—a lot!
None of his skin seemed intact. Pulling aside his cloak, he found it covered in dense teeth marks. While the cloak's protection had prevented any cuts, his body was dotted with alarming bruises.
A wave of dizziness swept through his head—a warning of depleted spiritual power. His Spirit Vortex was almost drained.
Hurriedly, Lynch reached into his Space Pocket, extracting two awakening magic beans. He bit down on them and swallowed. As Spiritual Energy surged into him, the dizziness in his head began to fade.
Next, he fetched the Rose Tears. When applied to his skin like a flower's dewdrop, his injuries quickly began to heal.
Finally, he uncapped his leather water pouch and took a few gulps, fully restoring his state.
"How refreshing..."
Stretching his body, he stood and gazed ahead.
With his Spirit Perception enhanced, his awareness of this boundary grew clearer.
To the naked eye, the boundary appeared no different from before. But through spiritual perception, he could distinctly trace a glowing line at the edge of the hillside. It stretched outward on either side, slicing through the terrain to segregate the Forest from the hillside.
Though seemingly unremarkable, the line radiated strange Elemental Energy. What would happen if a creature from outside crossed it, Lynch wasn't sure—but it would surely be catastrophic.
It was no wonder the previously frenzied creatures quieted down the moment Lynch stepped across the boundary. Clearly, they had witnessed enough predecessors meet disastrous ends after challenging the Wizards' protections, leaving indelible marks on their souls.
"Huh?"
Lynch pondered the peculiar phenomenon until something exceedingly strange occurred.
Under his Spirit Perception, the boundary line—
Suddenly vanished...