Leaving the village and heading deeper into the Land of Demons, Vesnic activated the Draconic Slaughterer’s Wish. Because he used Absolute Verdure, billions of mana particles were in the air due to the somewhat inefficient spell. Not only that, but Absolute Verdure had the ability to increase the mana density in the air with the addition of lush greenery.

  The sun was currently in the sky, shining brightly over the newly refreshed Land of Demons. Thinking about his plans, Vesnic decided to alter them a bit. He would spend the first day travelling and examining the land before expanding his mana pool.

  Wandering through the territory Vesnic saw a clump of trees and decided to enter it. Vesnic walked through the dense forest, where trees stood tall and proud, their branches reaching for the sky some with a tint of purple. The air was heavy with the scent of pine and earth, and the ground beneath his feet was soft and spongy, covered in a thick layer of orange moss and grey fallen leaves. The sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting a dappled green light on everything around him.

  As he walked deeper into the forest, the trees became thicker and the underbrush denser. He pushed his way through the foliage, feeling the leaves and branches brush against his skin. He noticed a green flower with a blue stem as birds chirped and sang, their melodies filling the air with sweet music. The occasional rustling in the bushes revealed the presence of small animals scurrying about their business.

  Despite the density of the forest, Vesnic felt at peace among the trees. Their majesty and beauty filled him with a sense of achievement, reminding him of the vastness and complexity of the magical world. After all, he created this place in a matter of mere minutes. As much as he wanted to use his life force and increase the mana density repeatedly, he did not want to attract unnecessary attention. Using Absolute Verdure before had already made numerous organisations look towards the Land of Demons.

  As he emerged from the lush forest, he found himself on a vast plain that seemed to stretch out infinitely. The golden grasses swayed gently in the soft breeze, creating a mesmerising pattern of undulating waves. The sun was now fully visible, and its warm rays bathed the landscape in a soft, amber glow.

  The plains were surrounded by a dense forest, but the trees were further apart here, allowing Vesnic to see beyond them and gaze out at the distant horizon. The sky was an endless expanse of blue, with not a cloud in sight. In the distance, he could make out the faint outlines of towering mountains. Knowing his next destination, he continued his journey, crossing the vast plain towards the mountains through the next patch of trees.

  Vesnic emerged from the forests and found himself at the foothills of a grand mountain range. The mountains rose high into the sky, their peaks shrouded in mist and clouds. He gazed up with a nonchalant face, as if their overbearing size did not affect him the least. As he approached the mountains, he noticed a cave entrance at their base. The cave's opening was small, but the darkness within was foreboding. Without hesitating, he stepped forward, peering into the cave's depths.

  The air was cool and damp, with the scent of earth and moss filling his nostrils. The darkness was almost absolute, but he could make out faint shapes in the dim light filtering in from outside. He took a step forward, applying mana to his eyes, enabling him to see into the darkness. The cave was vast, with winding tunnels leading in different directions. Stalactites and stalagmites hung from the ceiling and rose from the floor, creating an otherworldly atmosphere. Water dripped and echoed in the distance.

  Expanding his senses, Vesnic scanned the entire cave in minutes and finished with an approving nod. Heading back into the forest, he ventured through the undergrowth. After travelling for almost the entire day, Vesnic had found the perfect location to gather mana. He knew of this place from his past life, but seeing it again verified his memory. Shortly, he arrived at his objective, and he gazed upon it. The Lake of Souls

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  The mana surrounding the lake was already denser than most of the continent, but now, with the effects of Absolute Verdure, it had multiplied numerous times. Sitting down close to the water, he closed his eyes and once again started to absorb the mana particles.

  And like that, the three days passed.

  Vesnic stood up, stretching his body, and, like before, inspected his body. The mana pool in his body had increased by thirty percent because of the abundance of mana in the air, especially at the lake and in the cave he had found. With thirty percent of his maximum capacity, he would be able to cast three twelve-circle spells. While he could also cast three sixteen-circle magic, Vesnic always wanted to have a minimum of twenty percent of mana left in his core, maximise the quantity of spells used, and at the same time also maximise the power of the spells.

  Because the mana particles were insufficient to regain any amount of mana except for those with small mana cores, one had to use spells to replenish mana, and that depleted mana. It was an inefficient circle that was only used by armies or large groups. Another way was to have mana potions at hand at all times or wear artifacts that could replenish mana. Vesnic had numerous ways to create effective potions of all kinds, and he had seen some useful ingredients in the forest and plains. For the artifacts, the cave possessed thousands of different ores and minerals that could be used. All of these ways were a hassle compared to the Dragon Slaughterer’s Wish, demonstrating the capability of this technique. And he had yet to activate its complete form. With an easeful smile, he walked calmly back to town.

  ---

  Lucifer stood in front of the worn-out library wearing the same white shirt but this time he wore clear white trousers. He had finished memorising the runes and had perfected casting them numerous times. The power of the spells was incomparable to what he had seen being performed by the other gods and was much simpler because of the lack of unnecessary runes. Not wanting to destroy the forests his lord had created, he had found a secluded place to train; however, the spells did not affect the land but only specific organisms such as animals or insects.

  After spending the last day picking out food and essentials for their journey, he had been waiting for his lord’s arrival at the library. Lucifer had gone into his country’s treasury and chosen an artefact that could recover mana and two defensive clothing artifacts created by their race’s best deceased blacksmith.

  Soon, he saw his lord, Vesnic, walking down the street towards him with confident strides. He wore the same clothes as he did when he arrived but was in a polymorphed state of a human. Lucifer was startled as he noticed the immense amount of mana in his lord’s mana pool. Just a couple of days ago, it was almost the same size as his, but now it has doubled—no, tripled. Not wasting a moment, he kneeled with his hand on his chest and spoke clearly.

  “I greet my lord. Per your wishes, I have learned the runes you gave me and have prepared the essentials for our trip.”

  “All right, let us begin my journey, Lucifer.” Looking down at Lucifer, Vesnic spun around and looked up at the sky.

  “If I may ask my lord, where will we be going?”

  Vesnic had chosen to travel to the closest town in the Bestial Alliance, “Scorpion Town.”

  ----

  The Scorpion Inn was the only inn in town and was always bustling with people. Because it was surrounded by a desert, there were barely any visitors, so every local knew one another. However, the inn was completely silent today, all because of a stranger sitting in the far corner. Most of the residents were diligent workers and did not fight or kill, so to see a person like this stranger, who was wearing a grey cloak over himself and emitted deadly vibes, did not sit well with them. As much as they wanted to kick him out, they could sense the powerful energy that seeped out of him. A primal energy that would devour them without batting an eye.

  Lifting his hand, the stranger called over a young waiter, “Bring me a jug of hops beer and... some of that daily scorpion steak.” He spoke without care and acted like he did not notice the shivering attendant as he brought out a silver coin and placed it on the table. If all eyes weren’t on him before, they were now.

  To purchase something in their small town with a silver coin was like buying a bar of chocolate with a note.

  “O-Of course, sir. I-If you need anything else, p-please do call me,” stuttered the boy. With his lizard like claws he scooped up the coin swiftly in case the stranger changed his mind. He hurriedly walked away with quick steps.

  Sighing, the stranger leaned back into his chair and thought, ‘I hope he doesn’t take too long.’

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