Noel walked deeper into the forest. From the sky earlier, the trees hadn't seemed particularly tall, but now that he was standing among them, he realized just how massive they truly were.
At a glance, they were as tall and dense as the buildings in the royal capital he'd seen in books. And that wasn't even counting the colossal tree he'd seen at the forest's center.
> "So this is the wonder of nature… Forests really are fascinating." Noel murmured, observing the strange plants around him.
It was all very novel, though most of these plants he had at least read about. Some, however, were rare enough to have made it onto the endangered species list.
He continued walking, and quickly discovered the forest was not what he had imagined it would be. Or rather, he had been too naive. Many of these strange plants had their own methods of protecting themselves.
Some became rock-hard to deter threats, others sprayed toxins into the air around them, while the most dangerous had even evolved teeth, capable of devouring anything that posed a threat.
Noel's instincts were proven correct when, just moments ago, a rabbit had hopped past him. As he was preparing to strike it down with wind magic, a nearby plant suddenly opened a gaping maw.
In an instant, it swallowed the rabbit whole, leaving only its head sticking out. Noel could see the rabbit's legs kicking desperately.
But it was pointless. After a few moments, the rabbit's struggles weakened, and it grew still.
Then the plant swallowed the rabbit's head, and soon after spat out a pile of clean, white bones. In just an instant, a life had been extinguished.
But from this, Noel deduced something: plants like this only thrive in places where there is plenty of prey. If these carnivorous plants were surviving here, it meant animals frequently came by this spot.
It was the perfect place to set traps.
For Noel, setting traps wasn't difficult. As an alchemist, he could transmute the soil below into sharp earthen spikes.
This would keep the terrain looking undisturbed while saving him labor, and the traps themselves would be quite lethal—a very efficient method.
Of course, choosing the right spot was crucial. He specifically picked places where there were clear signs of animal activity, as these were the most likely to attract prey.
After setting up four traps throughout the forest, Noel returned to his treehouse. The traps were all automatic, so there was no point in him waiting nearby.
In fact, lingering nearby might alert animals with sharp senses, scaring them off before they triggered the traps. Noel had no intention of letting that happen.
On his way back, he gathered more branches, making sure he would have enough firewood to keep a campfire going after dark.
This was hard, dirty work, reminiscent of when he'd been a beggar. His clothes were torn from moving through the forest, and there were small cuts on his hands that bled slightly before scabbing over.
> "So thirsty…" Noel muttered, parched.
He had forgotten he didn't have a water source. Finding water could be easy or difficult, depending on luck. If he was lucky, there might be a stream or spring nearby, and water would no longer be an issue.
Alternatively, he could filter moisture from damp soil, but even if he had the will, he lacked the necessary tools.
He had even considered using magic to conjure water, but that was far beyond him. He didn't know any water-element magic.
As for converting elements, while he had seen it done, it didn't mean he could do it himself.
Just then, a waterbird flew overhead, a half-eaten fish dangling from its beak. Noel tracked the arc of its flight, gauging its direction.
Looks like luck is on my side after all. If the bird could fish there, then there must be water nearby. His worries over water eased slightly.
However, it seemed the water was deeper in the forest. Noel didn't want to venture further in, but he needed water to survive.
Without a water source, he wouldn't last long.
He pushed onward into the forest's depths. The further he went, the darker it grew, and sunlight filtering through the canopy became blindingly bright by contrast.
The underbrush rustled around him. Noel glanced around, summoning a green magic circle in his palm as he readied a Wind Blade spell. If any beast appeared, he would strike first.
If it was a small animal, it would either die or be crippled—perfect for his next meal.
> "ROAR! ROAR! ROAR—!"
A series of furious roars echoed through the forest, reverberating through the trees.
Noel turned to see the source and froze. At first glance, it looked like a tiger, but only its limbs resembled one. Its face was more like that of an ape.
Its body looked somewhat like a raccoon's, but its tail was unmistakably that of a snake.
Noel had seen something like this in an alchemical bestiary, but in this moment, he couldn't recall what it was called.
All he knew was that he had to run. There was no way he could fight such a monstrous creature. He fired a Wind Blade at it over his shoulder as he turned to flee.
The blade struck the creature but dissipated on contact, as if it had never existed.
> "ROAR! ROAR! ROAR—!"
The monster's roars grew even louder, so loud they made Noel's ears ring. It sniffed the air, detecting the presence of something that didn't belong.
Then, it locked onto Noel's scent and charged.
Seeing it barrel toward him, Noel ran for his life. A quick glance back showed the creature was much faster than he was.
> "Wind Magic: Swift Step!"
Noel cast a spell on himself, and his speed increased, allowing him to put some distance between himself and the beast.
But the monster didn't give up. It, too, accelerated, and the chase continued in a tense stalemate.
Noel channeled more wind mana, feeling his body grow lighter, allowing him to run almost as if he were flying. However, his body wasn't used to this level of speed yet.
He had to focus intensely, dodging trees as they rushed past. At this speed, one wrong move could be fatal.
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