Assimilate All Talents-Chapter 392 - 391: Yggtree

Several days had passed since the explosion. Sol, now reunited with Amber and Thorwyn, had resumed traveling eastward through the Great Forest. Their pace was much slower than before, no longer having Thorwyn pull the carriage. Instead, they traveled on foot, moving with caution.

Sol had already explained what had happened: the confrontation with Jendar, the sudden reinforcements, and how he sealed one of their Law Techniques at the perfect moment to create an opening for escape. But he knew better than to assume that was the end of it. If those elves had survived, and he was fairly confident they had, it was only a matter of time before they returned. That was especially true of the wood elf, Jendar. Not only was he incredibly unreasonable, but he also struck Sol as the type who would rather die than fail.

Even if the other three gave up the pursuit, Sol knew Jendar wouldn't.

Sol also recognized that this situation was partially his fault. He'd been careless, too confident in the illusion created by the Deceiver's Earring. If he had simply stayed out of the elven town, rather than giving in to his curiosity about their different culture, he likely would never have encountered Jendar.

'What's happened, happened. No point in mulling over it. Now we need to be extra vigilant.' Sol thought to himself as he released more psychic energy.

Since the encounter, he'd kept [Seeker's Map] active almost constantly. The psychic skill gave him a clear sense of their surroundings, and through it, they had managed to avoid several groups of elves traveling or patrolling the woods. Using the skill nonstop gradually drained his energy, but the safety it offered was well worth the cost.

As the trio moved beneath the dense canopy, sunlight broke through the foliage in golden shafts. Birds chirped in the distance, and the scent of moss and wet leaves filled the air. The moment felt almost serene, until Sol suddenly came to a halt.

His eyes narrowed as sensed something far away.

'It's not a person... not a beast either... what is this feeling?'

It was a vibrant, radiant presence pulsing at the very edge of his scanning range. It didn't feel hostile, but it felt unbelievably massive.

"One second." Sol said curtly.

Before either of his companions could respond, he leapt up through the trees, vanishing into a blur of green above. The branches rustled briefly, then fell still.

Thorwyn tilted his head and asked, "Grrrw? (What's he doing now?)"

A moment later, Sol dropped back down with wide eyes and amazement etched across his face.

"You two have to see this."

He gestured excitedly, already turning to leap back up.

Amber was the first to follow, bounding silently from branch to branch as if weightless. The leaves barely stirred in her wake. She vanished into the canopy without a sound.

Thorwyn, unwilling to be left behind, crouched and leapt after them.

Snap.

The first branch cracked under his weight, sending him crashing back to the ground with a thud and a surprised grunt. He pulled himself up and glared at the innocent tree that had lost a branch.

"Grrr... (These trees are too small for me...)"

Grumbling, Thorwyn eyed the canopy above, considering a vertical leap. But he doubted any of the trees would support his weight, even if he managed to get up there.

Noticing Thorwyn's struggle, Sol smiled faintly and raised a hand, channeling mana into the ground.

The earth beneath Thorwyn rumbled and shifted, rising into a perfectly smooth platform of hardened soil and stone. Leaves brushed past him as he ascended, and within moments, the treetops fell away beneath his feet.

And then he saw it.

A sea of green stretched in all directions. The Great Forest continued endlessly to the horizon like an ocean of emerald, broken only by distant silhouettes of mountains, each one cloaked in thick trees like moss-covered stone. A light breeze stirred the upper canopy, making the leaves shimmer like waves.

But none of it compared to what stood in the distance.

Far, far away, a gargantuan tree towered above the landscape. It dwarfed the tallest mountains. Its trunk was so wide it resembled a natural fortress, and its colossal branches reached so high they disappeared into the clouds. Thorwyn craned his neck, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't see where it ended.

His ears twitched in awe.

"Awoo? (What is that?)"

Sol, standing beside him, stared at the tree and answered as best he could.

"I've only heard about it in stories... but I'm sure of it. That's the World Tree. The Yggtree."

Now that he saw it, he understood the strange energy he'd sensed. It came from the Yggtree, or at least from something near it. His psychic scan hadn't come anywhere close to the tree, but it exuded such potent energy that it could still be felt faintly from many miles away.

"Big." Even Amber made a brief comment, simple but true.

Taking in the sight a little longer, Sol couldn't help but wonder aloud.

"I wonder what's taller, the Yggtree or Orna's Reach? Both pierce the clouds..."

He compared it to the tallest structure he'd ever seen, but unfortunately, neither of his companions had seen Orna's Reach before, so neither could hazard a guess.

"Hyuu? (Are we going there?)" Thorwyn asked, noting that they were already heading in that direction.

Sol nodded. "If the map is right, we'll pass beneath the tree. But we'll have to stay far from the trunk. That's where the capital of Sylmasera is located. If we get spotted near there... I doubt it'll be just two or four A-Rankers after us."

"Awroo! (Don't worry, together we can take them!)" Thorwyn roared confidently.

Sol smiled wryly, not having the heart to tell Thorwyn he still couldn't quite match even one A-Ranker.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that, okay?"

After taking in the view of the Yggtree, the three descended and continued their journey on foot.

...

A few miles west of Sol and his companions, Jendar and Reena continued their search.

Jendar crouched low, inspecting the dirt.

"There's no doubt about it. He's being accompanied by a large wolf type beast. Could be an A-Ranker."

It had only been two days since Jendar found Sol's trail, but when he did, he noticed another set of large footprints beside it. At first, he thought it might be a migrating beast, or one tracking Sol to hunt him. But after following the trail for a full day, he was sure. The two were traveling together.

As for a third set of tracks... there weren't any.

Reena leaned over and asked, worriedly, "Do you think it's as strong as the human?"

Jendar shook his head. "I doubt it. That human is an anomaly. But if this beast is with him, we can't let our guard down."

He studied the tracks again and said, "Given how old these are and their direction, I know where to intercept them. Reena, open a gate to Yggmasera. It's time to gather the other Guardians."

Reena nodded seriously. "Okay! [Gateway]!"