The First Legendary Beast Master novel Chapter 445

Chapter 445 Miviascan Wilderness

Once they were finished with breakfast and Karl's inventory was loaded with as much stuff as he could possibly hold, which appeared to be a normal situation for the locals when they headed out on an extended trip, he prepared to get on his way.

He would be headed away from the road, following the directions from the quest reward. The fact that there were supposed to be no villages at all for the entire northern region of the nation next to them seemed very odd to Karl. Perhaps they meant no Elven or Human villages, but the complete absence just didn't seem like the sort of thing that would normally happen.

There wasn't anything that Karl could do about that, though. The supposedly perfect beast was in that direction, and he wasn't about to pass that up. He had a space ready, and they were just waiting on Remi to pick an evolution direction so she could break through to the Royal Rank. Then they would be able to continue progressing, hopefully with a powerful new friend.

Everyone in the group was excited about that. They had become a close family, and the process of adopting a new family member was the greatest group activity that they could think of right now. They were all present, there was no particular pressure, and no restrictions on what they could look for. There might never be a better chance to find a new friend.

The first few hours in the forest were calm ones. There weren't many strong monsters near the village, the dragon chased them away or convinced them not to bother her, but as Karl got further from civilization, he began to see signs that there were monsters in the area.

The most obvious were the claw marks five metres up the bark of a tree. It might have been a full-grown Dire Bear, or something the same shape, or it might have been a shorter creature that normally stood upright.

Karl didn't want to call anyone out and risk attracting more attention, so he just focused on not being ambushed with his aura turned inward, the way he had seen others do it to hide their power level.

Thor would be ready instantly with the barriers, and Karl had Royal Rank armour on, so he wasn't exactly vulnerable, but it was an extreme change from his usual "Always ready" travel method.

[Watch your step and protect your neck.] Rae sang in his mind as they passed through a dark section of the forest where Karl could feel that something was watching them, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

[You're in a good mood today.] Karl noted. Rae nodded happily as she swung in a hammock in her space. [This place feels like home. This is where a Bloodbath Spider belongs, not in those wimpy forests back home. These forests are ancient, and they're just leaking power. It just feels like home.]

Remi looked around. [It isn't bad, but it's too dry. These trees though, I like the trees.]

As they continued, the sense that they were being stalked became undeniable.

[Does anyone have eyes on the target?] Karl asked, knowing they could look out of their spaces directly and not just through his eyes.

[Whatever it is, it is hidden too well.] Rae complained.

Then Karl saw a shimmer headed their way through the trees and turned to face it, hoping that just proving he could see it would scare it off.

The creature seemed to pause for a few seconds, then Karl realized that it wasn't alone. There were other shimmers in his peripheral vision.

One of them launched itself at him, and Karl sidestepped, bringing up [Eternal Lightning]. The moment that he used a skill, the shimmers scattered, running off into the woods. But he could feel attention from something stronger in the distance.