Chapter 2

This is the Whispering Forest, an ancient forest originating from the southern foothills of the Dawn Mountains. It has a crescent moon shape and a powerful, mysterious owner. The highland elves with silver hair and gray eyes regard it as a forbidden land, cherishing it as they would their own mother.

It was early winter, yet the vast mixed coniferous and broadleaf forest was still dotted with large patches of green, as if dressing the silent mountains in a green pleated skirt. In one small patch, the goddess of fate blinked, and a pitiful soul was reborn.

This was the 1821st year of the Era of Light, the year when the legendary magician Alegri, who would later ride the unicycle of fate and charge forward bravely, officially entered the historical view.

******

On a clearing at the edge of the Whispering Forest, a dilapidated magic tower, with only half of it remaining, was on the verge of collapse. On the heavy wooden door, there was a small hole about a meter in diameter, and a young man with black hair and black eyes was shivering as he crawled out. He was around twenty years old, wrapped in a tattered black magic robe, stomping his feet to dispel the cold. Clearly, the thin magic robe could not withstand the chill of early winter, making his thin lips on his pale cheeks turn blue.

"What lousy luck," Alegri muttered, looking around, moving his stiff limbs, and cursing under his breath. The goddess of fate who had saved him seemed to be forgetful, for in the blink of an eye, he found himself in an even more disadvantageous situation. Judging from the harsh reality before him, he was likely to fare a hundred times worse than in his previous life.

When Alegri crossed over, he was still a promising magic apprentice, with a powerful mentor who might have bestowed him with great powers and a tower full of rare magical materials. At that time, his mind was filled with memories of his short past life, like goldfish in a crystal fish tank, seeming so close yet so distant. He gradually resolved to face his current situation and create a new life.

Then, on a stormy night with thunder and lightning, just as he was about to read two magic books he had taken from the study, he heard a loud "bang," a sound that drowned out all the thunder. The old magician, who was conducting some strange experiment, had blown himself and the upper half of the magic tower to pieces. All that remained was a dazed Alegri and a completely vanished magic storage.

"Dear teacher, was it really appropriate to blow up all my inheritance like this?" Alegri muttered to the cenotaph beside the magic tower, "This really puts me in a difficult position."

Carrying a few scattered pieces of wood, Alegri crawled back into his shelter. In a cramped corner, Alegri brushed off the frost from the wood and slowly extended his right hand toward the brazier.

"Kobuslin, Ruttgar..." His lips trembled as he uttered the strange syllables, one of the most precious contents of his remaining memories. As he chanted the spell, Alegri felt a blank sheet of paper suddenly spread out in his mind, and his focused attention slowly moved across it, like a fountain pen. Red marks slowly formed, connecting into a strange set of characters, and the attention in the pen tube was visibly decreasing.

With the last syllable, the final stroke of mental energy completed, an indescribable tremor suddenly came over him. A warm energy suddenly surged from his fingertips.

On the scattered pieces of wood, a bright yellow flame suddenly rose, and the warmth began to dispel the darkness in the tower.

This was just a simple apprentice-level spell, "Fire Summoning," but it made Alegri feel a myriad of emotions. Even if he had been stuck in this desolate place, even if he had never seen anyone to confirm his situation, just this one spell made him clearly know that he had indeed left his familiar planet for some absurd reason.

Crouching by the fire, swallowing the coarse black bread, Alegri's face, already full of sorrow, looked even more miserable. He had actually been reduced to living on such food. More tragically, even this moldy, disgusting black bread was down to the last few pieces.

Perhaps due to the lingering influence of the old magician or some mysterious magic array still running in the remaining part of the tower, no living creature dared to approach within hundreds of meters of the magic tower. If possible, the extremely cowardly Alegri would not want to leave this range and take a lively and vivid survival lesson with the sharp-toothed jungle beasts—

But before he starved to death or was eaten by wild animals, he had to make a choice.

On clear days, Alegri had also looked out from the remaining fifth floor window of the magic tower, only to find a vast sea of forest all around. Within his line of sight, there were only undulating tree canopies like waves, with no sign of human habitation. It seemed that this magic tower was just an isolated island.

Once, he was Robinson Crusoe in the world of magic, but now, survival forced him to become Columbus.

******

Alegri was making his final preparations.

A "Basic Magic Analysis," a "Beginner's Guide to Summoned Creatures," an old money bag that even a thief would have no interest in, and a few coins inside—this was his starter kit. The old magician's staff, which had somehow survived the intense explosion as a half-staff, was his only weapon.

Of course, Alegri would not tell the beasts lurking around that the scroll he found in the hidden compartment of the "Beginner's Guide to Summoned Creatures" was the most precious and powerful thing. This slightly gray scroll, which had a few small holes bitten by rats or something, was the only hope he had to rely on, unreliable as it might be.

—An intermediate-level summoning magic scroll, to summon a Dark Warrior.

******

As he cautiously entered the dark, overgrown forest like a timid mole, inexplicable whispers drifted in the cold wind, echoing in his ears. After leaving the protective range of the magic tower, the ancient and mysterious jungle finally began to reveal the formidable reputation of the Whispering Forest.

This forest was one of the oldest in the entire continent, comparable to the homeland of the elves. Centuries-old giant trees stretched their canopies, intertwining so tightly that not even sunlight could penetrate. On such a gloomy winter day, the cold forest was even colder. The nocturnal beasts had not yet emerged, but the silence at this moment was the most terrifying sound, a silence that could make one hear their own heartbeat and feel their blood slowly cooling.

In the rhythm of his heartbeat, Alegri's eyes suddenly twitched, and he seemed to have spotted a suitable prey.

In this terrifying forest, a pitiful magic apprentice was one of the lowest creatures in the food chain. Of course, compared to the almost defenseless gray-furred magic rabbit in front of him, he still had a fighting chance.

"Arcane Missile" is one of the most widely used attack spells, with a simplified version available even at the apprentice stage. Of course, it is also the most complex of the apprentice-level spells, with no exceptions.

Taking advantage of the distance and not entering the alert range, Alegri began to chant softly and complexly. The mental pen drew blue dots slowly on the blank sheet in his mind, and a slight magical fluctuation began to gather. For a magic rabbit with low magical defense, a series of three magic missiles would be a devastating blow.

An apprentice could not yet smoothly guide the missiles with mental energy, but he successfully broke the magic rabbit's hind leg. Alegri was greatly encouraged, raised the half-staff in his hand, and charged forward with a roar.

His first battle since crossing over seemed to be a sure win!