Beneath the fertile yet ravaged forest floor, both Langdon and Ewan remained hidden. However, after sensing the devastating area magic and noticing Langdon's rising anxiety, Ewan finally decided to share their backup plan.
"Listen closely, because I'm not repeating this! The plan is simple: when he finally hits the ground with that spell, I'll teleport both of us into the sky! But you need to hold onto me tightly—don't let go, or everything will fall apart! Once we're up there, he'll notice immediately and try to hit us with something fast. Before he gets the chance, you're going to launch an explosion spell straight at him! It won't even scratch that bastard, but it'll buy me just enough time to teleport us far away. The catch is… in my current state, I shouldn't even be using magic of this level, so there'll be consequences. Just hope you understand."
"Oh Wait... What do you mean by consequenc—"
"—THERE'S NO TIME TO EXPLAIN, KID! YOU'LL UNDERSTAND LATER!!!"
Cutting off Langdon's question mid-sentence, Ewan cast the teleportation spell — "Tshiiin!" — and in the blink of an eye, they were high above the ground, plummeting through the air.
"AAAAAAAAH! ARE YOU CRAZY?! HOW DO YOU DO SOMETHING THAT INSANE WITHOUT EVEN COUNTING TO THREE FIRST?!"
"Hurry! Use the spell, kid!!!"
Langdon quickly unleashed his black wings to slow their fall and then cast a fire spell — "WHOOSH!" The evil master spotted the attack, facing it head-on. As expected, not even a strand of his hair was singed. But that was exactly the plan — and with it, Ewan completed the teleportation.
"Hei Kid, about those consequences... actually, there's a bunch of them! First, because I cast such high-level spells, I'm going to sleep for a whole month! Oh—and I also have no idea where you're going to end up!!! Oh, and another thing! Your mana is practically drained now, since I borrowed some to help channel ambient mana!! Good luck!!!"
"WAIT, WHAT??? YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE WE'RE GOING AND YOU'RE JUST GONNA SLEEP FOR A MONTH?! I'M SCREWED!!"
Langdon shouted, furious at the terrible luck of having encountered the mysterious master. If not for him, they could've reached the Monster Nation in four to five days. Now, that plan was ruined. Langdon realized that the strong truly do impose their will upon the weak — and that filled his heart with even more determination. He vowed to grow stronger, to never again let someone else shape his fate.
After Ewan listed the consequences, he said nothing else and immediately fell into a deep sleep. The teleportation whisked them away from the battlefield.
"HOOOOOO! THAT DAMN BRAT FOOLED ME AND RAN!!! Quite clever!!! But how could someone with such a low level fool my detection even for a moment and use a high-tier spell like teleportation??? Hmm… I could try tracking him, but the bastard scrambled the magical signal too. He must have at least two legendary items. To think I almost had them... Hoho, well… you can't win them all! At least I doubt they saw anything important. Even so, I'll suspend operations for a while until things settle down."
The man vanished.
Far away, in an unknown land, Langdon appeared with nearly no stellar dust left in his reserves, alone and completely lost. Ewan wouldn't wake up for another 30 to 32 days, leaving the boy stranded in a strange, deadly-looking valley. The ground and scarce vegetation were crimson red, with razor-sharp stones protruding like natural spears.
"Damn it... I'm completely exposed out here. I need to find a safe place to recover my mana and figure out what to do next."
Scanning the desolate landscape, Langdon spotted a dead, red tree trunk. He rushed toward it, stripped off his clothes and items, and placed them on the ground. Then, forming blades with his hands, he carved a hollow into the trunk, stored his belongings, and crawled inside for shelter.
"Well, now I've got a place to stay. Time to recover my mana… and cultivate."
He used his special cultivation method until dawn, not stopping until morning. By then, he had recovered his stellar dust and advanced to the final stage of Level Two. The black mana forming his body had grown even more resilient. To test his progress, he transformed one arm into a blade and tried to cut the other with full force—barely a scratch appeared. Pleased with the result, he emerged from the trunk, got dressed, and prepared to scout the terrain.
"Alright… panicking never helps. I'll fly up to get a clear view of where I am. Then I can make an informed decision."
—Then he spread his black wings with a powerful "FWOOSH!" and soared high into the sky. After a few minutes of flying, he spotted a narrow dirt road to the east. Though distant, it was a sign of activity — either human or humanoid — and either was better than nothing. Langdon descended to the ground.
"Okay... If I follow that road, I might find a larger one… maybe even a village or a city. But I still need a way to interact with either species. Otherwise, they'll think I'm some undead freak. Hmm… right. Time to assess my current abilities. Biomancy might help! But the problem is the mana cost. How do I get around that...? AH! I GOT IT!!!"
Excited, Langdon had a brilliant idea. If maintaining a full human body consumed too much stellar dust, then he'd just create human skin and wear it like clothing!
"That's it! I'll only make what's necessary to look human, and only wear it when needed! The rest of the time, I'll cover up with my hood and clothes."
—Then he focused his will, raised his hands, and activated biomancy. "SHRRRAK!" From his hands, a human-skin bodysuit formed. He put it on and began channeling mana through it using his black body. The flow of magic was steady — it looked very convincing! A specialist might still notice the oddity, but Langdon had no intention of showing up in front of one. The mana drain was high, but acceptable — as long as he didn't use it during combat or for long periods.
"Damn, this turned out great! Normal people wouldn't even notice a thing! Now I can ask for information. And if I run into a humanoid monster, I'll grow horns to blend in. Time to move. I hope I encounter some monsters on the way… I need to get stronger and gain more combat experience."
Determined, Langdon followed the dirt road. As fate would have it, his wish came true. He encountered some early-stage Level Two monsters and defeated them relatively easily thanks to his experience. But then — surprise!
A venomous spider with a snake's head at its rear appeared. It looked like an early-stage Level Three beast.
"Damn it. They weren't kidding when they said to be careful what you wish for! I'm not sure I can take this thing right now… Ah, what am I thinking? If I can't even handle a beast a bit stronger than me, how could I ever dream of becoming formidable? Enough cowardice! From today on, I'll only retreat if it's absolutely necessary! Come, monster — I'll send you to rest with the dead!"
Langdon then took flight with a "WHOOSH!" and slashed a blade of wind at one of the spider's legs — "SLASH!" The attack caused a shallow cut, not enough to sever the limb. The monster roared in rage — "GRRRRAAAHH!" — and from the snake heads at its rear, it launched acidic venom straight at Langdon. He swiftly dodged with a "SWISH!" and fired another wind blade — "SHRAK!" — at the same leg. The wound deepened, and this time the spider screamed in pain — "SKREEEEECH!!!"
Enraged, it launched a web with incredible speed — "THWIPP!" — striking Langdon and slamming him into the ground — "BAM!" The impact dealt considerable damage to his black body. He stood up, slightly dazed.
"Ugh… damn it. That thing actually got me this time! I need to be faster!"
Langdon then optimized his black form for speed and conjured a flaming spear aimed at the spider's head — "WHRAAAH!" It burned several of its eyes. The beast leapt at Langdon, trying to skewer him with its razor legs. "SHUUSH!" He dodged the first and second strikes, but on the fifth, the creature slammed into the ground, surprising him, and quickly stabbed him with one of its limbs. The blow caused heavy damage. The good news — Langdon felt no pain. The bad — if his mana core were hit, he'd be done for.
He drew a hammer from within his black body and smashed it into the creature's thorax with all his might, sending it flying. The beast landed on its back, thrashing in a frenzy to flip over and finish its prey.