"How long will it take us to get there?" Deak looked at the man in front of him with a cynical look.
The man in front of him have a slender body, so slender it was as if he had no flesh. His clenched thighs seemed to be missing something in between.
"Hehehe you calm down sir, the place is close. We won't dare to trick you.. right Jon" Bon glanced at his brother who was running next to him.
"Hehehe.. don't dare.. hehehe.. Jon doesn't dare" Jon answered with a foolish grin.
"huft! We'll see!" Deak snorted.
Deak holds back his anger and remembers that he is on an important mission.
Four months ago to be exact on June 19, all level 5 constellation mages and above felt a burst of energy that spread throughout the Meer continent and came from within the Bog forest.
The next day, The Gurru Committee meeting was held.
From the meeting, it is believed that this energy is a mana explosion from the birth of a new mana species on the Meer continent.
This explosion is believed to have been felt by the Elf Alliance and the Beast Kingdom as well. They also had strong people on par with human level 5 constellation mages.
There was a high possibility that the other two mana species races would investigate or attack the Bog forest to find this new mana species.
The Bog Forest which had been considered an area of little importance to the Human Alliance became a hot potato that could lead to the second mana species war.
The location of the Bog forest close to the human territory will cause other mana species to try to enter through the human territory.
Various opinions emerged and the Bog forest problem became a complicated part.
Especially because some parties think that the Bog forest has been included in human territory so if other mana species daring to enter the Bog forest then that can already be considered they have invaded humans teritory.
This opinion is very strong, especially for those who benefit from rare plants and mutated animal organs from the Bog forest.
There is also an opinion that the Human Alliance should expel new mana species that are born in the Bog forest and make the Bog forest a human territory.
This opinion is strongly supported by alchemists who desperately need mutated animal organs as the main ingredient for making [Mana Potions].
A month later, The atmosphere at the Beast Kingdom's borders became increasingly tense as the number of warbeasts seen increased.
The conflict between humans and elves in the Bog forest also continues to grow. Although there was no serious damage, there were still casualties on both sides.
Humans had to do something immediately before the second species war actually broke out.
But the Gurru Committee had yet to decide what the Human Alliance should do. They had felt peace for too long that their fat bodies were reluctant to lift their swords.
Antagonizing this new mana species would result in war, letting the elves rule the Bog forest would put human territory in a pinch, and allowing warbeasts to pass through their territory would be extremely dangerous.
No one could have guessed what the beasts would do when they passed through human territory.
If they only destroyed the villages they passed through then it could still be negotiated with a request for compensation, but if they instead stopped and controlled the area then this would cost the humans their land.
Even so, the reluctance to go to war a second time still sounded loud at the Gurru Committee table.
War is chaos and their power will not last long in chaos. Just like the Mana Ruling Family's power that was lost due to the first mana species war.
However, this confusion and debate stopped a month ago after receiving news that the Beast Kingdom had withdrawn their troops from the border and the number of elves entering the Bog forest had suddenly decreased drastically.
The withdrawal of the Beast Kingdom's troops from the borders and the reduction in the number of elves entering the Bog forest made the Human Alliance rejoice, but some of them felt that this was a bad sign rather than a good one.
One of them was Stent Gaht, the strongest human.
At the Gurru Committee meeting, Gaht asked the academy to immediately send their troops to investigate the new mana species that were born in the Bog forest.
He said with the Beast Kingdom's troops withdrawing at the border and the reduced number of elves in the Bog forest this was their best chance to send a reconnaissance army.
But Gaht's request was rejected, the rest of the Gurru Committee didn't want to do anything that could antagonize this new mana species.
If they saw sending human troops into the Bog forest as a form of military aggression then war with this new mana species could occur.
Some of them even mocked Gaht for wanting to go back to the time he was hailed as a hero of mankind.
Gaht can only surrender and accept the fact that his former comrades have changed.
Those who used to draw their swords and bravely charge the elves' army had turned into fat, cowardly, and lazy humans.
Those who used to be willing to sacrifice their life and be willing to be tortured to get freedom from the control of the Mana Ruling Family have turned into cowardly and weak politicians.
The era of glory and heroism has been gone due to the pleasures and wealth that peace brings.
Even though Gaht was the strongest human being, he couldn't act alone and go against the Gurru Committee's decision. Gaht doesn't want humans to be killed as a result of civil war.
Gaht decided to do his own investigation. However, he couldn't send away himself or send out a mage that was too strong.
The Gurru Committee would surely find out if Gaht decided to conduct his own investigation if he did so.
In the end, Gaht decided to send his student, Deak Oliver. A talented young man whose future looks bright.
With the appendage of looking for rare plants, Deak Oliver along with two of his students went to investigate the new mana species in the Bog forest.
At first, Deak was just looking for information through a few adventurers who often went in and out of the Bog forest. But he did not find any information other than what he already knew.
In the end, Deak decides to seek information from a group that is the true ruler of the Bog forest. They were stronger than adventurers and they understood the Bog forest far more than adventurers.
They are slave traders.
The two strange people in front of Deak were Bog forest slave traders. Deak doesn't know who the academy teacher their boss is and Deak doesn't care.
As a level 3 constellation mage, Deak had considerable influence in the academy and he was also a teacher. The other two mages that were sent along with him were also his disciples and level 2 constellation mages.
Whoever their boss was wouldn't care if Deak killed two level 1 constellation mage slave traders. Therefore Deak didn't need to be polite in front of these two strange slave traders.
"Tell me again what happened on June 18th!" Deak's orders.
"Ah.. eh.. well, we found that there were 5 stupid teenagers who entered the Bog forest without any preparation and they ended up lost.. hehehe.. they are really stupid.. right Jon?" Bon spoke awkwardly.
"Right right.. they are so stupid hehehe.." Jon nods and giggled.
"Sooo.. I catch them easily... hehehe.. the girl with silver hair cry.. hehehe.. she so cute.. and then, and then, and then at the morning I took them away for sale in a neighboring town." Bon's face changes like he remembers the feeling in his heart when he saw the girl cry.
"But..." his face turned gloomy.
"Because of that stupid red bear.. they managed to escape.. I told my brother to chase after them but goddess of luck was protecting them, a swarm of goblins came out of nowhere and blocked my brother!" Bon grimaced.
"Bad goblin.. Bad goblin.. Bad goblin" Jon was annoyed.
"I managed to repel the red bear and Jon managed to kill a lot of goblins but the three teenage girls are missing somewhere. We only found the bodies of two boys who were killed by goblin weapons" Bon was disappointed.
Anna, Lina, and Vivi would be quite expensive if sold in the slave market. Even though they are not mages, they are still young and beautiful. Too many mashers would want them to satisfy their lust.
"You two idiots are really incompetent, you don't deserve to call yourselves mages! Two mages can't take care of five ordinary teenagers, you really are idiots!" Deak curses Bon and Jon's stupidity.
They could only bow their heads and dare not answer.
Jon's story is an ordinary story that often happens in the Bog forest. Two incompetent slave traders let their slaves escape.
There is nothing strange about the story, but there are two things that make Deak want to research it further.
The first was because the timing was very close to when the mana explosion occurred. And the second is because somehow Deak feels the two events are related.
As a mage who often fought with elves, Deak firmly believed in his hunches. It was his hunch that saved him several times in life and death battles.
This time, Deak also believed his hunch.
"Teacher, I feel a group of creatures blocking our path ahead!" one of his students who was tasked with using a spell from the detect faction warned.
To conserve their mana, Deak decided to have a shift using the [Detect] spell. Deak couldn't believe the two strange slave traders in front of him.
"Hmm.. are they elves? or adventurers?" Deak asked.
"I don't know teacher, I don't feel any mana from their bodies" the student replied.
"Hmm.. that means they are not a threat. Hurry up! We will continue our journey after exterminating them!" Deak's orders.
"Yes, teacher!" two of his students nodded and quickened their run as did Bon and Jon.
Not long after they met a large tree that seemed to be the king of all the trees around it.
On the branch of the tree stood a man with jet black hair that extended to his shoulders.
He stood with his arms crossed, his red eyes staring at the group of humans below him with a smug look.
Deak and the others stopped in the shade of the tree's shadow. At first, Deak thought the man was a night elf but after seeing more clearly the color of his skin is green not black ash, Deak became confused.
Deak didn't feel any mana from his body. Even though the mana species have not yet become mages, mages can still feel the mana flow in their bodies.
The man raised his hands up high, then said "Bhimasuta Form Active!".
Suddenly a golden tribal tattoo crept from his waist to fill his entire body. Deak and the others became very shocked, they didn't understand what was happening and what this man was doing.
Before he could ask, Deak felt a vortex of energy collect between his two raised hands. Deak had a bad feeling.
The energy vortex in his hand was spinning faster and bigger. It makes the air around it feel like it is being pulled and held by something.
The air colliding creates friction and causes heat to collect and concentrate.
"Teacher, is this a new race of elves?" one of the students asked.
"I don't feel any mana in his body" Deak replied with eyes that continued to look at the green man.
The burning vortex of wind formed the image of the head of a monstrous creature.
This creature's eyes protrude without eyebrows, its mouth is open to reveal two long and curved tusks, on both sides of its head there are large pointed ears, and its forehead is wide like the protrusion of an egg.
This is the image of the head of Kala, a terrible creature who invites anyone, even gods, to enter the circle of karma.
"Is this the new mana species that we search for?" another student asked.
"No it's worse than that" Deak's bad feeling was getting worse.
With a sadistic smile tugging at his lips, the green man said "[Brajadenta:—"
"He's an evolved monster! DODGE!!!" Deak shouted.
Moku lowered his hands quickly "—Kala Cannon]!"
Kala's head shot at the speed of a bullet and hit the ground where Deak and the others were standing before exploding and creating a vortex of fire that could be seen from a distance.
All the tall trees were burned to ashes and the ground shook violently like an erupting volcano.
"That's what happens when you disturb my time with my Nevare, you shitty mage!" Moku who managed to get out of the blast area shouted with anger.