Chapter 52: Return to the Barbarian Forest
Han Ming sat quietly in a corner of the airship heading to Barbarian City, wrapped in a large black cloak that concealed his face. The cloak also allowed him to discreetly continue healing his injuries.
The journey from the imperial capital, Fila City, to Barbarian City was long and treacherous. Even the skies weren’t safe, as there had been instances of airships being attacked by flying magical beasts. Despite paying ten gold coins for the fastest airship, the trip would still take ten days.
During those ten days, Han Ming didn’t speak to anyone, making him stand out among the passengers. Most of the people on the airship were mercenaries traveling between cities, and they were a lively bunch, constantly exchanging information.
One piece of news caught Han Ming’s attention: the Barbarian Forest had recently undergone some strange changes. Over the past month, a faint black mist had begun to appear in the forest. This phenomenon had never been seen before, and it sparked widespread speculation. Some believed a powerful demon was about to emerge, while others thought it might be the opening of an ancient ruin left by a legendary expert. Opinions varied, but one thing was certain—something unusual was happening.
Han Ming, however, had a different theory. He suspected the black mist might be connected to the weakening of the seal between the human and demon realms. It was possible that the mist was seeping through from the demon realm.
Ten days later, Han Ming finally arrived in Barbarian City, the place he knew best since arriving in this world.
**Barbarian City, the Holy Temple.**
"Excuse me, do you have an activator here who can activate a magic imprint?" Han Ming asked.
An elderly man, hunched over a thick book, slowly looked up and adjusted the crystal lenses on his nose. He scrutinized the figure in the black cloak before him.
"Are you a mage?" the old man asked uncertainly.
"Yes, I am. Thank you for your help," Han Ming replied.
The man was, of course, Han Ming. His first priority was to activate his water magic imprint and advance to the second-tier Great Mage. The journey ahead was perilous, and Han Ming needed to be at his best. He had even removed the weighted jewelry he always wore, storing it in his spatial pouch. The jewelry, made from forty combined sets, had been a constant part of his training, but after discussing it with Li Chengfeng, he realized that while it was useful for building strength, he also needed to get used to his true power. Wearing it all the time might hinder his ability to adapt to sudden changes in strength.
"Please wait a moment," the old man said, nodding slightly before disappearing through a small door.
A short while later, the old man returned with a young man holding a broom. "This is our magic activator. He should be able to help you."
Han Ming was taken aback. "Him? A janitor?"
He hadn’t expected a janitor to be a magic activator. The two roles seemed worlds apart.
The old man smiled faintly. "There aren’t many mages in Barbarian City. Sometimes months go by without anyone needing an activator. We can’t afford to keep someone idle just for that. And this is the Holy Temple, not the Mage Guild. Barbarian City doesn’t have a Mage Guild, so we don’t have the luxury of keeping a full-time activator."
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Han Ming nodded, understanding the situation.
"Esteemed mage, please follow me," the janitor said, setting his broom aside and bowing slightly before leading Han Ming through the small door.
Han Ming had been here once before, when he activated his combat aura imprint. Although he was now a ninth-tier peak Great Warrior, he was just shy of advancing to the next tier. Otherwise, he could have activated both his magic and combat aura imprints at the same time.
Han Ming sat down on a simple wooden chair, familiar with the process. The janitor placed a hand on Han Ming’s head, and soon a faint blue glow appeared on Han Ming’s forehead.
Han Ming could now clearly sense the elemental energy within him. The water magic elements, which had previously been scattered and chaotic, began to gather and form a swirling vortex. At the center of the vortex was a small, round, light blue orb that absorbed energy from the surrounding elements. The water magic elements Han Ming absorbed from the environment and magic crystals were refined by the vortex and transferred to the orb.
This process was rapidly improving, and Han Ming noticed that his ability to absorb water elemental energy had significantly increased.
"All done, esteemed mage. Your magic imprint has been successfully activated," the janitor said, exhaling in relief. Although activating a magic imprint wasn’t dangerous, dealing with mages could be tricky. They were known for their unpredictable tempers, and one wrong move could lead to trouble.
"Ah, so you’re a second-tier Great Mage," the activator said, noticing the two faint blue water droplet imprints on Han Ming’s forehead. A second-tier Great Mage was a rare and respected figure.
Han Ming stood up, satisfied, and tossed the activator two gold coins before leaving.
After booking a room at a mercenary inn, Han Ming removed his cloak and changed into simple, coarse clothing, making him look more like a warrior. His magic attacks were still too weak to be of much use, and being a mage drew too much attention. It was better to appear as a warrior.
The next day, Han Ming checked the mission board at the Mage Guild, hoping to find a quest related to high-tier water magical beasts. This would save him time searching aimlessly.
Unfortunately, the only water magical beast quest available was for a second-tier beast, which wouldn’t have a magic core, let alone an extreme cold core.
Disappointed, Han Ming left the guild and headed straight for the Barbarian Forest.
By nightfall, he had reached the familiar outskirts of the forest. Memories flooded back as he stood at the edge of the woods.
Years ago, he and his elder brother, Sagus, had lived on the fringes of the forest for several months, struggling to survive against ordinary beasts. They hadn’t even encountered a magical beast back then.
Now, Sagus had become a powerful sixth-tier magical beast, and Han Ming had grown into a first-tier Great Mage and a ninth-tier peak Great Warrior. Though still a Great Warrior, his three additional tiers gave him strength comparable to a first-tier War Madness, even without combat aura.
But now, he was separated from both his brothers.
With a sigh, Han Ming stepped into the Barbarian Forest.
Normally, the forest was visible up to ten meters at night, thanks to the starlight and bioluminescent plants. But now, visibility was reduced to less than five meters.
Han Ming saw the thin black mist the mercenaries had mentioned. The strange phenomenon confirmed that something significant was happening deep within the forest.
As he walked, Han Ming held two small magic crystals in his hands. With his advancement to the second tier, his ability to absorb magic energy had improved. To speed up his progress, he had increased his daily intake from one small magic crystal to two. This left him feeling constantly dizzy and overwhelmed.
After dealing with a few ordinary beasts blocking his path, Han Ming finally arrived at the massive tree hollow where he and Sagus had once lived.
Brushing off the dust, Han Ming crawled inside and decided to rest for the night.
Sitting cross-legged in the hollow, Han Ming closed his eyes and focused on the magic energy flowing into his body from the two crystals. The energy was refined by the swirling vortex of elemental energy and transferred to the small blue orb at its center. Han Ming guessed this orb was his magic core, similar to a magical beast’s core.
Human mages only formed such cores upon reaching the second tier, and the quality and quantity of their magic increased significantly.
Han Ming quietly sensed the water elements around him, gradually merging with the natural water elements in the air. The inside of the tree hollow grew damp as water elements gathered.
As night deepened, a strange noise suddenly came from outside the hollow. It sounded like voices.