Moon Paper Forest
The moment Aleck arrived at Moon Paper Forest, Kiria was en route to the King Centipede clan's stronghold.
'Kirin, were you really there...?'
Kiria bit her lower lip, recalling Kirin's bright, innocent smile.
At first, when Aleck claimed Kirin was in one of Craig's labs, she had dismissed it as nonsense. But...
'Specific evidence, details only the King Centipede clan would know.'
And the decisive blow: the Grootoria tree used for binding oaths.
All the circumstances forced her to believe Aleck's words couldn't possibly be lies.
'What the hell...'
Reflecting on the sequence of events, a belated hollow laugh escaped her.
Not even in Maturity Stage, just barely entering Juvenile Stage, yet the kid handled skills and tricks like a pro—secondarily, his calm, composed attitude and speech even in her presence were utterly baffling.
'Well, wielding two attributes from the start is absurd enough.'
Aleck had leveraged that power to take down three King Centipede primal strains at once.
Not just that unprecedented dual-attribute ability he'd shown, but his innate combat sense and judgment—talents that left even her, top-tier among Complete Bodies, in genuine awe.
'And that guy was definitely hiding more.'
When Aleck subdued the King Centipede primal larvae and faced her, she clearly remembered a fleeting glimpse in his eyes.
'An endless abyss, like the depths of the void...'
She had sensed a fragment of some transcendent existence.
Goosebumps prickled up her arms once more.
Overwhelmed by a mere Juvenile's gaze, she'd nearly killed him on the spot without realizing it. That's why, even knowing he was a mantis, she'd had to confirm.
'Anyway, that guy's no ordinary bastard.'
Her survival instincts screamed it loud and clear: if you can't kill him now, never make him an enemy.
'Looking back now... could I have even killed him if I'd wanted to?'
Kiria shuddered violently to shake off the chills.
The very thought was ridiculous—a Complete Body fearing a Juvenile child.
But she trusted her instincts. They'd kept her alive through countless perils while carrying out Craig's orders over the years.
'Anyway.'
Her gaze hardened as she stared at the distant southern continent shore coming into view.
Kirin—her sole remaining blood kin, the purpose and reason that had kept her from breaking all these years.
It was time to confirm if she was truly imprisoned in Craig's lab.
And if Aleck's words proved true...
'Craig, you fucking bastard. I'll never forgive you for toying with me and Kirin.'
Crunch. Grinding her teeth to dust, she accelerated, kicking off the air even harder.
"It's been a while here too."
I muttered toward the massive Moon Paper Forest looming in the distance.
"But..."
I narrowed my eyes at the enormous Riandri Mountains behind it.
"What the hell is that?"
From the mountainside midway up, a sinister, ominous crimson-black haze billowed thickly.
The energy spread from there, blanketing the entire range, and it even seemed to affect Moon Paper Forest.
"Hmmm..."
Swallowing a groan, I headed toward Moon Paper Forest first.
The Shinseon butterfly clan's greatest stronghold and the continent's nexus of sorcery...
Hummm—
As I approached the main gate, a hemispherical barrier enveloping the entire area came into view.
A defensive shield manifested by the clan's specialty: sorcery.
'The gate's shut.'
I frowned at the fortress-like sealed main gate.
I'd visited a few times, but never seen it closed so tightly.
"Anyone there—!"
I raised my voice and knocked.
Ripples spread across the thin field coating the gate.
"..."
I waited briefly, but no response.
Whatever was happening, Moon Paper Forest had locked its doors tight.
'Damn, this is a problem...'
I crossed my arms and closed my eyes.
Why seal it so thoroughly? My prime suspect was that ominous energy from Riandri Mountains.
'Should I head straight to Kun's place?'
Kun didn't reside in Moon Paper Forest proper.
From memory, he always made his home near the peak of Riandri Mountains.
But that came with issues—bypassing procedure through Moon Paper Forest meant risking accusations of unauthorized intrusion into Shinseon butterfly territory, souring relations from the start.
Waiting or turning back wasted time, and that energy felt far from normal.
'Charging into the mountains blindly could be dangerous too.'
As I pondered alternatives at the gate, a group approached Moon Paper Forest.
"Hm, a mantis kid here? What's the occasion?"
I'd sensed them before they spoke and sized them up quickly.
'Shinseon butterfly clan!'
Beautiful crossed butterfly wing tattoos under their ears confirmed it.
A middle-aged man at the lead, flanked by two other middle-aged men, and a trio of younger-looking man and women.
"Hello. I'm Aleck from the Mantis Hall trainee warriors. I've come to see an elder of the Shinseon butterfly clan on business."
"Mantis Hall... Not an official delegation, then? Personal business?"
"Yes, exactly."
I replied, eyeing the lead middle-aged man's tattoo closely.
Tattoos don't change post-Maturity, making ranks hard to gauge precisely.
But sorcerers had their own system: hierarchy levels, indicated by colored glows atop the tattoo.
His was faint purple—7th hierarchy sorcerer.
'7th hierarchy matches a standard Complete Body level.'
Rare and powerful among the sparse, elite Shinseon butterflies; likely high-ranking.
"Ho, personal business... Mind sharing what it's about?"
"Elder! Do we really need to know some kid's errands?"
As the middle-aged man probed with interest, a younger man behind shot me a hostile glare.
'What's his deal, harboring that much animosity?'
Shinseon butterflies weren't aggressive by nature—neutral-good leaning, amicable even to outsiders. That's partly why I'd come casually.
Tense from the mountain energy? Or some other grudge?
He radiated clear hostility.
"Parkinson, your discipline's still lacking. I've told you repeatedly—revealing personal feelings like that hinders higher hierarchies."
"...My apologies. I was rash."
The young Shinseon butterfly called Parkinson bit his lip, glared once more, and stepped back.
Personal feelings... First time seeing me, so no grudge there.
Maybe some history with mantises.
'Blue glow means 5th hierarchy. Young, yet that accomplished? Talent in the clan.'
5th matched 2nd Maturity.
Adult but young, already there—poised for Complete Body (7th) with time.
'Hmph.'
No leisure to dwell on him now. I faced the called "elder" formally.
"You're an elder of the Shinseon butterfly clan. Forgive my ignorance. This Mantis Hall junior greets you properly."
"No need."
"The reason I've come to Moon Paper Forest today is none other than to meet Kun, the great sage revered by your clan."
"...!"
My answer caught them off-guard; all showed surprise.
"Elder Kun?"
"A mantis kid wants to see him? For what?"
"Elder Kun's fame has faded since he stopped public activities long ago. Impressive you know of him."
They eyed me curiously—no displeasure at my intent to see Kun.
Except that 5th hierarchy guy who'd glared earlier.
"Your generation likely rarely hears his name, yet here you are. Quite unique."
The elder replied with interest.
But his follow-up soured my mood.
"Trouble is... We're in no state to receive outsiders now. That energy from the mountains behind us—it's badly affecting our clan."
"Affecting how...?"
"It's corroding our ether. We can't manifest full power. Even juveniles below 3rd hierarchy are fainting."
'Damn.'
My hunch confirmed; I inwardly clicked my tongue.
Moon Paper Forest's lockdown tied to that energy.
"Even without that, meeting him now is..."
As the elder spoke—
"Chiririririririt———!"
"Chiiiiiit——!"
"Chiririririririt——!"
Earth-shaking roars erupted simultaneously.
From Riandri Mountains, where the ominous energy surged.
"Ugh, those things again..."
"This could spell trouble."
"Elder Kun..."
The Shinseon butterflies groaned softly.
"You heard it too—that mountain's swarming with primal strains now."
"Primal strains...?"
I narrowed my eyes at the unexpected revelation.
"Incredibly, that energy drew locust and cricket primals from nearby. Then their predators followed secondarily. Riandri Mountains now? A primal strain farm."
Unbelievable.
First I'd heard of this at Moon Paper Forest.
This made meeting Kun impossible—had to plow through that "farm" to the peak.
"Found the cause yet?"
"Fortunately, yes."
The elder nodded.
"Near the peak's a formation controlling Riandri's ether. Five directional sacred stones... Ahem."
He cleared his throat.
"But for some reason, the Stones of Constraint powering the Five Sacred Stones have all failed."
"Fix those, and it's solved?"
"Exactly. We're scouting from afar for solutions now. Biggest issue: primals cluster at each sacred stone site. Replacing the stones means clashes."
The elder sighed, furrowing his brow in distress.
"So we're holding off on replacements, monitoring. Our weakened state makes rash moves risky. I get you want to see him, but wait till this resolves."
I thought inwardly.
'With Stealth and my new super senses, I could swap them.'
'Question is, can I even handle the Stones of Constraint...'
I met the elder's eyes squarely.
"Is the replacement something only Shinseon butterfly sorcerers can do?"
He looked puzzled but answered kindly.
"Why...? Hm, if you know how, anyone could manage it easily..."
"Then, may I try replacing the Stones of Constraint at the sacred stones?"
"...!"
"What..."
They stared in disbelief; some snickered.
"Hey, kid! Think this is child's play? Didn't you hear the elder? If a punk like you could solo it, why would we be stuck like this!"
Parkinson scowled and stepped forward.
"Not a reckless offer. My predation skills give it a shot. Success solves it; failure, only I die—no loss to your clan."
"Sophistry! No loss? Do you know how much those artifacts cost..."
Parkinson couldn't finish.
Because mid-sentence, I'd pulled a gold-filled pouch from my bosom and displayed it.
"This should cover any artifact loss. I'll leave it as collateral."
The pouch brimmed with gleaming gold—easily over a dozen chunks.