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Chapter 9 - Celstian Forest

After seeing a few more turns Kayui realized a pattern. Abilities don't make strength. At least not on the surface. The highest scores were usually the ones that had excelled in certain aspects.

Kayui, in physical talent and technique. Modoru in ability application. Kage in ability mastery. Tazreal in raw altitude output.

No one else got higher than Tazreal, but the twins came close at 850 for Kaito and 843 for Akito. The

The rest of the turns took up the rest of the school day.

Kayui didn't speak much after Modoru had his turn. He made his way to a spot Tazreal had told him about. He'd known of monsters and magical creatures, but he'd never seen one.

Now was his time to go see one. He exited Altitude Academy and made his way to the southern edge of Celestia, Celestian Forest, the forest Celestia got its name.

Tazreal spoke of it as they walked to the Market, as it was visible from the city. The towering trees, a result of the heavy altitude concentration in the area, towered over everything in Celestia.

He was told not to go near the monstrous trees but rather to stay on the outskirts, unless he was suicidal.

He knew of a few creatures on the outskirts. Typical predatory animals that you'd see in a normal forest but larger. There were a few exceptions though. Things that could use altitude or were mutated by it.

Taz told him about dangerous wood golems and viscous elvish undead that roamed closer into the deep forest.

Kayui wanted no part in that. He just wanted to gather some altitude-permeated meat in hopes of increasing his output. If his altitude output was stronger, his aura would grow in turn.

The actual city of Celestia was fairly unfamiliar to his teeming perception. As he flashed through the city bounding off of walls and vaulting over buildings his aura picked up plenty of information—that didn't mean he understood it all.

The city was large and his mind couldn't keep up with everything he felt but he didn't let up. His goal was to force himself to adapt to the constant influx of new information.

After escaping the more urban area of Celestia he came to a few civilian houses and apartments. Even deeper down he saw slums.

A familiar stench hit his nose. The stench of burning trash and industrial filth loomed over the area. He also understood why the poor were subjected here.

In the creation of certain altitude materials and technologies, factories produce a harmful gas. No one truly understands what it is yet but they understand the effects. In simple terms, it ruined altitude cores, causing a form of altitude poisoning.

This poisoning causes the body to absorb more altitude than it could handle, especially weaker people like those in such slums. As a result, the body begins to reject altitude. This starts with the altitude core, the most condensed piece of altitude in the body.

The sickness was painful and relentless. As it grew over time it was more and more grueling. 

Kayui was all too familiar with this process, as even though Grayshire wasn't as polluted as this area, when he was young his father succumbed to this illness and disappeared from Virgo.

He felt himself losing his train of thought and began to focus back in. He was nearing the edge of Celestia.

He slowed down his dash and he finally came up on a cliff. Right below the cliff a forest between the cliff wall and the humongous trees that towered over everything in sight.

The entire forest was about three times the size of Celestia before it was engulfed by the larger one.

He knew his strength, and he already knew that Tazreal had come here all the time to grow stronger. He was confident.

With that, he fell into the forest his body gracefully plummeting like a cat from a tree.

He rolled as he hit the ground without making much sound to not give away his presence immediately.

The altitude here was more dense than what resided in the civilian sections of Celestia. It didn't quite compare to the academy though so he had no problem adjusting.

He shut his eyes and let his perception run loose for a few seconds and immediately multiple creatures appeared in his senses. He could hear grass ruffling, smell decomposing flesh and dung, and he could almost see vivid images of what he felt around him, even with his eyes closed. 

The first creature he locked onto was a badger-bear hybrid creature. He could feel it brimming with power altitude though he doubted it could use it.

He took note of the altitude signature and began to make his way north, a little deeper into the Celestian forest.

His steps were almost completely silent. A skill he picked up doing things he wasn't supposed to in Grayshire with his siblings when they were younger.

He walked on his toes and took shallow breaths between long intervals. He had already restricted his altitude as he had a good idea of where the creature was by now. He didn't want to attract any unwanted guests.

A soft bird call rattled out from the trees above. He froze.

In the next moment, multiple black crow-like birds flew out above his head. They were all the same size as a leopard. 

His heart skipped a beat. He had gotten lucky and he knew it. If they'd noticed him he'd be dead. He had no chance against all those things.

He hadn't noticed anything until the call rang out. His perception wasn't as foolproof as he thought.

His eyes were still locked in the sky. 

"Hissss"

A sound came from in front of him. The damp grass squished and the mud sloshed. His eyes shot to the source of the sound.

A snake the size of a log was approaching him. Its eyes were dull. Kayui didn't take the time to notice.

He released his altitude and sent his aura into his legs and jumped back. As he was in the air he felt a chord begin to tighten around his ankle before a sharp snap sounded.

A twine of rope ripped him back down to the forest floor a few meters from where he just stood, this time on his back.

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