Go Jin's jagged fangs worked as he continued to chew the succulent roasted venison. Strands of meat tore between his teeth and were swallowed in large gulps.
Without the enhancement of precious spices, the roasting technique could only be described as a complete mess.
It didn't taste good.
Go Jin couldn't help but think of his luxurious life in the Empire's capital, but after just a brief recollection, he cast it to the back of his mind.
As long as he could fill his stomach, whether the food tasted bad or not wasn't worth caring about.
He had joined the Empire's coliseum in the first place to pursue greater strength through training, and now that he had come to the Abelion Hills, it was the same!
In Go Jin's mind, the image of that strange genius alchemist who could summon angels flashed by; he didn't particularly like that human brat.
However.
The other party was right—the coliseum could no longer make him stronger, and there were indeed powerful, and even troublesome, opponents here.
The "Ten Great Demi-humans" were all formidable enemies worth fighting with his full strength, but unfortunately, the strong here were not so easy to challenge.
A "crunching" sound rang out.
Go Jin tossed the bone of the meat leg he was holding into his mouth, chewed it until it shattered, and swallowed it.
!
The ground shook.
Go Jin's three-meter-tall, sturdy figure stood up. He raised his mace weapon and turned his head to look at a spot to his front left.
"I already gave you a chance just now."
Go Jin wiped the red juices from the corner of his mouth, pressed his thick soles against the ground, and charged out with a speed that belied his size.
Whoosh—
His right arm raised, and the hard, heavy mace with its metallic texture swung, tearing through the air ahead and emitting a shrill "whining" sound.
Bang!
A large tree half a meter thick in front of him was snapped in half by the impact of the astonishingly powerful mace. Shattered wood chips flew in all directions like bullets.
Boom.
The thick tree collapsed to the ground, causing another roar.
A strange, white, mist-like figure fled from behind the tree and retreated rapidly. Then, the figure drifted away, merging back into the jungle and disappearing from sight.
"Another strange race."
A look of annoyance appeared in Go Jin's cold white eyes. His gaze shifted constantly, seemingly able to lock onto the drifting figure to a certain extent.
Since arriving at the Abelion Hills, he had seen too many races that exceeded his imagination and even possessed strange abilities.
This was not the Empire's coliseum.
There were no restrictive rules or distances here, and when facing some demi-humans with strange abilities, Go Jin sometimes had no way to deal with them.
"This is the first time I've seen this way of moving."
Go Jin observed, thinking to himself, "It shouldn't be the same type of demi-human I encountered before."
"Hee hee hee hee."
"To think I was actually discovered; I thought you were just bluffing."
The drifting voice sounded from all directions.
"Illusion Sound!"
"That was so dangerous just now; you almost hurt me."
The pleasant, bell-like giggling came from the dense forest, making it impossible for anyone to accurately determine the other party's location.
Magic?
Go Jin's solid-colored whites of his eyes flashed. He hoisted the heavy mace he had been holding onto his shoulder and coldly glanced at a certain direction in the distance.
The other party's concealment methods were high-level; relying on a warrior's intuition, he could barely determine their general location.
If it were just that, it would be fine.
The most troublesome part was the strange movement method the other party displayed, which seemed extremely suitable for moving in the jungle.
Next, he was going to fight a powerhouse in Abellion Hills whose reputation was second only to the "Ten Great Demi-humans," and he wouldn't waste his stamina in a place like this.
Go Jin had already judged that the demi-human tracking him was far weaker than him, otherwise they wouldn't keep hiding from him.
Since they liked following, let them follow.
Go Jin withdrew his gaze, raised his hand to push aside the tall bushes, and advanced into the depths of the jungle.
On a thick tree trunk in the distance.
A faint white mist seeped out from the bark, transforming into the shape of the White Mist Witch.
"Just leaving like that?" The White Mist Witch was a bit surprised to see Go Jin ignoring her.
She had originally thought there would be a fight.
"Master should have received the news already; I can't lose him." The mist on the White Mist Witch's body shuddered, and she moved again, trailing closely behind Go Jin.
She used her own mana to trigger the mana mark her master had left on her; as the caster, he would be able to sense it.
The further they advanced into the depths of the jungle.
The fewer large beasts they encountered, and faintly, the sound of flowing water could already be heard.
Go Jin knew he had entered the other party's territory, and a hint of excitement and fervor appeared on his cold, dark-green face.
"Hmph, still following?"
"No matter what you want to do, you'd better not appear in front of me and disturb a warrior's fight."
Go Jin turned his head to glance behind him, snorted coldly, and continued forward.
Swish~
The lush, dense trees suddenly began to thin out, and a stream appeared in Go Jin's line of sight.
The trees on both sides of the riverbank were even taller, with tangled roots, and their leaves intertwined in the air to form a green dome covering the stream, with vines hanging down from the branches, dropping onto the surface of the stream.
The surrounding ground was covered in a large area of thick, muddy-like green moss, and an indescribable stench permeated the air.
Go Jin's nostrils twitched, and his gaze immediately turned toward the damp-feeling wooden nest beneath the tallest tree canopy by the stream.
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
With Go Jin's arrival, the Ogres living here surrounded him from all sides.
These Ogres showed intense hostility, but upon seeing Go Jin's appearance, all the Ogres' faces showed hesitation, and they looked at each other.
"This, is, is our territory."
"Leave, leave!"
An Ogre opened its mouth, emitting a foul stench, and spoke in a halting tone, clearly unused to communicating.
"Call your leader out."
Go Jin scanned these ordinary Ogres, who were over a head shorter than him, and spoke impatiently.
"It's an enemy—invading the territory." The Ogre who had spoken just now suddenly had a vicious look in its eyes, spread its thick arms, and charged over.
!
The heavy mace swung, and with a wail and a dull thud, the charging Ogre was sent flying with a single blow, its mangled flesh and blood splattering everywhere.
Faced with such a shocking scene, the remaining Ogres showed looks of fear and retreated one by one.
If Go Jin were of another race, given the Ogres' low intelligence, they would be afraid but not terrified.
However, due to their racial nature.
Ordinary Ogres were more likely to submit to stronger close-related races and superior species, and could even reach a certain symbiotic relationship with weak Goblins.
"Are there intruders!"
Just then, a roar came from the direction near the stream.
Boom!
Accompanied by the shaking of the ground.
An Ogre emerged. It was about as tall as Go Jin, slightly leaner, and its whole body was taut with muscle.
It was completely different from ordinary Ogres.
It wasn't just the difference in size; its skin color was not the brownish color of normal Ogres, but a white-tinted blue. Especially with a prominent thick horn growing on its forehead, it gave the impression of a demon.
Its whole body exuded the same violent aura as an ordinary Ogre, but its face looked more rational and intelligent.
An Ogre Water Elemental Mage!
Rather than calling it an Ogre, it could also be described as an independent race.
The other party had a great reputation in the Abelion Hills and was a rare powerhouse in Abellion Hills, said to be a presence second only to the "Ten Great Demi-humans."
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