The Herb King

When they opened their eyes, they found themselves in the middle of a forest. There were towering trees that pierced the clouds and magical plants that released dense world essence.

"The world essence here is actually ten times thicker than the Regalis Continent..." Aethelwolf muttered in shock after he sensed the density of the energy in the surroundings.

After recovering from his shock, he turned his head to Samira and the others. They looked visibly stunned and their expression was even more exaggerated.

"Are we really in another continent?" Samira asked in disbelief.

"That should be the case. The energy here is at least ten times denser than the Regalis Continent." Julie muttered.

"Are you guys alright?" Aethelwolf asked them.

"We're fine." Samira and Julie nodded their heads.

"Papa, I'm okay!" Oliva also nodded her head.

His little daughter, Shane, was sleeping in Samira's arms.

"Let me hold Shane." Aethelwolf gently grabbed the little girl from Samira's arms and hugged her in his embrace.

"It looks like we are in the middle of a forest. I also sense a few magical beasts in this area. You guys should stick close to me while we search for the exit." Aethelwolf muttered.

He couldn't tell the exact time now because of the tall trees. It would be dangerous for them when night arrives since he didn't know if there were any nocturnal magical beasts in the forest.

Aethelwolf then turned his gaze towards the Teleportation Rune and his face instantly fell the moment he saw it. "There is something wrong about this rune! This is actually a one-way Teleportation Rune!"

"What does that mean?" Samira and Julie stared at him nervously when they saw his expression. ｂｅｄ𝚗ｏ𝚟𝚎𝚕.𝚌𝚘ｍ

"This can't be... I actually failed to assess the real level of the rune... If I'm not wrong, this Teleportation Rune is at least 3 levels above Transcendence! That means the rune we saw in the Regalis Continent wasn't the true body of the rune..." Aethelwolf muttered with his eyebrows furrowed.

"Can you repair the rune?" Samira asked.

Aethelwolf sighed and shook his head. "No. This rune is already beyond my level. We also don't have the materials to repair it."

"Does that mean we can't go back to the Regalis Continent?" Julie nervously stared at him.

"That's right." Aethelwolf nodded his head solemnly. "I'm sorry. I have dragged you guys into this."

"It's not your fault. We chose to go with you." Samira held his hands.

"Stop blaming yourself. This is our choice." Julie muttered as she forced out a smile.

Aethelwolf blamed himself for being careless. He had underestimated the power of the rune and he even put his family in danger.

"Let's move before night arrives." Aethelwolf used his Virtual Map to navigate their way into the forest. After a few hours of traveling, he already discovered a huge number of magical beasts, but Aethelwolf chose to take a detour every time he saw one. He wanted to preserve his world essence in case they encounter something unexpected.

Suddenly, Aethelwolf stopped in his tracks. On his Virtual Map, he saw a huge red dot. "Conceal your auras! There is a Transcendent magical beast nearby!" He muttered in a grave tone.

When they heard his words, the ladies immediately concealed their auras. Even the little troublemaker, Olivia, did as they were told.

Aethelwolf could kill this magical beast, but he didn't want to attract too much attention. They might even encounter a much stronger foe if he fought with the Transcendent magical beast. To prevent this from happening, they took another detour.

"It's getting dark. We should find a place to rest." Aethelwolf muttered as he looked at the darkening surroundings.

They searched for a resting spot and after over thirty minutes of searching, they saw a giant tree that has fallen. There was a giant claw mark on the tree which indicated that it was either cut by a magical beast or a strong expert.

"You guys stay back first." Aethelwolf blasted a hole in the fallen tree and made a temporary dwelling for his family. He also inscribed their dwelling with runes to ensure that they would be safe for the night.

Luckily, Aethelwolf brought a lot of food in his storage space or they would have to scavenge food in the forest. He took out some lamb legs and grilled them in an outdoor charcoal grill.

The smell of the grilled lamb would attract magical beasts so he trapped the smell inside a rune.

"You guys should eat first. It is necessary to replenish our energy. We don't know when we will be out of this forest." Aethelwolf muttered as he cut the lamb into several portions.

"I want the biggest piece! Tee-hee!" Olivia jumped in front of him and grabbed a lamb leg. She then took a big bite and happily ate it. "Tastes good!"

Nom! Nom! Nom!

Samira and Julie smiled upon seeing her carefree attitude.

"Papa, I alchu want wan." Shane, his two-year-old daughter reached out her tiny arms. Despite her young age, she was already a Level 1 Esper! Her talent was even superior to Olivia's!

"Alright. Alright. Papa will also give you a piece." Aethelwolf cut a small portion of the lamb meat and gave it to her.

"Yay!" Shane giggled as she munched on the lamb meat.

The family ate the grilled lamb. The nervous atmosphere earlier was already gone.

"What are your plans now?" Julie asked before wiping her mouth with a clean towel.

Aethelwolf stared at her and replied. "Since we can't go back to the Regalis Continent, we must head to the nearest city to gather information. Once we learn more about this continent, then we'll decide what we will do here."

"As long as we're together, that's all that matters." Samira muttered as she grabbed his arm. She then leaned on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

Aethelwolf smiled at her words. From that moment on, he decided that he would no longer involve himself in any war.