Chapter 273: Forest of Titans!

The Forest of Titans was a very ancient forest, that gained its name because it was previously the territory of the Titan Race, before an Ancient War sent them reeling towards another territory.

However, the Forest retained most of its features, most notably the absolutely enormous flora and fauna.

The first thing Albedo noticed as he approached its border was scale.

The trees were not merely tall, they were ancient. Trunks wider than castle towers stretched upward into a canopy so distant it swallowed the sky. Moss crawled along bark like living velvet.

Roots rose from the earth in arching ridges taller than houses, weaving natural corridors between them.

The wind also moved differently here, much more venomous than in other areas. A weaker person might be swept up in the wind and carried off to an unspecified location if they didn’t have a plan.

Albedo was strong enough to handle it however. He stepped past the final boundary marker, a worn stone slab engraved with faded warnings about territorial beasts and unpredictable mana currents—and into the shade.

Immediately, the air grew heavier. Mana density spiked, another feature of the forest. Titans naturally took much deeper breaths, so the mana density in areas they frequented would naturally be much higher.

The energy was wild and untamed, saturating every leaf and root in the forest. Albedo exhaled slowly, this was a perfect region to train his combat skills once again.

Havoc and Ruin materialized into his hands with a faint violet pulse, sleek, black-metal pistols humming softly as if pleased to taste wilderness again. The weighted bands around his wrists tightened slightly as he flexed his fingers.

Amethyst Rank mana flowed through his veins like a calm river hiding dangerous depths as he walked through the Forest, looking for his first challenge.

After around 20 minutes of walking, the forest floor exploded.

~BANG!~

A massive reptilian creature burst from the soil, scaled in bark-like plating, six legs digging into the earth as its maw snapped for his torso. Its eyes glowed amber with predatory calculation.

It was a Titanroot Ravager, Peak Gold Rank judging by the density of mana.

Albedo sighed lightly.

“Morning.” He said as he dodged one of the attacks, a vicious slash at him from the Ravager. Then, Albedo pivoted on one foot, and dodged another attack, the Ravager’s jaws closed on air.

He clicked Havoc into Infernal Mode, crimson flames spiraling along the Gun’s barrel as he fired it off once.

~BOOM!~

Flames bloomed like a violent flower across the Ravager’s armored face, seeping into the cracks between bark scales. The creature roared, thrashing violently as the forest floor ignited around it.

It charged blindly.

Albedo stepped forward, swapping Ruin to Graviton Mode as he fired off, a compressed graviton slug striking the creatures chest.

~BOOM!~

The Ravager’s body crumpled inward for a fraction of a second before rebounding violently outward, cracking its own internal bone structure. The flames surged deeper into ruptured flesh.

Albedo ended it with a clean shot through the eye, and silence returned to the forest, the blood of the beast seeping into the soil and being absorbed quickly.

Albedo continued walking through the forest, occasionally striking down any Beasts who attacked him.

Sunlight filtered in thin golden lances through the canopy, illuminating drifting motes of mana like glittering dust. Somewhere high above, something enormous shifted weight across branches that could support castles.

The Forest of Titans had earned its name. Footprints the size of wagons marked muddy ground near a freshwater stream. Albedo crouched briefly to examine them before continuing on his way. meeting another group of attackers.

A low, synchronized growl echoed between trees. Six shadows emerged from the underbrush.

Ironfang Howlers.

Large wolf-like beasts with metallic growths around their jaws and forelimbs. Their fangs glinted like forged steel. Their bodies moved in disciplined arcs, not mindless animals.

A pack. One Low Amethyst Rank and Five Peak Gold Rank Subordinates.

They spread outward, encircling him. Albedo turned slowly in place.

“Polite,” he murmured.

The alpha lunged first and Albedo stepped forward into the attack. The weighted bands shattered off his wrists with a controlled burst of mana.

The ground cracked under his acceleration. He drove his fist into the alpha’s skull. Amethyst mana detonated inward.

The wolf’s body hit the ground like a dropped statue and the remaining five reacted instantly.

Two leapt high, two flanked low and the final one hung back, calculating.

Albedo’s activated Fractal Casting. Five micro-circles of mana formed simultaneously around his fingers, shooting off five shots in five different directions.

Infernal rounds struck two midair wolves, igniting them into falling meteors. A Graviton slug crushed one flanker into the earth.

He caught another by the throat mid-lunge and snapped its spine with a casual twist. The last one, the calculating one, hesitated.

That hesitation saved it from immediate death. Albedo lowered his weapon. The wolf growled low but did not charge.

He could sense intelligence there, the Beast had alot of fear, and eventually just ran off, with Albedo not bothering to chase.

He faced a variety of Beasts throughout the remainder of the day, and soon, the first night time of his adventuring arrived.

Mana-lamps would have been useless here. Instead, bioluminescent fungi ignited along tree trunks, casting soft blue and violet glows across roots and vines.

Albedo sat atop a massive root arch overlooking a quiet glade, his eyes closed as he circulated his mana and analyzed himself.

The Forest’s ambient density forced constant micro-adaptation. His Perfect Adaptation

ability responded automatically, refining his core to handle fluctuations without instability.

As he was doing all of this, he heard a distant roar shaking the entire canopy, so he made looking for that location his focus.

After three days, he finally found it. The ground trembled rhythmically. Trees parted, not broken, but pushed aside by sheer size.

A massive humanoid form emerged between trunks. Seventy feet tall. Its body formed from interwoven wood, stone, and living vines. Glowing emerald cores pulsed beneath its bark-chest like twin hearts.

A Titanspawn Guardian.

It was one of the remnants of the Titans Race occupation in this space, and Albedo was very apprehensive in approaching it recklessly, especially as he sensed a Diamond Rank Aura emitting from it.

The Guardian just observed as Albedo stepped forward slowly, not releasing any killing intent but just his presence. Amethyst mana unfurled around him in a controlled aura.

The Guardian responded. One arm lifted and it swung down, the air pressure alone uprooted trees.

Albedo vanished just before it hit him.

~BOOM!~

The impact cratered the earth and Albedo reappeared far away from the Guardian, who returned to its observation status, not attacking anymore.

Seeing this, Albedo decided to just leave and return when he was ready, exploring more of the Forest.

Time eventually blurred as he hunted for days, meditating when he was tired. He encountered venomous canopy serpents that struck like lightning.

Massive armored beetles that required Graviton rounds to flip. A migrating herd of stone-backed boars that he avoided simply because he did not feel like slaughtering them.

He bathed in cold streams. Let wind dry his hair.Lay atop colossal roots watching distant canopy giants move like walking mountains.

And every day, he felt himself growing stronger. He hadn’t broken through as of yet, but his foundation was greatly deepened.

After another few days within the forest, the air changed as he now smelled the scent of salt. The trees thinned, and the light from the sun was more visible, and finally, Albedo emerged onto a massive cliffside where forest met endless ocean.

Waves crashed against black stone far below. The horizon stretched infinitely. Wind tugged at his cloak. He stood there for a long time.

Just relaxing..until.

“HELP!”

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