As soon as Liora stepped into the Ancient Beast Wilderness, she came to understand that its external ghostly appearance was not misleading at all.

If anything, it was exactly the opposite.

The forest seemed terrifying from the outside, yet its interior was even more horrifying.

"Although this place is filled with vitality, this vitality is accompanied by the feeling of dread and gloom...", Liora murmured as she calmly scanned her surroundings.

Trees with black, squirming trunks, bushes whose leaves seemed more like tentacles than actual plant parts, and a dense, dark mist that covered the entirety of the forest...

As these sights fell into Liora's eyes, a vague feeling of disharmony arose within her body.

Though the change was imperceptible, she keenly sensed that her control over her own Life Force had declined, as if an invisible force was suppressing her.

Even though this loss of control was small, and most would have failed to notice it, it would directly impact one's ability to exert their power.

Fortunately, while she was observing this change and was wondering whether to continue her journey, the Myriad Devils Body activated on its own.

Its effect—Supreme Adaptation—awakened, and began working tirelessly to adjust her body's structure to better fit into the environment.

The time needed was very brief.

In just a short period of time, the disharmony that Liora had previously sensed disappeared, and with it vanished the force suppressing her.

'It seems that the beasts are not the only threat in the Ancient Beast Wilderness. The forest itself and its environment are also a potential enemy.'

Realizing this, Liora raised her guard and thought to herself that she should be more careful.

Her consciousness spread outward, examining everything in a small range around her.

After confirming that there was no danger, she walked deeper.

--

Although the member of the Necronomicon Sect had refused to say anything regarding the location of the Sect's stronghold, the mere fact that he divulged that it was in the Ancient Beast Wilderness was more than enough for Liora.

'The Necronomicon Sect's members arrived eight days after the death of Baron Bloodshield.'

'Considering the time it would take for the Sect to receive his letter, and taking into account the two investigators' journey, I can roughly narrow down the scope of my search...', Liora thought as she leaped forward, crushing the vines beneath her as she landed.

While her consciousness probed around her, trying to detect the location of the stronghold, she wasn't idle.

Instead, she carefully surveyed her surroundings, searching for potential traces of any beast.

After all, although she was planning to locate the stronghold's location, this didn't mean that she couldn't have another, secondary goal.

'It is rumored that most of the resources that Knights use are discovered in the Ancient Beast Wilderness. Whether it is the rare plants or the miraculous fruits, they are all born here, affected by the vitality filling this place.'

Of course, the most valuable resource was neither of these, but the flesh and blood of powerful beasts.

This was exactly one of Liora's purposes for entering the Ancient Beast Wilderness.

By devouring the essence of the Twilight Wolves, she had already reached the peak of the True Knight rank.

All she needed was a small opportunity, and she would be able to advance further, becoming a Great Knight.

'Originally, it would only take me a few weeks to advance. But if I happen to obtain a valuable resource, such as the essence of a powerful beast, the time required would be greatly shortened.'

Just as Liora was mulling over this, her crimson eyes suddenly lit up.

Her ears twitched as an almost inaudible whisper rang directly in her mind, seemingly coming out of the void itself.

At the same time, her consciousness discovered a faint aura at the very edge of its range.

Immediately, Liora adjusted her path.

Her figure flashed forward and glided through the forest as she rapidly approached the position she had just detected.

Even though the two were originally far away, it didn't take long for Liora to reach her destination.

The moment she did, the owner of the aura she had sensed earlier fell into her eyes.

Just like she had predicted, it was a beast, a creature that seemed to have evolved from a peacock.

About half a meter tall and with a wingspan of more than two meters, it was perched on top of a short tree, its shiny feathers sparkling with a colorful light.

Its appearance was stunning and graceful. At first glance, it was the type of bird that most nobles dreamed of taming.

As long as they transformed it into their pet, they would be able to show off in front of their friends.

Unfortunately, the fresh dripping blood on its feathers and the overwhelming aura it subconsciously exuded made it clear that this creature was not a pet—but an apex predator.

Liora's Silent Domain had yet to be unsealed.

Thankfully, her control over shadows made it easy for her to blend into the environment and conceal her presence.

Thus, the beast failed to notice her arrival.

Even when she stood underneath the tree it was perched on, the bird had yet to perceive her, as if she had turned into a ghost.

'I didn't expect that I would meet a beast with the power of a True Knight as soon as I entered the forest. Could it be said that I'm fortunate? Or that I am really unlucky?', Liora mused.

Either way, she wasn't going to miss this chance.

Her gaze focused on the beast as she brought her hand forward and clenched her fist.

Immediately, the world around her responded.

The entire forest writhed.

Vine-shaped shadows rose from the ground and shot toward the beast, like hundreds of tentacles ready to envelop their opponent.

They whistled through the air and came before the peacock, who only then realized that somebody was targeting it.

Faced with the onslaught of darkness, it didn't choose to fly away.

Rather, it instinctively spread its colorful feathers, forming a shield around its body.

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