Chapter 278: In short, let’s improve ourselves first!

The forest at the southern edge of Olivia’s Territory was one of the most mysterious regions in the entire domain.

Although it was the dead of winter, this forest in the southern part of the empire was not covered by heavy snow and ice.

The cold wind swept through the bare tree trunks, stirring up the thick layer of withered yellow leaves on the ground, producing a rustling sound.

The air lacked the bone-freezing cold of the north, but it carried a sharp chill that was enough to keep anyone alert.

When the carriage bearing the duke’s crest slowly came to a halt on the gravel-covered path at the edge of the forest, the world around seemed to fall into silence.

“We’re here.”

Julius was the first to jump out of the carriage.

He wore a dark leather armor that was easy to move in, and his boots made a steady sound as he stepped onto the dry, hard ground.

He turned back and reached a hand toward the carriage.

A small hand in a warm glove rested in his palm.

Helos tightened the windproof, high-collared coat around herself and carefully stepped down the carriage steps.

As soon as she landed, the cold wind mixed with the scent of soil blew her silver hair across her forehead.

“Is this the place for the special training?”

The girl looked around and let out a small puff of white breath.

“It doesn’t seem that special—just more trees and a bit stronger wind.”

Helos naturally knew this forest.

It was a vast habitat for magical beasts, though the stronger ones mostly lived deep within. Nine guard outposts were set up on the periphery for vigilance.

“Shallow.”

A lazy voice sounded above her head.

Sylvia’s translucent figure was floating in midair.

Her thin, bloodstained white dress stood out sharply against the desolate winter forest.

“Did you think special training was going to be a picnic in a scenic spot?”

The ghost mentor looked down at Helos with a hint of disdain in her tone.

“The mana environment in this forest is very special. The ley lines here are extremely chaotic. This uneven and ever-changing mana distribution makes it a perfect exam ground for honing your sensory acuity.”

“In this place, your Mind’s Eye will be greatly disturbed. If you can’t learn to find the thread among the mess, you’ll never master your art.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Helos shrugged helplessly.

“You’re the master. Whatever you say.”

Gavi was the last to step down from the carriage.

She carried a huge backpack loaded with food and supplies for the coming week, along with a tent, sleeping bag, and other gear.

The backpack looked even bigger than she was, but it seemed weightless on her.

The golden-haired maid scanned her surroundings, a hint of wariness flashing in her gray eyes.

“There are multiple unstable mana reactions ahead. The terrain deep in the forest is complex. It is recommended to raise the alert level.”

“Hear that?”

Sylvia floated in front of Helos and poked her forehead with a finger.

“Even your foolish maid can detect something. If you can’t, then you’re nothing but an irredeemable idiot.”

She announced the rules.

“Starting now, the special training officially begins.”

“First: no using any alchemy items to assist perception.”

“Second: during the journey ahead, you must keep your Mind’s Eye activated at all times until your mental energy is exhausted and you pass out.”

“Third.”

Sylvia glanced at Julius and Gavi standing nearby.

“You two—unless this girl is about to be bitten by a magical beast, absolutely do not help!”

“Especially you, big lug! Hold back that holy light of yours. Don’t scare away all the beasts in the forest. We’re here for training, not a picnic.”

Julius frowned.

Although he wanted to argue, remembering the duke’s instructions before they left and the look of determination in Helos’s eyes, he chose to remain silent.

He unbuckled the sidearm sword at his waist, wrapped it in cloth strips, and hung it on his back. Then he took a step back, giving the lead to Helos.

“Go ahead.”

He said quietly.

“I’m right behind you.”

Those words said more than a thousand.

Helos took a deep breath, feeling the cold wind brush against her cheeks.

She closed her eyes and adjusted her breathing.

When she opened them again, a faint watery sheen covered her pale purple eyes.

Mind’s Eye: activate.

The withered, desolate forest transformed dramatically in her vision.

The bare tree trunks became countless tangled gray lines.

Deep underground, the tree roots carried slow, heavy, brownish-yellow points of light.

And deeper into the forest, faint red glimmers flickered now and then—the lurking predators in the shadows.

“Let’s move.”

The girl stepped forward, crunching the fallen leaves underfoot, heading deeper into the forest.

At first, the journey was smooth.

Though the ground was uneven and thorny bushes occasionally blocked the way, with Julius and Gavi silently guarding her, Helos faced no danger.

She struggled to maintain her Mind’s Eye while also trying to distinguish the twisted mana lines caused by the chaotic ley lines. This drained her mental energy rapidly.

Before long, fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

“Tired?”

Sylvia floated beside her like a tireless overseer.

“Good! It’s only when you’re at your limit that your mental energy will break through. Keep going! Don’t stop! Watch your left! That rock has an odd mana flow—didn’t you notice?”

Helos gritted her teeth and forced herself to look left.

Sure enough, behind that seemingly ordinary gray rock, a very faint brownish mana was slowly contracting.

It was a stone-skin lizard camouflaged as a rock.

The creature seemed to be hibernating, its mana reaction extremely weak.

If Sylvia hadn’t pointed it out, she would never have noticed such a perfect master of disguise.

“Too slow.”

Sylvia criticized mercilessly.

“If this were a real battle, you’d already be snatched by its tongue.”

Helos didn’t argue.

She knew Sylvia was right.

Her perception was sharp, but her processing speed was too slow.

She was like a photographer with an ultra-high-resolution camera who didn’t know how to compose the shot, frantically trying to capture everything.

She needed to learn to filter.

To instantly pick out the threat from this chaotic, interference-filled sea of mana.

As time passed, the sky gradually darkened.

The forest became dimmer.

The wind grew shriller, as if countless vengeful spirits were wailing in her ears.

Helos felt her mind growing heavy and dull—a sign of mental exhaustion.

Her vision started to blur, and the once-clear mana lines became distorted.

Julius’s voice came from behind, tinged with concern.

“Can you keep going? Maybe we should stop here for today? There’s a relatively flat clearing ahead, suitable for setting up camp.”

“No.”

Helos shook her head stubbornly.

She pinched her thigh hard, using the pain to jolt her nearly dead brain.

“I can still go on.”

She didn’t want to give up on the first day.

Just then, Helos’s step abruptly halted.

In her perception, about thirty meters ahead, behind a large tree, a glaring green light suddenly appeared.

That light wasn’t as stiff as the surrounding mana.

It was… charging?

“Watch out!”

Helos shouted almost instinctively.

“There’s something ahead!”

“Awooo—!”

As her words fell, a wild wolf howl erupted from behind that tree.

Leaves flew.

A blue wolf, half the height of a man, shot out from behind the tree like a green lightning bolt!

It was a Wind Demon Wolf.

Not particularly powerful on its own, but if they came in a pack, it could be trouble.

Its jaws gaped wide, revealing fangs like daggers.

Its green-gleaming eyes locked onto Helos, who was walking in front.

It was too fast.

Even though her brain registered it, her body couldn’t keep up.

After all, her physical strength and mental energy were nearly at their limit.

She could only watch helplessly as that stinking, gaping maw grew larger in her vision.

“—!”

At that critical moment.

A silver sword light, like an insurmountable wall, instantly appeared in front of Helos.

Julius acted.

Without even drawing the longsword on his back, he simply took a step forward and used his left arm, clad in a steel gauntlet, to block the Wind Demon Wolf’s fangs!

“Click.”

The wolf’s bite force, enough to crush bones, didn’t even leave a scratch on Julius’s gauntlet.

“Get lost!”

The black-haired young man let out a low shout.

With a sudden burst of strength from his arm, he threw the wolf away!

The large wolf slammed heavily onto the ground a few meters away, kicking up dust.

It struggled a few times, dazed from the impact.

Then, it shot a wary glance at Julius and finally slunk away with its tail between its legs into the dark forest.

Julius turned back and looked at Helos with concern.

“You okay?”

Helos gasped for breath, still shaken.

She looked at Julius’s broad back, then at the direction where the beast had disappeared.

“I… was too slow.”

Sylvia’s voice rang out coldly.

She floated in midair, arms crossed, expressionless.

“You actually sensed it three seconds before it pounced. But you hesitated. You were thinking about what it was, confirming whether it was a threat.”

“Those three seconds of hesitation would have killed you ten times over on the battlefield.”

She floated in front of Helos, her hollow eyes staring directly into the girl’s eyes.

“Remember this feeling of death closing in.”

“Your Mind’s Eye isn’t for sightseeing—it’s your radar, your instinct.”

“The moment you sense an anomaly, your body should already be reacting, not standing there like a fool waiting to die.”

Helos lowered her head.

She clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms.

“I understand.”

She said quietly.

“I’ll remember.”

Sylvia looked at her unwilling expression and a hint of satisfaction flashed in her eyes.

She nodded.

“Good.”

“Since you understand, keep going.”

“Tonight, our goal is to cross this hill. No rest until we reach the top.”

“Yes!”

Helos raised her head.

A burning fighting spirit rekindled in her pale purple eyes.

She stepped forward once more, walking back into that dark and dangerous forest, continuing her newly begun special training.