A grove of jacaranda trees was planted on the other side of the bridge. Tainted by the previous elemental tide, the trees had grown taller and denser. Their flowers bloomed with a furious intensity, resembling a violet twilight—a truly magnificent sight.
The beauty of the jacarandas was no less stunning than that of cherry blossoms in spring, enough to become a city’s signature attraction.
Such a spectacular scene on the outskirts of Dongfu naturally caught the eye of investors. Combined with a recent camping craze, this led to the creation of the current Qingye Collection campground.
This was bound to irritate a lot of people.
Why should this gift of nature be cordoned off by corporations just to charge an admission fee?
When his uncle had suggested coming here, Su Chen had even looked it up and found several guides online on how to sneak in.
The methods weren’t easy. They required climbing over mountains and trekking through forests, making them more suitable for serious backpackers.
After walking a little further, Su Chen rounded a bend. On the outskirts of the campground, he discovered several outdoor tents already pitched, with folding chairs and portable tables scattered across the grass.
’No one’s here.’
He noticed professional hiking packs inside the tents and guessed that these people were backpackers who had hiked over the mountains to get here.
A kettle on one of the portable tables was still warm, letting off a faint wisp of steam.
’No signs of a struggle nearby.’
Based on the typical habits of such enthusiasts, Su Chen figured they couldn’t contain their curiosity and had already ventured into the Mysterious Forest on their own.
With that thought, he looked ahead and saw the terrain of the nearby woods change abruptly. The sparse scrubland seemed to be cut off by an invisible line, replaced by a deep and eerie primeval forest.
A faint, swirling mist gradually evaporated upward. As it thinned, it allowed rays of light to pierce through, revealing a scattered grove of towering, ancient trees.
Unlike the Amazon rainforest, and he couldn’t tell if it was just a preconceived notion at play, Su Chen felt as if this mysterious landscape was being viewed through a thick fantasy filter.
He slowly walked forward and could see a distinct dividing line on the ground where the different types of vegetation met.
Not far to his left, a warehouse, with only one half still intact, stood in isolation.
Its exterior had the feel of a rustic farmhouse. The heavy wooden door was closed, and piles of dried logs were stacked on the ground outside. A long-handled axe was embedded in one of the stumps.
As Su Chen drew closer, he could faintly hear the sound of flesh and bone being gnawed on from within.
It seemed someone had met a terrible fate.
He quieted his footsteps, sticking close to the wall while trying to pinpoint the source of the sound. Soon, he had circled around to the flat, broken-off side of the building.
His view opened up, giving him an unobstructed look inside the warehouse. It was cluttered with various items, the most conspicuous being a pile of old, yellowed tents.
In the center of the open space, a Demon Dog had its back to him. It was crouched on the ground, its forepaws holding a human thigh as it chewed ravenously. With every movement of its jaw, it tore off large chunks of raw flesh.
Su Chen’s expression was indifferent as he continued forward without a sound.
But just then, the Demon Dog froze. Its left ear, previously slack and drooping, shot up, the tip twitching as if it had caught an unusual shift in the air currents.
It was on alert.
But before it could turn, a nearby figure lunged like a cheetah.
SWOOSH!
Su Chen shot forward like an arrow from a bow. Fueled by adrenaline, he covered the fifteen meters with the speed of a professional sprinter.
In less than two seconds, the Demon Dog had just managed to turn around, barely swallowing a mouthful of flesh. In its haste, it had no time to spit a single gout of flame.
Seeing the human figure rapidly enlarging in its vision, it roared with fury and leaped, its sharp eyes fixed on the human’s throat, its razor-sharp claws extending as far as they could.
BAM!!
The next instant, a baseball bat, whistling through the air, came crashing down. The dull thud of impact echoed through the warehouse as the Demon Dog, not yet fully airborne, was slammed hard onto the ground.
The Demon Dog let out a sudden, blood-curdling howl, but the thuds of the bat fell one after another. After a final, bone-shattering CRACK, Su Chen stopped.
To be honest, when facing an unknown canine beast like this, he wasn’t willing to risk even a single scratch.
’I can’t count on a rabies vaccine, so I have to get through this unscathed.’
Su Chen had dealt with these Demon Dogs enough to understand them thoroughly.
For a Demon Dog to use its deadly Flamethrower Skill, it needed a "wind-up animation" of at least 1.5 seconds. As for its pounce and bite, that was well within his ability to react.
’That makes three Fire Essences.’
Su Chen used his right hand to pick up the third Flame Essence from the pool of blood.
As if a key piece of a puzzle had finally been found, the incomplete Mark of Fire flared with an intense light. Another Elemental Rune was now complete.
Warm Elemental Energy surged from his palm into his mind. In that instant, a ball of fire erupted in the depths of his consciousness, and as it swirled, it released a burst of information.
**Flame Burst (Lv. 1):** Grants all of the Spellcaster’s attacks an additional 75% Fire bombardment damage.
**Combination Formula:** Fire + Fire + Fire (Elemental Essence).
**Promotion Requirement:** Flame Burst Rune 0/1.
’So, Flame Burst.’
Su Chen carefully considered his second Magic Skill. It seemed to grant his attacks a Flame Enchantment effect, imbuing his physical strikes with explosive Fire Element damage.
With that in mind, he decided to try out the Enchantment for the first time.
Even though the ability was new, activating the Rune felt as natural as breathing. In an instant, Su Chen felt a searing power gather in his right hand.
He casually threw a punch. The clean, vicious straight punch made his sleeve ripple, and as the force erupted, he could feel a ball of scorching fire held in check. His fist glowed with a blinding red light, and more than a dozen small sparks flew out.
Not only that, but when Su Chen gripped the baseball bat with his right hand, the searing power woven from the Rune immediately flowed into the weapon. Faint, fiery red patterns appeared on its surface, looking like veins flowing with molten flame.
’A wooden building wouldn’t be able to withstand this.’
He glanced at the warehouse’s wooden beams and plank walls, then turned and walked back across the dividing line, stopping in front of a massive, ancient tree.
The trunk of this primeval tree was so thick it would take three people to encircle it. Su Chen didn’t bother to wind up; he just swung the baseball bat straight at it.
THUD!
A deep, stunning impact echoed through the woods. A blast of scorching hot air erupted, and as splinters flew, a shocking, charred dent was left in the tree trunk.
The blow was strong enough to make the ground beneath his feet tremble slightly. However, given the tree’s immense thickness and the toughness and fire resistance of its bark, it was impossible to completely destroy the trunk.
’If this hit a person, they’d be more than just black and blue.’ A pleased look appeared on Su Chen’s face; he was quite satisfied with the destructive power it displayed.
If he had to point out a flaw, it would be that the Rune’s effect was limited to melee combat... ’Hmm, no, wait,’ Su Chen reconsidered. Flame Burst applied a special effect to *all* of his attacks.
That raised a question: ’Would throwing a rock also fall under that category?’

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