[Lord of Abundance] Chapter 32: The Eternal Great Forest

 Chapter 32: The Eternal Great Forest

Farming was grueling work. On Yongxu Continent, even when lords lashed their slaves until sparks seemed ready to fly, a strong young slave could plow at most half an acre a day with crude stone tools.

Yet Kun—a fourth-tier Archmage—together with a mere second-tier Green Armored Bear, had plowed two hundred acres in a single day.

Kun himself was fine.

The bear, however, was on the verge of collapse.

In the end, Kun had no choice but to have a water-element apprentice cast several fatigue-relief spells on it.

—

Standing before the makeshift shed specially built for the bear, Kun praised it like a heartless employer squeezing every drop from his worker:

“You’ve worked hard. But today’s results still fall short of my expectations.”

“Push a bit harder tomorrow.”

“Tate, have the castle kitchen prepare it a midnight meal tonight. What’s that saying again? A horse doesn’t grow fat without night feed. Eat more—tomorrow, aim for four hundred acres.”

—

The Green Armored Bear King—lord of a territory on the outskirts of the Everdark Forest—slowly opened its mouth, eyes wide and round, its entire expression screaming disbelief.

Two hundred today, four hundred tomorrow?

Isn’t that a bit excessive? Or do you have some serious misunderstanding about bears?

—

“Well?” Kun’s gaze instantly turned dangerous.

“I’ve already placed a tracking spell on you. Don’t even think about running off tonight.”

“Of course, if you insist on trying, I won’t stop you.”

“I’ll just extract your soul, roast it under the sun, and turn your body into a puppet.”

“Trust me—you’ll find pulling a plow far more comfortable.”

—

The bear immediately wilted.

This is unbearable.

This creature that looked just like those weak two-legged beings—

Was definitely some high-tier demon in disguise.

How else could it be so cruel?

—

After disciplining the slacking, theatrically pathetic bear, Kun turned and walked back toward the castle.

Truth be told, he had simply been too busy.

Controlling over a hundred vines for sowing was still new to him. Even if the bear worked faster, he couldn’t keep up with planting.

Otherwise, tonight’s “midnight snack” might have been… something else entirely.

—

“Unexpectedly, I stumbled upon a new method to temper mental strength.”

Kun was quite satisfied.

Although they hadn’t reached the planned acreage—there were over six thousand acres to plant, and barely half a month left—the discovery was an unexpected gain.

—

Summoning a hundred vines was easy.

Even a solid beginner mage could do that.

But controlling them like one’s own limbs?

A beginner might manage one.

Even a third-tier archmage would struggle to control more than ten.

—

Casting a fireball and throwing it—

Versus making that fireball curve mid-air—

Were entirely different levels of difficulty.

—

Imagine suddenly having a hundred extra arms.

Most people wouldn’t even be able to function.

The sensory feedback alone would overload the brain.

—

One hundred and eight.

That was Kun’s current limit for precise control.

Beyond that, everything became chaotic.

When he first started, he could only manage seventy-three.

—

But Kun learned quickly.

He grasped the trick, increased control one vine at a time, and reached his current limit.

—

After a full day of pushing that limit, he felt his mental strength had grown more resilient.

Even his “mental sea” seemed faintly expanded.

—

“If only improving mental strength were as simple as increasing mana…”

Kun chuckled and shook his head.

“Greedy, aren’t you?”

—

Abundance mages possessed a unique trait—plants they cultivated would feed mana back to them.

Kun’s enormous mana reserves—forty times that of his peers—had been accumulated this way.

Otherwise, he could never have reached the Heroic Tier at such a young age.

—

From the vantage point of fourth tier, breaking through third-tier bottlenecks was straightforward.

But from third tier, trying to glimpse fourth tier was like a blind man feeling an elephant.

The difficulty was worlds apart.

—

Kun hadn’t broken through in a single year.

The real starting point wasn’t when he reached third tier at fifteen—

But when he first became a Mage.

When he planted his very first seed.

—

Ten years of accumulation.

Even then, he hadn’t intentionally planted for mana.

If not for the Abundance Mark, he would’ve preferred spending time on magical research.

Because his mana—

Was already too abundant.

—

It might sound boastful.

But it was true.

He had more mana than he could use.

—

Because magic required not just mana—

But mental strength.

Once mental strength was exhausted, even infinite mana was useless.

—

Most mages struggled with insufficient mana.

Mental strength could be trained and improved.

Mana was harder.

—

For Kun, it was the opposite.

His mana surged endlessly—

But his youth limited his mental capacity.

—

That’s why discovering a method to train mental strength thrilled him.

At last, he was no longer limping on one leg.

—

“Dawn and the guards still haven’t returned?”

Kun asked.

—

Old Tate glanced toward the Everdark Forest.

“Not yet, it seems. I’ve sent people to watch outside the village. We’ll be notified as soon as there’s any news.”

“Please don’t worry too much, Young Master. Dawn is a renowned great warrior of the capital. If he didn’t have real skill, he wouldn’t have become your combat instructor.”

“He was only repairing traps in the forest outskirts. With the guards present, even danger shouldn’t stop him.”

—

Kun nodded faintly.

He knew Dawn’s strength.

But the Everdark Forest…

Was no ordinary place.

—

A thousand years ago—

It had been the core of the elven empire.

The Eternal Great Forest.

—

Back then, the entire northern territory was part of it.

The “Black Mountain” in the Forbidden Ashlands—now reduced to scorched earth and stumps—had once been the sacred World Tree.

—

The Life Mother Tree.

—

In a single night, both the elven empire and the divine tree were destroyed.

Burned to ash.

—

What followed was a catastrophic magical storm.

No life remained.

Only endless undead wandered the wasteland.

—

The Everdark Forest was merely a fragment—

What remained after the fire consumed the Eternal Great Forest.

—

Fengrao Territory lay between the Ashlands and the forest.

A fragile buffer zone.

—

Legends spoke of dragons and titans dwelling within.

Anyone who entered never returned.

—

Even the seventh king of Dansu Kingdom once led a hundred thousand troops into the forest, seeking a dragon’s heart to extend his life.

—

None returned.

Not even the king.

—

Since then, the forest had been declared forbidden.

No one dared touch it.

Even the fertile lands nearby were considered cursed.

—

Kun’s expression grew slightly serious.

“Send word—everyone in Emerald Heart stays alert tonight.”

“Double the guard.”

“…No. Forget that.”

“There aren’t enough people anyway.”

“No one sleeps tonight.”

“I have a bad feeling.”

—

Tate’s expression tightened.

“Understood.”

—

Powerful mages often sensed danger before it arrived.

This was common knowledge.

No one ignored such warnings.

—

Tate bowed and departed swiftly.

Kun watched him go without further instruction.

There was no need.

—

If Kun said seven, Tate would do ten.

If Kun said ten, Tate would do twelve—or fifteen.

—

Though not officially his steward, Tate was, in truth, the only person fit for the role.

And everyone in the castle knew it.

—

That night, a violet moon hung high in the sky.

With few clouds, visibility was decent under its pale glow.

The Emerald Heart village lay silent.

—

Crackle.

A torch at the entrance spat a spark, then dimmed.

—

Niya stood guard, clad in loose beast-hide armor, alongside another militia soldier.

—

By the lord’s order, all militia members were on alert.

Until Dawn and the guards returned—

They would stand watch all night.

—

The village had two entrances.

One led to Blackstone Castle.

The other—this one—served as the villagers’ main gate.

—

Fengrao Territory was rich—

But dangerous.

—

Only natives like Niya truly understood.

—

Even knowing the forest held food—

They would rather starve than enter it in winter.

In a barren landscape, they were far too visible.

One encounter with a beast—

Meant death.

—

Previously, the village had only flimsy wooden fences.

They could barely stop large animals.

—

But now—

Everything had changed.

The fences were reinforced with cold fir wood.

Traps surrounded the village.

—

For the first time, people could sleep without fear.

—

Unlike the others, Niya had no complaints.

—

When she was young, her father was killed by a magical beast while farming.

Her mother died when a rat bit through her throat in her sleep.

—

Since then, Niya slept lightly.

Any sound would wake her.

—

Though she never said it—

She was deeply grateful to the lord.

—

Her master, Dawn, said she had great talent.

That she shouldn’t stay here forever.

—

One day, she would leave.

Travel the kingdom.

Challenge stronger warriors.

Grow stronger.

—

But until then—

She would give back.

—

Staring into the dark road ahead, worry crept into her eyes.

—

The group sent to repair traps had been missing for a full day.

—

The only good news—

No bodies had been found.

—

She wasn’t worried about Dawn.

She knew how strong he was.

—

She was worried about Joel.

And Redo.

—

The two weakest among them.

Not even apprentice warriors.

—

If danger struck—

They would be the first to die.

—

“You idiot…”

“Don’t you dare die.”