Kael had gained tremendous power by reinforcing his body with mana, surpassing the limits of the human body; moreover, using his mana this way did not consume it but actually strengthened it further. His Mana Level increased to 2, and he gained a new skill called Mana Reinforcement.
However, he realized that the place he thought was the cliff's summit was not the peak at all, but merely a ledge. When he used Mana Vision to inspect the true summit, he saw he was only halfway there, but that a mountain path lay just forty meters above him.
The cliff is higher than I thought. If I climb onto the path, will I be able to see the area? Or should I wait here and hope someone passes by? Then I'll climb up and ask for directions to the nearest settlement.
Just as Kael was thinking this, his Mana Vision detected two mana signatures approaching him; one was distinctly humanoid, while the other likely belonged to a horse or a mount, and they were heading directly toward Kael at full speed.
Kael didn't want to miss this opportunity and immediately used Mana Reinforcement to leap onto the mountain path. He landed approximately ten meters above the path and spotted the approaching rider. As he had guessed, it was a person. Although he couldn't fully see the rider's face due to the black robe, the contours of the body made it clear the person was a woman.
The woman also noticed Kael; her horse suddenly became startled and reared up. She quickly calmed her mount, raised her hand into the air toward Kael, and whispered something. Instantly, a green magic circle formed before her hand, and the ground beneath Kael began to shake. Before Kael could fully understand what was happening, vines and tree roots erupted from the ground, wrapping around Kael and binding him immobile. The woman then spoke in a harsh and astonished tone.
"How did you find me, you cursed human?"
Her voice suggested she was around Kael's age. She immediately repeated her question.
"I asked you, how did you find me?"
"I don't know what you are talking about."
"Don't play games with me. I know Fenric sent you, and I didn't expect him to stoop so low as to make a pact with a human."
"I have absolutely no idea who you are talking about. I'm just a traveler passing through here."
"Are you messing with me? It's impossible for a human to pass through here by chance, and that cliff you climbed is over three hundred meters high."
"Believe it or not, I have nothing to do with you. Besides, you're the one who attacked me."
"Are you taking me lightly? Do you have any idea who you're standing against?"
"No, I don't know who you are, nor do I feel the need to. I will just ask you one question: How do I get to the nearest human settlement?"
These words caused the woman to become even angrier, making her think she was being mocked. She said in a furious tone:
"That's enough! You're clearly just buying time for the others to catch up."
"I'm not buying time for anyone. Just tell me the location of the nearest human settlement, and continue on my fucking way!"
The woman was stunned by these words.
"Could he really be just a random traveler passing by? Ugh, what am I rambling about? He's definitely trying to stall me.If you follow this road to the south, you'll eventually arrive somewhere. Now, leave me be."
The woman rode her horse past Kael and started moving on. She was completely out of sight after a few minutes.
Kael thought: She really overreacted. I was just going to ask for directions. Why did she have to attack me? Even if she had hurt me, I could get rid of those trash plants instantly.
Kael used Mana Reinforcement to instantly shatter the plants and began looking toward the direction the woman went, which was south.
Kael thought: Well, at least I learned the way I need to go. She also went that way; maybe we'll run into each other again. She's quite beau—
Before Kael could finish his thought, three system notifications appeared at once.
The first one read: [Hidden Ability Awakened: Spell Copying] Description: You can use all spells cast on you at the level you desire. As the level of the spells increases, the amount of mana consumed will also increase.
The second notification read: [Plant Manipulation] Learned. With this spell, you can control plants.
The final notification read: [Suitable Mother Found.] A suitable mother candidate has been found for the incubating egg.
These new abilities had greatly excited Kael, but he didn't quite understand what the last notification meant. He opened the detailed explanation, which read: For the offspring to hatch from the incubating egg, the blood of two parents, a mother and a father, is required. [Suitable Mother Candidate Found] The number of mother candidates who can contribute half of the genes to the offspring born in this world is quite small. Therefore, the mother and father must voluntarily drip their blood—their DNA—onto the egg and raise the offspring.
"Damn, what the hell do I do? How am I going to convince that woman? What am I going to say to her now? Besides, she'll just attack me the moment I get close!"