NOVPUB
Chapter 52: The Silver Forest Beckons
The Silver Forest Beckons
The edges of Silver City stretched out in a stillness — unblemished, unruffled by time. The sun rose and sent gentle golden rays across a sea of endless green. Hills rolled softly into the distance, and ancient trees stretched their twisted arms toward the sky. Here, nature reigned supreme.
Among this ocean of green were two giant trees — unlike the others.
Huge and old, their trunks were fat and twisted like old lovers holding on to each other across the centuries. Their bark was etched with deep grooves of time, but something in them glowed with pent-up power. Unlike the others, whose branches swayed freely in the wind, these two stood grave... watching, waiting.
No birds had sat upon them. No vines had ventured up their bark. And the wind? It whistled unheard, as if respecting their hallowed quietness.
Then — a change.
The air became thick, an ancient pulse thrummed through the ground. Magical creatures shifted in the distance — the quick snap of a skyfin squirrel, the heavy, echoing roar of a distant fangbear. And then... silence again.
Abruptly, shimmering runes inscribed themselves into the twin trees’ trunks — rune after rune, as if by some ancient writing stirring from sleep. A shimmering pale silver-blue flowed over the inscriptions, dancing, pulsating, then growing bright.
CRACK.
The bark between the two trunks rent apart, not by blade or axe, but as if the trees themselves were sundering themselves apart.
A tear occurred — not boisterous, but potent. And from this rent in the world... he came out.
His hair was black and moved with the wind, strands shining in the morning light. Golden eyes, burning and hypnotic like molten suns, surveyed the world with serene authority. His face was disarming in its beauty — smooth jawline, aristocratic nose, high cheekbones, and lips that were set in subtle self-assurance. An absolute equilibrium of loveliness and peril. His physique, long and lean, held the bearing of a seasoned fighter covered with a charmer’s exterior. Not an inch of him appeared weak.
Once dressed in a shining white-and-gold robe worthy of a duke, he had been remade into a smooth black robe — plain but dignified — melting into shadows, suitable for journeying and fighting alike. It flowed around his frame with an innate ease, hinting at discipline. A wide sword lay over his back, its silver-inscribed hilt glowing — an implicit vow of might and competence.
"Ah, so this... is what the outside world is like," Leon said softly, his golden eyes raking over the rolling sea of green stretching out before him. His voice was tinged with a soft wonder, as if the very air made him humble. He breathed in deeply, the fresh smell of grass, dew, and subtle mana filling his lungs. "So clean. so pretty. This magical world truly is something else."
He turned around, glancing in the direction of the twin trees he had just passed through. But the area was closed, the bark unbroken and unblemished — no trace of the portal was left. The trees loomed high and still, like old sentinels guarding secrets.
Leon smiled quietly. "Amazing... Secret paths, concealed in nature. A magical gateway within a couple of trees... this world never ceases to amaze."
Spinning once more, his golden eyes focused on the distant outline of Silver City. Its great walls shone in the morning light, standing high like a silver stronghold. At this distance, he could watch as travelers formed a long queue at the gate entrance — merchants, adventurers, commoners — waiting for their chance to pass in.
Leon did not make his way toward them.
He turned the other direction — east. Towards the mythic Silver Forest.
It was at least 50 kilometers off, a shining line on the horizon.
Pumping with excitement.
"Finally..." he breathed, his smile boyish and broad. "Finally, my actual adventure begins."
Since entering this world, Leon hadn’t had a single opportunity to leave the great walls of the Moonwalker estate. His days had been filled with the burden of responsibility — securing his new lives, learning the intricate politics of the Galvia, and strategizing the future. Day by day, he conditioned his body and developed his strength, and in the evenings, he let himself fall into the embrace of love. Aria and Rias — both had become his comfort, their arms a constant comfort, their warmth, affection, and shared passion became his sanctuary.
He wasn’t ungrateful for that peace. In fact, as he smiled quietly, Leon murmured, "It’s not like I’m complaining... being wrapped in their arms every night was very good and nice."
But still — in some corner of his heart, the boy who used to stay in earth and watch anime, read manga and web novels —had always desired more – dreams of great adventures
"I desire that journey. That adventure. That thrill. That discovery," he breathed softly, golden eyes sparkling. What any earthling being who read that thrilling novel and manga ever desire.
He smiled and he slightly bent low, muscles tight, breath steady.
"No more waiting."
And then, like a bolt loosed from a bow, Leon dashed toward his adventure.
Wind howled past him as grass bent to his path. His feet hardly touched the ground — a whirl of movement. His velocity since entering the Master Realm had long surpassed human capabilities. At his speed now, he could cover a kilometer in less than a minute, flying over brooks and dodging trees like a ghost.
Within less than half an hour, he arrived at the border of the Silver Forest.
He came to a stop, gasping steady — not from tiredness, but wonder.
Before him rose towering trees unlike any he had ever seen. Their leaves sparkled like silver polished to a high sheen, reflecting light in dazzling brilliance. Even the bark shone faintly in the sun. Bushes, moss, and ferns — all had a silver glow, as if the whole forest had been bathed in moonlight.
"Beauty..." he breathed.
And then a recollection had risen up: the System’s Knowledge what he knows is: "The Silver Forest: Centuries past, the Silver Forest was infamous for its beauty, but not because of its glory. Deep in its core traveled a horror magic beast — a silver-skinned Minotaur of the Grand Conqueror Realm. Ferocious, large, and with an appetite for blood, the beast butchered all that ever entered the trees.". Its fury reached far beyond the forest; it burned villages, destroyed towns, and brought cities to devastation. No force within the Moonstone Kingdom was strong enough to counter it.
As a last resort, the king of Moonstone appealed to the Empire, whose vast wealth and superior cultivation enabled them to breed Grand Conqueror realm fighters. The Empire answered — not in charity, but to maintain balance and harmony in the land.
There descended upon the woods one empire grower, and following a clash that rattled the heavens and cleft the earth, finally was the death of the creature. But at the Minotaur’s falling, its gore — odd and shining like shining silver liquid — spilled into earth, seeping down into roots of trees.
Since then the woods were not the same.
The leaves went silver. The bark shone dimly in moonlight. And the land that had once been a land of death became a land of legend — the Silver Forest. From that day on, all that grew here carried his stamp. A gift... or a warning."
Leon gazed. "So that’s how this was made. Blood of beast is potent enough to alter nature itself..." he smiled uttered only, "Interesting."
Then, he gingerly went for the blade on his back and drew it with respect. The sword shone in the light; its name inscribed along the bottom of the blade: The Neon Blade.
A heirloom. The pride of the Moonwalker Family.
I inherited your name and reputation... and this sword, too," Leon whispered, his voice hardly audible as he cradled the sword with reverence. He raised his eyes to heaven, eyes soft with feeling.
"Your death gave me this new life... and for that, I’m truly grateful, former Leon," he said quietly, as if speaking to the wind itself. "Wherever you are—heaven, reborn, or resting in the stars—I hope you’re blessed with comfort and peace."
A solemn silence followed, broken only by the gentle rustling of silver leaves in the distance.
Leon’s eye fell to the glinting trees of the Silver Forest again, and to the blade seated solid in his hand. The metal glimmered, promising.
He blew out, the faint smile tracing his mouth.
"Try to do it with that."
He executed the sword through a slow, intentional curve. The movement thrummed with finesse.
Then he muttered, "System. Open Combat Shop."
A transparent screen materialized in his eyes. Sequences of martial arts and sword techniques scrolled before him. He moved rapidly, accessing the Mortal Realm Sword Arts.
[Buy: Sword Art – Falling Petal Dance (Mortal Grade)]
Price: 10 BP – Proceed with Purchase?]
Leon agreed.
[Purchase Confirmed.]
[Downloading technique to host memory and muscles...
Synchronization: 3%. 27%. 89%. 100%.]
[Falling Petal Dance: Installation complete.]
Leon’s body shook as know-how flowed through his bones — not theory, but muscle memory. His arm coiled. His stance shifted. It felt like recalling something he’d never been taught.
He swung the sword once more.
This time — razor-sharp. Clean. The wind tore with a crisp whoosh.
"Hah..." he breathed, eyes shining. "So that’s what makes a difference."
He glanced back at the forest — enigmatic, shining, endless.
"Today," he said with a grin, "I’m going to paint this forest silver leaves... in crimson."
Chuckling softly, he stepped forward and entered the forest.
The moment he crossed the treeline; it was like stepping into another realm. The air cooled. Light filtered through shimmering leaves. Every step echoed with magic.
And then — rustle.
Bushes shook nearby.
Leon’s senses came alive. He crept forward; sword down but at the ready. As he looked through the leaves...
A small animal leaped into sight.
It was a rabbit — soft white fur, long ears, cute black eyes. But violet lines as thin as a hair glowed along its back, and its ears flicked at speeds too quick to track.
Leon blinked. "A Silver Hoprabbit."
It was a Mortal Realm Magical Beast under the System — tiny, quick, and apparently deadly. It could leap twenty meters in the time it took to blink and deliver a headbutt powerful enough to break bone of neophyte level cultivator.
Leon smiled.
"Lite-up warmup buddy, yeah?"
He took one step forward, assuming a fighting stance. "Okay, little guy. let’s have fun."
He disappeared.
A blink afterward — shing!
The rabbit stood rigid in mid-hop.
Slice.
Its body fell in two neat halves; no blood was spilled. The movement had been that quick — that clean.
Leon took a few paces forward, blinking in mild confusion.
"...That’s it?"
Then it occurred to him — he was Master Realm, and the rabbit was only Mortal. He ruffled the back of his head sheepishly. "I suppose I got... a bit too excited."
But, all of a sudden, in his mind—
[DING!]
The familiar sound of the System resonated ominously.
