Chapter 218: Children of the Deep Green
Kael arrived at the edge of the dense old-growth forest in the southeastern quadrant of Planet Lumethia. The trees here were different from anything he had seen before — enormous, ancient, their trunks wide enough to carve houses into. The canopy above was so thick that sunlight barely filtered through, casting the forest floor into a perpetual twilight.
A system notification flashed before his eyes.
[QUEST GENERATED]
Objective: Enter Gra-Khazul territory, uncover the cause of their four-month silence, and deliver a full intelligence report to the Vorn family.
Reward: 30,000 SC
Reward: Shadow Walker Title — Reduces detection chance by 50% in forest environments
Kael dismissed the notification and reviewed what he knew.
The Vorn family’s information on the Gra-Khazul was limited. Spies had been stationed on Lumethia for years, but four months ago, all communication had ceased. No reports. No signals. Nothing. Whatever had happened to the tribe, it had happened fast and completely.
What the family did know was this:
The Gra-Khazul were an ancient tribal civilization native to Planet Lumethia. They had existed for over three thousand years, predating both Vorn and Draven expansion into the region. Over time, their power had declined, but they remained formidable. They were not human — they were a beast-kin offshoot that evolved independently on Lumethia, possessing a unique genetic makeup that blended humanoid structure with reptilian traits. They referred to themselves as Children of the Deep Green in their native tongue.
The tribe numbered approximately eight thousand members spread across seventeen interconnected settlements. Their society was structured around strength, bloodline purity, and spiritual connection to the planet’s mana network. External observers called them barbaric — their justice system was brutal, their rituals involved blood sacrifice, and they viewed outsiders with deep suspicion.
But they were not mindless savages. They possessed a complex oral tradition, sophisticated herbal medicine, and a cultivation system entirely separate from the mainstream path. Their power soul-based techniques were the primary reason both the Vorn and Draven families coveted them.
Their territory was called Vael-Khazul — literally "The Deep Green." It spanned approximately four hundred kilometers of dense old-growth forest. The trees here reached three hundred meters in height, and the canopy was so thick that sunlight barely penetrated. The forest floor was covered in bioluminescent moss that emitted a soft blue-green glow, providing the primary light source for the settlements. Massive root systems formed natural walls, tunnels, and bridges between trees. The air was thick with mana — nearly five times denser than normal — because the trees acted as natural mana condensers, pulling ambient energy from the planet’s core and distributing it through their root networks.
At the center of the territory lay a massive crater approximately two kilometers in diameter. The Gra-Khazul called it Khazul-Vael. It was the site of an ancient catastrophe — likely a meteor strike or mana explosion from thousands of years ago. The crater’s edges were lined with crystallized mana formations that glowed with shifting colors.
At the bottom of that crater sat the Inheritance Ground — a structure of unknown origin made from a material that resembled black glass. It predates the Gra-Khazul themselves. No one knows who built it. The tribe guarded it as their most sacred site. It contained power soul-based techniques unique to the Gra-Khazul system.
Kael stepped into the forest.
One of his main reasons for coming here — beyond the mission — was to see if he could find something to fight. Something that could increase his soul integrity. The Gra-Khazul territory, with its dense mana and ancient creatures, might offer opportunities.
He moved quietly through the twilight beneath the canopy, his footsteps silent on the moss-covered ground. The blue-green glow illuminated his path in soft pulses. The air was heavy, warm, and saturated with mana that his Transcendent Core drank in passively. Even without the Lord of Starfall title active, this place felt like standing inside a living mana stone.
After an hour of careful navigation, Kael detected movement ahead. He slowed and pressed himself against the wide root of a massive tree, peering through a gap in the foliage.
Four figures.
Their skin had a faint green tint, and serpent-like scales covered their forearms, necks, and parts of their faces. Their eyes were reptilian — vertical pupils with irises in varying shades of green and gold. Their hair ranged from dark brown to pale green. They looked almost human — if not for the scales and the eyes.
Gra-Khazul hunters.
They appeared to be in their mid-twenties to early thirties. Their cultivation levels were modest — two at Mana Heart Rank 3, one at Rank 4, and their leader, the largest of the group, also at Rank 4 but with a denser, more refined aura.
They were currently hunting.
A massive bear thrashed in a clearing ahead — at least four meters tall, its fur matted with moss and blood, claws the size of short swords raking the ground. Mana Heart Rank 6. Far above what the hunters should have been able to handle.
But they were handling it.
The two Rank 3s flanked from opposite sides, drawing the bear’s attention with thrown spears that glowed with faint green energy. The other Rank 4 harried it from the rear, landing quick strikes with a bone-handled dagger before dancing out of reach. The bear roared and swung wildly, but the hunters moved with a fluidity that spoke of years of practice in this exact environment.
The leader waited.
He watched the bear’s movements with cold, patient eyes — tracking the pattern of its swings, the rhythm of its breath, the way its weight shifted before each charge. When the moment came, he moved.
His body flickered. A strange technique rippled through his frame, and his movement became erratic, unpredictable, like a serpent striking from tall grass. He bypassed the bear’s guard in a single motion, his bone blade slicing across the creature’s throat in a spray of hot blood.
The bear collapsed. The clearing fell silent except for the wet gurgle of the dying beast.
The hunters exchanged words in their native tongue — a hissing, sibilant language that Kael couldn’t follow. Then they set to work, producing hide sacks and bone tools from their packs, beginning to process the bear’s meat with practiced efficiency.
Kael observed from the shadows, his Spirit Eyes cataloguing everything. The leader’s technique interested him most. It wasn’t standard speed enhancement. It wasn’t body refinement. It was something tied to their unique cultivation system — something related to the power soul techniques the Vorns wanted so badly.
He filed the observation away and prepared to move deeper into the territory.
Then the leader stopped.
His reptilian eyes snapped toward Kael’s position with laser precision. His nostrils flared slightly, tasting the air. His hand drifted to the bone blade at his hip.
One of his teammates — a younger hunter with pale green hair — noticed the sudden tension. He said something in their hissing tongue.
The leader, Finesh, turned his head slightly without taking his eyes off Kael’s position.
"Nothing," he said in the common tongue, his voice carrying a faint sibilant accent. "I just need to pee."