I have taken some days for myself to get accustomed to my senses, physical abilities, and the magic aspect I now possess.

In this world, there were four types of magical energy emerging from different sources.

1. Elemental: The very essence that derives from mother nature and the type of energy that is present in abundance on the planet. The four elements of Flames, Aqua, Wind, and Nature. Elemental affinity is the most common awakening trait.

2. Spiritual: The diminutive entities inhabiting the world possess a proclivity to form contracts with individuals, indifferent to whether they lean towards good or evil. Spirits predominantly fall into three categories: those associated with healing attributes, regeneration, and the exceedingly rare ability of resurrection. There exists no established procedure to acquaint oneself with a spirit; instead, they select those they deem worthy of their attention.

3. Light: The blessing bestowed directly from the heavens endows a Light user with unwavering strength, a divine essence capable of purging darkness from existence and bestowing upon the awakened array of boundless skills. Among these, the most prevalent include Enhancement, healing, augmentation, and numerous others. Not only do Light attribute users represent the embodiment of celestial purity, but they also possess the limitless potential for unceasing growth.

4. Curse: The attribute of a demon or demonic beast inherits upon their birth is akin to the very essence that courses through their veins, defining their existence from the moment they open their eyes until their eventual demise. While there exists a formal procedure and ritual for non-demonic entities to harness Cursed energy, anyone from the human realm who willingly embraces the darkness becomes a pariah, marked for a life sentence as a criminal.

Spirits and elements come in gray, which means they could be wielded by Light and Darkness alike. However, none of these were in my grasp apart from these strange straw dolls.

'Haah...if someone catches me with this, my head would get separated in an instant...'

The only possible route to ensure my safety is to seek protection from Alatia. Since she was the precious daughter of the Emperor, only on her request would I get pardoned.

That means I have to keep my relationship good with my lady and support her as much as I can.

'Well, regardless she takes my side when times come or not... 'My unwavering dedication to serve Alatia has persisted since the moment her comforting embrace enveloped me, rescuing me from the clutches of death's impending darkness.

Disregarding the needless thoughts, I looked at the vast forest and the creatures lurking within. I couldn't sense Aura since I didn't possess it, but the faint growling and occasional rustle were enough to tell me the dangers that lurked within.

Since the forest near the mansion was regularly cleared out, there wouldn't be any beasts above rank C. However, even a rank C was dangerous for this inexperienced me.

From the knowledge of my previous self, I could certainly discern a beast's level visually, but I couldn't sense them approaching nor if they have used any kind of skill to hide themselves.

Unlike humans and demons, the beast on either side of the faction has their unique skills limited to each species. There certainly were some of them with camouflage and invisibility skills.

'I need to be cautious... ' Drawing in a deep breath, I tightly gripped the staff within my hand, then plunged headlong into the foreboding density that lay ahead.

****
[Third Person POV:]

Kyle had a hard time remaining calm inside the wilderness since despite practicing his martial arts past few days, he still hadn't faced any real threat until now.

He indeed had his second doll, which he named 'Beta' hanging at the side of his waist. This doll allows him to warp to a certain distance until he can think exactly of that spot and the surroundings.

Kyle has engraved the image of his room back in the mansion deeply just in case. He could teleport to any point nearby until he could visually see it...but again, he hadn't tested much of his powers to completely rely on them.

"Ah...." Exclaiming, he held himself from falling, as his gaze traveled toward the straw doll attached to his hip.

They wouldn't detach themselves from him, because of the effect of sorcery added to the mix.

The initial effect conceals the presence of the straw doll from anyone except Kyle, the craftsman behind these unique puppets. Furthermore, these dolls can be summoned at will by Kyle through a brief ritual. Lastly, he need not fret about the dolls dislodging, as they firmly affix themselves to his muscles beneath his clothing. As long as the point of attachment remains intact, Kyle maintains an unbroken connection to his source of supernatural powers.

'Still, it's creeping how it sticks to my skin... '

Making his way forward, he noticed the air around the area was getting thicker by the second. The weather around this time of the year was hot and slightly humid, so these cold breezes seemed out of place.

'If I am not wrong... it's a Hazy-Akron."

The six-horned mutated deer with a body cover of a rhino releases smog from its belly button to either hunt or escape from predators.

Those with even an ounce of magical energy would have been influenced by the haze but not Kyle. He kept on advancing forward with his wooden staff raised in alert.

He clearly knew that this creature was entrapping him, not the other way around. Kyle must be nothing but a quick easy feast in its eyes.

Since this one was merely E-ranked, the second lowest on the ladder, Kyle was confident to dispatch the beast using his 'Primary' straw doll within seconds.

*Rustle*

Navigating through the rustling, dried leaves strewn across the forest floor and the dense, sinewy branches that sprawled overhead, Kyle felt his heart quicken with unease.

His blood surged through his veins like a torrent, and beads of sweat drenched his back, but he remained unwavering on his journey toward his inaugural hunt.

Soon a figure emerged near the big tall trees, currently resting against the branch, in an eased manner.

However, even the dazed manner of the beast did not help Kyle calm down at all.

"Isn't that a D-rank Breboar?" The mutation of a grizzly bear and boar which gave origination to this wild beast which tends to mark their territory and live a predator's life throughout its lifetime.

The reason this bear was present here in place of Hazy-Akron meant that the deer actually was running away from this beast, not planning to advance on Kyle.

'I should retreat...I am not prepared for something like this...' Since the boar head was still sleeping, Kyle took steps back with his heart now leaping in beats.

Having recently endured that harrowing experience, he was all too familiar with the sensation of confronting death head-on.

Just as he was preparing to turn and run, he noticed something approaching rapidly from behind. Before Kyle could dodge or teleport, the massive deer rammed into him, striking him squarely in the chest.

"Guh!" A loud groan escaped his throat as his body was thrown meters away before he crashed into something fluffy....something alive.

Yeah, Kyle was fucked.

****

A/N:- Drop a comment~