Fenrir was about to deal the final blow, when Kazuma interrupted him and asked to revert back to his dog form.

"Weak it may be, the Hound still possess devious strength, probably it couldn't use it to its fullest because you were its opponent…how about I [Devour] it?"

Fenrir…no, Fen who had reverted to its normal form kept quiet, and wagged its tail a little bit.

Kazuma extends his palm in the air, and continues, "You who died…shall now refill by hunger, [Devour]!"

A white dragon shaped magic array appears below the near dead hound, the white dragon from the array lifts it's head up and eats or rather devours the hound fully…and shatters itself.

That very moment, Kazuma felt surge of energy and pain through his body, as if all his body cells were being exploded and recreated again and again.

[ *#&$#&$*$*@@@#*#@[email protected]*

#@[email protected]#$$#%$^%&^%@%$^*$#%#$%@!#.........

........................…..

"The Hound of the Baskervilles" has been [Devoured] by the host.

Scanning and enabling its uses.

Scan complete.

Abilities acquired.

[Pack Leader]- This would allow you to summon 8th Tier Hounds. This ability also provides absolute nullification to any beast belonging to 'dog' race.

[Absolute Sense]- 10th Tier spell, as the name suggests your sense…your five sense has now reached 10th Tier.

It is a pa.s.sive ability, but it can also be used to boost up your senses for 10 minutes as well, it has an area of effect so any one around you will be boosted as well.

[Baskervilles Hound]- Allows you to summon the black misted b.l.o.o.d.y hound which you can control, it has no mind of its own and that's why it can be bent to the user's will.

[Fear]- A pa.s.sive skill which enables or rather in simple terms puts "fear" in lesser devils, creatures and oddities disabling their will to attack you. ]

"Makes sense, this dog had its own uses…well, shouldn't have messed with me in the first place.

However, he did say he would kill us since it is his master's forest.

Master's forest? Does that mean, the Dragon Thimaya has the ability to summon or rule over other beasts? Interesting, very interesting"

However when Kazuma when looks forwards, he watches dust clouds followed by something or some creature, the moment he narrowed his eyes, he exclaims,

"Exit from one problem and entry at another…huh?"

What Kazuma saw was a horde of elephants with red eyes running towards him at great speed, probably the hound must have summoned them to attack at his near death situation.

Kazuma was well prepared to attack the horde of the so called wild elephants, when suddenly the entire horde was crystallized…

This was no joke, the ma.s.sive horde of elephants that were prepared to attack, were turned to crystal, not frozen but pure crystal.

If it were someone else, they would be shocked in their tracks, but since it was some abnormality or some major spell, since even the nearby trees and gra.s.s were crystallized.

Kazuma instantly pa.s.sed Fen an order, to look after the girls as he dashed towards the sky.

He was floating mid air and then, he dashed once again, stomping right in front of a figure, who was shrouded in darkness aura, everything about it was hidden.

"Why did you help me there?" Kazuma states clearly as he looks towards the darkness form,

"One day, you will know…why I did and what I want or desire…it's only you that can fulfill it," the darkness aura replies,

"Me, what do you desire? What do you want with me?"

"As I told you, one day you will know…till then, good bye 'dragon'" the darkness aura shattered and disappears,

"He knows…huh? If I have to guess, whatever 'he' or 'she' was…is searching for something desperately, but what…and why it has something to do with me?" Kazuma looks towards the blank sky where the darkness aura disappears…

After a few moments, Kazuma returns to the spot and using the healing potion he helps the girls get back at their feet.

After a few minutes, Kazuma explains them everything, but before that he puts his clothes back on, after all he was still pretty much naked when he did all the task and such.

Except for the darkness aura appearing, Kazuma stated what happen and advised to be careful, and stick close to him.

Akiko and Mai went in a daze, so much happen and they were unconscious.

Akiko regretted this the most, she wanted to watch the extent of Kazuma's strength.

"Now where?" Mai asks, after all they have to keep on moving,

"Those elephants were probably defending something; the hound must have sent a distress signal, that's why they came out to attack…which means-"

"We need to go to the direction from where, the elephant's horde came right?" Mai completed Kazuma, to which he simply gave a nod.

"What about the horde which got crystallized?" Akiko asks, giving a meaningful glance towards the horde, to which she gets the reply from Kazuma,

"I have prepared [Anti-Magic] it should within an hour's time disable the spell"

"Are you sure you won't kill them? They are 3rd Tier you know?"

"No, in this world balance is the most important thing; they attacked me because their instincts told them to do so, let's not kill 'animals', the least" Kazuma replies emotionlessly and starts to walk forward, while being followed by Mai and Akiko, Mai asks a question, "If instead of elephants, it had been humans?"

"I would have killed them off"

She got a cold hearted reply from the boy…she was sure, something has happen to him, which made him well at the least not hate, but dislike humans greatly.

After walking about for half an hour, it was noon however something was off.

Kazuma looked back at his way, there wasn't much in the tracks, yet was he was feeling somewhat off, and then he looked towards the road in front of him.

"We won't take the road, follow me and don't question anything, just do as I say" Mai and Akiko nodded and silently followed him…

Instead of the clean road, they took the one with thorns, which means through the middle of the forest, the moment they got out; from there they reached to the opening of a cave.

"As expected, it would seem I wasn't wrong, I did take the right decision" Kazuma says, as looks towards the entrance.

"What do you mean? Now would you explain, why didn't we take the road?" Akiko was curious,

"Mai, I think you guessed it why, just explain it to your master, I'm not really in a mood" Kazuma starts to examine the cave,

"What's with his att.i.tude? Mai, please tell me why didn't we take the road?"

"It's simple, didn't you find it odd? We just walked for half an hour, it was morning but suddenly it's noon?"

Akiko was shocked, indeed when they started walking it was morning, but suddenly within a span of half an hour time, it became noon.

"It wasn't because we walked half an hour, but we never did walk half an hour"

"What?"

"Indeed, lady, from a human's perspective, it would seem we walked for half an hour and we lost stamina according to that, but that wasn't the case, it was all because of Path Showing Trees"

"Path Showing Trees?"

"The Great Forest of Amazon, is famous for letting travelers or adventures die the reason being simple yet the most complicated, this place is not a land, but a single tree."

"What!!?? This…place is not an area, but a single tree?"

This time Kazuma speaks in between, "Indeed, from the outer surface, it would seem like this is a beautiful forest which it is supposed to be, but actually after the "Great Era of Magi", all the forest and the water here were destroyed…this place became a barren land."

Mai continues, "Indeed, after the certain anomaly, a tree grew within the center of the forest, which was nourished by the Immortal Forest Dragon, Thimaya…however, why it did so, no one knew…soon after a year, the single tree spreads it's root and branches around the area, made it blossom yet again.

Flora and fauna all over again, mutated plants and animals, making this place beautiful and deadly as well."

"But- what does have to do with travelling?"

"Milady, there you are making the big mistake, this place is covered with a single spiritual cla.s.s tree, which covers the land, it's one of the sub-plants are called "Path Finding Tree", which drains energy, speed and vitality of humans, without them even knowing, since Kazumsama has 10th tier body, he could have gone for long, but we would have perished, that's why-"

"In order to prevent us, from losing our strength and dying, you changed the path? I…I" Akiko completes, Mai and then bows deeply, "I thank you for saving, me and my maid's life"

"That's not a big deal, but now here lies the main problem"

"What main problem?"

Kazuma touches the surface of the cave, and speaks, "This is where the danger begins, and this path underground will lead us to the "The Buddha Tree""