The Herb King

Aethelwolf looked for an exit, but he found out that everything around him was only a field of snow. He combed through the area and located some giant trees.

[Mutant Snow Mahogany] Level 4

- A Snow Mahogany that has mutated after being exposed to frigid temperatures for a long period. Its sap is sweet and has multiple nourishment qualities effects.

Aethelwolf was a bit surprised that the random tree that he found was actually a Level 4 magical plant. He grabbed an empty glass bottle from his storage space and extracted the sap of the nearby Mutant Snow Mahogany Trees. He believed that everything in this dimension was rare so he didn't let this opportunity slip by.

After filling more than ten glass bottles, Aethelwolf left the area in satisfaction. He used his [Virtual Map] to find traces of creatures in the dimension, but after navigating for over an hour, he still didn't find anything. However, he did find a huge number of precious medicinal herbs and magical plants.

Soon, Aethelwolf once again felt the summoning sensation leading him somewhere. He frowned and decided to follow the summons, but he was prepared to activate escape skills in case something unexpected happens.

After thirty minutes of flying, Aethelwolf saw a frozen castle in the distance. It looked ancient and from the carving on the wall, he believed that it was from the era thousands of years ago. "This is the language of the Ancient Fairies." He muttered after identifying the origin of the carvings.

The Ancient Fairies are said to be extinct, but Aethelwolf didn't believe this since Nocturna possessed the Ancient Fairy Bloodline. This discovery made him think that this frozen castle might have something to do with Nocturna's ancestors.

Aethelwolf pushed open the gates of the frozen castle and entered. The castle was dark and the lightings inside were no longer working so he summoned a small wisp of white flame to give himself some light. He also checked the [Virtual Map] from time to time.

He checked the entire castle and found many ancient artifacts. Although most of them were damaged and could no longer be used, there were a few items that managed to survive the long passage of time.

"This is a broken Divine-Rated artifact..." He muttered in surprise as he grabbed a faded golden shield with ancient carvings. It had some runes inscribed on the surface, but a huge portion of the runes was no longer working.

Aethelwolf unceremoniously kept the shield in his storage space. He could repair the shield since he was already a Level 5 Blacksmith. Furthermore, there were some smithing materials in the frozen castle that could still be of use.

After searching the entire first floor of the frozen castle, Aethelwolf found three pieces of broken Divine-Rated artifacts. One was the golden shield, and the other two were a red spear and a short sword. The rest of the weapons that he found could no longer be repaired, but he still placed them inside his storage ring because he could use them as smithing materials.

The frozen castle has three floors and Aethelwolf was now checking the second floor. The living quarters here were larger and from his initial investigations, he believed that the people who lived here were the higher-ranking officials of the Ancient Fairies.

Aethelwolf found some chests containing a huge number of precious treasures. There were also a large number of 5th-Grade Pills, but they had turned into dust the moment he touched them.

"What a pity..." He sighed as he looked at the specks of dust that disappeared into the air.

When Aethelwolf reached the third floor, he noticed a living being in the [Virtual Map]. It wasn't labeled as an enemy, but it wasn't labeled as an ally either. Furthermore, he could also feel a terrifying pressure from where it was. This made him hesitate to near the creature, but the summoning sensation he felt intensified as he moved closer to where the creature was.

Soon, he was led to a room with countless Sealing Runes inscribed all over the place. The Runes were also active and they were consuming the remaining energy in the frozen castle.

"Why are there so many Sealing Runes here? What could be sealed in this place?" Aethelwolf was shocked when he saw the Level 5 Sealing Runes scattered in the room. Most of the Runes were glued to a coffin in the middle of the room. The coffin was also tied by Divine-Rated chains, making it impossible for whatever was inside to escape.

Aethelwolf felt nervous the more he walked closer to the coffin.

Suddenly, there was a violent tremor, causing the frozen castle to shake intensely.

"Leric..." A gentle voice of a woman called out to him, but this made his body turn cold. No one has called him by that name after living 'Aethelwolf's' persona. It was his name in his past life and also the name was given to him by his current parents.

"Leric..." This time, the voice was clearer and he knew that it came from the creature sealed inside the coffin.

"Don't be afraid... I was the one who summoned you into this world..." The gentle voice drifted into his ears, almost making him fall into a daze.

A mysterious energy forcefully calmed his heart. He gritted his teeth as he muttered. "Who are you?! Why did you summon me here?!" The being inside the coffin was so strong that it could actually summon him despite being in a sealed state. He couldn't imagine how strong the being would be if it was released. Just thinking about it made his scalp tingle in dread.

"Leric... You were recognized as the Herb King in your past life because of your advanced knowledge of herbs. I summoned you into this world because you are the only person who can help me and my Ancient Fairy Clan with protecting the Regalis Continent. I even used that thing to increase your growth potential. I just couldn't believe that your strength would actually increase to this degree in just a few years..." The voice was filled with lamentation and hope, but Aethelwolf was still skeptical of its words. He even thought that he was under a powerful illusion and that he was currently trapped in it.

The thing that it was talking about must be the Status Screen. It was his most closely guarded secret and no one else knew about it other than himself. "If you have such a powerful item, why didn't you give it to your descendants?" He muttered questioningly.

Sigh...

The voice sighed and replied. "If I could only do that, I would have done that a long time ago. Unfortunately, no one in our Ancient Fairy Clan is able to use it. Even the top experts of the Regalis Continent failed to make it recognize them. Only someone like you who comes from a different world is able to use its power. Leric, I only want you to help my Ancient Fairy Clan survive the incoming disaster. The Underworlders would once again surface to the world and wreak havoc. The person who sealed me is also the Ancient Lord of the Underworlders, but that guy is heavily injured and he shouldn't be coming out for now. Leric, the Holy Treasure of our Ancient Fairy Clan is here. Give it to my descendants and you might have some hope in surviving the catastrophe. Take it and leave this place..."