Sunlight, like fine golden dust, pierced through the thick clouds to reach the lush canopy of the Edge Forest Sea. Various plants, having stood for thousands of years, had long since absorbed all the sunlight, with only a few rays escaping to leave their warmth on the lowest layer of the dense forest.
Though dim, the light still stung Neva's eyes.
It took her some time to adjust before she could barely open them.
She walked out of the cave and onto the verdant land.
Light danced in the air, combining with dust and moisture to weave a dreamy veil.
A gentle breeze rustled the strange wild grasses, mushroom clusters, and hanging vines. Dense purple and green leaves swayed and shimmered.
The sunlight that escaped from those leaves, though scarce, was exceptionally warm and gentle.
Feeling the warm sunlight and breathing the fresh air, all the accumulated suppression and gloom in her heart vanished, and her body and mind felt a never-before-experienced lightness!
The cave entrance was located at the intertwined roots of several unknown trees, entangled with a few rocks, exuding a primitive and natural aura.
Her gaze passed through the trees ahead, revealing that her current location was on top of a hillside. From here, her sight could barely pass over the tall trees to see the distant areas.
Neva's face showed shock.
An endless forest, with trees dozens of meters tall, filled her entire vision. Green and purple branches and leaves were interspersed, forming a two-toned Edge Forest Sea.
And within this boundless Edge Forest Sea, every so often, stood an incredibly massive giant tree, both awe-inspiring and full of magical allure.
The main trunk of the giant tree was at least several hundred meters in diameter, and its canopy pierced straight into the clouds, obscured by a hazy mist. Its exact height was impossible to observe with the naked eye.
Compared to them, the trees that made up the Edge Forest Sea seemed like delicate blades of grass, looking rather pathetic.
Even from a great distance, Neva could clearly see the outline of the giant tree closest to her.
The peculiar trunk was spiral-shaped, like many branches interwoven and stacked, embracing each other. Its several-kilometer-wide canopy blotted out the sky, blocking out the sunlight.
Although there was no sunlight, life always found a way. Under the shroud of darkness, the light of fireflies sparkled like stars.
It was a completely different sight from outside the giant tree.
She looked up at the distant sky, her eyes widening even further.
About a dozen glowing "suns" hung high in the firmament, illuminating the entire Edge Forest Sea.
If the sun in Neva's memory was the size of a washbasin, then these sun-like light orbs were only the size of billiard balls.
The color of the sky, however, was much dimmer. In places not blocked by white clouds, one could even see incredibly distant stars, emitting faint light, adorning this magical world.
Looking at the magical yet unfamiliar world before her, Neva felt increasingly lost.
Although she had long guessed that she might not be in her original world, she still underestimated the strangeness of this world.
Or rather, her imagination was not rich enough.
At this moment, a prompt from her heart sounded in her mind.
"Current Location: Outskirts of the The Lost Land — Edge Forest Sea."
"Edge Forest Sea… Is that the name of this forest? And what is the The Lost Land?"
"Based on the host's query, searching for the most suitable answer:
Tentative Data — 'A Brief History of Civilization and the The Lost Land Research':
In United Calendar Year 1298, the scattered star sea, through the efforts of various High-grade Civilizations, achieved unification. The Civilization Alliance would replace the old wars; from then on, the universe would belong to us.
In Cosmic Calendar Year 7786, the formation of the Civilization Alliance promoted the exploration of the visible universe. In the same year, High-grade Civilizations discovered a strange zone in an unexplored distant region that defied the laws of the universe.
This was an boundless mysterious space, like an island in the universe, an incredible 'isolated island'.
Many known universal laws were ineffective here. Regardless of the spatial angle from which it was observed, the full scope of this area could not be seen. Entering from any spatial direction would lead to the same area, which was the boundary of this space — the Edge Forest Sea.
In Cosmic Calendar Year 7787, we discovered transcendent creatures called the Life Clan here. They were powerful, mysterious, and defied common sense. The individual combat power of some Life Clan members could even contend with the armies of High-grade Civilizations. This was truly incredible!
Through observing these powerful and mysterious creatures, the Civilization Alliance discovered the existence of Magic Energy and, by imitating the abilities of the Life Clan, developed a Magic Energy system that Civilization Life could use.
And this magical 'island' or space was named — the The Lost Land… Even after extensive exploration, Civilization's understanding of the The Lost Land remains limited, and its development is in a stagnant state. Some scholars speculate it is a legacy of an ancient Civilization, while other scholars believe the end of the The Lost Land is the boundary of the universe.
I think this is like the question of how the universe was born; in short, there are many theories.
And even now, in the New Enlightenment Calendar, the origin of the The Lost Land remains unknown, but mystery and danger cannot stop the progress of Civilization. Before the The Lost Land brings huge benefits, we are all moths drawn to a flame; ahead lies both warmth and death.
Note: The above information comes from the records of a Medium Life Form Civilization and is not recommended for complete reliance."
...The atmosphere fell into an eerie silence.
"This is really… quite clear…"
Neva didn't know how to describe her complex feelings; she felt like her brain cells were somewhat insufficient.
Well, an insect brain was inherently insufficient.
She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
Whoosh~
Adjusting her mindset, she needed to be calm, yes, calm… Neva closed her eyes, her expression serene, appearing unmoved.
"So the land beneath my feet isn't a planet, but a cosmic region or space with an unknown principle of existence."
"And this isn't a world like a fantasy novel, but a star-filled sky where magic and technology coexist."
"This isn't unacceptable…" "Unacceptable my foot!"
Neva couldn't help but shout in her heart.
This was too outrageous! Cosmic Civilization, The Lost Land, magic… Was this reality?
At this moment, she had to agree with her heart's assessment: she truly was just an insect that could be crushed with a little force!
This world was too dangerous!
She could understand the definition of Civilization, but she couldn't comprehend what kind of power those so-called High-grade Civilizations possessed.
And how monstrously abnormal were those Life Clan members who could contend against High-grade Civilizations with their individual strength?
She thought to herself mockingly:
"Admit it, Neva! You are just the weakest Low-grade Life Form; you still have to strive to survive."
Just as Neva was doubting her insect life, a slight tremor occurred in the ground, and some bird-like Life Clan members in the distance scattered and flew away.
Was this an earthquake?
The next moment, a huge shadow enveloped Neva's head. For some reason, she had a bad premonition.
She stiffly lifted her head, and fear, like a giant wave, threatened to shatter the sailboat of Neva's soul.
A terrifying, indescribable creature appeared before Neva. Its massive body, over twenty meters tall, blocked out the sun. Strong, powerful limbs supported its huge frame, and its body was covered in fine, blood-red scales.
Three ferocious heads looked down from above, their magnificent antlers growing like crowns on top of their heads. Behind its body was a tail covered in barbs.
If it had wings, it would undoubtedly be a giant dragon from Western legends!
No, its terrifying, four-lobed mouth was still very different from a dragon's image… Species: Tugatos
Rank: C (Medium Life Form) (Data Rating: 775)
Magic Energy: 1275
Soul Strength: 30.3
Abilities: Enlightenment, Mana Control (4/10), Intimidation (4/10), Blood Sea (1/10), Frenzy (4/10), Toxin Breath (5/10), Flame Breath (7/10), Dark Energy Breath (6/10), Telekinesis (1/10), Healing (5/10), Perception (4/10), Concealment (4/10), Immense Strength (3/10), Magic Scales (7/10), Extreme Speed (6/10), Agility (4/10)
Resistance Abilities: Physical Resistance (4/10), Energy Resistance (4/10), Mental Resistance (2/10), Toxin Resistance (4/10)
Knowledge: Flame Magic (4/10), Dark Magic (2/10)
Titles: slayer, Magic Energy Scholar, Berserker
---
After reading the opponent's panel, Neva was completely stunned.
What kind of monster was this!?
Tugatos's huge foot suddenly lifted and descended towards the area where Neva was.
Neva was terrified and panicked. She ran with all her might, finally escaping the range covered by the foot at the last moment.
The violent airflow sent Neva flying, and she fell into a nearby bush.
This Life Clan member, named Tugatos, completely ignored Neva, the tiny insect, not even having the desire to glance at her, and proceeded directly into the depths of the forest.
Where it stepped, one deep pit after another was left behind. The high ground where Neva had just stood was caved in, and the cave where she was born was completely blocked and gone.
Neva shivered, hiding in the bushes, watching the towering figure gradually disappear.
Her weakness saved her. If she had been strong enough for Tugatos to notice, she would surely be dead by now.
But could weakness truly allow her to keep living? It was just self-deception!
She left that dark and oppressive cave, only to seemingly enter another, even darker "cave."
A "cave" from which she would never escape… Startled birds fled through the forest. A spherical creature covered in pustules with only a mouth seized the opportunity, leaping from a branch, opening its large mouth, and swallowing a bird.
Its soft body fell to the ground, bouncing a few times like a rubber ball before stabilizing, enjoying its catch of the day.
Behind it, the stalk of a giant fungus was slowly drooping. Suddenly, the circular cap silently tore open, transforming into a cross-shaped mouth filled with white needle-like structures and thread-like hyphae.
The cap slammed down, enveloping the spherical creature, then the curved cap quickly retracted like a spring.
The spherical creature disappeared, leaving only the harmless-looking fungus in its place.
The Edge Forest Sea was never a paradise that pitied the weak and allowed them to live carefree.
It would make any life within the Edge Forest Sea understand that survival was an endless nightmare with no end in sight. Those who were unwilling to struggle in the dream and chose to degenerate had all turned into decaying dust in the forest…