48 Journey to the East!

"Fire!" Kivas chanted as he raised one of his front limbs while the party was moving onward. He maintained his deadpan expression. "Nothing happened."

"It doesn't work to such a simpler degree, brother."

With the trio rag-tag of mismatched individuals commencing their journey to the Vaal'kuth Mount on the east, there was a great opportunity to learn the magic-equivalent of this world. Starring instructor Semper as the leading guide in this exciting journey.

"Hmm, I guess the magic system on those Role-Playing-Game walkthroughs that I binged have led me to a misconception of how hard comprehending this ENE thing is." Kivas had a moment of introspection. "Can you explain how you manage to find out about this power of nature again, Semper?"

"Well, before I acquired the ability to plant and grow flowers and part of plants, there are this huge time lapse of my thought lost in the void-"

"Okay, that starts off on a depressing note, now that I know the context."

"You can say that I'm in the state of focus and not focus at the same time? At that very moment, my insight upon my very own state of existence had been freed of any limiters as if I had opened my third eye."

"Okay, now we are reaching a schrodinger level of territory about mediation."

"And the next thing I know, I can see through gaps of space and time and gather a fraction of what I thought as the essence of nature. I played around with them and I found that some of the combination allows vegetation to grow at an alarmingly visible speed."

"In a sense, you played a mysterious jigsaw with mother nature, and mother nature rewarded you for putting things together. That sounded like me when I was training my daughter."

"To me, that sounds like what one would do to a pet."

"Well, having children is actually akin to taking care of pets in some way. They are sometimes annoying, sometimes adorable, and sometimes both."

"Both of you seem really eager about this ENE thing." Angravada wryly snickered, in a rather confused way, as she barely knew anything about what they were talking about. "In a weirdly derailing way."

Kivas turned to the back, maintaining his walking as he implied that he was facing the rodent lass into conversation. "Angravada, you're from this world, correct?"

"You speak as if I'm a foreign creature of this world, sir."

"Have you heard about this ENE thing?"

"I have heard about them once when I was lobbying for a quest party in the guild." Searching for the nook and cranny of her memory library, she instinctively looked to the sky as she touched her chin with her index. "Those who were affiliated as Mages and Witches practice this ENE just like warriors and soldiers hone their sword skill. If I recall, it took more than five years for one to sense this ENE before they could grasp and play around with them."

"I see, so it's similar to how internships work." Kivas nodded to his own statement. "If that's the case, then it might take a while before I can summon a literal nuclear reactor out of my hand," he said as he raised left front limb.

"A 'slow and steady' it is then," Semper chuckled.

"What is an internship?" Angravada tilted her head.

Just like an old man who wanted to flex his knowledge to a child, Kivas smiled inside. "It's how a student or trainee gains work experience or satisfies requirements for a qualification by becoming a pseudo-member of an organization, most often without pay. Maybe the concept of 'apprenticeship' exists in this world. If it is, it is basically that."

Kivas remembered his time on earth.

Kivas felt traumatized.

"I see, so it's basically an apprenticeship." Angravda donned her wry smile once again. "Why do I feel like you have remembered something traumatic by saying that?"

"Maybe he had some bad memories with a master before." Semper pointed out.

"Well, both of you see." Kivas put on a serious glare, even though he didn't have any visible eyes. "At my time of civilization, internship is what you would call a 'phase of hell'. In a modern world where the expenses for living is expanding with each and every day, being put on a position where you can be abused to do anything they told like a slave to maintain your progress of gaining work experience in the name of training, where you can just look up to watch magically high graphical recording from the sky's will to learn how to do everything in a week, is just beyond humane.

"Not to mention, most if not every workplace environment there requires you to have at least 2 years of work experience to barely get a chance for the human resource department to consider your existence." Kivas' tone began to shrivel yet keep moving in a crescendo, just like a tough war veteran who had his moment of getting an artillery bombardment flashing in his mind. "High education barely boosts your chance to acquire a new workplace, you would definitely need to slave away your life, while paying student debt, and convincing your 'rent master' that you will pay last month rent from your next part time job."

"I can somehow feel the anguish in those sentences…"

Angravada felt somewhat bad for asking.

In an instant later, Kivas' tone changed back to normal.

"Regardless, that beast repeller you used works crazily like a non-scam charm. If only it works on carnivorous trees." Kivas chuckled, impressed with how local technique was implemented in such a fantasy-like occupation. "Though, my job as a Wildlife Biologist felt halted because of how effective it is."

Ignoring the low-jab on the carnivorous plant incident, Angravada was interested on the latter statement. "You have a job?"

"Wasn't you supposed to ask what a Wildlife Biologist is all about?" Kivas felt like his bragging right was robbed.

"We have such people in nearby countries, who research and document the beasts and lifeforms of the wild. In fact, they are symbiotically working with the guild I'm currently in."

"Hmm, maybe I can try going to those countries and apply, making it an official job doesn't sound too bad." Kivas couldn't wait for that day to come.

"So yours is self-proclaimed…"

In their journey, they encountered some carnivorous plants there and there. Nothing much of an importance until they stumbled upon another ignorant dweller of the meat-loving forest that was somehow not being targeted by the rabid hungry plants in its vicinity.

One meter in height and around two and a half meter long. The lizard was currently eating a good chunk of vegetation in its distinctive dragon-like mouth. Its appearance might give the impression of a land fantasy-crocodile due to its thick armored tail, albeit the rather obese donkey-like body in the middle. shattered the very image.

Great carapace on its protected dorsal area was prodding numerous blunt spines as the rest of its outside were covered by smooth bluish skin. Its activity was unknown, neither was its care in the world.

"It's chunky boy!" Kivas preached with both front limbs in the air, before turning to Angravada for confirmation. "Does this creature have a name yet?"

"Not as I remember." Angravada donned her usual wry smile. "Well, most of the creatures in this forest haven't really been researched, knowing that most of the fearsome hunters would rather live in a snowy mountain with blizzard and storm than in this meat-eating nightmare of a place."

"Well then, from today onward, you will be called 'Doncrodile'."

"Huff." The lizard responded.

"A combination of the English words of Donkey and Crocodile, I see." Semper was somewhat impressed. "As expected of you, brother!"

"Angravda lass, do you have a book or diary of some sort??" Kivas rushed the rodent with excitement.

"I think I have one with nothing yet written in it."

"Good! I elect you as my assistant from now on. Chop-chop, we must comprehend the nature of the Doncrodile!"

"Wha-"

They ended up stalking the lizard for a half hour.

Kivas acquired two purple orbs because of that, which makes five purple orbs in total within his possession.