Five days later, Aaron stood before the newly built wooden walls, a look of satisfaction on his face.

He murmured to himself, "Now that the wall is up, it'll protect us from threats to some extent. We've built bathrooms and even a well nearby."

A smile crept across his face, "Finally… I can explore the Savannah Mountain Range."

The excitement in his eyes was unmistakable. Staying in one place had begun to wear on him.

He turned to Chief Khumba, who was still admiring the wall, and said, "Old chief, I'll leave the village in your hands. I'm heading out to explore the Savannah Mountain Range."

Khumba's smile faded into concern. He was startled by the sudden announcement.

"Lord Aaron… it's dangerous out there," he said, unable to hide his worry.

Aaron waved his hand dismissively, "Don't worry about me. I have ways to escape if needed. But first, I'll hunt some animals, so everyone can eat well today. Tomorrow, we'll be busy again."

Khumba sighed deeply. In just five days, Lord Aaron had transformed their lives, building bathrooms, securing the camp with walls, and giving the people a sense of safety they hadn't felt in years.

A few minutes later, Aaron left the village, accompanied by Rumba and half his team.

As they moved through the forest, Rumba spoke in a respectful tone, "Lord Aaron, I heard you plan to explore the Savannah Mountain Range."

Aaron nodded, "Of course. By the way, how far is it from here?"

Rumba replied, "At full speed, it's a two-hour journey, assuming no monsters or wild beasts block the way. For ordinary people, it takes half a day."

Aaron gave a thoughtful nod, "Alright. Let's hunt wild goats first."

Half an hour later, Rumba stared at the corpse of a wild goat, eyes wide with amazement. He muttered to himself, "Lord Aaron's tracking and hunting skills are first class."

Aaron turned to him and said, "Rumba, take the hunt back to camp. I'll return within four hours."

He checked the sundial, it was already noon.

Rumba nodded, "Lord Aaron, to reach the Savannah Mountain Range, you'll need to cross the Green River. Once you see towering trees, you'll know you've arrived."

Aaron stored the directions in his mind and replied, "Got it."

With that, he leapt into the trees, opened his map, and began moving swiftly from branch to branch.

A few minutes later, he reached the Green River. It was shallow, filled with puddles, and he could see fish darting beneath the surface.

Aaron sighed, "If this river had water year-round, I could build windmills and farms nearby. I'll inspect it properly next time."

He continued forward.

Half an hour later, Aaron spotted the towering trees, just as Rumba had described. Some were 30 meters tall, others reached 50 meters, with trunks nearly two meters thick.

He examined one closely and thought, "These trees must be processed here. Transporting them whole would be impossible."

Then his eyes lit up. "Time to hunt some monsters."

He opened the map again. Red dots appeared levels ranging from 2 to 11.

Without hesitation, Aaron chose the level 11 monster.

The experience points would be worth the risk.

The forest was dim, the massive trees had no branches until their tops, blocking sunlight and casting shadows below.

Aaron took a deep breath and ran vertically up a tree trunk. He reached ten meters, then leapt to another tree,

repeating the motion until he grabbed a branch and pulled himself up.

He checked the map again, the monster was just 700 meters away.

He rushed forward, leaping from tree to tree. As he ventured deeper, the air grew moist, and he noticed a fog bank forming just 2,000 meters ahead.

A few minutes later, Aaron reached his destination with ease. Along the way, he spotted two monsters, a horned rabbit and a three-eyed goat. Both were low-level, so he ignored them and pressed on.

Soon, he found his target.

A rabbit the size of a bull was feasting savagely on the corpse of the three-eyed goat. Its fur was matted, its horns jagged, and its eyes gleamed with primal hunger.

Aaron didn't hesitate.

He pulled out his bow and quiver from the storage bag, 

nocked an arrow, and channeled mana into its tip. The arrowhead shimmered faintly with power.

He took aim, straight at the creature's head, and released.

The horned rabbit, unaware of the danger, continued its feast. But then its ear twitched, it sensed something.

It leapt, but too late.

The arrow pierced its skull, blood fountained from the wound as the beast collapsed instantly.

Aaron smiled, glancing at his stats. Experience points: 6,300.

Aaron glanced at the map again. 

There were no monsters above level 10 in the vicinity. 

To find stronger foes, he'd have to venture deeper— 

into the fog-covered zone.

But that came with risk.

The danger wasn't just from monsters. 

The map showed faint red dots labeled "poisonous"— 

rare plants, unique to this region. 

Their presence made the area even more treacherous.

Aaron decided to end the hunt for today. 

He would bring the bull-sized rabbit back to camp.

-----

Cotton Town.

Inside his study, Viscount Rudolf paced slowly, 

his thoughts clouded with confusion.

Captain Fodo and his team hadn't returned. 

By now, the mission should've been completed.

Rudolf didn't suspect betrayal, their families lived under his rule, and he had promised them generous rewards.

He muttered to himself, "Did something happen?"

"But how? Captain Fodo and his team are strong enough to take down Tier 2 monsters. They've hunted in the Savannah Mountain Range before. The outer areas only have Tier 3 monsters at most and even those rarely appear."

His face darkened. A sense of unease crept in, like an invisible net tightening around him.

He hesitated, then made a decision.

He would send scouts to investigate.

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