In a dense forest filled with silence all around, a loud galloping sound followed by rustling of leaves broke the tranquility abruptly, making all the birds and animals flee in fear.
However, the young man sitting on the horse didn't care about anything and continued piercing through the bushes, making his own path in this barren area where nobody had ever set foot.
It had been three days since Ian left the Imperial Academy. Except for eating and resting, he hadn't stopped anywhere, traveling east without wasting any time until he finally saw a large mountain range covered by a dark cloud.
This mountain range was so large and tall that one couldn't see its beginning or end. Moreover, with dark clouds hanging over it all year round and occasional lightning, it appeared extremely eerie.
"Finally arrived."
Ian looked at the boundary in front of him and smiled. The darkness and eerie atmosphere ahead didn't faze him one bit.
The mountain range in front of him was called the Ashen Spires, filled with jagged peaks of unknown numbers. It spanned the entire east of the Ashford Empire and was one of the forbidden areas of the Gravethorne Continent.
Since the Sixth-ring Wizard's ruin was located on one of those peaks, it was called the Ashen Sanctum. As for whether there were other Wizards or ruin in there, he didn't know nor did he care.
'Hah, fortunately, I'm already in the High Knight Realm.'
Ian thought as he looked at the dark path ahead. Unlike the forest he had just passed through, this path had to be traveled alone as it was considerably dangerous.
However, climbing those peaks without sufficient strength was suicide.
Not wasting any time, he tied his horse to one of the trees and placed enough fodder in front of it. This time, he would be gone for a while, so he had to ensure the horse was well-fed; otherwise, he'd be forced to walk back upon his return.
After settling the horse, Ian opened the bag on the saddle and took out a large jar filled with shimmering honey.
He opened the jar, removed his coat, and carefully soaked it in the honey. After thoroughly soaking it, he placed it aside and took off his pants, soaking them as well.
As everyone knew, the Ashen Spires was a forbidden area full of dangers. However, the degree of danger varied between the periphery and the center.
Fortunately, the place Ian was heading to was on the periphery, a part of Ruther's ruin. It could be considered the Wizard's garden, though Ian doubted much remained intact there.
As a Sixth-ring Wizard who had survived in soul form, Ruther still had a considerable heritage in his ruin; before he swiped everything away that is.
Ian didn't know the full extent of the lair, as the novel never mentioned it in detail.
However, he clearly remembered a snippet of dialogue from the Wizard Ruther when Carl, the protagonist, ventured out of this area:
"Honeyfang Butterflies have a great sense of smell and can produce honey rich in mana, but funnily, they can't smell it. So, you can easily loot their lair and they won't even know. Haha, they are a failed product of my little research."
If Ian recalled correctly, the Honeyfang Butterflies were extraordinarily beautiful but also highly venomous and territorial.
To navigate through the path and reach the garden, he needed to mask himself from them.
Once all his outer clothes were soaked in honey, Ian took out a smaller jar, filled it with honey, and kept it inside his space ring.
He then sealed the jar and placed it inside his bag, as it was too large to fit in his space ring. After that, he donned the heavy, sticky attire uncomfortably.
"I think this will be okay."
After making sure everything was in place, Ian cautiously crossed the boundary, scaling the steep mountain ahead like a wary cat.
As Ian stepped into the forbidden area, an eerie silence fell over the surroundings, as if nothing lived there. The only sound was the faint dripping of honey from his clothes onto the fallen leaves, making him even more alert.
'Something is trying to interfere with my mind.'
The first thing Ian noticed upon entering was an unfamiliar substance in the air attempting to cloud his thoughts. Had his mental power not increased recently, he would have been in trouble right from the start.
Ignoring the disturbance, Ian followed the path along the lowest peaks, careful not to deviate. According to the novel, Carl had traversed ten of the lowest peaks in a row before arriving at Ruther's ruin.
"Srrllll..."
Just as Ian successfully scaled two peaks, a shrill sound accompanied by the flapping of wings echoed through the dark forest.
Ian froze, quickly hiding behind a large tree and slowing his breathing to a minimum.
"Flap, flap..."
The dense sound of wings, akin to a flock of birds, grew louder and louder, making Ian's nerves tighten.
Although he had the strength of a High Knight and could potentially kill a Honeyfang Butterfly one-on-one, the noise indicated there were thousands.
As he feared, a dense swarm of colorful butterflies, each the size of a pigeon, flew overhead. The scene was breathtakingly beautiful—if not for the prominent fangs protruding from their mouths.
The swarm's speed created a powerful gust of wind that nearly knocked Ian over.
'Alright, maybe I'm no match even one-on-one,' Ian thought self-deprecatingly, noting their size and speed.
'Fortunately, there are only these Honeyfang Butterflies.'
He felt a moment of relief. If there were other monsters ahead, he would've turned back immediately.
It wasn't easy to enter a Sixth-ring Wizard's lair. It was only because Carl was the protagonist that he discovered this method, allowing Ian to benefit from his knowledge as a reader.
'Let's be extra careful.'
Once the swarm had flown far into the distance, Ian cautiously emerged and continued crossing the dark peaks. He had to reach his destination before dark to minimize potential dangers, even though the area was already dark throughout.