"This might be a problem," Li Mei said while examining the Interface map. Bao twitched his big ears, resting his head on her leg while waiting for her to finish talking to herself.

She and Bao ran like mad through the forest while escaping the giant lizard and crossed an expansive distance. They mostly went in one direction, the line of detail on the map wobbling here and there when they had to dodge around a tree or thorny bush. The problem lied in the fact she couldn't see the edge of the forest by looking at the map! She couldn't tell how big the forest was or where the edge might be.

'The notifications said something about a spacial array. Spacial... Did we get transported somewhere else? No, no, that can't be right. My Enslavement Bind locks me to the estate. Ah... Unless we got transported to a secret part of the estate? A different area that still counts as the estate property for the purposes of my restrictions... Or maybe the forest is a lot bigger on the inside than it is on the outside? This place has magic stuff going on, I really can't rule anything out with Earth-based common sense.'

Her thoughts ran in circles for awhile until she decided to push it all aside. She had no way of getting answers yet. With Scan Lv.5 she could find food in the forest just by looking around, so while it would take more effort than her original plan of raiding the nearest farms for supplies, the danger of starving was minimal.

Of greater concern was the threat of danger. Li Mei thought she'd be smacking tiny little slimes in the face, not taking on a gigantic lizard boss as the first encounter! Her heart was not prepared for that much excitement. Escaping from the forest would have to wait until she wasn't scared to wander around aimlessly seeking the exit, and for that...

She'd have to get stronger.

The E.R.M. gave her a boost, but it really only brought her physical stats up to par with the average child of twelve. That wouldn't be anywhere near enough to take on a monster like Vigen, who drank an empowerment serum as though it were water. His lack of reaction meant he was either very used to the pain, or already had stats above 10 - wording on the tooltip implied only increasing the stats was painful, drinking the serum for the boost shouldn't cause any suffering.

Both options were unpleasant to think about. Li Mei brought out one of the serums to examine the glowing blue vial with her upgraded Scan.

-----

[Empowerment Serum #3 (Low-Grade)]

Third in a series of developmental serums produced by Venture ChemCo. Effective but with a high level of impurities remaining after refinement causing flaws during use. As long as warnings are heeded the serum is safe and effective, if somewhat unpleasant.

Considering the drawbacks and impurities, low-grade serums are much cheaper and more widely available. #3 is close to mid-grade in effectiveness so it's very popular.

Forcefully increases STR, CON, and DEX by 1.5%. Also restores 1% Health with each consumption.

Permanent effect for those with relevant stats below 10 only.

For those with stats above 10, it provides a temporary boost of 10% to all physical stats for 3 hours and an adrenaline rush lasting 15 minutes.

WARNING: The process of increasing stats through a low-grade serum will be incredibly painful. Falling unconscious during the process can nullify the effect or even cause temporary stat loss. Vials carefully measured to constitute a single dose. There will be no effect if less than a single dose is taken. Never consume more than one dose per 30 hour period, or damages may be irreparable or even lethal. Temporary boost and adrenaline rush may be addictive. Habitual use causes mood swings, irritability, increased aggression and appetite.

-----

I have 25 of these, so if I can endure the pain... Even a small increase will help at this point, I'm worse than a baby rabbit right now. Ugh, I don't like pain but it's all I'm made of these days..." Li Mei wrinkled her nose, running a hand over her burnt scalp. Bao's careful application of herbs helped many of her injuries, but the stat window said her overall health was a measly 73%.

At least the serums would restore some of that.

She uncorked the vial. Bao sniffed the air then snorted, his expression unmistakably disgusted. Li Mei lifted the serum away and stuck out her tongue in a very mature responding gesture. "You're already stronger than me, so I need these to catch up a bit. You don't have to drink this! Just make sure I don't pass out, this is supposed to hurt."

The fera stuck out his purple tongue, mimicking her response, but sat straight with his eyes watching her carefully. Taking that as agreement, Li Mei squared her shoulders and gulped the contents of the vial down in one go.

Cool liquid flowed through her veins, turning into fuzzy warmth that spread to the tips of her fingers and toes. Her scalp tingled, and then...

Waking up in a new body with her stomach torn open was painful.

Flesh burning as she ran through the exploding manor was painful.

Running on blistered feet through a forest of thorny bushes was painful.

The serum didn't cause pain.

It caused sheer agony!

Li Mei screamed until her throat bled, convulsing on the ground with such force the dirt got flung all over their little room. Bao panicked and pinned her limbs so she wouldn't hurt herself flailing. Creatures hiding in other parts of the root system fled for cover, trembling in the shadows with fright.

Days passed in her perception before the torment faded, but according to the Interface clock it was less than ten minutes. Li Mei groaned and lay prone in the dirt, unable to even lift a finger. 'Addictive substance, yeah right!'

Bao only released his hold on her limbs once she managed to regulate her breathing. He was very careful not to cut her with his claws. She didn't get up at first, staring instead at the notification hovering before her eyes.

-----

[Shelter]

★★★★☆

Where you're at now is a good temporary location, but don't forget you were chased there by a big predator. It still knows where you're at! Maybe you should find a more secure base.

Hint: Don't forget Bao is a fera, who are trained to be mounts. He's stronger than he looks. Make sure to hold on tight.

Reward: Peace of mind, 5000 EXP

-----

5000 EXP wouldn't be much progress for her debt, but enough drops of water would make an ocean eventually. She'd earn EXP on the side, but her energy and attention would be on getting stronger. 7.3 million was just too big of a number to conceptualize for someone recently excited about triple digits.

Li Mei accepted the Quest and slowly sat up. The rope she looped over her shoulder before they entered the forest was long gone, dropped in the escape from the lizard. She managed to hold on to the digging bar, which she mentally renamed as a metal staff since digging bar didn't sound cool at all. It lay on the ground where it got flung during her painful serum-induced flailing, and thanks to the food they'd eaten there was just enough room to stash it in storage along with everything else.

"Hey Bao... Do you think you could carry me?" Li Mei asked, clambering to her feet. Bao looked offended that she even had to ask, tossing her a disdainful stare with three of his eyes narrowed into thin slits. "Don't give me that look, I'm just asking! We should find another safe place to stay, that big lizard knows where we are right now. But I'm... Not very strong or fast yet. Think you can help me out?"

Bao chirped an affirmative and the pair crawled their way out of the temporary root shelter. Outside, the warm humid forest was surprisingly noisy. Birds calling, insects buzzing, distant predators roaring in triumph. Li Mei inhaled deeply, filling her lungs with a strong woodsy fragrance tinged with the aroma of sweet flowers.

The fera crouched on the ground, the eye positioned in the back of his skull watching her with a touch of impatience. Li Mei hesitated before sitting on his back and burying her fingers in the thick ruff around his neck. She'd never ridden a horse, or fera or whatever, but how bad could it be?

Bao's gaze, holding a mixture of pity and disdain as she fell off his back for the ninth time, ignited a spark of stubborn pettiness deep in Li Mei's bones. "Look, I have no problems until you start scaling trees at a 90 degree angle!" The girl snapped, infuriated when the fera stuck out his long purple tongue. He apparently took a liking to the gesture. "Let's try again!"

Li Mei dusted herself off, waiting for the fera to crouch so she could slide onto his back again. She already gave up trying to jump on while he was standing - his mocking, chirping laughter as she scrambled awkwardly into place got on her nerves.

Sitting on a fera wasn't uncomfortable even without a saddle. His natural gait was a smooth steady lope, and as long as he walked or ran on the forest floor she had no difficulty holding on.

The problem started when he tried to ascend into the trees.

Bao instinctively knew the canopy hundreds of meters above the forest floor was the safest area for them to travel at the moment. Li Mei was unprepared for the sudden change in angle and toppled backwards onto the forest floor the instant he jumped up and dug his claws into the trunk.

Again.

And again.

And again.

"I think I got it this time. Just go really fast, and I'll hold on for dear life until we're horizontal again!" Li Mei grit her teeth, clutching his ruff so tightly her knuckles turned white. She felt like she made a bit more progress each time, though it was a double-edged sword as the longer she was able to hold on before her eventual fall, the further she was forced to tumble.

Her poor body was all bruised and battered, but she ignored the pain and focused on her petty spite. If the fera fixed that mocking stare on her one more time, she was going to explode!

Li Mei gripped Bao's flanks with her knees and leaned forward until she was practically hugging his neck. Bao rolled his eyes and, with an amused snort, charged toward the tree trunk again. She was prepared for the angle change and the pull of gravity, adjusting where she was applying pressure with her knees to keep herself from sliding back. Yanking on the ruff would be rude and distracting, so she used it more for a steadying handhold while all her strength was focused into her legs and the elbows she squeezed against his shoulders.

Bao shimmied up the tree with surprising speed and grace, curved claws sinking into the wood of the trunk like a hot knife into butter. Since she insisted he go fast, the fera went fast. He didn't hold back any speed, and rushed up to the lowest branches of the tree in just a few moments.

When she felt herself being horizontal again, Li Mei cautiously opened one eye.

-----

[New Skill]

You have learned [Fera Riding (Natural) Lv.1]!

-----

Looking up at the tall trees from the ground was one thing, but looking down from their lofty branches was equal parts exhilarating and horrifying. Her heart hammered against her ribs, breath catching in her throat. She'd never been so high up in her life! Not without being situated behind a nice safe wall and thick panes of glass.

Far below their position a giant lizard crept along the forest floor through a thicket of thorny bushes. It prowled around the tree they were previously hiding under, flicking its tongue out as it circled a few times before leaving. From its ease of movement and the worn trail in the dirt visible from their vantage point, that was probably something it did quite frequently.

The Quest was right about needing to leave.

A gentle breeze ruffled what remained of Li Mei's hair, rustling leaves and vines in the surroundings. By all rights she should have been terrified. Someone as weak as she was, hunted by a gargantuan lizard that could swallow her whole in the midst of a strange and alien forest, narrowly evading its detection by hiding hundreds of meters above its head.

Trepidation was certainly present. Her heartbeat accelerated, and her grip on Bao's ruff tightened. But beneath the fear another seed took root. A slow grin spread across her face, showing off sharp white eyeteeth, a growing sense of excitement starting to bloom. "Alright Bao, if I fall from this height I'll definitely die so warn me before you pull off any fancy shenanigans. Otherwise, let's go find a new home!"

Chirping confirmation, Bao cset off at an easy lope along a tree branch wide as a country road. The trees were enormous, reaching to the sky with a level of ambition even the redwoods of Earth would envy. Naturally their branches were huge, both long and wide, and grew in ways that intersected with their neighbors in intricate tangled knots of wood reminiscent of the exposed root networks far below. It was entirely possible to traverse the entire forest without ever setting foot on the ground.

Bao would slow down and make different noises when he had to jump from one branch to another, vault over an obstruction, or shimmy under a cluster of vines. Once Li Mei got the hang of which noise meant what their progress through the canopy labyrinth was much faster. Sharp curved claws sent shrapnels of bark flying in all directions, scaring off diminutive creatures before they could even try to approach.

Bigger predators were perfectly capable of existing on the large lower boughs, so Bao looked for routes that would carry them into the upper layers barely sturdy enough to support the fera and his delicate rider. Meanwhile Li Mei Scanned everything they passed and collected piles of data for her Archive.

She needed a break after an hour of riding. They found a wide enough branch, and she tumbled off the fera's back with a pained groan to lay face-first on the bough. "Aw, man... I really need to get better at this, fast! Ow, my legs... Ow, my butt... Ow, my dignity..."

Bao scoffed, the derision in his eyes forcing Li Mei to grit her teeth and climb to her feet. He stuck out his tongue, then froze and glanced at a low-hanging cluster of vines behind her while letting a soft warning growl rumble in his throat.

-----

[Sense]

Hostile detected!

Threat level: Very Low

-----

"I didn't know you could growl," Li Mei snickered, pulling her metal staff out of storage. It didn't sound threatening at all coming from such a small, spindly fera. Her legs ached and her coccyx felt like it split in half, but she still managed to spin in a sudden turn that caught the hostile creature by surprise.

From the cluster of vines, a serpent that looked very much like a vine itself stretched along the branch towards them. It had clusters of flowers growing at points along a thick green body. Bright blue venom dripped from sharp fangs in its wide open mouth, and its yellow eyes showed a hint of surprise finding itself face-to-face with previously unsuspecting prey.

-----

[Phyton]

Rank 0 (3%)

Despite its low combat ability, Phytons are feared ambush predators purely due to their strong paralytic venom capable of immobilizing targets several times its size in mere moments. It prefers to consume live paralyzed prey, digesting them for weeks at a time before seeking another meal.

Very slow but exceptionally silent. They're not difficult to kill.

-----

The information displayed was a bit different than when she Scanned Bao. Assuming it was because of the hostile intent sparkling in the serpent's cold eyes, Li Mei put it aside for later consideration and shoved the pointy end of the staff toward the snake's open mouth.

Like the tooltip said, it was very slow. The phyton tried to dodge away, but its moves were almost lazy, like a vine swaying in the breeze. With a disgusting squelch noise, the point of the metal staff dived into the serpent's mouth and stabbed through its innards to emerge from its stomach.

The serpent was about 3 meters long and half a meter around at its thickest point. It was deceptively heavy and its writhing body tried to wrest the staff from Li Mei's hands, so she braced her feet and exerted her strength downward to stab the staff's point into the branch and lock the phyton in place.

Bao watched with interest as the snake wriggled and thrashed trying to get free, its movements growing more and more sluggish. Meanwhile Li Mei grabbed the empty vial from storage that previously held the serum, and a small piece of torn cloth.

-----

You defeated a Phyton! Gained 5 EXP.

-----

The cloth was held firmly over the mouth of the vial, and once she got the notification of its death she stabbed one of the serpent's oozing fangs into the vial through the cloth. Electric blue liquid dripped into the vial, and even after milking both fangs she only managed to fill it halfway.

"The venom's a strong paralytic, maybe we can use this later." Li Mei explained to Bao, who seemed more interested in the snake's meat than its venom. She grimaced and turned the other way as the fera ate, stashing the vial of venom away in storage. Once he was finished with his meal, Li Mei retrieved her staff, cleaned it off, and put it away before they resumed their exploration.