On the evening of the last and fourth day, I stood before a massive tree line. Before me was the start of The Groove Canopy that, despite being massive and at the edge of the continent I was located on, was eerily quiet, thus giving off a mystical and forbidding vibe.
The forest loomed before me like a living wall, the trees so massive their trunks must have been thirty meters in diameter. Their bark was not brown but a deep, almost metallic blue-black that seemed to absorb rather than reflect light. The canopy above formed an unbroken ceiling so dense that even the triple moons' light penetrated only in occasional, ethereal shafts that illuminated the forest floor like spotlights on a cosmic stage.
Between these gigantic sentinel trees grew smaller vegetation—though "smaller" was relative, as even these secondary plants towered above anything I had known on Earth. Ferns with fronds the size of buses unfurled in spiral patterns. Fungi the size of houses glowed with internal bioluminescence in colors that defied easy categorization—not quite blue, not quite purple, but something in between that seemed to shift when viewed directly.
Vines as thick as my torso wrapped around the massive trunks, their surfaces covered in what appeared to be eyes—not metaphorical eye-like patterns, but actual organs that blinked and swiveled to track movement. Flowers larger than my entire body hung from branches, their petals slowly opening and closing in a rhythm that suggested breathing rather than photosynthesis.
But most striking was the silence. Despite the obvious vitality of this ecosystem, there were no sounds of insects, no calls of birds or animals, no rustling of leaves in the wind. The forest held its breath, watching, waiting.
"Say, Codex, what's up with this place?" I asked. "Why is it the best option out of the other places in the other empires in the continent?"
"Well, for starters, this place is under the protection of an ancient being who'd recognize you for who you are almost immediately we step in..." he began.
"Won't that cause issues? Since they know me and who I really am, what's the security in that?" I retorted back.
"Well, they—the fragment of Yggdrasil—is actually a part of a far much larger whole. Yggdrasil, according to many, many mythologies in this world and from where you were, is well known as the nourisher and supporter of life, so where the nexus of life is, you'll most definitely find them and their main body," Codex explained.
"To be exact, inside this Groove Canopy houses a fragment of this particular universe's Yggdrasil; and in turn, the main body of Yggdrasil of this world is also part of another much more integral being of existence who is present in the multiverse as a whole. In conclusion, since their hierarchy is as such, the communication of their fragments from here to across the multiverse will be very, very fast—that, or they would already have prior information about your existence. They won't necessarily be expecting you but won't mistake your soul's aura, nor mine," he concluded.
"In short, I won't die? Because the moment I enter and find a good cave and seal it up with most of the smaller but powerful barriers I have and ensure my evolution is a success to the peak of this realm, I won't be able to guard myself at all," I asked warily as I kept on viewing the tree line in front of me, seeing it stretch for thousands of kilometers on both ends of my right and left.
The edge of The Groove Canopy seemed to extend infinitely in either direction, a boundary between the known world and something far more primeval. The air itself felt different here—heavier, richer, charged with an energy that made the hair on my arms stand on end. Occasionally, flashes of light pulsed deep within the forest's interior, like distant, silent lightning.
Where the massive trees met the ground, their roots formed a complex network of arches and tunnels, some large enough to drive a truck through. These roots were not buried but instead rested atop the soil, forming an elevated platform that kept the actual forest floor several meters above the surrounding terrain. The gaps between these roots glowed with the same indescribable bioluminescence as the fungi, creating the impression that the entire forest floated on a sea of otherworldly light.
Despite the overwhelming scale and obvious alienness of The Groove Canopy, I felt a strange pull toward it—not a physical sensation but something deeper, as if my soul recognized something kindred in this ancient place.
"You can rest assured, my lord, the moment we cross, I will facilitate the talks for a safe abode," Codex assured.
"Alright then, here goes nothing," I said as I took one step into the tree line and another as well...
In a few steps, no more than ten, I was already inside and surrounded by vegetation out of my wildest dreams. If I used to think that plant life actually had life in them, the scene before me blew my mind.
Fauna, plants, vegetation, and a variety of greenery (not limited to green per se, but still...) was everywhere. Honestly, if it were not for the urgency of me needing to grow and evolve, I most definitely would have taken a pause and enjoyed the breathtaking scene before me.
The interior of The Groove Canopy was a cathedral of living matter, simultaneously alien and familiar. The forest floor was a mosaic of moss-like growth that shifted colors beneath my feet—not in response to pressure but seemingly to my emotional state, blooming into reds and oranges where my lingering anger touched it, cooling to blues and purples as my wonder grew.
The trunks of the massive trees were even more impressive from within, their surfaces not rough like bark but smooth and patterned with swirling designs that resembled written language—or perhaps circuit boards. They pulsed with internal light that flowed upward in rhythmic waves, as if the trees were pumping some luminous sap from roots to crown.
Between these titans, smaller trees created a middle canopy, their branches interlocking in patterns too precise to be natural, forming what appeared to be geometric shapes—perfect hexagons, spirals that followed the golden ratio, fractal patterns that repeated at ever-decreasing scales.
Hanging from many branches were translucent sacs that contained what looked like embryos—not of animals but of plants, tiny perfect replicas of the forest's inhabitants floating in luminous fluid, growing, developing, waiting to be born.
The air was thick with spores and pollen that drifted in coherent patterns rather than random dispersal, coming together to form brief, three-dimensional images—a face, a geometric shape, a stellar constellation—before dissolving back into individual motes.
And throughout it all ran water—not in streams or rivers but in vertical columns that defied gravity, rising from the forest floor to the canopy above in perfect cylinders, some no thicker than my finger, others wide enough to step inside. These liquid pillars rotated slowly, and within them swam tiny creatures that appeared to be hybrid between fish and insects, their bodies transparent save for glowing internal organs.
"Well, Codex, now would be as good as any time to do your thing," I whispered inside this eerily silent surrounding I found myself in. Despite knowing and seeing that I was alone in my immediate surroundings, I could quite intently feel gazes upon me. And not just a small number, mind you...
"Not sure if these beasts have had anything for lunch, but I really, really don't want to be on the menu," I said as I continued observing my surroundings, pushing the limits of my soul sense with my currently weak body and core...
In the shadows between the trees, I could make out movement—silent, deliberate, watching. Yellow eyes blinked from darkness, some at ground level, others high in the middle canopy. Occasionally, something large shifted position, causing the phosphorescent underbrush to ripple in its wake.
"My lord, in front of you, a path has and will be made to a relatively small cavern made for your needs," Codex said. Simultaneously, right in front of me, I could see the trees and vines, as well as other plantae, literally move and make a path—a small road, to be exact, that was heading deeper inwards.
"As for the creatures, worry not, they've been placed into a lucid state. If anything, they only can see you but not have any thoughts of proceeding with their bestial urges..." Codex assured as I began following down the path.
The forest parted before me in a display that was equal parts wondrous and unsettling. Massive roots lifted from the ground and repositioned themselves, forming a smooth, elevated pathway. Vines uncoiled from tree trunks and retracted, clearing a space precisely wide enough for me to pass. Ferns folded their giant fronds, bowing like courtiers as I walked by. Even the glowing water columns shifted position, rearranging themselves to form a kind of honor guard along my route.
As I advanced deeper into The Groove Canopy, I began to notice the creatures Codex had mentioned. They emerged partially from concealment, not fully revealing themselves but no longer actively hiding their presence.
To my right, a beast the size of an elephant slouched on massive haunches, its body covered in plates that resembled both armor and bark. Six eyes arranged in a circle around what must have been its head tracked my movement, but the creature made no aggressive motion. Its claws—easily the length of my forearm—remained sheathed in thick, root-like appendages.
Overhead, winged beings with bodies like elongated primates and heads reminiscent of owls perched on branches, their necks rotating to follow my progress. Their feathers rippled with color changes that seemed to communicate something among them, but they remained silent, watching with intelligent, evaluative eyes.
Most unnervingly, from one of the larger water columns emerged what I can only describe as a serpent composed of liquid crystal, its body reflecting and refracting light in impossible patterns. It paralleled my path for several minutes, studying me with faceted eyes that seemed to see not just my physical form but layers beyond.
All these creatures maintained a respectful distance, their body language communicating not fear but something closer to reverence—or perhaps caution before the unknown. I felt like a foreign dignitary being escorted through territory that recognized my status but hadn't yet decided whether I was friend or foe.
The path wound deeper into the forest, gradually descending. The triple canopies above grew denser, until only occasional beams of external light penetrated, and the primary illumination came from the bioluminescent life forms. The colors shifted toward the blue and violet end of the spectrum, creating an underwater ambiance despite being firmly on land.
After what seemed like hours but may have been less, given the disorienting nature of this place, the path terminated before a sheer rock face that emerged incongruously from the forest floor—the first non-living material I'd encountered since entering The Groove Canopy.
Another trek followed for more than five hours, and to which the end was actually a cavern almost as large as the den of some monsters but looked similar in description to the cultivation chambers that was so lovingly mentioned by authors of murim novels and manhua.
The cave mouth was a perfect arch, its edges too precise to be natural, yet showing no signs of tool marks or artificial construction. It was as if the stone had decided of its own accord to form this entrance. From within came a soft, pulsing light—similar to the bioluminescence of the forest but somehow purer, more concentrated.
"The cave smells and feels damp," I said as I went in.
"That's because it was just made at my request and dimensions," Codex replied.
"Well, it's actually perfect and quite uncanny it looks similar to those of the fantasy stories of back on Earth," I said as I entered the dark cave. "Well, let's begin, shall we..."
The interior of the cavern was a marvel of natural—or perhaps supernatural—architecture. The space was roughly circular, about thirty meters in diameter, with a domed ceiling that rose to a central point approximately ten meters above the floor. The walls were not rough stone but smooth, almost polished, with veins of crystal running through them in patterns that resembled circuit boards or perhaps runic inscriptions.
The floor dipped gently toward the center, forming a shallow bowl shape. At the lowest point, a small pool of clear water collected, its surface perfectly still and reflective as a mirror. From the ceiling directly above, a single drop of water fell every few seconds, creating expanding rings across the pool's surface that seemed to pulse in time with some inaudible heartbeat.
The air within the cavern was different from the forest outside—cleaner, charged with energy that made my skin tingle. It carried a faint scent of ozone, like the air after a lightning strike, mixed with undertones of mineral richness and something else I couldn't identify—something ancient and primal.
Most remarkable were the crystal formations that grew from the walls and ceiling—not random as in natural caves but arranged in geometric patterns that reminded me of the cosmic diagrams I'd seen in some of my variants' memories. These crystals emitted the soft light I'd noticed from outside, pulsing subtly in a complex rhythm that seemed to respond to my presence, brightening as I moved closer, dimming as I stepped away.
Upon reaching the center of the cave, I sat down in a meditative position and cast the spell I had in mind, perfect for my current situation.
"Zai-tharn dorn-muir ril eorh."
Almost immediately, a runic circle originating from me with various shapes but distinctly had these runes: ᛉ ᚦ ᛞ ᛗ ᚱ ᛇ around the circumference appeared. The once dark cave lit up in golden, purple, and green hues, a testament to the great elements of time, space, and earth being manipulated to provide me with a safe sanctuary.
Despite invoking the divine barrier ward softly, the power behind the spell was enormous, where it literally felt as if I was forcing my will upon the world and the surrounding energy with it.
The spell I just cast was called The Aegis of Stone and Veil, a spell made to protect and hide while at the same time providing the proper benefit of wrapping time, though only slightly. Time inside the barrier flows faster, albeit not at a rapid pace, where ten minutes inside the barrier is equal to one minute in the outside world. With this sort of time dilation, at least what I want to do will be viable.
The runic circle expanded outward from where I sat, the symbols burning themselves into the stone floor as if carving into butter. When they reached the walls, they climbed upward, continuing their expansion until they covered every surface of the cavern. The crystals embedded in the walls resonated with the spell, their light shifting to match the golden, purple, and green hues of my magic.
The air within the barrier thickened slightly, taking on a gelatinous quality that slowed my movements. The sounds from outside—the subtle rustlings and drips that had formed a background ambiance—faded to nothing, replaced by a deep silence broken only by the sound of my own breathing and heartbeat.
The pool at the center of the cave's floor began to glow from within, its water becoming luminous, each ripple from the falling drops now visible as expanding rings of light across its surface. These ripples moved with unnatural slowness, the time dilation effect already taking hold.
"Codex, I leave the safety of my environment to you... hopefully, I won't die before I'm done," I said as I began casting a sequence of more spells that will initiate my path to becoming the or one of the strongest beings in existence.
"'Tis about time I owned who I really am..." I said as I closed my eyes... and began the most painful and grueling form of grinding known to existence...
Dying, in order to be strong...