Once Kael was done with the mapping and had also made sure that the tree wouldn't kill him for making it his territory, he began to look for a source of water and food.
He wasn't in dire need of water and food, but the beasts he would find definitely would be. So, the first thing he needed to secure was water.
Food was easily available in the wilds as long as you were strong enough, and he had the Great Tree for shelter, so he only needed to worry about a water source.
When he was high up on the tree, he had spotted a river not far from the Great Tree, and the tree also had its roots stretched all the way to the river. That could help in creating a tunnel for water supply.
'Well, there's nothing to build the tunnel with for now, but I can at least check the location first. Who knows if some hydra lives in that damned river.'
Thinking of that, he jumped down from the trees and headed toward the river, which was located to the north. He had also spotted the infamous Everfrost Mountain Range in the distance.
They were easily visible because of their sheer size, and they also helped Kael get a rough estimate of his location.
'The river probably originated from those mountains.'
Soon, he was weaving through the dense mess of the forest. He could see some corpses rotting, trees that had fallen, and a crimson trail leading downward to an unknown location.
The mess just increased the further he went down the forest, and he also noticed the lack of beasts in this area. While the surroundings of the Great Tree had weak beasts, they weren't completely absent.
But this area had a thick, lingering smell of blood.
'Was there a fight between some tribes in this area?'
While wondering about it, Kael slowed down his speed to make sure he wasn't making any noise and alerting anyone nearby. His eyes darted around as he looked for any clues he could find.
However, he found nothing aside from the mess, even when he reached the river.
He stood on the riverbank, looking at the smooth-flowing water going downstream. It was cold, as one would expect from an area close to the Everfrost Mountains.
But he wasn't in the mood to enjoy the scenery.
Something terrible had happened here, and he couldn't find any clues. Normally, he wouldn't have paid much attention to it, but the area was too close to his territory.
Kael went back into the forest and crouched down near a corpse that had its face ripped apart from its torso, making it hard for one to recognize its race.
'What do you think? Judging by the mess, the battle happened at least three days ago.'
[There are a total of eighteen corpses, all belonging to the Lionkin Tribe, so there must have been a war between two prides.]
Kael nodded, noting the features of the corpses to recognize them in the future. Then, he began to look around more and finally found a trace of strange mana.
He frowned and thought, 'Why does it feel like the mana was behaving strangely while it was being used?'
[Most likely it is related to the Berserker Skill many beasts acquire during their Evolution—or rather, their failed Evolution.]
Kael raised an eyebrow as a hypothesis began to form in his mind.
'There must have been two Lionkin Prides nearby, and one of the Alphas probably triggered the requirements for Evolution and began to go through it. Unfortunately, the other pride got wind of it and chose that moment to attack.'
He rubbed his chin, finding his theory plausible.
'In the battle, many might have died under the onslaught of the evolving leader, and seeing that, the first leader ended their Evolution midway, gaining the Berserker Skill—which is like a time-limited transformation.'
[Then, there was another fight, and the outcome is unknown. But it can be theorized that both parties managed to escape, because I do not sense any corpses of an Alpha.]
Kael nodded, expecting that much. He then decided to follow the mana trail silently. It could be dangerous, so he made his presence as small as possible while tracking it.
'The trail is very faint, and if it weren't for my heightened perception, I might have missed it. Being a Dragon is really cool—and beneficial.'
He maneuvered through the dense maze of the forest, keeping track of the mana trail.
Before long, he reached the borders of a small hill and climbed behind a large boulder. Then, while still hiding his presence, he looked down at the base of the hill.
There was a cave at the bottom, and the area before it had been cleared away properly. A giant lion with orange fur and a dark orange mane—as if it had been scorched—was resting on a massive stone slab.
There were obvious scars and marks from the battle it had fought, and even from a distance, Kael could feel the mild heat radiating from the mighty lion.
'It's almost twice the size of the older lions.'
Kael focused on the other parts and realized that there were more corpses on the lion's side, which he had initially thought were its companions.
In the next second, the lion opened its mouth, revealing the big, razor-sharp fangs that easily ripped apart the dead lions' bodies.
'So, it even does cannibalism.'
Kael considered his chances of winning against the orange-furred lion and realized they were low.
Just to be sure, Kael asked, 'Alpha, what do you think of that lion?'
[It is a Flameclaw Lion, Unusual Tier Evolution of Lions. Its strength is equal to that of D-Rank Monsters and might even be higher, as it is technically a lesser Elemental Beast.]
'It controls the fire element,' Kael guessed.
After thinking for a moment, he gave up on fighting the Flameclaw Lion. There was a high risk of defeat, and the rewards weren't enough to compensate for that.
'If this is the evolved one, then I need to find the other Alpha. Heh, I can tame him by giving him the strength to defeat this big guy.'