Of course, Rin wasn't a reckless hothead. The more important reason for her determination to just rush in was that the thing on the other side didn't make her feel any sense of danger... With Rin's current perception ability, if something could threaten her life, whether it was a living or dead object, she would feel uneasy and subconsciously want to avoid it, just like when the old aozaki ambushed her without warning in the dragon source, Rin unconsciously dodged it.
Moreover, the faint, almost imperceptible vibration just now reminded Rin of something still present in her body: the Jeweled Sword! That extraordinary Magecraft Mystic Code gifted to her by "God," equipped with the Second Magic. And the Second Magic precisely involves the domain of space. If the Second Magic resonates with this thing, then this thing is most likely related to the Second Magus.
The moment her body rushed through, the other side immediately reacted, like a whirlpool, sucking her in instantly!
Rin didn't even have time to exclaim, only feeling a dizzying sensation, as if in a dream or half-awake. A moment later, her mind finally cleared. She opened her eyes and looked ahead, and was immediately stunned.
The environment wasn't much different from before, still the same forest, but visually there was a shock, and that was... vastness, boundless vastness!
Well, for example, the smallest tree around Rin, any leaf on its branch, if it fell, could completely cover Rin. And a small plant (well, it should be grass) by the roadside, was two heads taller than Rin... She specifically measured it, it was about two and a half heads taller.
Looking up at the towering trees that seemed to reach endlessly into the sky, Rin was completely shocked. A gentle breeze blew, the leaves swayed, making huge rustling sounds that felt like the sky was falling and the earth was collapsing to Rin, especially some of the "fair-weather friends" that would completely bend down with the wind, making Rin feel like a "utility pole" was crashing down on her.
Uh, where exactly is this place? Giant country or did I shrink?
Rin said she completely couldn't understand. Suddenly arriving in such a place, although her confidence in her own strength didn't make her particularly afraid, she still felt a little uneasy.
Well, in this current Nasuverse, the jewel old man and I still have some connection, so he shouldn't make things difficult for me. Maybe I can even get some benefits. The Fifth Magus is Aoko now, so unless what's ahead is Dead Apostle level 27, there shouldn't be anyone in this Nasuverse who can threaten my life. If I can't beat them, I can always run, right?
Relying on her solid strength, Rin began to venture into the incredibly mysterious forest.
She looked back, behind her was an endless forest, and she found no existence similar to the spatial fluctuation from just now.
Although, according to normal physical phenomena, she could return to the original few oak trees by just walking three meters back, it was clear that this place could not be described by the word "normal." Rin was as if thrown from the sky, and that portal-like thing was clearly one-way... meaning, you can get in, but you can't get out!
"Forget it." With a sigh, Rin threw a shoe, chose a direction, and walked forward. Although she seemed to have escaped the previous strange forest, the situation hadn't improved much; it was just a change of environment. She left one forest and found herself exploring an even larger forest.
"The trees are incredibly huge, I hope the creatures here aren't that big."
Rin murmured involuntarily. But luckily, Rin was very glad that she didn't have a Word of Power attribute, wasn't a common protagonist in those third-rate novels, and didn't encounter a mouse as big as an elephant or a fly as big as an eagle, thus triggering a dramatic human-beast battle. Or, encountering a female giant a dozen meters tall and being picked up by her and placed between her breasts as a mascot...
In short, whether it was good or bad, Rin encountered nothing. In fact, she didn't even encounter a single living creature. As she walked, aside from the occasional sound of the wind, the entire world was silent, as if devoid of life.
At this point, Rin slowly realized something was wrong. She thought of a serious problem: if there were no other creatures here, what was she supposed to eat? As King Saber said, hunger is the greatest enemy! Everything else is empty talk when you can't eat your fill!
However, this worry disappeared ten minutes later, because just as Rin rounded a corner onto a small path, she clearly saw a little girl sitting alone beneath a mushroom as large as a pavilion, hugging her knees and staring blankly at her feet.
(Well, Author, I just complained about not having anything to eat, and you throw out a little loli. What is the meaning of this?)
Looking at her, Rin immediately stopped, astonishment filling her heart.
The little girl opposite seemed to sense Rin's gaze, looked up, and the instant she saw Lin Luo, her eyes widened, showing a look of even greater surprise than Rin's.
Although Rin didn't know what the little girl was thinking, she could see an expression on her face that clearly read, "Why is this person here?"... For a moment, neither of them spoke, they just stared at each other, as if they were opponents about to engage in a life-or-death battle, testing the other's strength.
The little girl opposite was probably thirteen or fourteen years old, exquisitely beautiful, and if judged purely by appearance, she could almost stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Rin. She had long, beautiful golden hair that reached her waist and cascaded over her shoulders, and like King Saber, she had a cute Ahoge sticking up from her head. She wore a white sleeveless short shirt on her upper body, exposing her fair and tender arms, while the collar was embroidered with black lace, creating a harmonious black and white contrast. For her lower body, she wore a black long skirt and silver leather shoes.
Although she was a very cute loli, Rin was ultimately not that bad, and their eyes met. Even though they were several meters apart, Rin could still see that the little girl's vermilion eyes were as deep as an abyss, seemingly capable of sucking in a person's soul.
Rin found it incredible that such a cute loli would appear in a place like this, and she raised her guard. Even with confidence in her perception abilities, she couldn't be careless; nobody could guarantee that perception alone would allow her to avoid every danger.
The only thing that reassured Rin was that the cute, fair loli opposite did not possess the aura of a non-human or strange entity; instead, she gave off a feeling close to nature.
Although she wasn't an ordinary person, she shouldn't be an evil, wicked, or defiled entity, Rin thought to herself. So, Rin walked forward and smiled slightly at the little girl, "Hello."
"Hello." The little girl stood up from the ground, dusted herself off, and bowed to Rin. Her mannerisms were elegant and practiced, making her seem like a well-educated noble.
Although the little girl's etiquette was proper and respectful, Rin sensed a coldness beneath the humility—a demeanor that kept people thousands of miles away, suggesting she still maintained a degree of wariness toward Rin.
This was natural, as anyone with a bit of intelligence would be wary of a stranger suddenly appearing in such an eerie place. If Rin hadn't sensed any death aura or malice, she might have been even more guarded than the girl. Even now, beneath Rin's outwardly gentle smile, she still maintained her vigilance.
Speaking of which, the naturally willful type who instantly becomes familiar, like Aoko, is quite rare.
Previously, Rin was worried about finding someone to talk to, so naturally, she wouldn't let go of this chance to meet an intelligent life form (no one could guarantee she was human). Furthermore, since the other party was such a cute pink loli, Rin subconsciously wanted to build a good relationship with her.
So Rin walked closer to her and showed a friendly smile, "Don't be afraid. I'm not a bad person and I won't hurt you. I just accidentally came into this forest and got lost. My name is Tohsaka Rin, a Magus from the Tohsaka Family of Fuyuki. What is your name? Can you tell me?"
The little girl scrutinized Rin for a moment, a hint of curiosity flashing in her eyes. Perhaps because of Rin's honesty or because she sensed no malice, the girl's somewhat cold expression gradually softened. After a moment of hesitation, she finally whispered, "My name is... Al."
Al? Judging by her demeanor, that wasn't her real name. This Al was definitely not simple.
Rin searched her memory carefully for a while but found no character matching this name, appearance, or temperament. It was a pity that such an elf-like girl with the aura of an absolute protagonist did not exist at all in Rin's memory of the stories within the Nasuverse.
Sure enough, this world was very mysterious, with too many things yet to be uncovered. After all, the original plot was just a few stories conducted under the Nasuverse's worldview, but this was a complete world.
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