Chapter 206: The Legacy of Witch Heluram (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 206: The Legacy of Witch Heluram (2)
August 15, 1797.
Jin and his party stood in the middle of the Black Sea, poring over their map in frustration.
Ten days had passed since their arrival. In that time, they had torn, slashed, and bludgeoned their way through over three hundred monsters, and the food they had reserved for the return journey was running dangerously low.
There was nothing fit for human consumption in the Black Sea.
Since Jin possessed the Ten Thousand Poison Liquor, eating monsters wouldn't be a problem for him. As dragons, Murakan and Quicantel could also consume creatures with weak toxicity. However, no one in their right mind would choose to make a meal out of a monster.
"Damn it, even with a map, this is no easy feat. Why can't I see the stone pillar marked here? I'm sure we're in the right area. Is this map wrong?"
"We’ve found our way just fine until now, so the map must be accurate. My father and the former Black Knights weren't sloppy enough to make a mistake."
"It’s frustrating that we can't just fly up and check."
In the Black Sea, even dragons were unable to fly at high altitudes, with the exception of a few specific monster species. This was because the pitch-black clouds blanketing the sky rained down a potent toxin capable of melting even dragon scales like chocolate.
If dragons could fly freely here, the former Black Knights would never have needed to go through the painstaking effort of creating a map in the first place.
"And I think that stone pillar might be that one over there," Jin said, pointing toward a pit ahead of them. "Unlike the others, this pillar on the map has a circle drawn around it."
It was a massive crater, looking as if the moon itself had descended and then risen once more. It was easily over a hundred meters deep, and a solitary stone pillar rose tall from its center.
The map Vanessa had given Jin was an early prototype. On top of that, much of the information had been intentionally obscured, making it difficult to read even for an expert in land navigation.
"Hmm, looks like you're right."
"Gods, how are we supposed to get down there? I’m not feeling too good about this, sir," Jet said nervously.
"Don't worry, Jet. Getting down is the easy part."
The toxic clouds only lingered in the upper atmosphere. The party descended into the pit on the back of Murakan, who had transformed into his true dragon form.
Up close, the pillar was even more massive than they had imagined. And contrary to their expectations, it wasn't just an ordinary stone pillar.
It was a nest. The pillar was a giant nesting ground for the 'Colgia,' a species of flying monster native to the Black Sea.
"Kieeeek!"
"Kiiiik!"
Suddenly, crevices in the stone pillar split open as a swarm of Colgia let out piercing screeches. In an instant, they blanketed the sky, their numbers appearing to exceed several hundred.
Jin and Casimir quickly drew their weapons, but Quicantel raised a hand, signaling for them to stand down.
"Stay still. Murakan will handle it."
[How dare you...]
Murakan’s eyes glowed as he gathered his Breath. Darkness swirled between his parted jaws, ready to blast forward at any second.
Thanks to the growth of Jin’s Spirit Energy, Murakan had become incomparably more powerful than when he had first awakened.
VROOOM—!
The moment the Breath was unleashed, more than half of the Colgia vanished without a trace. Even Jin stared at Murakan in surprise at the sheer power, while Casimir and Jet stood with their mouths agape.
For a moment, the entire area was plunged into darkness.
This wasn't a figure of speech. For a moment, everyone but Jin found their vision had gone completely black. The sheer density of Spirit Energy in the Breath had flooded the entire pit.
The Colgia that hadn't been hit by the initial blast were torn apart within the swirling darkness. Not a single scrap of flesh fell to the ground; the Colgia, who had appeared so menacingly just moments before, were annihilated in an instant.
"There's a reason they called him the strongest in his prime," Quicantel remarked, giving a light round of applause as the Spirit Energy dissipated. Casimir and Jet followed suit, their mouths still hanging open.
"Hmph. Even so, this is a mere drop in the bucket compared to my peak."
"T-This is a drop in the bucket? I couldn't believe my eyes. I was wondering if this was the same Murakan-nim who cracks jokes with us every day. Don't you agree, Sir Casimir?"
"Uh, yeah... definitely. But Murakan-nim, if you had this kind of power, why did you let Quicantel-nim and me kill almost all the monsters until now?"
"Are you questioning me right now?"
"No, sir! I just said it because you looked so cool."
"It’s strange. My power is returning far too slowly compared to how fast the kid is growing..." Murakan smacked his lips, dissatisfied with the power of the Breath he had just displayed, regardless of Casimir and Jet’s amazement.
"Considering your heart was shattered, isn't it returning quite well?"
"The kid’s Spirit Energy has reached 6-star. My power should have recovered to at least sixty percent by now."
"You're asking for too much. You should be grateful you're even breathing."
"I need to look into it. My recovery is definitely slower than I expected."
"Then try looking for your sister."
"Ha, I'd rather not run into that if I can help it."
"Then what do you want me to do?"
While Murakan and Quicantel bickered, Jin and the others examined the map.
"According to this, we need to pass through a canyon and cross a river labeled 'Molos.' Then we’ll have arrived. If we walk briskly, we should reach it by tonight—as long as we don't run into too many more monsters."
"Then let's aim for tonight. Once we're there, we'll make sure Jin gets a good night's sleep. We don't know what kind of creature Heluram raised, so it's best to face it in peak condition. You were told to defeat it, right?"
Fortunately, no monsters appeared as they passed through the canyon or crossed the Molos River.
This was because the monsters living nearby had developed an instinctual understanding that approaching the Molos River meant certain 'death.' That instinct had been beaten into the local fauna over many years, as Cyron and the former Black Knights had systematically slaughtered any monster that strayed too close while managing Heluram’s creature.
Unaware of this fact, the party advanced with ease. Thanks to the clear path, Jin and his companions reached their destination by evening.
What greeted them was a forest of sorts.
"A forest?"
According to public knowledge, there were no trees in the Black Sea. It was known only as a land of rocks, volcanoes, and toxic swamps and rivers.
That information, however, was incorrect.
There were numerous forests in the Black Sea. The one they were looking at now was merely one of them; the map created by the Black Knights marked over ten such forests.
Of course, it was entirely different from a forest in the outside world. The thorns of the trees, filled with deadly poison, were sharper than spearheads, and their leaves were lined with jagged 'mouths.'
These thorn trees were packed so tightly that they left only enough space for a single person to squeeze through.
"Gah!"
Jet, who had mindlessly approached a tree at the forest's entrance, scrambled backward with a gasp. He had seen a leaf at chest height open its mouth to reveal sharp fangs. Clang! The sound of the mouth snapping shut was like swords clashing.
If he had put a finger near it... the thought sent a shiver down his spine.
"W-What kind of bizarre forest is this? Are we really supposed to send the Young Lord in there alone?"
"Move aside."
Quicantel stepped past Jet and into the forest. She snapped the thorn trees with her bare fists as if they were twigs and used magic to incinerate the leaves.
It wasn't long, however, before she returned to her companions with a grimace.
"The air grows thick with toxins just a short way in. You'd need the Ten Thousand Poison Liquor or an equivalent resistance to survive in there, just like Vanessa said. This is unsettling. What kind of monster lives in a place like this?"
The party still hadn't deduced the identity of the creature Heluram was said to have raised. She had kept more than one or two, and most had been killed by the masters or dragons of that era.
"Whatever it is, they gave him the map because it's a monster the kid can handle," Murakan mused. "But I don't know what kind of reward he's supposed to get for killing it. An inner core? Those are useless to humans."
A monster's inner core was a panacea for dragons, but it had no effect on humans.
"You just said it's a monster Jin can beat, and now you're talking about an inner core?" Quicantel shot back. "How is Jin supposed to take down a monster that possesses an inner core by himself?"
Monsters with inner cores were typically so powerful that dragons had to form subjugation squads to hunt them. Furthermore, such monsters possessed egos and intelligence, usually living in hiding to avoid drawing attention.
"True, you have a point. Anyway, Jet! Pitch the tent and prepare a meal. Even if we have to eat less on the way back, we need to feed the kid well tonight and tomorrow morning. You understand?"
"I'll use plenty of dried meat and meat powder, sir!"
"We're already low on food; you don't need to go that far," Jin said.
"Quicantel and I can eat monsters if we have to, so don't you worry about it. Just eat up."
Early the next morning, the companions decided to wait for Jin in front of the forest. Jin, meanwhile, readied several spells in anticipation of the fight.
Then, he strode into the forest. He slashed through the thorn trees with his sword and burned a path with magic, so advancing wasn't a major issue.
'The toxins start from here.'
From the point where the poisonous air began, the thorn trees were no longer as dense as they were at the entrance. Instead, a thick miasma made breathing difficult; without the Ten Thousand Poison Liquor, he wouldn't have lasted a minute.
He walked for a long time. The interior of the forest had a peculiar structure.
It was like a mix of plains and woods. He would cross a plain where perfectly round rocks—clearly carved by artificial means—were scattered about, and once he passed it, the thorn forest would begin again. Then came another plain.
The forest was divided into distinct sections.
Plains with rolling round rocks, alternating with patches of forest. As he walked, Jin pondered the difference between the two zones.
'Why is it divided like this? Did the Black Knights carve these rocks into spheres? But for what purpose?'
Even if the trees were a natural feature of the Black Sea, the round rocks seemed utterly useless. Were they objects used in some kind of ritual?
He continued forward, letting his imagination run wild. Three hours had passed since he entered the forest, and his irritation was mounting. He had seen nothing but round rocks and hideous thorn trees, with no sign of any monster.
Then, as he absentmindedly glanced down, something he hadn't seen before caught his eye.
'...What is this?'
It was fur.
Thick, black, and soft—so soft it seemed entirely out of place in this toxic thorn forest. Jin instinctively followed the trail of fur on the ground.
And when he reached the fifteenth plain, he finally understood.
Jin realized who had made the 'round rocks' and what purpose they served.
[Meow.]
In the middle of the plain, a cat was playing, batting a rock around. The only problem was that, unlike a real cat, it was roughly the same size as Murakan in his true dragon form.
It was Witch Heluram’s cat.