Chapter 315: Crows Are So Cute
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 315: Crows Are So Cute
"Damn it, these wretched bugs and snakes are so annoying!"
In the same forest, but in a dim corner where the starlight could not reach, Ariel kicked away a Variant that had tried to ambush her, her teeth gritted in frustration.
It wasn't just the difficult terrain and the constant harassment from venomous insects and Variants that irritated her. She had been in this forest for over ten hours now, and not only had she failed to find any trace of Liya, but she was also beginning to lose her own sense of direction.
As her master had said, trying to find a single person in this vast forest was truly like looking for a needle in a haystack.
"But... why hasn't Liya called me on the transmission stone?"
Ariel gripped her transmission stone tightly. She had hoped countless times that it would ring, and she had tried just as many times to connect to that familiar frequency, but so far, there had been nothing but silence.
This was highly unusual. Although her master mentioned that the Calamity’s influence could cut off the sensory abilities of powerful experts, a transmission stone wasn't a form of sensory perception. It shouldn't fall under that category of interference—the fact that Ariel’s own stone still worked was proof enough.
Besides, with Liya’s soft and timid personality, her first instinct upon encountering such an emergency should have been to contact Ariel immediately. How could there have been no word for this long?
"Could it be... that something really did happen?"
Anxiety spread through her heart, and Ariel quickened her pace.
Suddenly, her gaze sharpened as she looked toward a patch of grass nearby.
A flicker of doubt and solemnity crossed her eyes, but eventually, she walked over slowly and picked up an object that looked entirely out of place in its surroundings.
It was a pendant, crafted from jade in the shape of an exquisite crescent moon.
However, the faint trace of mana emanating from it revealed that it was no ordinary piece of jewelry.
It was a magic device—a spatial magic device.
Unfortunately, it was ruined. There was a clear chip in the crescent moon, and whatever had been stored inside had likely been lost through the breach. Now, it was nothing more than a useless shell.
But Ariel found it familiar. No, more than familiar.
She used to see this spatial magic device every single day.
It was Liya’s. She always wore it hanging from her waist.
"How... how can this be?"
The hand Ariel used to hold the device began to tremble. This was Liya’s personal magic device. While Ariel knew she had another spatial ring for her most precious treasures, the loss of such a personal item was an omen in itself.
"Does this mean... Liya really..."
Ariel’s dark thoughts intensified, threatening to shake her resolve.
"Ariel, calm down!"
Suddenly, her master’s voice rang out in her ear.
"Feel it carefully. There are traces of spatial magic on it. This might have been lost during a spatial teleportation. That little girl isn't necessarily in danger."
"Is... is that so?"
Ariel snapped out of it, her eyes refocusing on the pendant.
Indeed, if she felt carefully, she could sense a chaotic mana signature on the device.
Normal teleportation wouldn't damage a magic device, but it was a different story if a "chaos" attribute had been maliciously added to the spatial magic.
In that twisted, chaotic space, spatial magic devices would be the first to suffer. Liya’s pendant was only used for everyday items and was of average quality; it was perfectly normal for it to be damaged under those circumstances.
If that were the case, it would also explain why Liya hadn't contacted her via the transmission stone.
It seemed she had been overthinking things.
But...
As a cold wind blew past, Ariel’s heart leaped into her throat again.
The forest at night was so cold.
So dark.
And with no food, she was so hungry.
If she felt this way, how miserable must Liya be? Liya, who had lost her belongings and was likely shivering in some pitch-black corner, cold and hungry like a little white rabbit, calling Ariel’s name over and over again.
With no one to help her, she would be so pitiful, weak, and helpless.
"No, I can't slack off. I have to keep going!"
Ariel pulled out a piece of black bread so hard it could knock out a magical beast and took several aggressive bites. After a quick energy boost, she summoned her resolve and set off once more to find Liya.
*
"How was it? Did you sleep well?"
The moment Liya opened her eyes, she heard that gentle voice by her ear.
Her consciousness was still a bit hazy, but she nodded instinctively.
She was still leaning in the same spot as before, with a freshly stoked campfire crackling in front of her.
It was strange. Despite being in such an unfamiliar and dangerous environment—and despite not even lying down, but merely leaning against a tree—she had slept with extraordinary peace and sweetness last night.
Was it because...
As if remembering something, Liya instinctively pulled the coat that was still draped over her shoulders a little tighter, briefly hiding her face in the crook of her arm.
Then, she quickly looked up.
"This... here is your coat back."
"Keep it on for now. It's quite chilly in the morning."
"But what about you..."
"I just went for a quick scout. I worked up a bit of a sweat, so I'm actually quite warm. I don't need it."
Muen smiled and handed Liya a skewer.
"Breakfast is a bit makeshift. It's just more of yesterday's octopus meat, but I grilled it with some wild berries. I'm not sure how it tastes."
"...Thank you."
Liya pursed her lips and took the skewer. It was a mix of meat and fruit, and the colors had clearly been arranged with care, looking quite vibrant with its reds and greens. She blinked and took a small bite.
Sweet juice mingled with tender meat, exploding in her mouth. The flavor was...
"It's good. Very good."
Liya’s eyes lit up slightly.
"It tastes like grilled meat with spices and tomato sauce."
"I'm glad you like it."
Seeing that the girl enjoyed it, Muen felt satisfied. He settled for a simple meal of the "scraps" left over from the night before. Since they were in a survival situation, he couldn't expect his usual top-tier steak, red wine, and creamy cod soup.
After eating his fill, Muen stood by the lake and looked out.
A light morning mist drifted over the water. While not overly thick, it shrouded the trees on the far side in a hazy veil, making them look even more daunting.
"The road ahead might be even harder to travel," Muen mused, rubbing his chin.
"Still, after all that commotion last night, things turned out to be remarkably peaceful afterward."
"It's been a whole day, and nothing has happened."
"Based on the timeline, that shouldn't be right."
"Could it be... those guys really expect me to just starve to death in this forest? Or maybe..."
Caw—!
A harsh crow’s cry interrupted Muen’s thoughts.
A massive crow, half the height of a man, folded its wings and landed on the floating carcass of the octopus in the middle of the lake. Its crimson eyes met Muen’s gaze without a hint of fear.
It tilted its head, looked toward a seemingly empty spot nearby, and then fixed its gaze back on Muen.
"That's... that's a huge crow," Liya exclaimed, having walked up beside Muen.
Dozens of large crows had now landed on the massive octopus corpse, shamelessly claiming the spoils that didn't belong to them. They hopped around excitedly, feasting greedily, seemingly indifferent to the fact that Muen, the rightful owner of the kill, was standing right there.
"Is this a Variant too? It's certainly not afraid of people."
Muen shook his head with a smile, intending to ignore or at least not disturb these relatively harmless "indigenous people" of the forest.
"Let's go."
Muen led Liya, preparing to leave.
But just then...
Caw—!
The crow that had locked eyes with Muen suddenly flapped its wings and charged straight at him.
The half-man-tall crow spread its wings, reaching a span of at least two or three meters. Combined with its incredible speed, its momentum was terrifying.
"Do you only like fragrant, beautiful girls too?"
Muen’s expression darkened. He gripped the magic daggers at his waist, dropping into a defensive stance.
The crow lunged forward, its massive wings kicking up a gale like a bolt of black lightning.
However, just as it was about to reach Muen, it suddenly veered off in a feint, vanishing into the nearby woods in an instant.
"Huh?"
Muen was bewildered.
What was that crow playing at?
Was it just having fun?
But in the next heartbeat...
Muen turned his head. In the gust of wind kicked up by those wings, he caught a scent that was different.
And...
Killing intent!
In an instant, his Death Premonition screamed in his mind. Muen’s pupils constricted as he stepped directly in front of Liya.
"Get back!"
Simultaneously, Muen crossed his blades in front of him—Parry!
Clang!
A crisp, sharp collision rang out, as if an invisible blade had swung out from the void. The terrifying force made Muen’s hands go numb, even though he had exerted his full strength in that split second.
Cold sweat beaded on Muen’s forehead. If that crow hadn't forced him to react in time, the sneak attack might have actually succeeded.
"Who is it!" Muen barked. "Show yourself!"
"Tsk."
Amidst the gradually distorting light, a man with a sinister face slowly appeared. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and looked to the side.
"Your concealment magic isn't up to snuff, Fullar."
"My magic is perfect."
Beside him, a woman holding a magic wand revealed herself. She cast a deep, disgusted glance at Barton.
"If not for that crow, Muen Campbell wouldn't have noticed a thing before he died."
"Damn crows."
Barton spat forcefully on the ground, then turned to look at the flock of crows scattering from the lake. He snarled, "I'm going to eat every last one of you eventually."
Caw—!
Caw—!
The crows circled as they fled, leaving behind some "fresh breakfast" on the enraged Barton’s head.
"So you're the pursuers this time?"
Muen narrowed his eyes at the two of them, his voice cold. "You don't look particularly..."
"Ha! One billion! One billion is right in front of me!"
Before Muen could finish, another voice rang out from behind him, cutting off his retreat.
The man known as Hyena bared his teeth, his expression ecstatic. His eyes were so bloodshot he looked like he had just worked a month of overtime straight.
"Soon, I'll have a billion. And with that billion, I'll become stronger, buy more weapons, and kill more people! Hahahaha!"
"Ah, what a tragic sight."
At the same time, Muen felt a jolt of alarm. Without him noticing at all, a priest with a merciful expression had knelt on the shore not far away. Holding a Holy Scripture, he prayed sincerely toward the octopus carcass in the lake.
"A creature stained with sin should meet the purification of my Lord, not the pollution of a sinner. Great Lord, please forgive my incompetence for failing to send it to your Divine Kingdom sooner..."
"..."
Muen took a deep breath, momentarily unable to find any witty retort.
Even the fleeing crows knew exactly what kind of crisis he was facing.
Four people in total.
Now that they were exposed, they made no effort to hide their terrifying auras, acting like cats toying with a mouse.
"Two Fourth-Tier Martial Artists, one Sublimation-Tier Mage, and..."
Muen glanced sideways at the priest.
"One ordinary person who doesn't seem to have anything special about him at all."
"Heh, such a luxurious lineup... you really think highly of a lowly Second-Tier like me..."