C206 - The Legacy of Witch Heluram (2)
August 15, 1797.
Jin and his group stood in the middle of the Black Sea, staring at the map intently.
It had been ten days since they arrived at the Black Sea, and they had killed over three hundred demonic creatures by tearing them apart, stabbing them, or beating them, and they were running out of food for the journey back.
There was nothing suitable for human consumption in the Black Sea.
Since Jin had the Thousand-Poison Antidote Potion, there was no problem in eating demons, and Murakan and Quikantel were Dragons, so they could eat less toxic species, but there was no one in the world who would want to fill their stomach by eating demons.
"Damn it, finding the way even with a map seems to be no easy task. Why can't we see that stone pillar indicated here on the map? It should be around here. Could it be that the map is wrong?"
"We've been doing fine so far, so it must be the correct map. I don't think my father and the Black Knights of the Previous Generation would have done it carelessly."
"I can't even fly to check, it's frustrating."
In the Black Sea, apart from a few types of demons, even if they are dragons, they cannot fly at high altitude. This is because a deadly toxin that melts dragon scales like chocolate rains in the dense clouds that cover the sky. If there were land where dragons could fly, the Black Knights of the Previous Generation wouldn't have worked so hard to create a map.
"And what about that stone pillar? As indicated on the map, this stone pillar has a circle drawn around it, unlike the others."
Jin pointed his finger at the pit ahead.
It was a giant pit as if the moon had come out and then reappeared. At first glance, it seemed to have a depth that easily exceeded 100 meters, and a tall stone pillar stood in the middle of it.
The map Vanessa had given Jin was of the "primitive" type. Even experts who mastered the art of reading would have difficulty deciphering it because it intentionally concealed many parts.
"Hmm, it seems to be correct."
"But how are we supposed to descend? Remember, I'm the weakest one here."
"Don't worry, Jet. Descending is easy."
The toxic clouds were only in the sky. The group descended on the backs of Murakan, who had transformed into their original form.
Up close, the pillar was even more massive than they expected, and it wasn't just any stone pillar.
It was a nest. The pillar was the enormous nest of the flying demon called "Kolgia" that inhabited the Black Sea.
"Kieeeeeeek!"
"Kiiik!"
Suddenly, cracks in the stone pillar opened, and a multitude of Kolgias emitted a deafening scream. In the blink of an eye, it seemed like hundreds of them covered the sky.
Jin and Kashimir quickly drew their weapons, but Quikantel raised a hand as a warning.
"Stay still, Murakan will take care of this."
[How dare they...]
Murakan gathered his breath with shining eyes. The darkness gathered between his open jaws seemed like it would shoot forward at any moment.
Thanks to Jin's enhanced Shadow Energy, Murakan was stronger than he had been when he first awakened.
Chiiing...!
With a burst of breath, more than half of the Kolgias vanished without a trace. Even Jin stared at Murakan in awe of his power, while Kashimir and Jet stood dumbfounded.
For a moment, the entire area was engulfed in darkness.
It wasn't just a figure of speech; the other team members, apart from Jin, realized that darkness was actually surrounding them.
The Shadow Energy contained in his breath had completely covered the inside of the pit they were standing in.
Even the Kolgias that hadn't been touched by the first breath were being torn apart in the darkness. Not a single piece of flesh fell to the ground, and the Kolgias that had emerged so forcefully soon vanished without a trace.
"That guy wasn't called the strongest for nothing in the past."
Quikantel applauded enthusiastically as the aura cleared. Kashimir and Jet followed suit, still in awe.
"Hmph, even so, this doesn't compare to how it used to be."
"T-This doesn't compare to how you used to be? In my case, I just couldn't believe what I was seeing, wondering if this was the same Murakan-nim who used to joke with us every day, right, Lord Kashimir?"
"W-Well, yes. Oh, but Murakan-nim, why did you let me and Quikantel kill almost all the demons if you have so much power?"
"Are you criticizing me?"
"No, I just said it because I found it impressive."
"It's strange, the speed at which my power returns is too slow compared to how quickly the kid is getting stronger."
To Kashimir and Jet's surprise, Murakan seemed dissatisfied, as if he didn't like the power of the breath he had just unleashed.
"Even at your worst, you're doing quite well."
"The kid's Shadow Energy has reached the sixth star, logically, shouldn't my strength return to 60%?"
"You ask for too much, you should be grateful to be alive."
"I'll have to investigate that, I'm certainly recovering slower than I thought."
"Then you should look for your sister."
"Hah, I'd rather not encounter her if possible."
"What do you mean by that?"
While Murakan and Quikantel argued, Jin and his companions studied the map.
"According to the map, we have to cross the pit and go over a river called Molos to get there. We should arrive tonight if we walk fast, assuming we encounter the same number of demons as we have so far."
"Then let's aim to arrive tonight and let Jin rest well for a night. We don't know what kind of demon Heluram raised, so we should face it in the best condition. Didn't she say to defeat it?"
Fortunately, no Demon crossed the pit or crossed the Molos River.
This was due to the nearby Demons' perception that if they approached the Molos River, they would die.
This perception was due to the fact that Cyron and the former Black Knights had been killing Demons in that area for a long time.
The group continued forward unaware of this and was able to reach their destination comfortably. Thanks to that, Jin and his companions arrived at their destination around nighttime.
What greeted them was a kind of forest.
"A forest?"
It was known in the world that there were no trees in the Black Sea, only a land composed of rocks, volcanoes, and swamps, with rivers filled with poison.
But that was false.
There were many forests in the Black Sea. The one they were seeing now was just one of them, and there were more than a dozen on the map made by the Black Knights.
Naturally, they looked nothing like the forests outside. The thorns of the poisonous trees were sharper than spear tips, and the leaves had "spikes" attached to them.
Those bushes filled the entire place, leaving only a small space for a person to pass through.
"Hic!"
"Jet carelessly approached a tree at the entrance of the forest and recoiled as he saw the leaves, reaching chest height, open their maws, revealing their sharp fangs. Cang! At the same time, the sound of the fangs closing was heard."
If only he had touched it... The thought sent shivers down his spine.
"What, what is this strange forest? Should I enter there alone?"
"Come with me."
Quikantel passed by Jet and entered the forest. She broke through the thorny bushes with her fist and burned the leaves with magic as if it were nothing.
However, it didn't take long before she returned to where her companions were.
"It's filled with poison inside. We would need something like a Thousand-Poison Antidote Potion or at least a similar resistance. As Vanessa said, it's concerning. What kind of creature lives in a place like this?"
The group still hadn't discovered the identity of the Demon that Heluram had raised. They were not just one or two, and most of them had been killed by powerful individuals of the time or by dragons.
"Whatever it was, it was a creature the kid could defeat, that's why Vanessa gave him the map, but I don't see what the reward for killing it is. Could it be the Inner Core (내단)? That wouldn't be useful for the brat."
The Inner Core of a demon was considered an elixir for dragons, but it had no effect on humans.
"You said it was a creature Jin could defeat, but an Inner Core? How does Jin plan to defeat a creature with an Inner Core?"
Demons with Inner Cores were often the target of organized hunts by groups of Dragons. Moreover, this type of creature hid itself to avoid being detected by people due to possessing an ability and consciousness beyond that of normal demons.
"Well, that's true. Anyway, Jet! Prepare the tents and food. Even if we have to eat less, we must make sure to feed Jin well tonight and tomorrow morning. Do you understand what I mean?"
"I'll use a lot of jerky and wheat flour."
"We don't need to do that; we're already short on food."
"Quikantel and I will be out hunting and eating whatever we find around, so don't worry and eat."
The next morning, early.
The companions decided to wait at the edge of the forest while Jin prepared some spells in case of a fight.
He then started advancing further into the forest. Jin cut through the thorns with his sword and lit a fire with magic, so there were no issues with progress.
"This is where the poison begins."
From the area where the poison started, there weren't as many thorns as in the beginning. Instead, the poison was dense and oppressive, and one wouldn't have lasted a minute there without the Immunity Potion.
He walked for a while. The interior of the forest had a rather unique structure.
It seemed like a mix of plains and forests. There were perfectly round rocks that were clearly carved on the plains, and after passing through them, the thorn forest began again...
It was a forest divided into sections like that.
A plain with boulders and a forest. As Jin walked, he pondered on the difference between the two areas.
"Why are they separated like this? Were the Black Knights the ones who carved the round rocks? But why did they carve them?"
Although the trees could be derived from the Black Sea, the round rocks seemed utterly useless.
Something used in some kind of ritual?
He advanced with all sorts of imagination. Although three hours had already passed since he entered the forest, there were no signs of monsters, only round rocks and dreadful thorny bushes, which made him increasingly irritated.
But then, without thinking, he looked down and saw something he hadn't seen before.
"Is this...?"
It was hair.
Thick black hair filled with poison, which didn't match the thorn forest at all. Jin followed the hair that naturally fell to the ground and found the fifteenth plain.
That was when Jin realized who made the "round rocks" and what they were used for.
[Nyaa]
In the middle of a plain, a cat was playing by rolling a rock. However, the problem was that it wasn't a real cat but a demon with an appearance similar to Murakhan when he transformed into a cat.
It was the Witch Heluram's cat.