Adam and Katrin walked slowly forward, looking around, expecting that Scarlet Pyromancer might have sensed their presence by now.
However, so far, not a single monster had attacked them. This wasn't surprising though, for despite its appearance, Black Cinder Forest was a peaceful area, but... there was one exception.
"When any of the volcanoes start erupting, this place gets fucked up. Moreover, that's why Scarlet Pyromancer should be somewhere near the volcano we're going to." Katrin said confidently, stepping forward.
Crackle.
Something cracked beneath Katrin's feet as she lost her balance. A few old monster bones that she had accidentally broken were holding onto a patch of ash that quickly began to crumble into a deep hole.
Such places were left here because of the monsters that hid underground and dug long tunnels to drag their victims there.
The monster that Katrin had killed had tried to do something like that, and it was obviously not the best solution for this already dead creature.
Katrin's eyes narrowed as she abruptly turned around, about to stab her staff into the ground to keep from falling.
This pit could be empty, or it could be filled with monsters that would immediately attack her and drag her away in an unknown direction. Thus, Katrin had to act quickly.
Tap.
However, before she could stab her staff into the ground, a strong hand grabbed her wrist, instantly throwing her to the other side.
Katrin somersaulted and landed on two feet. She let out a sigh and looked at Adam, slightly surprised. She didn't expect him to give her help so quickly.
"Hey, be careful. That hole is pretty freaking deep. Damn, I didn't notice it was here at all." Adam muttered, rubbing his chin. He looked down thoughtfully, where it seemed there was nothing but darkness.
Katrin snorted.
"I could have done it without you. Don't expect me to thank you."
Adam glanced at her, then shrugged nonchalantly. He would have been surprised if Katrin had given him a different reaction.
Then, Katrin approached Adam, staring into the hole.
In the territories close to the Citadel, everything was somewhat artificial, because the powerful Phantoms had interfered. That was why there were rookie territories where all monsters stronger than Green Threat Level were slaughtered.
Stronger monsters were afraid to enter the beginner area and there was no point. Due to the lack of strong monsters there, anomalies rarely appeared and this caused a gradual decrease in energy throughout the area making it unattractive to strong monsters.
However, the farther away from the Citadel the weaker the Phantoms' influence on the territory division between monsters.
Some White Threat Monsters could live in a Purple Threat Level territory, but in a poor area where there was very little energy.
Despite wanting a better place, it was impossible, because the stronger monsters defended their areas and wouldn't allow the weaker ones to enter.
This was not the personal territories of these monsters, but a kind of unspoken agreement between them.
For example, the Black Cinder Forest was an area for Purple Threat Monsters, so if Green or Blue Threat Monsters tried to break through there, they were either killed or chased away.
However, if Purple Threat Level monsters wanted to enter Black Cinder Forest, no one tried to stop them. They might fight and die in a few days, but there was no prohibition for them to enter because they were worthy of it.
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It could be compared to luxurious restaurants or neighborhoods for the rich. If a person with insufficient money tried to enter, he was simply not allowed in. If a person was rich, he would trivially go inside because he was one of them.
Also, to compare with people could be added huge palaces or mansions with vast territories, which could be owned by one very rich person.
Monsters also had something similar. Particularly strong monsters or numerous Nests could occupy a certain territory, where there were many valuable resources, and use them only for themselves.
Essence Scarlet Pyromancer did something similar. It occupied an area near a large volcano where there was a lot of energy and flames, taking it all to itself alone.
"Come on. Stop looking down, nothing is interesting down there. They're already gone." Katrin touched Adam's shoulder before walking forward.
Adam nodded and followed her.
Katrin was too focused on her goal and Adam was immersed in his thoughts, so they didn't notice how in the distance, around and behind them, bumps appeared above the ground.
They moved quickly as if something was underground and disappeared to reappear elsewhere, and gradually they grew larger.