Chapter 64 Corruption

Stepping forward, I felt an otherworldly force pulling me into the Dungeon. It was as if my Mana was being forcefully absorbed into the hovering purple crack before me.

"..."

I could feel the corruption trying to seep through my skin, but the resistance I had developed was working wonders. It perfectly blocked the poisonous gas from invading my lungs.

Whoosh...

For a moment, complete darkness enshrouded me. Then, I found myself in a thick jungle forest, filled with towering plants of a strange purple hue.

Come to think of it, purple was the dominant color I had seen in the Wild Lands. It was strange that such an unnatural color was so common in this place.

Crackle...

The sound of twigs breaking echoed nearby. I didn't bother to look up, instead focusing on counting the potions I had left.

"Six..."

I glanced in the direction of the sound, my expression emotionless. I tried to peer through the purple leaves blocking my view, but all I could see was darkness beyond.

Whoosh…

A gentle breeze blew through the area, masking the rustling of the creature in hiding.

I wasn't overly concerned about the threat. I could tell that the monster hiding had the body of a G Rank Awakener and an ability that would allow it to spread corruption onto other beings.

Hiss…

I was right!

A pink python suddenly slithered out of the bushes and extended its body towards me in one swift motion. Its sharp fangs, covered in purple liquid, aimed for my leg.

Pluck…

The creature's fangs sunk into my flesh and quickly spread corruption into my bloodstream. The snake's yellow eyes glinted in the dim light as it reveled in its successful hunt.

"…"

However, I didn't even flinch.

I tightly clenched the monster's head, forcing it to release my leg and brought it to my face so I could look into its eyes.

For a moment, the monster was confused as to why its prey hadn't succumbed to the poison. It tried to bite into my finger, but I tightened my grip, causing it to hiss in pain.

Crack…

I pressed down on the monster's skull until it let out a final shriek and its body went limp.

Purple blood stained my hands, but I quickly plunged the tip of my katana into the monster's soft underbelly, slicing it open horizontally.

Fortunately, I was lucky enough to find a White Core inside. I quickly tossed it into my inventory before wiping my hands on some nearby leaves.

"..."

I delved into my 'Memory Palace', skimming over useless things and accessing the memories to do with this Dungeon.

My gaze was drawn to the dense greenery in the western part of the purple forest. Strange shadows hung from the trees, their shapes distorted and unfamiliar.

One resembled a pillar with hands sprouting from it, while others took on the forms of monsters I had slain in Leclentia.

The western side of the forest exuded an eerie aura.

Tap...

As I took my first step forward, the forest seemed to come alive for a brief moment before falling silent once again.

"I already hate this dungeon..."

I muttered to myself as I scratched my cheek, checking that the corruption from the snake's bite had dissipated. I pushed my way through the dense jungle, slicing through the leaves with my katana.

Some of the plants emitted strange cries as I cut them down, but I paid them little heed. I knew that none of the greenery here was carnivorous, and that was enough for me.

The shadows were the only thing that worried me...

Although they had nothing to do with the dungeon and were only creepy through the computer screen, these ones seemed almost demonic. Some appeared to be laughing while others cried in grief. Their presence was unsettling.

They reminded me of the shadows I've seen in my recurring nightmares. Ghastly, inhuman, and eerily alive.

Shhhhhhh…

The sound of distant whispers echoed in the vicinity, and I immediately froze.

"Shit!"

I scanned the nearby trees and quickly found the tallest one. I climbed its branches with impressive speed.

Although the dungeon monsters, except for the boss, would be easy to defeat, the real threat of this dungeon wasn't just the monsters. It was the jungle itself!

Shhhhhh…

This time the whisper echoed closer, and I saw a wave of dark clouds slowly climbing over a distant hill.

I noticed a few purple creatures trying to flee from the wave, but it steadily caught up to them, sending blood-curdling screams into the air.

Sreeech...

Whatever was in that cloud, it was merciless and very quick.

I could feel beads of sweat gathering on my forehead as I picked up my pace, quickly reaching one of the top branches of the massive tree.

Looking down at the ground, it seemed that the shadows were gathering around my tree. They also looked… happy?

I shook my head to rid myself of the foolish thoughts and focused on the mist devouring everything in its path.

As soon as the dark cloud engulfed the shadows below my tree, I saw strange dark lightning sparking within the mist. It was as if a storm cloud had descended to ground level.

It was as if a storm cloud suddenly descended down to the ground level.

Shhhh...

A dark bolt of electricity suddenly pierced one of the bat-like creatures sleeping while hanging from a branch a few trees away from me.

The creature didn't even have a chance to react before falling into the mist and letting out a short scream that was soon suppressed by the darkness.

"..."

A chill ran down my spine and I tightened my grip on the tree branch.

I came here expecting an easy run for a powerful artifact, but a 'Storm' happened, signaling that I wouldn't be leaving the dungeon for the next few hours.

"Shit, I'm going to miss the bus…"

I looked at the mist that showed no signs of receding and gritted my teeth, but I had to let my anger dissipate.

If push came to shove, I would just walk back to civilization on foot. All I needed to do now was survive.

***

Tick… Tick…

Robbin looked at his wristwatch and then back at the rows of students slowly boarding the bus. His eyebrows knitted together as he noticed that some of the kids were missing, or rather, one specific student hadn't made it back.

[ Aiden Steele ]

Tapping his wrist, Robbin's eyes scanned the horizon, but he saw no one except for a few weak abominations roaming the Wild Lands.

He had already spread his Mana and scanned the area within a 10-mile radius, but he couldn't detect Aiden's presence.

Although he had spent less than a month training the kid, he knew that Aiden was more than capable of surviving this outing.

Aiden's teammates had already told Robbin what had happened, but it didn't satisfy him.

How could someone just disappear in the middle of a fight?

For some reason, the kill count of Aiden's team was especially high. Before the start of the competition, Robbin had attached a slight glimmer of Mana to every student that would function as a kill counter.

Aiden's team managed to take 6th place, even though they were barely above average in Robbin's eyes.

"…"

Robbin hummed while looking at the forest. Although he wanted to search for the kid, he knew that the chances of Aiden making it out were low if he was still alive to begin with.

The night in the Wild Lands was far more dangerous than the day since the strongest Abominations hunted at night.

Some of them would even pose a threat to Robbin, an S-rank Awakener and assassin who specialized in close combat. That spoke volumes about the Abominations that hunted at night.

Throwing a last glance at the forest, Robbin sighed also climbing into the bus.

"Another talented fell..."

***

Oscar sat in a plush seat upholstered in golden fur as soft as a cloud. His brown hair was styled impeccably, as if he were about to meet royalty. And indeed, he was.

Clad in a brown turtleneck and stylish white pants that accentuated his muscular frame, Oscar cut a dashing figure. Yet his expression was one of despair.

"Damn it, it's tight!"

He muttered, tugging at the collar of his turtleneck to let in some air. It had been a week since he'd taken a leave of absence from school, and the frustration was getting to him.

He longed to spar with Aiden but instead found himself on a trip to the Elven Continent, forcing a smile.

"Why am I even doing this?"

He wondered. Left alone with his thoughts for a week, Oscar's mind had wandered from contemplating the universe to considering what gift to bring back for Aiden.

Ring… Ring…

His phone interrupted his reverie. Oscar frowned when he saw that the call was from one of his people at the academy.

"Sir…"

Came the trembling voice on the other end of the line. A sense of foreboding crept up Oscar's chest.

"…Aiden hasn't returned from the Wild Lands."