Chapter 72 Corruption

I could feel my body going numb as Corruption slowly spread throughout my body, like venom spreading through my veins, paralyzing me from within.

I tried to suppress it with my Mana, but the rampant poison was a force to be reckoned with.

Whoosh...

Finally, I've managed to corner it in my abdomen. It tried to slip away, but I've deployed a Layer of Mana that would prevent it from doing so.

"Huh..."

I sighed, feeling the lingering ache in my stomach. Although I've suppressed the Corruption it was only a short-term solution.

Sooner or later my built layer would burst and Corruption would continue to spread. I could only hope that I recovered my Mana before that happened.

Lying on the rocky ground, I felt many thoughts rushing through my head, but all of them lead to the same thing.

How to get the Artifact and leave this Dungeon?

Grrr...

Growling under my nose, I slowly rose to the sitting position, looking at the golden sun, setting behind the mountain tops.

It was a beautiful, yet grim sight.

Nights are dangerous, especially in Dungeons.

***

As soon as lights vanished behind the mountains and the island was plunged into the darkness, everything around me grew silent.

The only sound was the faint rustling of leaves, carried by the gentle breeze.

Whoosh...

The next moment, the island seemed to come alive, but not in a good way.

Various predators and other monsters began to emerge from their hiding, dancing in the darkness as they scoured the island for prey.

From time to time, some creature would let out a shriek, a roar or a growl, making me tense up even more.

Although I was hidden in a small cave, I knew that the chances of me making it out through the night undisturbed were slim to none.

Swish...

I even saw a strange silhouette diving down from the sky, its dark wings spread wide as it landed not too far from my hiding spot.

Tap... Tap...

Hearing its claws tapping against the rocks, I held my breath, fearing that it would discover me.

For a second, the moon peeked through the clouds, illuminating the entire creature and making my eye twitch in irritation.

Another creature that shouldn't be here made its appearance...

It was a Nightmare Bat, a D Rank monster known for its ability to inflict fear and confusion on its prey.

The creature had long leathery wings that allowed it to fly silently and dark fur that blended in perfectly with the night sky.

Its limbs were adorned with razor-sharp claws that could tear through flesh easily. Its face didn't look friendly either, it had no eyes or nose, and instead, had a gaping maw filled with sharp teeth.

Screech...

The Nightmare Bat let out a deafening screech that sent shivers down my spine. I felt my heart racing and my blood pumping, I felt fear.

Tap... Tap...

The Bat, however, didn't seem to notice me, roaming around the area, searching for something else to prey upon.

For a moment, I relaxed, hearing its footsteps fade away into the distance, but my relief was short-lived as I accidentally kicked a loose rock, causing it to tumble down and create a loud noise.

Creak...

Immediately, the Bat turned its head in my direction, its cat-like ears twitching as it tried to locate the source of the sound.

"..."

I froze, hoping that the Bat would lose interest and fly away, but luck wasn't on my side.

Slowly, the monster started making its way toward my hiding spot, its wings folding in as it came closer and closer, its teeth gleaming in the moonlight.

I was well aware that there was no fighting the Nightmare Bat, I couldn't escape from it either. It was a D Rank monster, its strength far suppressing mine.

I could only hope it wouldn't find me.

Roar...

Suddenly, another roar echoed through the slope, causing the Nightmare Bat to halt its advance and turn its head toward the direction of the sound.

Screech...

It let out a screech in response, before taking off into the night sky, leaving me relieved that I had narrowly avoided being its prey.

However, my eyes were glued to the direction of the second roar.

If even the Nightmare Bat was scared off by it, then what kind of monster could it be?

Slowly, I squeezed deeper into my hiding spot and closed my eyes, trying to at least get some rest.

"..."

I had drained my Mana completely and my eyes were closing on their own.

My last thought before my consciousness slipped away was the hope that whatever had scared off the Nightmare Bat wouldn't find me either.

***

Rose looked at herself in the mirror, decorated with ornate designs and golden edges.

Her reflection revealed a girl with pointy ears, azure eyes and hair, that resembled the color of the moonlight.

She was dressed in a silk gown that hugged her slender frame, the material shimmering and flowing as she moved.

Her face was devoid of any emotion or expression, but it was usual for her. She is a Princess and must always maintain her composure and grace in front of others.

"Good job..."

She said to a maid who was standing beside her, holding a hair brush.

"Thank you, Your Highness..."

The maid bowed slightly, before leaving the room with a curtsy.

Rose took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to calm herself.

About a week ago, she spoke to her father about the strange occurrences at the Ice Dungeon and how she came across someone who seemed to be her Compatible Person.

Since then, the whole Elven Kingdom had been in an uproar, with everyone trying to find out who the person was.

Her father, the King, was especially invested in this matter and had spent this entire week, consulting his advisors and canceling important meetings to focus on this God-given opportunity.

Rose also had to spend most of her time holed up in the palace, under the watchful eyes of her guards and maids, waiting for any news or updates.

Today was finally the day, the day when people from Trygnomy, the company that owned the dungeon, were coming to the palace for a meeting.

If everything went right it would be Rose's last day of confinement and she would be able to go back to the Mage Academy.

"My compatible person..."

Rose whispered to herself, absentmindedly fiddling with her wristband. She understood why her father was so fixated on finding her Compatible Person. The bond between two compatible individuals was said to be incredibly powerful, and they could accomplish great things together.

Not only could they transfer Mana to each other, but they would also develop a profound emotional connection, something called 'Instinct.' This instinct would allow them to sense each other's location and status.

There was no way her father was going to miss a chance of having someone that would benefit his daughter and possibly save her life another time in the future

The King had high expectations for today's meeting, but Rose wasn't so positive.

Honestly, she was starting to regret telling her father about the encounter in the Ice Dungeon.

Having a compatible person seemed more like a burden than a blessing to her. The ability to transfer Mana to each other was great, but she wasn't sure if she was ready for the emotional bond, 'Instinct'.

Who would want another person to have access to your Status and location at all times? It seemed creepy more than anything else.

One thing that did interest her was the strange properties of this 'Instinct'. While holed up in the palace she spent most of her time training or reading books in the Library.

One such book was about Compatible individuals.

It described a third, more unknown aspect of 'Instinct', that allowed compatible people to 'Share their Dreams' with higher passion.

This section, however, was rather vague and there seemed to be a lot not known about it. Rose tried to gain some wisdom from her mother, but she was not able to provide any information, just giggling as if she heard a joke.

Her father also seemed to be tight-lipped about it, only mentioning that 'Sharing Dreams' was an occurrence she was too young to know about.

"..."

With a sigh, Rose snapped out of her thoughts and pressed her red lips together, steeling herself for the upcoming meeting.

She hoped that her father wouldn't pressure the Trygnomy representatives into disclosing the full list of the people who entered the dungeon if they declined.

There was no need to cause unnecessary tension between a very powerful company and the Elven Kingdom, just for a single person.

Rose knew that her life didn't depend on having her Compatible Person by her side at all times. In reality, only a handful of people ever found theirs.

She could perfectly live her life without one.