Chapter 24: The Earth Veins

“Let’s keep moving, this is just the beginning.”

Even though Epunya said this, everyone turned their questioning gazes to the black-haired girl in the center.

Miss Vilyric didn’t say anything, just nodded slightly.

Although she had sensed a familiar yet lifeless energy flowing within that tree, she indeed hadn’t expected it to suddenly become aggressive, especially since Priestess was here for the first time as well.

With multiple experienced people leading the way, it was quite a lot more convenient.

If the source of this odd feeling was the “Disaster,” then from their entry into the Disaster Forest until now, most of the plants they encountered probably had some degree of “Disaster” parasitizing them; it’s just that this tree had been eroded more deeply and had completely mutated.

Of course, this type of parasitism was very subtle. It seemed to spread from the root systems underground, and only special beings like Vilyric and Xiao Guang, with extraordinary strength, could detect the signs.

She exchanged a glance with the Giant Dragon beside her; she didn’t point it out explicitly but continued walking forward with the group.

The initial attack seemed like a signal, and soon after, they encountered all sorts of bizarre things along the way.

The most common were, of course, the beasts that, like humans, had been parasitized by “Disaster,” growing gray vines and suffering different degrees of mutation, termed “Disaster Beasts.”

These “Disaster Beasts” were not weak; at least they were at Tier 3, equal to or above human Gold-tier standards. By now, there were no low-tier common magical beasts or creatures in this Disaster Forest that hadn’t been corrupted.

When these “Disaster Beasts” received fatal injuries, they would, as before, suddenly erupt with large plumes of gray mist from within, actively attacking their battle targets.

However, the six of them present were all at least legendary-level experts, so such baited attacks could easily be avoided with sufficient preparation.

Besides the “Disaster Beasts,” Vilyric’s group also encountered numerous strange trees, various plants, and even humanoid creatures that had basically lost their human shapes and had also been deeply eroded by “Disaster,” actively attacking those who approached.

The most unpredictable were the creatures that would burst forth from underground and directly attack and parasitize their targets, somewhat resembling the things inside the three people from Aniro City, appearing to be bizarre life forms constructed purely of “Disaster.”

These things were fast and small; although not strong in themselves, they would often suddenly pop out during battle from visual blind spots, making it easy for those with slightly lesser skills to get caught.

As for why these “Disaster” entities could directly form bodies without clinging to anything…

It was probably exactly as Epunya had said: it was the earth veins providing the energy.

Earth veins were a highly complex energy network, spreading underground throughout the world like a plant’s root system. If the entire world were likened to a massive special individual, then the earth veins would be the blood and blood vessels flowing within it.

Apart from the president’s previous mention of energy tides flowing with the seasons, the fundamental strength of earth veins varied by region, just as the human body distinguishes between capillaries, veins, arteries, and large arteries.

The concentration of magic on the surface and the fertility of the soil, in a sense, represented a tangible manifestation; for example, the City of Courage became the capital of the United Kingdom because the entire Adventurer’s Plain was located right above a giant earth vein, making it very livable.

Also, the black altar in the dim jungle, which bore the “Divine God’s Jewel (Fragment),” although Miss Vilyric had not understood its significance at the time, she now realized as she gradually learned more about this world.

That thing was perhaps used to extract energy from the earth veins and inject it into the “Divine God’s Jewel (Fragment)” for some purpose.

Another example would be that the plants in Flame Dragon City mutated due to the influence of Red Dragon blood and the “Heart of the Red Dragon.”

Conversely, the state of plants reflects the condition of the local earth veins.

And here, the trees, along with those monsters that suddenly burst from underground…

Three hours had passed since Vilyric and her team entered the Disaster Forest.

Of course, they weren’t wandering aimlessly; just like most magical beast habitats and forests have designated areas, the Disaster Forest was also divided into outer and inner circles.

In fact, as they progressed, everyone could feel that the strength of the enemies they encountered was continually increasing.

If the initial “Disaster Beasts” and various monsters were around Tier 3, fluctuating between Gold and Ink Steel, now they were at least close to, if not reaching, Tier 4.

Even legendary-level individuals couldn’t just instantly kill Greater Earth magical beasts parasitized by “Disaster,” just like what happened in the Forgotten Land; they were gradually surrounded by increasingly gathered “Disaster Beasts” and various monsters.

If they were ordinary enemies, that wouldn’t be so bad, but mainly they still had to guard against the inevitable gray mist attacks that would occur upon the demise of those things—it felt like being surrounded by bombs, each carrying a self-destruct curse, making handling them quite troublesome.

The Giant Dragon, who had been quiet in the center of the group and hadn’t yet attacked, tilted her head, seeking to gauge her master beside her, obviously getting a bit restless.

But Vilyric just shook her head.

This situation was definitely abnormal.

According to Epunya, he originally led people deeper into the Disaster Forest and encountered the Phantom Cloud that wiped them out. Now, although only four combatants were engaging, those four legends were far more agile than a hundred beings fluctuating between Ink Steel and Sky tier.

If that guy wasn’t just boasting, then something about the Disaster Forest had definitely changed since the last time.

Under the circumstances of not clearly understanding the situation, hastily sending out the main combatants wasn’t the best choice.

Moreover, soldier against soldier, general against general, these were merely lackeys of the Phantom Cloud; for Xiao Guang to deal with them seemed rather beneath her.

“Miss Vilyric, something’s not right. We’ve just stepped into the inner circle, and there’s no reason for so many enemies to appear; also, there are several types of monsters emerging from underground that I’ve never seen before. What do you think we should do now?”

Epunya, having swiftly dealt with a Tier 4 Disaster Beast, returned to the formation, hurriedly addressing the Priestess while facing away from her.

Now, the enemies encroaching from the surroundings had likely surpassed a hundred individuals; the “Disaster” that erupted upon death continuously spilled into the air, making the whole area start to go gray.

Such a similar scene undoubtedly awakened the deepest feelings of powerlessness and gloom in the half-beastman’s heart.

And after all, Vilyric was the leader and strongest of this expedition; Epunya was merely acting as a guide, so at such a critical time, they had to follow the Priestess’s judgment.

The black-haired girl glanced at the surrounding battlefield.

Leila, Renée, and Edwina were continuously killing the attacking monsters; although it wasn’t difficult, their rate of extermination was evidently much slower than the speed at which the enemies gathered.

If this continued, it would never end, and no one knew just how many similar things were in the Disaster Forest.

After a brief contemplation, Vilyric had made her decision.

“Let’s push forward. Don’t worry, I don’t intend to get entangled with a bunch of lackeys. Hey, as expected, team combat really needs some supporting assistance!”

   

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