The 31st Piece Overturns the Game Board

[ Adventure 33-(Special). 'The Forest No One Seeks'

While traveling southward through the Boreal Forest, you were approached by a mysterious fairy woman.

She is wearing a Crimson Prison with someone inside it and seems to be fleeing from someone. That’s why she asked you to help her escape from her pursuers.

The ominous aura of fate made you want to refuse her request, but the reward she promised held you back from turning away.

It's already too late to withdraw.

For her sake, you must shake off the pursuers.

Heading to the Forest of the Slumbering seems the best option.

Objective: Stop the pursuers targeting the unidentified woman.

Caution. This Adventure is very dangerous.

Remaining Time「Unknown」]

Snap—!

As Seol snapped his finger, Koko soared through the air and sank his fangs into another wolf.

Paf—!

Crunch!

Growl!

'It dodged it...?'

Crunch...

Koko clenched one of the wolf’s torn-off legs between his teeth while the injured wolf sprawled on the ground, writhing in pain.

Growl...

Grr...

Although the scene was brutal, Seol's mood was sour.

'The attack was aimed at its neck. How did it dodge?'

He would have understood if the opponent were a high-ranking demonic beast. However, that shouldn't have been possible, given the circumstances.

The wolf pack appeared to be ordinary wolves, creatures who merely tried their best in their encounter with demonic beasts.

The fact that such beings evaded Koko's attack was troubling.

'There's something strange...'

The wolves' darkened fur and red eyes were also concerning. It was as if they had been corrupted by something.

Of course... that didn't mean the current situation would reverse or the outcome would change.

ROAR—!

ROAR—!

Koko and Kukuru scattered the wolf pack and tore them apart.

Crunch—!

They struck the wolves' head with their paws and broke their necks.

Crunch...

Crack...

Their claws split open their bellies and made their entrails spill.

Growl—!

Woof...

Seol stood still, observing the wolves' last movements. Given how things were going, it seemed like things would settle down soon.

Crack—!

Slash!

Soon, Koko and Kukuru returned drenched in blood.

The fairy never once tried to assist him.

It wasn't particularly troubling since Seol was in charge of escorting her, and the enemies weren't especially hard to handle. Still, it was a pity she hadn't helped. After all, that would have helped him discover who she was.

Seol turned his gaze and looked at the wolves' corpses.

'Black blood... and all their insides are rotten.'

Something was definitely wrong.

Seol enveloped his hand in mana and dissected one of the wolves' corpses.

Although the slimy sensation was unpleasant, he felt there might be more to uncover.

'Found it...!'

Fwoosh!

He found a stone embedded near the wolf's heart.

'Hmm?'

[Intermediate Insight activates.]

[This is a substance that induces corruption.]

'Corruption...'

Seol's expression became serious the moment the word corruption appeared.

'Is this related to corruption?'

Corruption was something that had been happening across Pandea.

It was a force that polluted the very essence of its target, transforming it into a profane entity. Yet, one couldn't see them as purely evil.

Some classes used corruption to grow stronger. Equipment related to it also appeared.

From Seol's point of view, people with those kinds of classes looked strange, as if they lacked some common sense.

'This is going to be troublesome.'

When corrupted beings appeared on Adventures, one needed to be prepared beforehand. Facing a skilled Necromancer would feel as if the opponent's forces were endless. However, with corruption, it felt as if the enemy’s strength only grew with time.

Perhaps the entire forest could become his enemy.

'For now, I'll hold on to this...'

It might be useful in the future.

At some point, the fairy approached him and said.

"This is a negative energy. It's definitely his. I'm sure he is hunting me."

"Corruption, corruption..."

As Seol turned to the fairy, she mumbled.

"He might be a Lord, but no one serves him. They are merely his puppets."

"A Lord with no followers... Somehow, that sounds familiar..."

Well, there wasn't time to probe further.

The fairy swiftly changed the subject.

"The chase will soon begin."

"Well, if they're just wolves..."

"They aren’t just wolves."

"..."

"He's going to keep coming."

The fairy's face drew closer.

"He will knock to confirm its presence." She leaned in further. "And in the end, he will come in person."

- I thought it was a horror movie.

- But still, it was nice.

Despite the fairy’s radiant appearance, the ominous words spilling from her mouth made the conversation anything but pleasant.

Seol dusted off his hands as he stood up and asked.

"You don't need to take a rest, right?"

"I do, but I understand it isn't important."

She was saying that rest was a luxury she couldn’t afford even if she wanted to. Seol was starting to get a grasp of how she communicated.

"Haa... Anyway, we should be able to shake off most of the pursuers once we reach the Forest of the Slumbering. Of course, if we aren't careful enough, we might end up losing our lives instead."

"Even there, we can't relax."

"Even if we reach the Forest of the Slumbering...?"

"But at least, guide us that far. We need a safe place."

"Will everything be fine if I safely lead you there?"

"Yes. Your role will end then. Once there, you can leave if you wish."

Leave if he wished? Although it sounded ominous, as if he shouldn't leave—he wanted to anyway.

In moments like this, most people would probably choose to go home.

'Well, once I get there, I'll hear the whole truth anyway.'

He could solve his curiosity then, and the choice would be his.

'Come to think of it, it's easier than I thought.'

He would be given a Divine Relic for something that was not a big deal.

'Yes. Things should be like this sometimes, at least.'

He recalled the countless grueling Adventures he had gone through so far. Until now, Seol had clearly done far more than what he received as a reward.

While he didn't hold a grudge over it, he wouldn't refuse a stroke of fortune.

"This way."

The Forest of the Slumbering was a place vividly etched in his memory. Leading the way along the paths he had already gone through before was too easy for him.

* * *

Grrr...

The howls of wolves filled the air from all sides.

A handsome man with his brows furrowed and eyes closed in irritation stood quietly as a grotesque black orc approached him.

"They seem to have headed toward the forest."

"The forest...?"

"They most likely plan to enter the Forest of the Slumbering to shake off pursuit. It's an obvious move, but probably the best decision for those trying to escape."

"How troublesome..."

The man didn't know much about the Forest of the Slumbering, nor did the orcs under his command.

"What should we do? We're currently chasing them down, but..."

"It will be a problem if they enter deep into the Forest of the Slumbering. Can we catch them before they go in?"

"The subordinates I sent ahead should be getting to them soon. However... according to the seeds I scattered to gather information, it seems they have gained a new ally."

"An ally?"

The man tilted his head and asked.

"Weren't all her capable allies already killed? Even if any were left, they wouldn't get involved in this matter."

Indeed, they shouldn't get involved.

Opposing him was a foolish act, even if someone had more than one life.

"Well... we don't know the ally's identity yet. But based on the traces and information left behind, we know it is a human and a troll. So, there's no need to..."

Humans were the dominant race on the continent, but their strength was in their collective power, not the individual prowess of their members.

That's why the black orc dismissed her supposed allies. In his eyes, humans and trolls were inferior species.

However, contrary to his dismissive attitude, the man before him seemed to take things more cautiously.

"What about their skill...?"

"There hasn't been a major clash yet, so we can't determine it precisely."

"You sent someone strong enough capable of assessing their strength, right?"

"Yes. We've sent someone from the tribe known for being brutal and ruthless. He will probably answer your expectations..."

The man cut off the orc and replied.

"Expectations? I have no expectations about you."

"Yes...?"

"You orcs are nothing more than tools to achieve my goal. You have no value beyond that."

"Y-yes..."

The man smirked as he dismissed the orc.

He seemed to be enjoying himself as the situation grew increasingly troublesome.

"An ally, huh...? How interesting."

* * *

The deeper they walked into the Boreal Forest, the darker their surroundings became.

They had been traveling for two days straight without rest.

Despite the continuous journey, the fairy seemed to be holding up surprisingly well. Though, she marveled at Seol's superhuman stamina.

And finally, they reached the edge of the Forest of the Slumbering… after dealing with some minor obstacles.

"Kek... Keek..."

A black orc writhed beneath Seol's foot, surrounded by dozens of dead orcs.

Crunch...

Crunch...

The orc, who saw the Shadow Wolves devouring his allies’ corpses, ground his teeth in anger.

The only light shining over him came from the golden eyes staring at him.

"Kugh..."

They had been wiped out by the monster who controlled the wolves.

That monster was, of course, Seol.

[[The surviving Orc seems to have something to say. You might be able to extract valuable information by persuading him. What will you ask?]

1. Who sent you?

2. How close is the main force?

3. How big is the main force?

4. Do you have any critical information that could spare your life?

…]

The truth would soon be revealed anyway.

"How far away is the main force?"

The black orc sneered.

"I won't tell you."

"Who sent you?"

"What...?"

"I said, who sent you."

"Haha... KHAHAHA!"

The orc, who was bleeding profusely, burst into laughter. The orc finally spoke as his inexplicable laughter got on Seol's nerves.

"Haha... Did you get involved in this without any idea of the details? How unfortunate for you to die from something like this."

"What nonsense are you talking about...?"

Seol said to the orc with confidence.

"Beyond this lies the Forest of the Slumbering. No one can afford to be complacent there. Pursuit will be difficult. You won't be able to chase us any longer."

"..."

"Haha... Hahahaha..."

The orc's reaction was strange.

"You think you can escape pursuit? Do you really think that's possible? Why don't you ask your companion over there?"

While baring his decayed teeth, the orc called out the fairy.

"Do you also think that? Tantuinu?"

"Shut your mouth!"

"Haha... This human would never have helped you if he knew who you really were. And, if he knew who you were traveling with..."

Crack!

A dagger came flying and pierced the Orc's throat.

"T... Tantuinu?"

"Did he say Tantuinu?"

Both Seol and Jamad muttered the name in unison.

Tantuinu…

The more he thought about the name, a certain being came into his mind.

'Tantuinu! How could this be?!'

He now understood why she hid her name.

She...

"Tantuinu... I have fulfilled my promise."

"..."

"We've reached the Forest of the Slumbering. It's time for you to reveal the truth."

"You may leave..."

"No, the answer comes first," Seol said respectfully. "...young dragon."

"Very well..."

Crack...

Crack...

Tantuinu's body started to change.

Her pearl-like skin rapidly sprouted scales, and wings emerged from her arms. Her size grew several times.

She was a small Dragon.

Seol immediately recognized the name Tantuinu. After all, she was a descendant of Tancreed, the Earth Mother.

"My apologies... human."

"So that's why you hid your name."

Right now, the Dragon was being chased.

But who in the world would dare chase a Dragon?

'Someone can chase Tantuinu down? Just who...'

And who was Tantuinu carrying that she was being chased?

Seol's gaze instinctively turned to the Crimson Prison.

Right now, rather than the one pursuing them, the one he could find out about was locked in the red gem.

'Tantuinu seemed very respectful...'

But who could hold power over someone like Tantuinu? Someone she serves...

At that moment, a certain name came into his mind.

"Oh my God..."

"How could this be..."

It seemed Jamad had reached the same conclusion.

Seol stood frozen while goosebumps crawled across his skin, unable to utter a word. Meanwhile, Jamad slowly approached the Crimson Prison and asked.

Boom... Boom...

"Tancreed... the Earth Mother..."

"..."

"Is it you? Are you really the one inside it?"

Whir...

The Crimson Prison vibrated.

Seol closed his eyes.

This Adventure probably wouldn't end today.

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