NOVEL NEXT Chapter 641
Chapter 641: Really Terrible. (1)
Amidst the dense greenery stood a massive obelisk.
This colossal structure had withstood a thousand years, weathered by storms and covered in moss, yet it retained its majesty.
Most of the patterns and ancient scripts carved on its surface had worn away, but the deeply engraved parts still bore traces of their existence.
“Wow…”
Everyone looked up at the obelisk with their mouths agape. It was an unexpected sight in the forest.
“People lived in a forest like this?”
“Was it a livable place back then?”
“Could it be that monsters had built a civilization here?”
The soldiers exchanged various speculations.
However, Ghislaine and his close associates were not surprised, knowing this place was the site of the Salvation Society, often called the Demon Realm.
Ghislaine glanced around. The remnants of fallen stone walls and foundation stones faintly revealed their outlines above ground.
Beneath the mounds of earth built up over time lay the traces of an ancient village.
The gravestones, half-buried and toppled over in various places, had mostly weathered and were barely recognizable.
Yet, on some sturdy stone gravestones, faint images depicting ancient characters and their rituals remained.
‘Looks like a battle took place here.’
What particularly caught his attention were the intense sword marks that crossed the gravestones.
That wound, which not even a thousand years could erase, testified to the fierce battles that had taken place here at the time.
Most artifacts of the Salvation Society had already merged with the soil, but the robust buildings and stone structures they left behind still conveyed the stories of that era.
The traces of buildings arranged around the obelisk hinted that this was not merely a village, but a sacred religious site.
Most of the wizards gathered around the obelisk since it bore the most inscriptions and remnants.
“Oh, if we can interpret this, we might understand what this place is.”
“We could learn about the lives of the ancient empire!”
“It has worn away quite a bit, but there are still many characters left.”
The wizards huddled together, eyes gleaming with excitement, fueled by their longing for ancient civilization.
Ghislaine turned to Jerome, who was examining the obelisk.
“Do you know what it says?”
“Just a moment… There’s a writing that doesn’t follow the rules. It looks like it was hastily scribbled next to it.”
“Really? What does it say?”
Ghislaine was intrigued. Could it be something someone left during battle?
Jerome, boasting the best knowledge of ancient script among those present, slowly interpreted the misaligned letters.
“This, this is…”
“Why? What does it say?”
“The kids these days… have no manners.”
“……”
“Oh, it’s just some graffiti. Looks like even back then, people were the same.”
As the Salvation Society was a human settlement, it was understandable. It’s just how people become as they age.
Ghislaine decided to set up a camp nearby.
Wizards were also exceptional scholars. They were all familiar with ancient languages, as magic had mostly been transmitted in ancient tongues up until now.
The wizards carefully surveyed the ruins, exploring here and there.
Ghislaine too contemplated the ruins for several days. The mysteries of a thousand years hidden within the ruins left a strong impression on him.
‘They deliberately didn’t mention this.’
The Duke’s journal contained no mention of the ruins at all.
Considering the circumstances, it made sense. They likely wanted to keep everything about the Salvation Society a secret.
While the ruins research was carried out, laborers carefully cut down trees in the vicinity to clear a path, while soldiers spread out wider on guard.
Since the ruins investigation was the wizards’ responsibility, Ghislaine had little to do. He merely watched the surrounding activities or meditated.
‘Wait a minute, that reminds me…’
Suddenly, he recalled a memory. He had stumbled upon ruins in another region in his previous life.
It was like now, with ancient village traces buried beneath weathered earth. There, he had found a half of a magic book inside a metal box.
Thanks to the box, which fully sealed off the air and was treated with some substances, the magic book was in relatively good condition.
And Ghislaine had drawn inspiration from the book to improve the Mana Circulation Method.
‘Now I don’t need to go searching for it…’
Turning his head, he saw Jerome speaking seriously with Vanessa while inspecting the ruins.
As he approached, he could hear their conversation.
“Wow, have you been there? There’s a new store that just opened. Nobles go there a lot. They say the fruit tarts are incredibly delicious. Made with loads of honey and butter.”
“Really? I haven’t gone yet because I’m still busy.”
“It’s the hottest spot in the capital right now! There were so many people, I only went once but it was genuinely delicious.”
“Oh, I want to go too.”
“……”
Ghislaine blinked. They were talking about mundane matters, not anything about magic or ruins.
Well, after rummaging through ruins for several days, it was only natural to crave such things. Beyond their historical value, there wasn’t much of utility.
After spending months staying in this forest, it was understandable that they would long for those things.
Ghislaine jotted down the location of the ruins he had seen in his previous life on a piece of paper and handed it to Jerome.
“Huh? What’s this?”
“There’s a good treasure there.”
“Treasure? What are you talking about all of a sudden? What’s the treasure?”
“A magic book.”
“Eh? There’s a magic book there?”
“If you dig around there a bit, you’ll find it. I’ll send someone to help you, so you can go after this expedition ends.”
“Why… is there a magic book buried there?”
“I don’t know. I just heard it from someone. Anyway, since it’s a good magic book, I thought you’d benefit from it.”
“Uh, thanks.”
Jerome wore a perplexed expression. He found it odd to be handed a treasure map all of a sudden.
But Ghislaine wouldn’t just give him something without a reason. There must be something genuinely valuable.
Ghislaine believed that the magic book would be beneficial for Jerome. Though it was only half, it contained quite a few advanced concepts.
Even he, having no knowledge of magic, had been inspired to overhaul the Mana Circulation Method.
It might not have contained any special magical formulas, but surely, with Jerome’s level of skill, he would grasp some realizations from it.
The ruins investigation continued for several more days. Unfortunately, due to their age, there was almost nothing more to obtain.
They had only caught a slight glimpse of the ancient way of life.
Which was understandable. A thousand years was an incredibly long time to endure.
If one were to point out any gain, it would be the contents inscribed on the obelisk.
Jerome scratched his cheek as he spoke to Ghislaine.
“There are missing letters, but I could guess the context from what was there. Thanks to Ereness, I had some prior knowledge, so it was easier.”
The content inscribed on the obelisk referred to the myth Ereness had mentioned. Although the particulars differed slightly as it was written from the Salvation Society’s perspective, the essence was surely the same.
[…The goddesses of this world betrayed our god. Because the goddesses broke their promises and closed the doors, the god’s people were forever trapped in the rifts of dimensions and suffered. We must not forget that it is our mission and the will of the god to save them…]
“Hmm…”
Ghislaine nodded as he looked at the paper Jerome handed him.
It was not much different from the myth Ereness had told him. It seemed this myth had been common knowledge a thousand years ago.
The Salvation Society had likely engraved the most important part from their scriptures onto the obelisk.
So they could see it daily and ensure they did not forget its content.
Parniel still refused to recognize the myth inscribed on the obelisk. As soon as she heard the interpretation, she tried to smash it, leading everyone to intervene and stop her.
Especially the wizards were the most proactive in dissuading her.
“Whoa, whoa! It’s just a local myth!”
“There’s no need to get so worked up about it!”
“Just think of it as a historical artifact!”
After some back and forth, she finally calmed down a bit. With everyone blocking her way, Parniel had no choice but to suppress her anger.
Ghislaine stopped the ruins investigation. It appeared there was nothing more to gain for now; Parniel was quite angry too.
Instead, he planned to preserve this place and leave the research to scholars. Even if there were no clues about the Salvation Society, its historical value was sufficient.
“Now, let’s move again.”
The Northern Army began to march again. The closer they got to the center, the fewer but stronger monsters appeared.
Thus, the superhumans continued to take the lead in battle, while soldiers primarily faced the relatively weaker monsters or provided escort for laborers.
Whoooosh…
Before long, the wind began to seep through the trees, creating a chilling sound.
As they advanced, the atmosphere gradually darkened, and Ghislaine muttered,
“Are we almost there?”
Though there were no precursor symptoms yet, it was clear they were close to the center.
As they approached the center, the forest’s atmosphere grew ever more ominous.
The branches twisted as if trying to grab someone, and everywhere the foot fell, the decaying leaves made a sticky sound.
Even the air felt different. With every breath, a cold and heavy aura seeped deep into the lungs.
Faint mist crawled along the ground, wrapping around their ankles, and dense tree branches completely obscured the sky, making it feel as if they were walking in eternal twilight.
The marching soldiers also sensed something had changed in the atmosphere. What had been an already ominous forest now felt like a completely different world.
“I’m getting goosebumps…”
“The smell is getting weirder too.”
“What’s inside?”
The soldiers looked around, wearing uneasy expressions.
They trusted Ghislaine and weren’t worried, but the discomfort rising in their hearts wouldn’t easily dissipate.
Whoooosh…
It had already been a quiet forest, devoid of the sounds of birds or insects, but now there was nothing at all.
Only the sounds of human footsteps and the gruesome noise made by the wind-swayed branches filled the silence of the forest.
The moss-covered trees appeared to have turned a dark green as if they were ancient corpses. The sap oozing out from the crevices flowed dark red like blood.
Even the faint light filtering through the branches seemed unnaturally pale.
Whooooooosh…
Everything was twisted and corrupted. It felt as if something within this place was rotting the very vitality of the forest.
With every step taken, a chill crawled up the spine, warning others that this was no longer a realm for the living.
Soon, the soldiers began to show signs of discomfort.
“Ugh! I feel like I’m going to vomit.”
“I’m feeling dizzy.”
“There’s a strange smell…”
A faint stench began to waft through the air. Ghislaine raised his hand and ordered the advance to halt, then turned his head to speak.
“We’ve come too close. I’ve got the direction now, so everyone fall back.”
At Ghislaine’s command, the soldiers retreated. Only after pulling back a considerable distance did Ghislaine continue speaking.
“We’ll set up camp here and keep watch. Only I and a few will go to the center.”
No one could head towards the vicinity of the center. That was where the most powerful presence in this forest resided.
The strange phenomena the soldiers were experiencing were directly related to that presence.
Since they had to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances, not all superhumans could go.
“Let Tenant and Kaor guard the camp.”
Kaor pouted. Thinking back, he had also stayed behind when they went to save Gordon in this forest before.
He wanted to insist on coming along, but Ghislaine’s expression was serious. Disturbing him at such a time would likely earn him only scorn, so Kaor reluctantly backed down while grumbling.
Ghislaine, Yulien, Parniel, Belinda, Jerome, Vanessa, and Gillian and Piote moved towards the center.
Squish, squish.
With every step they took, the decaying leaves and rotten moss squelched beneath their feet.
The nauseating stench became stronger.
Before long, the surroundings were veiled in mist tinted with purple and black. Even the sunlight that occasionally seeped through seemed sickly yellow.
The massive ancient trees, appearing to be hundreds of years old, were dark and rotting away, their bark flaking off like rotten flesh.
“Ow… this is really terrible. How did it all get so rotten?”
Jerome grimaced. He had never seen such a bizarre and revolting forest before.
In the gaps of the trees grew ominously glowing purple mushrooms. The mushrooms continuously released clouds of spores into the air.
Squish, squish, squish.
Puddles of black ichor pooled here and there. The bones of monsters that once lived here lay buried in the ground, rotting away.
As they drew closer to the center, the corruption deepened. Those who moved toward it could soon hear a faint sound.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
The intermittent sound grew ever closer.
Everyone halted and held their breath.
Five red eyes began to glow slowly.