Chapter 382: Exploration

Chapter 382: Exploration

With collusion below (the Delegation) and cover in the middle (the Sanctuary Church), the only ones left to fool were those higher up. The Delegation jointly compiled a report for The Empire. During discussions, voices rose high and faces flushed with apparent fervor. Yet the official report couldn’t reflect such emotion.

Why so animated? As though none had ever worked such schemes before? Such fervor reeked of falseness. Seasoned officials pretending to be passionate youth? Utterly unconvincing. Playing along earlier merely steeled their own resolve. Now, matters required measured steps. They needn’t embody their supposed mindset too deeply—just hint at the shock of their failure and describe the irresistible factors behind it. Then, get straight to the key details.

Preparations were complete, plans finalized. Still, they held no confidence regarding The Empire’s answer. Had it been the old days, days would pass before they learned of any response. But the Magic Weapon Summoning Book changed everything. Moments after their report, the reply arrived.

Less than two hours later!

The Empire highly valued the Element Crystal, thus prioritizing related matters. The Delegation breathed easy at the message received. Blame for their failed task and the accompanying penalties appeared severe—yet proved toothless. Their careers remained unharmed.

The best outcome possible. Having settled matters with their superiors, tension truly lifted. What followed was straightforward. After waiting out the Windwhisper Valley business, they’d maneuver personnel from the Sanctuary Church onto the front lines per The Empire’s instructions. Beyond that? Not their problem.

As Empire representatives, members of the Delegation possessed competence. Though latecomers, they had grasped key information about Windwhisper Valley sooner than others. With the Element Crystal gone, events within the valley would likely conclude soon.

This wasn’t mere gossip; trusted sources guaranteed its truth. An early end appealed—it meant freedom from this cursed place. Power from the Undying Witch permeated Windwhisper Valley. A ruthless existence. Careless exposure could doom one for life.

These weren’t Mercenaries gambling lives for coin. Money? Unneeded. Power? Promotion remained possible. None wished to linger here!

Within Windwhisper Valley, Church members did not band together. Moving in groups of three to five proved safer, despite the adage ‘strength in numbers’. Larger groups drew multiple Wind Dragonflies more easily—creatures whose power multiplied with greater numbers. Crowds became burdens. Additionally, Mercenaries and Adventurers scattered throughout the valley shared some burden.

More people meant Wind Dragonfly assaults spread thin. A couple of them? Both Church members and Adventurer Teams or Mercenary bands could dispatch such threats unscathed—though uneasily. Entering the Lockdown Zone required skill. Not just the strongest individual per squad passing trials, either. For an entire team to proceed, at least two-thirds of its members needed to clear evaluation.

Oss’s squad formed an exception. Though Lena’s combat abilities seemed weak—and Fireball Spell her only Magic—her accuracy proved extraordinary. Even formidable testers struggled against her precisely aimed fireballs.

So she became a special exception and passed.

“Probably a regular Windhowl Stone? Shame…” Wood cautiously stepped away from a stone near his foot, marred by patches of black speckles. Features characteristic of Windhowl Stone remained, yet the black speckle growths carried unsettling vibes. The valley lay under the Witch Power of the Undying Witch. Best not to touch things indiscriminately.

He was a veteran, knowing curiosity kills… But others lacked such caution. The moment he skirted the corrupted stone, Lena ran over and scooped it up.

“My gods!” Wood massaged his temples. Fixating upon the strange stone and potential valley threats made him forget squad trouble. “Toss that immediately—Eh? Nothing?”

He gaped at Lena, untouched by harm. Implication didn’t add up: “Corruptions soaked with the Undying Witch’s power. Why did contact cause no harm to an ordinary person?”

“Huh? Why would there be problems holding this? Isn’t it just Windhowl Stone?” Lena replied, puzzled, then casually hurled the stone toward an unprepared Gale. “This weighs a ton!”

“Wha—?!” Gale shuddered internally seeing the speckles that could trigger trypophobia. Reflex nearly made him drop it. But discarding such loot meant losing face. He kept hold of the stone—though inner dread churned, fearing he’d become one of those inky Mutated Creatures any moment.

“Evidently altered mostly in appearance. Probably harmless…” Wood observed, then pulled a bag from his pack and stowed the stone. “Best remain cautious. Avoid direct contact before proper evaluation.”

Since holding it caused no harm and it was mutated Windhowl Stone, retaining it made sense. Potentially quite valuable. Take it for Sanctuary Church analysis later.

Others had found this corrupted stone too. Some met patches of black, others gray speckles. Those touching black-speckled stones without incident presumed gray variants safe… until grabbing them yielded grim outcomes…

“Prepare for battle!” Oss barked quietly upon spotting figures in the distance, weapon drawn to warn allies. Grey fog enveloped Windwhisper Valley, drastically reducing visibility. Approaching beings appeared only as blurry silhouettes. Confirming their nature required proximity.

Grey fog hampered most scouting Magic. But as a Demon Sword Cultist, Oss possessed Blood Aura Perception. Though its reach lacked Magic’s vastness, mid-to-close range potency sufficed. Detailing if the Blood Essence belonged to human or beast was challenging—yet discerning living presence? Entirely manageable.

The nearing silhouettes radiated blood energies both decayed, stagnant…and contradictorily active. Starkly abnormal compared to regular essences. Considering this valley’s strangeness meant such creatures were hardly allies.

“Huh? I recognize this group. Entered before us.” Lena stared at the figures’ attire and features. One individual’s eyes had turned obsidian-black, features twisted. Emotions lingered frozen upon their faces…but far from wholesome.

“Numerous teams preceded us. You remember all?” Oss queried, unable to connect past recognition.

“No~ Not all. But him? That colorful-clad creep with disgusting stares my way. See his expression? Nearly drooling now!” Lena recoiled several steps. “Looks set to charge and strip me…”

“Ahem!” Oss gave a helpless cough. Sometimes Lena just proved…unfiltered. Regarding Gale’s expression? His furious readiness to strike back…violently.

“They’re corrupted by the Undying Witch’s power. Stay sharp—avoid injuries.” Oss cautioned gravely. Signs of corruption after such brief entry meant nothing good. Exploration henceforth demanded utmost wariness.

The corrupted squad posed significant threats. Transformed individuals retained past strengths plus death-defying ferocity. Yet Oss wielded unique powers. Activating the first stage of his eyes alone defeated them. The encounter ended with standard post-wilderness-battle procedure: loot the corpses!

They uncovered smaller Windhowl Stones bearing both black and gray speckles. Noticing the gray-speckled stones, Wood instinctively eyed Lena—fearing her impulsive grab again.

This time? She stood motionless…studying the gray-speckled examples with curious unease.

“These stones seem…risky.” Dan Marina observed softly. Gale and the others reacted strangely, prompting her dismissive wave. “Stop looking at me like that! I’m not truly dim enough to snatch obviously dangerous things…”

“Ah…makes sense!” Gale agreed.

“Grab them? Get others to do so.”

“……”