Chapter 72 – Chapter 17. Demon Genevi.
Ji-hyeok and his group left early in the morning after being treated very kindly by the baron for two days in the small town of Franca.
They went through two more cities in one month. And we arrived at the last village before entering the Monster Plain.
After spending their last night in this small village of only ten households, they headed for the Plains of Monsters early in the morning.
Not long after we set off, the dawn began to dawn on the distant horizon. It was truly a dazzling spectacle. A sense of reverence for Mother Nature welled up in everyone’s heart.
Ah.
Grace’s heart trembled at the thought that she had finally reached this terrible place.
She remembered that time two years ago. It was an expedition with Hero Rei and seven of her companions. … Until they first passed through this place, they had not dared to imagine that such misfortune would befall them. Everyone was lost in happy imaginations of what they would do after this expedition.
Orc Grendal hooked his arrow towards the scene of the sunrise and pulled the top string of his poem with might and then released it. The arrow blew—and flew through the sky, disappearing far away on the other side.
It was like a ritual. … Please pray that this expedition ends safely.
The fields where the vegetation grew were soon lit up. The fresh grass smelled refreshing. The weather was milder than in the capital. That’s how their clothes got a little thinner.
They walked a long way No matter where I went, I could only see an endless field. Gide asked if he had already entered the Monster Plains.
“No, there is a barrier soon. The Monster Plains is beyond that.”
“Barrier?”
Gide asked back at Orc Grendal’s answer. It was the expression of a sudden sound of a barrier.
Of course, even when the sun rose to the top of my head, the barrier did not come out. Such a seed-. When we took a short break, Gide slumped on the floor and spat out thick curse words.
“How fucking hard do you have to bet on this, huh?”
The captain gave this answer.
“You won’t be able to see the wall until tomorrow morning.”
He seemed to be very sorry that he had to walk with his legs hurting after coming by car comfortably. Still, walking was an unavoidable choice because it was not a road for a wagon to run on.
“Now, let’s start again.”
After a brief rest, the group set off again. Since it was going to be a long expedition, their luggage was very heavy.
Orc Grendal and Lizardman Kayak carried a lot more luggage than their other companions. The bags of Yayel and Grace, who are relatively weak, were lighter.
The group walked with hoods tied around their faces. It was to block the scorching sunlight as there was no shade on all sides. Still, perhaps thanks to being born and raised in the hot desert, Mafushu flew around.
The sun that rose to the top gradually declined. Soon, a beautiful sunset began to spread across the sky. It was truly spectacular to see the whole world turn red.
They unpacked before sunset. There were no twigs to start a fire with, so I couldn’t light a bonfire.
The sun set as the party unpacked, laid out the rug, and finished their dinner. Fortunately, the sky was clear without a single cloud, so the moonlight was bright.
They lay flat on the rug and went to sleep. It wasn’t the Monster Plain yet, so there was no need for a vigil.
Jihyeok and Grace were right next to each other. It was to prepare for an unexpected seizure. Still, she hadn’t had a seizure in a month this time. It was the first time since that incident that he had been silent for so long.
Seeing that her condition improved a lot, Jihyeok thought she was lucky. She seemed to have regained her peace of mind little by little. I was very fortunate that my efforts in the past did not go unnoticed.
“Everyone sleep well. It really starts tomorrow.”
Grace smoked her pipe before going to bed. She puffed out her long acrid smoke as she watched the field bathed in the silver moonlight. Dark gray smoke dispersed into the air and disappeared.
She was actually a little anxious now. She was even more so because she had been silent all this time. … This was a real start. I was a little afraid of how long my body would last.
Jihyeok went around her teammates for the last time, checking on each one to make sure that she did not feel uncomfortable, and she returned to her seat. He patted her nervously sucking on her smoke.
“Don’t worry about anything. I’ll always be by your side Your colleagues will always be by your side. Just think about it. Don’t think of anything else.”
“Yes, got it.”
Her calm voice trembled slightly. Soon, the two sat side by side.
She secretly peeked at the captain’s calm profile and slowly closed her eyes.
It was very reassuring to have him by my side.
… There were no seizures that night either.
· · ·
The warrior team woke up early in the morning to organize the camp. After filling their stomachs, they started walking again. The morning air was colder than expected.
At the crack of dawn, they saw a long, high barrier in the distance. It stretched endlessly.
As the sun almost rose from the horizon, they reached the great barrier.
Seeing that majestic appearance, Gide poured out thick cursing at once.
“Oooh, CEEIBUREAR…”
Although it was heavily weathered by wind and rain without repair for over a hundred years, the wall was still faithfully performing its role. The gate had fallen off the wall, the end of which could only be seen by raising one’s head high. Instead, huge boulders were piled up in place, blocking the entrance.
I didn’t see any holes to get out of. Colleagues then worried about how to get through this barrier. Grendal immediately dispelled that concern.
“Here is an underground passage.”
Orc quickly took the lead. The rest followed. Of course, Jihyeok knew that there was an underground passage, but the location was obscure, so he needed a guide, but he thought it was just fine.
They soon found a staircase leading to the basement. It was a pretty narrow aisle. To the extent that Grendal could barely pass.
There was some soil on the floor. There was a musty stench. There was a lot of cobwebs in every corner of the aisle. Ugh. Yayel, who hates bugs, walks quickly with his shoulders hunched.
After passing through a long underground passage, they were finally able to come out on the other side of the ground. I don’t know if it’s because of my mood, but the air suddenly felt a bit hideous.
“From here, it’s the Plain of Monsters. So, get nervous now.”
They walked in earnest in formation. From here, trees were growing sparsely one by one. The height of the pool also increased to the ankle. So every time I walked, I heard the sound of stepping on the grass.
It was a vast meadow. Occasionally, the bones of unknown monsters were scattered on the floor. Some had rotten flesh attached to them. They finally started to realize the name Monster Plains.
They sometimes saw wild animals running in the distance. As soon as they saw these uninvited guests, they fled.
It was a natural state untouched by human hands. If it was different from the Magician, this place was less stuffy.
They walked and walked By that time, the sun had already begun to set. The grass, already thigh-high, swayed in the wind and made the sound of rain.
“Let’s rest here for a while.”
Everyone sat down on the floor, groaning.
The sun was setting, but Jihyeok had no intention of camping today. This time he intended to walk all night.
In the monster plains, it was now necessary to change to a pattern of walking at night and resting during the day. It was less efficient to risk sleeping at night when the monsters were active.
The reason they moved during the day and slept at night in the Demonic Realm was to find their way. It’s easy to get lost if you move around the demonic landscape at night, which is full of trees, so I took the risk and slept at night. It was also beneficial in terms of physical strength because I only had to set up one night watch during the day.
Ji-hyeok had already mentioned this to his party beforehand, so they didn’t ask why he wasn’t unpacking either.
They took a long break with a full stomach until the sun went down. Soon after, night came.
The air of day and night is completely different. As the monsters, who had been silent during the day, began to be active in earnest, a dreary life began to spread.
From then on, Jihyeok’s team also began walking with torches infrequently. The sound of the grass rubbing against the body in the wind was terrifying. The team members’ nervous breathing grew louder and louder.
All of them walked with their weapons drawn, vigilant in all directions. Occasionally, an unknown monster’s cry could be heard from afar. Each time Grace turned his head there and shook his body slightly. She asked if Glendal, who had been following closely behind her, was all right.
“… Yes I’m fine.”
Fortunately, the monster didn’t attack until the second break.
Every time she took a break, Jihyeok lowered her head, bent her knees, squatted close to Grace as she sat, and wrapped her arms around her shoulders. It was a minor act on her part, but it was very comforting to her. There, she overcame her anxiety and fear. … Even for her pride and face, she did not want to appear weak.
“Now, let’s start.”
The faces of the team members were full of fatigue. But I couldn’t stop halfway here. There was still a long way until the sun came up.
So the pack finished her second break and set off again. She and she soon felt a monster approaching. Everyone quickly prepared for battle.
“Yayel, light—!”
The potion wizard created a sphere of light and launched it into the air. A huge monster crawling on all fours appeared nearby. Its hairless body was as black as darkness, and its eyes were red, as if it were looking at a beast that had risen from hell.
They quickly lined up. The monster wandered around and looked at the liver, then suddenly jumped at it. Gide blocked the way with a huge steel shield. As soon as his attack was blocked, the team members counterattacked immediately. Yayel’s fire magic and Grendal’s arrow hit the monster’s torso almost simultaneously.
But the man’s breath hadn’t stopped yet. At that moment, Mafushu ran like a beam of light and pierced his head with a dagger.
His body stood on end as if struck by lightning, and he slumped to the side. It was a great connection, so Jihyeok didn’t even have to step out.
“Everyone did well.”
They checked to see if they were hurt, took a moment to catch their breath, and then set off again.
So the group fought four more battles until dawn. At the same time, Grendal got better and better as if she was gradually finding a sense of actual combat.
“Cybeol, do it.”
Gide rubbed his sleepy eyes and smiled brightly at the sun rising from the horizon. He let out a sleepy yawn.
“I will stay here.”
“Whoah, Cibal, I thought you were going to die because you were really sleepy!”
Everyone was so tired that they sat down on the floor. They ate roughly, laid down on the rug, and immediately went to bed. Still, a vigil was necessary in preparation for any unforeseen situation.
“I will do it. Captain, go to bed.”
“You don’t have to. I can do it.”
“No. I will do it.”
Lizardman Kayak was stubborn for some reason. The captain smiled lightly and patted him on the shoulder to thank him.
The other team members were already sleeping stretched out. Grace, too, slept uglierly, drooling over his saliva, with his mouth open. … He regretted not being able to show her this side of her.
Jihyeok also lay down and put a hood over his eyes. No matter how iron his strength, he was tired if he didn’t sleep.
It felt like something was sinking deeper beneath the surface. The senses slowly began to dull.
Jihyeok soon fell into a deep sleep.
