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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Three Hundred and Twenty:
With the effect of a high-level recovery potion, it would still take two days for such injuries to fully heal.
However, this only pertains to the physical aspect.
As for the mental state, Yuri's defensive spell was instantly shattered, resulting in a strong backlash that severely affected his mind.
This kind of damage cannot be resolved with potions or other methods; it can only be slowly repaired through one's own mental strength.
In other words, until his mental strength is completely restored, he would not be able to assist in any future actions and might even become a burden.
Thinking of that terrifying Blonde Witch made Yuri's heart tremble.
That overwhelming sense of pressure was something even a fully intact teacher had never experienced.
However, this also allowed him to understand some truths.
"As long as I wait for the teacher to return, I can start preparing to try and break through to Crystallization Level. By then, perhaps I will have some power to protect those I want to protect."
The fear that stimulated his determination caused a faint light to shine in his eyes.
Meanwhile, Gryss, who had been supporting him as they navigated through the forest along a fixed route, maintained a calm expression with no visible emotions.
With each distance they covered, a flicker of black aura occasionally flashed around him, leaving behind a faint black silhouette that ran off in the opposite direction.
As time passed, night gradually descended.
In the darkening forest, swift figures occasionally darted by, and soft growls echoed from the shadows.
Yule Forest is not an ordinary forest; most of the creatures lurking here possess strong resistance to magic and are either Demonized Creatures or Alien Creatures.
At night, even the Official Wizard must be particularly cautious in this forest.
Sensing the hidden dangers lurking around, Gryss stopped and placed Yuri down to sit beside a large tree.
He stood up and looked around, saying calmly, "We can't move anymore. Let's rest here for the night."
Yuri, who understood the situation in the forest, nodded weakly and replied, "Alright, Lord Gryss."
As he spoke, a swift shadow leaped onto a nearby branch with a soft sound, its bright yellow eyes fixated on the two of them.
A faint smell of blood permeated the air.
Gryss frowned and pulled out a Short Staff that was only as long as his arm.
"I'll handle the surroundings first. You wait here for a moment."
He turned around, tapping the black Crystal atop the Short Staff with his right hand. A beam of black light flashed and enveloped Yuri, temporarily protecting him.
Then he walked directly toward the position of the shadow.
Meanwhile, Yuri leaned against the tree and watched Gryss's figure quickly disappear into the darkness. He tried to move his body and then used his hands to support himself as he stood up.
His gaze swept across the silent forest, as if for a moment the entire world consisted only of himself.
After a pause, he waved his hand at the ground. Under simple mental control, a pile of dry branches and weeds gathered around him.
Then he pointed his finger, and with a soft sound, a red light flickered in the pile of weeds. The red flames then rose up, illuminating the surroundings.
"I didn't expect my mental power now to be about the same as when I just advanced to Wizard. It seems I need at least half a year to recover," he said while rubbing his aching forehead.
In the pitch-black night sky, there were no stars, and a silver full moon quietly rose. The forest reflected a faint glow under this silver barrier.
A gentle breeze swept through the campfire, causing the flickering flames to dance and cast shadows on his pale face, giving off an unsettling feeling.
After staring at the campfire for a while, he reached into his waist pouch and took out a white bottle, removing the cap and pouring out the white powder inside. He then swallowed it directly.
After taking the powder, Yuri's pale face regained some color. He then sat down and entered a meditative state.
Five minutes later, Gryss emerged from the shadows of the forest, his hands stained with fresh red blood.
His entire body was enveloped in a faint black smoke, exuding an eerie and terrifying aura.
Approaching the campfire, he glanced at Yuri, who was in a meditative state, sighed lightly, and tossed a black long-eared demonized creature onto the ground.
He took out a knife and selected some suitable branches to carve into a wooden frame. Then he skinned the creature, removed its innards, and began to roast it with the seasoning he carried.
Before long, the aroma of roasted meat wafted through the air with the gentle breeze.
Another gust of wind stirred up the decaying leaves on the ground, carrying a faint bitter scent and producing a rustling sound.
Frowning slightly, Gryss looked up at the sky; the bright moonlight had gradually dimmed, and strands of black clouds had crept in unnoticed.
It seemed that rain might come soon.
However, in order to escape quickly, he had only brought essential items with him and had not prepared things like a wizard's tent.
"Damn," Gryss muttered lightly as he stood up and looked around at the trees.
He planned to try and build a simple windbreak for himself.
With a sharp crack, he used Negative Energy to corrode a tree about the thickness of his arm until it snapped. He then cut it into even lengths and used simple magic to bind them together, forming a square wooden board.
Next, he found four thicker logs to use as posts, driving them into the ground and placing the wooden board on top.
After finishing these tasks, he took out a slender brown root from his belongings and pressed it against the makeshift rain shelter.
With a hissing sound, the root sank into the wood, and a faint green glow appeared as large clusters of green leaves sprouted to cover three sides.
At this point, the meat was completely cooked, filling the air with its savory aroma.
However, Gryss had already cleared the surrounding area of creatures, so he wasn't worried about attracting anything else.
Additionally, he had set up several Outposts in this area for safety; any strong energy fluctuations would alert the two of them.
Watching Yuri, who was still diligently trying to strengthen his mental fortitude, Gryss spoke slowly.
"Take a break. Your mental trauma is too severe. It's not suitable for you to meditate for long periods; eat something first."
Upon hearing his voice, Yuri opened his eyes. His previously recovering complexion turned pale again. He forced a smile and respectfully replied, "Alright, Lord Gryss."
He reached out to tear off a piece of golden-brown meat, blew on it to cool it down, and placed it in his mouth. After chewing just a couple of times, a hint of worry flashed in Yuri's eyes.
"Lord Gryss, it's been such a long time. Why hasn't the teacher come yet? Could something have happened?"
"Maybe," Gryss said, adjusting the campfire to make the flames brighter. He turned his head and spoke lightly.
"But he will definitely get away, so there's no need to worry. It was the same before. You should focus on getting your body right first before worrying about anything else. Tomorrow we will reach William Fortress, where I know the owner. He will help us safely get to Darsman."
Listening quietly to Gryss's subsequent arrangements, Yuri nodded in confusion, unsure of what he wanted.
Although he had great confidence in Sain, there was still a hollow feeling in his heart this time, thinking of that teacher who cared for him like a father.
After a simple meal of roasted meat, he was arranged to sleep under the rain canopy at Gryss's insistence.
The silver moon in the sky was completely covered by dark clouds. The entire quiet forest seemed empty except for the flickering dim light of the fire.
'Swish swish swish'
The rain finally began to fall, and the sound of droplets hitting the leaves slowly echoed. The small flame in the campfire outside gradually extinguished under the raindrops, and a wisp of white smoke rose from the extinguished fire.
The white smoke curled around like an uncut long thread.
'Splash'
A sound of water rippling suddenly broke the silence of the rain curtain.
Gryss in the rain canopy suddenly opened his eyes wide. In his hand, the Short Staff he held began to glow with flickering red lights without him noticing when it had started.
"Hmm?"
Looking at his Short Staff, he frowned.
Next to him, Yuri's heavy breathing could be heard. It seemed he was sleeping soundly.
Rising from the dry ground, Gryss stepped out of the rain canopy. The fine rain falling on his head quickly slid off without touching him at all.
"Swish, swish."
Once again, a sound of rippling water echoed, and this time he clearly heard it coming from not far away. It seemed that someone was deliberately stirring the water.
This was somewhat eerie in the otherwise quiet forest filled with only the sound of rustling leaves.
Gryss thought for a moment, then pulled out a Black Wooden Plaque from his waist and held it in one hand while gripping his Short Staff with the other. He then moved toward the source of the sound.
The black boots he wore squelched against the decaying leaves and wet mud beneath him, giving him a rather unpleasant feeling.
After walking for five minutes, he stopped beside a large tree. Next to it stood a black, makeshift puppet, leaning at an angle in the wet ground. A faint crack ran along the top of the puppet's head, with a dim red light seeping out from within.
He picked up the puppet and brushed off the rainwater and dirt on it, frowning slightly.
This was an Outpost he had set up, but now it had been inexplicably destroyed without any warning, and there hadn't even been a signal sent out.
"Could it be that I didn't clean it properly?" he murmured in confusion.
"Swish."
Suddenly, the sound of water returned, this time very close, as if it were right behind him.
For a moment, even he felt a tingle at the back of his neck.
Without thinking, he thrust his Short Staff backward with force, unleashing a beam of black mixed with green light.
"Zing!"
The beam struck a large tree, creating a fist-sized hole as droplets of green corrosive liquid dripped to the ground.
He slowly turned around, astonished to see that next to the tree pierced by his spell, a Black Well protruded from the ground, emitting faint "swish" sounds.
Black Well Above was a brown gallows, with black hemp ropes tangled haphazardly, and at the end of the ropes, an iron bucket hung above.
The falling raindrops made a 'ding ding' sound.
"A well? When did this appear?"
He clearly remembered that when he arrived just now, there was nothing here, and this well had no energy aura at all; it looked just like an ordinary water well.
Yet, he felt an uncomfortable sensation lingering in his heart.
Just as Gryss was puzzled, another sound of 'splashing' came, and this time he could hear that the sound was coming from the well.
"Hmph!"
He snorted coldly and pointed sharply at the well. A large mass of black Light Sphere shot out from his fingers, tracing an arc before plunging into the water well.
'Boom!'
'Splash—'
After the explosion, a large amount of water surged at the bottom of the well, and the rushing air caused the Iron Bucket above the gallows to creak repeatedly.
"No matter what it is, this should quiet it down!"
After waiting for two minutes without any further sounds, Gryss squinted his eyes and turned to leave.
However, just as he returned to the shelter, he found that Yuri, who had been lying in the shelter, was mysteriously gone.
The ground where she had been lying still held some warmth, as if she had just left moments ago.
"What’s going on!?"
Watching the spot where Yuri had disappeared, Gryss felt a chill in his heart, sensing that something ominous was being targeted.
Suddenly, the sound of water returned, causing Gryss to freeze in place. He quickly ran out from under the rain shelter.
Just a few steps away, he suddenly saw a Black Well quietly standing in the shadow behind the rain shelter.
This Black Well looked exactly like the one he had seen earlier.
Gryss instinctively took two steps back as a cool breeze swept by, and he realized that his forehead and face were already covered in fine beads of cold sweat.
"Is this a Spirit?"
As he speculated, the rope on the gallows of the Black Well began to eerily and slowly rotate, winding around as the Iron Bucket gradually slid into the Black Well.
Gryss wanted to turn and leave but found that his body was strangely unable to move, as if cursed by some spell.
At that moment, he noticed a thin strand of white smoke swirling around above the rain shelter, twisting and swaying like a living creature.
A chilling aura contrary to life enveloped the surroundings.
Thud!
The Iron Bucket finally fell into the well. The once soft rope suddenly tightened as if something at the bottom of the well had grasped it, trembling as it climbed upward.
Watching the taut rope in the Black Well and feeling that cold aura, Gryss suddenly widened his eyes.
"No, this isn't a Spirit; this place is a naturally formed Cursed Land!"
Cursed Land, whether artificially created or naturally formed, is an extremely terrifying area.
Its existence often comes after a considerable number of biological deaths; it is extremely rare yet terrifying.
Even the Official Wizard would not linger in such an area, after all, the Cursed Land has another title: the Lost Garden.
Of course, the appearance of the Cursed Land is not fixed; it usually emerges due to some specific trigger.
"Damn it!? How did I end up in a place like this?" Gryss said, somewhat frustrated.
He is a wizard specializing in Negative Energy and is well aware of such bizarre places, but this is his first experience, and he has no idea how to cope.
If it were a Spirit, he would know the specific methods, but the Cursed Land...
Just as Gryss was pondering how to free himself from his stiff body,
*Snap!!*
A pale hand appeared in his line of sight, grasping the well's edge. (To be continued...)
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