Chapter 52

Halmuneta (2)

The magical realms that existed on the continent also had various environmental characteristics.

There were places where lava pillars spewed from the ground, places where lightning storms raged in clear skies, and places where even water froze instantly in extreme cold.

Compared to such different magical realms, Halmuneta was relatively ordinary in terms of environment and terrain.

This was why, even after entering the realm, I and Ashel could still ride our horses without any issues.

'The sun is completely gone now.'

I looked up at the sky, which was filled with clouds almost as dark as black.

Because of these, it was almost as dark as night even during the day.

It was a scene that would naturally come to mind when thinking of the end of the world.

Kyeek!

And the monsters that appeared without warning were an added bonus.

A monstrous bird that had dived from a cliff and charged at us was cut in half by Ashel's sword.

Since no particularly strong monsters had appeared yet, Ashel had been handling them whenever we encountered them.

'They really are numerous.'

The frequency of encounters was much higher than when we passed through forests or mountain ranges. After all, that's why it's called a magical realm.

It wasn't a problem to deal with them, but the thought of them intruding even while we slept at night was already tiring.

I examined the map again and thought about the location where the mystery was hidden.

'A large rock in the shape of a tower located in the center of the magical realm.'

And a cave somewhere in there.

It was a place that appeared through the 'bastard's' flashback in the game.

Still, this time, the mystery was in the central area of the magical realm, so I could pinpoint the location accurately.

After a few days of travel, we entered a forest.

However, it wasn't a lush green forest, but one filled with decaying trees with black leaves, fitting for a magical realm.

I walked through the eerie forest path and looked around.

I could see dark-colored fruits hanging from the trees, and I observed them carefully.

Although Halmuneta was relatively ordinary, it had a distinct difference from other magical realms: the plants.

Even though they didn't look particularly healthy, there were plants growing here.

Some had lethal poisons, but others had remarkable medicinal properties.

'That is... '

Among them, I discovered a fruit and opened my eyes wide.

A round fruit the size of a melon, with a black skin and red cracks.

The fruit hung in clusters, almost touching the ground.

As I approached, large insects that were eating a fallen fruit scattered.

I picked a fruit that was in good condition.

Since I had collected herbs and fruits in Halmuneta countless times in the game for achievements, I knew exactly what this was.

'Monshteyu fruit.'

This fruit didn't have any particularly beneficial medicinal properties.

However, it was known for its heavenly taste, which could make you unaware if one of two people eating it died.

It was quite rare to find in the game, but I was lucky to encounter it.

Curious about its taste, I took a small bite. The flesh was crunchy and orange like an orange.

'Wow... '

I marveled at the intense sweetness that spread in my mouth as soon as I bit into it.

I understood why it was called a heavenly taste in the game. It was a flavor I couldn't help but acknowledge immediately.

I savored the sweetness and then turned my head.

Ashel was looking at me with a slightly perplexed expression.

It must have seemed strange to see me suddenly picking and eating a fruit that looked like a lump of cold lava.

"Try it."

I offered her another one, but she hesitated and shook her head.

"......I'm fine."

"If you don't try it, you'll regret it."

It would be a shame to enjoy this delicious fruit alone.

Since I said that, she seemed to become curious and hesitantly accepted it.

She took a small bite and her eyes widened.

I smiled and quickly finished the fruit I was eating. It was so large that one was enough to fill my stomach.

"Let's keep going."

As I was about to move forward, I heard a thud from behind.

I turned my head to see Ashel picking another fruit and putting it in her mouth.

She chewed it awkwardly, as if she had been caught doing something, and then swallowed it.

"......I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

If you want to eat more, just eat it. No need to apologize.

***

Several days had passed since we entered the magical realm.

The landscape that unfolded before us was a repetitive expanse of black earth and shrubs, with nothing particularly special.

However, the change was that the monsters we encountered became progressively stronger as we delved deeper into the realm.

【Lv. 64】

【Lv. 68】

【Lv. 71】

...

The monsters we encountered this time were in groups.

There were monkey-like creatures, creatures that looked like a mix of lions and rhinos, and giant spiders with countless eyes.

'What are these?'

I couldn't help but tilt my head at the bizarre scene.

They weren't of the same species and were an odd combination of monsters.

Gwoah!

Since dealing with them was the priority, I put my thoughts aside and told Ashel.

"Take care of that monkey."

"Yes."

Ashel immediately charged at the highest-level monkey creature that was separated from the group.

The rest of the monsters charged at us with fierce momentum.

I extended my hand and burst the blood droplets, shooting them out.

Each of these monsters was powerful enough to turn a small city into a wasteland on their own, but the instant-kill ability made their levels meaningless. They were wiped out in the blink of an eye.

Swoosh!

Ashel easily dispatched the monkey creature after a short while.

She turned to look at me and, seeing the other monsters dead, she caught her breath and sheathed her sword.

We continued to encounter such bizarre combinations of monster groups.

As we kept dealing with them and moved forward, I had a thought.

'......Could it be?'

The magical realm was home to various monsters with peculiar and bizarre abilities.

From spewing powerful magic blasts to shooting fire or electricity, or even inducing hallucinations. Most of these were classified as named bosses.

Among them, there were very rare monsters with the ability to control and command other monsters.

Seeing the ferocious monsters of the magical realm, who were usually trying to eat each other, getting along so well... perhaps there was a monster with the ability to control them in this realm.

'As far as I remember, there was no boss in Halmuneta with a control ability... '

Well, since this is a past timeline from the background I played, there might be bosses I don't know about.

I didn't take it too seriously.

Even if there was a monster with control ability, it wouldn't be a significant threat.

After turning the monsters that attacked us into corpses and moving forward, several more days passed.

Seeing the faint, dark red mist in the air, I thought we were approaching the true center of the magical realm.

I was definitely prepared to avoid getting lost.

I had buried a compass that showed mutual positions at the entrance of the magical realm, and I had sprinkled trail powder along the way.

I expanded my senses to the maximum to search for the rock.

It was a large rock that looked like a tower, so it should be easy to spot from a distance...

And as I thought, after wandering around the area for about half a day, I finally found the rock.

'......That's it.'

I approached the rock, which resembled a tower even from a distance. There were no monsters nearby.

I arrived at the rock and circled it to find the entrance to the cave.

I found it quickly.

A wide passage clearly cut through the center of the rock.

This was the place where the final mystery was hidden.

"I'll go in and come back, so wait here."

I told Ashel and stepped into the dark cave alone.

The inside was completely silent.

I moved deeper into the cave for quite a while.

The straight passage was much longer than I expected. I had already walked for several minutes, but there was no sign of it ending.

'When will it end?'

Getting tired of walking, I started running. Since I didn't get tired easily, I wondered why I had been walking.

After running for a few more minutes,

Finally, the straight passage ended, and a large cavern appeared.

I looked around the cavern.

There didn't seem to be any more passages leading deeper.

So this must be the end... but the cavern was dark and empty. There were no glowing patterns of the mystery.

I wondered if I had come to the wrong place, but this was definitely the right one.

There couldn't be another cave in a rock shaped like a tower. That means...

"......"

I approached the center of the cavern with a grim expression.

I saw dried, faint bloodstains on the floor.

They looked very old, indicating that someone had been here before me.

This was enough evidence to understand why there were no patterns of the mystery.

"......It's already been taken."

I muttered, feeling defeated.

It seemed that 'he' had discovered this place long ago and absorbed the mystery.

I failed to secure the final mystery.

***

Ashel was waiting in front of the cave, guarding the area as ordered by the 7th Overlord.

She stood with her hand on the hilt of her sword, staring into the cave.

How does the 7th Overlord always know about such places and what does he do inside?

'......Pointless thoughts.'

She shook off her curiosity and focused on her guard duty.

As a bodyguard, she had been unable to help in the battles with the strong enemies they had encountered so far.

At the very least, she needed to prevent monsters from entering the cave and disturbing him.

"......?"

As she stood there like a statue for a while, she suddenly felt a sense of unease.

The fog around her seemed to have thickened.

An instinctive feeling of discomfort crept up on her.

Her hand, which was about to draw her sword, froze.

Then, her eyes slowly closed, and her body swayed before collapsing to the ground.

Sssss.

Immediately, a disgusting, intertwined plant-like stem appeared where she had fallen.

The stem, which had wrapped around her body, slithered across the ground and disappeared somewhere.

***

"......?"

I emerged from the cave, lost in thought, and looked around with a puzzled expression.

I couldn't see Ashel anywhere.

I wondered if she had gone to take care of something, so I crossed my arms and waited, but she didn't appear after a long time.

"......"

I looked around again with a grim expression.

What's going on?

Where did she suddenly vanish to?