abcnovels
Chapter 465: Secrets of the Strange Land
Chapter 465: Secrets of the Strange Land
Chapter 465
465 – Secrets of the Strange Land
I heal my injuries with [Autoregeneration] as I walk through the mist. I want to evolve right away, but there’s still more I need to do here. This area is fairly far away from the waterfall cavern. I don’t know when Lilixira will attack, so I can’t be wasteful with the time I have left.
I’ve already come this far, so I want to learn what I can about the source of the mist that blankets this land. Just a look will do, and then I’ll retreat. Even with just the information gained from a glance, I’ll be able to better plan what to do next time I’m here.
After following the river upstream for a while, I hear the sound of something scraping across the ground. I cautiously walk forwards while searching around with [Presence Perception].
A set of three silhouettes fade into view from the fog. Two are scraping against the ground, and one is floating. No, it’s not floating. It looks like it’s raised on some spindly legs.
I hide amongst some rocks and peek out. As they approach, I begin to be able to make out more of their appearances. Their features become sharp. I see two familiar giant faces.
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Species: Clay Guardian
Condition: Normal
Lv: 85/85(MAX)
HP: 785/785
MP: 225/225
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Species: Clay Guardian
Condition: Normal
Lv: 85/85(MAX)
HP: 785/785
MP: 225/225
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I hold my breath. That thing wasn’t unique!? Is this some kind of cruel joke? I’m dead if they find me. Why are they coming down? Are they here to investigate the sound of their ally exploding? For that matter, what is it that they’re protecting?
I’d like nothing more than to run away immediately, but I should check out the one in the middle first.
As they slowly approach, the middle monster becomes clear. It has five thin and bizarrely long beastlike legs. Each leg is segmented into two, no, three joints, giving it a strange, shambling gait. Above the legs is a swollen tumour-like lump that has countless mouths gaping open over its surface, and is quivering in a manner reminiscent to the kicking of a fetus.
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Species: Shub-Niggurath[1]
Condition: Normal
Lv: 125/125(MAX)
HP: 1811/1811
MP: 1568/1568
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A, A rank!? I was guessing a monster of this rank would show up at some point, but it actually went and appeared right now. It’s maximum level, too. It looks like a tasty lump of experience, but I can’t get close to it right now. Or rather, I’ll lose the moment it notices me. My body still hasn’t recovered from the clay guardian’s [Direct Burst]. With that in mind, fighting two B+ ranks and an A rank is far too dangerous.
After all, clay guardians aren’t run-of-the-mill B+ ranks. The damage from their self-detonation skill can reach over 2000. It’s dangerous even for me, so Aro or Volk would die straightaway.
A big eyeball squeezes out from within the mass of flesh and dangles down on what appears to be a bundle of nerve fibres. Its whole body trembles, then the bundle of nerves lifts up. The eyeball shines with red light and stretches out towards me.
“Uoh, uooh, uoh…”
A groan escapes from the countless mouths of the shub-niggurath.
Wh- what?
Did it notice me? No, I can’t be certain of that yet. I’ll stay still for now.
In the next instant, the shub-niggurath’s five legs writhe as it charges at me at unbelievable speed. I immediately leap out from under the rocks and shoot a burst of five [Wind Slashes]. Before the blades of wind hit, I curl into a ball and [Roll] down the slope in the opposite direction.
Crap, what’s with that creepy way of moving! There’s no way I’d have gotten out in one piece if I got surrounded there. That monster seems to be the boss of this strange land.
A while after I had barely gotten away, I fail to turn a corner fast enough and crash into a wall. The surroundings shake, and the earthen wall I crashed into is dented. I use my arms to ward off the boulders that rain down on me from above.
Th-that was a horrible experience. I’m not going to challenge those guys. Not for now, at least.
For a while, I was feeling a persistent bloodlust as I fled, but it’s gone now. It’s…probably safe to think I’ve shaken them off. If they’re protecting the summit, they might not chase me this far down.
That said, if I wound up leading them back to the waterfall cavern, it’d be a disaster. I’ll wait here for a while to make sure they’re not still chasing me. In the meantime, I’ll heal the still-damaged parts of my body with [Autoregeneration].
As I wait, a fenrir shows up, lured by the scent of my blood. Since I can’t gain more experience right now, I chase it off with some [Wind Slashes]. A pack of them might come attacking later, but as long as I don’t let my guard down, I can take on a group of three or four. If anything, I’d welcome the experience they’d provide.
There are no signs of the shub-niggurath appearing after that. After squinting upstream one last time, I sigh in relief and decide to head back to the cavern after drinking from the river.
I’ll be able to evolve once I’ve gotten back to the cavern. Moreover, I’ll gain the power to achieve my objectives. Whether it’s taking down that flabby meatball or fighting Beelzebub, my evolution will surely prove enough.
[1] Lovecraft’s Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young – wikipedia