Chapter 13: Exploration (1)
"Sigh, the time flow is the same in this Grimoire World."
Bert sighed as he announced to the group. A Grimoire World may have a different time flow from their world. If the time flowed quicker in this dimension, then they would've been able to explore for a longer time and gain more resources.
'Well, at least this is confirmed.'
Sigil thought in his mind. This was one of the information in the message. This was also an important fact for the continuation of their partnership.
Now, he only had to separate himself from the group without compromising the security of the people he cared about.
Unlike the previous Sigil, who had intimate relations with many women, the current Sigil only cared for Aria. After all, it was unreasonable for him to have the same sentiments for Alicia, Martha and Linda held by the previous owner if this body.
Yes, he did flirt with these three and yes, he had some intimate moments with Alicia. But what else should he do? A beautiful woman wants to kiss him and he should reject the offer? He wasn't out of his mind.
Right now, he could only come up with two plans.
The first is to immediately separate from the group without giving any explanations.
But this method had a downside.
He wanted to separate from the group to enter the true inheritance ground of the Grimoire World. He would not be able to explain himself once he gets such an outstanding opportunity.
The second plan is to create an incident or leave the group in a chaotic situation.
But this method might compromise Aria's security.
Since the first plan wasn't viable, he chose to wait.
"Alright, the Elders may accompany me or explore on their own. Other than Elders, no one will enter the inner regions of the Grimoire World, understood?" Bert commanded sternly.
The younger generation of the family nodded while various Elders started grouping. Linda chose to enter the group of the Supreme Elder. She also lectured Aria to ensure her safety before anything else and entrusted her to Sigil.
They could leave the Grimoire World using the same chants and talisman.
Meanwhile, Sigil felt a little troubled.
Not only Alicia, Martha and Aria teamed up with him, but also many more people requested to enter their team. After all, the three of them are recognised experts.
His gaze suddenly shone as he finally found an idea.
Without any hesitation, he started to accept every single person requesting to join their team. Alicia and Martha looked towards each other in a strange manner.
The Sigil they knew would never let any outsider enter the team if he could spend some alone time with both of them.
Meanwhile, Sigil had a single thought. More people always lead to chaos!
They all were transported to the outer regions of the Grimoire world since they entered this dimension through the border of the affected region. The foot of the tall mountain was just a start.
The group of Elders decided to climb the mountain while Sigil's group decided to walk around it.
Their group soon entered the nearby forest as they started making their way towards the left side of the mountain. Every member had already taken out their silver knives while Sigil also placed his hand over his gun.
Benefits are only obtained by taking appropriate risks!
The whole Grimoire World was an untapped land of resources and also an unexplored land filled with dangers!
"Ah! That's a Serpent Bark!" A youth, around the age of 23 spoke aloud in surprise.
He pointed towards the strange looking bark that had an extremely smooth surface. It was a Serpent Bark. A poisonous material that could be used in creating Poisonous Curses and exotic Talismans.
Soon, the youth cut apart the bark as he quickly slashed apart the outer surface and collected it in an empty bag while others waited for him.
A Serpent Bark wasn't lucrative enough for everyone to fight over it. After all, they originated from the same family.
The group continued forward as they kept on finding some herbs or other materials. The group had a simple rule, the finder is the keeper.
Meanwhile, Sigil only took some resources beneficial for little Aria. Other resources weren't good enough for him and hence, he did not bat an eye when others took the resources for themselves.
Rustle
A rustling sound caused all the members of the group to pause in their tracks.
"Grrrrr"
A humanoid figure slowly emerged from the nearby bushes. It was a man with a pair of white eyes and no pupils. His canines were elongated and his nails looked extremely sharp, glimmering coldly.
Seeing this new arrival, most of the weak people took a step backwards.
It was an Incomplete Werewolf!
'Who rear werewolves in his Grimoire World?' Even Sigil felt speechless.
Incomplete, Complete and True.
These were the three Evolutionary stages of most of the humanoid monsters including Vampires, Shapeshifters and other monsters.
The three levels correspond to the three stages of Cultivation of a Witch.
Gwaaaagh
The werewolf roared as he sensed the shift in the surroundings.
Bang
Before it could attack, a loud bang was heard as a silver bullet pierced the heart of the Werewolf.
He died an uneventful death!
"Don't you guys have guns? Why did you freeze in front of him."
Sigil kept his gun as he frowned at the group.
What a bunch of wastes!
They just knew how to loot resources. In actual combat, they even forgot that they had guns that could easily trump weak monsters.
Sigil looked at them and continued his journey. He still needed the group as a distraction in due time.
The group continued their journey. After reaching the left side of the mountain, the group encountered a patch of Ruby Petals near the nest of Werewolves. At this moment, Sigil's eyes shone with brilliance. He finally found a landmark!
Now, he can officially start his plan.
"Everyone, prepare your guns."
Alicia took the lead this time.
Ruby Petals were valuable Cultivation resource and she also wanted to contribute to the battle to earn a part in the loot. Even little Aria took out her gun as they all prepared for open fire.
Bang
Bang
Bang
Bang
The ambush proved to be successful and the nest of incomplete Werewolves couldn't stand the barrage of the silver bullets.
In this world filled with monsters, every single abomination had some sort of weakness except for Humans.
Even though humans were born weak, they did not have a weakness towards different types of metals or elements.
Meanwhile, most of the monsters had some sort of weakness. Werewolves were weak towards Silver, Vampires could be killed by mortals if a wooden stake is pierced in their hearts.
"Collect their canines. They are good materials for spells."
The group started to loot the area. After eradicating the whole nest, they dropped their guard.
It was the outer regions and encountering a monster comparable to a Chakra Stage Expert was unlikely, or so the group thought.
Aooooooooooooo
Except for Sigil, everyone felt a slight chill in their heart when they heard the howl. The howl was filled with sadness and rage. Before anyone could react, a grey shadow flashed and the head of the teammate, that had gone towards the opposite end, fell off.
Everyone could finally see the assaulter.
It was a man with his arms covered in grey fur. His canines were longer than the incomplete Werewolves and his feet had a slight protrusion, as if he was growing another toe from the back of his feet.
A Complete Werewolf.
Most of the members of the group had shallow foundations and very low experience. This also included Aria, Alicia, Martha and Sigil. If it wasn't necessary, Sigil would never risk his life to encounter such a being.
"Don't worry. It's just a Rank 1 Werewolf. Even though he has a stronger defence, it can still be killed using the silver bullets."
Bang
The moment he finished speaking, one of the members pressed the trigger, firing at the werewolf.
The sound agitated the near-insane werewolf.
The difference between an Incomplete Werewolf and a complete Werewolf was astronomical. It was like comparing a rock to a mountain.
The physical ability of a complete monster is enhanced exponentially. This could be understood by the fact that the Werewolf had dodged the silver bullet and moved towards the attacker at a great speed.
"Attack!"
Sigil immediately commanded. Even though the werewolf was strong, it could not keep dodging the silver bullets. It had to either retreat or keep on attacking with his life on the line.
Of course, the werewolf had chosen to retreat if his entire nest would not have been slaughtered and then ravaged.
Bang
Bang
Bang
Bang
The battle lasted for a couple of minutes as the sorrowful Werewolf lay on the ground. His whole body filled with numerous bullet wounds, including the head region. This only proved to showcase the strong regenerative Abilities of complete monsters.
But right now, the werewolf couldn't heal his wounds. After all, his heart was punctured by a lot of silver bullets.
"Huff, this was dangerous! Right, Master?"
Martha asked casually as she looked towards Sigil's location.
"... Master?"
He wasn't there!
***
Crack
Sigil stopped in his tracks as he accidentally stepped on a twig. The forest in the Grimoire World was a dangerous place and such accidental sounds may also garner unwanted attention.
He stood in his place and calmed his breathing while he tried to sense his surroundings.
Adventuring alone isn't exciting, but Dangerous!
To gain good loot, Sigil took a huge risk of exploring the Grimoire World on his own. He had to take care of everything since he was alone on this adventure.
After confirming that there was nothing strange around him, he continued his journey.
From the foot of the mountain, he started moving towards the north direction.
Outer Area, Inner Area and Core Area.
The Grimoire World is divided into three areas and each area have a different environment suited for the growth of different species. The ecosystem of the core area is of the highest quality followed by the ecosystem of the Inner Area and the Outer Regions.
But Sigil's aim was neither of them.
He kept on moving carefully. A bag hung on his shoulders while his left hand held a Silver Machete and his right hand held a torchlight.
His body was fully clothed and he also sprayed an insect repellent on himself. He needed to be safe from all directions and even the insects of the Grimoire World shouldn't be underestimated.
Thud
Sigil's body froze as he suddenly heard a slight 'thud'. He tightened his grip on the machete and quickly ducked down.
Whoosh
A black shadow swiped past Sigil and immediately hid in the shadows of the tall tree.
Sigil did not waste any time and immediately pointed the torchlight towards the attacker to discover its species.
It was a panther!
A pitch-black panther with green eyes. Its fur shone in luster, as if untainted by the filth present in the forest.
It was a familiar!
In this world infested with monsters and legendary beasts, humans have found a footing for themselves by cooperating with familiars.
Werewolves, Vampires, Scyllas, Gorgons, Minotaurs, Chimera, etc are all the monsters that cannot be tamed by a human practitioner of a chakra stage. Meanwhile, all the other animals that can communicate with certain elements and show any elemental affinity are categorised as familiars.
The green-eyed Panther in front of Sigil was actually a Familiar with an unknown elemental affinity.
Sigil smiled bitterly as he saw his opponent.
"I was scared for nothing. You are just an infant, aren't you?"
He smiled towards the panther.
Infant, Adolescent, Adult.
These are the three stages of growth of a familiar. Each familiar has different characteristics of their growth cycle while each of the growth cycles presents them with enhanced powers. The three stages are corresponding to the three power stages of humans and three forms of monsters.
Grrrr
The panther growled threateningly as it saw the strange human smiling towards it.
"Hmm? Let's check your tier. Even though you are an infant, it won't be long before you enter the Adolescent Stage. Do you know what this means?"
His smile grew wider as he looked at the majestic beauty in front of him. This familiar was a bonus.
Even though he couldn't make a contract with it, he could definitely tame it.
"This means you are mine."
He shot towards the Panther without delaying any more.
Shockingly, his speed was almost equal to the speed shown by the panther during the ambush.
This was to be expected, if Sigil was slower than the Black Panther, he would have already succumbed to his fate in the sneak attack.
His eyes shined in brilliance when he saw that the Black Panther chose to attack him instead of retreating to a safe distance. Sigil tilted his machete and met the claw with the blunt side of the blade. He may be eager to kill monsters, but he wouldn't harm any familiar without any specific reason. After all, every familiar has a chance to increase the combat ability of a witch.
Grwaaoh
The Black Panther cried out as it jumped on Sigil once again.
Sigil dodged to the right and struck the blunt side of the machete on the Panthers back.
"Hoo, so you are from the Jaguar Family."
In reality, there is no different species for a Black Panther, it is a simple misunderstanding.
The black fur is the variation pigmentation in the Jaguar and Leopard family. While Leopards have a light build and could be scared off easily, Jaguars, on the other hand, are more of a courageous kind.
Sigil took a deep breath and sheathed his machete. This action caused a strange sense of wariness in the Panther's eyes and it slowly crawled in a circular path.
Meanwhile, Sigil took out some canned food from his bag. He swiftly opened the can and placed its contents on the ground, in front of the Panther.
He had already caused the Panther to feel cautious of him. That was the show of his strength. Even though he knew that Panther had a lot of fight left, he did not want to waste his time and energy in battling it.
Trying to befriend a familiar after showing appropriate strength is always a good method of taming a future familiar.
Sigil even had a sure-fire trump card, but for that, he had to get in contact with the panther in a calm and orderly manner.
Chapter 14: Exploration (2)
Sigil was currently crouching near a red-coloured plant. The stem of the plant was only a size of an index finger while it had two dark-red leaves with black-coloured marks on its surface
He took out a pair of latex gloves from the outer compartment of his bag and took out a small knife to cut off the leaves of the plant without damaging the stalk attached to the leaf.
He needed the full plant except for the two leaves. This was the only method known to humanity to harvest the Crimson Desire, an extremely rare herb.
Sigil did not throw the leaves of the plant and shoved them inside a small test-tube. Within a few seconds, the black spots on the leaves started secreting a black liquid as the leaves started to melt, filling the glass test-tube. It was venom!
Sigil then proceeded to keep the stalk of the remaining plant in his pouch and continued his journey. Before he left, he made sure that he opened another can of food and placed it near the vicinity.
Rustle
After a few minutes of Sigil walking away, a green-eyed black panther with a luscious coat of black fur emerged and sniffed the area before making its way towards the canned food.
***
"It's like that person had already been here." Sigil's thoughts were unknown as he gazed at a large black fruit hanging from a tree branch. The whole tree looked abnormally sturdy with small spikes on its surface.
The spikes were laced with a bluish liquid that Sigil definitely wanted to avoid. He put on his pair of trusty latex gloves and started the process of harvesting the fruit.
The tennis ball sized fruit was another rare medicine named Berry of Truth. If this berry is consumed, it will work as a drug that dulls your mind and sends the user into a hypnosis-like state where one would not be able to lie even if they wanted to.
The process was relatively simple. His shoes were military graded and the spikes on the trees could not pierce his shoes. He simply jumped on the branch and plucked away the fruit.
He once again left the area after placing another can of food.
3 hours had already passed since Sigil separated from the group. On his journey, he did clash with some animals, but they were not familiars. The beasts did not possess intelligence and did not have any outstanding features compared to the Black Panther following Sigil.
He simply beheaded the annoying ones while avoided the relatively cowardly beasts. He wouldn't get any benefits from killing them. Their body did not have any rare material, so why should he waste his efforts?
Out of the allotted time of 48 hours, he still had 43 hours left. After that, the talisman on his body will activate automatically and transport him back.
After walking for 8 more minutes, he finally found the last herb he was looking for.
It was a couple of light blue leaves stick to the ground. He smiled lightly and scouted for surroundings before making his way over.
He didn't even wear his trusty gloves and immediately grabbed the leaves and pulled hard. In his hand was an underground mushroom with blue leaves attached.
His eyes widened as he barely tilted his head on time. A blue blur passed by Sigil's face, scratching his cheek.
Sigil immediately stored the Devil Mushroom inside his pouch and took out a butterfly knife as he rolled away.
It was a Crab!
An extremely small one at that, with a pair of wings.
The abomination in front of Sigil wasn't a familiar, but a monster from the Rakshasa Lineage.
Blue Winged Snapper.
The crab's body was blue and small spots of red could be seen on the hard exterior body. It kept on weaving horizontally as it snapped the two claws viciously.
Sigil's gaze narrowed as he wiped off the blood streaming from the wound on his face. His healing factor was greater than regular humans and such scratches would heal up in no time.
Even though he almost died, Sigil felt thankful. This sneak attack was a warning for him that an enemy can hit you from any angle.
He took a deep breath and started flicking his butterfly knife. The sounds of the knife attracted the crab's attention.
Bang
A silver bullet landed precisely on the exterior body of the crab, piercing it.
"Just a stage 1 Rakshasa."
Sigil commented lightly. He left the area without placing another canned food as he already left an extremely nutritious meal for his Feline stalker.
After collecting the three rare herbs, he made his way near a waterfall. The place was a few minutes away. The waterfall wasn't large, almost 5 metres tall but the water wasn't the regular drinking water. It was light green in colour and exuded a pungent smell, repelling most of the animals and monsters.
Sigil covered his nose with one hand and took out his cell phone from other. Usually, wireless connection to the outside world would not be possible due to two reasons.
The first being the difference in time flow and the second being the dimensional barrier of the Grimoire World.
But right now, Sigil had already bypassed both of the conditions. He was standing at the spot with the weakest point of the dimensional barrier and the time flow was equal to the world outside.
Step
Step
Sigil suddenly heard the sounds of steps and frowned. He looked around before placing his bag near a dark shade and covering it with the nearby leaves and mud. If he was lucky, then this would be enough. He then gritted his teeth and jumped inside the pool of pungent water.
He didn't jump and made his way inside extremely slowly, making the least possible noise. This only made the whole process for Sigil even harder.
He took a deep breath before he heard the steps getting closer. As he felt the new party getting near slowly, he made up his mind and dived inside the water.
Rustle
"Damn, fatty! Did you fart again?!"
A female's voice sounded. Her voice was full of aggression.
"No, I did not. And I didn't fart back then too. I know it was you, but you put the blame on me because Ivan was with us."
A gruff voice retorted.
"Shut up!!"
The previous voice sounded again, but it was shriller compared to before.
"Don't shout at me! If you don't want to fart accidentally, keep low on soda and fries!"
The man did not back down.
"Enough, we should be searching for materials. We also have to find enough so that the 30 percent cut for the family doesn't affect our Cultivation."
A helpless voice sounded.
"You! Stay out of it."
Both of them shouted at their third partner.
"By the way, none of you farted. It is the water." The third voice sounded again.
This caused the bickering of the two to stop.
"Is that?"
"Yup, it's Devil's Piss. A good refinement material. Alright, I will take a bottle for myself."
The three of them quickly filled a bottle for their own use and went away.
"It's a real disappointment, though. Ivan would have gotten a good loot here."
The three chatted away.
Sigil couldn't see them but he could hear them. They were from RedHawk family.
Before he started to move, his attention was caught by a strange situation. He tried to focus and felt speechless.
He did not see wrong.
There was a statue of a muscular man, buck naked, holding his 'erect sword' with a look of pride. The strange thing was that the 'erect sword' was actually a sword!
The sword had a grey handle and an extremely sharp edge.
'What the hell!'
First, he had to take a dip in a refinement material named Devil's Piss and now a statue of a perverted man holding an actual sword instead of his penis.
What happened to this world?!
But Sigil still made his way deeper into the pool, until he reached near the sword.
He was curious as well as repulsed.
'Calm down, there is nobody here.'
(Except Author and readers, but he doesn't know this.)
With a nervous expression, he touched the edge of the blade and.... Bam
The sword suddenly fell.
As if he had activated a trap, the whole base of the pool started to shake and the statue fell towards its front. In the place where the statue stood was a line of words written on a metallic patch placed on the base.
"If you want to inherit me, let go of all shame. The next clue is hidden where the thing after the first thing comes out."
It was a clue! As if he was in a university cultural festival!
He wasn't an idiot!
This was an inheritance ground!
He actually stumbled upon the most prized possession of the Grimoire World by following the directions of the anonymous sender.
But this wasn't all, he was also shameless. Extremely so!
He did not need the clue's advice to let go of his shame.
He immediately understood the meaning of the clue. It wasn't a brainer at all!
It might have been a tough question during the previous era, but now?
After learning the value of this place, he let go of all the morals and stuck his finger inside the extremely vivid back hole with his middle finger. It wasn't long as a button was placed inside the backdoor of the man.
Click.
Even though Sigil couldn't hear the click underwater, he could surely feel his fingers pressing a button.
This sensation made him feel even more speechless. He didn't know who the Grimoire Master of this World was, but he knew one thing— an ordinary mind cannot comprehend the 'brilliance' of this master.
After the clicking sensation, he suddenly felt his vision changing once again.
He wasn't in the pool anymore!
He was standing in an old bedroom with almost no furnishing. The walls were decorated with handmade paintings instead.
There were all kinds of painting, but they had one similarity- They were all men.
Seeing the naked ones made Sigil feel extremely uneasy. He wasn't the kind of person to judge someone else based on their sexual preference, but this was too much for him.
"So, this is the inheritance ground?"
A Grimoire World is divided into three main areas- Outer, Inner, Core. But there is one place that is the most prized possession of every Grimoire Master and could be placed anywhere– the Inheritance Ground.
"Well, if it was someone else, they wouldn't have dared to put a finger in male statue's asshole, except some creeps….wait….. does that make me a creep?"
Sigil muttered to himself.
***
Ricardo was staying in a cheap motel. He did not have funds to book a room in a nice hotel.
Right now, he was sitting peacefully with a brown rat caged in a box.
This was the familiar causing havoc amongst the citizens. He had already sent the confirmation of completion of the mission and was now waiting for the witch's organisation to send a worker to pick up the familiar.
Every familiar is worth its price and shouldn't be killed if not necessary.
Ricardo understood this point deeply.
Right now, he was waiting for Sigil's call. He could have entered the Grimoire world himself, but it would have been of no use. According to his memories, the inheritance ground required a certain talent to gain the Grimoire World.
He understood that his body did not have the requisite talent. He only hoped that Sigil would. If everything went according to the plan, he would be able to get that mystical familiar and also establish Sigil as his front for many tasks like this one.
All Sigil had to do is collect the required materials, call him and chant the spell of the oath that he would give him. This way, a partnership could be established.
"In my previous life, nobody would have thought that the Grimoire World belonged to Grimoire Master Inverse Witch. Only after a freaky girl pushed that button did everyone understood the true value of the Grimoire World."
Ricardo waited patiently.
Meanwhile, Sigil had already started searching for clues in the room.
Except for a futon, a couple of pillows and some used clothes, he did not find anything.
"Maybe it's the paintings."
He frowned and thought of his previous experience.
The Devil's Piss, The Erect Sword Holding Muscle Man, Pushing of the Devil Button.
It had to be the paintings!
Sigil was on a clock here and he could not get out of this trapped room. After all, there were no windows or doors.
He started trailing the numerous paintings drawn on the wall. As he observed the paintings, he looked towards the odd one out.
"Really now? This is too easy. How can someone so stupid be a Grimoire Master."
Sigil looked towards the painting that looked the most feminine. Even though it had some manly features, it was still fully clothed amongst the paintings of perverted muscle men.
He shook his head and touched the feminine painting. The moment he touched the painting, he felt his vision change once again.
***
"The Grimoire Master Inverse Witch was a genius amongst genius and created spells to target a witch's most feared imagination. After the statue was found in the Grimoire World, it showed different things to different people. Some claimed that they saw their old mothers in skimpy clothes while some spoke that they saw their loved ones in horrific positions. The common thing was that all the images were sexually suggestive."
Ricardo recalled the past memories, his gaze incomparably deep. In his previous life, the inheritance ground was found 7 years later after the Grimoire emerged and infected the surrounding place and the strangest thing was, nobody knew the true appearance of the statue besides the new inheritor of the Grimoire World.
"The second trial is almost the same. But this time, they show you paintings of your most feared imagination and only one painting of the imagination that could trump your fear. Normally, such a trap would lead to nowhere, but Inverse Master was a genius Space Element and Illusion Type Spellcaster. Such a combination made him one of the strongest out there."
"These both tests are nothing for me. After all, Inverse's most famous quote was to let go of your shame and embrace every part of your imagination. It is the last test that is the most difficult. The test of talent and potential. After all, who would want to give away their lifetime worth's hard work to someone talentless and with no future."
Ricardo sighed as he slumped on his chair. He was still restricted by his body's talents. Even though he knew that he could achieve everything with a steady flow of resources, he still felt regret that he couldn't attain that familiar himself.
Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
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