Chương 22: Chapter 22: Traces of the Demon Part 2
– Swiiiiiiiiiiish!!!
The direction of the fast-flying arrow was not the skull of the cult priest. The place where the arrow landed was none other than the cracked ground beneath the pool of blood.
"Who's there!"
And there came the cliché taunt of all villains.
"How dare you interrupt the ritual!"
It was no small feat to create life from soil already tainted, especially in an environment contaminated with all manner of demonic energy as it is now. I stole a glance at the morning star that was just beginning to break through its shell and take root, then, to buy some time, I shouted at the cult priest.
"And who might you be, skulking about like a rat, engaging in such foul deeds?"
"Foul deeds?"
The cult priest burst into laughter.
"Ignorant fool, deceived by the lies of the twelve gods, how dare you speak so boldly! But go ahead and speak your mind, for you are but a life already condemned to death. Soon, the great Sitra will descend and tear your heart to shreds!"
As expected, villains do love their lengthy monologues.
Sitra, it seemed, was the name of the demon they were attempting to summon.
Crazy bastard…
Demons.
They were dangerous beings with powers rivaling that of the gods themselves.
Although it was somewhat misleading to group such diverse entities under the single banner of "demons" they all shared one common trait.
That trait was "evil".
They were all evil. Beings who live for their own pleasure and the suffering of everything except themselves.
After they had been defeated in the war against the gods and banished to the underworld, demons were "officially" forbidden from appearing on this earth.
In other words, this implied they could still appear on this land "unofficially".
Through rituals like this one.
The cult priest raised a bizarrely shaped staff high into the air. Yes, if you had any brain in that skull, you should attack now.
But it was already too late.
– Pop!
At just the right moment, the morning star pushed forth its yellow petals. Ah, it's amazing!
You said to speak my mind, didn't you? Well, I'll take you up on that offer. I offered a short but incredibly powerful prayer to Nemeya.
Goddess, please crush this rotten bastard.
– Whoosh!
It seemed my prayer was particularly well-received, as from the morning star erupted a hige silver flame, large enough to engulf and exceed the writhing pool of blood. The silver flame burned voraciously, consuming the pool of blood with such fervor that it seemed almost greedy. The cult priest screamed in a grotesque manner at the sudden, or seemingly sudden, turn of events.
"Wh-what is this! No! No!!!"
Even as he screamed, he dared not approach the silver flame which was abhorrent to him. Meanwhile, the writhing pool of blood was diminishing as it was consumed by the flame.
"Lord Sitra!Lord Sitra!!"
He incessantly called out the demon's name, but nothing happened.
Of course.
The most crucial element of a summoning ritual is the sacrifice. With the sacrifice destroyed, it was only normal that the demon would not respond.
The pool of blood continued to shrink while the flames continued to grow bigger and bigger.
The ritual was ruined.
I gestured to El and Ayla with the intention of capturing him alive. Turning this wretch over to the Grand Temple of Arzan would likely fetch a good price. The place was teeming with paladins who would love nothing more than to put an end to cultists. Perhaps we could get three gold coins for him.
El produced a rope while Ayla growled threateningly, cornering him. The cult priest gasped for air, his complexion turning ghastly pale. I was about to suggest he surrender when suddenly…
"Kaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!"
With a scream that was almost a howl, the cult priest plunged a knife into his own abdomen.
A gush of bright red blood that was completely different from the dark red blood that had accumulated in the blood pool spurted out. This crazy bastard. I immediately tried to use [Plant Binding] to capture him, but for some reason, the vines wouldn't grow. An ominous feeling washed over me. Could it be?
"I offer… myself, Lord Sitra… I offer…"
The cult priest couldn't finish his sentence and collapsed. However, the blood that spurted out remained suspended in mid-air and did not move.
Ah.
This seemed bad.
"Step back, El."
I realized why the vines hadn't grown. This is because the demonic energy that has seeped into the ground is becoming stronger. That ominous energy was absorbing life force. It would be wasteful to use a skill in such a situation. I silently observed, waiting to see what would unfold.
The blood of the cult priest spread thinly and extinguished the flames of the [Moon Light] by covering them. It then merged with the remaining pool of blood. The blood clot gradually condensed and began to take on a certain shape. The shame was human, yet the figure was definitely not human.
With a splash of droplets, something unfolded. They were huge and dark wings.
Oh, maybe I should have just killed him…"
I never expected such a choice from him in the end. Cultists in this game were typically greedy and ambitious and valued their lives above all else, so suicide seemed unlikely. It was a mistake on my part.
So, I'm to witness a demon after all.
The blood took on a definitive form. It was a half-human, half-beastly figure. The creature has the lower body of a human and the upper body of a black panther. Were the black wings just an addition?
Bright yellow predatory eyes gazed at me. They didn't seem to be asking if I was the one who summoned it. The demon already knew it wasn't me. The only thing in those yellow eyes was curiosity.
Why did a druid stand before it when it was just summoned?
-gulp.
I swallowed hard. I could feel the air around me shift as the demon appeared.
[Overwhelming terror engulfs you.]
[You are unable to move.]
Damn it, I was stunned. Facing such a surreal entity often leads to a temporary inability to move due to fear, confusion, or shock, and that's exactly the state I found myself in. Being stunned, even momentarily, meant losing the chance to strike first, which was a huge disadvantage.
I could feel cold sweat trickling down my back. The oppressive presence of the demon was terrifying. As a druid, perhaps I felt this more acutely due to our opposing natures. The totems around my neck vibrated continuously.
– What a cute toy.
Fortunately, Sitra seemed intrigued by me, so I was spared from a fatal blow while stunned. I racked my brain frantically for any skill that might be useful in this situation. Damn, I deeply regretted not having acquired [Beast Summoning] yet. If only I hadn't been content with [Moon Light] and had leveled up a couple more times…
[The goddess of luck, Liadel, bestows a minor blessing upon you!]
[Achievement unlocked: Discovery of the Spring of Life]
[You have obtained a Spring of Life (Medium).]
…Huh?
Spring of Life?
Suddenly, my mind cleared.
I remember the Purification Tree I had planted in the swamp where the demon beast had emerged.
Thanks to my generous use of [Breath of the Forest], the roots of the rapidly growing Purification Tree had stretched deep into the earth and seemingly discovered a spring of life.
How could this be here…? Even when that old woman told me to find it in the forest I couldn't discover it.
Was it due to my [Lucky] trait? It seemed too big a stroke of luck.
Anyway, thank you, Lady Liadel.
Consuming the water from the spring of life significantly enhances physical abilities. The forest that developed around a spring of life is terrifyingly vast and deep, and the beasts living within are larger and stronger than ordinary ones. It's said that humans who drink from the spring of life heal from illnesses and grow stronger, making it a true elixir of life.
It's insanely difficult to find, and even if you do stumble upon it, it's monopolized by kings, lords, or temples, making it as hard to see as plucking stars from the sky…
It's said that if you find the spring of life, your next three, no, your next eight generations wouldn't have to worry about starvation.
No, now's not the time to think about money.
While it would be great to sell the spring of life's water, now was not the time for that.
With death looming, money was the least of my concerns!
Although it felt wasteful to use it all here, I had no choice but to go all-in on the Purification Tree if I wanted to survive.
– I can hear that little brain of yours working hard from here.
"…Was I too loud?"
I responded calmly while managing a slight smile. Of course, behind the scenes, I used [Voice of the Forest] to command the Purification Tree.
I ordered it to find the "Spring of Life" and consume it all.
– Rumble…
The ground trembled as the roots began to move, and I could feel the mine vibrating. I looked at Sitra nonchalantly.
"I'm sorry, but the party's over. As you can see, the host is dead. Perhaps it's time for you to return to your warm home."
– A warm home? Ha! It is warm, but it's a boring place.
"This place isn't much different."
– What are you talking about? I've already found something interesting.
Sitra's yellow eyes gleamed. Oh, I had a bad feeling about this.
– You're Lynshaka's child, aren't you? I smell something on you that I've never sensed before in a human.
"Perhaps you're mistaken?"
– You look human, but what is that scent? Maybe I'll find out if I peel off your skin.
Saying such dreadful remarks as if they were nothing. I grimaced and tried to calm the growling Ayla while we slowly retreated from the approaching Sitra.
Just a bit more…
– Come closer. I need to smell you.
"Sorry, but this isn't an R-rated game, so that's not going to happen."
Step by step, as Sitra moved closer, we kept retreating.
– Rumblllleee….
The vibration grew stronger. I glanced at the ceiling. Small pieces of stone began to fall. Just a little more, just a bit more…
-Crussshhhhhh!!!!!!!
The ceiling collapsed with a tremendous roar, and the roots of a huge purifying tree emitting faint light crashed down upon Sitra. The roots were so large that Sitra was completely obscured from view.
"Ayla!"
I quickly grabbed El and mounted Ayla. She slipped through the cracks in the ceiling and ran like the wind. It was so fast that I could barely see my surroundings. Clinging tightly to Ayla to avoid falling off, I continued chanting the spell while focusing intensely to ensure the Purification Tree securely held Sitra in place. Despite the difficulty in maintaining concentration, the connection fortunately held, which allowed the Purification Tree to grow to the point where it exhausted all of the water from the spring of life.
– Clattering!!!!
– Bang! Crush!!
As soon as we escaped, the entrance to the mine collapsed with a thunderous crash.
Exhausted, El, Ayla, and I lay on the ground, gasping for breath. The sound of people approaching from a distance reached us. Indeed, the noise of the mine collapsing must have been heard by the people of Rabata.
"Huff, huff…."
I took a deep breath and looked back. The Purification Tree, now towering high beyond the collapsed entrance of the mine, had grown insanely large after absorbing all the water from the Spring of Life. So much so that monsters would no longer be a concern in this area.
[Quest: Grand Success in the Rabata Mine Purification!]
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