Synthesis-type adventurers

Chapter 38 Longwei

Two days later.

As you move eastward into the interior, the air becomes increasingly humid.

The smell of dry dust dissipated, and a foul stench lingered in the nasal cavity.

The smells of rotting vegetation, damp soil, and sweet sulfur mingled together, thickly clogging the nasal passages and throat.

The terrain began to sink.

The gray-white wasteland ended behind us, and a high wall of thick fog sealed off the dark green forest.

The earth's crust here is exceptionally thin, and magical steam originating from the underground ruins rises year-round along the fissures, distorting the entire ecosystem into a hideous spectacle.

The trees have completely abandoned their instinct to reach for the light; their branches are intertwined and tangled, like countless purplish-black tentacles strangling each other. Their bark has a sickly color, and the surface is covered with nodular bumps.

"We've arrived."

Rhodes dismounted.

The worn-out leather boots sank into the soft, rotting layer of fallen leaves, the impact of each step absorbed by the mud and the thick leather sole.

The [Silent Stealth] ability erased all remaining sound, far exceeding Rhodes's expectations.

The chestnut packhorses beside them clearly sensed the strangeness of their surroundings. They snorted uneasily and pounded their hooves restlessly in the mud, trying to break free of their reins and escape the foul-smelling fog.

"Hey... don't panic, old buddy."

Rod patted the horse's neck reassuringly and pulled a tin box with a simple label from a compartment in the saddlebag.

He poured out two dark green pills that smelled pungent like mint and forced them into the horse's mouth.

These are veterinary sedatives and desensitizing pills given to us by the rental station before our departure. In addition to greatly reducing the fear of livestock, the drug can also form a protective film in the lungs after it evaporates, which is enough to filter out a certain degree of mild toxins.

Within moments of swallowing the pill, the packhorse's tense muscles relaxed, and the fear in its eyes was gradually replaced by a dull calm.

Rhodes then activated [Analysis Vision], and thin, grayish-black particles tumbled up and down in his field of vision.

[Grayish-black particulate matter]

Entry:

[Trace Ancient God Radiation (Gray Inferior)]: Concentration 0.03%. Long-term exposure may cause mild hallucinations, auditory hallucinations, and hair loss.

……

"Put this on and pull the mask down." Rod took out a thick linen towel soaked in herbs and wrapped it around his mouth and nose, then handed one to Ivy. "The air here isn't clean."

Avira did as she was told, then pulled down the visor of her full-face helmet. The armor snapped shut, leaving only a narrow slit for observation in front of her eyes.

"Sir, I just smelled blood." Avira's voice came through the helmet, sounding somewhat muffled and distorted. "It's very fresh."

"Awooo—"

Before she could finish speaking, a piercing howl tore through the mist.

The surrounding bushes suddenly swayed, and the crisp sound of dry branches breaking one after another could be heard.

Five or six gray-black shadows crashed through the fog wall and surrounded them in a fan-shaped formation—they were forest wolves, but their size far exceeded that of their kind.

They are no longer simply wild beasts.

Large patches of fur peeled off, revealing dark red muscle fibers underneath. Bone spurs pierced from the spine and joints, forming clusters of hard lumps.

The emerald green that a wild beast should have had faded from its eye sockets, leaving only a crimson tinged with bloodshot veins.

The murky saliva dripped from the corners of his mouth, scorching small holes in the rotting leaves on the ground.

Corrupted Timber Wolf (Iron Rating)

Entry: [Group Frenzy (White)], [Corrosive Biting (White)], [Pain Dullness (Gray)].

"It's a mutant."

Avira reacted extremely quickly; the layers of steel plates on her plate armor rubbed and meshed together as she moved.

She took a step forward, the edge of her left-hand tower shield slamming heavily into the ground, while her right hand gripped her longsword tightly as she drew it from its sheath, using her body to shield Rhodes behind her.

Due to the effects of the medicine, the packhorses beside the two were not startled and fled in the face of the predator's roar, but only sluggishly retreated a few steps.

"Sir, please step back! These corrupted beasts have almost no sense of pain and are extremely difficult to deal with!"

"Don't rush into action, save your energy," Rod said from behind Avira.

He took two steps forward and stood half a step in front of Avira.

"grown ups?"

"They're just a few stray dogs with skin diseases; they're not worth getting your sword dirty."

Avira's gaze pierced through the observation slits in the helmet, and she saw Rhode raise his hand and slowly remove the black crystal goggles he always wore, which he casually hung on the belt at his collar.

Rhodes raised his head and looked directly at the alpha wolf, the most imposing of them all and undoubtedly the leader.

At that moment, the eyes that had been covered by the black crystal lenses were now fully exposed to the dim forest light.

Human characteristics had completely disappeared from those eyes.

His jet-black pupils contracted, transforming into two cold, majestic, and brutally cruel golden vertical pupils.

A terrifying pressure originating from the top of the ancient food chain suddenly spread out from Rhodes.

The air in the forest seemed to freeze instantly.

The corrupted alpha wolf, which was about to pounce, froze and distorted its movements in mid-air before stumbling.

Its bloodshot red eyes initially reflected only instinctive killing intent and hunger, but the moment its gaze fell upon those golden vertical pupils, a fear etched deep in its bloodline pierced its very soul.

A fear of the supreme ruler, a tremor at the prospect of destruction itself, utterly destroyed its will.

"Waaah..."

A distorted wail escaped the alpha wolf's throat, a pitiful cry of a defeated dog begging for its life.

Its limbs convulsed, and a stream of foul-smelling urine flowed down its hind legs; it had lost control of its bladder simply because of a glance from Rod.

The next moment, it tucked its tail between its legs, turned around in a sorry state, crashed through the bushes behind it, and plunged headlong into the depths of the mist.

Seeing their leader flee, the remaining mutated forest wolves also collapsed instantly, scattering and disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

The tense encirclement crumbled in an instant.

Rhodes blinked, his golden vertical pupils widening slightly as he suppressed the killing intent in his heart, and the oppressive aura that had been gripping his heartbeat dissipated.

He took out a piece of flannel from his inner pocket and carefully wiped the fog off the lenses of his goggles before putting them back on.

"See, this is diplomacy." Rhodes covered his inhuman eyes with his glasses again and looked back at his knight. "Sometimes, a glance is more effective than a sword."

Avira remained in the shield-raising position, her entire body stiff.

Just a moment ago, even though she was standing behind Rhodes, and even though the oppressive aura wasn't directed at her, her heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand.

This suffocating feeling only came when I faced that terrifying dragon head-on.

Through the slit, Avira stared at Rod's not-so-broad back. Cold sweat had already soaked through her lining, sticking stickily to her skin.

Those eyes... that aura...

It is something that humans could never possess.

Avira's throat tightened: "My lady..."

"What? There are still some who slipped through the net?" Rod turned around and looked at her through his dark glasses.

No...no.

Avira took a deep breath, forcibly calming her emotions and suppressing the wildly beating heart in her chest.

She sheathed her longsword, lifted her tower shield from the mud, and caught up with Rhodes again.

"The road has been cleared. Please indicate the next step."

The first rule of chivalry: Never inquire into your lord’s secrets unless he tells you.

As long as he is still Rhodes, as long as he is still that mortal who would haggle with the blacksmith over a few silver coins and choose to retreat first in the face of danger.

So no matter what kind of monster lurks beneath that skin, he is someone worthy of one's loyalty.

"Let's go."

Rod took out a map and compass from the saddlebag and checked the location again.

"We need to find that so-called magic node before dark. I don't want to spend the night in this poisonous forest."

He picked up the reins again, took a step, and disappeared into the dark forest.

"Be constantly vigilant about your surroundings. Corrupted monsters like those forest wolves from before can be found everywhere here."