Chapter 122

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Chapter 122: Cursed Land (1)

[All 50 participants have been selected!]

[Moving to the Cursed Land!]

The scenery changed.

A blackened land appeared, as if rotted and decayed.

The ruins of a destroyed city could be seen everywhere.

‘Judging by the architecture, it seems like a fantasy world…’

A message popped up.

[The second exam begins.]

[You have entered the ‘Cursed Land’.]

[This is a special stage where you cannot gain experience.]

[Points can still be accumulated. However, if you haven’t experienced anything special before, there will be no change.]

[The rules will now be explained.]

[Rules]

[1. Participants are scattered throughout the land.]

[2. Participants cannot leave the Cursed Land.]

[3. You are free to do whatever you want. Survive for one month in this place.]

[4. If you share the same nationality, the location of the other person will be displayed at the top.]

The goal was simple.

Survive for a month.

He immediately checked the contents of his inventory.

Food, equipment, consumables, etc.

‘There are no restrictions on their use?’

It didn’t seem like the ground was going to swallow him up, or that there were any curses being cast.

What’s this?

The theme is too simple.

‘Then there must be something more.’

He looked at the top of the screen.

One red dot and two blue dots were visible.

The red one was himself.

The blue ones seemed to be the other guild members.

‘It’ll be easy to find them.’

Before moving, he summoned Merhen and Cedric. Merhen looked around and frowned slightly.

—This is… a strange place.

“It’s called the Cursed Land.”

—Definitely feels like it.

She picked up a bit of the blackened soil and put it in her mouth. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

—…Everything’s mixed together?

“Mixed together?”

—Yes. The taste is complex. Like a chimera.

Merhen looked at me and asked.

–-What are we supposed to do here?

“Survive for a month.”

—That’s… not very good.

“Why?”

—It’s angry.

Just then.

The ground started to shake as if there was an earthquake.

―Kuooo!

A strange, echoing cry spread throughout the land.

Cedric’s eyes blazed.

―It seems something is coming.

“It seems so.”

Kim Minwoo drew his command sword.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

The rotten earth swelled up like boiling water, producing foam.

Phew!

The earth burst forth from all directions, like a geiser.

Strange, tentacle-like creatures emerged from within.

At a glance, there were over several dozen tentacle clusters forming an encirclement.

The sight of the writhing tentacles, each about 3 meters long, was quite repulsive.

‘There are so many of them.’

Just then…

―Disgusting. Die.

[Merhen uses Cyclone (SS)!]

Whoosh…!

With a tremendous gust of wind, the tentacles that were embedded in the ground were all pulled out. The tentacles writhed and gathered into a single point.

[Merhen uses Grand Explosion (SS)!]

Boom!

A massive chain explosion erupted.

Thousands of tentacle fragments rained down like rain, transforming into fragments on the ground.

‘Weak, huh?’

Of course, Merhen’s magic was SS-rank, but even considering that, the tentacles weren’t that strong. They were just a bit repulsive in appearance.

Just then…

Some of the torn tentacle fragments suddenly started to clump together in one place. The fragments wriggled like clay, transforming into the shape of a person, and then…

“Gah!”

The figure gasped for air.

“Excuse me. Are you alright?”

“Wa, water…”

A thin, withered blond man desperately sought water. Despite the strange language, it seemed that, like the first test, language was not a barrier.

He clearly didn’t look well. Instead of water, he poured a bottle of the finest potion into his mouth.

The man, who had been trembling as if convulsing, looked a little better.

“Gasp. Gasp…”

“Are you feeling better?”

“Wh, where…”

“You were that strange tentacle just a moment ago.”

At those words, the man stared blankly at the tentacle fragments.

“Huh…”

He let out a sigh of disbelief.

Seeing him, Kim Minwoo’s face hardened.

Even after giving him the finest potion, there was no sign of recovery.

‘Was his life force completely drained?’

When the life force, the root of the body, was completely drained, people usually reacted like this.

In that state, even potions couldn’t save them.

Potions only activate existing life force, not create it from nothing.

“Cough!”

As expected.

Soon after, the man started coughing up blood.

“I’m sorry, but you won’t live long.”

“…I had a feeling. But you… how did you end up in this hellhole…?”

“…Hellhole?”

“You don’t know… where this is…?”

“I don’t. Do you know something?”

“This is… a prison… a prison that holds a terrible monster…”

“Please explain further.”

He poured another bottle of potion into the man’s mouth. The information he was about to give was worth that much.

The man’s eyes lit up.

“There’s a monster underground. It awakens if you don’t offer it a sacrifice. gasp… Dark Mages… have taken over this place…”

“Dark Mages?”

“…If you don’t wake the monster… this is the perfect place for their training. So… they kidnap people… and periodically offer them as sacrifices…”

A cursed land, indeed.

It seemed like the perfect place for Dark Mages.

“How often do they have to offer sacrifices?”

“…Once a… day… the stronger the sacrifice… the stronger the curse… The Dark Mages have… no reason to refuse…”

Oh no.

It seemed like the man didn’t have much time left. He tried pouring another bottle of potion, but it was no use.

He watched his mouth, hoping to gather more information.

“Be careful… here… as long as you’re here… the Dark Mages will… target you… gasp.”

With those words, the man breathed his last.

Kim Minwoo closed his eyes.

‘I roughly understand the situation.’

From the Dark Mages’ perspective, this was a honey pot as long as they offered sacrifices.

‘The participants can’t escape from here.’

That meant a conflict with the Dark Mages occupying this place was inevitable.

They already needed to offer sacrifices, and now it was like a bunch of suitable sacrifices had rolled in overnight.

‘On the other hand.’

[Translator – Prøks]

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It wasn’t all bad for them either.

If the Dark Mages didn’t exist, there would have been infighting among the Awakened who came here.

Some would definitely think it’s better to offer sacrifices and buy time than fight an unknown monster.

‘The cry sounded pretty strong, though.’

The monster in the basement seemed much stronger than Duke Timorn…

‘Well, they should have dealt with the tentacles on their own.’

They weren’t that strong.

The Awakened who came to the second test would have easily defeated the tentacles.

Just as he had heard the story from this blond man, the other Awakened would have also figured out the situation by now.

‘I should find the guild members first.’

Their locations were marked at the top.

As he moved around, he would eventually encounter the Dark Mages and get a sense of their level.

He moved forward with the two legion commanders.

* * *

Long ago, the Dark Mages found a land that was like a blessing to them.

A land where a monster slumbered.

They destroyed the city above ground and, over a long period, offered sacrifices to help the monster grow.

The power of the curse spread over the land.

They created a barrier to prevent that power from escaping.

Thus, this cursed land, after many years, became a sanctuary for the Dark Mages.

As long as they followed one rule, the Dark Mages of the sanctuary could enjoy eternal glory.

Offer a sacrifice once a day.

But in this sanctuary…

“…There are intruders?”

“Reports are coming in from all over.”

Mortan, the high priest of the sanctuary, tilted his head.

“Wasn’t there a signal that the barrier was breached?”

“Yes. It’s perfectly fine. That’s why it’s even more puzzling. How did they get into the sanctuary…?”

“What’s their level?”

“It seems some of the followers have already been defeated.”

Strong enough to defeat the followers.

Mortan’s eyes gleamed with interest.

It seemed they would make quite a good sacrifice.

“How many?”

“Based on what we know so far, it seems there are at least twenty.”

“We needed some decent sacrifices, and this is perfect timing.”

“Yes. He must be watching over us.”

“…You. You seem to be forgetting a lot lately. We don’t serve a god. We merely make deals with the monster.”

“…Ah, yes. My mistake.”

“Go.”

Mortan rose from his seat.

He left the temple with his Dark Mages. About two hours after they started searching for the intruders through the crystal ball…

His head snapped around.

His pupils turned pitch black.

His vision widened.

In the distance, he saw a group of three.

‘Found them.’

His figure glided forward. The first to react was the Awakened Liu Wei, wearing equipment that resembled a beast.

“Grrr!”

Liu Wei transformed into a leopard and lunged at him.

Agile movements.

But to Mortan, it was just meaningless resistance.

The high priest of the sanctuary, who had ruled this place for decades.

The power he had accumulated was not something that ordinary people could withstand.

With a wave of his hand, black thorns shot up from the ground.

Liu Wei, who immediately transformed into a bear, crouched down. The thorns tore through his thick fur and pierced his flesh.

“Roar!”

The giant bear struggled to move.

“Perhaps you’ve got a bit of strength left.”

Mortan said sarcastically.

The two remaining Chinese awakened ones flinched.

Fortunately, they were close enough to quickly join forces.

The person who appeared while dealing with the tentacle pile.

Through him, they had somewhat anticipated that the sorcerer would come.

The problem was.

‘How on earth are we supposed to win against this?!’

Liu Wei was one of the top five Awakeners participating this time, but he couldn’t do anything and was suppressed.

Moreover, the Dark Mage wasn’t the end. People wearing black robes were approaching from behind.

“You bastards who have desecrated our sanctuary. Your sin is…”

At that moment, Liu Wei, who had transformed back into human form, urgently shouted,

“W-Wait a second!”

“……?”

“I’ll help you! No, please let me help you!”

“Help us?”

“We’re not the only ones who came here! Surely, you have to catch them all, right? We’re saying we’ll help with that!”

“……Aren’t you comrades with those guys?”

“Comrades? What comrades! Isn’t there something like a nation here too?”

“There is.”

“We’re just people from a different nation! Complete strangers!”

Seeing him plead his case as if genuinely wronged, it seemed his words were not a lie.

‘Hmm…….’

Mortan pondered for a moment.

The Sanctuary was vast, and the enemies’ level was quite high.

At this rate, he would have to keep moving around to hunt down the scattered enemies like flies.

But if he were to utilize these guys?

The cleansing of the Sanctuary would proceed much more smoothly.

‘Controlling poison with poison…….’

Not a bad idea.

“What do you want?”

“Spare our lives. That’s all.”

“Alright. If you prove your loyalty.”

“……Proof, you say…….”

“Accept the branding.”

Liu Wei gulped.

‘Damn it. There’s no easy way out of this.’

It seemed like they were planning something strange.

There was no other choice.

“……Alright. But I’m curious.”

“It’s nothing special. Just a mark on your hearts.”

“…….”

The faces of the Chinese Awakened contorted as if they had eaten something foul.

A mark on their hearts.

It was obvious there was something more to it.

“……Yes. We’ll do it.”

Liu Wei was the first to nod.

If it couldn’t be avoided, he might as well enjoy it.

‘It’s not completely hopeless.’

Judging from the circumstances, this place seemed to be a completely different dimension, like the inside of a Gate.

The races, languages, and appearances were all different.

‘I just need to return to Earth.’

Even if something was branded on his heart, it didn’t seem like it would have any effect across dimensions.

He just had to endure for a month.

Then the test would be over.

‘And this might even be better.’

Even he, who had achieved 5th place in the first test, was subdued in the time it took to take a single breath.

It seemed much safer to side with these guys and hunt down Awakened as sacrifices.

The only variable was the 1st place who achieved 15 million points.

‘It couldn’t have been skill. He must have found a trick.’

He chose to believe that.

If he refused out of fear, he would die right now.

“What about you? Will you refuse?”

“O-Of course not!”

“We’ll take the branding! We’ll prove our loyalty!”

Only then did a smile appear on Mortan’s lips.

His hand plunged deep into Liu Wei’s chest, who was still restrained.

“Keuhk!”

“The pain is only temporary.”

The Chinese Awakened were branded on their chests.

The hand withdrew.

“Gasp!”

The group of Awakened exhaled.

Soon after, they shuddered.

An uncanny vitality surged within their bodies.

Seeing that, Mortan laughed coldly.

Did they know?

That this branding was designed to suck out and burn their life force.

He had no intention of letting those who trampled the Sanctuary with their filthy feet live.

It would be perfect to use them for a while and then offer them as sacrifices when they became useless.

He spoke in a commanding tone.

“Find them. And bring them before me.”

“Yes, sir.”

The Chinese Awakened began to move.

[Translator – Prøks]

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