âHuh?â Rael stepped out of the car, his brows furrowed.
Sure, he had arrived at the monument, but what was this shit?
There were no monsters, and on the ground, he could see a sentence carved out of blood.
âTook care of the nuisances in this area, no need to thank me.â
What bullshit⊠Rael trailed off, spotting an extremely small text slightly below.
âP.S. Donât take this for granted, Iâm only doing this for Alune.â
Rael facepalmed in annoyance.
A tsundere⊠itâs overâŠ
He was a bit disheartened, after all, those monsters wouldâve given him quite a few stats if heâd killed them himself.
Alas⊠that future stir-fry killed them all, and now the only thing I get is the Ember, Rael thought with a sigh before walking over to the bonfire.
Very conveniently, the torch was already placed right in front of him, almost as if it were begging him to pick it up.
Raelâs brows twitched as he turned toward his curious travel companion.
âSeryn, I want you to try remembering whatâs about to happen, alright?â
âAnd whatâs about to happen?â Seryn asked with a tilt of his head.
However, instead of answering, Rael simply picked up the torch and tossed it inside the bonfire.
<Monument Detected: Gravefire Ritual â Inactive>
<Whitewood Identified: Magic-Infused Ashroot (Extinct)>
<Flame Source Required: Soulkindle Torch â Incomplete Ritual>
<Would you like to ignite the Gravefire? Yes/No>
âYep, and Seryn, remember, stay conscious. Do you remember what I told you in the car?â Rael asked.
âThink about my fiancĂ©e and how I will see her soon?â Seryn recalled.
âThat one. Do your best. I promise you it will be worth it.â
Soon, the obelisk opened up, and like before, the Ember descended right into Raelâs hands.
<Monument Detected: Gravefire Ritual â Inactive â Active>
<Total Monuments Lit: 3/10>
<Flame will remain until all Monuments are lit.>
<Received: 1 Ember>
Nice, Rael hummed, and without wasting a moment, chomped down on the delicious Ember.
And after just a few moments of feasting, he was done.
<Ember of Life Consumed!>
<+3,000 Strength>
<+3,000 Agility>
<+8,000 Constitution>
<+4,000 Intelligence>
<+4,000 Wisdom>
Following that, however, the Beast once again emerged.
<The Beast has awakened!>
<The Depths have fallen silent!>
<The Beast is Feeding!>
Feeding? Thatâs also a new one⊠I wonder which one this is, Rael pondered, turning to Seryn, who, like last time, was staring at him with black eyes.
âWhat does feeding mean?â Rael asked, curious.
The Beast clicked its tongue, ignoring his question. âNot even a hello? Even after I gave you that freebie?â
âI didnât ask for the freebie. If anything, that freebie of yours made me get less stats,â Rael grumbled.
âSo you want me to leave the monuments alone then?â The Beast tilted its head, earning a nod from Rael.
âHmm⊠I see. Very well then, Iâll let you do your thing in the next monuments,â the Beast said as a sadistic smile formed on its face. âThere will be a worthy opponent youâll face at the end of your current journey. I call her Bertha. Sheâs very lovely.â
Rael didnât need to be a genius to clock who the Beast had in mind. âThat massive spider?â
The Beast raised a brow. âOh? I guess you knew Bertha after all. Good, then you wonât have to share any pleasantries with her and can get to killing each other immediately.â
As the Beast finished its words, it burst into a fit of laughter that was interrupted by Raelâs curiosity.
It had been exactly a month since he had arrived in the Sketa Online world, so naturallyâŠ
âHave you ever heard of such a thing called Sketa Online?â Rael asked.
However, the Beast merely tilted its head. âSketa? Doesnât it translate to Wanderer? I donât believe Iâve heard of that before.â
HmmâŠ? Raelâs brows furrowed. âItâs something related to world crossing and stuff. They refer to themselves as travelers, I believe. Theyâve recently entered the Dralgur Continent, and are mainly roaming around Celestara as well as Yrgon.â
The Beast nodded a few times before closing its eyes.
A short silence ensued, but it was broken by the Beastâs chuckle.
âI see. Theyâre immortals from the distant lands. There was a fuss about them around 400 or so years ago,â the Beast stated. âI didnât pay much attention since it had nothing to do with me, but Alune did tell me they have the capabilities to reach my level, and even kill me, so that sole memory did stick with me.â
âIs that all you know?â Rael pushed.
âSadly, yes,â the Beast replied flatly. âThereâs someone very high up in the food chain pulling the strings, that much Iâm certain of.â
Interesting⊠so Sketa Online could just be a cover-up for something much bigger⊠Rael trailed off before letting out a sigh.
âThanks for the intel. Even if you didnât know much, it was pretty helpful,â Rael said, earning a chuckle from the Beast.
âAlune did mention you being peculiar. I expected you to be afraid of me, considering I nearly killed you last time.â
âIf you wanted to kill me, you wouldâve done so earlier.â Rael shrugged.
âAnyways, one more question if you donât mind. Serynâs bodyâis it real? Or did you implant those loving fiancĂ©e memories into him?â
The Beast smiled. âWell, if I had to respond truthfully, thenââ
<The Beast has finished feeding!>
<The Beast has successfully corrupted 302,947,664 souls in The Depths>
<The Beast is satisfied, and returns to its slumber.>
âWhoops, guess itâs time to go. See ya.â The Beast waved, and in the very next moment, its black eyes disappeared, replaced with Serynâs casual purple eyes.
However, unlike last time, he didnât fall downâjust staggered a little.
The fucker left early and cliffhangered me again, Rael sighed, walking up to Seryn and giving him a helping hand.
âYou alright?â
âDizzyâŠâ Seryn replied as he let out a low groan. âI couldnât see anything⊠The moment you threw that torch inside the bonfire, my vision turned dark.â
Rael raised a brow. âBut?â
âBut⊠I could still feel my body, even my mouth moving, yet I couldnât make out the words. It was strange,â Seryn said.
âI seeâŠâ Rael nodded as he brought Seryn back to the car and placed him in the back seat.
âWeâre going to head out right away. Thereâs a city called Karnyx. It looks pretty lively from what I can see on the map, so thatâs our next destination.â
âSure, and donât worry, Iâll still pay you, just as I promised,â Seryn added and closed his eyes.
And in the very next moment, he fell asleep.
He really sleeps a lot. Rael chuckled and got into the front seat.
His destination?
Karnyx, and the Abandoned Magic Tower.
Even so, he had one lingering worry since it was so quiet.
I just hope the black sea serpent doesnât come out and jump usâŠ
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