Chapter 221: Accursed Monsters
Seeing Serena running ahead of the others, the group members had no other choice but to follow. The arguments with the other groups like before, when they defeated some beasts might repeat themselves.
Tree after tree, and bush by bush, the girls pa.s.sed through it until they stopped their steps near an area that had slightly bright sunlight.
They were still about a hundred meters away, dumbfounded by what was before their eyes. It was confirmed that the boar with an arrow on its rump was there, but it was killed by three bizarre creatures. And again, the monster was devouring the wild boar.
The three creatures were like gorillas with sharp teeth and nails. They had a dark gray body color without fur, and the patterned whitish lines that ran all over their bodies looked like strange tattoos.
Unfortunately, what scared the girls the most was because there was a corpse of a male student near the monsters.
"Ghoul..." Elysia muttered in her mind. It was one word she could say to describe the monster.
"Ely, what are you doing!? Hurry up and run with your group before the monsters notice you all!" Elena reminded urgently.
She knew Elysia would be fine, but that was no guarantee for the other girls. Not to mention, Elysia still kept her real power a secret.
[| Lv. 65 | Intermediate Accursed Monster | Insidious Abomination | HP: 259,999 / 260,000 | EP: 6,500 / 6,500 |]
Elysia"s eyes widened when she saw the monster"s status. Those were the accursed monsters? The cursed creatures described in Nell"s records!?
Whatever would happen, they needed to flee. The status Elysia could see was already dangerous for them to face. Especially for the other girls.
"Run, hurry. We"ll give up that level 22 boar. Get out of this strange tropical forest as fast as we can." Elysia whispered softly. She was careful not to warn the monsters of her group presence.
The four girls just nodded in a cold sweat, feeling scared just because of those terrible monsters. They knew the dangers they would face if they were desperate to fight the three monsters.
No one realized that Elysia mentioned the wild boar level even though no one had checked it using the universal identification tool.
Slowly but surely, the girls walked backward. Then, they immediately turned around to run after confirming that the monsters still had their back to them.
However, reality wanted something else. While the girls were running, Zofia tripped and fell. "Aah!"
The girl"s scream warned the monsters who were devouring the wild boar. They immediately turned around and looked at the running humans, then at the one that had fallen.
"Grr..." The three monsters growled and left the wild boar carca.s.s to chase the humans.
"Help!" Zophia desperately screamed as she looked behind her. Three terrifying monsters were heading towards her.
Instantly, flashbacks came to her mind when she thought her end was coming. At that time, she was desperate because her groupmates seemed to leave her behind.
Fate said differently to Zofia, who had turned pale with fear. Elysia had turned around to help the girl who was lying on the ground. When the monsters were targeting Zofia, Elysia immediately used her magic and appeared near Zofia.
Elysia swung her sword to repel the monsters. She didn"t want to see the casualties while she was there.
*Slash* *Bam*
Three slashes were launched. It sent the three monsters flying several meters, and they hit the tree trunk. The slash with Reinforcement Magic didn"t hurt the monster"s tough skin at all.
"Hurry and run! I"ll catch up with you later." Elysia turned her back on Zofia and put on a stance.
She looked at her hands and sword, wondering what had just happened. It was clear that something was off when her sword came into contact with the monsters.
"En, thank you. Let"s run quickly. We still have time." Zofia quickly stood up with tears in her eyes, but there was a sense of awe. She didn"t expect to be saved.
"Shut up and just run. I know what I"m doing." Elysia answered briefly. She was evident in her words.
"Then, let me help you." Zofia sighed in disappointment as she turned her head only to see Serena and her servants still running. Then, she decided something risky.
"Stupid, hurry and run. Let me give you time to run. Please immediately inform the instructors and teachers of this. I"m sure you"re smart enough to understand. Also, warn the other groups to get out of the forest if you meet them on your return." Elysia smiled as she looked back.
"They"re coming. Hurry and run! You"ll die with just one attack of that monsters." Elysia gave a warning once again when monsters came towards her.
Zofia looked once again at Elysia, then she turned and ran. After running for a few meters, Elysia"s words suddenly echoed in Zofia"s mind regarding no one who would be left behind.
Zophia gritted her teeth and turned around. She took out her bow to shoot down the furless gorilla beast to aid Elysia.
"Why are you still there!?" Elysia felt a little irritated when the stubborn girl was still there.
"I"ll help you if you don"t run with me." Zofia was firm with her decision.
"Aah..." Elysia wanted to grumble because she couldn"t use her power freely. She simply repelled the three monsters once more with the strong momentum of her sword, then dashed towards Zofia. "Let"s run. Vann, you too."
Zofia just nodded and ran with Elysia. The white cat who was ready to attack immediately canceled her intention and ran after her master.
"Haah, ah, huf... What was that? What were those monsters? They"re above level 30, I"m sure of that. Terrible, what happened? There is a student who died there..." Zofia wondered in confusion and fear. She just followed Elysia without knowing where they were going.
"I don"t know either. Save your breath and run faster. Get out of this strange place immediately. Hopefully, no other group has entered this terrible forest." Elysia rebuked the talkative girl.
"Are the monsters still chasing us? I hope not..." Zofia glanced back for a moment as she ran as fast as she could.
"It"s sad to say, but they"re after us. The monsters just take a different path. This way, we"ll make them lose track of us." Elysia shook her head and pulled Zofia"s hand. They ran into a different escape route.
Previously, she had purposely run in the wrong direction to stop the monsters" chase, and it was time for them to get back on track.
At the same time, Elysia used her magic to make herself, Zofia, and Vanessa invisible. She used it secretly, and Zofia had no idea about it.
"Grr?"
The monsters jumped down, sniffed, and looked around. They were sure the two human girls were there, without knowing their target had fled to a different path.
Several moments in the escape, until they arrived at the place where they had a chance to talk about oddities. Zofia frowned when she saw three girls there. Serena and her servants seemed confused to find a way out of this terrible forest.
"Why are you still here? Keep running. We need to get out of here and report this incident." Elysia spoke in a precarious tone for a moment after she revoked her invisible magic.
"I know that. But, there is a transparent wall blocking us. When I tried to destroy it, I was thrown. Where is the way out? Is this a trap?" Serena frantically responded.
"Why did you leave your group members behind? I would die if Miss Elysia did not come back to help me." Zofia pursed her lips in dissatisfaction.
"And here you are still safe and sound. What"s the problem? I didn"t turn around because I knew you were going to run after us. One who fell and one who helped, that"s enough." Serena frowned and made excuses so she wouldn"t be charged for anything.
"You think so, Miss Serena? I"m disappointed in you." Zofia was gloomy, considering she had a good relationship with Serena, and that was her position. She could be left behind whenever Serena felt comfortable.
"Huh, what did you just say?" Serena was offended, and she didn"t like Zofia"s words and tone.
The two girls were just an ordinary girl and the daughter of the Viscount Family. If they made sacrifices to save her n.o.ble self, wouldn"t they die with dignity? But, they survived, so where was the problem?
"That"s enough. Continue with that later. Your voice can attract the monsters. See? As I said, there is an invisible barrier covering this forest. Something like a wall, hmm? Was this barrier created just... Everyone can enter but not leave?" Elysia muttered irritably in a firm tone. She was examining the barrier, and the other girls still had time to exchange arguments.
Hearing that, no one else dared to open their mouths. They were just waiting and watching Elysia fumbling around the invisible wall.
"What should I do? Is it alright to break through it by force? However, there is strange energy that will reflect the incoming destructive force." Elysia muttered in her mind after trying a little magic from her hand. It was reflected without causing any effect to the barrier.
She felt uneasy because the monsters were still around. They had to get out of there as fast as possible.
The monsters were called accursed or cursed creatures for a reason. Anyone couldn"t carelessly kill the monsters without knowing the cause and effect.
If those cursed creatures had ravaged the world a hundred thousand years ago, obviously, that was dangerous and needed high vigilance. Preparation and tests were required to prove the facts that had not been disclosed.
However, why did they appear here as well as in this place? Wasn"t that race still sealed? Was that seal mentioned in Nell"s notes... Broken? Elysia wondered in her mind when she and Elena were looking for a solution to their current predicament.