The Elusive Sorcerer

Chapter 146

As planned before, the journey toward the valley was extremely challenging, as they had to overcome various obstacles, including forests, rivers, swamps, and supernatural creatures, as well as Hunter-type Chalog that inhabited the region.

More than an hour had passed, yet they had only just reached the edge of Xinahiru Forest after following the flow of the Suket River. Even at the forest's outskirts, all four remained vigilant in case a group of Chalog or something troublesome, such as a supernatural creature, tried to drag one of them into the woods.

The vast Xinahiru Forest served as the direct border between Minehold and Greysia, while to the north lay the Hides Hills and Ardoma Valley, their destination.

Walking in silence through the suffocating air, each of them remained alert to the dangers lurking nearby.

"Don't run away when I need your help," Zavi said, enduring the cold with his arms crossed over his chest.

Mine sighed and looked away.

"Yeah, yeah. I won't run away."

"..."

Zavi gripped his silver revolver, its barrel pointed to the side.

A few seconds later, Mine finally noticed how different Zavi looked compared to a week ago.

"Lamena...?" Mine asked hesitantly.

"..."

Zavi tucked his revolver into his belt, signaling with his body that they should keep moving.

"Did you intentionally grow your hair out?"

Mine studied Zavi's hair carefully while two fingers of her left hand rested over her upper lip as if she were deep in thought.

Zavi brushed his coarse black hair back and only then realized how long it had become.

'Yeah, this could hide the true identity of Zavi Actitus, the poor man being targeted by certain people.'

However, Zavi never answered. His steps suddenly halted as a strange sensation sharply pierced his mind.

"Careful," Zavi said firmly, drawing his revolver while scanning the surroundings.

Mine immediately pulled out her pistol and raised it, her mind filled with caution.

Rustle... Rustle...

Something moved rapidly through the bushes to her left. The sight made Mine instinctively pull the trigger.

Bang... Bang...

Her pupils widened as she watched the movement race through the tall brush on her left.

"Fall back now...!" Zavi shouted as he shoved Mine backward while aiming his revolver at the zigzagging movement in the bushes.

'What's out there?'

Zavi's breath caught in his throat as he imagined the worst possible outcome.

Not far ahead, Aaron and Hana stopped walking. Both turned around simultaneously, sensing that something bad had happened to Zavi and Mine.

Aaron immediately ran toward them without saying a word. Hana shook her head briefly and let out a short sigh before following behind him.

After covering several dozen meters, something that had avoided Mine and Zavi's gunfire leaped from one bush into another before lunging at Aaron from the left.

Aaron had no time to react before the small creature landed on his shoulder.

Behind him, Hana's steps slowed for a fraction of a second as she vaguely made out the animal perched there.

"Sirius...?" Hana said as she continued forward to get a better look.

A rabbit, but with a finely serrated and razor-sharp tail.

Knowing it was a demon in disguise, Aaron roughly grabbed the rabbit demon before extracting its soul.

"Aaaghhh..."

The demon's scream echoed briefly before vanishing as though carried away by the nearby river.

Zavi and Mine, who had just arrived, stared in shock as the rabbit's body collapsed into dust atop the snow and gradually scattered into the cold wind.

"Was that a demon...?" Zavi asked while returning his revolver to his belt.

Aaron turned toward him, stared for two seconds, then replied, "Yeah, a demon. Even if its rank is low, don't get the wrong idea. In a place like this, hundreds, no, millions of demons inhabit lonely and damp places, waiting for suitable prey to possess or, worse, to gnaw on your bones."

Mine understood exactly what he meant. Munien consumed food that humans considered abnormal.

Animal bones. Human bones.

Zavi wanted to ask, 'How do you know there are so many demons here?' but stopped himself when he noticed the unusual look in Aaron's eyes.

"Are there any jinn in this place...?"

Aaron immediately turned away, signaling that it was not worth thinking about useless things.

Mine only realized something after hearing their conversation.

"We should stay together. You know demons are very interested in me."

Mine was trying to find out how much Aaron knew about the depths of a Hollow.

Aaron stopped walking, his face as dark as the deepest ocean.

'Interested in me?'

He half-turned and looked at them carefully.

"Ask questions while walking. Standing around here is the same as committing suicide!"

Aaron looked ahead with a grim expression, a faint smile appearing on his lips before he resumed walking with steady steps.

The three of them understood. Remaining in one place really was the same as inviting death.

Zavi simply followed the scenario Aaron had planned, especially since he knew he could not move freely like he had several days earlier.

The discussion about Hollows had not gone the way Mine expected, leaving her irritated by her own hopes.

'I've tried calling it several times, but it keeps failing, failing, and failing.'

Mine forced her mind to work harder in search of an answer.

'Could it be because of that winged creature or that blue-eyed man's Recipestele?'

She harbored deep suspicion toward Tell and Zuhen Mudelk, believing they were responsible for severing the contract bond.

However, Mine was mistaken. Since that incident, Zuhen had remained in a coma, while Tell and Munien's search for Zavi and Mine had continued until today, this very moment, this very hour.

'Damn it, I can't find the answer.'

Mine clicked her tongue inwardly.

Walking beside her, Zavi frowned after noticing the frightening expression clearly displayed on her melancholic face.

'Is she panicking, or is she thinking about me?'

Remembering how indifferent Mine usually acted while talking to him made Zavi realize how poorly he had treated her.

....

After walking for minutes, perhaps even hours, through the silence along the riverbank, they heard only three things: the river flowing not far to their right, the sound of breathing, and the distant murmurs of animals active under such conditions.

Then the destination they sought finally appeared before them.

From the ground, they watched falling ice crystals reflect silver light, creating a snowy night that seemed bright, magical, and luminous.

After admiring the scenery for a moment, they finally descended the unstable, slippery terrain.

The hidden hills stretched ahead, while Ardoma Valley lay before them, with two railway tracks crossing the damp ground.

'So this is Ardoma Valley?'

Zavi slightly raised his head and stared at the vast hills to both sides for several seconds.

'The perfect place for Chalog to nest and breed. Then again, why would they build railway tracks here?'

Glancing at the hills once more, Zavi immediately understood why the railway had not been built there but instead through Ardoma Valley.

'The great Vesuvius River, which flows into the Kasnia Sea...'

Zavi swallowed hard as he watched the other three move ahead, seemingly prepared to face whatever dangers awaited them in the valley.

All he could do was watch the glint of his revolver and hope the Curse-type Chalog would not appear.

But the scenario Zavi hoped for never happened, because a howl echoed through the valley the moment they stepped into it.

Aaron surveyed the area with a wary expression. His hand slowly slipped beneath his coat and drew his pistol.

'Actitus, why are you still here?'

He glanced at Zavi, silently signaling him to move away.

But Zavi completely missed the gesture because he was focused on locating the source of the sound.

"Lamena..." Mine called as she tugged at the edge of his coat.

Zavi's caution gradually eased as he turned away, moving toward a safer position where he could support them.

'This is bad. They've already been waiting for us.'

Zavi opened the revolver's cylinder with a slight flick. His fingers skillfully loaded each chamber before snapping the cylinder back into place with a firm click.

As they ran, the two of them glanced at Aaron and Hana, who remained motionless, standing tall as though the threat before them did not make them tremble in the slightest.

Mine bit her lower lip and focused ahead once more.

'Don't let either of you die.'

In the valley, not far from the railway tracks, the scent of rust and iron lingered in the air amid the falling snow.

Meanwhile, the cold night breeze carried several fragrances, sweet scents, and sharp odors that pierced Aaron and Hana's senses, making them even more alert to sudden attacks.

Aaron glanced sideways, watching Zavi and Mine slowly disappear into the darkness.

Without lanterns and relying only on moonlight, moving was difficult, but it helped conceal their presence, even though the scent of their bodies could still attract Chalog.

Aaron's gaze locked forward as his ears picked up the sound of dripping water and steady footsteps beyond the dim light ahead.

"Hana, get ready to shoot!"

After giving the order, Aaron stepped forward carefully while aligning his pistol with his line of sight.

He was not entirely certain whether this choice would endanger both his life and Hana's.

Even so, Aaron had already prepared a plan if the worst-case scenario unfolded.

Through Exorcist, Aaron received no sign of demons or supernatural creatures lurking around the valley.

Yet in such calm conditions, amid the falling snow, Aaron held his breath as he aimed his pistol through a gap between the rocks he had been watching.

Bang...

No response.

Only the echo of the gunshot drifting deeper into the valley.

The moment Aaron turned around, he saw a pair of blazing red eyes glowing in the darkness atop a rock behind Hana.

"Get away...!"

Hana was startled, but she had no chance to dodge as a Hunter-type Chalog opened its jaws wide and lunged down at her.

Aaron reacted instantly. He aimed far below the descending Chalog and calmly pulled the trigger.

Bang... Bang...

One bullet missed, but the other struck the wolf-like Chalog directly in the jaw.

"Argh..."

The Hunter-type Chalog howled in agony, signaling other Chalog to come at once.

Hana quickly moved closer to Aaron. Her face looked ready to burst into tears, though she managed to steady her breathing.

'Damn it, that scream nearly made my heart jump out of my chest.'

The atmosphere around the valley became suffocating once more as the Chalog stared at them with glowing red eyes, growling while saliva dripped from the corners of its mouth.

Aaron aimed his pistol directly at the creature, relying on the bright red glow of its eyes to pinpoint its location.

Bang... Bang... Bang...

This time, one bullet struck true, hitting the Chalog's vital point and killing it in a fraction of a second.

The smells of gunpowder, blood, sharp odors, and sweet scents mixed together and lingered in the air for several seconds before the cold night wind swept through again.

Aaron rubbed his nose as the scent grew stronger, somewhere ahead of them as they unconsciously stepped backward.

"Sirius..." Hana said while covering her nose and holding her breath as the sharp odor intensified.

Aaron nodded grimly.

"I know. Stay calm. Don't panic. Don't do anything reckless."

Aaron's fingers swiftly reloaded his pistol's magazine. Then he fired wildly into the darkness ahead.

Bang... Bang... Bang... Bang... Bang...

Aaron intended to confirm whether the smell belonged to another Chalog.

However, that assumption proved wrong when a corpse suddenly appeared before him, reeking of decay and looking as though it had been lying there untouched for several days.

'What just happened?'

Aaron was confused. Calmly observing the situation, he turned around for no apparent reason.

'Actitus?'

Both of them froze in shock when they looked behind them and saw flames from an explosion rising high into the air, accompanied by a wave of heat carried by the wind.

The Chalog, which according to the plan should have attacked Aaron and Hana, had instead done the opposite.

As though they understood that fighting Aaron and Hana would waste time, the Chalog had chosen easier targets: Zavi and Mine, who were supposed to support them.

Aaron clicked his tongue.

The two of them immediately rushed toward the explosion, hoping they were not already too late.

Among the dense trees, banyans, teak trees, various species of bamboo, and thick vines, Zavi hid after Mine bought him time by distracting the Chalog with the Hoisline fan artifact.

After creating a clone of himself, Zavi ordered it to return to their previous location immediately.

Descending from higher ground above them, Zavi had his clone create a limited pack of foxes while remaining motionless for several seconds before moving after five grayish-white foxes exploded.

Boom... Boom... Boom...

Zavi knew that in this mode, his clone became a conduit for spirituality, manifesting a limited number of animal forms he had created and freezing for one second before triggering an explosion.

As for his real body, it remained completely still, allowing him to control the clone perfectly and even relocate it back to wherever his true body was hiding.

Meanwhile, Mine gripped a pistol in her right hand and the Hoisline fan artifact in her left, struggling against a savage pack of Hunter-type Chalog that spat blazing orange fireballs.

The area that had previously been dim and illuminated only by faint moonlight was now brightly lit as the Hunter-type Chalog launched relentless attacks on Mine after realizing the power of the object in her grasp.

The battle did not last long.

With brutal disregard for his own injuries, Zavi punched and shot dozens of Hunter-type Chalog without discrimination.

He was also repeatedly struck by the powerful gusts generated by the Hoisline fan artifact as Mine defended herself against Chalog that slipped through Zavi's reckless assault. Zavi's clone shattered into pieces, merged with the snow, then reformed in an instant to continue the slaughter.

Zavi had become obsessed, almost insane, at the sight of a pack of Chalog.

His criminal instincts burned fiercely, and before he realized it, he had exterminated every last Chalog without allowing a single one to escape.

When the battle ended, only the remnants of the Chalogs' orange fire remained, gradually extinguished by the cold night wind and falling snow.