Chapter 113: Going Westward
With no other option, the group reluctantly backtracked and retraced their steps. Of course, this didn’t mean they had to return all the way to the beginning.
That would be too troublesome.
Having already scouted the black labyrinth, they had discovered several pathways branching off in different directions. All they needed to do now was take one of the routes leading west. Still, that didn’t mean any of them found the plan especially appealing whatsoever.
If they had any form of alternative, they wouldn’t have even thought about heading west.
After all, that was where most of the powerful and horrifying Dreamless Creatures had gathered. Heading there was no better than seeking untimely death. Furthermore, there was a real chance that something more deadlier than the beast commanding Dreamless. Perhaps a direct confrontation would become inevitable and in such a situation, they might not be as lucky.
Recalling the memory of the giant sea serpent, Klaus trembled momentarily before he gained the confidence to shake the scary thought away.
Their goal was to find the Carrion Slayers and use them to fly across the depthless chasm. Logically, it was an impractical — and potentially suicidal — plan. But given the circumstances, it remained the best course of action for the unforeseeable future.
Those terrifying hunters were said to dwell somewhere in the west. According to the academy’s database, the creatures had no eyes and were incapable of sight. However, their lack of vision did little to hinder their hunting abilities.
In compensation, their other senses were extraordinarily heightened, particularly their sense of hearing. On both sides of their head, a unique membrane allowed them to detect even the faintest sounds. By interpreting these sound vectors, they could sense movement and accurately locate their prey, functioning in a way similar to the echolocation used by bats. As if that weren’t enough, they also possessed an exceptional sense of smell, capable of detecting the foul stench of rotting corpses from a great distance.
Two weeks ago, the slayers had likely appeared at the cliffs after catching the scent of the fallen nightmare carapaces and the beast commander.
By some miracle or perhaps a stroke of luck, the bat-like creatures had failed to notice their presence and had flown off with several carcasses. It had been quite a haul, given the number of slain Nightmare carapaces scattered across the area. Unfortunately, they hadn’t managed to extract the spirit cores from the monsters’ remains before the slayers took them away.