ALL NOVEL Chapter 304 301: Traveling as a group of four!
Chapter 304 301: Traveling as a group of four!
After what seemed like hours, a silhouette emerged from the treeline.
Their hearts stirred as they hadn't noticed the figure until it was already in their sight. Focusing on it, they realized it was Val, and they calmed down.
Val's clothes were dusty, but there was not a single sign of battle evident on his body.
Alfred was the first to rush to him. "Val! Are you alright?"
Val gave a small smile, brushing some dirt off his shoulder, "As you can see, I am perfectly fine."
His stride was confident and his gaze was sharp, reflecting he was in top-notch condition.
"And the witch?"
The one who asked this question was Rowan. He hadn't considered the possibility that Val could defeat the witch without sustaining any injuries, leading him to ask what seemed to him a necessary question. After all, if the witch was alive, they needed to get moving.
Val could guess what he was thinking. To ease Rowan's worry, he smiled and said, "She won't be a problem anymore."
The implication behind his words was clear. The witch had been killed. Rowan felt reassured and the breath he had been unknowingly holding was let out.
Oliver approached Val, patting him on the back, "I knew you could handle it."
Oliver had witnessed Val's capabilities in numerous situations before, so he was likely the person most aware of Val's strength. For Val, tackling intermediate-grade devils ranging from level 4 to 5 was as simple as taking a leisurely stroll in the park. That was why he was never worried about him.
"Good."
Val couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction, appreciating that Oliver knew him well enough not to worry. In his mind, any concern directed towards him in such situations was utterly unnecessary.
"Anyways, how did she get into the lesser dimension in the first place? I thought only level 1-3 devils should be able to enter," Alfred inquired, his voice laced with equal parts curiosity and confusion.
Val replied, "She had a unique artifact with her. That was her ticket into the lesser dimension."
Everyone's curiosity was satisfied upon hearing his words.
"Where is the artifact now?" Alfred questioned as he was intrigued by the potential of such a powerful tool.
"It's right here with me, safe in my pocket," Val answered, slightly amused, "Why? Are you interested in taking a closer look at it?"
Alfred nodded eagerly.
"If it's really possible to replicate this artifact, advanced-level bloodline users could enter the lesser dimensions without any trouble. And you know how strong they are. It would be a piece of cake for them to destroy lesser dimensions from the inside. And then low-level bloodline users like us wouldn't need to risk our lives tackling such dangers. It would literally change everything," Alfred spoke a little too excitedly.
"If that's really possible, then we might actually have a more manageable winter ahead of us for once," Oliver added, optimism evident in his voice.
Val and Rowan found themselves nodding in agreement.
The winter was the harshest time of the year.
The longer nights of winter provided the creatures tainted with the force of corruption more time to wreak havoc.
During this season, dimensions posed the greatest threat to humanity, as the guardians of these dimensions would lead their monstrous minions in attacks on human settlements.
That was why the northern frontier and the strongholds of the outer region of the kingdom traditionally worked tirelessly to close as many dimensions as possible before the onset of winter.
Anyways, as Alfred had said, advanced level bloodline users had the power to easily shut down these dimensions from the inside, but the problem was that they needed to step into it. That problem would be solved by the law manipulation bracelet. If this object could indeed be mass-produced, it would alleviate one of the kingdom's major seasonal threats.
"Alright, you can take a look."
Val didn't object to his quest. Without any hesitation, he retrieved the Law Manipulation bracelet from his pocket dimension before tossing it over to Alfred.
"Thank you."
Alfred caught it adeptly, bringing it close to his eyes for a thorough examination. He scrutinized every detail of the item, taking in the intricate runes and craftsmanship.
After a moment, he leaned back, addressing the group, "Well, I have good news and bad news. Which one would you like to hear first?"
"Whatever you feel is fine," Rowan said.
"Din't keep us in suspense," Oliver said.
Val also urged Alfred to get to the point.
Alfred continued, "The good news is, this artifact follows the same principles as runic items crafted by wizards. So, in theory, it could be mass-produced with the help of the wizard community. However, the runes engraved on this bracelet are incredibly profound. I couldn't grasp or memorize them; attempting to do so made me dizzy, and I had to look away. I doubt even a high-rank wizard could make sense of it."
"So if we can figure out how to reverse engineer it, mass production would indeed be possible."
"Exactly," Alfred nodded, "But from what I could tell, reverse engineering this artifact is going to be a monumental task."
"But not impossible," Val said.
"You have a way?" Oliver's eyebrow raised.
The other had the same expression.
"Maybe I do. Maybe I don't." Val said with a mysterious smile, letting the matter rest there.
In his mind, a solution to this problem has already formed.
Under the heaven, Gruul was the most knowledgeable existence from what he had discerned. If anyone could unlock the secrets of the bracelet and comprehend its intricacies, Val had no doubt it would be him. He just needed to give him a visit and the solution to this very complex problem would be in his hand.
Val thought to himself, 'I'll pay Gruul a visit once I have some free time and privacy.'
After all, he couldn't enter the shrine in front of people, could he? If he suddenly vanished they would go bonkers.
The forest was vast, stretching as far as the eye could see. Searching for the core of corruption within its depths was more challenging than looking for a needle in a haystack. In fact, it was so challenging that despite utilizing the capabilities of his heavenly eye, Val wasn't yielding any fruitful results in the search.
The group of four navigated through the woods for hours, yet their efforts seemed to be futile as they didn't find a single clue as to where it could be.
During their journey, whenever they felt thirsty, Val would take them to a pond and they would find relief from drinking water from it.
*****
Rowan's and Alfred's stomachs were grumbling loudly, signaling their growing hunger. On the other hand, Val and Oliver were not experiencing the same level of hunger as they had previously consumed petals that had the effect of revitalizing their bodies and staving off hunger.
Noticing the discomfort of his companions, Val turned his attention to the two hungry members of their group.
He heard the funny noises their stomachs were making and decided to do something about it.
He instructed them to stay put with Oliver, assuring them that he would be back shortly.
Curious, Oliver asked where he was planning to go, to which Val responded that he was going to hunt for something for them to eat.
Without wasting any more time, Val set off on his quest for food.
Utilizing his heavenly eye, Val soon located a beast in the vicinity that resembled a chicken. However, this was no ordinary chicken; it was significantly larger, being roughly the size of a human. Wanting to ensure that the beast was safe to eat, Val cast the 'Detect' spell to confirm its edibility.
It was indeed safe for human consumption.
With his target confirmed, Val wasted no time and sprinted towards the beast. Within minutes, he had closed the distance between them. He made his move, pouncing towards the giant chicken. The chicken, sensing danger, cawed loudly and flapped its wings in a desperate attempt to escape. It tried to leap away, but it was too slow to evade Val's swift movements. Val reached out, grabbed its neck, and with a quick motion, crushed it. The chicken now hung limply in his hand, its life extinguished.
Val gained a few hundred EXP for killing it.
After successfully hunting the beast, Val made his way back to the trio, carrying the massive chicken with him. He presented the chicken to Alfred and Rowan, telling them that this was their meal and they should roast it over a fire and enjoy it.
'Wouldn't it cause a problem?"
Initially, Alfred and Rowan were hesitant about starting a fire, likely recalling the dangers that could come with it.
"Go ahead, there won't be any problems."
However, Val reassured them, confident in his ability to protect them, he insisted that starting a fire would not pose any problem.