Chapter 99 – Monsters of the Plague Zone
If any outsider had witnessed the scene, they would have been shocked.
The room was filled with rare materials, many difficult to obtain, even the corpses of plague beasts.
Lance quickly selected a swamp leech, sealing it inside a glass container at his side.
The place looked less like a hideout and more like a laboratory.
With a small blade, he slit open the leech's slick hide and began his research.
Moments later, he muttered to himself:
"There's some unknown essence within these creatures. Unless it's expelled, they inevitably mutate further."
But even he knew—it was easier said than done.
---
Plague Zone – Crimson Leaf Bay
A hunting party from the Calvin family rested here, led by a young woman named Daphne Calvin.
In her palm, she held a strange stone shaped like an eye—the Stone of Revelation, gifted by the tribal high priest.
Every hunting party carried one. By closing one's eyes and clasping it tightly, the stone revealed the general direction of a Trait's clue.
Gather three such clues, and the final location of the Trait would be revealed.
Simple in theory, perilous in practice.
The path to each clue was fraught not only with plague beasts but also rival hunters. Worse, some clues manifested in the densest clouds of poison mists.
That left families with grim choices: risk death for advancement, or forfeit their chance at glory.
Daphne's luck was better than most. The clue she sought lay not far from the outer reaches.
"Close by," she confirmed with another glance through the stone.
"We'll seize the first clue, then regroup at the oasis our family marked."
Her two companions nodded solemnly.
The mist here was already thickening, the Swamp Leaves they carried burning out faster than expected. Worse still, the "gift" left behind by the Cooper family clung stubbornly to their clothing, betraying them with its stench.
"Damn Cooper dogs…" she cursed, wrinkling her nose.
Suddenly, the forest buzzed with an ominous hum.
Daphne's hand flew to the flintlock at her waist.
From the treeline stepped a frail figure in a white dress—a woman's silhouette.
But Daphne's face hardened.
The woman's ribcage had burst outward, her torso bent grotesquely to one side. Nestled among the bones was a pulsing stone hive, its surface crawling with venomous bees.
"The Hive Queen!" Daphne shouted, raising her weapon.
The creature slowly turned its head toward her voice.
---
Plague Zone – Estuary Cavern
Hunters of the Walker family crouched behind jagged rocks, spying on the cave mouth.
There, crimson-veined plants bloomed—the coveted Blood Cabbage, prized for awakening Spirit Sight.
At the Dead Dog Tavern, bounties for the plant always ranked near the top.
But its habitat lay deep within the Plague Zone, often guarded by terrifying monsters.
And today was no exception.
A hulking shape lumbered beside the plants.
Enrique Walker swallowed hard.
The creature had no head, stood nearly three meters tall, with entrails spilling into the open air. Dozens of split-leeches clung to its body, writhing.
"A Tumor Beast," Enrique whispered.
Unlucky. Very unlucky.
Its hide was thick as stone, nearly impossible to kill quickly. The beast itself had no eyes, but the parasites on its flesh gave it guidance.
It was among the most dreaded adversaries hunters could meet.
Enrique spat the Blackwater Heart from his mouth into his palm.
More than half its power was already spent.
He stared between the glowing cabbage and the fading relic, torn in bitter calculation.
---
Plague Zone – Outer Entrance
Dozens of hellhounds prowled in formation, the Cooper family at their center.
Dolbora Cooper carried a leather satchel filled with white cloth squares, each sealed in dried grass to preserve scent.
She withdrew one marked Meck Family and held it beneath a hound's nose.
The beast sniffed, then barked sharply toward one direction.
To be sure, Dolbora repeated the test with several more hounds.
But confusion soon clouded her face.
The animals pointed in three different directions.
Impossible.
Cooper hounds were rigorously trained, empowered by the family's Trait Endless Vitality. They ignored lingering traces, locking only onto the true living body.
Yet now they disagreed.
Dolbora's brows knit tighter as she reached for another cloth.
But the results for the Allard, Calvin, and Beneck families were exactly the same as before.
"What's going on?"
Even Zod Cooper had noticed something strange.
Dolbora quickly reported the anomaly to her brother.
Zod frowned, then after a moment's thought said,
"Choose the direction closest to the clue."
His gaze shifted to the young, beautiful girl at his side—his fiancée, Vinnia Cecil, heiress of the enigmatic Cecil family of Saint Fréyan.
The Cecils were descendants of the First People, a clan that worshipped the Stag God of the forest.
They specialized in rearing antlered stags, whose shed antlers could ward off the mental assaults of evil spirits. To the Cecils, this was divine protection.
The Coopers had discovered this secret.
But instead of butchering the Cecil clan, they had chosen a political marriage, seeking to bind and eventually control this sacred power.
As part of their alliance, the Coopers promised that the coming Trait would serve as proof of their union. In return, the Cecils hoped to rise higher in Saint Fréyan society through Cooper support.
"Vinnia, give one of the leading hounds an antler." Zod's voice was sharp, commanding like that of an officer.
"Y… yes."
Vinnia flinched. She clearly feared the Cooper heir.
Her voice was gentle, almost timid; she seemed less like a hunter and more like a fragile noble lady.
"Please… take good care of it."
Reluctantly, she hung a fragment of antler around the hound's neck.
It had come from a stag she had raised herself, and she had once intended to gift it to Zod as a wedding token.
But he had cruelly rebuked her, calling her a "meddlesome woman." The words had cut deeply, leaving her crestfallen.
"Move out," Zod ordered.
Thud, thud.
The hounds rose at once, disciplined and precise.
Zod picked one of the directions and led his force away from the Plague Zone' entrance.
---
A few kilometers away, Father Gideon and his two companions were just emerging from a swamp.
"Why do the monsters all run from me?" Gideon muttered, stroking his chin, looking genuinely troubled.
At his side, Sadie and Ralph exchanged awkward glances.
They remembered all too well how the priest had marched up to monsters and started "sincere conversations." At first, the creatures resisted violently…
But as time went on, fewer and fewer beasts appeared in their path.
They even walked freely through areas once fiercely guarded by plague beasts, many rich with precious materials.
The two hunters didn't understand it, but they suspected it had everything to do with Father Gideon.
Just then—gunshots cracked in the distance.
Sadie and Ralph instantly assumed combat stances. Gideon, too, pulled out a vial of holy water.
The three crept closer.
When the scene ahead came into view, Sadie's brow furrowed.
"The Hive Queen?"
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