An Expedition into the Forgotten Lands Part 3

.

.

.

—-------------

/Two weeks later…/

/BOOOOOM!/

/CRACK!/

/SLAM!!/

'At the foot of a massive precipice, a colossal humanoid creature slammed its hooves against the ground, causing the entire world to shake as the ground cracked into massive chunks of rock, each hundreds of meters long…'

'The creature looked half-dead, as if it was falling into pieces as the very flesh on its body was uneven and non-symmetric, hanging and dangling from its seemingly boneless body.'

'To support itself, the creature moved around with its arms on the ground, standing on all fours like a monkey would, searching for food as it prowled the grass…'

'Despite its size, nothing attacked it, on the contrary, they hid from it.'

'Because if its red stare fell onto them…'

(Image?)

"HUPP!"

/SLASH!/

'Fighting against it, a human with bluish fire slashed and dashed, blinking in and out of one's view, using his extreme speed to evade and cut the monster's body whenever an opportunity arises.'

'The blue fire floated around his body as he ran, like a coat hanging loose on a man walking against the wind.'

/SMASH!/

/DASH!/

'Without much trouble, the man evaded the meteoric blow of the monster as he jumped to the precipice, using it as a springboard to jump back at the fray and slash the creature in its neck!'

/CLANG!/

"..."

'As his weapon crashed against the seemingly defenseless neck, it quickly came to a stop after cutting through a meter of reddish-black material, getting stuck within as the ripped flesh wriggled back in place, lodging the sword inside.'

'Even as the monster's flesh was consumed by the man's cursed weapon, it still managed to envelop it completely, leaving only the handle dangling in the air.'

/SCREECH!/

/SLAM!/

'As the creature roared in pain and rage, feeling its body tear apart under the terrific consuming force of the Darklight Blade, Philip kicked its head away, leaving his sword behind as he crashed onto the precipice due to his incredible momentum.'

'To reflect that, the impact of his foot against the beast's body was so great it pushed it aside, causing it to lose its balance…'

/SWIPE!/

'The creature, however, did not fall. It turned its head to Philip in an unnatural manner, swiping one of its arms diagonally at the precipice to counter its loss of balance.'

"!"

Sh…

'For a split second, he noticed a dangerous energy gather on its hand, so he quickly vanished as he turned into mist, rising into the air above the monster when he felt was safe.'

/BOOOOOOM!/

'This action proved to be the correct one, as had he tried to defend, he would've been sent flying...'

'Whenever the creature's hand passed, a wave of red misty light followed, turning everything into dust as it completely vaporized the top section of the precipice!'

/Grab…/

"I'll take this back." Philip said as he grabbed onto his sword, channeling Armament into it as he matched his breathing

/Hum.../

'His blade hummed as the bluish energy covered it's whole body, causing it to explode with purplish energy!'

'The true form of the Darklight sword.'

"HUPP!"

/SLASH!/

'He slashed downwards, causing a wave of purple light to cut through the beast's flesh, piercing forward as it reached one of its legs, removing it completely!'

"ROAAAR!"

"..."

This is my chance to end this.

'As the beast lost its balance due to the sudden loss of one of its rear limbs, and with the fact one of its main arms was in the air, Philip chose to fall with it, thinking about where to strike next.'

'He quickly spotted its space but as he did so a pair of gaping holes stared back at him, causing him mild headaches just from looking at it.'

'The creature clearly had some degree of mental power, so much so it caused him some discomfort… But nothing else.'

/Gather…/

'Philip gathered his own Mental power onto his left hand before he pointed down at the beast's body.'

"This time... Fall."

/SLAM!!/

/CRASH!/

/BOOOM!/

'The monstrosity was sent down with immense speed, crashing onto its own crater, widening it as dirt and stone started to bury its own body.'

'It roared in both pain and distress, a harrowing cry from the depths of man's deepest nightmares.'

/FLAP!/

/KICK!/

'His eyes flashing, Philip manifested his two wings and flapped them once, descending with immense speed as he used Magic to manifest a foothold for him to kick, adding onto his already extreme momentum.'

/Shine…/

'The Darklight sword hummed in his right hand, shining in ominous light, as if expecting another feast…'

/TWIST!/

/CRYYY!/

'The moment he was about to slash its neck for good, the creature's head suddenly turned at a 90-degree angle, defying its own physiology as it's flesh twisted, seemingly taking him by surprise!'

'As the beast cried in an abhorrent tone, its mouth opened wide, sucking in all of the air with great power as it intended to swallow him whole!'

"?!"

/Twist…/

'But instead of despair, Philip smiled widely, predicting this outcome… After all, this hadn't been the first of its kind he had hunted.'

'With a smile just as macabre as the beast's he dived straight into its diabolical mouth…'

/CLOSE!/

/… Silence…/

'Like the calm before the storm, no sounds echoed in the plains. The battle had come to an end.'

'The creature smiled for a split second, deriving pain from the fact it took all hope from its prey before it returned to its previous monolithic empty stare.'

'But it did not know that in fact, from the start…'

/BOOOOOOOOOOM!/

'It was the prey to be hunted.'

/SPLATTER!/

'Within a second, the creature's head exploded into a dark bloody cloud as Philip climbed out of its neck, holding a piece of wriggling flesh in his hand as he wiped the dark liquids from his face, but to no avail as his entire body was drenched in it.'

'As he stepped into the ever growing blood pool on the ground, he threw the wriggling flesh on the ground, the remains of what was once this beast's heart.'

'As bizarre as it was on the outside, the creature's insides weren't similar to anything he could remember seeing on Earth, it was shaped like a tube, and it wriggled with even some degree of self-consciousness.'

/Splat.../

'Not liking the feeling in his hands, he threw it away like a piece of trash.'

/IGNITE!/

"Pfft… Why do they smell so foul? What is their blood made out of anyway?" Philip said as his blue flames exploded around his body, burning all of the blood at once, cleaning him like a phoenix reviving through flames

"At least I can do this… Thank those artisans for these heat-resistant clothes." He said with a smile as he patted his chest

[One-Handed 71 -> 99]

Oh? Once again it increased by quite a bit… Time to…

'Just as he thought what to next, he was suddenly hit with multiple visions of warriors fighting bloody wars with one-handed weapons.'

'He witnessed multiple techniques in actions, seeing how they succeeded… And failed.'

'A multitude of experiences, filling his mind with the strong will of those nameless combatants.'

'The enlightenment from whenever he leveled a Skill, stacked due to his Leveling spree.'

Arg… I hate this feeling.

'Clutching onto his head, he took a deep breath.'

"Phew… It's leveling up quite fast…"

Since the Skills Level up is based on the damage I cause, due to my extremely high physical strength, I always end up causing lots upon lots of damage.

Though I have no idea how 'damage' is calculated, especially on a creature that can regenerate like this one.

I also learned how the Skills will only update once the fight is over, which I'm thankful for.

If I had to care about having these visions every time I swung my blade then I would've been dead already, especially when I fought this creature for the first time, it actually managed to ambush me with its strange bodily movements more than once…

{Uh... HA!}

'As his Skill Leveled Up, so did his overall Level, causing the voice of a Nord Warrior to ring in his ears like a powerful war drum.'

"..."

This Testosterone scream…

/Wriggle… SNAP!/

'As he distracted himself with his Status, the flesh of the monster behind him trembled a little, and a small tentacle moved from within, reaching out into the air calmly as if in search of something…'

'And upon taking in Philip's scent, it immediately sprung up like a bullet, aiming at his body like a javelin before it shot out like a bullet!'

/SLASH!/

'Philip didn't even look at the parasite worm, he only slashed his hand to the side, cutting the creature into two uneven pieces as if he was swatting a fly.'

"Tche, this won't work a second time." He said as he snapped his fingers, burning the parasite's body completely

A parasite bigger than my own body wants to use me as its host, as if.

'As he looked at the bloody scene in front of him, Philip remembered his first encounter with this strange beast.'

When I first killed this creature, it also had a parasite, but as I was distracted, it tried to do this exact same thing, and it succeded.

That is, it managed to hit its head against my body, but nothing happened after.

My Skin is rather resilient, and these clothes are also very good so it just managed to make Carnatita laugh and make me embarrassed.

Even if it could enter my body, it would die in no time unless it somehow entered through my eyes and affected my brain.

Though even if it could affect my body, Carnatita would do something about it

/Clap clap…/

'Philip cleaned his hands of any dust as he walked out of the hole, looking at the distance.'

/Splash… Waves…/

'There, beyond all of the destruction he caused, he saw a black beach with obsidian black sand and a reddish ocean…'

'Beneath the waves, he saw dozens of small plants growing, some poking out of the water, revealing all kinds of weird flowers and bizarre sights, such as a plant that looked like a hook as it stood over the waves... Waiting...'

/SPLASH!/

'Until it finally managed to catch a small fish the size of his finger.'

"We're finally here, the Ocean..." He said with a smile as he looked around

I did think this place would be a bit weird, yet this still goes a bit over my expectations.

But where's Carnatita?

...

/Step step.../

'He started walking forward, looking around, and finally, he crossed into the beach.'

"At least this feels like sand..." He said as he touched the dark sand on the ground

/Sounds.../

"Hm?"

'As he heard a small faint sound near him, he got up, going after him.'

'There, behind a rock, he saw Carnatita crouched on the ground, messing around with something in the sand.'

'But as he saw her there, Philip let out a sigh of relief.'

Phew… She always gives me the biggest scare, vanishing all the damn time.

Not being able to sense her presence has caused me more than one heart attack.

/Step step…/

'Philip slowly approached her to see what she was doing, and he immediately saw what was going on.'

"..."

/SNAP SNAP SNAP!/

'Like always, Carnatita was messing around with a small creature, something that looked like a crab but wasn't.'

(Image)

/SNAP!/

'She pocked it multiple times, overturning its body as she watched it try to dig or run, only for her to go and grab it again, tormenting it constantly.'

'The poor sod could only snap its pincers at the air in protest since it couldn't see her, it didn't know what was going on but it certainly wasn't fond of it.'

"Huh… You always manage to find these small creatures at every nook and cranny." He said with a smile as he approached them

/SNAP!/

'Seeing this weirdly shaped predator many times its size approach, the crab replied in kind, snapping fearlessly towards him only to be toppled once more rudely by Carnatita's index finger.'

"Leave it alone, you tormented it long enough." He said with a chuckle as he grabbed the grab unceremoniously, putting it on the side where it stood motionless, not understanding what just happened

'Before Carnatita could complain, the little bugger ran to the water, vanishing amidst the reddish waves...'

"Anyway, what do you think, now that we're here?" He asked as he turned to Carnatita

It took us two weeks to reach this beach, despite my flying speed.

Of course, it wasn't a straight line and neither was I rushing here, and we were interrupted many times on the way, causing me to lose track of where I was from time to time.

In fact, I have no idea where I am.

Of course, I recorded the entire journey with MT's controller so it could tell me where I was based on the maps I was given about this area… But that's something else.

"It's strange… Wasn't the sea… Blue?" She asked as she approached the shores, putting her hands in the water

/Splish splash.../

"It is blue… For the most part." Philip replied as he scratched his head

'He took a deep gaze at the ocean before he replied:'

"From the looks of it, this color is due to the algae growing beneath the waves… And since water absorbs red colors of the light spectrum, then there must be some sediments in it causing it to be reflected instead, and rather strongly at that."

"A pigment most likely."

"As for the sky, as I mentioned before, it likely has the same source, the corruption that mixed in with the air, it reflects light and causes this entire place to look a bit red."

That was MT's analysis.

Anyway, that corruption isn't something to worry about, no concentration of it would bother me unless they concocted some sort of artificial concentration and injected it into my body.

It's even pretty, seeing the red clouds pass by...

"Anyway… Huh?... You…"

/SPAT!/

'When Philip turned to look at Carnatita, he saw her taking a sip of the red ocean before she spat it all out with a cringy expression.'

"Salty!" She said as she spat once more

"You… Why do you constantly try and taste everything you can get your hands on? Be more mindful of what you're touching, at least try to boil or cook it first." Philip said as he shook his head, taking a small water bottle from his inventory and giving it to her

/GULP!/

"..."

'As she drank from the bottle with great strength, Philip kneeled next to the shores as well, taking a small sip of the water before spatting it out.'

"There's something more in the water." He mumbled out loud before he rinsed his mouth with flames

'He wasn't concerned for Carnatita, she would be fine regardless.'

The Ocean is extremely salty, but it doesn't taste like this…

Is it the algae? Or did the water mix with something else? The mud?

"Anyway let's… What is that?"

'Just when he was about to leave, Philip saw what seemed to be a pair of eyes watching him from deep in the ocean.'

'A pair of small cartoonish eyes but serene and completely still… It was… Eerie.'

"There's always something watching me in this hellish place... Yet..."

'He couldn't help but laugh a little.'

"Heh."

"Since we're here, how about we fish a little bit?" Philip asked Carnatita as he crossed his arms

/Nod!/

"It's pretty simple, I'll teach you how it's done."

"First, you find yourself a rod and a line, there are many combinations for what can those be."

"Then, you find a hook and a bait so the fish gets trapped once it bites onto it."

'Since she seemed excited, Philip grabbed the body of the monster he just slew with his mental power and slowly raised up from the ground, moving it to the ocean…'

/Gaze.../

'As expected, the eyes followed the body, completely fixed on it.'

'And when the body was just above them…'

/SPLASH!/

'Something snapped from the water, taking a large chunk of the body!'

"HUPP! It's quite heavy!" Philip replied as a bead of sweat fell from his forehead as he controlled his mental power

Quite the heavy boy, took me by surprise!

I didn't want to use too much force this time, but I'll give it to you!

You won't be escaping from me, this isn't how I lost my first fish in this new world!

/LIFT!/

/SPLASH!/

'Slowly, he dragged something from, the ocean, together with many rocks and thick white ropes.'

'A massive dark body that was constantly squirming…'

'It was a colossal eel of unknown proportions, a behemoth prowling in the depths!'

'It possed many legs on the bottom of its body, they were firmly stuck on the ocean's floor, that was why it was so heavy from Philip's perspective.'

'While the white ropes he saw seemed to be some sort of material it released to form a nest, it tied all kinds of rocks together to form a massive next similar to that of a spider.'

/STRUGGLE!/

'Open crashing onto land, the eel-like monstrosity kept trying to move back onto land as it slammed its tail on the sand, but something kept dragging it back onto the sand causing it to only tire itself out.'

'With every inch it managed to move, Philip pulled it a meter.'

'Eventually, the force pulling it back vanished, giving it the chance to flee, but before it could do so…'

/SLASH!/

/Boom.../

'Philip cut the creature's head off, causing it to stop moving as its body twitched in place.'

'When the head collided against the ground, the entire beach trembled momentarily due to its weight.'

"What a big boy." He said as he approached the creature

No wonder it was watching the fight from afar, if it was given the chance it would've likely gobled up that monster with one bite.

This must be a mutated creature, not a Chimera, much less a Devil or a Corrupted monster.

So this is the apex creature that hunts those monsters… No wonder the corruption doesn't spread through the Ocean.

If you have these kinds of creatures preying on whatever tries to cross the water, then I'm afraid of what lurks deep down...

/Shivers.../

"... My body's trembling on its own..." Philip said as he looked at the eel

I can't tell why though... Is it the memories that were removed when I returned from the Nightmare?

I guess the PTSD was rather strong...

/Growl!/

"... Really?" Philip asked out loud as he turned to Carnatita

"..."

'She didn't reply, only looking away as she floated slowly in the air.'

"Fine, I was getting a bit hungry too… Maybe we can try and see if this is edible." He said as he walked around the eel's body

It doesn't look malformed, it's just… Ugly to look at.

But its body seems overall clean, with no strange smells or weird sensations, the scales are even and don't look sickly at all.

If I cut this part off, it should do as a meal when roasted over the fire... Just like those documentaries of men cutting Salmon and Tuna.

Well... Only if it roasts...

There are some creatures whose meat is just so tough it won't roast in an ordinary campfire, and even though my flames are strong enough for that task, I'm simply not good enough at controlling them in such a precise manner.

At least to make a meal out of this.

I've improved greatly in the past two weeks but I can't say I can cook meat well with it…

If the campfire idea doesn't work then I'll give it a try.

"Hum... This part should be good enough." He said as he looked at the stomach of the eel

/CUT!/

'Using his mental power, Philip unlodged the meat from the ribs of the creature, removing its sky and leaving it floating as he prepared the campfire.'

'He gathered many of the strange trees and the dead grass lying around the beach, setting everything inside a hole he made and lighting it up with his flames before he placed the meat over it.'

/Crackle.../

"..."

Now I wait.

'It would likely take a while to roast, but from the looks of it, it would work.'

'So with a relaxed expression, Philip sat down on a rock, and soon enough, so did Carnatita too.'

'Side by side, they waited for the fish to get ready as the waves splashed in and out...'

/Fwoosh.../

"Hum?..."

/SLAAAAAM!/

/BOOOOOOM!/

"?!?!?!"

'But barely had any time passed, something appeared behind Philip, slamming Philip's head with immense force, barely giving him time to even react!'

'The monstrous force of the impact sent him flying against the precipice in the distance, causing it to once again crack as it slowly crumbled into pieces...'

'Something that took millennia to form was slowly being worn out within an hour...'

/Gaze!/

'For the first time ever since they started this adventure, Carnatita's eyes sharpened as for the first time ever since they met, she decided to act...'

/Rise... BOOOOOM!/

'Like a bolt of lightning, an angry-looking Philip suddenly broke through the dust and stones around him, slamming his fist against whatever had hit him before!'

/Spat!/

"Pfft, that fucking hurt." He said as he spat some blood onto the ground, wiping a small streak from his already healed right cheek

My vision is a bit turbid, just what the fuck hit me?

/SPLASH!/

'Far away in the ocean, the creature he had just punched fell, causing a torrent of water to rise sky high, with some drops of water falling on them like rain.'

""...""

'But even as the seconds passed, nothing seemed to happen...'

"..."

Just what was that? I didn't even have the time to use Scholar Vision on it.

Was there anything in the books I read that fit this?

'In the last few days, Philip fed both MT and his mind with all kinds of books relating to the SouthEastern Wilds, from monsters to creatures.'

'That was how Scholar Vision usually identified his targets, otherwise, it would display the creature's name as Scholar Vision works around his own senses and knowledge.'

It approached me without me realizing it... How?

'Philip momentarily looked behind him, seeing a hole through the body of the Eel he just slew.'

It dug through the body of the fish?... Wait, had it been devoured by it prior to me killing it?

The fish monster was indeed pretty strong, but once I dragged it onto land it lost a great deal of its ability.

Its main strength comes from ambushing tactics like Alligators, allowing it to slay even those strange creatures despite their immense physical power.

Its stomach's acid also possesses numbing and weakening properties to make sure the prey inside doesn't struggle much, but for it to have recovered that fast...

Either that, or this monster used the Eel's body as a diverging factor, through the ground and its flesh before attacking me in one burst of incredible speed.

Such tactical ambush isn't possible for mindless beasts... That paired with its overall Humanoid form...

/... Smile/

'Philip smiled.'

"I think I have an idea..."

/Splash.../

'As he said that, a creature slowly walked out of the ocean, moving to him as it dragged something behind its body.'

'A massive cleaver that seemed to be made of bone.'

[Bladed Ahatoh

Level 113

]

(Image)

'A creature of legend, a Greater Demonic Being first brought to this world during the Great Demonic Invasion 400 years ago.'

'Believed to have been extinct, this fearsome beast once ruled the battlefields, taking with it the lives of Heroes of the past.'

'A strange Demon whose main interest was the collection of all kinds of sharp objects, being described as possessing gargantuan strength, speed, precision, talent for combat, and decision making even for other beasts on the same ranking as itself.'

'One of his past Evolution choices, it was back to haunt him again!'

"..."

Am I lucky or unlucky for this?

/FLASH!/

'Philip could not finish his thought, as the Bladed Ahatoh did not hesitate, rushing forward to make the first move!'

/SLASH!/

/CLANG!/

"URG!"

'It swung its massive cleaver down at him, and Philip replied in kind, slashing upward...'

SHIT!

/CUT!/

'With one swift motion, the Ahatoh swung its cleaver down, cutting through Philip's left arm and removing it completely!'

/SLAM!/

'But he didn't let it go unpunished. His blood coagulation on his left shoulder into the shape of a spearhead, Philip stabbed his shoulder onto the Ahatoh's neck!'

/CRACK!/

'Yet, instead of the squished feeling of blade piercing flesh, he heard the sound of glass breaking... His coagulated blood lost it's shape, like an egg being thrown at a rock.'

/SLAM!/

'Taking this moment of opportunity, the Demon kicked his stomach!'

/Mist.../

'But Philip turned into mist, using his upgraded Quickening to vanish and reappear far away from the creature.'

'He held his left arm with his right hand, putting it over the wound.'

/Connect.../

'His flesh and blood reconnected, and within a few seconds, everything was back in place, leaving behind only a few rings of old skin he tore off with his bare hand.'

"Guess this is it for the warm-up." He said as his body burst into flames

I want to see how strong a Greater Demon is!

The breed responsible for the deaths of many Heroes of the past, maybe even the one singular species that slew the most of us.

If you're one of the original ones that came during the invasion or another that transformed into this, it doesn't matter.

Show me how good of a combatant you really are.

/FLASH!/

'The Ahatoh vanished, but the sand beneath its food exploded, causing even the ocean to be pushed back a few dozen meters due to the strength of its legs.'

"FUS-ROH-DAH!" Philip shouted in the language of the dragons, causing the entire beach to explode in front of him as his body tensed up

/BOOOOOOOM!/

'Screaming his lungs out, Philip imposed his will onto the word, and as he wished, the entire beach and everything in his path was pushed back into the ocean...'

/SLASH!/

'But amidst this senseless destruction, a creature dashed amidst the rubble, swinging its cleaver with unending bloodlust!'

...

/At the same time, further West.../

/Crackle.../

"... You know, this place isn't that bad once you get used to it, mind all the monsters of course." Petter added as he saw down next to a bonfire

"We've been lucky till now, so drop the carefree attitude, this isn't the place for such complacency." Dae replied as he checked the meat he was cocking

"Anyway, is this safe for consumption?" Philip asked as he looked at the rather viscous meat

"I know it looks disgusting, but we'll need to bear with this for the next few days, we need the nutrients it'll give us for what we're about to do."

"... You know, I haven't quite questioned you so far, but are you REALLY sure about it this time?"

"It would be hard to be any more than I already am, now, pay attention to your meat, if it overcooks I'm forcing it down your throat."

"Sigh... I should've gone with Philip..."

"Hah, do you even believe your own words?"

"..."

'Petter did not reply, instead, he looked at his meat with a dead and hollow gaze.'

What kind of life did I live before to be cursed with this one?

"Don't think about him that much, he'll be fine so focus on yourself first."

"Sure thing... Do you have any salt at the very least?"

"..."

'Dae looked at Petter as if the dumbest guy he had ever seen.'

"Forget I asked that."

Philip had 20 types of spices in his pockets at all times... Compared to this clueless motherfucker he at least cocked edible food...

Weren't regressors meant to be good a cocking? Why is this guy worse than me at it?!

"It's burning." Dae said in a monotone as he ate his meat

"###!!! For fucks sake!"

/Grab... Crunch.../

'Feeling the taste of his charcoal-like meat in his mouth, Petter cried.'

"I told you so."

"... HOW DID THIS MEAT BURN SO DAMN QUICK?!"

"This meat is particularly sensitive to heat, and upon contact with a direct source of..."

"I DON'T WANT TO FUCKING HEAR IT MAN..."

/Crunch.../

'With that said, Philip ate his burnt meat with a beaten dog gaze as he looked at the fire burning next to his foot...'

...

.

.

.

Notes