A relentless tide of monsters poured from the forest toward the plains. Most were Goblins and Kobolds; while none posed a significant threat individually, their sheer numbers were staggering.
Having erased my presence with [Stealth Arts], I went unnoticed as the monsters charged past me toward the Steel Fang.
The situation was clearly abnormal.
Their eyes were a muddy red, clouded with hatred, and a familiar mist clung to their necks—the same purple haze that afflicted Lina.
A curse that drove monsters into a frenzy and caused humans to waste away. The source of that malice lay deep within these woods.
I pressed on through the night, dodging monsters and following the pulse of ill intent.
By the time the distant screams of Goblins and Kobolds being slaughtered by the Steel Fang began to fade, the night fog had thickened. The malice grew heavier with it.
It was close. I would likely reach the Shrine of the Descending Mist at any moment.
Even [Night Eyes] proved useless in the soup of fog. I navigated by the pull of the malice alone until the surroundings suddenly fell silent. It was so quiet it made my ears ache; not a single sound reached me.
The air felt different, too.
I had stepped into what seemed like a cavern. The ground turned to hard stone beneath my feet, and my outstretched hand brushed against cold, solid rock.
I was nearing the core.
Unable to see anything, I moved forward with cautious, deliberate steps. My heart hammered against my ribs like a warning bell.
With a sudden whoosh, the fog cleared. Before me stood a massive, cylindrical rock.
A large crack ran through its center, and a viscous liquid oozed from within. It looked less like a stone and more like a living thing.
Was this the source? No, I could feel an even stronger malice coming from elsewhere. Where was it... below me?
I pressed my palms to the ground and activated [Earth Vein Detection]. The underground structure of the Shrine of the Descending Mist unfolded in my mind.
"A cavity... and it’s massive."
There was an unnatural hollow beneath the shrine. Without a doubt, it was the origin of the curse.
I pulled a pickaxe from my [Storage Space] and struck the ground, focusing my intent on [Excavation]. A dull thud rang out, and dust billowed into the air. I didn't have time to worry about the mess.
After several hits with [Excavation], a section of the floor gave way with a roar, creating a steep slope leading into the darkness below.
I swapped the pickaxe for a dagger and carefully descended the debris-strewn incline. With every step, my skin crawled and the hair on my arms stood on end.
I reached the floor of the underground chamber.
"Haha... you’ve got to be kidding me."
Standing in the depths of the shrine was a colossal stone statue of a worm. Its body was a complex tangle, appearing as though several worms were coiled together in a grotesque mass.
"Is the rock on the surface piercing this thing?"
A thick, stake-like object extended from the ceiling, impaling the stone worm. It was only natural to assume that the cylindrical rock on the surface and this stake were one and the same. In other words...
"The Shrine of the Descending Mist was built to seal this thing. The curse started overflowing because the seal weakened."
"Precisely."
A voice cut through the silence from behind me.
I spun around to find a woman clad in black robes standing there.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"That is my line," she countered. "You slipped through a monster stampede, navigated a fog that should have left you hopelessly lost, and broke through solid bedrock to reach the Chamber of the Seal. Who are you?"
"I'm just a mere [Herbalist]."
The woman burst out laughing.
"To crack a joke in a situation like this... you certainly have nerves of steel."
She raised her staff, pointing it toward me.
"What is your objective?"
"You already know, don't you?"
I didn't have the slightest clue, actually. But maybe I could play along.
"Which faction are you with?" I asked. "If our roots are the same, this is a pointless fight."
The robed woman paused, considering my words. It seemed the [Merchant] skill [Negotiation Arts] was doing its job.
"You go first," she said. "If our factions don't align, you die."
'Go first,' she says... I only came here to save Lina. I had to say something that sounded plausible.
"I am one linked to Him—the one who seeks to prove existence even as He seeks to negate it."
The woman’s eyes widened in shock.
"No way... Was that it?"
"Yeah."
I had no idea what she meant by "was that it," but I didn't care. She had let her guard down.
I activated a skill that was—for better or worse—notoriously effective against women.
[Insect Swarm Control].
Countless insects that had been crawling along the ceiling of the cavity rained down upon her.
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!"
As her head was swamped by the crawling mass, she fell into a total panic. I lunged forward and drove a focused blow into her solar plexus.
"Ugh..."
The air left her lungs and she collapsed. She sank to the ground, still covered in the swarming bugs.
"Seriously, what does 'the one who seeks to prove existence and seeks to negate it' even mean?"
Naturally, the woman didn't answer.
"Now then, what's the plan?"
I highly doubted she had come to the Shrine of the Descending Mist just to take a nap on the floor. She must have come here knowing the seal on this creepy worm was failing.
"Is she carrying anything?"
I began to rummage through the belongings of the unconscious woman. A decent-sized pouch hung at her waist. If she had any clues, they would be in there.
After securing her hands with rope, I began my inspection. I lined the items up on the ground and used the [Appraiser] skill [Simple Appraisal] to identify them.
The first item: a Mana Potion. The second: a hand mirror. The third: silk underwear. The fourth: an Empire Military ID. The fifth: a Vessel of the Evil God.
A Vessel of the Evil God? This ominous box was a vessel? And according to the ID, this woman was an Imperial soldier.
"Could the 'Evil God' be this worm?"
Apprehensively, I approached the grotesque stone statue. I reached out a finger to touch it and triggered [Simple Appraisal].
[Fragment of the Evil God]
Exactly as I thought. Everything about this worm screamed 'evil.'
As I brought the [Vessel of the Evil God] in my right hand closer to the statue, the box began to vibrate. It shivered as if with dark delight.
Was I doing the right thing? I didn't know. But if I left the [Fragment of the Evil God] as it was, Lina would continue to waste away.
I pressed the [Vessel of the Evil God] against the [Fragment of the Evil God].
With a sickening slurping sound, liquid began to pour from the worm, draining into the box. It was a nauseating sight.
Finally, with a sharp hiss, the last of the liquid was sucked into the vessel. The [Vessel of the Evil God] gave one last satisfied tremor.
"I’ve definitely gotten myself involved in something dangerous..."
I voiced my anxiety to the empty room, then stashed the [Vessel of the Evil God] safely inside my [Storage Space].