Lord of The Mysterious Realms Chapter 584

"This is the spot. The bandits' tomb is right here. I suppose we can begin, but we must be careful. The chances are slim, but we could still run into something nasty, like a black-skinned soul-eater worm."

The professor added in a hushed tone.

The moon was full, though its light couldn't quite reach Chocolate. It was, however, a fine night.

Neither of them possessed an ability for excavation, so they were left with the mundane task of digging with shovels under the moonlight. Chocolate had already scampered up a nearby tree, sniffing the damp, decaying scent of the forest at night while he watched the two men toil away in boredom.

It struck Jenkins as odd. He couldn't wrap his head around the idea that a ruin from a bygone Epoch could be unearthed with simple shovels. Still, if the professor believed it was possible, then it must be so.

The atmosphere in the withered woods was oppressive, and a prolonged silence would have soured their spirits. Both Jenkins and Professor Burns understood this, so they made idle conversation as they worked.

"Professor, I've heard that in the ancient Epochs, people wouldn't have dared to enter a forest this late at night."

"That's right. The creatures inhabiting the deep woods back then were far more than just wolves and rabbits. Countless unspeakable horrors lurked in the darkness, watching, waiting for a meal. It was a terrifying time."

To conserve Spirit, they used Jenkins's Unshadowed Lamp for illumination. Both the Inexhaustible Purification Candle and the Starlight Sphere would drain their Spirit, a dangerous prospect on such an unpredictable night.

"Of course. Not a problem."

Professor Burns was always happy to impart his knowledge to an eager student. He paused his work for a moment, leaning on his shovel, then continued speaking as he resumed digging:

"The most famous inhabitants of the forests were, of course, the elves. But their settlements were typically hidden deep within the woods. Humans were more likely to run into their outermost patrol parties."

"Professor, do you happen to have a thousand-year-old wood heart?"

The topic immediately made Jenkins think of the potion he was trying to create.

Professor Burns paused, then shook his head.

"I don't. That sort of thing is quite rare, but I can keep an eye out for you... Now, as I was saying, the elves are a highly intelligent species. It was the more bestial creatures—three-headed hounds, ghouls, and the like—that were the most common enemies for vulnerable humans. Of course, if your luck was particularly bad, you might encounter even more terrifying things, like evil spirits, Abyssal Ones, soul-stealing crows, or shadow beasts. In the dead of night, an encounter like that was a death sentence..."

They continued their sporadic conversation, but their shovels failed to uncover the altar-like keyhole the professor had described. They had to find it before the night ended, or they would have to wait another 24 years.

The professor's research indicated there had been a Benefactor among the bandits, meaning the tomb would almost certainly contain supernatural items. Jenkins activated his Eye of Reality to peer into the earth below, but he saw no trace of a spiritual aura.

'Perhaps the professor's information was wrong.' Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs ɴovelfire.net

He didn't voice his doubts, however, and simply continued to dig with focus.

Manual labor on a winter night was grueling. Sweating in heavy clothing left them with the damp, sticky discomfort of fabric clinging to their backs. After nearly an hour of digging, they spread out newspapers and sat down to rest under a nearby tree, where Jenkins's cat was perched above.

The professor pulled out his pocket watch and glanced at the time.

"It's one in the morning. If we haven't made any progress by three, we should head back."

"Let's make it four. The ride back to the city is fast."

Jenkins suggested, not wanting to have to return here alone in another 24 years.

Professor Burns glanced at Jenkins, then let out a sigh and nodded.

The time quickly ticked past two-thirty with no results, aside from a single one-shilling silver coin Jenkins had unearthed. Hoping to change their luck, Jenkins even slipped the golden ring onto his finger. Its brilliant gleam soon caught the professor's eye.

Much like Papa Oliver, he offered his thoughts on the Ouroboros symbol, though he knew nothing about the so-called "Beast of Calamity."

The night wind whistled through the dead trees, creating a sound like low whispers. In the distance, a lone wolf howled at the moon, its cry long and clear. A bat flitted across the night sky, drawing only a bored glance from Chocolate.

A casual glance into the distance revealed something unexpected: a point of light, the tell-tale sign of a Benefactor, was speeding toward them. It wasn't anyone Jenkins recognized.

He gave the rapid warning, tossing his shovel aside and pulling the dagger from his boot. By the time the professor looked up, a boy was already before them, gliding in at low altitude on a pair of bony wings.

He was dressed in a patched, threadbare shirt, and his left shoe had a clear hole in it. His sallow hair was a messy tangle, like a bird's nest. His face was covered in freckles and as gaunt as his frame, with a fresh scar running down his right cheek.

The three of them stood in silence. The boy clearly hadn't expected to find two living people deep in the woods in the middle of the night.

His shirt wasn't properly buttoned, and the night wind made the thin fabric rustle. Jenkins's eyes widened as he caught sight of a half-exposed, rune-like tattoo near the boy's heart—

Jenkins's pupils constricted in shock, and in that same instant, the boy lunged.

A black light enveloped his fist, and a low whisper reached the ears of the two men on the ground as he dove. The boy's target wasn't the young, able-bodied writer, but the professor, who appeared old and frail. Before Jenkins could even throw his dagger, their fists slammed into each other. A stream of red light clashed violently with a fierce black gleam, and the resulting shower of sparks finally cast some light on the dark patch of woods.

Their first exchange was over in seconds. Despite the momentum from his dive, the boy was sent flying backward by Professor Burns's punch. The professor, his face grim, rubbed his knuckles. Jenkins noticed he'd stamped a deep footprint into the earth.

"You can choose to surrender. If you sincerely repent and apologize to those you've killed, the Church can help you remove that mark from your heart."

Jenkins raised his pistol, aiming it at the boy sprawled in the distance.

His eyes seemed to glow red in the darkness, and the roar that ripped from his throat was that of an enraged beast. He flapped his tattered wings again and ascended into the sky. With his back to the twin moons, he faced the two men, his wings beating a slow, steady rhythm. The sight was unnerving, but just as the Church's report had stated, he had been discovered before he could claim many innocent lives. In truth, he was still quite weak.