Page 172

(Walson)

On the wasteland, the yellow sand billowed and mixed with the swiftly advancing wind, causing a painful sensation as it blew against our faces.

Just last night, Melon found a person outside the hunter's cabin, and when we found him, his condition was beyond terrible. His body was covered in wounds, and not the superficial wound either, the fatal kind, to the point where it even surprised the hell out of me at the fact that he can still breathe.

He also brought us information, specifically about his village being attacked by monsters. Despite the help of a group of dedicated adventurers, the village eventually met its demise.

If it were an ordinary village, it might have been forgivable, but that village...

"Wind Cyclone Slash!" Derisha, who was leading our group, shouted, and the two huge [Desert Valley Sandworms] that had burrowed out of the ground a few seconds ago were sliced into pieces by the continuously swirling wind blades.

...That village was called Josephton.

Derisha had mentioned it before; she had lived in the countryside until she was ten, and Josephton was her hometown.

So, as soon as she saw the heavily wounded villager, Derisha rushed out, and as members of the same team, we naturally followed her.

Watching her, enveloped in wind attribute magic, riding on dragon wings and speeding forward, it was clear how important Josephton was to her.

This speed was truly something else. Melon and Grace had no trouble keeping up, but for me, it would have been impossible to catch up on foot. So, I rode on Rifle's back.

She wasn't very proficient at controlling the "Windsprinter" yet, so she sat behind me, her arms wrapped around my waist.

Um... those twobig lumps are pressed against my neck, swaying up and down as we raced, the things that had deformed due to compression... My mind couldn't help but wander... No, as an upright man, I remained very composed.

*Cough*, as for Alice and the others on [Dog House] they were temporarily left in that small cabin. One reason was to protect them from danger, and the other was to allow them to take care of the injured villagers.

At this moment, there was commotion on the left flank of our group as sandbanks appeared, and the next moment, giant [Desert Valley Sandworms] rolled over the yellow soil toward us...

Then, they were all captured by Melon from the sand, dragged along with our sprint, and as another group of unfortunate [Desert Valley Sandworms] surged from another sandbank, the pitiable [Desert Valley Sandworms] were thrown heavily onto the newcomers.

A compound magic circle of fire and shadow suddenly appeared, covering the two unfortunate creatures.

"These two have quite the spirit," I thought as I watched Grace and Melon, with the background music being the pitiful wails of the [Desert Valley Sandworms].

It wasn't even the season for [Desert Valley Sandworms] to appear, yet they were already this restless... It seemed that this land had indeed undergone some changes, but...

Was this related to "Withering"? I might have concluded this in the past, but after encountering Loli, I dare not say that anymore.

Firstly, the [Desert Valley Sandworms] from earlier didn't exhibit the [Curse of the Wither], and the land also didn't show any signs of corruption. In this regard, it was similar to Melon's hometown.

So... if these events weren't directly related to "Withering," then what was the cause behind the rampant monster incidents on the continent?

...Let's think about this later. There are other things to focus on right now.

The severely wounded villager brought information about an adventurer group that seemed to have turned into monsters due to some unknown factor.

These chaotic creatures were no match for our team's strength. What truly concerned me was that adventurer group he mentioned.

People who could lead a village to survive two months in the midst of a monster onslaught weren't ordinary... let alone a whole team of them.

"Hmm?" Derisha, who was leading the way, slowed down for the first time.

Grace and Melon also came to a halt simultaneously.

As our steps ceased, the blowing sand and dust in the air became less blinding, and I could finally make out the terrain ahead... It was a desert basin.

Even though there was still some distance to go, a nauseating stench had already reached us, and this sight made me furrow my brow.

"...What is this?" Grace asked, puzzled.

Looking around, in this basin, there were tens of thousands of monster corpses scattered about in twisted and contorted postures. There were numerous [Goblins] and [Desert Valley Sandworms], and various high-tier species among them.

In the center of the basin were rows of stone pillars, seemingly some kind of ancient ruins... and these ruins were stained with dried blood, creating an eerie atmosphere under the scorching sun.

"These ruins have been here for a long time, nothing special about them... just ruins," Derisha was the first to speak, seemingly unable to understand why there were so many bodies here.

"So... is there anything special about this place?" I asked.

"...I don't see any significant magical fluctuations," Grace affirmed Derisha's answer.

Both of us turned to look at Derisha.

"Should we go around it?" I asked tentatively.

"Yeah, I think that would be wise," Derisha squinted her eyes.

With Derisha's decision, our group immediately changed direction to go around. However, as we were about to pass by, Grace suddenly shouted, "Be careful!"

Before I could react, my vision was obscured by the exploding dust, and my body was sent airborne... I was blasted away?

#It's a trap!# Shouted Grace in the party telepathy, and then her voice faded away soon after.

Then, I heard the sound of weapons clashing all around me. On the mini-map, I noticed four red dots had appeared at some point.

Rifle had apparently been thrown out during the impact moments ago, but he didn't have the opportunity to run back. On the mini-map, he and the other three were already engaged in battle with the enemy.