Germain didn't disturb the Bloodthirsty Claw Beast lost in its hallucinogenic dreams, nor did he step into the deep and unknown cave of the Human-Keeping Beast, Pap. Instead, he left without hesitation.
The "addicts" were still sprawled on the ground, fast asleep, completely unaware of what had just happened.
Germain had already made up his mind hours ago—his top priority was to reunite with Shizuku and the others, not to satisfy his curiosity.
The matter of the Human-Keeping Beast, Pap, could wait.
Germain never saw Shizuku and the others as expendable.
They were real, living people—just like him—who shared the same determination and dared to challenge the Dark Continent.
Germain would never explore the Human-Keeping Beast's nest beneath these Steep Mountain Range while his companions' situation remained unclear.
As he traveled across mountains and valleys, the sun gradually dipped westward, its orange-red glow burning through the rugged peaks with the last light of dusk.
Whenever hunger gnawed at his stomach or thirst parched his throat, Germain would retrieve his specially crafted Greed Island card box, releasing a small portion of food and water to consume while walking.
Without the presence of a Gourmet Hunter like Menchi, Germain refused to eat anything that looked remotely edible in these dangerous mountains.
Even though his Greed Island card box contained Sanbica's universal healing herbal injections and antidotes, he didn't want to waste them here.
The Contempt Armor remained tightly locked onto his skin, not to mention the searing pain from the Dark Crown.
Maintaining a disengaged state for over an hour in this environment was nearly impossible for someone traveling alone.
Finally, exhausted in both body and mind, he stopped. In a sunken area of the terrain, he gathered nearby wood and built a campfire.
He planned to rest here for half an hour before continuing his journey through the endless darkness of the night.
With the overpowered fire launcher put to an almost trivial use, the flames roared to life, sending waves of warmth back into Germain's weary body.
Wisps of smoke rose into the night sky, unnoticed.
A pale-white moon climbed higher above the shadow-covered mountains, nearly a perfect circle.
But as the night deepened, the howling winds carried eerie, unidentifiable screams.
Compared to the relative silence of the day, this place at night was like a paradise for lunatics.
Germain recalled the group of Bloodthirsty Claw Beasts he had seen sprawled on the ground earlier, lost in a dreamlike trance. He couldn't help but wonder—had they gotten high during the day, only to wake up at night full of energy?
He sat on a smooth, bluish stone, eating his dinner—a meat-and-egg sandwich with a layer of sweet-and-sour jam.
But almost without warning, something squirmed where he had just taken a bite.
Several nearly transparent worms crawled out of the sandwich, wriggling across the surface.
Germain was certain the sandwich had been perfectly fine a moment ago.
Which meant… these worms had grown inside it in mere seconds.
He didn't understand how it worked. He didn't know if the worms were dangerous. And now wasn't the time to find out.
Without hesitation, he threw the entire sandwich—worms and all—into the campfire.
Fwoosh—a cloud of smoke and ash rose as the worms writhed in the flames.
Burn. Burn everything to ash.
The Steep Mountain Range carried a suffocating atmosphere, even more so at night.
The endless sea of trees and towering mountains stretched beyond sight, like a massive pitcher plant trapping the tiny insects caught within.
Perhaps that was why both the creatures living here and most of the thousand-member expedition team from Begerossé Union, one of V5's nations, had chosen to surrender themselves to the life-draining embrace of the Human-Keeping Beast, Pap.
To them, dying in pleasure was better than suffering torment and perishing in despair.
At least beneath Pap's tongue, their final moments would be filled with dreams.
Pap had failed to drain Germain's life, but driven by instinct, it tried to overwhelm him with pleasure before he could strike the fatal blow.
Germain distinctly remembered the electric numbness that coursed through him, followed by an uncontrollable wave of euphoria.
Was it capable of directly stimulating the brain to produce certain chemicals?
If he hadn't acted decisively, he might have seen illusions—ones he longed to see.
Half an hour later, Germain stood up, extinguished the campfire, and stepped into the moonlit darkness of the forest.
He only felt slightly better, but he had to keep moving. After all, the others were likely in no better condition than he was.
The monsters that had been lying in wait for so long, hidden beneath the veil of hallucinations and nightfall, were now consumed by their swelling hunger and murderous intent.
They surged forward like massive shadows slipping between the twisted tree trunks, like a dark vortex spiraling toward Germain at the eye of the storm.
Fine. Let them come.
As Germain drew his Sacred Moonlight Sword, it resonated with the full moon above, unleashing a surge of power far beyond his expectations!
—HUMMMM—
The sweeping radiance of Sacred Moonlight erupted outward. Enveloped in its glow, Germain felt an exhilarating clarity, as if freed from the torment of the Contempt Armor and Dark Crown.
But for the monsters drowning in pleasure's corruption, the moonlight burned like the scorching sun against vampires.
With shrill, agonized screams, they scattered in all directions, fleeing into the abyss of the night.
As long as they slowed down even a little, they would be reduced to ashes under the power of the full moon.
Germain didn't mind finishing them off, cutting down every obstacle in his path.
Since arriving in the Steep Mountain Range, he had never felt as good as he did now. The presence of the full moon turned the night into his domain.
Carrying his Sacred Moonlight Sword, Germain pressed forward. Even outside of battle, the Dark Crown and the Contempt Armor could no longer torment him.
The monsters of the night fled far away, and even the nocturnal predators didn't dare approach.
Around Germain, an eerie "vacuum zone" appeared, completely devoid of life.
That was until a few small white figures emerged from the winding path ahead.
They didn't run away. Instead, they stopped and moved forward intermittently, slowly approaching him.
Their stiff, mechanical movements made Germain suspicious. Extending his "En" to probe them, he quickly confirmed his thoughts.
So, he stood still and let them come closer, watching as the moonlight illuminated their tiny, pale forms.
They were rabbits—pure white rabbits. But their bodies weren't made of flesh and fur. Instead, they were formed from swirling mist.
A full moon and rabbits… It had to be a sign of reunion. It seemed like, at last, there was good news tonight.
Germain looked down at the smoke-like rabbits. Just like real ones, they sniffed at his shoes and crouched around him, unmoving for a while.
Then, all at once, they hopped in a single direction. After a few steps, they stopped as if checking to see if he was following.
Of course, Germain followed.
As he walked, more of the misty rabbits appeared, gathering around him.
Surrounded by them, he stepped over broken stones, crossed a babbling stream, and finally stood before a mirror-smooth cliff.
Then, slowly, the illusion of water and mist peeled away, revealing a hidden, uneven recess beneath the polished rock face.
Ahead in the cave, the one who had executed this "master-level" In was none other than Morel, the man using the "Deep Purple" and the "Water-Element Enchanted Grand Pipe."
"So it really is you." Morel placed his still-glowing "Water-Element Enchanted Brand" pipe on the ground. "My 'Scouting Smoke Rabbit' never makes mistakes in places like this."
Before German, who carried the Sacred Moonlight Sword, could respond, a shadowy figure darted out from outside the cave.
Under the full moon's glow and the sword's sacred radiance, her face was revealed.
It was Shizuku.
For ordinary lovers, a reunion would usually involve a warm and passionate embrace. But Shizuku clearly had her own interpretation of what an embrace should be.
She leaped straight onto German, wrapping her arms around his neck and locking her legs around his waist. Their faces were now just inches apart.
Then, she kissed him.
But she completely forgot that she was still wearing her black-rimmed glasses—resulting in both of them getting painfully smacked in the face.
********
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