Dogan—who had been unconscious just moments ago—
Had just bolted upright, his entire body trembling with excitement.
Dogan woke with a start, his breathing uneven.
For a moment, his green eyes were dazed, reflecting the warm glow of the fire.
Then—
His mind snapped into focus.
He abruptly lifted his head, eyes locking onto Sakeer, who sat not far away, watching him with a faint smile.
"H-Human…"
Dogan's voice stuttered, his throat dry.
The throbbing pain at the back of his neck served as a brutal reminder—
Everything was real.
Instinctively, Dogan curled his legs inward, his expression tense and wary.
The man before him was no ordinary human.
During their earlier battle, Dogan had been barely conscious. He had fought on pure instinct, driven by rage and desperation, intent only on killing this enemy.
But now—
With his mind clear, the truth hit him like a crashing wave.
This human… was beyond reason.
Not only could he summon angels, celestial beings that only existed in human myths—
But he also possessed frightening combat abilities.
And even more unbelievable—
He had used shrinkage, an ability exclusive to Dogan's people.
But the most terrifying part?
This man carried the power of a curse.
Yet, somehow, it had no effect on him.
"Looks like you're awake."
Sakeer's voice was steady, his gaze unreadable.
He noted that the crazed bloodlust in Dogan's eyes had faded.
His emotions, which had been wild and unstable before, now seemed more controlled.
"No need to be so tense."
Sakeer leaned forward slightly, his tone casual.
"I don't mean you any harm."
Then, without waiting for a response—
"Here, eat first. We can talk after."
Sakeer picked up a large chunk of golden, glistening roast boar from the campfire and extended it toward Dogan.
During the time Dogan had been unconscious, Sakeer had not been idle.
[Experience Slot: 9632/10000]
His experience points had surged past 9000.
If it weren't for the time limit on the summoned Archangel Flames, he might have already maxed out his experience today.
The forest was vast, though nowhere near the size of the Great Forest of Tob.
Even so, with only ten archangels, there was only so much ground they could clear in a limited time.
Sakeer still had 15 Archangel Flame summoning scrolls left.
But summoning more now would be wasteful—he needed to conserve them in case of an emergency.
Aside from experience gains, something else had changed.
The curse power within Sakeer's body had grown slightly stronger.
However—
Its overall concentration was still low.
At first, he had wondered if the distance between him and the angels prevented him from absorbing the cursed energy that monsters released upon death.
So, to test this—
He personally entered the forest, hunting a few creatures himself.
And he found that—
The amount of curse power absorbed was still minimal.
One thing was certain now:
The curse energy within different monsters varied greatly.
And—
The stronger the creature, the more cursed energy it held.
"I can't eat that!"
Dogan's expression changed instantly at the sight of the roasted boar.
His body tensed, and he instinctively backed away.
Sakeer frowned slightly.
"Why not?"
Dogan's eyes flickered with fear.
"This forest is cursed!
Everything that lives here—every beast, every creature—is poisoned!"
Then, as if realizing something, his eyes widened.
He turned to Sakeer with an expression of shock and disbelief.
"Wait… but you… you carry the curse!
That's why it doesn't affect you!"
And then—
"Where's Pasha?! Is he safe?!"
His voice rose anxiously, but this time, he managed to keep himself from losing control completely.
Sakeer's gaze flickered.
Poisoned?
He glanced at the boar meat in his hand.
He had already eaten quite a bit before Dogan woke up.
Yet—
He felt perfectly fine.
"Ahem."
Sakeer coughed dryly, then calmly placed the meat back over the fire.
The so-called 'poison' was likely the curse energy found in the forest's beasts and creatures.
Since he himself carried the curse, he was naturally unaffected.
"The Pasha you're talking about—if he's the forest dwarf who left a few years ago—he's alive and well in our human empire."
Sakeer's tone was casual as he glanced at Dogan.
"After all, your kind is rare. In fact, one of the most famous figures in the empire right now isn't even human."
He chuckled, his voice carrying a hint of amusement.
"A troll known as the 'Martial Lord' has become quite popular."
His words were a half-truth, spoken with a knowing smile.
Dogan remained silent for a moment, then let out a heavy sigh of relief.
Lifting his arm, he wiped at his eyes, his voice hoarse as he murmured—
"As long as he's alive… that's all that matters."
Sakeer watched as Dogan's shoulders relaxed slightly.
Seeing that his emotions had stabilized again, he pressed forward—
"Can you tell me what exactly happened?"
His voice was calm but firm.
"A friend of mine is suffering from the same curse as you. If I can understand its origins, I might be able to find a way to break it."
Dogan lifted his head slowly, his fur-covered face frozen in momentary surprise.
"Even you—someone who possesses this power—don't have a way to control it?"
His dilated green pupils searched Sakeer's face.
Sakeer shook his head.
"I'm afraid not. I still don't fully understand this power myself."
A brief silence hung between them.
Then, he added—
"Would you like me to take you back to your tribe first?"
Sakeer wasn't sure if Dogan's mental state was entirely stable. If there were other forest Dwarves left, perhaps they could provide more answers.
But—
Dogan stiffened.
His shoulders trembled slightly as he muttered in a voice filled with grief and regret—
"Tribe…?"
"…It's gone."
His voice cracked.
"…They're all dead."
His body shook harder, his breath uneven.
"I am a sinner."
Before Sakeer could speak—
Dogan suddenly jerked his head up, his green eyes burning with urgency as he stared straight at him.
"It's the Abyss!"
His voice came out sharp, almost desperate.
"Something is wrong in the Abyss!"
Then—
Without hesitation, Dogan dropped to his knees, bowing his head before Sakeer.
"Please—take me there!
Only someone with the power of the curse can approach that place!"
Sakeer was momentarily stunned by the sudden plea.
Then—
He nodded.
"Alright."
By the time dawn broke over the horizon, Sakeer and Dogan were already on the move.
They navigated through the dense jungle, heading straight toward the heart of the forest's depths—
Toward the Abyss.
Unlike the legendary Abyss, this one was a bottomless canyon hidden deep within the mountainous wilderness.
To the forest dwarf tribe, this place had always been known simply as—
"The Abyss."
Even now, Dogan had yet to fully explain what had happened.
However, from the scattered information Sakeer had managed to piece together—
This mystery stretched back even further than the time when Leinas first obtained the power of the curse.
It had started long ago.
Strange creatures had begun crawling out of the Abyss—monsters with blackened, corroded bodies and poison coursing through their veins.
At first, their numbers were small.
Whenever one emerged, the tribe would kill it immediately and burn the corpse to prevent contamination.
For a while, this system had worked.
Until—
A few years ago, something changed.
A catastrophe had struck the Dwarf Tribe.
And according to Dogan, it involved the tribe's ancient magic rituals—rituals passed down for generations.
The forest canopy rustled softly as the two of them moved swiftly through the jungle.
Leaves whispered against each other as branches swayed in the wind.
Sakeer moved with ease, aided by his Forest-Crossing artifact.
Dogan, being a forest dwarf, was naturally adept at navigating the terrain.
Their journey was oddly uneventful.
Not a single monster attacked them along the way.
Still—
Even without obstacles, it took them more than half a day to reach the forest's deepest edge.
And when they arrived—
Sakeer finally saw it.
Before them—
The dense jungle abruptly ended.
It was as if an immense blade had cleaved the land apart, severing the forest cleanly in half.
Just one more step forward—
And there was nothing beneath their feet.
A gaping void stretched downward, an endless chasm of darkness.
The forest had simply… disappeared.