This feeling…
Sakeer's gaze darkened as he stared into the depths of the valley.
The power of the curse within him stirred—restless, almost agitated.
"I'm finally here... finally!"
Standing at the cliff's edge, Dogan clutched a branch, his fingers digging into the rough bark. His gaze was fixed downward, staring into the bottomless abyss, his expression a mix of excitement and unease.
Sakeer frowned slightly at Dogan's words.
"This is your first time here?"
The forest dwarf shook his head, his voice tinged with fear.
"I've never been able to get close."
His grip on the branch tightened.
"Each time I try, the curse inside me surges out of control… and I lose my mind."
His voice grew quieter.
"When I regain my senses, I always find myself back at the forest's edge."
Silence hung between them.
Then—
Dogan turned sharply, his eyes filled with excitement as he looked at Sakeer.
"Lord Strong! Ever since I started following you, the curse's influence has weakened!"
His breath hitched, his expression a mixture of hope and disbelief.
Sakeer raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't expect I had that kind of ability."
Even he was surprised.
"Lord Strong, ride on me."
Dogan took a few steps back, his body tensed with anticipation.
Then—
"Roar!"
A deep, guttural growl erupted from his throat.
In an instant—
His petite frame began to swell rapidly, muscles expanding as his form shifted.
Stone-like scales replaced his skin, and within moments, he had transformed into a giant Cursed Basilisk.
"Roar!"
The massive creature shook its head, then lowered its body, tilting its head slightly toward Sakeer—a clear invitation to climb onto its back.
Sakeer studied him for a moment.
Smaller?
Something was off.
Dogan's transformed size was noticeably reduced compared to before.
Originally, his Cursed Basilisk form had been nearly ten meters long—but now, it was only about eight meters, including the tail.
Considering a Cursed Basilisk's tail made up almost half its body length, this was a significant change.
Sakeer narrowed his eyes.
Most likely… this has something to do with the time I forcefully broke his transformation before.
But instead of dwelling on it, he simply waved a hand—
"No need for that."
Sakeer crushed a summoning scroll in his hand.
Fwoosh!
A white light flashed, and an Archangel Flame appeared in the air beside him.
With ease, Sakeer leaped onto the angel's back.
"Roar!"
Seeing this, Dogan let out another low growl, then—
With all eight legs moving in sync—he charged toward the cliff.
At full speed, he reached the edge—
Then without hesitation, he began climbing down the sheer rock face.
His stone-covered claws dug into the rough mountain wall, gripping effortlessly as he descended like a gecko.
Sakeer followed from above, gliding downward on the Archangel Flame's back.
The valley depths were eerily silent.
Apart from the howling wind scraping against the rock walls, there were no other sounds.
No monsters stirring, no signs of life.
A strange stillness filled the air.
As they descended, the valley grew darker, shadows creeping in from all directions.
Soon, a thin white haze began to appear—
Sakeer frowned.
Without hesitation, he maneuvered the Archangel Flame closer to Dogan, ensuring they wouldn't be separated by the mist.
Then—
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Both figures plummeted downward, picking up speed as they neared the bottom.
Half an hour passed.
Then—
"Roar!"
Dogan, still in his Cursed Basilisk form, let out a deep roar.
With a final push, he leaped from the rock wall—
And landed with a resounding thud.
Sakeer's expression turned serious as the Archangel Flame slowed its descent, gradually lowering him to the ground.
By now, they had reached the deepest part of the valley—where the sun's rays could no longer penetrate.
Darkness loomed in every direction, an eerie silence rumbling through the desolate space.
Only the burning light of the Archangel Flame provided enough illumination for Sakeer to barely make out his surroundings.
Crunch.
A faint sound echoed sharply through the valley as his boot pressed down on something brittle.
Sakeer glanced down.
Beneath his foot lay a slender white bone, its origin unknown.
Furrowing his brow, he lifted his sleeve and retrieved a single-rimmed monocle from his item box—a purchase from E-Rantel. He fitted it over his left eye.
In an instant—
The darkness receded, revealing the world in stark clarity.
Before him stretched a narrow, deep corridor—its path lined with scattered bones of varying sizes.
Beside him, the Cursed Basilisk, still in its beastly form, let out a low grunt.
Then—
Its body trembled before rapidly shrinking, reverting to its original dwarven form.
"Lord Strong, this must be the source."
Dogan exhaled sharply, his breath laced with both pain and excitement.
Sakeer's gaze flickered to him.
Dark corrosion marks—each no larger than a thumbprint—had begun spreading across Dogan's bark-like skin, their edges pulsating ominously.
He was getting worse.
Sakeer himself could feel the curse's energy inside him begin to stir—growing more restless.
And yet—
A slow smirk tugged at his lips.
"This just keeps getting more interesting."
A mere hypothesis had led him here, and yet—he had uncovered something far beyond his expectations.
This world still held many secrets.
As for danger?
He wasn't worried.
If a truly powerful creature lurked within this valley, the forest Dwarf tribe that once lived here would have been well aware of it.
But instead—
It seemed the tribe had been wiped out by its own people due to the curse.
Sakeer and Dogan pressed forward, their footsteps echoing through the narrow path.
The only sound accompanying them was the crunch of bones breaking beneath their feet.
"..."
Something was wrong.
Sakeer's brows are knitted together.
It felt as though they were the only two beings in this valley—yet the sheer number of bones suggested otherwise.
Then—
A sudden movement.
From the left, a massive black figure lunged out from behind the rock wall, bringing with it a suffocating wave of rot and decay.
Boom!
The creature slammed into the Archangel Flame, which had been the most visible target.
A brilliant clash of light and shadow erupted as the beast collided with the angel's flaming sword.
"Roar!!"
A deafening roar tore through the valley.
The Archangel Flame's sword bit into the monster's decayed flesh, sizzling on impact—
Szzzzzt!
Like searing meat on an open fire.
But even as its flesh burned, the monster's sheer mass proved overwhelming—forcing the angel onto the ground.
Fwoosh!
A second Archangel Flame materialized in a flash of light, diving into battle.
With a powerful lunge, it crashed into the creature, knocking it away from its fallen counterpart.
And at last—
The monster's grotesque form was fully revealed beneath the twin flames.
Its skin was rotted beyond recognition, pus oozing from gaping wounds, dripping thick and viscous onto the ground.
Sakeer narrowed his eyes.
"Is that… a Cursed Basilisk?"
The creature's long tail and eight powerful legs were undeniable characteristics.
And yet—
It no longer resemble anything alive.
Instead, it had become a walking corpse, its rotting body reduced to a grotesque shell of corruption.
Then came the sound—
"Roar!"
One.
"Roar!"
Two.
"Roar!"
Then—dozens more.
From the mountain walls, more figures emerged—their bodies in varying stages of decay.
More Cursed Basilisks—all corrupted beyond recognition.
Each one had been claimed by the curse.
"They're still alive!"
Dogan's eyes widened, his breathing ragged.
"This is their nest!"
Then his voice broke.
"Kill them!"
His words turned into a frenzied scream—
"Curse! It's all you! It's all your fault!"
His body shook violently.
"The ritual… the heart… I shouldn't have eaten the heart!"
His thoughts crumbled into delirium, his entire body now consumed by an unstoppable decay.
Boom!
Before he could spiral further—
Sakeer appeared behind him, his expression cold and unreadable.
With one swift movement, he struck the back of Dogan's neck—
Thwack!
Dogan's eyes rolled back—his wild ravings cut off in an instant.
He collapsed to the ground.
Sakeer exhaled.
"His entire body has already started rotting from the curse."
Then, turning his gaze to the undead horde, he mused aloud—
"Aside from being utterly disgusting, they're not that strong."
With a flick of his wrist, an iron sword materialized in his grip.
He raised his arm.
"No problem. Let's slaughter them all."
"Dark Wave."
The words left his lips—
And a dense black energy surged from his body, spreading outward.
The valley itself seemed to amplify the darkness, causing the power to expand over dozens of meters in an instant.
And in that moment—
Every single cursed Cursed Basilisk—
Froze in place.