Sakeer quickly retrieved a bottle of regeneration potion and poured it over Leinas's cheek.
Hiss—
The writhing flesh sizzled upon contact, and Leinas let out a muffled groan of pain.
Yet, the effect was immediate—
The spreading rot on her face halted, at least for now.
"Thank you."
Leinas's voice was quiet, her face pale, drained of all color.
She gripped her spear tightly, forcing herself to stand.
She refused to show weakness.
Sakeer waved her off.
"No need for thanks. Focus on recovering."
His eyes swept over the seemingly unremarkable terrain before them.
Leinas let out a dry scoff, then spat onto the ground.
"I think we're in the right place."
Her voice carried a trace of certainty.
"Manticores aren't that strong. I've killed them before, and they've never been... like this."
Before, she had assumed her curse came from that strange monster—
But now—
That wasn't the case at all.
Sakeer had been right.
This land itself radiated the curse.
Sakeer eyed her critically.
"You're not in good shape. The potion only suppresses the curse—it doesn't remove it."
The marks on her face were just the surface—
The real problem was inside.
Her body was struggling to contain the corrupting force.
Sakeer, on the other hand—
His player abilities had allowed him to master the curse instantly.
He skipped the stage of struggling for control, unlike Leinas.
His gaze flicked toward the manticore corpses.
Apart from gaining experience points, he had absorbed something else—
A faint trace of cursed power.
It was weak, but undeniable.
There was only one explanation—
These manticores carried the curse too.
"It's just a little pain."
Leinas tilted her head back, forcing a smile onto her pale lips.
"This whole mess started because of me. How could I let an alchemist face this alone?"
But before Sakeer could respond—
Suddenly!
Both he and Leinas turned their heads at the same time—
Their eyes locked onto a spot thirty meters ahead.
A low, uneven bush stood there—
Sparse and easily visible.
At a glance, nothing seemed out of place.
However—
Something felt off.
Both of their gazes fixated on a half-human-tall piece of deadwood within the bush.
It looked as though it had been rotting for years.
Yet—
Sakeer couldn't recall if it had been there earlier.
Now, however—
He could sense it.
A faint aura of cursed energy seeped from the deadwood itself.
"Something's wrong with that deadwood!"
Leinas reacted first—
She swiftly pulled a dagger from her magic pouch and hurled it toward the deadwood.
Sou!
The blade sliced through the air, moving at blinding speed.
But—
Crash!
Just before the dagger made contact, the deadwood moved.
It twisted unnaturally, leaping out of the way.
The dagger missed.
Then—
The deadwood's form began to shift.
Its surface distorted, revealing a small creature beneath.
A being covered in gray-brown skin, its flesh textured like tree bark.
Black lines ran across its body, like unnatural tattoos.
Thick, gray-brown hair covered its entire face, except for a large, protruding nose.
However—
Even its nose was covered in sparse black scales, making its appearance unsettling.
A rotten stench clung to the air.
The aura it emitted was both corrupt and unnatural.
The creature was small.
Only 60 centimeters tall—
Barely reaching the waist of a normal human.
But Leinas's eyes widened in recognition.
"That's it!"
Her pale face twisted in anger.
Yet, after a moment, she hesitated.
"…It's a little different, but… it's definitely similar!"
Sakeer frowned, studying the creature.
He searched his memory—
Nothing.
Not in anime, not in library records in novel—
No existing information on a creature like this.
"Dead..."
A raspy murmur escaped from the creature's lips.
"Dead... all... dead..."
Its thin body trembled, as if whispering a forgotten chant.
Then—
"Exorcism..."
Its voice was chillingly hollow.
Sakeer's eyes narrowed.
"It can talk?"
Suddenly—
The creature SCREAMED.
"CAAAAAA—!"
Buzz—!
A sudden pulse of magic erupted from its tiny frame.
"Human Race Greater Charm!"
A wave of invisible energy rippled through the air.
Mental fluctuations surged—
An illusionary force washing over them.
Leinas's body stiffened.
Her eyes dulled.
She stood frozen, trapped under the creature's influence.
Sakeer gritted his teeth.
"Mind of Undeath!"
With a flick of his wrist—
His two Archangel Flamesrushed forward, their burning wings igniting the air.
But—
A second magic got activated.
"Blood Boiling!"
A faint red glow flickered around the humanoid monster.
Immediately—
Sakeer's blood surged.
His pulse quickened.
His body burned with raw energy.
A rush of excitement coursed through his veins—
An artificial surge of strength.
But this wasn't spiritual magic.
This was—
Some kind of buff magic that manipulated blood flow!
Which meant—
His "Mind of Undeath" couldn't resist it.
Sakeer's mind raced.
Would this creature bless its enemies with magic?
Unlikely.
Which meant—
It was a trap.
Sakeer immediately retreated, breaking free of the blood surge's effects—
And dashed toward Leinas, who still stood entranced.
A monster that can talk and use magic?
Is this truly a monster—
Or some kind of special subhuman race?
That thought flashed through Sakeer's mind—
And almost simultaneously—
"Rapid Bleeding!"
The humanoid monster's magic activated once again.
Sakeer's face flushed red, but thanks to his preparations, he suffered only a minor effect—
A single trickle of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
Poof!
However—
Leinas, still under the charm's influence, had no resistance at all.
Under the effect of the spell, she violently coughed up blood—
Her rotten cheek, which was already an open wound, gushed fresh blood for the first time.
Scarlet liquid soaked her entire body—drenching her in red.
Yet—
The intense pain broke the charm's hold.
As consciousness returned, Leinas doubled over, her body shaking uncontrollably.
She coughed up more blood, gasping for air.
Sou!
Sakeer dashed forward—
In the blink of an eye, he was by Leinas's side.
Grabbing her arm, he pulled her back to safety.
At the same time—
He swiftly retrieved a regeneration potion and poured it into her mouth.
"Cough… thanks."
Leinas choke slightly on the mixture of blood and blue potion, her voice weak.
A hint of self-reproach flickered in her expression.
Ever since they arrived here, she had believed she could protect Sakeer—
After all, he was a magic caster, not a close-combat fighter.
Yet—
So far, not only had she failed to help, but she had also become a burden.
Sakeer didn't say anything.
Instead, he simply moved her back to a safer distance—
Then, he turned his gaze toward the humanoid monster.
In midair, his two Archangel Flames were already attacking.
The blazing Flame Swords sliced through the air—
Yet—
The humanoid monster dodged.
Its movements were shockingly agile, evasive, and unnatural for a magic caster.
This…
This wasn't how magic users fought.
Sakeer's brows furrowed.
He turned to the weakened Leinas, his voice urgent.
"Did you manage to kill one of these before?"
Leinas didn't answer immediately.
Meanwhile—
Sakeer took advantage of the brief lull to pull up his status panel.
System Notifications
"Second-tier magic 'Blood Boiling' detected. Required Spirit Casting Level: 8~14. Current conditions not met."
"Second-tier magic 'Rapid Bleeding' detected. Required Spirit Casting Level: 8~14. Current conditions not met."
Then—
"Genius Trait Activated. Skill transformation successful. Learning conditions met. Consume 1 skill point to learn?"
Sakeer's gaze flickered.
Psychic magic…?
He glanced at the humanoid creature, still evading the Archangel Flames' strikes.
This level of agility—
It didn't belong to a mere monster.
As far as Sakeer knew—
Only Fluder Paradyne of the Baharuth Empire had mastered spiritual magic.
Yet—
This creature before him…
It had access to the same profession?
This wasn't a monster.
It was some kind of subhuman race.
But something was deeply wrong with its state.
At that moment—
A sudden buzz resounded in his ears.
The status panel updated.
"Class Skill 'Wild Transformation' detected. Required Class: Forest Priest. Current conditions met."
"Conditions fulfilled. Consume 1 skill point to learn?"
ROAR!
A deep, guttural beast's roar erupted from the creature's petite frame.
In the blink of an eye—
Its body swelled—expanding at a terrifying speed.
The once 60-centimeter-tall humanoid grew into a colossal form within just a few breaths.
In moments—
A massive lizard nearly ten meters long stood before them.
Its body was covered in emerald-green scales—
Each scale gleaming with an unnatural hardness.
And—
It had eight legs.
Rumble! Rumble!
The huge emerald lizard lifted its massive, armored limbs—
And swung them down with earth-shattering force.
The Archangel Flames, caught off guard, had no time to react.
CRASH!
With just one strike—
The two Archangel Flamesdispersed into glowing embers.
"RUN!"
Leinas shouted urgently, forcing herself to stand despite her weakness.
Her spear raised, she positioned herself protectively in front of Sakeer.
Her voice trembled slightly as she identified the creature—
"It's a Cursed Basilisk!"
This was a monster ranked Level 83 or higher—
One that required a full team of Adamantite-ranked adventurers to even stand a chance against.
Yet—
SHHAAAAA!!!
The Cursed Basilisk let out a deep, terrifying hiss.
Then—
Its eight massive legsmoved rapidly, propelling it forward at a shocking speed.
Leinas's eyes widened in despair.
For a monster of this size—
It was too fast!
The foul stench of its breath was already upon her.
Her body stiffened—
Her instincts screamed at her to close her eyes and brace for death.
BOOM!
A radiant white lightdescended from above—
Taking shape into a massive, three-meter-tall angel.
In its right hand—
A colossal, silver warhammer materialized.
Then—
With a mighty swing—
BANG!
The Cursed Basilisk's head was slammed into the ground, sending dust and debris flying.
"..."
Leinas stared in stunned silence.
The warm glow of divine energy enveloped her, soothing her wounds.
Slowly—
She turned toward Sakeer, who had stepped in front of her.
Her lips parted.
"Who… are you?"
Sakeer's expression remained calm.
His voice was steady.
"Didn't I already tell you?"
"A Bronze Adventurer."
(End of Chapter)