Book Eater

Chapter 340: Unknown Land (1)

Flash!

There was a flash of light, and the shadows of a few people appeared in the southernmost part of the Central Continent, the border of the Soldun Kingdom. The traces of Mass Teleport soon disappeared as they got their bearings. Theo and his companions had jumped nearly half the continent in one jump, from the capital of Meltor to the southern border of the Soldun Kingdom. They couldn’t freely go back and forth like a space door, but Theo could handle a single space transfer with the auxiliary facilities of the magic towers.

He could even teleport to the East Continent beyond the sea if he wanted to.

I’ll have to work a bit harder on the way back, but... isn’t this much faster?

Magic was truly convenient. A distance that would take a few months by foot or a month by carriage had been crossed in just a few minutes. In the Age of Mythology, space gates had connected the whole continent. However, magicians who could use space movement like floating clouds in this era were rare.

Theo looked around. “... How are the others doing?”

Magicians still hadn’t resolved the difficulties of space magic. The further the distance traveled with space movement, the stronger the symptoms of nausea and dizziness would be.

“Uup, uuuup!”

“How terrible. You gave us a warning, but… Ugh.”

Randolph was still half nauseous as he shook his head, while Titania took deep breaths with a pale face. In particular, she had a high mana resistance as a high elf, so she was hit particularly hard.

Theo saw her failing to get up and spoke, “Don’t overdo it and just sit. Space nausea isn’t something that can be recovered with magic or potions.”

He was correct. Orta had once even explored the idea of applying it as part of his attack style. Unlike normal nausea which was caused by equilibrium confusion, spatial nausea was caused by the body’s sense of dimension. It was caused by momentarily entering another dimension.

Although Theo, the caster, had tried to ease the effects, space nausea could distort even a master’s senses. Still, both masters recovered quickly after emptying their stomach. Theo looked at their steady gait and nodded, knowing that they had returned to their original conditions.

“Let’s check our equipment one more time and move south. There won’t be much time to rest after entering the swamp.”

Randolph and Titania checked the goods they had received at the magic tower. There were several magic scrolls to deal with special situations, as well as detox potions for the poisonous swamp zones.

Randolph couldn’t help letting out a long whistle as he saw the artifacts worth thousands of gold. “Can’t I buy a mansion or city if I sell all the artifacts on my body?”

Theo laughed. “What if you combine two people? You can buy at least three territories on the outskirts.”

“Yes, really.”

It was meant as a joke, but it was half true. Randolph felt burdened by the value of all the artifacts he carried on his body. He might’ve become a noble, but at the core, he was still a mercenary who knew the weight of gold.

Randolph changed the subject. “By the way, I didn’t think it would just be the three of us. I thought you would bring that older sister or the little girl.”

“... Then Meltor’s defense would be halved.”

The Yellow Tower Master, Paragranum, didn’t reveal her strength or identity. Therefore, Meltor’s defenses depended entirely on the other tower masters. It would be foolish to attack Meltor, who had a non-aggression treaty with the Andras Kingdom and was an ally of Elvenheim, but a magician always prepared for the worst.

However, this wasn’t Randolph’s point. “Hrmm, I thought that sister was going to follow you anyway.”

Theo looked askance at him. “What?”

Randolph shook his head and turned away. “No, it’s nothing. It would be awkward for anyone to interfere. You will realize it when the time comes.”

“...?” Theo stared at Randolph.

Meanwhile, Titania was listening to their conversation with a strange expression.

Theo realized they were wasting time. “Let’s enter the swamp. There are no monsters around here, so it should take less than an hour.”

Randolph nodded. “Okay, let’s go.”

Titania murmured, “I hope the stench of the swamp isn’t too bad.”

All three kicked off from the ground almost simultaneously. The three shadows moved toward the unknown swamp that no one had stepped in for a thousand years.

***

The party soon arrived. As Theo had expected, they arrived at the swamp’s entrance in thirty minutes. This was their first encounter with the notorious swamp.

Indeed, this place looks troublesome.

In general, green was the color of life. However, they couldn’t feel the slightest hint of vitality from the green swamp. If Theo had to describe it, he would call it rotten. Rot and decay had transformed it into a poisonous land. Normal creatures could never survive. Every blade of grass and falling leaf was poisonous. The only living creatures inside would be monsters.

“... A-A terrible place like this actually exists!”

Titania shuddered at the sight, despite being a high elf who should be friendly to nature. The blooming buds, leaves, and branches were filled with poison. This was a world where bees and butterflies couldn’t survive. How could this swamp have existed for thousands of years?

Theo had his own doubts and called out, “Mitra, can you come out for a second?”

The girl sprang out from the ground as usual.

[Hoing! Today is Mitra!]

“Yes, yes, good job.”

Mitra landed in a Y-shaped pose and looked up at him with a happy smile. He didn’t know what it meant, but she was always like this. Theo stroked Mitra’s head and pointed in the direction of the swamp. If they could open the way with her power, the swamp exploration would be much simpler than he thought.

“Mitra, can you control the plants in the swamp?”

[Eung? I’ll try,]

Mitra walked to the entrance of the swamp and called out.

[Hooing? Hoing. Ohunghung. Hoit? Hoooooi?]

She spoke in unknown words and sign language before looking confused. It was an unusual expression on her innocent face.

[Theo! Them guys are kinda weird!]

“How?”

[It doesn’t make sense! I can’t understand what they are saying. It is like we’re speaking different languages!]

Theo nodded. The material world and other dimensional world overlapped in the southern swamp, so there were several places where ominous energy remained. If mana overflowed from the different dimensions, then the vegetation was already not part of this material world. It was understandable that Mitra’s power didn’t work. After all, she couldn’t intervene in the nature of another dimension.

“Thank you. Then I’ll see you later.”

[Hoing!]

Mitra returned to the ground as Theo spoke to the party, “It can’t be helped. Let’s go inside.”

It was impossible to investigate from outside, so the only way was to enter. If three masters couldn’t make it through this smelly and foggy space, it would be impossible for anyone else in this era. Titania’s response was a little late, but the party unanimously stepped into the swamp.

Squish… Squish…?

It was sticky. However, Theo hardened the surface with ice magic. Though, he would rather burn it with fire. If he were Veronica, he would’ve done it without hesitation. Theo laughed as he imagined her reaction and looked around. The swamp was uncomfortable and sticky. It was a place that didn’t have anything pleasant at all.

Will monsters be present at the entrance of the swamp? Or...

The monsters living on the outskirts of the swamp might’ve been killed by Soldun. Theo couldn’t be sure as he continued walking cautiously through the mysterious swamp. One step, two steps, ten steps, one hundred steps… After walking quite deeply into the swamp, Theo suddenly stopped. So far, he hadn’t seen any monsters.

“Too strange,” Theo said. The two people following him naturally stopped and listened as he continued to mutter, “There is no crying, no trace of monsters, no sense of resistance. Surely not all the monsters in this swamp have gone to Soldun?”

Randolph spoke, “... Theo.”

Theo replied absentmindedly, “Hmm?”

“I want to correct one thing.”

Theo looked back at Randolph and realized Randolph and Titania were soaked in sweat.

“Do you feel it? I’m enduring it somehow, but if I relax even a little, I’ll leave,” Randolph said.

Theo asked, “What are you feeling?”

Randolph bared his teeth. “It is a feeling that I shouldn’t approach... It is hard to describe in words. In any case, my feet won’t go forward. It’s similar for this girl.”

Titania confirmed it, visibly tired. “The elementals are about to leave me. It doesn’t have much effect on Geros, but the other elementals are afraid.”

“... I see.”

Theo guessed the reason immediately. If this reluctance was due to Dragon Fear, then Theo might be immune to that effect due to Aquilo’s blood inside him. Therefore, he didn’t feel the resistance.

I have to pay careful attention to their condition.

It wasn’t an attack, but Dragon Fear would drain their mental strength until it became a significant variable on the battlefield. If Theo made a reckless decision with Randolph and Titania beside him, both of them could be hurt or killed. However, they had a bigger problem than their condition.

Theo warned, “From now on, pay attention.”

Randolph grunted “Hmm?”

Titania was more direct. “What does that mean?”

Theo stared at the misty swamp. “Maybe in the future, only monsters who can survive this rejection will remain.”

The monsters who could resist Dragon Fear were real monsters in this swamp. There was no need for Theo to explain any more as they heard stomping in the distance.

Kung! Kung!?

The earth shook as the footsteps came closer. If it was a monster that weighed this much, there wouldn’t be more than ten types in Theo’s mental encyclopedia. Unsurprisingly, the monster appeared before them in a matter of moments.

“Cyclops! They shouldn’t be living in swamps!” The astonished Titania shouted.

Meanwhile, Theo noticed something strange. Most cyclops didn’t have bright skin and a blazing red eye. Moreover, the red eye didn’t come from strong emotions.

Theo sensed something and paused. “... Magic eye?”

The moment he stopped moving…

Wiiiiiiing!?

The cyclops’ eye burned like lava as a ray of light shot out from it.