Chapter 156 - Chapter 29: War Destruction #7 (1/2)
Chapter 156 – Chapter 29: War Destruction #7
The large forest was wider than In-gong had imagined. As they ventured deeper, In-gong’s anxiety grew.
‘This is the right direction.’
The information he’d gathered from Knight Saga gave an estimated location of the ruins, but he hadn’t experienced it directly. The forest was so wide that even if the rough direction was right, any slight error would make them arrive at a remote location.
‘I hope that the ruin stays the same size.’
As with everything else in the forest, if the ruins were too big, he might have trouble finding it on the mini-map. Therefore, In-gong focused on the mini-map while riding on White Eagle.
Two hours later…
“This is the first time I’ve passed by this area.”
Galang said in a voice which was filled with admiration and respect. The other Gullam hunters were also very excited.
Galang and his group were excited about being about to go into this area.
There was a colony of red ants in the area. Just like everything else in the forest, the ants were enormous and almost the size of a human body. There were thousands of ants, and the ground itself seemed to be red.
Even Felicia, who had seen many things, had to cover her eyes at the terrible sight, but that wasn’t the only problem.
Galang called the red ants, the Flaming Ants. It wasn’t due to their red colour but because of their nature. The Flaming Ants covered anything in their territory, without caring about living or dying. Thousands of red ants covered the bodies of their victims and ate them instantly, giving them a resemblance to the flame ants.
However, the party simply passed through the area of the fire ants. Half of it was thanks to Felicia’s barrier of fire and the other half was thanks to In-gong’s new power.
“Won’t people get out of your way every day?”
Carack said brief words of appreciation, and In-gong responded with a bitter smile. He didn’t want to deny it, but the newly awakened power was something he hadn’t thought about.
Dragon Fear—
It was a dragon’s innate power, just like the Dragon Breath.
As its name suggested, Dragon Fear was the ability to instill fear into the beings around him.
As soon as he realized it was innate just like Dragon Breath, he could use it immediately.
It was only level one, so the impact range was small, but the effect was obvious. In-gong used Dragon Fear, and the colony of ants opened up a path for them. Through this open path, Felicia expanded her fire barrier, creating a truly safe passage.
“Drakon Kechatulla.”
“Drakon Kechatulla!”
While the Gullam hunters honoured him, In-gong looked at the mini-map. The reason he had descended from the sky down to the ground hadn’t been just to break through the colony of ants. The location of the ruins was shown on the mini-maps, so it was no longer necessary for him to stay in the sky.
Fortunately, their direction was still correct. They just needed to travel a little further to arrive at the ruins.
“It will be breathtaking.”
Night was approaching. Perhaps by the time they arrived at the ruin, the sun would just be setting.
Of course, camping in the forest was a risk. There was a reason why the Gullam lived in the outskirts of the forest, away from their hunting grounds. At night, the prey would become the hunters. There were also many nocturnal animals which didn’t show up during the day. If they camped in the wrong place, they might never wake up again.
Could they find a camping spot near the ruins? If they couldn’t find the right place, they would have to camp inside the actual ruins.
In fact, it was common during exploration to set up camp sites within the ruins. There were walls and ceilings, so it was easier to secure their safety inside, than a place where every side was open.
The question was whether the ruins were dangerous. They wouldn’t know if there was anything inside until they searched it from beginning to end. An unexpected spell might be activated while they were sleeping, or they could be attacked by a dungeon monster or protector of the ruins.
In that case, the walls and ceilings would become obstacles to isolate the party.
“I think that I am worrying too much.”
There was the possibility of danger, but risks always existed when going into ruins.
Felicia looked away from the Flaming Ants and expressed her opinion,
“If there is a multi-floor structure, even if a magic trap is activated, it is unlikely to affect the whole ruins, and we will be ready for magic from the beginning. There were always traces of the magic circuit left behind. And if we camp near the entrance, it won’t be so difficult to escape.”
Felicia was the one with the most experience in ruins exploration. Carack nodded and asked,
“Don’t you just dislike camping in the forest?”
“Ah, no? Do I have to justify this to you? Would you prefer mud instead of walls, ceilings and hard floors?”
Felicia wasn’t embarrassed and said it openly.
While everyone was laughing, In-gong focused his gaze on a place far away. It was a big empty space beyond the bushes.
“Ohh…”
Galang and the other Gullam hunters gave cries of admiration. They had lived in the forest all their lives, but they had never imagined there would be such a vacant place.
Felicia looked around from Galang’s shoulder. The vacant lot was hundreds of meters in diameter and was much lower than the surrounding areas, like a type of basin. In the middle of the empty space, In-gong saw a stone structure. The entrance of the ruins was just high enough for the Gullam to pass through.
“Are these underground ruins? Maybe this isn’t a dragon lair.”
Felicia muttered in a small voice. The dragon lair was the nest of a dragon, so a big entrance leading to the outside was needed. Of course, Kaltein’s lair in Sun Lake didn’t have such an entrance, but that was a rare case.
In-gong rose on White Eagle to a point where he was eye level with Galang.
“Let’s explore the area around the entrance. Arranging a camping place is imperative.”
As expected, the sun was setting. They had to search for a campsite before it became dark.
“I understand.”
Galang answered sincerely before rushing toward the ruins.