?831 Chapter 831: Land of Chaos
Karyk continued to walk deeper into the Land of Chaos, the mysterious and forbidden land that had claimed the lives of countless.
As he ventured further, he couldn't help but wonder why the place had gained such a terrifying reputation. So far, he hadn't encountered anything out of the ordinary.
After passing through the forest at the entrance, all he saw was a desert. As far as he could see, all he saw was black sand.
Beside him, the assassin trembled with fear, his senses on high alert. He couldn't understand how Karyk remained so calm in a place that seemed to emanate danger.
"Are you sure this is known as the Land of Death where every year the dead beasts return to life?" Karyk asked the assassin who was shivering while closely following behind, wondering if he was even at the right place.
"W-what are you talking about? Can't you sense the dangers in this place?" The assassin stammered, his voice filled with disbelief.
Karyk glanced at the assassin, his brow furrowing in confusion.
"I don't sense any danger," he replied honestly. "In fact, this place feels strangely comforting to me."
As if he was in a world of his own, the Assassin was already shivering, feeling extremely cold. His senses were repeatedly warning him of danger, as if telling him to return as soon as possible.
Seeing such an extreme reaction, Karyk was confused. For the most part, this place felt extremely normal. If there was one difference that he could feel was that he felt more comfortable in this place than he felt back in the city.
He didn't know what it was about the air here, but it made him feel extremely comfortable, as if he was back at his home and not in a foreign land.
The assassin looked at Karyk in surprise, finding this man weird. How could anyone find solace in a place that had claimed the lives of so many?
He felt suffocated as if the very air around them held a malevolent presence. Every instinct screamed at him to turn back, to escape the Land of Chaos. Meanwhile the man before him talked like he was walking in a garden.
As they continued their journey, Karyk grew more surprised with each passing hour. He had been walking for hours and covered a lot of distance, yet he still hasn't seen a single corpse, let alone a beast.
Within a few weeks, it was going to be the time when beasts attacked the border City. So how could this place be so calm, as if there was not a single life here. Not even a single stray beast was visible.
The silence was eerie, but there was no scent of decay or the lingering presence of undead creatures. It was as if the land had been untouched by death, contradicting the tales he had heard.
The further they traveled, the more Karyk became convinced that there was more to the Land of Chaos than met the eye. The more ordinary it appeared, the more he felt that something was wrong here.
There were only two possibilities he thought of. One was that the stories were nothing more than exaggerated myths, and the second was that there was a deeper truth waiting to be discovered.
As they pressed on, Karyk's senses sharpened. He began to notice subtle changes in the environment around him. The air grew heavy, and the landscape took on a surreal quality. Finally he was able to feel the scent of death, a scent that he was all too familiar with.
Meanwhile the Assassin was completely silent. He was cold to the touch, his face pale as if almost all his face was frozen.
"Looks like we're finally reaching somewhere." Karyk spoke as he turned around, only to see the assassin jump in his direction like a mad man, trying to kill him.
"Have you decided to give up your life?" Karyk asked as he raised his hand. The body of the assassin froze in place, akin to a puppet whose threads were in his control.
Until now, the Assassin hadn't shown the slightest sign of hostility. He had come to terms with their agreement, so his sudden attack felt strange. Moreover, now that Karyk observed carefully, he noticed that the assassin's eyes seemed devoid of any emotion or consciousness.
It was as if he was being controlled by someone else, a mere pawn in a larger scheme.
While Karyk observed the man, he once again moved, breaking free of the restrictions. This time, even Karyk was surprised as he hadn't expected something like this. It should've been impossible for the man to free himself, at least not this soon.
The Assassin once again swung his dagger, straight at Karyk's throat without a single care of his life. But before the blade could hit its mark, a sudden surge of energy coursed through Karyk's body, casting a shield.
He could kill the man, but he wanted to capture him alive to understand what had happened to him. It neither looked like spirit possession nor soul corruption after all.
Karyk wanted to stop the man who wasn't a threat to him. But to his surprise, the shield that even an Elzerian couldn't break easily was sliced through by an ordinary dagger.
Karyk's frown deepened as the dagger effortlessly cut through the shield. He quickly jumped back, narrowly avoiding the strike. He didn't understand how the assassin was able to do all this, or just where he gained this power from.
It was still the same person with the same soul, so it didn't make sense.
"What are you?" Karyk demanded, his voice filled with a mix of confusion and curiosity. "How can an ordinary dagger break through my protective barrier?"
The assassin's expression remained blank, devoid of any emotion or response. It was clear that he was no longer in control of his own actions. Karyk realized that there was something much more sinister at play here.
