"...okay, time to look around."
Ashton took notice of his surroundings and as sighed. He just left the ruins again to see what the rest of the island looks like.
He's in no rush to dig down. He has time to check if there are alternatives around.
Ashton reminded himself to be careful. He wore his combat outfit and cast obscuring spells on himself to make sure that he won't get ambushed by stray demons.
Well, it's not like he knows if there are still some around here but it is better to be safe than sorry.
He went in the opposite direction of where he exited yesterday. That direction leads to the edge of this landmass so it's a waste of time to return there.
What he did find on the other side looks somehow promising...well, 'promising' is a strong word.
There's a jungle in there...a pitch-black jungle, contaminated by the infestation that demons released simply by existing. Somehow, Ashton could've sworn that he saw a massive tentacle in there somewhere but maybe he's just imagining things.
Still, that's a destination at least. Might not be a pleasant one but hey! Being outside of humanity's territory is already unpleasant, it can only get worse from that.
He kept that place in mind. For now, he surveyed another direction.
A couple of minutes later, he found another promising spot. This one leads to a river. Again, a contaminated river.
At this point, he really shouldn't be surprised. This is a demonic territory, of course, everything's contaminated by that that black goo or whatever.
Ashton could go there, but he didn't like the vibe of that place. Moreover, from he is, he could see only a shadow of the things leaping out of the river and he could swear that none of them look pleasant.
Once again, he marked this location and left. That's two possible places to explore for now. He wrote them down and even drew what they looked like just for future references.
He made his way to another side and once again, found another place to investigate.
This one looks inviting...
A vast field, flat for the most part but covered by a purple haze.
One look at that place and he could already tell that it was dangerous. It'd be a god damn miracle if that purple haze isn't poisonous at least. What's more is that, if you squint, you could see shadows lurking in there. Ashton swear he could hear something ominous within that place. He just can't put a finger on it.
"Joy..." Ashton sighed in annoyance, "I really am surrounded by danger."
He clicked his tongue and began thinking...where should he go?
At this point, he's really tempted to just dig down and be done with this place. But then again, digging down isn't any better than exploring these hell holes. If anything, what's underground may prove even more dangerous compared to what's around him.
What was he supposed to do here?
"System, can you Identify that Fog?"
A fluctuation pulsed out of his body then came to the response of the system in a way of text-box.
[Wretched Mist]
A purple mist that is released by a unique type of demon.
Highly Poisonous, Toxic, and Dense.
More dangerous to males.
Do not approach.
"A'ight, cool! Do not approach, got it." Ashton nodded vehemently. He then crossed this off of his list and moved on.
Really, there's no point in trying to doubt the System now. It hasn't failed him yet.
He then went back to the riverside and once again, scanned his surroundings using [Identify].
[Black Blood River]
This is a river of blood. Blood of a strong demon who died in this place.
Upon its death, this river was born. The demons that lurked underneath its surface are Blood Parasites that once lived inside the body of the said demon.
This river has a form of consciousness. It will attack you the moment you get close. Those who live in it won't stay idle either.
A good boat may ferry you to the other side. Without it, don't approach.
"A boat?" Ashton frowned. "I don't have something like that for now. Unlucky."
He clicked his tongue and moved on. The river sounds intriguing though. Ashton has no idea what kind of demon was so powerful to leave something like that behind, then again he didn't feel like knowing right now since he's too weak.
So, he's back in the jungle in front of him. This time, he confirmed that he wasn't seeing things. He saw those tentacles again before they vanished.
"Alright, Scan and Identify please?"
With that order, another pulse was released and Ashton received another feedback shortly after.
[Eldritch Jungle]
"OH HELL NO!!" Ashton exclaimed.
God knows how much he wanted to get rid of that message right then and there upon reading that.
'God, why!?' That is what he wanted to ask. Of all the things that could've been real in this world, why the hell does it have to be Eldritch Abominations? Why?
Ashton consumed enough media about those things to know that they're bad news! He should've known the moment he saw that tentacle cause what squid or octopus lives in the middle of a freaking jungle!?
Certainly not something that big, that's for sure.
Alas, the curse of curiosity. Somehow, he's compelled to know more since, in his defense, he's pretty far away from where that thing is and he's relatively safe. There's shouldn't be any harm in knowing more before moving-on right?
[Eldritch Jungle]
A young jungle that's unlucky to become the breeding ground of a lost Eldritch Abomination sapling.
Going in there is suicide. Though young, the Eldritch Abomination is strong enough to reduce you into a blood-crazed brute. It will suck you dry of everything you have. There wouldn't even be a trace of you left in there.
Tip: Fire is your best friend. Do the world a favor and burn this jungle to the ground. The results may give you a surprise gift.
"Oh..." Ashton was appalled.
'The System legit just asked me to get rid of this thing.' Ashton couldn't help but laugh dryly at that poor attempt of subtlety.
Nevertheless, why the hell not?
"Though that place looks like a whole can of worms that I'd rather not deal with. It seems that my fate is pointing me in this direction." He mused to himself.
"Well, I guess I have to try. I've scanned the area so let's see if my fire power's enough to deal with it."
Ashton then erected a ward that would protect him from demons. He purified a spot and then sat down to immerse himself in the Simulation Zone.
It took him a couple of tries, to be honest, but then again the system didn't lie. Fire is his best friend for getting rid of this place.
The 'Burning Rounds' isn't enough to do the job. That also includes the reckless method of spraying and praying. He needs to spaz it up a bit, do something fancy tricks here and there to get the job done.
Once he's got the pattern down, he withdrew from the Simulation Zone and dispelled the ward.
He brought out the Mortal Reminder in its sniper rifle form and aimed. He readied his spell and thought: "If this gun had a Grenade Launcher form, that'd be much easier. Oh well, this works too I guess."
Stacked Rounds (Warmth Bullets) x10 + Stacked Rounds (Purifying Bullets) x10 + Stacked Rounds (Burning Rounds) x20 + Curving Shot + Piercing Shot = Anti-Abomination Shot: White Hell Salvo.
"Fire in the hole, bitch."
Peng!
A streak of white light flew straight to the depths of the jungle, leaving a white burning trail behind its tracks.
Ashton heard a couple of loud thumps and a furious and maddening howl from the depths of the forest before a large plume of fire emerged out of nowhere.
White flames immediately consumed the jungle. It didn't even take a minute for it to completely douse the jungle in the fire.
Something big and angry was flailing deep within that place. Ashton didn't wanna know what it looks like and frankly didn't care. All he knows is that it needs to die and dying is what's experiencing right now.
Ashton retreated far enough to observe in safety. He once against cast a ward of protection and doubled down with talismans just to be sure. He watched with mild glee as the forest burned to the ground with every minute that passed on.
'Who would've thought that I was an arsonist at my core?' He mockingly mused to himself.
'Whatever that thing is, it's in pain. Good.' He added, 'Any moment now and it dies.'
The fires raged and as time passed, the flailing of the entity deep within the jungle starts to cease. The roars of pain and agony were dying. The white flames still rage on as he watched.
All of a sudden, he received a notification.
[Infant Eldritch Abomination Slain! Cleptomancy worked! You received: Elven Blood Vial x5, Wish Stone x1, Fragmented Soul Card: Divine Gunslinger (SSS) x1]
"Ooh! Jackpot!"
