"Let's proceed on foot, Luna." Liam patted the ballooned-up fox, and she landed on the ground with a nod. At this point, Liam's knowledge of the world map was pretty much exhausted.
Beyond this, no guild had managed to explore the world in his previous life, and even if they had, he did not have any information about it.
However, where he needed to go, he was not completely clueless. There was a 'higher force' helping him. With a small smirk, he flipped open the so-called treasure map, and immediately he could see a detailed route that led him to the X mark.
"If what I am thinking is correct, we shouldn't run into any danger if we follow this path." Liam decided to go for it as there was no other option at this point. This was the only way to get there that he knew of.
The duo once again resumed their journey as they continued drifting from one forest to another without any end in sight.
To make matters worse, the dotted path on the map kept on changing every other minute. The destination was still the same, but they were going toward it in a very convoluted manner.
However, Liam did not doubt this map. This quest and this map seemed to desperately want him at the destination at any cost. His only question was what was going to happen once he arrived there.
Soon, the forests started thinning down once again, and the map, as well, finally stopped changing. "Hmmm… Are we here?" Liam checked but they were still not quite there. There was some more distance left to be covered.
"Let's go Luna." The fox blurred and reappeared a few yards ahead of them when abruptly, the scenery in front of them changed. The thick blanket of the forest was no longer there. Instead, they were standing on charred rocky land.
Liam turned in shock to see that the forest was cut off a few feet behind them. It was as if someone had taken a ruler, drawn a perimeter, and burned off all the forest beyond that outline.
And right now, they were standing absolutely naked and vulnerable with no cover whatsoever to hide their presence.
In just a second, Liam could feel several strong auras probing him. There was an ominous chill that gripped him. If he stood here even a moment longer…
"Quick. Go back!"
It looked like Luna also had the same thought, as the little fox readily teleported back into the thick forests without wasting any time. The duo then simultaneously sighed in relief.
They were able to breathe only after they stepped out of those scorched lands.
"Damn it! Just what the hell is this place?" Liam jumped off of the fox's back and took out the small charm bag that was tied to him. He tossed it on the ground angrily.
Logically, he should have been assaulted by ravens the next instant. But Liam already knew that this wouldn't happen. After all, he was here.
He was finally at the destination of one of the first quests he had received in the game, though right now this only looked like a dead end.
"Now what? How am I supposed to go further? Am I going to fight with those powerful beings?" He did not know what they were yet, but just their mere presence was enough to send chills down his spine.
Taking a deep breath, Liam slapped his cheeks, calmed himself down, and once again walked ahead to take a better look. The presence of so many strong auras earlier had shaken him up, but now he was steady.
'Evolution Online' was a bizarre game. There were many things wrong with it. At the same time, there were also some unwritten rules, one of which being that a quest would never be truly impossible.
If it were truly impossible, then the system wouldn't allow it in the first place. So Liam was sure that he was missing something.
Also, when the risk was higher, the reward was also that much more unimaginable. So he was not ready to turn around just yet.
He activated [Stealth] and slowly inched forward this time, leaving behind Luna under the cover of the forest. Even then, he did not dare to go beyond the boundary. He simply stood on the edge and first observed the surroundings.
Thankfully, the strong auras did not seem to mind him this time around. "So as long as I don't step on the scorched land, I am fine?"
Liam furrowed his brows and looked into the distance to see if he could notice anything. Unfortunately, nothing was visible. There was only a vast expanse of scorched flat land as far as his eyes could see.
"What the hell…"
Something was off. When Luna had teleported earlier, he managed to glance briefly at the scene in front of them, and at that time, there seemed to be some sort of fort in the distance. But now he couldn't see anything? Was this an illusion? A mirage?
So as long as he was inside the forest, he was safe, only that he wouldn't be able to observe anything and if he stepped on the scorched land, he would become an instant target, but he can start to figure out where he was and what this place was?
Both the options sucked terribly!
"Well… I guess this is not too much of an issue. I do have some expendables after all…" Liam sighed and summoned one of his soul minions, Gorak.
This guy had been pretty much useless since he was created so this was the perfect opportunity to use him.
And as if he could sense Liam's intentions, Gorak started shivering. "Master…"
"Go. Go on, my live bait. Let me see just what is this place." Liam shrugged without any remorse.
Hearing his order, the soul minion could only obey him and Gorak started walking forward slowly. He stepped out of the forest cover and onto the scorched land.
"Master…"
"Keep going!" Liam ordered, paying complete attention to the surroundings. Gorak took another step when the flat scorched land was no longer empty and deserted.
Bingo! He was correct. There was indeed a fort-like structure at the distance. Liam quickly pulled up the map and the spot marked on the treasure map was the same location as that fort.
So whatever the quest needed him to do or rather that three-headed raven wanted him to do lay ahead in the fort in front of him.
"Ok. Keep moving. Go closer to that fort." Liam once again ordered.
Gorak nodded and took another step when suddenly the air in the area completely changed.
"Something is coming!" Liam gasped and the next instant a huge shadow appeared above Gorak. A huge bird or rather a reptile flapped its wings.
[Level 80, Steel-Skinned Wyvern]
Liam only barely had the chance to make out the full outline of the creature when the wyvern dove down to decimate the solo soul minion.
Ahhhhh! Gorak screamed. Luckily for him, Liam dismissed him at the last moment.
The wyvern immediately roared in annoyance. Its sharp split-like eyes turned to the forest and locked onto Liam, even though he was well behind the tree cover. For a second, a wave of pressure enveloped him, but then it disappeared.
He could see the wyvern flying away in the sky without doing anything else.
What incredible perceptivity! What an amazing power! This was a real dragon!
Liam felt his knees shaking. This was not the first time he had seen a dragon in person. This unexpected meeting here triggered memories for him that could make anyone go numb with fear.
But no. He was not that same weak person! This time it will be different and it will start from here. His pulse quickened as he stared at the sky, watching the creature disappear into the dense clouds.
Liam took a few more deep breaths as he calmed down. First things first. What the hell was a wyvern doing here? Didn't he come here on a quest from a raven?
It then struck him! Where was the beginner's dungeon located? It was located near Nieria, another draconian creature.
Though Nieria and this wyvern couldn't be compared at all, as one was an injured, lesser drake while the other was a full-fledged wyvern, a draconian creature was still a draconian creature.
So perhaps there was some connection between them?
Be that as it may, what did the raven want from him? He opened the 'treasure' map again as it was his only clue, but nothing else was visible on that old parchment.
Liam scratched his head. He couldn't understand heads or tails of this forced quest. A beginner's dungeon wanting him to go up against wyverns? This was ridiculous!
Unless… The raven saw his potential? Did the SSS nether affinity bring him this headache? He had so many questions and no answers.
However, these were not important at the moment. The danger in front of him was now clear. The question was whether to go forward or retreat.
Liam remained silent for a minute. He then grinned lightly. Of course, he was going to go ahead! Fuck the 'treasure' map and the raven! He couldn't care less about that. Instead, what he cared about was the wyvern itself.
How often does one encounter a powerful draconian creature, let alone one at Level 80? This was his chance. It was time to get his first draconian soul undead! He absolutely couldn't afford to miss this!
