Chapter 368 The Scent Of The Dead
The Goblin Lord let out a condescending snort as he leaped forward to stab Bruno since he wanted to take out the leader first.
However, Bruno didn't dare to underestimate this Goblin Lord since this one seemed quite strong, especially after seeing how he caused the ground to crack with just his spear.
But at the same time, he and his group weren't highly respected by the other adventurers for nothing.
They truly completed every mission they had set out for as a group, and surely this time, they had no plans to break that streak.
Brono simply glanced at Verona, who immediately understood what Brono wanted.
She clicked her tongue in frustration as she took out a silver crystal ball and attached it to her staff while the twins and Bruno began to face off with the Goblin Lord, who was swinging his spear around to keep the twins away while trying to kill Brono.
However, even if the Goblin Lord was intelligent, he lacked the coordination and experience Brono, and his group had.
Because of that, he was unable to land even one strike properly since the arrows from the twins were distracting him, while Brono would use his martial skills to deflect the distracted attacks of the Goblin Lord.
"Stop running around, human!" The Goblin Lord was feeling even more frustrated seeing these three making him dance around like a fool.
The Goblin Lord indeed possessed higher brute strength than these three, but what was the use of that strength if he was unable to land even one strike?
He was already having a bad feeling staying here and fighting this experienced group of adventurers who were not like most amateur adventurer groups he attacked. Even his instincts were telling him to flee, but if he went back empty-handed, he might end up in a worse state.
Even if he had to escape, he needs some convincing excuse to show as proof.
Viktor saw that Bruno and the twins were simply buying time for Verona, who seemed to be preparing a powerful spell.
All of this was happening in just a few seconds, and the next moment Verona smirked as she shouted, "Eat this, you ugly toad!"
Following her shout, a powerful fiery beam shot out of the silver crystal ball, heading right towards the Goblin Lord.
The Goblin Lord suddenly felt a chill on his scalp as he quickly jumped back, but alas, the fiery beam didn't miss but instead changed direction mid-way to strike him.
"Tsk!" The Goblin Lord's eyes widened, but he still had no plans of dying and somehow twisted his body in mid-air.
But even after such efforts, the beam sliced through his arm, cutting it off like paper.
"Aaargh!!" The Goblin Lord howled in pain, feeling shocked at losing his entire arm to a bunch of humans.
"Kill it before it runs away!" Brono shouted as he charged forward to take advantage of the goblin's injured state.
But Verona had an exhausted look as she said languidly, "I am spent. You guys kill it."
However, before Bruno and the twins could do anything, the Goblin Lord somehow pulled himself up and jumped into the bushes before running for his life.
"That fucker is running! Let's get him, brother!" Pubo shouted wildly as he ran forward with his bow, but Brono suddenly stopped him and said, "Leave it! It's too late, and that thing has the stamina of a bull. We can't catch up to it, and we need to conserve our strength for the mission."
"Brono, you now owe me a Silver Tier Odic Crystal. I can't believe I wasted it on that toad," Verona said in a vexed tone as she threw away the shattered ball of silver crystal.
Viktor, who had no idea about what the crystal ball was, looked at Seraphina, who understood his curiosity, and whispered, "Some mages don't have enough power to use certain powerful spells. So they buy crystals like these that are infused with dense Odic energy. But the one she used only lasted for a single-use due to all Odic energy inside getting used up by the spell she cast."
"Oh……seems like those things are quite handy but expensive as well," Viktor missed after seeing how angry Verona was at losing that ball.
"Ah, did you two get scared, haha?" Brono asked with a boorish laugh as he saw Azu and Sera slowly walking out from behind a tree.
"We had never got attacked by goblins, and I had to protect my wife," Viktor said calmly while Seraphina only lowered her head even more.
Brono was surprised to see him still having a hold over his wits since he expected these two to collapse from fear since the rabbitmen were quite faint-hearted.
But then again, he knew Azu was a different breed and laughed, "That's admirable. But you two had nothing to worry about. See, didn't we protect you just like we said. Now come on. We still got a long way to go before we reach the river."
The group of six continued their journey, and Viktor saw these four drinking some potions that made their face lose most of the exhausted look.
'Must be the Redbull for these guys…' Viktor thought.
As they walked, the forest became even darker, and the smell of wet leaves and mud wafted through their nostrils.
Even if it was barely evening, the place they were standing in was so dark it was easy to mistake that the sun had already set.
"Alright, you two are up. We have to pinpoint the place where a bunch of people died somewhere around here just yesterday. Can you two track the blood trail even if it got washed away?" Brono asked while Viktor subtly activated his vampire bloodline as he crouched down and took some mud into his hand to smell.
'They weren't kidding about needing our tracking skills, huh…Must be because we were cheap labor……or free……'
Even if he activated his vampire bloodline, his eyes would still appear normal to others since the illusion Seraphina cast on him would only break the moment he uses his powers beyond the limit of what the spell can contain.
Viktor raised one of his brows since he indeed picked up the scent of blood……of multiple people even though it was faint. But that was enough for him to smell the direction of the trail, which was in the direction of a river whose damp smell he picked up as well.
"Laaaa~Laaaa~ A stream of red, beneath the blue~ Calls me from the depth and towards you~" A coquettish voice that had the charm to even draw the attention of even ghosts suddenly began to sing, their voice echoing in the region, making Viktor pull his brows together……
Chapter 369 The Scent Of The DeadThe Goblin Lord let out a condescending snort as he leaped forward to stab Bruno since he wanted to take out the leader first.
However, Bruno didn’t dare to underestimate this Goblin Lord since this one seemed quite strong, especially after seeing how he caused the ground to crack with just his spear.
But at the same time, he and his group weren’t highly respected by the other adventurers for nothing.
They truly completed every mission they had set out for as a group, and surely this time, they had no plans to break that streak.
Brono simply glanced at Verona, who immediately understood what Brono wanted.
She clicked her tongue in frustration as she took out a silver crystal ball and attached it to her staff while the twins and Bruno began to face off with the Goblin Lord, who was swinging his spear around to keep the twins away while trying to kill Brono.
However, even if the Goblin Lord was intelligent, he lacked the coordination and experience Brono, and his group had.
Because of that, he was unable to land even one strike properly since the arrows from the twins were distracting him, while Brono would use his martial skills to deflect the distracted attacks of the Goblin Lord.
”Stop running around, human!” The Goblin Lord was feeling even more frustrated seeing these three making him dance around like a fool.
The Goblin Lord indeed possessed higher brute strength than these three, but what was the use of that strength if he was unable to land even one strike?
He was already having a bad feeling staying here and fighting this experienced group of adventurers who were not like most amateur adventurer groups he attacked. Even his instincts were telling him to flee, but if he went back empty-handed, he might end up in a worse state.
Even if he had to escape, he needs some convincing excuse to show as proof.
Viktor saw that Bruno and the twins were simply buying time for Verona, who seemed to be preparing a powerful spell.
All of this was happening in just a few seconds, and the next moment Verona smirked as she shouted, “Eat this, you ugly toad!”
Following her shout, a powerful fiery beam shot out of the silver crystal ball, heading right towards the Goblin Lord.
The Goblin Lord suddenly felt a chill on his scalp as he quickly jumped back, but alas, the fiery beam didn’t miss but instead changed direction mid-way to strike him.
”Tsk!” The Goblin Lord’s eyes widened, but he still had no plans of dying and somehow twisted his body in mid-air.
But even after such efforts, the beam sliced through his arm, cutting it off like paper.
”Aaargh!!” The Goblin Lord howled in pain, feeling shocked at losing his entire arm to a bunch of humans.
”Kill it before it runs away!” Brono shouted as he charged forward to take advantage of the goblin’s injured state.
But Verona had an exhausted look as she said languidly, “I am spent. You guys kill it.”
However, before Bruno and the twins could do anything, the Goblin Lord somehow pulled himself up and jumped into the bushes before running for his life.
”That fucker is running! Let’s get him, brother!” Pubo shouted wildly as he ran forward with his bow, but Brono suddenly stopped him and said, “Leave it! It’s too late, and that thing has the stamina of a bull. We can’t catch up to it, and we need to conserve our strength for the mission.”
”Brono, you now owe me a Silver Tier Odic Crystal. I can’t believe I wasted it on that toad,” Verona said in a vexed tone as she threw away the shattered ball of silver crystal.
Viktor, who had no idea about what the crystal ball was, looked at Seraphina, who understood his curiosity, and whispered, “Some mages don’t have enough power to use certain powerful spells. So they buy crystals like these that are infused with dense Odic energy. But the one she used only lasted for a single-use due to all Odic energy inside getting used up by the spell she cast.”
”Oh…seems like those things are quite handy but expensive as well,” Viktor missed after seeing how angry Verona was at losing that ball.
”Ah, did you two get scared, haha?” Brono asked with a boorish laugh as he saw Azu and Sera slowly walking out from behind a tree.
”We had never got attacked by goblins, and I had to protect my wife,” Viktor said calmly while Seraphina only lowered her head even more.
Brono was surprised to see him still having a hold over his wits since he expected these two to collapse from fear since the rabbitmen were quite faint-hearted.
But then again, he knew Azu was a different breed and laughed, “That’s admirable. But you two had nothing to worry about. See, didn’t we protect you just like we said. Now come on. We still got a long way to go before we reach the river.”
The group of six continued their journey, and Viktor saw these four drinking some potions that made their face lose most of the exhausted look.
’Must be the Redbull for these guys…’ Viktor thought.
As they walked, the forest became even darker, and the smell of wet leaves and mud wafted through their nostrils.
Even if it was barely evening, the place they were standing in was so dark it was easy to mistake that the sun had already set.
”Alright, you two are up. We have to pinpoint the place where a bunch of people died somewhere around here just yesterday. Can you two track the blood trail even if it got washed away?” Brono asked while Viktor subtly activated his vampire bloodline as he crouched down and took some mud into his hand to smell.
’They weren’t kidding about needing our tracking skills, huh…Must be because we were cheap labor…or free…’
Even if he activated his vampire bloodline, his eyes would still appear normal to others since the illusion Seraphina cast on him would only break the moment he uses his powers beyond the limit of what the spell can contain.
Viktor raised one of his brows since he indeed picked up the scent of blood…of multiple people even though it was faint. But that was enough for him to smell the direction of the trail, which was in the direction of a river whose damp smell he picked up as well.
”Laaaa~Laaaa~ A stream of red, beneath the blue~ Calls me from the depth and towards you~” A coquettish voice that had the charm to even draw the attention of even ghosts suddenly began to sing, their voice echoing in the region, making Viktor pull his brows together……
Chapter 370 Songs That Mesmerize Souls[A/N: Please read the last paragraph of last chapter since it has been edited to match the flow of current chap. (I forgot to edit the draft :#) ]
Everyone was suddenly startled by such a bewitching voice that seemed to send ripples through their souls. The voice was so beautiful it was as if not even the most melodious music could contend with this.
The voice had a certain seductive allure but not to the point it was sexual but gave off a profound and deep feeling, enough to move the hearts of those hearing it including even cold-hearted ones.
The words of the song contained a sense of yearning with a doleful undertone, making even those with icy hearts shed a tear out of sympathy for the one who was singing these words. The words were only a few, but the voice itself seemed to convey more than a story.
However, Viktor remained unaffected since his vampire bloodline was keeping his mind clean and free from getting bewitched, while Seraphina’s natural powers helped her mind and soul remain unaffected though, her eyebrows were pulled together in worry.
Still, he had to admit he had never heard such a melodious voice that can make one desire to listen to it more the longer they hear it.
But when he looked at the other four, he saw that all of their expressions seemed blank, as if they were in a daze and their legs were slowly carrying them in the direction of the voice. It just looked weird and something he had only seen in horror movies.
’Did they get bewitched?’ Viktor couldn’t help but think seeing their weird state and wondered what kind of creature or monster he was up against.
Seraphina was about to say something when Viktor pressed her hand gently, indirectly telling her to pretend as if she got bewitched as well since he knew it was best to catch the other party by surprise, whoever it was.
Seraphina didn’t know if this was a good idea or not, but there was no time to discuss it, and Viktor was already pretending as if he got bewitched and began to walk like a zombie in the direction where the adventurers were going while Seraphina followed suit.
”Hmnn~Hmnnn~ My soul clouded with love~…This path shrouded like your heart~…Your face an angel in disguise~” Another soul-stealing voice hummed yet another verse as their voice echoed in a similar direction, making Viktor realize that there was probably more than one, and based on the direction they were waking in, it was near a large river or to be precise, the Lulling River.
Viktor only learned about the mission today, and thus he didn’t really get the chance to research the Lulling River. But he had heard in passing that the Lulling River was one place no adventurers would ever dare to venture into.
It was located around the other side of the Blackmere Forest that not even any creatures that live on land would dare to go anywhere near the Lulling River.
But based on the information Brono told him today, it seemed that suddenly a bunch of adventurers was venturing towards the Lulling River for some reason, though none of them ever returned.
This made Viktor feel that something here didn’t smell right, though the only thing he could do now got to the bottom of it.
Even if the worst happens, he and Seraphina can at least get out of here alive.
However, the more they walked, the more the air became foggy as the cool mist began to cloud the whole region while the fresh smell of the river was becoming even more apparent.
Viktor’s vision was extraordinary, though right now, he was unable to see through this strange mist and had to use his senses to make sure he didn’t bang his head on a tree or anything.
He looked at the other four to see if they would stumble and fall, but all four of them seemed to walk with perfect sense and direction, making him wonder if these songs had even more control over them than he initially thought.
And even more, voices joined those who were already singing these verses, and their voices combined together were so fatally charming, Viktor truly felt like he wouldn’t mind listening to their singing every second of his life.
But of course, he still maintained a clear head as he faintly saw a vast and dark river that was obscured by the mist as well.
Everything was so silent and unmoving except for these bewitching voices, and they only seemed to get louder and louder the nearer they got to the Lulling River. And the stench of blood only seemed to increase.
*Crunch!*
Upon hearing the sound of something breaking under his feet, leaving a crisp echo, Viktor realized that he had just stepped on bones, and based on the scent of the blood, it ranged from a day to a few days old!
’Who exactly killed these adventurers?’
*Rustle!*
Suddenly, right as they reached just a few meters away from the shore, Viktor heard the bushes just a couple of meters away from him rustle as he heard multiple steps here and there.
”Nmmmm~Nmmm~…Below these depths~…my soul awaits you~…yearning for your heart~…And in you come~…Only for death to trap your soul~…”
Viktor felt it a bit strange when their lovely verse suddenly took a dark turn towards the end, and even their melodious voice suddenly became a bit too ominous.
”Sssss! Die!”
Suddenly, the singing stopped as multiple feminine yet vicious screams echoed in the region as he saw three pale blue-skinned women wearing skimpy clothes jumping toward Brono and his group while baring their sharp fangs and nails.
Their curvaceous figures were quite beguiling, and their facial features were stunning, their eyes carrying an allruing hypnotic charm.
Despite looking so beautiful, their expressions were twisted with ferocity and hostility to the point it would terrify even a warrior.
’Who the hell are these women?’
But what happened next even baffled Viktor as he saw an even more unexpected thing.
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