After a night of rest and cultivation. Rei, Ren and Jagu by using the energy stones we got from underground all experienced a breakthrough. Along with the items they got from the storage necklace, their strength increased to a level.
I also got the time to cultivate and a night's progress led me to less than half of what's needed to have another breakthrough.
When they heard that, they also started to think I'm a monster. Just like that certain Barbarian Girl.
It's not that it's fast. It's all attributed to this unknown inherent energy in here. My Adaptability was now at 10%. It's the biggest progress I got in one night considering I only actively cultivate it for a few hours.
Now there's that notion of staying here for at least a year to train. By the time I come out, it's possible that I will be stronger than the heroes or even a Transcendent.
Err… but that's considering everything will stay the same and nothing will change in any of the worlds.
Some of the Heroes might even die during the year that I will disappear.
With my existence as the catalyst to prevent their doom, if I really did it. I might come back to see everything in ruins.
That will be… tragic.
I'm still progressing faster anyway so this selfish thought of mine was shelved.
However, as long as we're here, I will use every opportunity to increase my strength.
"Ruin Dwellers again?"
Jayna asked as she jumped back from the arm that's about to grab her leg.
Her sparkling green vines changed properties to become sparkling red vines. When it wrapped around the arm of the Ruin Dweller, it started to burn to a crisp.
When she pulled it, the arm was cut off even before the Ruin Dweller fell to the ground.
That's how strong her Earthfire enhanced her skills. She could stand on her own now. The Earthfire filled her lack of offensive power.
When we restarted our exploration it's already a few hours before we stepped on another Ruin Dweller territory. The theory about them being just territorial was proven with this.
"Stall them for me. I'll channel the same Higher Spirit."
Yumiko declared. With that Higher Spirit to flush these diggers out, it will be easy for us to kill them. However…
"No. Yumiko, we just need to leave their territory, it's actually a waste of time to kill them like the first time.
I advised her not to and after pondering for a bit, she nodded.
There's really nothing to gain at killing those thick armed creatures apart from wasting our time.
With us only reacting to those who will try to grab us from beneath the ground, we soon passed their territory and arrived at a wide clearing.
While passing through it, we already found some traces of the previous expedition. Even if the paths changed, the place is still the same so sooner or later we'll see that last landmark they reached. The map just said an altar and danger. As to what kind of danger, those who survived were the ones who ran away first so they also don't know.
Apart from observing any walls if there would be something like the Earthfire Essence, we're also looking out for any landmark. With the first one proven to be a passage to an underground ruin, we decided to avoid them if possible. If we encountered someone like that old man, and someone not as bored as him, it would really spell death to us. There will be a time in the future where we will come back here but for now, we have to avoid them.
The clearing was proven to be long and barren. On some parts of it, we encountered more skeletons but unlike what we saw from the underground, these skeletons didn't have any storage necklaces. Someone already took them or they're from a different group than those who died there.
Another hour of cautious walking, we encountered a new enemy. To not be seen by them, we hid somewhere out of their sights. Though they're as ugly as the Ruin Dwellers, they're bigger than them. They're bipedal as well but if I could compare them to something within my knowledge, I would call them Ogres.
With reddish-brown skins, towering height, ugly faces as well as those stone clubs they're wielding, they're really like an Ogre.
The ones we encountered look like they're patrolling the area but Jagu noticed something from one of them.
"That's a fur of the same type of Spirit Beast as Abe."
He pointed to the fur pelt that was covering one of the Ogres' lower body.
"Are you sure?"
Yumiko turned to him for confirmation.
"The Spirit Beasts are brutal. You probably only encountered the Queen, King and us Transformed Spirits, but those below our level, it's a dog eat dog world. So it's common to find the fur or pelt of the same species as you."
The way he described the life of the Spirit Beasts, I guess even with the Spirit King and Queen leading them, it's still hard to control those at the bottom.
"That's a clue about the previous expedition but are they still surviving? If they all became the source of hides and furs for them…"
Jagu continued. He's pessimistic about their chances.
"There's still a possibility that some of them are still alive. What do you think, Daisuke?"
Yumiko said before asking me for my opinion. We already told them that we're leading together so, in every event, me and Yumiko will decide on what to do. Of course, I still let her do the thinking first then I will support or reject her idea. Then after that, she will also do the same.
"The possibility exists. Isn't that enough reason? We just have to be cautious as they look like they are more organized than the Ruin Dwellers."
They're even sending patrols like this. It's possible that their lair is near.
"Alright. Let's do this fast and we'll let one of them run back to lead us where they were staying."
Yumiko presented her plan.
"I will then use the Orb of Concealment if we ever need to escape. It's already prepared."
And I added my input to improve it.
I took the Orb out and filled it with the necessary Flux Energy that could cover us in an instant if ever.
Finalizing that plan, we went out of hiding.
As soon as they saw us, they growled and shouted in an incoherent language before some of them threw the clubs that they were holding towards us.
Upon seeing that, I immediately sent an Energy Shield to everyone.
Right, my new Augmented Skill can also be used by sending it to my companions. It's a literal support buff.
With their Energy Shields, they managed to withstand those clubs and through Yumiko's lead, we started cutting them down while deliberately leaving one alive
"I see. They're probably the natives of this dimension but the question is, what are they eating?"
Looking at their sprawled out corpses, they look well-fed.
"The Ruin Dwellers. It's possible that they're the natural predator of each other."
Jagu speculated. As a Spirit Beast, he surely had hunted a fellow beast for food before he became a Transformed Spirit. As for what they're eating now that they have a humanoid form, it's the same as us. He shared our meal last night and earlier after all.
He said he's not opinionated but look at him be this talkative once he's the only Spirit Beast left in our group.
But these creatures of this dimension, they're eating each other. The old man didn't mention any of them, not the Ruin Dwellers nor these Ogres. It could be that he didn't care about them or he had no idea about them.
If not for having a different kind of species, it wouldn't be surprising if these Ogres started eating their own kind, the same with the Ruin Dwellers.
We got into formation again and started following the Ogre who ran away.
After he turned to a narrow pathway, we paused in our tracks.
Being trapped in this kind of environment is… lethal. If they have some hints of intelligence, they will prepare a trap here. But after observing and concentrating at it. My Adaptability didn't trigger anything.
"Heads or tails?"
I took out a coin and threw it up.
"Idiot. Don't decide it like that."
Yumiko complained but she caught the coin in her hand. She put her hand in front of us and opened her palm. Upon seeing the result, she smiled.
"Heads. Let's go?"
"That's kind of…"
Jayna couldn't help but comment at the side after seeing how we decided whether to continue or not.
Sometimes it's really easier to decide something like this than think it deeper. We still have the Orb anyway and before moving in, I used the Orb of Enhancement as well as Physical and Spirit Boost.
Passing by that narrow pathway, we started hearing a commotion from a distance.
At the end of this pathway, there's only a left turn so whatever is making that commotion, we will see it there.
"I will use concealment before the turn. Let's just scout for now."
They all nodded at my suggestion. Just by the volume of the commotion, it's safe to say that there are more than 50 of the same Ogres in there and they're coming towards our direction.
The one who ran probably already reported what happened and they sent these incoming enemies to catch us? Possible
The question is, is that all? We have to see their situation first to gauge if we can cope with only six of us.
"Stay in the corner."
After saying that, I activated the Orb of Concealment. Before those Ogres appeared from the corner, we're already concealed from their sight.
Seeing them pass us by, we continued to tread the pathway to see the situation inside this lair they built for themselves.
After turning left, we were met with a barricaded area and inside it was some kind of settlement were these Ogres live. Though the placement of their makeshift tents was disorderly, there's a clear path that was intentionally left in the middle.
And trudging through that path, we could see a raised platform with something like a huge pole in the middle. In front of it was a stone table and right at that moment, there's something going on in it.
A Ruin Dweller was held by two Ogres to stop it from struggling. Standing behind the table and in front of the pole was a shaman-like Ogre complete with tattoos and hood made from some unknown pelt. He didn't have any dagger or staff on him, instead, he's gathering some kind of energy in his hands until it becomes a clump the size of a small stone. The way he gathered it was like how we tried to produce an energy from our bodies. Has he adapted to the inherent energy of this world?
Dropping that clump of energy to the Ruin Dweller, it shrieked loudly as its black-coloured blood came out from its orifices and floated to the pole behind the Shaman Ogre.
Then from below the platform, a young unassuming Ogre stood in front of it. The black blood coagulated while a light shined from the pole towards it, sending the blood towards that young Ogre.
Once it hits him, the young Ogre howled as if he's in pain. His body then experienced a transformation. From that young unassuming form, he transformed to become the adult-like Ogres around him.
"The Altar."
Yumiko muttered upon seeing that. The last landmark and the place they marked as 'danger'.
We're concealed so we're currently fine but upon seeing that ritual, we knew that these Ogres were not simple at all. No, it's that Pole which was the strangest thing here. It can enhance them but is that all of its functions?
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