Kobold Wizard's Journal

Chapter 251 Searching and Corresponding

Ruger smiled at Vito, knowing what he meant. He wasn't talking about digging him out, but rather that he shouldn't have taken him with him and shouldn't have continued to help him.

Leiden had already started a campfire and begun brewing tea. Ruger watched as he finished making the tea, and the subsequent preparations seemed to involve an ingredient they had discussed yesterday—a new dish, a self-created dish using ingredients found in the Nightmare World.

Ruger recalled yesterday's description and his anticipation grew.

Simply put, it's a cooking method that uses the ingredients themselves as a pot. The thing is shaped like a funnel, and if you tie the bottom, it becomes a proper container. Even though it has been taken out, when it is heated over a fire, it seems to come alive again, squeezing inward and twisting constantly, as if it is chewing. It will also actively suck up the broth and circulate it inside its body, changing its color. Of course, with Leiden's preparation, it will also become more delicious.

So it was used as a stew pot, placed directly on the fire, and seasoned with various ingredients. Leiden speculated that it would eventually become translucent, enveloping the meat in its mixture and allowing it to cook together.

Ruger sat down by the campfire, waiting for the tea to be served.

Seeing their nonchalant expressions, Vito gave another wry smile.

He wiped his mouth, sat down by the campfire, feeling the warmth of the flames, and muttered, "I don't know how powerful those people are, what they're doing, or even the full picture of what I'm involved in..."

“But I think I should at least tell you this,” Vito said with a bitter smile, though the obvious external injuries on his head and neck had healed somewhat, “that your help to me, even if it’s just warming myself by the fire, might cause you some trouble.”

Ruger took the cup from Leiden and brought the hot tea to Vito.

Ruger began, “Why did you come here? I mean… this place, in this direction.”

His words startled Vito.

“Is there anything special about this place? I mean, I don’t know either,” Vito said. “I just happened to… you know, my senses are very sharp. I entered a strange state while casting a spell once and heard some sounds in this direction. Since then, during a rest, in a dream, I heard some different sounds. This place gives me a very special feeling… so when I wanted to get rid of trouble, I subconsciously ran here…”

Ruger listened to Vito's words while fiddling with the black rope coiled around his wrist.

The three of them held their cups, savoring the fruity tea inside. This time it was finally Luger's favorite fruit tea, and it was a flavor he had never tasted before.

As Vito recounted his story, Ruger and Leiden exchanged a strange glance by the campfire.

When Vito first sensed the strangeness of this direction, the timing was roughly the same as when they started wandering around here and randomly throwing cone-shaped objects.

This was somewhat unexpected for both of them.

Vito naturally noticed the way the two were looking at each other.

But he just gave a wry smile, clearly thinking of something else.

“I didn’t come here just to explore,” Vito continued. “I received a strange commission. They wanted to find people with strong senses, skilled in detection and listening spells, and whose mental strength had reached the apprentice’s limit… It was because of this commission that I was brought to the Nightmare World…”

Ruger and Vito gradually became interested in what he was saying.

The new dish was also added to the campfire by Leiden. "The first time I fell into a strange ravine, I wanted to use it as an excuse to get rid of them," Vito said softly. "When I followed them into the Nightmare World, I already sensed something was wrong. They wouldn't sign any contract with me. This wasn't because they trusted me or those who accepted the same commissions. It could only mean they didn't want to leave their arcane mark. Moreover, the number of people in the group kept increasing, eventually splitting into several teams, wandering aimlessly in the Nightmare World..."

“I was assigned to a magic circle I’d never seen before. I’m using its power to sense things according to their instructions. I don’t even know what I’m doing… but it’s definitely not a pleasant thing. It’s said that because of the restrictions imposed on this region by the High Council, our team has many wizard apprentices like me,” Vito said, holding his teacup without taking a sip for a while. “Even with the help of the magic circle, it’s difficult for us to meet their demands. I’ve done relatively well, which has made them very exhausted… and some people have become very dissatisfied.”

"Consumables? Magic stones?" Luger asked.

Vito shook his head, smiled wryly, and took a sip of hot tea.

“I don’t know what it is. They usually wear robes, and I can occasionally see that their skin is reddish, and their two sharp teeth are so long that they protrude from their lips when they close their mouths. When it’s necessary to pinpoint a location, one of them will step forward and sacrifice their life, sprinkling their blood on the ground. Then I have to immediately use a magic array to sense and pinpoint a certain location. Sometimes two people have to die, and sometimes it’s not so smooth that more than ten people have to die to pinpoint a location…”

Vito looked at the two people by the campfire.

“They are generally taller than normal people. I guess they might be some kind of experimental modified creatures, or a humanoid race I've never heard of before. I rarely heard them speak along the way, and I rarely saw them use magic when we encountered nightmare creatures on the road... Moreover, they seemed to be happy to give up their lives for no reason. When the number of people decreased to a certain level, some new ones would come to the nightmare world... It seems that they were also afraid of attracting attention, so the number of people in the group was never large. Only when they were almost all dead would new Fangmen be sent to the nightmare world…” Vito said slowly.

Ruger twitched his ears.

"What are you looking for using this magic circle?" Raiden asked without looking up as he fiddled with the campfire.

Vito shook his head.

"I don't know what I'm looking for. I just heard a strange cry, like singing, as they asked. Some of the apprentices who accepted the commission went insane and died after hearing it a few times. Being able to hear the cry meant that a location had been successfully confirmed... Occasionally, I would also hear a scream in between the singing, and... strange prayers..."

Vito shook the robe that was almost dried out.

Being caught up in such a baffling situation, the wry smile that occasionally appeared on Vito's face was perhaps the most appropriate expression.

Ruger noticed that Leiden seemed to be thinking about something.

"You said that initially there were many people, divided into many teams, heading to different areas?" Leiden asked.

"Yes."

Vito nodded curiously.

“They might be looking for something,” Leiden said.

Ruger and Vito both looked surprised, clearly shocked by Leiden's nonsense.

"It's not what you think. They might be searching for something from the underground world. There's a theory that the two worlds can correspond. Simply put, the Nightmare World can also correspond to the Underworld. However... in most cases, they won't be equal. For example, a small village in the Underworld might have a very different counterpart in the Nightmare World. It might not only be much larger than that village, but it might even be divided into different things, scattered in different locations in the Nightmare World, and appearing in different forms..."

As Leiden spoke, he reached out and used a hook to pick up three fresh dishes that were still wriggling slightly, placing them on three separate plates.

(End of this chapter)