Manager, give me a membership card too!

"Oh?" Asuna, who was walking, stopped in her tracks upon hearing this and subconsciously asked, "When?"

Do you remember the goblin lair you entered before?

As Rorschach's voice rang in Asuna's ears, images flashed before her eyes. These were images from when she was trapped deep in the goblin crypt, after she made a contract with Rorschach.

Assuna, bound by Rorschach's consciousness, encountered a monster made of shadows while rescuing the blonde twin-tailed girl. Unfortunately, the moment it appeared, Rorschach, who was using Asuna's body, pierced it through with Gungnir, killing it instantly.

Because its departure was so frivolous, Asuna didn't pay much attention to the shadowy monster that suddenly appeared and then suddenly died when recalling this memory. However, when she watched the memory footage again today, a sense of déjà vu lingered in her mind.

"This feeling, this atmosphere..."

[Doesn't it resemble that guardian? This dark, damp, and rotten feeling is repulsive.]

"Although there are still some differences, the two are indeed very similar in terms of feel."

Hehe, it seems this world is quite complex. Things shouldn't be boring from now on.

"Lord Rorschach, please at least consider my feelings. I don't want to fight against enemies like that again."

..........................

"I've resolved the issue in the dense forest; this is the token. I'll stay in town for a few days to make sure there are no further complications before leaving."

At the gates of Blackwater Town, a crowd gathered, whispering amongst themselves. Asuna raised a claw nearly a meter long, its sharp edge gleaming coldly in the sunlight, and displayed it to the town's mayor, indicating that she had completed her mission.

The moment they saw the claw, the expressions of several elderly people, including the mayor of Blackwater Town, changed slightly, revealing a hint of unconcealed sorrow. They seemed to recognize the claw's owner, causing Asuna, who had been observing them, to subtly shift her expression. However, the mayor, noticing Asuna's gaze, quickly composed himself, cleared his throat to cover his embarrassment, and loudly announced with an excited expression:

"Citizens of Blackwater Town, I hereby announce that the anomaly that has plagued us has been resolved by the brave and fearless Miss Asuna. To celebrate this great moment, I, the mayor of Blackwater Town, hereby declare that a grand banquet will be held in Blackwater Town tonight! This is both to celebrate the return of the forest to our hands and to welcome the new members who have traveled from afar from Wood Town!"

"I hereby promise that all expenses for the banquet will be covered by the town government. There will be plenty of meat and alcohol! Tonight, let's drink until we drop!"

"Oh!!! We won't leave until we're drunk!!!"

At the mayor's loud announcement, both the original residents of Blackwater and the later refugees from Woodtown were swept up in a state of euphoria. After all, in this era of relatively low productivity, being able to eat and drink to one's heart's content was a wonderful and happy thing, no wonder people were so happy.

Seeing the Blackwater Town mayor surrounded by cheering townspeople, as if he were the great hero, Asuna didn't say much. Instead, she silently disappeared into the excited crowd, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Outside a house in Blackwater Town, a cat-eared girl with a limp leaned against the door frame, idly flicking her nimble cat tail behind her while repeatedly scanning the end of the country road with her pair of rose-red vertical pupils, hoping to catch a glimpse of a tall figure.

Finally, just as her legs were beginning to tremble slightly from standing for so long, Asuna, with a gentle smile on her face, dressed in a lady's hunting outfit and a holy silver light sword at her waist, slowly emerged from the end of the path. She waved to the cat-eared girl who had suddenly perked up at the sight of her and called out loudly:

"I'm back, Black Cat!"

Looking at Asuna, who was completely unharmed and not even a speck of dust could be seen on her, the cat-eared girl, who had been heartbroken because she couldn't participate in the battle, finally felt relieved and murmured almost inaudibly in a voice only she could hear:

"Welcome back, Asuna."

That night, Blackwater Town erupted in a grand celebration. Countless bonfires, billowing smoke, were set up throughout the town, their blazing flames illuminating the darkness and the radiant smiles on the faces of everyone at the feast.

Countless tables and chairs were moved out of the townspeople's homes and placed on the main street. Bread, meat, fresh fish and wine from the town's warehouses were piled up on these tables as if they were free, and people could take and eat as they pleased. The tempting aroma even reached outside the town, attracting some greedy little animals to come and watch.

As the centerpiece and host of the banquet, the Blackwater Town mayor was greeted with wine glasses and delicacies wherever he went, surrounded by praise. Everyone lauded his brilliance and prowess, praising his ability to hire such powerful mercenaries and resolve the crisis in Blackwater Town, declaring him worthy of being their mayor.

Having heard similar flattery so many times, even the town mayor himself began to believe it, and unconsciously became quite smug.

With a relatively inexpensive commission, I solved a major (*) problem, reclaimed the forest that could have provided hunting opportunities and high-quality timber, and won the hearts of the people. This deal was incredibly profitable. As a result, not only did the town gain another source of income, but my position as mayor became as secure as a rock.

With an undisguised smile on his face, the mayor, feeling a sinking sensation in his lower abdomen from drinking too much, swayed and pushed away the wine glasses offered to him from all sides. He mumbled a farewell and left the crowd, heading to a secluded corner.

With practiced ease, the mayor's previously anxious expression visibly relaxed as he unbuckled his belt. He even let out a shiver, a look of comfort spreading across his face.

Having relieved himself of his urgent needs, the mayor pulled up his trousers and stepped out of the alleyway, preparing to walk towards the crowd, when a slender yet strong hand suddenly grabbed his coat, pulled him sharply backward, and dragged him into the shadows.

"Who goes there?! Oh dear~"

Just as the mayor, who was suddenly attacked, was about to shout for help, he was punched twice hard in the stomach, almost making him vomit. Before he could recover from the attack, a sharp weapon was placed on either side of his neck, forcing him to swallow the groan that was already on the tip of his tongue.

The pain in his abdomen and the cold blade against his neck instantly sobered the mayor from his drunken stupor. By the light of the bonfire at the carnival dinner, he quickly made out the faces of the two figures in front of him.

On the left, holding a sharp dagger, is a black-haired girl with cat ears. Her fair skin is accentuated by her black clothes, and a half-smile plays on her delicate face. She is currently looking at the mayor's neck from side to side with her rose-red eyes, seemingly searching for the best angle to strike.

To the mayor's right stood a tall and slender figure with long, flowing chestnut hair. Her features were both beautiful and spirited, and she wore a form-fitting hunting outfit. She was currently holding a brightly decorated light sword to the mayor's neck, and her amber eyes flashed with undisguised threat and warning.

The two were none other than Black Cat and Asuna. The mayor, who could see their faces clearly by the light of the campfire, naturally recognized them as well. He breathed a sigh of relief and put on a kind and friendly smile.

"Ms. Asuna, Kuroneko, what do you mean by this? I don't remember offending you in any way that I should be treated like this."

Pointing to the two weapons around his neck, the mayor, looking completely innocent, questioned Asuna and the black cat who had cornered him at a house corner.

Born into a wealthy merchant family, Asuna had seen far too many people like her around her father. Her expression remained unchanged; instead, she unceremoniously punched the mayor in the stomach again, whispering:

"Don't you know why? You withheld crucial information, almost causing me and Black Cat to die in that forest. Giving you a few punches was too lenient. Believe me, even if I kill you, the Tristine enforcers will find you innocent?"

"I believe you! Miss Asuna, please don't get agitated, this is a matter of life and death!"

Feeling a faint stinging pain in his neck, the mayor backed down. Would Asuna dare kill him? The mayor didn't dare gamble; after all, he only had one life, and if he lost, he'd lose everything. The mayor, who still wanted to enjoy his remaining years, didn't want to provoke this killing star before him, especially since the other party was a powerful being capable of defeating even a 'Guardian'.

Seeing the town mayor back down, Asuna breathed a slight sigh of relief and lowered her head, asking in what she considered to be the sternest and fiercest tone:

"What do you know about that forest? Why did it become like that? How did those 'invisible' monsters appear? And what do you know about the owner of this claw?"

Asuna bombarded the questions that had been on her mind with a barrage of questions. At the end, she even took out the claws left behind by the tree's head fist from her system space and inquired about the origins of this guardian.

Upon hearing Asuna's question, the mayor gave a slightly bitter smile, knowing that some secrets could no longer be kept hidden. Just as he was about to say something, a violent tremor suddenly struck beneath his feet, and the surroundings instantly began to crumble and split open.

'Boom~ Boom~'

The earth trembled, houses collapsed, and the crowds who had been laughing, singing, and dancing in the streets were instantly plunged into extreme panic, screaming and fleeing in all directions. The once warm and lively banquet came to an abrupt end, and the situation took a sharp turn for the worse.

What happened? An earthquake? Or something else?

Feeling the earth beneath her feet undulating and pulsating as if it were alive, Asuna no longer cared about questioning the mayor of Blackwater Town beside her. Her gaze wandered around, trying to find the culprit who had caused all of this.

Then she saw the 'mountains' gradually rising from the ground under the clear moonlight.

Chapter 483 Ancient Seal

Chapter 483 Ancient Seal

A train painted with a red and white umbrella symbol is moving through a light snowfall on a Massachusetts railroad track.

In the VIP compartment at the front of the train, Rorschach, who was playing online with Sakura, Abi, and Nyaruko to steal the dragon egg, suddenly paused, turned to look at the silver-haired little devil beside him who was intently staring at the data terminal in his hand, and said:

“Nyaruko, I think I saw one of your people ‘over there’.”

"Clan members?" Nyaruko, who was controlling the little figure to fight the fire dragon and drawing Abi's attention away from stealing the egg, was focused on the data terminal and didn't pay much attention to Rorschach's question. She just asked it subconsciously.

"It's that kind of... indescribable creature. I wanted to ask if you know anything about it."

As Luo Xia spoke, he shared the 'Asuna's Otherworldly Journey Livestream' in his mind with Nyaruko, allowing her to see the scene that appeared in front of Asuna.

"Hmm~ This guy is an unknown one. Judging from his energy level, he's just a boring nobody. His aura doesn't seem to belong to 'us' either; it seems to be from the other side. Honey, if you don't like him, just kill him. It won't make any difference."

"The other side?" Rorschach, who had caught the key point in Nyarlathotep's words, raised an eyebrow and looked at the silver-haired evil god with interest. Nyarlathotep, realizing she had misspoke, froze. For once, instead of taking advantage of the situation to pester Rorschach, she began to shout and yell at the data terminal in her hands, displaying terrible acting skills.

"Oh no! I lost control of the dragon! Abby, run! Sakura, come help me! If the dragon egg is broken, our mission will fail!"

Seeing Nyaruko forcefully ignoring him, Luo Xia didn't choose to press the matter further. He believed that when the time was right, the girl in front of him would tell him everything in detail, and until then, he only needed to wait quietly.

Having confirmed that the thing that appeared on the other side was not someone Nyaruko knew, Rorschach felt relieved. While playing online games, he channeled his consciousness along the golden chain to the other side of time and space, gazing at that unfamiliar world through the eyes of the person with whom he had formed a contract.

The earth trembled.

An unstoppable force is surging beneath the earth, churning and roaring, trying to break free from the earth's constraints and rush towards the long-awaited freedom. But this struggle brings near-annihilation to humanity, so insignificant in comparison.

The residents of Blackwater were lucky because the majority of the townspeople were outdoors due to the banquet, thus avoiding the collapse of houses caused by the earthquake. Only a very few people who were immobile or too old were buried under the rubble by the collapsed houses.

The residents of Blackwater Town were unfortunate. Because of its proximity to Blackwater Lake, the once calm and tranquil lake churned and bubbled like a boiling pot the moment the earthquake struck. Countless surging lake waters overflowed the riverbanks, overwhelming the chaotic town and sweeping the terrified residents along with the waves, crashing and ravaging the ruined town.

Almost instantly after the earthquake struck, Asuna sprang into action. She decisively abandoned the mayor, whom she and the black cat had been holding hostage, first directing the cat-eared girl to rescue Marianne, and then rushing into the chaotic crowd herself.

Using her agile movements, Asuna carried the underage children in her arms to the nearest high ground. While loudly directing the townspeople who were able to move freely to take refuge, she also searched for those in need. Soon after, the cat-eared girl, who had already rescued Marianne from the lake and settled her on the high ground, returned to Asuna's side to help her rescue the affected townspeople.

Because most people were holding their banquets outdoors, the rescue process wasn't complicated. Apart from those who had already perished beneath the waves, Asuna and the black cat offered help to anyone who could still be seen moving. Furthermore, Blackwater Town's economy was primarily based on fishing, and many residents were good swimmers. After recovering from the initial panic, many of the townspeople who were good swimmers were even able to swim ashore on their own and take refuge on higher ground.

Even so, this unexpected event still took away half of Blackwater Town's population. When Asuna threw the soaking wet mayor onto higher ground, he looked at the much sparser crowd and wished he could turn around and drown in the lake.

Just minutes ago, they were secretly delighted to have acquired a large population, with their days of prosperity seemingly within reach. Minutes later, a natural disaster wiped them back to square one, or even worse. The ups and downs of life are truly unpredictable and turbulent.

Unlike the disheartened mayor, Asuna and the black cat were staring at the rising horizon in the distance, gripped by a strange fear and awe.

Ordinary townspeople's vision is limited by the darkness of night, and they can't see very far. But those who possess the system have extraordinary senses, allowing them to see farther, hear more clearly, and even have sharper intuition.

However, the superhuman senses that usually provide a great boost in battle now allowed the two girls to see through the darkness and clearly and directly confront the evil that ordinary people could not even imagine.

Under the pitch-black night sky, billowing smoke rose and fell with the earth's rise, and from within that dim smoke, a towering figure, seemingly boundless, slowly emerged.

The instant Asuna and the black cat saw that figure, only one expression crossed their faces: terror, the absolute terror. What appeared before them was not a creature that should inhabit the human world, but a demon—a demon born from hell. No, even "demon" couldn't adequately describe what they were seeing. Compared to this monster, all the enemies Asuna had encountered before seemed so small and fragile, like a candle flame compared to the blazing sun—not even in the same league.

What a blasphemous and filthy existence it was! It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe it as Satan. Only the great red dragon described in Revelation, with its seven heads and ten horns, could compare to it.

Grass, trees, and rocks form its skeleton, countless white bones adorn it, and blood, flesh, and limbs serve as its sustenance. Its twisted and ugly body is so tall that it fills everyone's field of vision. Countless strange, obviously mutated, unidentified organs fill its body, and eerie tentacles covered with eyeballs and sharp teeth crawl and wriggle across its body, just like human tendons, controlling the operation of the entire body.

The most terrifying thing was its head. If that corrupt and degenerate thing could be called a head, it would be the most terrifying nightmare in the world. It was a kind of aggregate made up of countless rotten, twisted, and still writhing chunks of flesh and muscle. Asuna could even see all the creatures she knew on it.

Now, Asuna finally understands why there is no life in the dense forest except for those mimicry creatures: everything there has been swallowed up by the filthy land and become part of it.

Devouring, absorbing, mutating, fusing, growing stronger, and then continuing to devour, endlessly, without end.

Behold, the embodiment of corruption, the evil spirit of the earth. He will eventually break free of his cage and unleash the fury that has imprisoned him for millennia upon the living beings of the mortal realm.

Suddenly, Asuna's amber pupils shrank to needle-like size, her face turned as pale as a corpse, and her normally strong body became weak and powerless. She could only barely support the cat-eared girl beside her to avoid collapsing to the ground like a lump of mud.

Just now, Asuna could feel a sticky, slippery, and indescribable evil gaze fixed on her. In that instant, countless strange, terrifying, crazy, and bizarre thoughts rose in her mind, swirling, urging, and even forcing her to do something bad that might harm her friends.

The next second, a silver-gray spherical barrier opened from Asuna's body, instantly covering the entire area of ​​Blackwater Town and blocking that evil and filthy will from entering.

Dazzling arcs of electricity flashed around the outer edge of the barrier, a clash between two powerful consciousnesses—one seeking invasion, the other intending to protect. After several seconds of confrontation, the filthy and evil consciousness seemed to realize it couldn't gain any advantage here, and could only retreat with a hint of resentment. In the distance, the towering figure, as tall as a mountain, let out an angry roar.

As soon as the filthy and evil gaze left, Asuna and the black cat, who were supporting and huddled together, gasped for breath, like victims who had been suffocating in the water for a long time, gasping for the air they desperately needed. Their clothes were already soaked with cold sweat.

Actually, Asuna and her companion were in relatively good condition; at least they were still conscious and unharmed. Beside them, the townspeople who had just escaped the earthquake and flood were now collapsed to the ground, their bodies convulsing uncontrollably, their faces contorted with a mixture of rage and terror.

Although they couldn't see the colossal creature struggling to break free of the earth in the darkness, the creature wouldn't let them go just because these humans couldn't see it. Like humans riding bicycles past an ant colony moving house, whether the wheels crushed one or countless ants made little difference. If Rorschach hadn't reacted quickly and activated the barrier, these townspeople wouldn't have been lying on the ground convulsing; they would have died of fright on the spot.

With a grim expression, Asuna glanced at the townspeople who were gradually calming down on the ground, then raised her head with some difficulty and looked at the increasingly tall and huge shadow not far away.

After struggling for some time, the enormous creature had broken free of half its body from beneath the earth, revealing its twisted form to everyone.

It was a giant, and even though its body was composed of countless wildly growing plants mixed with grotesque flesh and blood, and decorated with rocks and soil, a rough human shape could still be discerned. And even with its upper body bent, this human figure was as immeasurably tall as the most majestic mountain peak.

No, it can't be said to be like. If Asuna remembers correctly, there was indeed a majestic mountain range where this twisted giant was located, with layers upon layers of peaks of varying heights. She remembered seeing it when she came to Blackwater Town, and at the time she felt that the shape of the mountain was a bit strange. She never expected that such a huge creature was pressing down on it.

If Asuna could fly into the sky, she would see that the mountains on the earth resemble a reclining human figure. Now, this giant, who has been sleeping beneath the earth for an unknown amount of time, has awakened from his ancient slumber and is trying to break free from the cage that imprisoned him.

Just when Asuna thought the giant would be completely freed from the earth, a dazzling white light suddenly shot out from the dense forest not far from Blackwater Town. The light reached the sky and the earth, looking both sacred and majestic.

The appearance of the white light seemed to stimulate the giant made of flesh and plants, causing it to speed up its previously unhurried movements to rise. However, before it could make any further moves, another beam of light shone from a location not far from Blackwater Town, and judging from the direction, it seemed to be near Wood Town.

Now that there is a second beam of light, there will naturally be a third, a fourth, a fifth, and even more.

One after another, holy beams of light rose from the vicinity of the mountain that sealed the giant, encircling it like a net. The dazzling light shot straight into the sky, outlining a complex and mysterious pattern against the dark night sky, before slowly descending from the heavens and pressing down on the flesh-and-blood giant who had just raised his upper body.

"Do not!!!!"

Faced with the impending crisis, a sticky voice, as if speaking from a mouthful of liquid, rang out. The volume of this voice was so loud that "deafening" was an understatement; it even created a shockwave that emanated from the hideous, twisted mouth and spread in all directions.

However, no matter how loudly and evil the voice roared, it could not stop the pattern from falling from the sky. As the pattern fell, the flesh giant, whose upper body had been bent over, seemed to be subjected to an immense pressure. Despite its constant struggle and resistance, it could only lie back down little by little, eventually embedding itself into the earth once more, raising a cloud of dust.

In the end, even the mountains and boulders that had been scattered and shattered by the giants' actions were restored as if time had reversed, and even green flowers, grasses and trees grew back, as if nothing had ever happened.

Looking at the distant, now completely silent mountains, Asuna and the black cat, who were standing close together, exchanged a glance and instinctively asked:

"Is it... over?"

"It seems like it's over..."

Just when Asuna and her companion thought the disaster was over, a portion of the array of light pillars that had completely surrounded the flesh giant suddenly began to flicker. Like a faulty light bulb, the light appeared and disappeared intermittently. Several of the most flickering pillars eventually went out completely, creating gaps in the previously seamless array. Among these extinguished pillars were two belonging to the Blackwater Town forest and the Wood Town.

The absence of the light pillar array naturally affected the profound pattern that suppressed the flesh giant. Visibly, the mountains that had calmed down began to tremble again. An arm as thick as a mountain suddenly broke through the rock layer, its five fingers forming a fist, carrying immense power, and struck heavily on the pattern outlined by the light pillar.

'boom!'

Like a shattered mirror, a visible crack appeared after the blow.

,

Chapter 484 'Seal' Lifted

Chapter 484 Seal Released

Inside the magnificent palace, the lights shone brightly. Countless fully armed soldiers and cloaked noble mages gathered on the high platform in the palace square, their expressions solemn as they stared intently at the towering pillars of light that stretched to the heavens at the end of their vision, their eyes fixed on the spot, afraid of missing any detail.

Finally, when the mysterious pattern formed by countless beams of light completely suppressed the flesh giant back underground and resealed it, the square, which had been so tense that you could hear a pin drop, suddenly erupted into a deafening roar of cheers. Countless people celebrated with each other almost uncontrollably. The seal left by the progenitor Brimir was still effective. They did not have to die, and the Kingdom of Tristain could continue to exist stably.