Chapter 384
Diana climbed the pre-marked tree in silence, returning moments later with a leather bag slung over her back. She lowered her posture as she carefully descended the slope.
She made no sound, not even the faintest footstep, yet a faint tension lingered on her face.
Damn it.
She felt practically unarmed. Ian Hope, that unpredictable lunatic, had stripped her so thoroughly that her body felt feather light. Of course, he hadn't taken every single weapon. A hidden dagger, concealed in an unnoticeable spot, remained.
However, that brought her no comfort. Wolves traveled in packs of four or five; if even one spotted her and charged, surviving with just a dagger would be a fight for her life. And afterward, that damned human would undoubtedly claim her last weapon as well.
Diana's brow furrowed slightly as she approached the half-collapsed palisade. By now, she should have heard the wolves' howls. Yet, the area remained eerily silent.
Even if the mist muffled sounds and the battle was taking place on the far side of the fortress, the quiet was unnerving.
Don't tell me.
Cautiously, Diana stepped into the fortress. A stench assaulted her nose, acrid and nauseating. Torn grayish corpses greeted her between the shacks.
Her brow knitted further. Walking through this place without her mask felt like being naked.Before long, faint, wet footsteps brushed past her ears, replacing the expected howls or shouts. Diana instinctively hid beside one of the shacks, peeking out carefully.
I knew it.
Her eyes narrowed as her gaze landed on the scene before her. Two humans were entering through the fortress's gate, littered with corpses.
One was a black-haired knight holding a long, pitch-black sword that hung loosely in his hand. The other, a red-haired battle priestess, carried a heavy-looking flail.
Their bodies were splattered with black fluid. They were a bit short of breath, but their movements were calm and steady.
"Is the cleanup done?" Hiding her surprise, Diana stepped out nonchalantly and approached them.
Ian, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, gave her a nod. "Yeah."
"Even if other beasts show up, they won't come in right away. There's plenty of food outside," Lucia added, swinging her flail to shake off the black ichor. Like Ian, her small, pale face remained composed.
"Good," Diana replied, licking her lips unconsciously.
Taking care of the wolves so quickly and quietly—she had no excuse to demand her weapons back. Not only was Ian, with his superhuman strength and agility, far beyond ordinary, but even that cute girl was remarkably skilled in combat.
Diana's gaze lingered on Lucia's equipment. Though dented and dirty, her gear was undeniably heavy-duty. However, what caught her attention even more was the black sword in Ian's hand. The dark blade, unstained by a single drop of blood, was nothing short of unsettling.
In the next instant, the cursed sword vanished into the air.
"Looks sturdy. Made from a beast hide?" Ian asked, holding out his hand toward her. His gaze locked on the leather bag slung over her shoulder, clearly wanting to see if it contained any weapons.
Reluctantly, Diana handed over the bag, grumbling, "Yeah, it's made from a horned cattle’s hide."
"A backpack, pretty practical," Muttering without much thought, Ian opened the bag.
He checked various tools for equipment maintenance, along with a leather pouch, before finally picking up a tightly sealed leather pouch. His hands moved with the dexterity of a seasoned thief as he loosened the opening.
"Jerky and, what’s this round thing?"
"That’s mashed potatoes and herbs, rolled together," Diana replied.
"You' farm here?" Ian furrowed his brows in surprise.
When Diana nodded, his brows furrowed further. "How? You can't grow crops in a place like this—" He trailed off, then slowly nodded as if he had figured it out. "You're cultivating mutated plants. Or just growing whatever’s still edible."
"Yeah, that's right. And let me tell you, here, no one uses terms like mutated or monsters. It's just how things are," Diana said, internally grumbling at Ian's sharpness.
As Ian sniffed one of the potato balls, clearly considering eating it, Diana watched him warily. Even Lucia, who had taken one, sniffed it before popping it into her mouth without hesitation.
The sight baffled Diana. This was nothing like the outsiders she'd heard of. Normally, they avoided consuming anything from this place until they were on the brink of starvation.
"Feels like chewing paste bait," Ian remarked, chewing as he replaced the food pouch in the bag.
"Paste bait?"
"Something used for fishing. Never mind. Forget it," Ian replied, handing the bag back to her. "Let's hurry up and search the fortress."
"Alright."
As Diana reached for the bag, Lucia spoke up. "Actually, I took a quick look inside while I was waiting alone."
Both Ian and Diana turned to her.
Lucia continued nonchalantly, "There are only two places that seemed worth investigating. I didn't investigate closely, though. The smell was too strong."
She pointed behind Diana, toward the chieftain's house, and then to another large hut of similar size nearby.
"You sure made a good use of your time. It could've been dangerous," Ian scolded lightly, but Lucia just shrugged.
"There wasn't much else to do."
"Wait here. There might be some kind of course or something. You, come with me." Clicking his tongue, Ian gestured at Diana with his chin before turning away. A wisp of smoke curled from his fingertips, and a snake materialized on Lucia’s shoulder.
"No, Yog. If we wander around again, we'll both get in trouble," Lucia muttered to herself, stroking the snake absently.
Trailing after Ian, Diana furrowed her brows. "I'm not touching anything without my mask, Ian Hope."
"Yeah, yeah. Just watch." Without looking back, Ian stepped into the hut.
As Diana approached the crookedly open door, the stench hit her like a blow. The rotting odor of corpses was so overwhelming it felt like it might knock her out.
Diana wrinkled her nose as she approached the crooked doorway. She had already noticed the stench from outside, but the moment she got closer, the overwhelming reek of rotting corpses hit her like a hammer.
"Shit."
The inside of the hut resembled a pigsty, with skulls hanging decoratively all around. Grotesque symbols, seemingly drawn in bodily fluids, covered the crudely pieced-together wooden walls. Just looking at them made her stomach churn.
"Looks like a shaman used to live here. No corpses in sight, though," said Ian as he surveyed the room. His tone was calm, but even he had furrowed his brow slightly.
"The chieftain's body is missing too. They probably turned it into a puppet and took it with them. It was likely one of the few things of value in this camp," Diana replied, pinching her nose shut.
Meanwhile, Ian was rummaging through a pile of bones in the corner. Though now reduced to a mess, it had likely served as an altar at some point.
Soon, Ian picked something up and turned around. "Will this do?"
He tossed it toward Diana, who caught it reflexively. Her eyes narrowed as she examined the object. It was a dark wooden carving, split diagonally. Even with only one half, it was clearly a depiction of a bird with two wings draped down.
"How did you find this so quickly?"
"Just a hunch," Ian replied indifferently, still digging through the bones. Then, stepping forward, he held out the other half.
"Want me to look for anything else?"
"No. This is enough," Diana replied, taking the other piece.
She pressed the two pieces together. Though not a perfect fit, it was easy to recognize its original form—a highly simplified figure of something with four wings.
"Now I have a pretty good idea of whose lackeys we’re dealing with," she said, opening her bag and placing the carvings inside.
Ian shrugged and walked out. "That was easier than expected."
Diana followed without a word. The stench inside had been so unbearable that the foul-smelling outdoor air now felt fresh.
"You're back quickly. Did you find anything?" Lucia greeted them as they emerged.
Ian nodded as he approached her. "Yeah, we found some creepy wooden carving."
"A wooden carving?" Lucia turned her gaze toward Diana.
Meeting those beautiful green eyes, Diana hesitated briefly before subtly averting her gaze. "We found what we needed. Let's get moving."
"How far do we have to travel from here?" Ian asked.
Adjusting the straps of her bag to fit snugly, Diana replied, "If we walk the edge of the rift twice, we'll only need to stop to rest once."
Lucia tilted her head curiously. "The rift? What's that?"
"You've probably seen them—areas covered in dense mist, with an unsettling feeling."
"Ah, so that's what you call them. We've been calling them gray zones," Lucia said.
"Why call it a rift?" Ian interjected.
Do I have to explain every single thing? Diana clicked her tongue inwardly but continued. "It's the scar left from this world being twisted and pieced together. There were once mages who studied it. They believed it was a gap connecting one side and the other."
"A scar in the world," Lucia murmured, her emerald eyes reflecting curiosity.
Diana glanced at her and continued, "They thought it could be a way to escape. And eventually, some of them walked into it."
"And that was the end of their story, I'm guessing. Typical," Ian replied dryly.
Diana shrugged. "To this day, nothing that's gone into the rift has ever come back out. But it's true that those consumed by madness are often drawn to it as if hypnotized—just like creatures heading for the shadows at the borders."
"Maybe those mages were right," Lucia whispered.
Diana turned to her, intrigued, as Lucia continued, "We fought countless monsters that came over the wall. There were so many. There were even demons among them. I doubt it was any different on the other fronts."
Lucia glanced at Ian before continuing, "So I always thought the monsters were multiplying endlessly beyond the wall. But after coming here, I realized that wasn't the case."
"Exactly. They were in the rift between this side and the other. The Wall served as a passage," Ian said in his usual detached tone.
Diana's lips parted slightly in surprise. This was the first time she'd heard anything like this. And judging by Ian’s tone, it wasn’t something he had just figured out—he had already suspected it.
Turning to him, Diana stammered, "Then… if someone entered the rift… could they eventually make it outsi—"
Ian cut her off with a scoff, meeting her gaze. "Even if you were sane when you entered, you wouldn't stay that way until you got out. Everything I've seen that came out was completely broken. The rift isn't a place anyone can survive with their mind intact."
Ian's tone carried the weight of someone who had seen the rift of the world firsthand. Diana swallowed dryly. Images of herself wandering aimlessly through the mist came to her mind—never knowing when or if she would get out, slowly losing her sanity.
"Anyways, I guess walking the rift’s edge means stepping into the rift itself?" Ian asked.
Snapping back to reality, Diana responded, "Not entirely. We stay on the outer edge, where the rift's influence is weakest. By doing that, we can cover long distances in a short amount of time."
Ian frowned. "That still sounds incredibly dangerous."
"Of course it is. Plenty of people have disappeared while walking the edge." Diana smirked faintly, finding his reaction slightly amusing. "And sometimes, you might end up somewhere completely unexpected."
"How long would it take if we didn't walk along the edge?"
"At least ten nights of camping."
Ian clicked his tongue, clearly displeased.
Diana's smile widened, and she added, "Walking the rift is one of my specialties. I never make mistakes. As long as you follow me closely, you'll be fine."
"Why not give it a try, Sir Ian?" Lucia chimed in.
Meeting his gaze, she continued, "We might need to walk the edge of the rift ourselves one day. It could be helpful to experience it now, while we have a guide."
Her fearless demeanor was striking, especially given her delicate, pretty face. Diana found her quite endearing. Just as she thought that, Ian turned to her.
"Walking the edge twice—does that mean using two different rifts?"
"Yes. We'll camp in between. Unless you're as experienced as I am, walking two rifts consecutively would be impossible."
"How long will it take to reach the first rift?"
"About half a day."
Ian stroked his chin thoughtfully for a moment before smacking his lips and stepping aside. "Lead the way to the rift, guide."
Diana nodded and turned to move, but hesitated briefly before adding, "It would be safer if I had my mask."
Ian scoffed. "Don't even think about it."
"It's not a lie—"
"I know."
That damn human.
Diana signed in resignation. With no other choice, she started walking toward the entrance of the fortress.