The Deadland

Leaving a petrified village behind, we moved on our way to the capital. Thanks to Aisy's deadbulls, we were going swiftly enough.

It had been a long while since I last checked my profile. I could bet that I leveled up two or three levels by then. Sitting in the caravan, facing back staring deeply at the left behind Antarah, I uttered, "Check profile,"

[You have leveled up! Choose to spend your 15 exp points.]

Do I do sight again? I assumed I was at level five at the time. I mean... I was not really feeling any scarcity of other stats yet. Truthfully speaking, for a lazy minded weirdo like myself, Eye magic was the perfect thing. I just need to look at it and boom! As my such intrusive thoughts took over, I ended up choosing Sight again.

[You have unlocked the following skill: ROGUE LIGHT]

Interesting... I thought.

[SKILLS: 5. ROGUE LIGHT (UNUSED/LOCKED)

PASSIVE SKILL

LVL - 1

MANA COST: 40/s

RANK: A

DESCRIPTION: Utter 'Rogue Light' to unlock and use the skill.

Using the skill will allow you to disperse light fierce enough to burn anything. A beam is released from your eyes so blinking will burn your eyes. Make sure to close the skill before blinking.]

That's a funny warning. Although I was amazed that the system cares about my safety. Whatever.

I literally got a laser beam now. What the hell? This Sight stats are way too powerful. I could only wonder what would happen if I chose other sensory organs that day, like hearing or smelling. Sight seems just overpowered. Afterall, I was only level 5. But again, the mana drain for this one was too high for me. Seeing how I got absolutely exhausted after using camera for only three pictures which was supposed to be taking only

120 Mana, I don't think I would be able to use it as much at this level. Even though Camera and this Rogue Light would appear to be a fearsome combo.

Next, I checked my overall stats.

[NAME: Silver vi Mria

CLASS: Spiritualist

LEVEL: 5 (39/600)

STATS: ATK - 7

STM - 9

MAG - 9

DEF - 7

SPD - 8

SENSORY STATS (EXCLUSIVE): SIGHT - 21

SKILLS: 1. CRYSTAL EYES [LVL - 3]

2. CAMERA [LVL - MAX]

3. HOLY TEARS [LVL - 1]

4. LIE DETECTION [LVL - MAX]

5. ROGUE LIGHT [LVL - 1]]

Surprised a little, as according to the stats my speed supposedly doubled and more. But well, nothing bad about it. I simply didn't remember when was the last time I really ran.

"Nice," I complimented myself, "The skill sets are building up just fine. Maybe one day I will look at the sky and it will explode,"

"Close," I snapped back noticing no change in the environment. The caravan was running as it was. And Erio leaning back to a box we picked up earlier possibly fell asleep. And the brat was sharp awake, but lost in thoughts.

As I looked at him though, he looked back with a questioning face.

"Are we going to pass through the Deadsea, Deadland or Desert?"

"Deadsea, deadlan- what?" I got two words, actually one, but Deadsea in this world means something entirely else didn't it? All of it seemed entirely new to me.

"How exactly did you reach Antarah and you don't know these places?" he paused to surprise himself, "OH! You were reincarnated to Antarah itself, weren't you?"

I nodded wondering that they do know that we Heroes are people from another world.

"Uh so you see," The brat tried to explain it to me, "After you pass Antarah, there are three routes to the Golden Fortress."

"Golden fortress?"

"Seriously.. Okay I will come to that. The three routes, deadsea on the right which is just a river route to the golden fortress, is considered to be the easiest path, then there is desert at the very left which is.. well an area which is very dry-"

"I know that."

"Oh, alright. And lastly there's deadland which is a forest and is considered to be the hardest route being home to many frightening monsters. Well, all the three routes have their own monsters."

"I see, what is this Golden fortress about now?" I inquired.

"Golden fortress, uh it's a long story. How do I explain... Long ago, a mate of Axia named Gold built this whole fort that is stretching across the entire Valukia since then. The massive fort is nearly unbreakable. Like, in this thousand years, our Liveland has never fallen into any huge monster crisis because the fortress is protecting them."

"Valukia? Liveland?" I knew things were getting annoying for him. But I just knew nothing about this world.

"Valukia is the name of this country, and the Liveland is the land that comes after passing the Golden fortress. We are currently in the Deadland, no I don't mean the forest deadland... The entire area outside of the Golden fortress of Valukia is called Deadland. People don't live in deadland, except only one or two villages like Antarah."

"I see." trying to process all the information, I closed my eyes. "Damn..."

"Brat, at this rate where are we going?"

"Forest deadland,"

"So be it, harder monsters, more fun." and then I silenced myself to his surprise.

Aisy who was listening us from up front suddenly made me remind of her presence here as she repeated my words, "Harder monsters, more fun."

Suiting words from a necromancer.

The boy sighed as if his explanation brought him no privilege. But it definitely did, to well Heroes at least? Harder monsters mean more exp, more exp means more power, and skills and more power means more easily completing the quest. Beautiful sequence, I say.

That said, I looked around in search of some shield or even wooden things. I found an iron shield then, slightly out of the box Erio was leaning upon asleep. I took out the shield slowly so cautiously while the brat was just staring at me with pure confusion. I handed him the shield and told him to hold it tight but not to be himself behind it.

He did as I said, still confused until I uttered quietly, "Rogue Light,"

I expected literal laser beam to have released from my eyes but that was a foolish assumption. I noticed, the shield was getting redder out of the heat from my eyes just as I suddenly felt exhausted with the huge mana drain and closed it off. The light wasn't visible but the heat could definitely be felt.

The boy looked at the shield then, "What, when, how!?"

Areas of the shield turned completely red hinting me to its power. It is in fact a great skill, just.. Not suitable yet for me.

"Your new skill, Silver?" asked Aisy, staring right into my eyes from her place.

"Yea,"

***

We crossed some major distances until it was mid noon. The brat told me it is a two day journey from here to reach the Golden fortress. And then to the capital. But the apparent start of "Forest Deadland" according to him, we should be reaching any moment now.

I was laying down there, blank minded as usual thinking what I was doing with my life. But sudden thoughts made me seat back and I peered to see if this forest was any close. I saw, clearly, that it was well, far away yet. And this sight of mine, had reached a frightening potency. I could bet the forest was still more than a kilometer away. But I could see and easily distinguish between each of the leaves in its trees.

"We are close," said I.

"Do you know what kind of monsters are there?" Aisy asked the brat.

"Ents, orcs, and I guess druids but they are rare and uh.. Werewolves, and many other monsters. But ah yes, we could face some bandit groups as well, my father once had to face them."

"Oh, well." I shrugged as the monsters, none of them seemed to be that difficult to beat afterall. "You sure this is the hardest route?"

"I have never been inside the forest so I don't know much. But that's what is said about it."

Truthfully believing in the little boy, I was then free from concerns... For quite a while at least.

We soon reached before the entrance to the Deadland, behind us were large fields full of uh, unsymmetrical growth of random trees. I don't like unsymmetric things. And it was still noon. Erio had woken up, distressed.

I thought I should talk to him, he was not acting right since dawn. But I again, left the plan for later. With a long breathe and absurd confidence, and little sparks of excitement at heart, we stepped in. 

The brat was right. With my eyes, I could already see loads of monsters every here and there. Prepared for any consequences, I already had my Crystal Eyes on. Other than funny slimes getting crushed by one ent, I noticed something else that was crazy at the moment. A horde of orcs. I was seeing a pile of Exp pills though. 

"Brat, keep your ears open." I said and murmured it thrice, "Devaste, devaste, devaste!"

The horde, indisciplined in an instant and looking around to find who did this but we were too far away to see. Not all the orcs died with just that, some survived. As I was about to finish them this time, Aisy stopped me, "Silver stop!"

I looked back at her with a puzzled reaction asking her why so. She didn't reply just immediately. Almost as if embarrassed a little she then told me, "Is there really a need to kill them when they aren't attacking?"

"Yeah, we need Exp,"

"Yeah, they are demon byproducts."

Replied I and the brat, at the same time. Aisy stopped and didn't say anything. That was weird. She was showing sympathy to monsters. Or is it me being weird here mercilessly killing humanoids...

"And you, messy hair. What explosion was that about?"

"Just killed some orcs."

"How exactly!? You are literally just sitting here."

"Oh I didn't say this yet? I have Eye magic." finally I revealed the truth to this poor curious brat. As if that was an enlightening revelation he stared at me with awe.

"You... Are a descendant of Axia!?"

"No, I am a Hero..."

"Ah yes right-" 

Erio suddenly let out a long sigh as he was quiet the entire time. "Silver, we need to level up too. You are the only one climbing up the ladder like this."

"True, I even think this would be a good battle place. Want to climb down and hunt some creepy heads?"

"Only me and Aisy, maybe the Brave too. You stay here and guard the Caravan."

"Hey..." I frowned. But Erio seemed logical. Yet I didn't like his aggressive tone in voice. Although Aisy, already stopped her deadbulls and opening a portal she took them in. 

"I agree with Erio, Silver. Our team should be balanced,"

"I understand, Okay..." then I looked at the brat. "And take him with you. Try to learn what his skills are."

"Fine," Erio responded to me, already descending from the caravan with his shining sword that he looted and an another iron shield at hand.

"Where's the other iron shield I kept here?"

 With nobody answering him, and the brat jumping out as well bidding me a bye, I was left alone, and Erio annoyed.

"Come on..." I thought. "Don't just leave me like that..."

I mean, I could still hunt monsters far from them within around an one kilometer radius so hunting wasn't really the point. For a moment then I regretted destroying the orc horde for which this thought of them only triggered back.

As they were on their way, I descended from the caravan too, easing my legs and other organs. The Deadland like its name had really a lot of dead looking trees, grim and grey. Of course, a creepy place. Far away, I could see dungeons like areas with many new type of monsters too. But it took me a long while to finally notice an Ent and lastly a bunch of druids hanging out. I didn't expect their social attitudes towards each other. As I saw I druid literally just passed a fruit that grew on its head to another druid next to him who began to eat it. So... wholesome?

Although quickly bored of all this, I sighed, sitting down. Again getting blank minded, "Seriously now, what the hell am I doing with my life!?"