Chapter 30: Avatar
"Who are you?"
Raven only asked a single question. That was the only thing he wanted to know. Was the woman called the Demon General of Puppetry? Or was she someone else? And what was that thing floating in the distance?
He also didn't know why he was in the middle of this forest. From what he had heard, everyone who passed the Bloodline Trial was supposed to wake up in the Beginners Village. However, he didn't appear anywhere close to that.
He didn't know if it was because of his unusual Bloodline.
The Woman raised her head. Her eyes had a strange shine on them. However, her face was expressionless, as if she was nothing more than a puppet herself.
It was only when she came into the light, taking off her hood that her face was properly revealed.
Raven was momentarily stunned by the woman's appearance. Her lips appeared to have been sewn together, rendering her unable to speak. The pallor of her complexion made it seem as if she lacked any hint of blood in her body. Additionally, her eyes displayed no emotions.
The woman extended her arm and pointed her fingers towards the object that was hovering in the distance once again.
The more Raven watched the woman, the more creeped out he felt. It was as if the woman actually was dead, and was nothing more than a puppet... A corpse puppet.
However, if there was a puppet here, that meant there should've been a Puppet Master nearby.
[Demon General of Puppetry is anxiously waiting for you to accept his blessing and become his Avatar...]
Another notification appeared before Raven, this time giving him some more information. It was as if he really was listening to the true thoughts of a Demon, thanks to his Bloodline.
'Become his Avatar?' Raven frowned. He couldn't remember anything related to it. None of this was told to him by the Guardian of the Bloodline Trial.
No matter what, he had no intention of taking the blind leap, especially not until he had enough information.
He didn't approach the strange floating doll in the distance. Instead, he started stepping back.
The Woman stepped before him, blocking her path. However, other than that, she didn't do anything. It was as if she had no strength to actually block him.
[The Demon General of Puppetry is getting Angry]
[The Demon General of Puppetry is thinking about Cursing you]
"Curse me?" Raven gazed at the beautiful sky above. "Be my guest."
At this point, he didn't care. He already had a perfect Bloodline for something like this!
The woman could only watch Raven leave with her lifeless eyes. However, before leaving, Raven didn't forget to memorize this location. He didn't know what this doll and the whole situation was; however, he had a feeling that this might be useful to him.
But before anything, he had to find the Beginner's Village and get his journey on track.
[The Demon General of Puppetry has cast a curse on you]
[The Curse has failed]
[The Demon General of Puppetry is astonished]
[The Demon General of Puppetry started paying more attention to you. He is determined to make you his Avatar]
"Keep trying... But I won't accept it, unless it can help me..." Raven's words were left behind, as he disappeared into the forest.
....
After walking in the forest for five straight days, Raven finally reached the end of the forest! Only he knew how he managed to cover this journey without losing hope.
There was not a single person that he came across inside the Forest, whom he could ask for directions! It was as if other than the Corpse Puppet, there was nothing else there.
Fortunately, there were enough edible fruits in the forest that kept him going. He also had some food that he brought in his storage from the Bloodline Trial.
After taking his first step outside the forest, he finally sighed in relief. However, it was only now that he was able to see the truly majestic sight before him!
The Sun and the Blood Moon in the sky appeared even more intimidating as he was outside the forest. However, another thing that grabbed his attention was the floating island up in the sky!
"That is... The Beginner's Village?!" he exclaimed, frowning.
The Floating Island was the only thing that was visible there! Other than that, there was no ground before him! There was only water... Water which was pitch black!
After walking for five consecutive days, he emerged from the forest only to be met with an unexpected sight - a vast expanse of pitch-black sea with no clear path ahead of him.
There was no way to get to the distant floating Island from this place!
He grabbed a nearby pebble and cast it into the water, curious to observe the reaction. The moment it hit the surface, a flurry of unidentified creatures erupted from the murky depths, aggressively vying for possession of the rock.
Within a few seconds, the strange creatures entered the black water, which made it impossible to see them.
"Perfect... Only monsters were lacking." Raven sarcastically commented, as he sat on the ground.
He took a moment to gather his thoughts and plan his next move.
He knew that he had to find a way to cross the dangerous water and reach the floating island. However, he couldn't fly. Even if he used his footsteps skill, he could only walk in the air for a short time, which was nowhere enough for him to reach the Floating Island.
As he was sitting on the ground, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around, seeing a familiar figure.
"You still haven't given up?" He asked as he stopped looking at the woman behind him. "I told you. I have no interest in becoming anyone's Avatar, especially not after seeing what happened to you. So you can leave."
The woman still didn't speak. She just walked next to Raven and sat down as well, gazing at the Floating Island.
"Is that really the Beginner's Village?" Raven asked.
In response, the woman nodded.
"Do you have a way that can help me get there?"
The woman gave another nod in agreement this time.
"You do?" Raven was momentarily stunned.
The woman once again nodded. She pointed in a certain direction, in which the doll was floating. After pointing in that direction, she pointed at the Floating Island.