Chapter 236: Strange Bugs [Bonus for the Gifts]

As soon as Magna followed Renna out of the tent, he faltered as a strong smell reached his nose.

It was a heavy metallic smell. If he had to name it, he would say blood.

The Underworld’s air was already heavy, dry, hot, and unpleasant, but at least it hadn’t smelled like this a few hours ago.

He wanted to ask Renna about it, but she was already hurrying ahead.

Figuring he would find out eventually, he followed her.

The 40 Witches and Shadows from the attack and defense units had already gathered to wait for them. The others, they soon learned, were at the farms trying to put out the fires that had suddenly started.

Renna looked over the group before turning to the Witch responsible for reports. "Do we still have any scouts outside?"

Shadows were always assigned to patrol the surrounding area, watching for threats so they could warn the camp before anything got too close.

Despite her order for everyone to gather, Renna could see that 1 person was still missing, even after accounting for those at the farms.

"There were 2 scouts, one to the north and one to the south," the Witch explained. "The southern scout returned a little while ago, but we haven’t heard from the northern one yet."

Renna frowned at that. There weren’t many reasons for him not to return, and the most likely was that something had happened during his patrol.

"Send someone north to check. Tell them not to get too close to anything dangerous. Just look from a distance and come back."

The Witch nodded, about to choose a few Shadow for the task, when Magna interrupted.

"How about I go? I’ll be faster than anyone else."

He had already been looking for a chance to leave camp and explore, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

But that wasn’t his only reason. He was worried about the missing Shadow too, someone he had met and played with not long ago.

The thought of someone who he recently met and became friends with dying somewhere out would really sadden him.

Renna turned toward Magna with a reluctant look. She really didn’t want to send him.

He was certainly the strongest person in camp, but he was still inexperienced. Sending him out risked letting him throw himself into danger again, something he seemed to do regularly, almost as a hobby.

Still, someone needed to find the scout, and with the situation growing urgent, she reluctantly nodded.

"Okay. But like I said, if you see anything dangerous, come straight back." Her tone made it an order, though her voice softened as she added, "Please."

Magna laughed to reassure her. "Don’t worry. What’s the worst that could happen? I lose my underwear too?" Before she could change her mind, he turned, bent his legs, and jumped into the sky.

Watching him leave just like that, Renna chuckled despite the fear and unease that remained.

If the problem was what she suspected, she could only hope he would come back without letting his curiosity lead him into danger.

—

"The smell is getting stronger." As Magna slowly fell from the sky, he looked down at the ash-covered ground and hills below.

The farther north he traveled from camp, the stronger the smell of blood became.

He hadn’t had a chance to ask Renna about it, but their earlier conversations had given him a good idea of what might be causing it.

When he first heard the name Bleeding Desolation, he had been surprised enough to ask about it.

The Devoring Desolation got its name from devouring everything around it. Even its aura consumed water and other liquids.

That had made him wonder whether the Bleeding Desolation actually bled.

Surprisingly, the answer was yes.

Apparently, its body was made of a bloodlike liquid that constantly bled from it, though this was no ordinary blood.

It burned whatever it touched like a toxic substance. Its aura had a similar effect over a much wider area, which was why so much of the land was covered in ash.

Just as the Devoring Desolation’s aura dried up water, the Bleeding Desolation’s aura burned everything around it, including the soil itself. The effect was far stronger too, constantly turning the land across a wide area into ash.

That explained Renna’s reaction to the news about the farms. If the Bleeding Desolation was moving toward them, its aura could reach their land before the creature itself arrived.

The crops suddenly catching fire suggested it was already close enough, while the smell of blood gave Magna another reason to believe that was what had happened.

After landing and jumping forward a few more times, he reached a place where the smell had become almost overwhelming.

It wasn’t just the smell anymore. The air felt so thick that it almost seemed solid, making him feel as though his whole body were swimming through blood.

The ground below had changed too. Completely black ash covered everything, without even a trace of gray left. Wherever he looked, the land seemed scorched.

He hadn’t even seen the creature yet, but the damage around him was enough to show how dangerous it was.

After landing, Magna jumped forward again, continuing to search the ground for the missing Shadow. This time, his eyes caught something other than ash.

’Huh, I know those...’

Many plump worms were gathered below, each a little larger than his head, their backs covered in completely black shells.

He recognized them as the same worms he had seen years ago, the ones the Stonemen used to eat.

Back then, Magna hadn’t wanted to taste them even when he was hungry, not because of how they looked, but because their blood seemed toxic and corrosive.

Apparently, these bugs had managed to survive even after the Stonemen died out.

It wasn’t hard to guess now that these worms had some connection to the Bleeding Desolation.

’Maybe they’re its children, just like the Stonemen were children of the Devoring Desolation?’ he wondered, though these worms didn’t seem sentient like the Stonemen. They looked more like mindless insects.

What puzzled him was why so many were gathered in one place, piled together into a small mound.

He headed toward them but kept some distance in case they were dangerous, landing where he could get a better look.

Their long, thin legs were moving constantly, so they were clearly alive.

Only when he moved a little closer did he realize they weren’t simply piled together. They were actually gathered over something.

He frowned as he recognized what lay beneath them, then approached with quick steps.

Activating his intimidating aura, he called out in a threatening voice. "Get lost, you ugly bugs."

He wasn’t sure whether his trait would work on bugs, but fortunately, it did.

Their bodies went stiff for a second before they scattered, digging into the ash and quickly disappearing beneath the ground.

With the worms gone, he could finally see what they had been covering.

Or rather, what was left of it.

A suit of dark red armor lay there with its helmet, empty except for a few pieces of bone.

Magna gritted his teeth as the name of a once-familiar face escaped through them. "Reinulf."