Chapter 388 - 330: Witch! Demon

Chapter 388: Chapter 330: Witch! Demon

Zelir took another deep breath of the rich aroma before reluctantly closing the lid on the pot.

Now, all that was left to do was wait for the delicious meal.

The sun had already sunk behind the mountains.

Night fell like a deep, black velvet curtain, blanketing the vast and silent world of the mountain peaks.

Without the sunlight to illuminate them, the majestic, towering mountain ranges resembled silent statues, their silhouettes traced only by the faint starlight.

In the distance, the Ruined Castle had completely melted into the night, like a dark beast standing silently in wait.

An occasional flicker of fire would flash within it, making one wonder what was happening inside.

However, the mountain path leading to the Ancient Castle had not yet fallen completely silent.

From time to time, Adventurers carrying torches would make their way toward the camp.

They all looked utterly exhausted, their bodies covered in dust and blood.

But their eyes shone with excitement, and they dragged large sacks filled with loot behind them.

Clearly, they’d had a good haul.

Watching this scene, Zelir’s thoughts couldn’t help but drift.

’I wonder... what exactly is hidden inside that Ancient Castle?’

’The Guardian of the light barrier at the second-floor entrance was a Thorny Giant Beast.’

’So what about the third floor...? What kind of troublesome thing will be there?’

"Alright! It’s done!"

Gray’s excited voice came from behind, interrupting Zelir’s reverie.

He rubbed his hands together and lifted the pot’s lid.

"HSSSSSS..."

A huge cloud of white steam billowed out, and a rich aroma immediately wafted through the air.

Zelir felt his mouth begin to water.

Valles ladled out soup for everyone. The bowls were filled with large, tantalizing chunks of Minotaur Leg Meat.

It also contained carrots stewed until tender, adding a uniquely refreshing flavor.

He dipped his black bread into the broth, let it soak through, added a piece of beef, and took a bite.

It was pure bliss!

The wheaty fragrance of the bread, the rich flavor of the broth, the savory beef, and the sweet carrots—all the flavors exploded in his mouth at once!

A warmth spread from the tip of his tongue all the way to his stomach, filling him with a sense of blissful contentment.

This rich aroma also spread to the surrounding area.

The nearby Adventurer Squads, who were gnawing on black bread and dried meat, couldn’t help but look over.

Their Adam’s apples bobbed as their mouths began to water uncontrollably.

’Damn... we’re all out here adventuring, so how come they get to eat so well!’

...

Being inside the camp, they could relax their guard a little.

After all, official personnel from the Adventurer’s Association were stationed there.

So Marcus didn’t arrange a night watch, instead letting Gray and Valles get a good night’s sleep.

However, just to be safe, Zelir still set up a Whispering Barrier.

The night passed without incident.

「The next morning.」

The first rays of dawn pierced through the thin mist between the mountains.

The surrounding, continuous ridges of the cyan mountains were all edged with a layer of gold.

Everyone in the Marcus Squad was already awake.

After a simple breakfast, they began checking their equipment and making their final preparations to depart.

Hill was still in their wide robe, but who knew how many Hidden Weapons were concealed within it.

Valles’s quiver was divided by a partition. On one side were ordinary Arrows, and on the other were the more expensive Armor-Piercing Arrows tipped with Glazed Glass.

Gray was reluctantly stroking his Cloud Steel Sword.

Zelir also noticed that the plating on Marcus’s Shield had been replaced since the last time he saw it.

’The old one was probably shattered by the Thorny Giant Beast,’ he thought.

Once the squad finished their preparations, they set off.

As if to encourage the Adventurers’ exploration, there was a crude map posted at the camp’s entrance.

On it, the currently scouted areas and the still-unknown regions were drawn with crooked lines in different colors.

"This map is terribly drawn," Marcus couldn’t help but say.

"I agree... The Adventurer’s Association should hire you as their cartographer," Zelir chuckled softly.

The map at the camp entrance only used extremely simplistic lines to draw the general path toward the Ancient Castle.

Along the way, it was marked with vague information such as "Cliffs with falling rocks" and "Area with suspected Decayed patrols."

Then, once inside the Ancient Castle, it branched into several routes.

But the level of detail was practically zero; it was only enough for someone to get their general bearings.

Marcus traced his finger over the map before finally choosing a route.

"Let’s go. We’re moving out!"

The squad decided to travel to the Ancient Castle on foot. It wasn’t very far, so walking was fine.

Mounts were too conspicuous.

Not only would they easily give away their position, but if a fight broke out, the Land Birds might get injured or killed, and they’d lose their deposit.

They arrived at the stone bridge where they had turned back before.

The Decayed that had been wandering here last time were nowhere to be seen.

All that remained were some dark black stains on the ground and a few gaps left behind by violent destruction.

’They must have been taken care of by other Adventurers.’

They crossed the stone bridge and arrived at the entrance to the Ancient Castle.

Although it was called an Ancient Castle, it was more like a massive, open-air complex of buildings.

Unlike the enclosed structure of Rose Castle, beyond its main gate were all sorts of magnificent buildings.

A wide plaza, a towering bell tower, and splendid halls...

One after another, the buildings stood in rows—ruined, yet still possessing a majestic aura.

A broken obelisk jutted out from the center of the plaza, and a massive statue that should have been spouting water was now just a moss-covered pedestal with a fragmented torso.