Episode 412
Whoosh!
Zeke sprinted through the forest, glancing over his shoulder.
Three shadows were hot on his trail.
He pulled a dagger from his belt, channeling all his energy into it before hurling it at the shadows.
Thud!
The daggers hit their mark with precision.
Screeeech!
A beast, resembling a grotesque puppet, fell from a tree, a dagger lodged between its eyes, and rolled lifelessly on the ground.
Zeke spread his shadow, absorbing the fallen beasts.
Sizzle―
His depleted mental and physical strength were replenished, but he gained no new bloodline abilities.
“Even when I absorb bloodline abilities, most are useless, so I end up selling them. But now that I have none, I kind of miss them.”
Clicking his tongue, Zeke surveyed his surroundings. For days, he had been scouring the forest, searching for traces of the sealed Earth God.
The forest was vast and endless, making it impossible to explore every corner. He focused on peculiar spots Nigel had mentioned.
Some locations were from records left by Bahamut, while others were newly discovered during patrols.
As he roamed the forest, dealing with the pursuing beasts, he unknowingly accumulated a significant amount of karma.
“Let’s see. I’ve got 23,278 points.”
The forest was teeming with beasts and monsters, so even a little movement increased his karma.
“Since I’m here, I might as well rack up some more points.”
However, there was a limit to how much karma he could earn just by hunting monsters and beasts.
The stronger Zeke became, the fewer karma points he earned from hunting beasts.
In the past, even a goblin would net him 5 points, but now, even powerful beasts barely gave him 3 points.
Selling skills acquired from absorbed bloodline abilities was the only way to earn decent points.
But ancient or rare species, which offered bloodline abilities, were elusive and cunning, rarely showing themselves to someone as powerful as Zeke.
Zeke considered unlocking the next level of dragon skills.
“Unlocking the fifth level of dragon skills requires 8,000 points. With the 30% reduction from lifting the second-level restriction, that’s 5,600 points. I can unlock the fifth level and activate at least one skill.”
Since his training with the soul energy, his spiritual power had increased significantly, allowing him to use fourth-level skills.
Summoning dragon species still consumed a lot of energy, but it was manageable in battle.
The time had come to unlock the fifth level.
Zeke opened the system window to check his dragon skills.
Dragon Skills (4th Level Unlocked): Absorption (Proficient) / Word Magic (Expert) / Dragon’s Breath (Proficient) / Dragon Warrior (Proficient+) / Dragon Wings (Beginner) / Dragon Summoning (Beginner)
“Dragon skills don’t seem to improve as quickly as I’d like.”
Despite frequently using Dragon Wings, its proficiency remained at the beginner level.
There seemed to be other conditions for increasing proficiency.
After reviewing his dragon skills, Zeke made a decision.
“Alright, let’s unlock the fifth level.”
Using 5,600 points, he unlocked the fifth level of dragon skills, and a message appeared.
[Unlocking the fifth level of dragon skills.]
Zeke examined the newly unlocked fifth-level dragon skills.
―Dragon Skills Level 5―
Dragon’s Wisdom (Locked) / Polymorph (Locked)
Unlocking the sixth level requires 20,000 karma points.
“Dragon’s Wisdom and Polymorph?”
These skills were different from what he expected, so Zeke checked their details.
―Dragon Skill Descriptions―
Dragon’s Wisdom: Read karma data related to a contacted entity to gain hidden information. (Unlock requires 8,000 points)
Polymorph: Transform into the desired species. The required energy varies by species. (Unlock requires 7,500 points)
Zeke read the details of Dragon’s Wisdom carefully.
“I know what Polymorph is, having seen dragons use it. But acquiring karma data…?”
He recalled when he received the Eye of the Sage from the divine dragon Hermes but couldn’t use it due to lack of access to karma data.
“Not sure exactly what it is, but it seems like a crucial ability.”
Though it didn’t seem immediately useful in combat, it appeared essential for future battles.
After some thought, Zeke made up his mind.
“Let’s activate the ‘Dragon’s Wisdom’ skill first.”
He immediately spent the points to activate Dragon’s Wisdom.
“12,078 points left. I’ll think more about Polymorph later.”
Dragons used Polymorph to move freely without karma restrictions, but as a human, Zeke didn’t face such inconveniences. He hesitated to spend a large amount of karma to activate it.
Putting thoughts of Polymorph aside, Zeke pondered how to use the newly activated Dragon’s Wisdom skill.
“Hmm, let’s give it a try.”
Since it mentioned reading karma data of contacted entities, it didn’t necessarily have to be an intelligent being. Zeke placed his hand on a nearby tree and activated Dragon’s Wisdom.
Buzz!
A message appeared before Zeke’s eyes.
[Activating Dragon’s Wisdom skill.]
[Dragon senses integrated with the dragon body activate.]
[Accessing karma data of the area.]
Sizzle―
As Dragon’s Wisdom activated, a torrent of information flooded into Zeke’s mind.
“Ugh!”
It was the karma data of the ‘Forest of the Forgotten,’ transformed into information and pouring into Zeke’s mind.
Zeke finally understood what Dragon’s Wisdom was.
“It feels like my head might explode.”
Another message appeared.
[Partial access to karma data confirmed.]
[The Eye of the Sage activates, allowing search and selective viewing of the karma data.]
With the Eye of the Sage now active, Zeke could search and selectively view the vast karma data.
Using the Eye of the Sage, Zeke sifted through the karma data related to the ‘Forest of the Forgotten.’
“Filter information about the Earth God.”
As he thought, relevant information began to surface.
After absorbing the information, Zeke closed the skill.
Buzz―
His consciousness returned to his body.
“Ha!”
He took a moment to catch his breath, regaining his composure.
The sudden influx of information left him dizzy.
“So this is what Dragon’s Wisdom does.”
With this skill and the Eye of the Sage, he could uncover any information.
Of course, within the limits of what Zeke could process.
Even a brief access to karma data left a lasting impact.
“I only saw a tiny fraction of the data. If I were to access the entire dimension’s data, a human mind might not withstand it…”
Zeke was grateful to Hermes for granting him the Eye of the Sage.
Without this power, he would have been overwhelmed by the sea of information, unable to discern what was truly important.
Recalling the filtered information, Zeke pinpointed the likely location of the Earth God’s seal within the Forest of the Forgotten.
Comparing it with the locations Nigel had mentioned, he identified the most probable spot.
“The remnants of a giant tree at the forest’s center. That’s where the Earth God is sealed.”
With that thought, information about the path to the forest’s center surfaced in Zeke’s mind.
“The forest isn’t just an endless expanse. It’s a maze, with paths changing over time, making it seem that way.”
Thanks to the acquired area information, Zeke knew the way to the forest’s center.
Finding the location was no longer an issue.
Zeke gripped his sword and looked towards the unmarked path in the forest, then dashed forward.
A strong wind blew, rustling the trees.
“Is this it?”
After running through the pathless forest for a while, Zeke reached the center of the forest.
He pushed through the dense trees, advancing steadily.
Suddenly, the forest opened up, revealing a vast clearing with a giant, withered tree at its center.
Zeke sensed this was the place where the Earth God was sealed.
“There’s a faint dragon aura coming from over there.”
He descended into the clearing, heading towards the withered tree.
But then—
Rumble―
Something began to stir beneath the clearing.
“What is that?”
A chilling roar echoed from below, as if to deny entry to any intruder.
Zeke gazed at the massive creature enveloping the clearing.
“A beast?”
Though obscured by dust, he could tell something enormous and hostile lay beneath the ground.
Then—
Thud, thud, thud―
The ground beneath Zeke’s feet trembled, and something shot up from below.
Screeeech!
Snake-like tendrils with sharp teeth erupted from the ground, attempting to ensnare Zeke.
He leaped back, swinging his sword at the tendrils.
Slash!
With a swift motion, the tendrils were severed, green, viscous liquid spurting from the cut ends.
Sizzle―
The liquid was acidic, releasing smoke as it hit the ground.
Zeke recalled a similar encounter.
“It feels just like when I faced the swamp master in Dortha or battled the Hydra,” Zeke thought, gripping his sword tightly.
Perhaps a dragon corrupted by dark magic was guarding the seal of the earth god.
Zeke steadied his breath, readying himself. “This is the perfect chance to test the new power I’ve mastered.”
With determination, he summoned the strength of steel, feeling it envelop him like a protective armor.
The ground rumbled as Zeke charged toward the grove of trees. “Haaah!”
Suddenly, dozens of massive tentacles burst from the earth, their sharp teeth bared.
But as they struck Zeke, their teeth shattered against his body.
With a fierce cry, Zeke unleashed a radiant energy from his sword, sending white lightning crackling through the air.
The tentacles writhed in agony, turning to black ash as they burned away.
Zeke spread his dragon wings, gliding down into the basin, his body shielded by his iron will.
He advanced toward the tree, his sword crackling with light, incinerating any tentacles that dared to rise against him.
The air was filled with the screeches of the tentacles and the swirling ash.
As Zeke approached the withered tree at the center of the basin, the ground began to tremble.
Something massive was emerging from below.
Zeke aimed his sword at the rising monstrosity.
Then, a horrific scream erupted from deep within the earth, a sound so terrible it seemed impossible for any living creature to produce.
“What is that?” Zeke wondered, taken aback by the sight before him.
It was a grotesque mass, oozing with viscous fluid, towering like a fleshy pillar. Beneath it, legs reminiscent of centipedes and spiders supported the bulk, while hundreds of eyes were embedded within the flesh.
Slowly, one of the eyes, attached to a long tentacle, slithered out like a snake.
The sight alone was enough to fill Zeke with a sense of foreboding. He tightened his grip on his sword, Bahamut, and steadied his breath.
“Is it an aberration or an ancient beast?” he pondered, strategizing his next move against the formidable creature.
But before he could act, the creature made its move.
The surface of its fleshy body began to bubble, and amorphous clones started to ooze out.
These clones, with grotesque eyes and mouths filled with sharp teeth, sprouted spider-like legs.
With a chilling scream, they charged at Zeke with alarming speed.