The map before their eyes had completely changed.
The previously scattered, chaotic points of light were gone.
In their place now was a terrifying pattern so clear it sent chills down the spine.
Points of the same color formed concentric circles, centered around the vast, unknown region of the Endless Forest. Different colored points formed rings of different hues, but together, they created a series of concentric circles!
At the very center were the gray points representing six years ago, clustered tightly along the edge of the Endless Forest.
Further out was a sparser ring of yellow points, marking four or five years ago—a larger circle.
Beyond that, orange rings representing two or three years ago stretched over nearly half the Kingdom’s territory.
At the outermost edge, several blood-red points—Oak Town and the Royal Capital among them—lay at the forefront of this massive ripple of Death.
“This isn’t a curse, nor is it random.”
Lin En’s icy voice rang out in the silent tent, shattering the two people’s previous understanding like an iron hammer.
“This is a diffusion source. A source of Death deep within the Endless Forest, spreading outward year after year for who knows how long. What we’re seeing aren’t random points, but the borders reached by its spread in different years.”
Elaine trembled all over.
He reached out, wanting to touch the map, but hesitated.
It wasn’t fear—it was excitement!
For the first time, the Cursed Plague that had tormented the Kingdom for years and left the Royal Family helpless had been seen for what it truly was.
“The center of these rings… deep in the forest…”
He murmured, suddenly remembering something.
With trembling hands, he pulled out an even older Map, meticulously preserved on special Beastskin.
The edges were worn, but the lines remained clear.
“Hall of Life…”
Elaine’s voice trembled.
“According to secrets passed down through the Royal Family, its location is…”
His hand shook as he placed the ancient Beastskin Map over the Rings of Death Lin En had just drawn.
In the next moment, it was as if the air in the tent had been sucked away.
On the two Maps, the ultimate coordinates—each representing a different legend—matched perfectly.
The sacred place of Life from legend and the Source of Decay Lin En had deduced both pointed to the same spot.
“How is this possible…?”
Fiona asked in disbelief, terror and confusion etched on her beautiful face.
“The place that gives Life… why would it become the source that devours Life?”
The excitement drained from Elaine’s face, replaced by a deep, cold heaviness and confusion.
“What happened? Did the Temple fall, claimed by evil? Or… was the legend itself a lie from the very beginning?”
Lin En’s gaze was like a sharp blade, fixed on the overlapping point on the Map.
“No matter what it was before,”
His voice was soft, yet carried unshakable resolve.
“Now, it’s our target.”
He turned, looking at the two who were shaken by the truth.
“We’re seeking not just salvation—”
“But the truth as well!”
The days that followed brought a strange change to their journey.
After Lin En revealed the truth, the team’s purpose became clearer than ever.
No longer did they grope forward relying on Elaine’s experience.
Instead, they followed the invisible ring of Death marked on the Map, heading straight toward the center deep in the forest.
But the dangers they’d expected didn’t appear.
There were no Magical Beast ambushes, no deadly plant traps, not even a trace of the Twisted Beings once corrupted by magic that used to roam these woods.
The entire forest had fallen into a dead silence—an eerie, bone-chilling stillness.
Even the rustle of wind through the leaves sounded sharp and harsh.
“Something’s wrong,”
Fiona said quietly, gripping her sword and scanning their surroundings.
“It’s too quiet. It’s like the forest is making way for us.”
Elaine’s brow furrowed tightly.
He’d rather face a dozen Magical Beasts than walk this path, which felt so deliberately cleared.
It was like prey treading the path set by a hunter, leading to the final trap.
Only Lin En remained calm.
As they walked, he observed everything around them, as if searching for something.
After two days of strangely smooth progress, they arrived at a place no human had ever explored.
Before them, the scenery opened up.
They stepped out of the dense woods into a vast valley ringed by mountains.
And at the center of the valley, a grand yet ruined cluster of buildings stood tall.
It was a city of ivory-like white stone.
Countless slender spires reached toward the sky—most broken now, yet still elegant.
Intricate carvings adorned the walls; even eroded by time and moss, the artistry remained breathtaking.
Sunlight filtered through the trees, draping the ruins in a holy, sorrowful glow.
“Elves… This is an Ancient Elven Ruin.”
Elaine stared in awe, whispering.
Fiona’s eyes widened, overcome by the beauty beyond human imagination.
“I’ve only seen them described in ancient texts from the Royal Capital,”
Elaine said, filled with emotion.
“It’s said these structures weren’t built with brick or stone, but grown by ancient Elves using magic, as if the rocks were plants.”
The nobles of the Royal Capital are obsessed with Elven Artifacts.
Sometimes a Mercenary Company or adventurer risks death at the forest’s edge to retrieve a single Elven artifact—even a small hairpin or carved stone slab fetches a fortune at auction.
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the silent, seemingly forgotten ruins.
“But those items are all incredibly ancient—relics from a previous era.”
According to all records in the Kingdom, no one has seen a living Elf for over a thousand years.
They, too, may have become dust in history, like these ruins.
Yet while Elaine and Fiona were lost in the weight and sadness of history, Lin En—silent all this time—suddenly stopped.
He paid no attention to the majestic spires or exquisite carvings.
Instead, he crouched beside a fallen stone arch and pointed to a spot on the ground.
“Sir Elaine,”
Lin En’s voice was quiet, yet it made Elaine and Fiona’s hearts sink.
“You said this place has been forgotten for a thousand years?”
Lin En’s fingers pinched a bit of gray-white powder, his gaze sharp as a blade.
“Then can you explain this freshly-cut stone dust?”
Elaine’s pupils shrank.
He and Fiona exchanged a horrified look, instantly understanding Lin En’s meaning.
A ruin of millennia, yet with fresh stone debris—there could be only one explanation.
Someone had been here recently!
“Watch out! There’s a tra—”
Fiona’s warning hadn’t even finished when a crisp “click” sounded beneath their feet!
This wasn’t magic—it was a mechanical trap of exquisite precision!
Boom—!
The ground beneath them flipped downwards, revealing a pit lined with jagged stone spikes!
“Hold on!”
Fiona roared, bursting with energy, planting herself on the edge of the turning stone slab.
But the real danger came from all directions!
Fwoosh fwoosh fwoosh fwoosh—
Almost simultaneously, concealed firing slots in the collapsed walls and stone pillars opened.
Poisoned crossbow bolts, like a swarm of Death, screeched through the air from all sides, sealing off any escape!
“Shields!!”
Barret bellowed, reacting like lightning.
He lunged forward, slamming his massive tower shield to the ground.
With a resounding clang, it formed an unbreakable steel barrier, shielding Lin En.
Bolts clanged off the shield in rapid succession, but not one could pierce it.
The Thorn Guard showed their elite training, instantly forming a tight shield wall around Elaine and Fiona, the clang of metal echoing.
But all this chaos was just a cover for the real killing blow!
In the instant everyone’s attention was drawn to the trap and arrows, a slender shadow slipped from behind a stone pillar like smoke.
She made no sound.
Her movements were so smooth they seemed unreal.
In a heartbeat, she bypassed Barret’s defense, appearing behind Lin En.
A gray dagger, dull and without a trace of magical aura, instead radiated a dark energy—an Anti-Magic Weapon—stabbed straight for Lin En’s back!
Beneath her hood was a face of cold, dark beauty.
Silver hair shimmered like frozen moonlight, her obsidian eyes filled only with lethal focus.
Before an Anti-Magic Weapon, no magical shield could stand.
Shhh—!
A faint, clear sound like a hot knife slicing through butter rang out.
The dagger’s Anti-Magic force tore through Lin En’s invisible outer energy barrier, composed of countless hexagons.
The Assassin’s lips curled in triumph.
But in the next instant, her smile froze.
As the dagger pierced the outer defense, the viscous liquid flame of the Honeycomb Bulwark’s inner layer erupted!
Boom!!!!
A blast of destruction followed the dagger’s path, detonating in the Assassin’s body!
She grunted, blood spraying from her mouth and nose as she was hurled backward, tumbling through the air in a chaotic arc.
Her hood fell, revealing a stunning face and pointed ears.
“Dark Elf!”
Fiona shouted, slicing through a net that had shot from the side.
The Dark Elf, blasted away, twisted in midair, trying to melt into the shadows.
But Lin En simply turned, reaching into the void.
“Wind of Stagnation.”
An invisible force seized her!
Her body was suddenly crushed, as if she’d been hurled into the deep ocean!
Unstoppable pressure assaulted her from all sides, bones and organs straining.
She couldn’t even breathe.
Her flight halted, and she was dragged from midair, slammed to the ground before Lin En.
The Wind of Stagnation bound her so tightly, she couldn’t move a finger.
Lin En’s gaze swept the surroundings.
His mental radar sensed countless lurking eyes.
These Assassins were too skilled at concealment to lock onto.
“Hmph!”
Lin En snorted.
From the core of his being, a wave of spirit power exploded forth.
There was no thunderous roar—just a silent ripple spreading from him through the ruins.
A wide-range Wind of Stagnation!
It was as if the battlefield had been flooded with molten mercury.
From all directions, overwhelming pressure froze the air itself, locking everything in place!
Barret, still blocking bolts, felt his body seized, unable to breathe.
Elaine and Fiona’s attacks froze mid-strike, held motionless.
The sensation was familiar—the basic magic Lin En had used when they first met.
Wind of Stagnation.
Everyone present—including the Thorn Guard and Barret’s mercenaries—felt as if a giant hand was crushing their chests, their limbs pinned.
And in that instant, several shadows—previously empty—materialized into a dozen Dark Elf Assassins, weapons drawn or arrows nocked.
All of them were immobilized by the Wind of Stagnation.
Objective achieved.
With a thought, Lin En released the Wind of Stagnation from Elaine, Fiona, and Barret.
They gasped, filling their lungs as movement returned.
But the dozen Dark Elf Assassins, and the one who led them, remained tightly bound, unable to move.
This precise control over wide-range magic left Elaine in awe.
Lin En turned his attention to the Dark Elf Assassin—ready to finish the greatest threat.
At that moment—
A clear, urgent, and ethereal female voice rang out from the depths of the ruins, echoing across the battlefield:
“Stop! Please don’t harm my people!”