Bizarre Realm-Chapter 143 - 6: Headshot! Slaying the Eye Demon!_3
——Giant Transformation Technique, Shrinking Technique, Disguise Technique, Greased Lightning.
The harvest in the Eye Demon Nest was even bigger than expected. It must have been dwelling here for a while. Shawn managed to find five or six Extraordinary Relics in one go and refined those he could. Having too many Curios equipped isn’t wise; it would reduce the upper limit of rationality. It’s better to refine them into one’s own Spell Ability. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
In the Bizarre Realm, it is best to equip only useful Curios. There’s no need to carry unnecessary items as they become a burden.
Shawn also found a Wooden Staff, not knowing which monster it belonged to.
——Entanglement Staff[Curio].
It can summon animated plants to entangle enemies. Judging by the look, it seems to be an Extraordinary Relic of the Path of Nature, likely used by a Caster of a Non-human Race from the forest.
Inside the nest, there was a pile of bones—humanoid, animal, and unidentified. There were all kinds.
Shawn discovered a tattered cloak, seemingly made from animal fur, destroyed by scorching rays. It should have been the Magic Staff owner’s clothing, who likely had been devoured by the Eye Demon.
"The injuries are quite severe."
"The Endless Wine left to me by the Butcher is almost gone." Shawn looked at the nearly empty Silver Wine Flask in his hand.
In Dorne City, he rarely enjoyed a drink once in three months, while here, he nearly finished a bottle in a day. If not for this Curio slowly restoring the Blood Wine, Shawn would have soon run out of means to recover his injuries. Without recovering Life Force, his combat power would plummet by more than half, and relying solely on his own natural healing would be excruciatingly slow.
Unless Shawn possessed an Extraordinary Constitution, in which case he could regenerate slowly.
Alternatively, he could find a Relic of a Giant, which could also provide some Regeneration Ability.
"Hmm?"
"What’s this?"
While rummaging through the Eye Demon Cave, Shawn unexpectedly found an extra Extraordinary Relic beneath a pile of bones. It was a withered hand, resembling the desiccated claw of some lizard.
——Swamp Sage’s Withered Hand[Curio].
An unexpected find?
Shawn attempted to let Knowledge identify it, but it failed. Lacking sufficient Mystical Knowledge, he could only cast a 1st-level Identification Skill to actively appraise it.
——"This Curio can cast a Druid’s ’Divine Berry Technique’ once a day, transforming some berries into fruits with Natural Power, restoring minor injuries." Knowledge was gloating.
Eh?
Shawn was surprised and delighted, but swiftly fell into a dilemma.
"Where can I find berries?"
"Would poisonous wild fruits work?"
This area is a swamp, and this Curio seems to require spell components, which Shawn couldn’t find in wild berry form for a while. Seeing that even the Eye Demon didn’t use this, one can deduce that finding any berries nearby is impossible, making the survival environment in the Bizarre Realm extremely harsh.
"If only I were in Dorne City, just buying some strawberries would do."
Survival materials in the Bizarre Realm are incredibly scarce. Shawn wandered nearby for a day and saw almost no fruit trees. Those surviving trees were twisted into bizarre forms; expecting wild fruits like snake berries or strawberries was futile. Around the swamp were some dark green eerie fruits that looked undoubtedly poisonous.
This Curio is useful, but he needs to find spell components first.
Shawn turned the Eye Demon Nest ups and downs again and found it truly empty this time. The Eye Demon should have killed a Transcendent from the Path of Nature.
"I’ll have to hold out until dawn."
Shawn rebounded the wounds and exhausted his recovery means, having still suffered injuries. Even though Magic Power consumption was minimal, he couldn’t continue taking risks. This area was under the Eye Demon’s domain, and having defeated the enemy, he at least secured a temporary stronghold.
The Eye Demon Nest carried a foul stench. Even with the Curio to endure the environment, Shawn felt somewhat unaccustomed.
"Maybe I’ve really stayed in the comfort of the real world for too long."
"Change! I must change!"
Shawn restored to full Magic Power after about four hours, but the injuries on his left arm hadn’t fully healed—perhaps, the Blood Wine fell short.
Around midnight.
There were some faintly strange noises in the endless wilderness outside. When Shawn looked into the darkness, he saw blurry black silhouettes of giants, projections from other Planes cast onto the Material Plane, resembling two-dimensional giant paper figures.
It is said they are the historical shadows of sages and heroes throughout human history, eventually twisted into their current form, yet they continue wandering the lands of the Bizarre Realm.
In most cases, they remain extremely dangerous.
These historical shadows are over a hundred meters tall, black giants with Legendary Level Power. They show no distinction between friend and foe, attacking humans and monsters alike until dawn when they gradually disappear with the rising sun.
There is only one situation where they temporarily return to normal, and that is when someday, under a rising Blood Moon, they transform into mighty red giants, regaining full clarity, suppressing and slaughtering all Bizarre beings nearby.
Initially, the Blood Moon was merely a disaster targeting humans, but with the advent of these giants’ shadows, it became a mutual disaster for humans and Bizarre beings.
No one can escape.
When the Blood Moon descends, weird creatures from other Planes will attack the Real Plane, while red giants will rise from history’s ruins, slaughtering all eerie presences they encounter, crushing even the Ancient Race with ease.
This appears to be humanity’s revenge on weird creatures, only the historical giants’ shadows mostly can’t discern friend from foe.
Humanity’s history is an epic of darkness until one day, the brief descent of the red giants breaks everything.
They may not change everything, but their existence is of supreme significance.
The Blood Moon era thus ends, with the Ancient Race no longer daring to wield the power of the Blood Moon lightly.
"Dawn is breaking!"
Shawn saw the distant gray mist dissipating, and the black silhouettes of the giants gradually faded away, re-immersing themselves in the ruins of history.
He had finally survived the first day!
.........
