Transmigrated to a Dark Fantasy World of SSS-Rank: King of the Void-Chapter 74: The Land of Ash [13]
After everyone returned to sleep, exhausted from the battle against the specters, Mitsuki remained staring at the campfire’s flame while seriously thinking about what had just happened. If the memories were going to keep coming every time he interacted with something in this place, then he needed to be prepared for whatever came next.
All the information he gained from those memories was extremely important, but having it also meant understanding many things about what had happened during the catastrophe of the Mystery of Cinder.
Putting together everything he had so far, it seemed that Arthur had been a person deeply loved by the people of this town. Maybe it was the same across the rest of the kingdom, but there were many layers to this mystery. Going back a bit, Mitsuki had seen Arthur present on the day the ash spread across the Land of Nemoria. The Master of Cinder—once human—had also been there, but his face was blurred, making it impossible to recognize him.
Trying to reconstruct events with so little information wasn’t viable, but at least Mitsuki was making an effort to understand the world he was in.
On the other hand, that ash-haired man resonated with the rest of his memories. Knowing that every life carries a story, that man’s must have been incredible. It was enough to remember the way he fought and the power he displayed against Marco to get a glimpse of his past.
Maybe he had been some kind of mercenary or assassin, since his movements showed a deep connection with shadows and stealth. Besides, the name the system showed when he defeated him was "Lover of Flowers Among Blood." That surely had something important behind it, but without more clues, there was nothing he could do.
Mitsuki wrapped himself in the blanket and looked up at the stars.
’I’m not Sherlock when it comes to solving mysteries of this level, but I know I have the knowledge to do it. I mean, I’ve solved plenty of complicated puzzles in video games with barely any clues, so the more I progress, the more the story will write and organize itself in my mind.’
He stared into the void, thinking about the system.
’Well, I’ll stop thinking about that for now. There are things I need to check.’
[ You have obtained rewards. ]
[ You have obtained the skill "Ash Propulsion."
Description: Spend a small amount of mana to propel yourself in any direction, transforming your body into ash for a fraction of a second. ]
Mitsuki was left speechless. He almost jumped to his feet shouting, ’What the hell is this?! This is the best skill I’ve gotten!’ but held himself back, covering his mouth with both hands as his heart burst with excitement.
In video games—especially those involving combat mechanics—there’s always a mechanic where the character dodges and becomes temporarily intangible, negating all incoming damage. This skill practically did the same thing.
’Wait, wait, wait... Can this skill be spammed? Because if it can...’ His combat level would increase exponentially based on his prior gaming experience. ’This could be a huge acquisition. I need to practice right now...’
To hell with sleep! What Mitsuki wanted was to exploit this skill as much as possible; however, there was still more to check. Calming himself, he moved on to the next section of the system.
[ You have obtained the "Bloodflower Daggers."
Description: Is the killer who waters the flowers a monster? Is the blood spilled among the petals to blame for everything? Is the heart of a brave one necessary to triumph? ]
’This description...’ It felt like it was tied to the specter’s backstory. ’There must be something I can do with this, but for now I don’t want to think about it.’
He moved on to the next section.
[ You have obtained the title "Lover of Flowers Among Blood."
Description: Blood may decorate the beautiful field of flowers where they all watched you bring countless stories to an end. It will keep spilling forever, telling your forgotten story to those you once loved. ]
’Interesting title, but it seems like simple decoration, since it doesn’t include any passive skill like Prince of Misfortune or King of the Void. Next—’
He tried to see what other rewards there were, but there was one small problem—that was all. That disappointed Mitsuki immensely.
’What? That’s it?! That bastard was really strong and still had nothing else?! What kind of trash drops are these?!’
Holding himself back from punching the ground, he calmed down, brushing the hair that covered his eyes aside. Then he focused on what truly mattered—the new skill he had obtained.
Clearly, he had taken this skill from the Lover of Flowers Among Blood when he defeated it. What was strange was that he hadn’t obtained anything from the two small statues of the girls. Maybe, being such low-rank creatures, the chances of them dropping anything were minimal. Though disappointing, sometimes you simply got nothing.
’I’m asking for too much, I guess,’ he thought, relaxing. ’I already have skills I can use to defend myself, but it’s not enough if I end up facing beings like the Master of Cinder. If there’s a chance to obtain more of these by defeating enemies, then I should start planning a full-on farming day.’
He smiled faintly. So many intense emotions were a bit much for him, but the joy of leveling up was always welcome.
’I could go practice right now, but we’re continuing the journey tomorrow, so I need to save my energy. I don’t want to pass out halfway there.’
With that in mind, he drifted into the realm of dreams as he waited for dawn. When the sun rose, waking everyone, they resumed their journey right after having bread and water for breakfast. They traveled along the road on the outskirts of the village, now aiming to go around the forest to reach the next town. Treasures awaited—there was no time to waste.
"Damn, my back hurts," Azel complained.
Mitsuki looked at the road with an understanding expression.
’Mine too. Sleeping on the ground is not good at all. I’ll probably end up with a crooked back by the time this journey is over.’
That wouldn’t be the only problem. Hours later, when they thought they had gone around the first stretch between the tall trees on the forest’s outskirts, a screech put everyone on alert.
Startled, Mitsuki summoned Igor, hoping he wouldn’t die.
’Won’t this place ever give us a break?’
In Nemoria—the very Land of Ash—no one rests in peace...
