VOLUME 15: CHAPTER 19

VOLUME 15: CHAPTER 19

“Please lift your head, Gaorux.”

Lark knew it must have been difficult for the Beast King to lower his head like this, especially to a human he considered an equal.

Considering the Beast King’s pride, the next few days after this would probably become awkward.

The Beast King lifted his head, suppressing a sigh. He lightly shook his head in dismay. “I’ve shown another shameful side.”

“There’s nothing shameful in what you did,” reassured Lark. “It’s normal for friends to ask each other for help in times of need.”

“…You.”

The Beast King stared at Lark for several seconds, as though he couldn’t believe the words he’d just heard. For the strongest beastman in the United Grakas Alliance, it must have been incredibly rare for someone to outright call him a friend.

Although Vaungur was close to him, he was his right-hand man, and their relationship was more akin to that of a master-vassal.

The Beast King was surrounded by numerous people loyal to him, but there was really no one he could truly call a friend—an equal.

“A friend, huh…,” muttered the Beast King.

Lark teased, “Why, you don’t like it?”

“That’s not it,” the Beast King faked a cough in embarrassment. “I’m… just not used to it.”

Due to the Beast King’s complexion, his flushed face was easily noticeable. It was amazing that someone as ferocious-looking as him could blush like a little girl.

“Hahaha! You should look at yourself in the mirror!” laughed Lark.
The Beast King protested in a growling voice, “T-That! I always look like this!”

Lark felt like teasing him more but decided to restrain himself—maybe he’d do it next time.

For now, they had an urgent topic to discuss.

Lark asked the Beast King to expound more on the current predicament of the United Grakas Alliance. Specifically, he asked for more details about the sudden surge of monsters crossing over the Iron Mountains from the Wasteland.

The Beast King readily agreed and asked his subordinates to bring out a map of the southern part of the continent.

Although the beastmen seemed proud of the map they brought out, Lark had seen the map created by the Empire before, and that one was more detailed and reliable.

The beastmen would probably feel dejected if they learned that the Empire had mapped even parts of the Wasteland, which was located far south of the United Grakas Alliance.

Still, although the beastmen’s map was crude, it contained all the necessary information Lark would need during his investigation.

“My friend,” said the Beast King self-consciously. “Kuhum… Lark. I know I asked you to help defend our nation against the Wasteland monsters, but I didn’t mean that you should annihilate all of them.”

Lark attentively listened as the Beast King continued.

“The Wasteland is vast, and even I don’t know where it ends. There could easily be more than a million monsters living in it, and killing them all would be impossible even for someone like you.”

Lark understood what the Beast King was trying to say. He said, “You want me to inflict just enough damage so that they wouldn’t dare think of crossing over the Iron Mountains again.”

“Yes,” nodded the Beast King. “That’s correct…”

The Beast King stared at the map, particularly at the region beyond the Iron Mountains.

“…Although I don’t know how we’re going to achieve that,” the Beast King added.

Lark studied the map together with the White Lion. After several minutes, he decided it would be better to see the situation for himself.

Although the gathered reports gave them a hint, there would surely be several things they’d missed.

“Gaorux, give me a few days’ worth of provisions,” said Lark. “I’ll go out and visit the Iron Mountains and the Wasteland.”

The Beast King seemed to have already expected this. He readily complied. “Alright. We hunted a bihorned landshark recently. Its meat doesn’t smell or spoil easily. I’ll ask my men to give you a large chunk of its meat.”

“You’re eating monster flesh?” said Lark.

“I know. Normally, they taste nasty, and some are even outright poisonous,” said the Beast King. “But don’t worry, bihorned landsharks are one of the exceptions.”

“Bihorned landsharks,” Lark’s curiosity was piqued. “Thank you, Gaorux. I’ll look forward to it.”

“What’s there to thank me for?” said the Beast King wryly. “If only we were stronger, we wouldn’t need to bother you with something this trivial. The least we could do is provide you with proper supplies for your journey to the Wasteland.”

“It’s not trivial,” said Lark gently. “This matter concerns the lives of those living in the United Grakas Alliance.”

“You…,” the Beast King sighed, “You’re really…”

The Beast King didn’t have anything to say in reply.

He also believed this wasn’t a trivial matter, but his last bit of pride wouldn’t let him admit that the Talverton Stronghold was currently hanging by a thread.

The Beast King inwardly rebuked himself for letting his emotions get in the way of his nation’s survival again.

The Beast King slapped his face violently several times.

Pak!

Pak!

“Hooooh… there, I’ve come to my damn senses! Listen, Lark! Since you’ve asked for provisions, I’ll make sure that you’ll receive only the finest ones!”

Lark would have been honestly fine even with just jerky and a few water flasks, but seeing the Beast King pumped up, he decided to let him go all out.

Lark smiled. “Then, I’ll look forward to what you’ll prepare for me, Gaorux.”

The Beast King laughed out loud. “Hahahaha! Of course!”

***

Three hours later, the Beast King handed Lark a massive bag made of monster leather. It was densely packed with supplies such as food, water, medicine, bandages, an elixir, a compass, and a copy of the map of the southern continent, including the charted parts of the Wasteland.

Maps were considered strategic assets of a kingdom. Lark appreciated how the Beast King handed one to him just like that.

“We’ve packed several days’ worth of rations in there as you requested, including bihorned landshark meat,” said the Beast King proudly. “In case of an emergency, feel free to use the elixir. It’s the best one there is, and it should be capable of healing even the gravest wounds. Although I’m not sure you’ll really need it since you already have that potion. As for the bag, it’s made of black ogre hide. It’s impervious to most normal attacks. It’s really tough. So, you won’t need to worry about it suddenly ripping during a fight.”

At first, Lark was expecting the beastmen to provide him with an excessively large bag for his travel. Thankfully, even the Beast King wasn’t senseless when it came to such things.

The provisions they had prepared for him were just right, with only around two to three days’ worth of excess supplies.

“Thank you, Gaorux,” said Lark. “It must have been hard preparing all of these.”

“Not at all,” said the Beast King. “Lark, are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?”

The Beast King really wanted to accompany him to the Wasteland.

Although he wasn’t capable of mass destruction like Lark Marcus, the Beast King was confident that he wouldn’t be deadweight during the journey. Moreover, he was the beastman who had contributed the most to mapping the known parts of the Wasteland. The Beast King was confident that no one in the entire United Grakas Alliance knew the Wasteland as well as he did.

“I prefer to move on my own,” said Lark.

The Beast King sighed. “Fine. I won’t insist anymore if that’s your decision. But remember, please don’t push yourself too hard. The Wasteland is ruthless. Even if it’s you, there’s no assurance that you’ll come back unscathed. So be careful, my friend.”

After Lark openly stated that the two of them were friends, the Beast King’s voice had become a lot softer than before.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Once his preparations were done, Lark decided to set off for the Iron Mountains and the Wasteland.

The adamantite cubes floating behind him—now numbering four instead of two—started lightly glowing. At the same time, Lark’s body hovered up along with the bag prepared for him by the Beast King.

Lark flew up and shot toward the direction of the Iron Mountains.

***

It didn’t take long before Lark reached the Iron Mountain Range.

Due to the spell he had cast before, the peaks of the mountain range had been flattened, and some of them had formed massive crevices through which monsters passed.

‘So, that’s the path the monsters are taking.’

From above, he could see the creatures moving like ants below.

There were only a little over a dozen monsters aimlessly passing through the crevices, but Lark deemed it necessary to slaughter them now before they reached Talverton Stronghold.

With a will, the adamantite cubes around him split into smaller pieces, spun in place, then shot toward the monsters passing through the crevice.

The adamantite cubes pierced their heads like hot knives cutting through butter.

“Graaah!”

“Groooaahhh!”

Witnessing the deaths of their kin, the monsters growled and roared in a panic.

By the time they realized the attacks were coming from the human flying above, it was already too late.

A large monster, which looked like a mixture of a frog and a monkey, managed to withstand several blows from the adamantite cubes.

Still, in the end, it fell after being struck dozens of times on the chest and head. It slumped to the ground, forming a large pool of blood.

The adamantite cubes returned to their previous spots near Lark. They spun in place, shaking off the blood clinging to their bodies, before recombining into their original forms.

“One, two, three…”

Lark started counting the crevices and holes in the mountain range that the monsters used as pathways toward Talverton Stronghold.

“…Eleven. No wonder hordes after hordes of Wasteland monsters have been attacking the United Grakas Alliance.”

Numerous pathways, which didn’t exist before the demon army’s invasion, had opened in the mountains.

“I should close them.”

Lark waved his hand, and using earth magic, started sealing the crevices and holes in the Iron Mountains.
Securing these passageways was far better than mindlessly killing the Wasteland monsters.

Like the Beast King had said, the monsters of the Wasteland were endless.

The best thing Lark could do to prevent them from attacking Talverton was to stop them from reaching that place.

After closing the gaps, Lark started pondering how he should best address the flattened peaks of the mountain range. At the very least, he should make it hard for the monsters to cross this range.

“It’ll take quite a bit of mana, but there’s a way around this.”

In the end, Lark decided to brute-force his way through the problem.

Now that he had successfully modified his left arm, mana was no longer an issue like before.

Lark flew to the side of the mountain range facing the Wasteland.

“I’ll use this chance to practice for a bit.”

Instead of utilizing the Sword of Morpheus, Lark decided to use the maginus of his previous disciple instead.

Lark activated the runes on the maginus, suppressing all forms of magic within a massive radius.

As expected, even Lark found it hard to command mana without the Sword of Morpheus turning into armor and covering his body.

The moment he activated the maginus, Lark even momentarily lost his flight spell.

Still, despite the struggle, Lark was determined to take the more arduous path.

He had almost died when he fought the clone of the Demon Lord Barkuvara despite using the maginus. If he fought the real body, even with his modified left arm, there was no guarantee of victory.

Since there were no enemies nearby, he decided to practice using the maginus without relying on the Sword of Morpheus to suppress the glaive’s effects.

“A long, deep ravine.”

Lark channeled colossal amounts of mana into the maginus.

“Time to test it.”

He had wanted to try imitating it before, but he didn’t really have the opportunity or resources.

The blade rifts of the Demon Lord Barkuvara.

Although what Lark was doing was merely an imitation, it should be enough to create a ravine that would prevent the Wasteland monsters from crossing the Iron Mountain Range.

After infusing tremendous amounts of mana into the maginus’ blade, Lark held it up high and, with earth-shattering force, slashed toward the ground.

The blade that shot down was a poorly imitated version of the Demon Lord Barkuvara’s, but it contained excessive mana that more than made up for its lackluster form.

The rift blade imitation struck the ground.

The earth wailed and trembled as a massive ravine half a kilometer long formed in the ground. Clouds of dust flew up, shrouding the seemingly bottomless crack that had been artificially created by Lark.

Lark waited for the dust to clear. Upon seeing the ravine he had created, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed by the result.

It would definitely look impressive from a bystander’s point of view. But as the one who had performed the rift blade, Lark knew he hadn’t managed to bring out even a third of its full potential.

If it had been the Demon Lord Barkuvara who performed that slash, he would have used far less mana and effort.

Well, the constant interference of the maginus also played a key role in the subpar performance, but Lark had already taken that into consideration.

He had no intention of blaming the blade for the inadequacies of the user.

“Let’s try while wearing Morpheus as armor.”

Lark willed the bracer on his hand to change form, turning into armor that covered his entire body.

Immediately, Lark felt the interference from the maginus vanish completely. Like a drowning man who had suddenly gasped for air, Lark felt free.

“Again.”

Lark flew to the end of the ravine and performed the same slash as before. He infused the same amount of mana as in the previous attack.

And as expected, the performance this time was several times more powerful.

This time, instead of half a kilometer, the ravine formed by his attack was two kilometers long. It was also several meters deeper and wider than before.

Of course, compared to the rift blades of the Demon Lord Barkuvara, which were capable of cutting through space itself, the attack performed by Lark was nothing but an imitation.

“It’s inefficient even with the help of Morpheus.”

That was the conclusion he reached after his test.

If he had used magic, he would have created a larger ravine by now with less effort and mana consumption.

In the end, Lark deactivated the maginus.

The Sword of Morpheus turned into a staff, and using it as a medium, Lark cast dozens of spells at once.

Eight-Tier Magic: Earth Sundering Cry

Although it was a middle-tier spell, it was commonly used as a utility magic rather than an offensive one.

Using Earth Sundering Cry, chunks of earth were blown up one after another, forming deep pits that expanded like cracks, creating a ravine far deeper than the one formed by his blade attacks.

Lark spammed Earth Sundering Cry as he flew along the length of the Iron Mountains, creating an artificial border that would prevent monsters from passing through.

He did this for nearly two days, resting for a couple of hours now and then.

“It’s done. Finally.”

Eventually, he finished creating the artificial ravine that encompassed the entire Iron Mountain Range.

It wasn’t perfect, and some monsters might still be able to cross it, but it was better than nothing.

With the closure of the holes and crevices, in addition to the ravine, the number of Wasteland monsters reaching Talverton Stronghold should be far fewer.

After admiring his work of the past few days, Lark decided it was time to investigate the Wasteland.

Without looking back, he flew further south.

For the first time, Lark finally saw what the Wasteland looked like.

It was a vast, desolate expanse where no crop dared sprout, no river flowed, and no birds sang.

Although there were few recorded histories regarding it, there were rumors that this place was once fertile land that had long since succumbed to blight and beast, twisted beyond recognition by disasters, natural calamities, and the unchecked proliferation of monstrous life.

Its soil was parched and brittle, cracked open like a dried husk. The ground was split like veins, its sunbaked craters the color of ashen clay.

The land looked as though it had been bled dry.

Lark deemed that even if it rained here, the droplets would turn to steam before they touched the earth, swallowed by the unbearable heat radiating from deep beneath the crust.

The name Wasteland was truly apt and accurate.

Even the landfill where Evander Alaester had lived during his adolescent years wasn’t this despairing.

It was no wonder the United Grakas Alliance never attempted to conquer it.

Even if they managed to repel the monsters, it would take too much manpower and resources to make this place habitable.

“I see. So, that’s the reason why monsters are becoming rampant recently.”

It didn’t even take Lark a day before he saw the reason the monsters had been crossing over the Iron Mountains.

His expression turned grim.

He realized that the ravines he had created wouldn’t be enough if those creatures decided to cross over into the United Grakas Alliance.