Chapter 53: The Scent of Corruption and a Moth’s Ascent

The corrupted monsters did not appear in fixed locations, requiring the two women to search for them deep within the forest.

Hilvyn maintained her ‘Wind Listening’ magic, discerning where the magical energy was most concentrated.

“There’s a strange, rotten smell in all these winds. It’s truly awful.”

It wasn’t just Hilvyn who could detect it; Elara also noticed the faint scent upon entering the forest. The deeper they ventured, the stronger and more pervasive the odor became.

Yet, it remained tolerable.

“We’ll have to buy masks when we go back.”

Earlier, at the stalls near the North City Gate that sold provisions, masks had been available—even versions infused with the scents of wind chimes or other fragrances.

But Elara hadn’t thought much of it then, so she hadn’t bought any.

Now, she regretted it.

As they journeyed, they continuously encountered monsters.

Gray corrupted slimes, their entire gelatinous forms appearing even more repulsive than usual.

Still, they were incredibly weak.

Hilvyn dispatched them effortlessly with low-tier magic.

Upon its demise, a grayish-green gas burst forth from the slime’s body.

“Ugh, it stinks!”

Hilvyn inadvertently inhaled a tiny amount, her brows instantly twisting into a knot from the stench. She quickly willed the wind to blow the gas away.

Elara covered her nose and mouth, stepping forward to retrieve the slime crystal with a tree branch.

“Next time, let’s kill them from a distance,” Elara suggested. “It would be best to conjure a gust of wind right after.”

“I’d already decided to do just that,” Hilvyn replied.

This was a smell Hilvyn had no desire to experience a second time.

The two continued their advance.

“Sister, imagine if that colossal slime we encountered in the dungeon before had become a corrupted monster.”

“I’d simply run away,” Elara blurted out, feeling a wave of nausea just at the thought. “These kinds of monsters are perfect for me to watch S-rank adventurers slay from behind them.”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Hilvyn agreed heartily.

They had barely exchanged a few words when Elara’s spatial perception detected several anomalies.

“It appears to be mantises.”

Elara could discern the general shape of the monsters in her perception, though she wasn’t sure if they were corrupted or ordinary.

“If they’re corrupted mantises, they can also unleash wind blades, and those blades would carry corrupting properties.”

“Then, Sister, how should we fight them?”

There were three mantises within her perception range, which seemed manageable.

“I’ll go alone.”

With that, Elara activated ‘Shadow Strike,’ vanishing into the shadows. Once within range, she conjured three ‘Dark Arrows,’ precisely severing the mantises’ slender necks.

She then reappeared beside Hilvyn, dusting her hands.

“Resolved.”

“Sister, you’re so cool!”

“It was alright.”

Though Elara spoke modestly, her tightly pressed lips couldn’t quite hide the upward curve of her mouth. She was clearly pleased.

Spatial magic was incredibly useful, especially for situations like this.

Corrupted monsters would integrate corrupting properties into their original forms, but their strength wasn’t always enhanced. Some monsters, once corrupted, actually became weaker.

For instance, the corrupted mantises they had just faced.

Guild records indicated that these mantises lost their sensory abilities upon corruption. While their wind blades became more threatening, their firing frequency significantly decreased.

Having collected the materials, Elara resumed her search for more monsters.

“I’ll need a thorough bath tonight.”

Elara sniffed her sleeve. Her body had once again absorbed the air’s pungent aroma.

The putrid smell in the wind even changed: initially a foul stench, it later resembled the musty odor of rotting fruit, and now it had transformed into the smell of decaying flesh.

“Sister,” Hilvyn tugged at her arm, “Let’s bathe together.”

At this, Elara’s pretty face flushed, and her gaze shifted away. “…Alright.”

“Wonderful!”

****

When dinnertime arrived, Hilvyn enveloped them both in an ‘Ice Thorn Cage,’ forming an ice shelter. She then used wind magic to clear the air inside.

“Sigh, even like this, the smell still lingers.”

Hilvyn inhaled the air within the ice shelter; the scent was much fainter, yet it stubbornly persisted.

“The very grass here has been infused with the smell. This slight improvement is enough for now.”

By now, she had developed some resistance to the stench.

Devouring a quick lunch was no problem.

The two began to share the meat-filled bread they had brought.

Hilvyn had barely taken two bites when her brow furrowed.

It was the first time Elara had seen her look so troubled while eating. Hilvyn mechanically chewed the food in her mouth, then swallowed it with a bitter expression.

“Ugh… it tastes, so bad…”

“Then eat it quickly. Once we’re done, we can hurry home.”

Elara handed her some water.

“Just bear with it, chew a few bites, and wash it down with water.”

“It’s the only way,” Hilvyn said, taking the water.

Having finished quickly, they once again delved deeper into the forest.

After advancing a short distance, the air’s scent shifted again.

It was now a musty, fishy odor.

“Every time I start to adapt to one smell, it changes to a new one for me to get used to all over again,” Elara grumbled indignantly.

She suddenly wanted to abandon the commission.

Of course, it was just a fleeting thought.

“Perhaps those masks are quite useful.”

Hilvyn recalled the other adventurers she had seen; none of them seemed to complain about the air quality.

“That must be it.”

Elara agreed. Commissions involving corrupted monsters, especially those below B-rank, never lacked takers.

The two continued chatting and clearing monsters until they finally encountered their target.

“It seems to be ahead.”

This time, the concentration of magic emanating was singular and immense, unlike the multiple overlapping sources they had encountered before.

“How many will there be this time?”

“I’m not sure.”

This time, even before reaching the range of her spatial perception, Elara could discern the monster’s identity through the layers of tree shadows.

It was a grayish-black moth, devouring the carcass of an ordinary monster.

The two retreated further, hiding behind a thicket to devise a strategy.

This monster was a corrupted Wind Moth. Originally, Wind Moths were only C-rank in strength. After corruption, they became one of the monsters with the greatest leap in power, according to the records—the ‘Wind-Eroding Moth.’

From a C-rank creature whose only advantage was flight and low aggressiveness, it transformed into an A-rank monster that could fly, possessed high physical strength, and was highly aggressive.

The guild records even suggested that it was best to ambush them with powerful magic. Once these monsters entered an attack state, they would fly high into the air, scattering corrosive powder from their wings onto enemies.

They would also dive down, attacking enemies with their massive pincer-like mouths and serrated legs.

Elara had an idea.

After discussing their plan, Hilvyn began casting ‘Ice Thorn Cage’ in place, preemptively creating a small, half-person-high opening.

Meanwhile, Elara, with her speed fully stacked, swiftly approached the Wind-Eroding Moth. Again, two ‘Dark Arrows’ were launched through spatial shortening, aimed directly at the moth’s head.

Instant impact.

The moth, struck by the attack, did not fall to the ground but instantly soared into the sky.

Elara inwardly thought, ‘Just as I expected.’

The moth’s physical strength was immense; the ‘Dark Arrows’ had likely only shaved off some fuzz and inflicted superficial wounds.

Elara wasn’t sure how severe these injuries were for it, but she knew she needed to flee now.

The Wind-Eroding Moth could not vocalize. It ascended to a height of seven or eight meters, then began to pursue Elara.

Though only seven or eight meters, it seemed impossibly distant for creatures on the ground.

Elara escaped back into the prepared cage, using her spatial perception to track the Wind-Eroding Moth’s position.

In the next moment, her vision shifted, and Elara instantly found herself atop the tree canopy.

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