NOVPUB
Chapter 59: A Massacre
"No... no no no..." Eva jumped off the Worak in panic.
"What is it?" Daniel dismounted too.
"This was the main road we needed to take. Now... it’s gone." Eva exhaled.
"You sure this was the way?" Daniel frowned. Eva gestured to the surroundings.
"Of course! How do you think I came here five years ago? I traveled this path once. Back then I wasn’t alone—one of my father’s trusted people brought me here and left me near the village."
"So now what?" Daniel rubbed his forehead.
"I don’t know. I don’t know the other routes. As far as I know, they’re all dangerous." Eva took a deep breath
"Can you tell which way is better?" Daniel leaned down slightly, placing a hand on Vorak’s head as he asked.
Vorak was a feline-type beast, and Daniel had hoped he could sniff out the best path.
"My senses are weakened, Master. I can’t say for sure," Vorak growled lowly.
Unfortunately, the mist was so strong that it had severely weakened even Vorak’s senses. He couldn’t properly pick up scents or fully use his vision.
Daniel sighed. He could send his Fallen ahead to scout, but he didn’t want to waste time.
More importantly, separating them from himself here was a risk he wasn’t willing to take.
At any moment, they could be attacked by all kinds of monsters, and Daniel knew his luck well enough to be almost certain that it would actually happen.
"So? What do you think we should do?" He turned his gaze to Eva.
"All these paths eventually lead to the valley’s exit. But some are longer... and more abandoned. That could mean more monsters living there," Eva looked around hesitantly.
"Forget it. This is just a waste of time." Daniel exhaled slowly.
He closed his eyes and casually picked the path ahead.
His foot turned toward one of the routes.
Eva’s eyes widened as she looked at him.
"You’re really just gonna walk into one of them at random?"
"Got a better idea?" Daniel said without looking back.
Eva pressed her lips together and went quiet. Her answer was obvious.
Vorak’s footsteps were heavy and calm, but cautious as they advanced down the path.
Daniel quickly noticed this road was different from the others.
The first sign was the stone tiles—still intact, with strange swirling patterns that felt like they trembled underfoot.
On both sides of the path, tall columns stood at regular intervals. Unlike the rest of the valley, covered in ruin, this place still held traces of its former grandeur.
Even the walls seemed to be coated in a dark, glossy metal that swallowed the light.
But what was more concerning was how the environment gradually changed.
The mist slowly faded... but in its place, thick black smoke began to fill the air.
Daniel and Eva both instinctively frowned and raised their guard.
"What is that?" A bit further ahead, the first unnatural sight appeared—a glowing light at the end of the path.
Daniel pulled his sword from the inventory, ready to summon his Fallen at any moment.
As they got closer, a strange scene came into view. Blazing orbs floated in the air, like dancing flames... but incomplete.
They looked like fragments of living fire, wandering aimlessly.
Daniel stopped for a moment and squinted.
"...What?" For a second, he thought he was seeing things. 𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝙤𝒎
"What are these?... They’re kinda pretty, and also kinda cute," Eva said with a faint smile, curiosity in her eyes.
They stopped a bit further back, not wanting to risk moving forward in case the flames suddenly attacked.
But Daniel didn’t pause. Like a dog spotting a bone, he rushed forward. His sword cut through one of the floating flames in a silent, shining arc.
The flame let out a strange cry, bursting into a cloud of red sparks.
At that moment, several notifications appeared in front of his eyes:
[ You have slain a Fire Elemental Monster ]
[ Your understanding of the Fire Element has slightly increased ]
[ Your resistance to the Fire Element has increased ]
"So I was right." Daniel grinned.
Elemental monsters—he had read about them on the online community, but hadn’t expected to find them here.
They needed a dense concentration of living flames to form and weren’t supposed to exist in a place like this.
Unlike other monsters, they didn’t give any EXP when killed. But instead, they boosted elemental understanding and resistance.
That made them valuable to both warriors and mages. And because of overhunting, they were now close to extinction.
Daniel slowly raised his head. His red eyes glowed in the smoky haze and flickering lights.
The remaining flames now circled around him—clearly angry about their fallen companion.
But Daniel’s wicked smile only deepened.
"Ha... You’re all mine."
With that, he leapt into the group like a blazing meteor.
His sword danced through them, a relentless stream of death.
Each time the blade touched one of the flames, an explosion of sparks followed, and more notifications popped up:
[ Your understanding of the Fire Element has increased ]
[ Your resistance to the Fire Element has increased ]
A small inferno erupted. The flames tried to scorch Daniel with burning strikes, but with each passing moment, their attacks lost power.
It was like Daniel’s skin was devouring the fire—and growing stronger from it.
Meanwhile, Eva stood on Vorak’s back, watching in stunned silence.
"...What the hell is this lunatic doing?" she muttered, holding a hand over her mouth.
"Why’s he killing all these cute little things so violently?!"
But Daniel paid no attention to her reaction. For him, this was a golden opportunity. Every flame he destroyed deepened his control over fire.
How could he let such a perfect chance to grow stronger slip by?
Moments later, it was over. Only scattered sparks and the smell of hot metal lingered in the air.
Daniel calmly shook his sword and returned it to the inventory.
His breath was steady—but his eyes still burned brightly.
"Why’d you massacre them like that?" Eva shot him a scornful look.
