Every child born in this cursed land is almost never perfect. There will always be a defect in their bodies—all thanks to the corruption accumulated within them and the food they consume, which is laced with that same rot.
Hardly any humans are born whole anymore. To fix themselves, they must become Devourers, enabling them to reconstruct their own bodies. However, the risks of becoming a Devourer are significantly greater.
Yet, there are cases where a child is born without defects and possesses a resistance to both the curse and the corruption. Such an individual is not easily swayed by the cursed environment. They can almost nullify all corruption and curses within their body; their endurance is naturally the strongest.
Drake is one of these blessed few. He possesses a natural resistance to curses and corruption. Because of this, he faces no obstacles when using Cursed Prayer.
"Cursed Prayer may seem very helpful, but you cannot use it recklessly," Drake explained to Kaelan.
"Why is that?" Kaelan asked. "Is it because of the difficulty?"
Drake shook his head. "It's actually quite easy. You only need to use the ancient tongue and a talisman as a medium. However, the danger lies in the backlash."
Using Cursed Prayer means controlling the cursed energy present in the air. It is risky—much like inhaling poison directly.
"Remember, the stronger the cursed energy, the more dangerous it is for you. Unless you have reached the final stage of mutation, stage four, I suggest you do not chant Cursed Prayers."
Drake had immunity, so he wouldn't be much affected. But the case was clearly different for Kaelan, who lacked any curse resistance.
"Is it possible to do it without a talisman?"
Drake thought for a moment, appearing confused about how to explain. Instead, Reynold answered.
"It can be done. But think about this: if the risk is already great using a medium, how do you think it would be without any medium at all?"
To harness a curse, one essentially needs a conduit. Even with one, they are still under threat. Naturally, the impact would be far worse without any media.
"I see—" Kaelan heard a low rumbling sound around them.
Everyone immediately went on high alert. Reynold grabbed his hammer, Rebecca unsheathed her sword, and Kaelan pulled out a dagger, ready to wound himself at any moment.
Drake set down his mouse and hypnotized it. The mouse darted into the forest quickly. Not long after, the mouse let out a shriek of pain.
"We're surrounded!" Drake pulled out a black crystal and gripped it tight.
Reynold and Rebecca moved closer, standing back-to-back with Kaelan and Drake. They were now in a defensive formation they had practiced.
"They are hiding behind the trees. Stay cautious; Wolfhorns have a habit of attacking stealthily."
Kaelan nodded. He felt tense, as this was his first fight. Carefully, he scanned his surroundings. Though he couldn't see clearly, he felt he was being watched.
From the pitch-black bushes, a black wolf with red eyes and brownish horns lunged out. The wolf, as large as a grown man, leapt toward Kaelan.
Kaelan intended to wound himself to use his Devour power, but the Wolfhorn was faster.
"Disturb!"
Black mist gathered onto a stone and immediately enveloped the lunging Wolfhorn.
Kaelan stared at the wolf, which had suddenly frozen still. He realized this was caused by the Cursed Prayer Drake had performed.
Rebecca seized the opportunity, slicing off the Wolfhorn's horn and swiftly decapitating it.
"Don't just stand there daydreaming!" Rebecca snapped, jolting Kaelan back to his senses and self-control.
"Sorry!"
Kaelan immediately tore the back of his left hand. Dark red flesh emerged and coated his hand. Beads of blood hovered around him as if unaffected by gravity.
Kaelan could control those blood beads like bullets, strong enough to pierce through trees. However, there were limits to how many he could control and how far they could go.
At present, Kaelan could only control them within a five-meter range. Beyond that, the power of his blood would dissipate, dealing no damage at all.
"Five left!" Reynold warned. "Remember, a small oversight leads to a great calamity!"
"Yes!" they all answered in unison.
"I won't protect you again if you're careless, idiot!" Rebecca cursed slightly as she lunged at an approaching Wolfhorn.
She swung her sword horizontally to block the fangs aimed at her. Taking advantage of the momentum, she lengthened her fingernails by several centimeters, making them as sharp as knives. She stabbed the Wolfhorn's neck and sliced through it.
Kaelan was shocked for a moment. That was the Os Medulla mutation—bone and marrow. It was his first time seeing it in person.
"Stay alert!" Drake warned while observing the situation.
Kaelan immediately scattered his blood beads and directed them toward the approaching Wolfhorns.
The blood beads shot out like bullets, striking the Wolfhorns he could see. Thanks to that, their movements slowed, making them easy to deal with.
Drake didn't miss the opportunity; he took another talisman and provided support.
"Disturb!"
The Wolfhorns lost their ability to move. Reynold smiled and began crushing each of their heads.
In a short time, they managed to finish off every Wolfhorn. Kaelan felt relieved that the hunt was successful without any tragedy.
"Good job, everyone!" Reynold praised, cleaning the blood off his hammer.
"But this is strange," Rebecca remarked. "They are usually more coordinated."
Wolfhorns always hunt in packs and perform coordinated attacks. They might be weak individually, but their ability to coordinate makes them extremely dangerous.
"They attacked blindly. It's almost as if they've lost their minds or are afraid of something." Drake seemed to agree with Rebecca.
Kaelan had read the monster information Lunaria had given him a few days prior. One of the entries was about the Wolfhorn.
Aside from being pack hunters, these monsters are tacticians and very cunning. The general pattern of their attack is for one to act as bait while the others strike from behind.
But this time, they didn't attack in the manner described. There was clearly something strange about their behavior.
Reynold then examined a corpse, digging into the Wolfhorn's flesh without a hint of disgust.
"This confirms my suspicion," Reynold frowned. "These monsters are being influenced by something."
Reynold took a bit of the flesh and chewed it a few times before spitting it out.
"There is something foreign mixed into their blood and flesh." Reynold wiped his mouth, looking very serious. "We need to change the mission slightly."
"We are going to investigate the source of this problem. If monsters are becoming abnormal, it will be extremely dangerous."
Drake and Rebecca nodded. They didn't oppose Reynold's decision at all.
On the other hand, Kaelan stared at the Wolfhorn corpse in silence. He felt as if he could see a black mist rising from the body, though only for a fleeting moment.
"What is it, Kaelan?" Reynold asked. "We have to hurry!"
Kaelan observed it for a moment before turning to leave. He didn't intend to report it, thinking it might be normal since no one else seemed to care.
"Shouldn't we report to the Captain first?" Kaelan asked. "I think she should know what's happening."
Rebecca looked annoyed. "Huh? We haven't even confirmed what's going on yet. Why do something so useless?!"
Kaelan was about to argue, but he felt a bit intimidated by Rebecca, who clearly showed irritation and even a hint of disdain.
"I think he's right, Sis," Drake defended him. "It's fine if nothing happens, but what if something really does? I think the Captain needs to know this, just in case."
If something bad befell them, Lunaria wouldn't know the actual situation. But by providing this information, if Kaelan and the others didn't return, Lunaria would be able to guess what happened.
Reynold also seemed to agree with the idea. He asked Drake to write a letter and use the mouse to deliver it.
Kaelan watched as Drake wrote. Then, he thought back to the Cursed Prayer Drake had uttered earlier.
"Drake, is a Cursed Prayer spoken according to the effect you want? Like before, you said 'disturbance' so they wouldn't move. In that case, you could ask them to die by saying that, right?"
Hearing Kaelan's words, Drake dropped his quill and trembled. He stared at Kaelan as if looking at someone possessed.
"What's wrong?" Kaelan became wary, glancing at Reynold and Rebecca. They also looked confused.
"How do you know that?" Drake asked. "How can you understand the ancient tongue?"
Kaelan was lost for words. Cursed Prayers were spoken in an ancient language that had almost vanished without a trace.
And yet, how could he understand it?