I Can Devour Monsters' SSS Talents

In the documents Lian had read in the tribe, there was barely any information about the Giants’ Graveyard, let alone the border passage between Glassthorn and Emberroot.

It could be a natural passage, and since there was a significant civilization in that forest, it might also be a constructed one.

They wouldn’t know until they entered.

”Maybe it’s just a simple path between the two forests.” Liana added.

”It’s not.” Seris said without changing her expression.

”How do you know?”

Seris took a piece of meat from beside the fire.

”Because we haven’t had a single simple path so far.”

Liana looked at her for a few seconds.

”I can’t argue with that logic, but I still don’t like it.”

Seraphina looked at the border line on the map.

”Glassthorn was the memory part of the Primordial Root, and Emberroot was the heart and Mana part.”

She followed the passage path with her finger.

”If this path was formed exactly between the two regions, the Mana flows of both forests might collide inside it.”

”Reflections and heat, and maybe monsters that have adapted to both environments.” Lian considered the possibility. It was not impossible.

Seraphina nodded.

”There’s another possibility too. If the Emberroot civilization is really as large as the map showed, they might be monitoring the region’s entrances.”

”So there might be food, beds, and real baths on the other side?” Liana immediately said.

”They might arrest us first.” Seris answered.

”You really have a special talent for crushing other people’s hopes.” Liana looked at her with annoyance.

Seris started eating without paying attention to her objection.

Seraphina and Lian did not continue this discussion either, but the entire group had to be prepared for any possibility. It was true that a civilization existed, but there was also the possibility of conflict with that civilization.

For a while, the conversation returned to the Mirror Vault. None of them told the complete details of what they had seen in the trials.

Perhaps some memories were too personal, perhaps they were not yet ready to talk about them.

Liana kept her gaze on the fire’s flames.

”Did all of you see things from your past?”

”Yeah.” Seraphina said after a short pause.

Seris only nodded.

”Things the dungeon knew would have the most impact on us.” Lian answered.

Liana threw a small piece of wood into the fire. Sparks rose into the air and multiplied on the glass trunks.

”At least now I know a mirror can be crueler than most people.”

”The mirror didn’t create anything by itself.” Seraphina said.

”That’s the worse part.”

For a few moments, silence fell.

Lian looked at all three. Their changes were not large or dramatic, but they were there.

Liana still smiled and joked, but she no longer immediately spoke to cover every silence. Sometimes she would let the space between sentences remain empty.

Seraphina was still proud and serious, but the constant pressure to control everything was less in her movements. Even when they talked about the path’s unknowns, she didn’t try to find a definitive answer for every possibility immediately.

Seris appeared to remain the same person as before.

The same cold demeanor, the same short sentences, but several times her gaze turned toward Lian without any obvious reason.

Every time Lian noticed, Seris would either look at the fire or ask another question about the path.

Lian said nothing. He was probably the only one who had remained unchanged because he had simply already come to terms with the greatest grudge and wound of his life.

The rest of the night passed more calmly. They ate.

One consumed a large part of the meat supply.

Liana placed more pieces in front of it several times, and Lian stopped her on the third time.

”Enough.”

”It still looks hungry.”

”It’s about to burst from hunger!”

”From its antennae movement, it’s clear it wants more.” Liana looked at One’s head.

One moved its antennae toward her.

Lian received a wave of hope for more food.

”It’s taking advantage of you.”

”At least someone here appreciates my affection.”

One took another piece from her hand, then they divided the watch.

Seraphina and Liana rested first due to their greater exhaustion.

Lian and Seris monitored the environment.

In the second half of the night, they switched places with them. No major attack occurred until morning.

The remaining pressure of the Mirror Vault and One’s presence kept most nearby monsters away.

Before full dawn, Lian opened his eyes.

The sky was still dark, but the lights inside the trees had dimmed slightly; a sign that day was beginning.

Seris was a little further away, packing her equipment.

Seraphina was examining her armor by the extinguished fire.

Liana was also trying to secretly give the last piece of meat to One.

Lian said nothing. He got up and walked a few steps away from the camp. He positioned himself behind a set of transparent roots, out of the girls’ direct sight.

Then he took out the Celestial Book of Treasure from his storage space.

The book’s cover lit up with a golden light. The patterns on its surface moved like constellations.

The pages began to turn without Lian touching them and stopped a few seconds later on a blank page.

[Current Detection Radius: 10 Kilometers.]

A golden line formed in the center of the page.

Lian’s position appeared as a white point, then three other marks lit up around it.

One was near the border entrance, the second was deeper in the path, and the third was near a point that was probably the Emberroot exit.

No name or rank was visible next to them. To identify their nature, he would have to get closer.

Lian opened the World Memory Map in his other hand.

He compared the three marks’ positions with the passage path. The first point was only a few hundred meters from the main path.

The second was almost inside the passage itself, and the third was just before the exit. None of them required a large detour.

Lian closed the book. The golden light immediately went out. He placed the Celestial Book of Treasure back into his storage space.

Using the World Memory Map, he set a path that would pass by all three marks, but outwardly, it only looked like the safest and shortest possible route.

When he returned to the camp, Liana had given the last piece of meat to One.

”I thought you said you wouldn’t give it any more food. Besides, how are you going to survive hunger yourself?” Lian looked at her empty hand.

”It took it itself, and don’t worry about me, I’m sure we can get more food along the way.” Liana answered calmly.

One lowered its antennae.

Lian decided not to argue.

Less than half an hour later, the group was ready to move.

All four mounted One’s back. The ant took the path.

The World Memory Map was open in front of Lian, recording new parts of the forest with every step.

The first few hours passed without any serious incident, but Glassthorn’s appearance gradually changed.

The transparent trunks were no longer as clear as before. Some had darkened from the center, and black veins moved inside them.

The blue and purple lights were replaced by orange and red colors.

The forest’s cold air became warmer. At first, only a few degrees, and then the heat increased so much that faint steam rose from the surface of some roots.

The soft and gray ground also changed.

A layer of black glass had formed on the soil, and beneath it, red and burning roots flowed.

Every time One stepped on the surface, red light spread beneath its feet.

A few hours later, the trees parted. A massive gap appeared before them.

Two walls of black and red roots rose to an unknown height, and the space between them resembled the mouth of an ancient creature.

A warm wind came out from inside the gap. The sound of a slow beat was also heard from its depths.

The World Memory Map reacted.

[Cindervein Passage]

”At least its name is honest.” Liana looked at the dark entrance.

They could feel the sound of beats that resembled the pulsing of veins at any moment, and it was guessed that this was probably why this place was called Cindervein.

”The heat can be felt from here.” Seris said.

”Yeah, God knows how hot it is inside that forest.”

Lian commanded One to reduce its speed. The passage was formed between the dead and living roots of the Primordial Root.

Parts of the wall still had Glassthorn’s characteristics. Black and glassy surfaces reflected light.

But from beneath them, Emberroot’s red roots had penetrated, creating burning cracks on the walls and floor.

The heat wave made all the reflections appear curved and stretched, making the real distance of the walls hard to determine.

The World Memory Map began recording the environment.

The passage’s dark line slowly lit up. Branches, heights, and unstable sections appeared on the map’s surface one after another.

The first treasure point was nearby. Lian continued on the main path for a few minutes.

Then he saw a narrow crack in the right wall. The passage was so tight that One could not enter.

”Wait here. I’ll check the path ahead for stability.” Lian said.

”Alone? Do you want me to come with you?” Seraphina looked at the crack.

”If a root collapses, one person can get out more easily.”

The group didn’t object. The reasoning seemed logical.

Lian jumped down from One’s back, took a few steps into the crack, and when he was out of their direct sight, he activated Thunder Step.

Blue lightning lit up the narrow space for a moment. He appeared in the crack’s depth.

The book of treasure’s mark was exactly in front of him...