Chapter 11
Lava.
That is the name of the demi-human race I must meet in order to resolve the blood ki supply penalty.
Their cooperation was absolutely necessary to reach the place I was aiming for.
But as always, things in this world — especially in this dead game — never go smoothly.
‘Just meeting them face-to-face is already difficult.’
The Lava tribe hides within a domain concealed by their tribal shamanism, invisible to the naked eye.
If one were to ask why they live in such a manner… it’s not because they want to.
They were driven out of their original homeland and forced into exile.
By humans.
Or, to be more precise…
“…….”
As my thoughts continued, my breath suddenly caught in my throat.
The air entering my lungs had become unbearably hot in an instant.
‘It must be around here.’
After parting ways with Glenda’s party, I continued walking deeper into the Tailve Forest without leaving it.
All the way until the sun had set and the moon had risen.
At night, especially in a forest, the temperature should drop compared to daytime — yet this area was the complete opposite.
There was only one meaning behind this phenomenon.
‘There is a Lava tribe domain nearby.’
True to their name — Lava — they are a demi-human race that lives inside craters.
They even bathe in lava instead of water, so their bodies constantly radiate intense heat.
With an entire group of Lava tribe members gathered somewhere nearby, the surrounding temperature naturally had to rise.
I continued walking, following the heat. Though I was already sick of wandering around alone.
‘…Why the hell is there no world map function when I have skills, items, and a status window?’
In the game, I could have just marked coordinates on the map.
Swallowing my complaints, I followed the heat for a little longer.
Step—
I stopped in front of a cluster of densely packed trees.
While other areas nearby were also hot, the heat here was on another level.
It felt like stepping into a blast furnace. Sweat formed on my forehead in seconds and trickled down my cheeks.
I was certain. It had to be here.
Sure enough—
Thud. Thud.
When I tried to step forward, the tip of my foot hit something like an invisible wall.
The barrier was rejecting me. Telling me not to enter.
This barrier was the pinnacle of the Lava tribe’s secret arts.
Even if I dropped a meteor on it, I doubted it would leave a scratch.
However.
‘No problem.’
There were two ways to enter this place.
One was to wait for the one moment every six months when the camouflage barrier was disabled for exactly three minutes…
Or, if I didn’t want to wait, I could raise the Shaman character, Kara.
Crackle—!!
Crimson lightning mixed with blood ki wrapped around my right hand.
It was the unique power only Shamans possessed — ‘Curse Power.’
“<Barrier Destruction>.”
Kara’s unique skill inherited through <Blood Link>.
<Barrier Destruction> lived up to its name perfectly.
There were no exceptions.
As long as it fell under the category of a “barrier,” this skill could break anything.
Just like this.
CRASH—!!
The sound of shattering glass exploded.
And beyond the barrier fragments raining down like glass shards…
“If you take even one more step, I’ll burn your brain to a crisp.”
A group of Lava tribe members stood with bows drawn, their bodies wrapped in blazing flame manes.
***
‘This can’t be happening. How…?!’
Lava tribe girl Ismin couldn’t believe the reality unfolding before her eyes.
The camouflage barrier had been destroyed.
By the hand of a human who wasn’t even a Lava tribesman.
Their tribe’s secret art was supposed to be invincible.
Even “that woman” who had turned their only homeland into hell and taken the lives of their family shouldn’t have been able to break this barrier.
‘But how did he—?!’
The barrier was their final bastion, the last hope of a race that had been driven out again and again.
The shock of it being destroyed, combined with the unknown terror toward the one who had destroyed it, made her hands tremble as she held her bow.
Even though they held the overwhelming numerical advantage.
“You… what the hell are you? How did you find this place? And how did you break the barrier?”
“…….”
“Answer me right now!”
“You’re not asking why I came?”
“Are you playing word games? I don’t care about that… Damn it, forget it!”
Ismin scolded herself. ‘Why am I wasting time talking like an idiot?’
Whatever his purpose was, the fact that an outsider had broken the barrier and trespassed into their territory was already grounds for immediate execution.
Before this incomprehensible human could make a move, she decided to strike first.
After exchanging quick glances with her tribesmen, Ismin was about to release her bowstring when—
“I know a way to cure the chieftain. Are you still not curious?”
“Wait…!!”
Ismin reflexively stopped her tribesmen, who were about to release their bowstrings. The movement was faster than thought.
Realizing her mistake, she bit her lip and glared at the human man, Ruth.
He simply stared back calmly, as if waiting for an answer.
Gulp.
Ismin’s eyes trembled violently.
“Say that again. What did you just say?”
“Your chieftain has been poisoned with a deadly toxin and is living on borrowed time. Am I wrong?”
“…….”
“I thought so. In that case, guide me to the chieftain. I will cure his illness. If you’re that uncomfortable with me meeting him…”
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The moment Ruth moved his hand toward the pouch at his waist, the tribesmen flinched and pulled their bowstrings taut.
‘Such a fuss…’
To avoid provoking them unnecessarily, Ruth slowly opened the pouch and took out its contents.
It was the <Withered Moss> he had gathered inside the labyrinth earlier that day.
“Mix this with crushed mshinen leaves and feed it to the chieftain. The effect will show in less than thirty seconds.”
“Cut the bullshit. Why should we believe anything you say?”
“…I have no other words except to ask you to trust me.”
“Shut your damn mouth…!!”
Ismin’s bloodshot eyes burned with murderous intent.
“Trust you?! We trusted you humans and ended up like this! Driven from our homeland, our chieftain — the one who was supposed to lead our tribe — hovering between life and death! Among the kin slaughtered that day was my own older brother!”
“…….”
“All of that tragedy happened because of a single human who came to us one day! We welcomed her with goodwill, but what we received in return was deception and violence!”
Tears mixed with blood flowed from Ismin’s eyes — faint crimson tears born from grief.
“And you expect us to blindly believe you when you say you can cure my father? You humans…! You’ve always treated us like fools—”
Right before Ismin’s sorrowful outcry could reach its peak—
Splurt—!!
Blood sprayed.
From Ruth’s body.
He had swung a blood-ki-coated hand blade and deliberately cut his own right arm.
‘What the…!’
Ismin froze at the incomprehensible action, but her shock was premature.
As if he had never existed in the first place, Ruth’s figure suddenly vanished.
She hadn’t even blinked, let alone looked away.
“Ismin, over there!”
“Ah…!”
The young man who had guided Ismin pointed at another tribesman.
Ruth was now standing right in front of that tribesman, gripping the arrow nocked on his bow.
It was truly a ghostly feat. A human with no detectable mana had just teleported.
***
Meanwhile, Ruth inwardly whistled in satisfaction at the performance of his new skill.
‘Not bad at all.’
With the 5,000 BP he had earned from killing the Night Fiend, he had acquired three new Blood Mage skills.
The <Chasing> skill he had just demonstrated was one of them.
It was a movement skill that allowed him to swap positions with any blood visible within his line of sight.
The maximum range was 100 meters. As long as he could see the blood with his own eyes, he could teleport to it — whether in the sky or on the ground.
‘And it doesn’t even have to be my own blood.’
He could use <Chasing> with the blood of other humans or other races.
Of course, there were a few restrictions. For example, it didn’t work on blood “stuck to someone’s body.”
Still, <Chasing> had its own advantages that normal teleportation spells lacked.
‘It has no cooldown for up to five consecutive uses, and most importantly, there’s zero casting delay.’
Normal teleportation magic required about a minute before it could be used again, and the casting itself took roughly two seconds.
It was basically advertising to the enemy, “I’m about to teleport,” even though it was supposed to be a survival skill.
<Chasing> had none of those fatal flaws.
“Ah, ahhh…”
“You bastard…!”
The moment Ruth demonstrated his instantaneous movement, the tribesman beside him trembled, and Ismin’s expression turned grim.
She assumed he was about to threaten the tribesman with the arrow or take him hostage.
But instead—
“Mind if I borrow this for a second?”
Swish!
Contrary to their expectations, Ruth swiftly snatched the arrow from the bowstring.
While everyone held their breath, wondering if he was going to use it to threaten the tribesman—
Slice—!!
Blood sprayed once again.
Once again, it was Ruth’s own blood.
He had used the stolen arrow to slash the back of his own hand.
Hwarrr—
Flames flickered from the long gash on the back of his hand.
Ruth raised his right hand — dripping with blood and sparks — high enough for everyone to see clearly and spoke.
“I heard that the flames used by the Lava tribe can never be extinguished, no matter how much water is poured on them. And that those flames are like a deadly poison, slowly burning away both the body and soul of anyone they touch.”
“…….”
“If you don’t put it out yourself, I’ll die like this before long.”
Ruth lowered his hand and turned to look at Ismin.
“I have no proof that you should believe me. So I’ll stake my life on my innocence.”
“You…”
“If I’m lying, then you can either let the fire burn me to ash or kill me with your own hands. Do whatever you want.”
“W-What…”
“If you still can’t believe me… then I’m afraid to say it, but your father has no way to survive.”
The tribespeople’s gazes gradually shifted toward Ismin.
Their eyes seemed to ask whether they shouldn’t at least take the gamble, given how far he was willing to go.
Ismin’s face twisted in agony as she agonized over the decision second by second, letting out low groans.
To them, the chieftain was merely their ruler, but to her, he was her only father.
In the end—
“…Throw that over here.”
Ismin lowered her bow and pointed at the <Withered Moss>.
***
A short while later.
“He frowned the whole time while eating it, but there were no adverse effects. It doesn’t seem to be poison, at least.”
The tribesman who had gone to test the medicine on Ruth showed the empty wooden bowl to Ismin.
Ismin stared silently at the wooden bowl containing the moss and leaves ground into a paste.
“…We still don’t know. There might be components that only affect our race.”
Saying so,
Glup!
She scooped up the bowl and downed the medicine herself.
The tribesman watching beside her was horrified.
“Ismin! You—!”
“…….”
Ismin swallowed the medicine with a fierce expression.
Then, she waited for several more minutes, nervously tapping her foot while facing the anxious tribesman.
But nothing happened.
“…Maybe the poison takes longer to show?”
“Ismin, if you keep doubting everything like this, there’ll be no end to it.”
“I know. Damn it.”
Cursing under her breath, she picked up the bowl and headed toward the chieftain’s hut.
‘Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!’
Even as she walked, she kept wondering if this was the right decision. If it wasn’t, then she was personally delivering poison to her own father.
But… what if it really was the cure?
What if this was the only way to heal the illness that no method had been able to cure?
Because of that thought, her feet refused to stop.
Rustle—
Bowing her head as she entered the hut, Ismin spoke softly.
“There was a small commotion earlier, Father. I’ll explain everything later, but for now…”
“…….”
“…Father? Are you sleeping?”
Only silence answered her.
A chill ran down her spine. Ismin dropped the bowl and rushed to her father’s side.
The moment she turned his upper body and examined his face, tears burst from her eyes.
Black, ink-like fluid was flowing out from between the cracks covering the chieftain’s face.
It was a sign that he was losing consciousness.
“F-Father… Dad…! No, no, no, no…!”
As she fell into a panic, the wooden bowl entered her field of vision.
Without any more hesitation, Ismin crawled across the floor, scooped up the medicine with both hands, and—
“Dad, please don’t do this to me… Please, please…!”
She forced it between his slightly parted lips.
Much of it spilled from the corners of his mouth, but she kept pushing it in, supporting his head.
Just as Ismin’s vision blurred with tears and her breath began to catch—
“Cough!”
“Ah…”
The chieftain, who had been completely silent, let out a cough.
The cracks on his skin began to close, and heat like sunlight radiated from his entire body.
“Dad—!”
The moment Ismin burst into tears and hugged her father, her desperate cry of “Dad!” echoed all the way to where Ruth was standing.
The tribespeople who didn’t know the situation couldn’t tell whether her wailing was one of joy or sorrow.
Only Ruth was certain that the chieftain’s illness had been cured.
‘Feeding him the medicine was ridiculously difficult.’
Since the medicine clearly worked, they should hurry up and put out this fire.
…Well, it’s not even that hot.
[Status ailment ‘Special Burn’ has been reduced by 90% due to the ‘Authority of Resistance’!]
In truth, the Lava tribe’s flames could be extinguished with the ‘Top-grade Flame Resistance Potion’ he had prepared in his pouch beforehand.
They just didn’t know that.
***
“Oh my.”
In the darkness,
A woman dressed in a black dress covered her mouth in surprise.
She then gently pressed her temple with her index finger and tilted her head.
“Number 31’s son has died? Hmm… I believe I planted him with the Lava tribe?”
I should check.
So muttered [Poison Demon], one of the Seven Great Evils of the continent.