Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1443 Monster
As the vegetation thinned out, people realized they had stepped into the famous wilderness of Torrijang.

Most people have seen wastelands before, so before setting foot here, they thought it would be similar to the ones they had seen before—land with almost no vegetation, some gravel, and the sun shining brightly, nothing more.

However, when they actually entered the wilderness, they discovered that it was not just that.

The soil was covered with purple, blemish-like patches, as if the earth were sick; just looking at it was unsettling. These patches were covered in fuzz, resembling mushrooms, but it was obvious, even without any survival knowledge, that they were completely inedible.

...even stepping on it makes me feel nauseous.

Besides these traces, there are also some towering plants growing on this land. These plants are like trees, but their surfaces are covered with fish-scale-like scales, and they exude a large amount of wet and slippery liquid. This liquid fills the air with a putrid smell, but it is different from the real fishy smell of the sea.

"Every time I pass through here, I feel uneasy," Liu said, sitting on the hood of the car and gazing into the distance with a sigh. This so-called wasteland wasn't just barren in the ordinary sense; it was filled with unsettling things, completely unsuitable for human habitation. Even if burned or washed away with water, these stubborn ailments would still sprout from the soil. Even if no more plagues broke out, people living in this environment for too long would fall ill.

However, wearing it for a short time is not a problem.

As they moved through the mottled purplish-black soil, a place even horses avoided, an astonishing silence fell over the group. No one wanted to speak in this environment; after the initial shock, they even covered their mouths and noses.

Father Thorne was clearly also traversing the wasteland for the first time, and his expression was very solemn.

“Father, I’m curious, how did you acquire the knowledge of traversing the wasteland? According to Jesse, you already had this idea when you entered Rosetta,” Liu asked.

“Well… I did get plenty of information from some travelers. But I didn’t expect it to be the same for me here… a test of my patience,” Father Thorne said with a wry smile.

"Treat them like any other plant, don't worry about them too much," the pharmacist said.

These things are merely remnants of the Plague Lord's power, posing only minor harm. Even Veronica and Vanessa's healing abilities can easily handle them, not to mention that the apothecary doesn't even need divine magic; a pot of medicinal soup is enough to eliminate the pathogens here.

Just as Liu is skilled in combat, the pharmacist is so skilled in treating various diseases that he doesn't even need to use divine magic.

“However…Liu.” The pharmacist looked up at Liu, who was sitting in the carriage, and asked her, “There should still be some monsters here, right?”

"If we can't deal with them all, they'll dig tunnels underground and build nests, just like ants. While the Burial Pivot can kill all the monsters and nests on the surface, it doesn't have a good solution for the underground."

"But monsters that live underground probably aren't very strong, right?" the pharmacist asked.

Liu suddenly realized what the pharmacist was planning to do and smiled, "That's right. Those monsters that can only survive by digging holes aren't very powerful. Even a strong adult could probably defeat them if they had a weapon."

"Then—Veronica, Vanessa!"

Monsters of this caliber are perfect for two people who are still learning and mastering magic to practice on.

Because of their journey, the spell lessons were only on their second day. The apothecary did not provide them with more different types of spells, but instead gave them the second-tier spell models they had mastered.

By average standards, cultivators who have learned second-tier divine arts should have a certain level of combat ability. For example, although Father Thorne has never demonstrated it, the apothecary knows that this person must have combat experience.

Veronica and Vanessa are still in a blank slate, and the pharmacist is unsure of Father Thorne's plans, but she is prepared to proceed with her teaching methodically.

The two people climbed out of the carriage, and the pharmacist could tell from their expressions that they had overheard their conversation.

"We're going to fight monsters?" Vanessa asked, quite excitedly. "Really? I'm sorry, I mean... I only saw the relevant records in that book, 'The Book of Calamities'."

“Very well, since you know this, it means Veronica must know it too. I’m going to give you a quick lesson now.” The apothecary glanced at Father Thorne, who was driving the carriage. “Monsters are a common method used by the Plague Apostles to spread plague. After all, humans are too large a target, while small, agile, and cunning animals become excellent carriers. Plagues originate from the Plague Lord’s divine magic; each apostle has a unique plague, and not just one. They are adept at grafting plagues onto animals. This distorts the nature of living beings, and at the same time, it is a kind of blessing. Creatures distorted in this way are what we call monsters.”

Vanessa and Veronica nodded together.

"Now, Vanessa, I have a question. What was the plague that once ravaged this place and caused this situation called? And which apostle caused it?" the apothecary suddenly asked.

Vanessa knew this perfectly well, and she immediately replied, "It's the plague spread by the eminent Hayden the Eminent, an apostle of the Withered Queen Marisca, and its name is 'Shoals of Fish'!"

"Not bad, I hope you didn't just memorize it at the last minute. Get off the bus."

The pharmacist and Liu jumped out of the car at the same time, followed by Veronica and Vanessa. Father Thorne just turned his head to look at them, said "Go and come back quickly," and continued to drive the group forward.

"Liu, do you know where the monsters are in this area?" the pharmacist asked, clapping his hands.

“It’s easy to find.” Liu took a small box out of a leather bag on her lap. “Although it’s a coincidence, it’s always been called ‘bait’ in the Burial Grounds.”

The box was opened, revealing a mass of bright red, fleshy-looking matter, which was even slowly wriggling. Veronica leaned closer to take a look, her face full of surprise: "Is this a living thing?" "It's a kind of bacteria. It emits the scent of living people that monsters love—hundreds of times stronger than the scent on us, enough to make them think there's a small human settlement nearby." Liu yanked a clump from inside, rubbed it in his hands a few times, and then threw it out.

Although it was just a small ball, it seemed to completely ignore air resistance, flying a long distance, at least tens of meters.

“Monsters are different from servants; they have no intelligence. After the Apostles disappeared, their threat level is not much different from that of ordinary beasts, unless they are the kind that have been modified by injecting multiple plagues. Those are monsters specifically designed for combat, and church members will inevitably encounter them once they reach the higher levels.” Liu said to Veronica with a smile, “If you are interested, you can also try to make these kinds of things yourself. More than half of the equipment I have was not produced by the Burial Pivot itself.”

"Alright, I can feel the movement under my feet," the pharmacist said. "Liu, keep one for each of them, and we'll deal with the rest."

"A whole nest?" Liu drew his gun from his waist with interest and then loaded a red-tipped bullet into the chamber.

“No need to waste it like that.” The pharmacist glanced at her. “Special bullets should be used to deal with more troublesome ones.”

“This kind of open terrain is the perfect scenario for incinerating bullets.” Liu pointed his gun forward. “Don’t worry, two will be left out. Although you seem very familiar with it, you probably have never seen a real ‘school of fish’.”

On that sickly land, large clumps of black substance suddenly spewed out from several deep purple patches of ground. Following the black substance, a group of monsters that looked like rats or lizards emerged, each one curled up to the size of a watermelon. After the black substance rushed out, it landed and pounced on the "bait" in the distance.

Before the pharmacist could speak, a burst of fire shot from Liu's gun. Her clothes rippled the moment she fired. The power and recoil of the large-caliber firearm were not something an ordinary person could handle, and the effect was truly astonishing.

The pharmacist saw four nozzles. The flames bursting forth from the four nozzles passed through them, instantly igniting all the black matter. The intense heat, felt even from dozens of meters away, swept across her face, and the monsters were all carbonized within seconds.

The pillars of fire replaced the spewing black substance, and finally some monsters discovered the four people standing there. However, under the scorching heat, they were burned to death on the road before they could even climb over.

Liu whistled, ejected the spent cartridge from the chamber, and then loaded another one.

"Two shots? Your salary isn't low." The pharmacist glanced at her actions, quite surprised.

Unlike the standard steel-core warheads, all special warheads in the Burial Grounds must be purchased at one's own expense. After all, that place encourages solving problems with the most precise methods, rather than overwhelming with firepower. Except when launching a full-scale war, no cultivator would generally use special warheads as standard weaponry.

However, rules are rules, and cultivators who reach higher positions will naturally obtain more resources, but that's something the Salvation Hub can't know for sure.

"It's just in case... I have no intention of firing a second shot." Liu lowered his body. "This group of monsters should have a king and queen. Groups of monsters that are capable of surprise attacks are usually like this. Let them handle those two, and we'll take care of the rest?"

“Yes… Veronica, Vanessa, two big ones will be coming out soon. Perfect timing, the temperature is starting to drop, so some of the monsters should be able to escape. Your task for today is to kill those two big ones, by any means you can think of—don’t worry about magic, understand?”

“Oh! Okay!” Vanessa responded immediately, pulling a short bow from her back. Veronica drew a mace, and the two were ready for battle.

Just as the pharmacist said, the high temperature did not last long before it began to drop. Soon after, some large monsters rushed out of the fire circle and pounced towards the four people. However, they only ran halfway before being flung into the sky by an invisible force and then smashed to pieces on the ground.

The third-tier spell "Hand of the Storm" extended from behind the apothecary, an invisible current of air tightly protecting her. The spell's radius of effect was twenty meters, which was also just right for filtering out the king and queen.

Finally, two monsters the size of calves crashed out of the ground, extinguishing even the flames. Their sharp claws left deep footprints on the ground, and black slime flowed from their lizard-like mouths, with mold even wrapped around their sharp teeth.

“If you get bitten by one of these things, even if it can be cured, you’ll suffer a lot,” Liu warned. “The plague they carry has been inactivated, but the other pathogens that arise naturally are unpredictable. You two had better not get hurt.”

Veronica gripped the hammer handle tightly, still a little nervous, but Vanessa excitedly shot an arrow at the largest one: "I'll take this one!"

She took the initiative to choose Wang.

During previous lessons, the pharmacist noticed that Veronica had a very solid theoretical foundation, while Vanessa was willing to try anything. In real-world situations, Vanessa's courage and action would surpass Veronica's slightly, which might make a more obvious difference in their future teaching methods.

Under her control, the Hand of Storms released the King and Queen into the battle.

Vanessa's provocation naturally drew the attention of the human who dared to shoot an arrow at it, even though the arrow hadn't even ripped off a single scale from its head. The deaths of so many offspring had overshadowed the king's courage with its rage. It charged forward like an earth dragon, but Vanessa nimbly dodged it, and then fired another arrow at its tail.

The arrow was blocked by the scales. Vanessa was slightly startled, and the apothecary spoke up at the right time: "Don't use the characteristics of ordinary creatures to deduce the monster. Even its belly is covered with scales."

"Yes!"

Vanessa answered loudly, then leaped aside to dodge the king's tail whip. She then clenched her fingers, and a bright ball of light gathered in her palm, which she then flung out!
The enhanced light spell from Vanessa struck the King's eyes precisely as it turned to charge again, like a light bulb pressed against its eyelids. The intense light immediately caused the King to twist its body, and its frantic charge completely lost its aim, allowing Vanessa to dodge once more.

"Hey! It seems that even after turning into a monster, its eyes are still its weak point!"

Vanessa shouted, clearly directed at Veronica, who was also engaged in combat with the others in a similar situation.

After shouting those words, Vanessa looked at the king charging at her again and actually leaped up and jumped onto it!