Ch.8630. To the Forest of Soso and Ash (1)

The group arrived at the Ash Forest.

“So this is the Ash Forest…”

It was a forest true to its name. Everything was gray. Different from a snow-covered landscape. Full of coniferous trees that seemed drained of all color. A forest with an eerie atmosphere.

I checked the magical energy in the area with the new oscilloscope provided by the Association.

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[Party Members / MCI / Limit]

* Yeon So-so(S) : 20 / 90

* Lee Min-su(O) : –

[Ambient MCI]

*Within 50m radius : 200

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‘200, huh.’

We were barely at the entrance of the forest. Yet the ambient magical energy was high. For an A-rank dungeon, the ambient MCI would be around 150.

This level was comparable to the magical energy of an S-rank dungeon.

“As you can see, despite not being a dungeon or a territorialized area, the contamination is severe.”

The eldest priest spoke. Then he continued with his explanation.

“The Holy Flame of Pharma is sealed at the center of this forest. Without it, several times this amount of magical energy would have engulfed this entire region.”

Meaning the Holy Flame was suppressing the magical energy. Everyone got out of the car and headed into the forest.

There were ten priests guiding us. The leader was a priest from the Cross Society. The rest of the group consisted of priests and heresy inquisitors.

“So the priests will guide us to where the Holy Flame is?”

“We will accompany you to a certain distance. However, if someone who is not a holy vessel approaches the flame carelessly, even priests of the Cross Society can be harmed by that fire. And…”

The priests’ role was merely to guide us. He said that only I could find the Holy Flame located deep in this forest.

“That’s why those of us who use Ayel’s holy power might actually create noise when searching for the Holy Flame. In the end, only Brother Lee Min-su and your companion must find where the Holy Flame is. It won’t be an easy task.”

At those words, the other priests’ gazes turned toward me. Particularly, the priests with sharp gazes were obviously heresy inquisitors.

‘Do they find me suspicious?’

Well, it was a reasonable reaction. From their perspective, a still-unknown hunter who wasn’t even one of the two daughters of the Five Great Celestial Houses had come to receive a very historic sacred artifact of the Cross Society.

So I deliberately extended my hand for them to see.

“But with this stigmata that the Archbishop left me, I don’t think there will be much of a problem.”

Instantly, the priests’ gazes turned to my palm. There was a slight wound there. If it were an ordinary wound, there should be a scar or traces of blood.

Instead, there was a black cross surrounded by a circular pattern.

“It really is a stigmata…”

The priests all made the sign of the cross simultaneously. Just before leaving the Archbishop’s office, the Archbishop had grabbed my wrist and infused a large amount of holy power.

The result was this circular cross stigmata.

‘The holy spell cast by the Archbishop. He said I could find the Holy Flame of Pharma with this stigmata.’

Marco, the high-ranking heresy inquisitor who was present at the time, also made the sign of the cross, stating that this stigmata proved I was a holy vessel.

“We apologize. We were needlessly concerned.”

A priest who seemed to hold a position among the heresy inquisitors bowed his head to me. I said nothing and simply accepted his bow with a nod.

‘Those priests have important roles too. No need to cause unnecessary trouble.’

The apology was enough.

They were also tasked with blocking any potential followers or uninvited guests who might enter the Ash Forest.

So So-so and I followed the priests toward the depths of the forest.

***

“This is the furthest point we can accompany you.”

The group came to a halt. The vast forest of gray conifers stretched endlessly. The deeper we went, the more intense the magical energy became.

‘It’s getting dark even though the sun hasn’t set yet.’

Irregular fog created by magical energy. This further narrowed our already limited visibility, obscured by the massive coniferous trees.

And the stigmata on my palm began to react. As silver holy power shone from the stigmata, the priests once again made the sign of the cross.

It was a signal that the Holy Flame of Pharma was responding to me.

“Despite being extraordinary priests, they’re quite respectful to you.”

So-so seemed pleased with their polite demeanor. I found it a bit burdensome, but it didn’t matter now since we would be moving on our own, away from their guidance.

The leader of the priests said to me:

“This isn’t a dungeon or territory, so there shouldn’t be any issues using communication equipment.”

He then handed radios to So-so and me. Satellite-connected radios. As he said, with such equipment, communication wouldn’t be a problem.

However, despite having this equipment, the priest’s eyes looked worried. As he mentioned, this was a magical realm with an atmosphere completely different from a peaceful forest. It felt like the entrance to a forest in the demon realm.

“We will remain here waiting until you retrieve the Holy Flame and return. It’s a vast forest, so it might take days, but we will wait. If anything happens, please contact us immediately. Ah, and…”

The priest cast a blessing on So-so and me. Seeing So-so’s MCI decrease further, it seemed like a high-level holy spell.

“Thank you.”

I bowed my head to the leader. Then I added the supplies the priests had prepared to my backpack and slung it over my shoulder.

“Let’s move, Team Leader Yeon.”

“Yes! I mean… As you wish.”

So-so responded with a strangely energetic voice. Today, So-so was wearing a pink hoodie and tight training pants.

At a glance, her outfit was so casual, as if she was going camping or hiking a local mountain, that I almost let out a chuckle.

So the two of us left the priests and walked for quite some time.

After a while, when it was just the two of us, So-so quickly said to me:

“If thy baggage is heavy, I can carry it for thee. For a Celestial Demon, this is no more than a pebble.”

Indeed, So-so didn’t look burdened by the backpack on her back at all.

Of course, comparing it to a pebble was an exaggeration. The weight of the backpack was quite substantial to me, but not so heavy that I couldn’t carry it alone.

“I’m fine.”

At my refusal, So-so immediately looked dejected. Despite using the archaic speech of a Muguk lady, the current So-so was not much different from the timid So-so I knew. She would become downhearted at such trivial words.

‘That side of her was quite endearing.’

So-so always belittled herself, saying she had a gloomy personality and lacked confidence, but in reality, she was quite popular.

‘So-so always compared herself to Yuri, excessively admiring her slender figure.’

So-so had some weight, but her skin was fair and her features were distinct. If the current So-so was beautiful, the So-so back then was cute.

Also, because of her awkward Korean, classmates found her very adorable and liked her, but So-so, who had communication issues, seemed to think they were making fun of her.

‘I was considerate of So-so’s personality because I knew about it from the original work.’

Anyway, because of those traits, So-so was a cute friend to me, almost like a younger sister.

Come to think of it, since I was a transmigrator, there was actually about a 3-year age difference between me and Ains’s classmates.

‘Well, I’ve become more accustomed to my transmigrated age now.’

I paused my reminiscing and took out a chocolate bar from my backpack.

“Want to share this?”

So-so’s eyes lit up. She couldn’t resist food, especially sweets.

I remembered when she became friends with Senior Ha-eun in our second year. She had complained to me about gaining 5kg from the snacks Ha-eun bought her.

‘She was so adorably chubby back then, like she could roll around.’

I took a bite and handed the rest to So-so. Without thinking, So-so immediately bit into the chocolate bar.

And a moment later, she startled.

“W-wait! You just bit this directly. If I eat this, it’s like an indirect… indirect…”

I was taken aback by her classic romantic comedy-like reaction. It wasn’t as if I had licked the chocolate bar, so it could hardly be called an indirect kiss.

So-so blushed and lowered her head deeply.

‘We’ve already kissed…’

We had shared quite a passionate kiss in Flame’s document archive. That was just last month.

Come to think of it, So-so was a Blood Demon then, so it might not count for her.

‘She probably doesn’t even remember.’

And rather than the So-so who moved her tongue aggressively back then, the current So-so’s reaction was more like her.

‘Blood Demon…’

Fortunately, since joining Flame, the Blood Demon hadn’t caused me any harm.

A being born with the fate of the Thousand Killing Star, emitting killing intent comparable to the Suspicious Dark Spirit.

Looking at So-so’s innocent appearance now, it’s impossible to imagine such a murderous entity sleeping within her.

‘But the Blood Demon remains.’

If I let my guard down, and if something triggers the Blood Demon, it might take control from So-so again.

I remember the Blood Demon I saw in that document archive where I kissed So-so.

The Blood Demon had precisely pointed out how I had dragged So-so into the special winter training during our second year.

The Blood Demon had also read my guilt.

‘I must never let such a thing happen again.’

I’m sufficiently determined. And once I’ve made up my mind, it shouldn’t be difficult.

If I could go back to being like I was during the Ains era, I could close the distance between So-so and me.

And if necessary, even more than a kiss. I need to help So-so grow more than she is now, without the Blood Demon’s interference.

Since So-so is a main character in the original work, her future will definitely not be smooth. I needed to steel my heart.

‘Yes. If I become weak-hearted, someone might die again, like Si-woo.’

Hiding these complex inner thoughts, I playfully said to So-so:

“Anyway, since it’s just the two of us now, let’s speak comfortably.”

“Really? You prefer that? If you like it… okay!”

So-so nodded vigorously, seemingly pleased.

***

While the atmosphere was cheerful when they first entered the center of the Ash Forest, the two soon had no time to be distracted.

Not a dungeon, not a territory. But the overflowing magical energy all around had affected this place.

‘What kind of fire bear is that…’

This was a coniferous forest far north, making it a good habitat for fire bears. But the creature standing on two legs before them was clearly not what could be called a fire bear.

“Even Yuri wouldn’t call this fire bear cute.”

Swish-

With those words, So-so’s sword gleamed. The silver aura produced by the Celestial Demon Divine Technique, the ultimate mana acceleration method, sliced through the neck of the massive fire bear that stood over 3 meters tall.

As expected, green blood flowed instead of red. Evidence that it was a monster, not a normal animal.

“It seems all the animals living in this forest have been monsterized due to the magical energy.”

It wasn’t just this fire bear. All animals that would typically inhabit a coniferous region had been monsterized and were attacking the two.

‘So-so must have cut down dozens of them…’

And they weren’t ordinary monsters. I checked the in-ear display connected to the oscilloscope again.

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[Party Members / MCI / Limit]

* Yeon So-so(S) : 52 / 90

* Lee Min-su(O) : –

[Ambient MCI]

*Within 50m radius : 310

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The surrounding magical energy had become much denser. The magical energy recorded at the epicenter of the Great Demon Crosel was 410.

Considering that no such great demon existed here, the ambient magical energy was actually excessively high.

‘No wonder they suppressed the magical energy with the Holy Flame of Pharma.’

The King of Wisdom. The 72 demons he commanded are all commonly referred to as great demons, but even among these great demons, there’s a hierarchy.

‘According to the Archbishop, a great demon of quite high rank had appeared here before.’

That’s why So-so’s MCI was rising due to the battle’s influence. Although her current limit is higher than ever recorded before, with this level of magical energy, it wouldn’t be long before her MCI reached that limit.

‘Since So-so handled most of the monsters…’

So-so knows that my physical condition isn’t normal. So while I did help her with wind cutter spells that consumed less mana, ultimately, So-so did more of the work as we advanced toward the center.

And as the magical energy indicated, the monsters were as strong as those you’d find in at least an A+ rank dungeon.

So-so had expended a considerable amount of energy.

‘She can’t go on like this.’

Night was already approaching. Just as I was about to stop So-so and suggest finding a place to camp for a while, she turned to me and said:

“I… want to wash up.”

So-so’s clothes were a mess, covered in monster fluids.