22. The Homestretch

< Decision of Two Hundred and Eleven Juries Pending >

It took 25 days to reach this point. Over a month had passed since they arrived here. Frost could barely remember the outside world anymore. It felt like it was just a dream before she slipped into this nightmare.

Therefore, she occasionally asked the System questions to stimulate her memory. She wanted to know what to look forward to when they finally left forsaken place.

“System. What sort of cuisine does… was it Grandis? Or Brandar? Do they have any traditional food?” Frost asked as they took a small break for Jury’s sake.

“Brandar has too much variety to call anything traditional. As for Grandis…”

“… Hey, don’t you tell me it’s skewers.”

“Do you insist I lie?”

“Haaah. Skewers. That word’s lost and gained different meanings so many times that I don’t even know if you’re talking about traditional skewers or not.”

“Traditional skewers in the context of your world or Elysia?”

“Please System, don’t make it any more confusing for me.” Frost defeatedly begged.

They found a small place to call camp at the base of a randomly selected tree. It did not matter where they chose anyway. They wouldn’t be interrupted. Not while Frost was here. The denizens fled at the slightest glimpse of her overbearing visage, mistaking her for the One Thousand Eyed Bird.

It felt odd being on top of the… food chain? Frost didn’t know what to call the relationship of these creatures. On the surface level it was obvious, especially with creatures like the Accused and Accusers. But they did not fight to eat. They fought purely for a purpose that Frost could only label as prejudice.

She cleansed her thoughts. Then, she turned her attention to something else that mattered a thousand times more.

“Take all the time you need Jury. We’re going to get out of here soon.” Frost whispered with a gentle voice. “I’ll take you anywhere you want. Get you anything you want. Chase whatever you want to reach.”

Jury’s head rested on her lap, her hands barely grasping at Frost’s body like how a child would cling to its mother. A hand found itself gently caressing the woman’s hair, eliciting a small smile to form on her sleeping face as Frost could only stare fondly at the woman who had stuck by her side all this time.

“… I really couldn’t have made it this far without you, you know that? All I did was scare those kids away and help you out. You could have done that all yourself… and yet you threw your life to save me as thanks.” Her voice was filled with genuine affection. “That’s why – I want to hold your hand and pull you out of this forest. It’s been 26 years for you, hasn’t it? All alone in this place…”

Jury murmured her name under her breath. The Black Forest felt serene for the first time. Frost only wished that there were stars to gaze upon as they sat there for some time, allowing Jury to rest to her heart’s content.

The woman had grown during the last 15 days, having levelled up to 75 now.

< LEVEL : 75 >     < Unhung Jury >
NAME : Jury     HP : 8,000     AGI : 35     RESIST : 30     AGE : 26
ATT : 135     ORIGIN : Original     MAG ATT : 0     

While the changes were minimal, Frost could tell that Jury had a better handle on combat, especially against multiple foes. Additionally, seeing Jury’s stats only caused Frost to realize just how monstrous her growth was compared to the ordinary person.

 < LEVEL : 60 >     < The Amalgam >
NAME : Frost     HP : 9,500 ^5/Min     MP : 2,350 ^5/min     AGI : 50     RESIST : 45
AGE : 0     ATT : 500 (+35)      ATT DEF : 150 (+60)     O : 36    D : 0
ORIGIN : Archetype     MAG ATT : 220     MAG DEF : 65     S : 83     E : 35

Frost realized she should have received a milestone for reaching past level 50. However, this did not seem to be possible until they left this place. The reason being?

< Milestone Overall Level Rewards Can Only Be Gained Within Sight of the Nexus >

< Rewards will be gained the next time the Nexus is within sight >

Furthermore, she had gained a level in Appraise Object and evolved it to Appraise Object I. By some miracle, the white feathers were able to be appraised.

< A feather plucked from an innocent soul >

Again, there was hardly any information. But it didn’t matter in the end. She had stored at least 4 kg worth of the feathers in her Dimensional Storage, alongside the black metal feathers and the giant, blade-like feathers of the Righteousness. The shells of the Accused were quite useless for any future usage.

A small silence brewed. It wasn’t an unsettling one, or uncomfortable for that matter. It was cozy. Calm. Tranquil. The downtimes spent while Jury rested were always Frost’s favorite moments.

Because deep down in her heart she was not a naturally violent person. When it came down to it, Frost was a victim of circumstance. All of this was required to survive, and now knowing that the person she wished to extract revenge on was still beyond her reach, she needed to get even stronger.

She took a deep, silent breath and warmly spoke again.

“You as well System. Thanks for keeping me sane.”

Even though the System wasn’t a corporeal entity and just a voice in both of their heads, she vowed to protect it equally like Jury. These two were the most important… people. Yeah. People in the world.

“You’re oddly sentimental now. Is something wrong?”

“I’m fine. We’re just so close to reaching the end that I can’t help it. The world seems vast from what I can tell. My map’s clouded with a fog of war so I can’t say for sure. But you know… I’d also like to explore it.” Frost said. “There’s Grandis and Brandar. That’s all I know so far.”

“I will summarize the world for you. Though the regions are hard to discern without access to a proper map. To the far north you’ll find a place called Dwarhelven. It is the motherland of the Dwarves. Further up lays the Caldera region and the Crystal Isles, home to the Crystalloids. Northeast lays a great desert and where the Dragons reside. In the west lays a vast marshlands home to many creatures, and further west is home to the sprawling nests of the Insectids and the Anids.”

“What’s further south?”

“Emvita; the homeland of the humans, and the sworn enemies of the Zelmori; the western continent of the Demons. You can guess what the reason is.”

“Demons and humans. How cliché. Do they think they’re responsible for the Corrupted or something?” She made a wild guess, and to her surprise, she was correct.

“Precisely. I’m glad we’re on the same page.”

“Well, we’re technically sharing the same headspace. Tch… Why can’t anyone just get along?” Frost murmured to herself. “To the east?”

“Another two landmasses belonging to the Beastkin and the magical races. The Elves should ring a bell. It is regarded as sacred territory by the Justica Arms.”

“Oh. I’ve heard of the Justica Arms before… but not really what they do. No. Forget that. I don’t even know what they’re supposed to be.”

“Justice must never stray behind judgement. That is written in their insignia and onto each one of their weapons. It’s one of the Ateliers of the Nexus. An organization led by its founding Beholder. They each possess a certain technology. May I remind you of the Warped Stone? It belongs to the Justica Arms, led by Beholder Galia. They are one of the most renowned, and their weapons are among the most sacred.”

Intriguing. However, the mention of ‘technology’ and the ‘Warped Stone’ caused her to make a conflicted face. Frankly put, it was still hard to believe these were technologies.

“Teleportation technology. Man… how can you not call it magic?”

“Because it isn’t?” The System nonchalantly replied like it was obvious.

“You’re not going to elaborate further, are you?”

“No one knows for sure but the Beholders themselves. Frost. My knowledge is vast like an ocean, but the depth is that of a puddle.”

“I should have guessed… System, can I just say that I love your analogies.” Frost suddenly praised it.

“Must you attempt to flatter this artificial consciousness?”

“Don’t call yourself artificial. You’re able to think and that’s enough for me to know that you’re real.” Frost immediately said. “The words of an AI would feel cold. You’re warm, System.”

“… please do not say such needless things.”

Silence again. Minutes passed in the blink of an eye as the sound of Jury’s soft breaths filled the air. Her chimera-like appearance hadn’t changed the slightest now that she took a closer look. Before long, one final thought crept into Frost’s mind as she set her sights to a distant cluster of lights.

“Let’s say hypothetically we had to fight that thing before it began altering its environment. What would be different?”

“All of this would have been condensed into a single encounter. Ateliers specialized in locating the Corrupted would have sent another group of people to gauge the difficulty before a subjugation team was sent in. It is more likely that the Corrupted would be teleported into the Nexus as an event. All was abandoned after Paradise was lost. But in essence, it would have been far easier to handle. However…”

“Hmm?”

“The conditions. Frost. There is no recorded account of anyone identifying a condition or requirement to defeat a Corrupted. Your Blessing of the Amalgam allows you to see these things.”

“Yeah. But that’s nothing new. It’s also how I can see the statuses of the Corrupted. Tch. So on their end this creature would appear like some overpowered monster when it’s actually much less than that.”

“It is essentially as you say. A giant lumbering bird that can hardly be damaged and can instantly kill you will never be classified any weaker. Fulfil the requirements and heed the conditions, then it may be easier than one thought.”

“I see… Alright. Let’s hope that’s the case then. For our sake. Let’s go see the world when this is over.”

“I expect nothing less.”

With her promise locked, they both patiently waited until Jury was primed and ready for their last rounds with the Hanged Juries and Righteousness. Only 211 eyes remained until their showdown with the… Two hundred and Eleven Eyed Bird.

And Frost could only hope it was as easy as skewering the beast.

One Thousand Eyed Bird | HP : 63,300