41. Using the Corrupted Skills for the First Time

No matter the screams. No matter the laughter. And no matter the constant chatter of battle – the world somehow fell silent before her presence.

The luminescent eyes were like dazzling stage lights.

But as equally as mesmerizing as they were, they carried a certain eeriness to them. To stare too deeply onto one was akin to staring into the the abyss. Those lights felt like they were watching. Observing from its great height like stars.

These stars constantly moved like an ever-changing constellation, enrapturing them before their attention naturally returned to Frost.

They should have been screaming their hearts out. Yelling. Crying and shouting but only exasperated utters left their parted lips.

“The healer. C-Could that be her doing…?” One stammered, glancing around in shock.

“A healer…? That? Don’t be a fool… that is something else entirely. Who… no, what else could devour an Octanid of all things? With her bare teeth no less…” Another pointed out right after finishing off an Unlying Tablet.

“The Blessed are something else entirely… Did they change after all this time? Such magic is impeccable!”

“N-No you fools!” Someone suddenly cut through the chatter with a howl. “Our healer… she must be one of them! A deity of the celestial Nexus!”

“A-A God!? Gods don’t feast on corpses. And for what reason would one be here with us!?”

“Maybe the Blessed truly did return to Grandis after all… to rid us of these nightmarish creatures.”

“… A deity? A God? Can a healer… even be capable of possessing that kind of magic? What is that power?”

The consensus was split amongst them as each voice carried emotions of reverence and awe, hope and inspiration, while others had their hearts dipped into a sea of trepidation and unrest.

There was no telling what Frost exactly was. Whether she was a deity of the Nexus or something more sinister mattered little in the end.

Because she was their only hope of overcoming this ordeal.

And so, she spoke with her back still turned to them.

“I am a Blessed with a designation I cannot reveal. And you think now is a good time to be asking questions?” Her voice was low, yet somehow loud enough for all to hear.

Frost felt their scrutinizing gazes all over her as she turned to face them. They were inadvertently judging her, half in fear and the other in reverence.

Where she took one step forward, the cowardly took two steps back.

She did not wish for the situation to devolve any further. She needed to make it clear that she was on their side. As obvious as it was for some, many drew their aggression towards her for she could not possibly be anything other than a monster.

And because of this moment of distraction –

< [Sinless Repent] >

< [Sinless Repent] >

< [Sinless Repent] >

< [Sinless Repent] >

< [Sinless Repent] >

Idiots… what the fuck did you think was going to happen when you stopped yelling!?

Multiple people were transformed all at once. They stopped speaking on their own accord and paid the ultimate price. The many confessions broke out in their ranks before the explosions of flesh erupted.

It seemed like the number the Listening Bird could transform people into a Screaming Gallery was tied to the amount of Unlying Tablets were in its possession.

These fleshy monstrosities induced immense terror rather than physically attacking. The sound of flesh and bone meeting steel rung through the air, as did screams of horror.

“Tch… WHO TOLD YOU TO STOP SCREAMING!? WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF A BATTLE SO RAISE YOUR VOICES OR YOU’LL DIE JUST LIKE THEM!” Frost abruptly roared as she pushed forward with Jury by her side, instantly shattering these Undying Tablets.

She even managed to devour one, although she did not receive anything in return. Not even any stats.

As a result, she naturally turned her attention to the only thing that could sate her hunger.

“I must eat… that damned bird! All of you! Don’t stop fighting for a single second! Via! Jaris! Patrons! Why are you still so silent!?” Frost’s voice reverberated through their bones as the sound of battle returned all at once.

“K-Keep fighting! O-Our healer – It – She’s here to help us!” Jaris trembled in the wake of her command.

“The Corrupted is for her to fight! Just – JUST FOCUS ON YOURSELVES DAMMIT!” Via hoarsely screamed. “Help us Frost! If not for them, then do it for us! For the people that can’t fight! I’m begging you! From the bottom of my heart, please help us!”

She was at the verge of tears. This sentiment was shared by most of those who knew they were incapable of surviving this mess. Tears were already being shed within her caravan. The daughter of Hellen wailed as her mother was left unable to assure her, only screaming with a voice just a pitch lower than her daughters to keep her alive.

At the same time; Calfasio repeatedly yelled out his daughter’s name.

“Ignis! Ignis! Please Ignis! I promise to come home safely!”

She imagined the man clutching his pendant close to his heart. This Corrupted, in the grand scheme of things, was a pushover compared to the One Thousand Eyed Bird.

But there was so much more on the line.

Because it was no longer about becoming victorious. It was about rescuing these people.

“Frost! Leave these people to me! Go and deal with the Listening Bird!” Jury affirmed, failing to hide her surprise towards Frost’s manifestation.

Seeing the trust brimming in those golden eyes caused Frost’s heart to ignite with passionate flames.

“I’m counting on you then!”

“Mhm!”

Frost, carrying the combined will of everyone present to survive, thrust herself into the forest in hot pursuit of the dashing Laughing Bird. It rode the trees high above, making it impossible for her to reach.

“Furio! Keep some of those things alive!” Frost commanded as she passed him like a whizzing bullet.

“What for!?”

“FOR FOOD!” Frost did not need to waste time elaborating.

“… you… what the fuck are you taking about?” Despite his confusion, she knew that he would comply.

It was not like he had any other brighter ideas either.

And food she specifically meant ‘mana’. Because these new skills she gained were not exactly cheap to begin with. She closely monitored its movement with her foresight before unleashing one of her Corrupted Skills.

[Biased Verdict].

MP : 3,350 | 5,350 | ^5 MP/Min

An odd sensation coursed through her veins before spreading outwards into the surrounding forest. One by one, massive, scorched trees shot up from the ground and reached out to ensnare the Laughing Bird with perfect success.

The branches wrapped it nicely, strangling it in place as she quickly scaled the tree.

“You’re not going anywhere!” Frost hissed, digging her fingers into the bark to create handholds.

She did not even climb it in the traditional sense. Rather, she was thrusting herself upwards, almost leaping with only her upper body strength.

The Listening Bird only laughed as she approached. Once at the top, she grabbed it from its shoulders and began to pulverize it with only her forehead, headbutting it while using [punch] to maximize the effect.

Listening Bird | HP : 52,250

And like the ravenous, starving beast she was – she could not wait to eat until it was dead. Chunks of its near gelatinous face were taken between each headbutt. Her screams were only momentarily interrupted with a few chews and a gulp as the creepy-owl-faced Corrupted could only smile back and laugh.

“AH HA HA HA HA!”

< [Dismissed Confession] >

She was not the most silent, so this attack was entirely futile.

< “Their confessions were never right. The texts were the infallible truth.” >

< “They screamed so loudly… we needed to block out their guilty cries at all costs…” >

This was not spoken by Nav.

Frost heard the Listening Bird speak with a soundless voice. It was like a murmur. Stray thoughts that came from its inhuman heart. The ability she gained from the Screaming Gallery allowed her to hear these innate voices of the Corrupted.

MP | 4,000 | 5,350

“How sick in the head were you people… To judge them for what was written!? Like it was the truth!? Unlying!? Tch – HAVE A TASTE OF WHAT IT’S LIKE BEING ON THE RECEIVING END OF YOUR PREJUDICE!” Frost’s eyes glimmered with a piercing light.

She was by far the loudest in this forest.

[Prejudice]. This was also by far her strongest skill. The cost to use it just once was 4,000 MP.

It better have been worth it!

A black mist enshrouded Frost like an aura. The familiar golden lights that once surrounded her in the Black Forest were blackened like sooty particles. But they glowed somehow, and eventually took the form of a massive, giant maw which was lined with countless rows of razor-sharp teeth.

The entire shadowy aura was around 10 meters in size, just like the body of the One Thousand Eyed Bird.

And with just the motion of her jaw; the entire thing snapped shut like an oversized bear trap. It disappeared as quickly as it appeared, vanishing once the maw completely closed. What remained was hole-riddled Listening Bird and the remains of the scorched tree.

Listening Bird | HP : 2,250

It used this opportunity to slip away. Frost found it near impossible to keep a collection of near liquified blood between her fingers. Though this was only half the reason.

“… a critical strike… What an insane combination.”

Indeed. Prejudice had a damage value of 10,000. Ensnaring it caused it to enter a vulnerable state, and thus, allowed her to multiply the damage by 5 times.

She almost devoured it in only a single bite.

But that was not all she devoured.

Nav… I knew Prejudice was strong but…

“But?”

Frost needed to gulp. If it weren’t for the many lives at stake then she would have chosen to simply hang atop the scorched tree in a dazzled state. Perhaps even for hours on end just to digest an ounce of what she saw.

“… I don’t even know where to begin… Healer…? Elysia be damned if you’re a healer!” She heard Furio’s response to the devastation she caused to the forest.

Yes. Devastation. The power of a Skill from an Eternal Night Corrupted could not be understated. Although funnily enough Frost obviously underestimated its power.

Her mistake was that she only gauged it by its damage alone and not how this damage was applied.

It was like realizing your skill in an RPG game was far more powerful than the description alluded to. That it was entirely capable of egregious friendly fire and utter devastation when you believed otherwise. What was supposed to be a single-target attack somehow wiping out everything across the screen.

The scorched tree was not the only tree that was eaten. A wide arc of trees directly in front of her were missing massive chunks of their flesh.

Parts of their trunks were cleanly bitten off with thousands of teeth engraved into their wood. The enormous canopies quivered, snapped, and collapsed one by one, for the measly trunk that remained could no longer support its sheer weight.

“It’s strong. Far stronger than I could have ever imagined. And that’s more than a 10-meter radius!”

“Larger than the One Thousand Eyed Bird's reach. An area of effect, you may even call it.”

“Area of devastation more like it!"

At least a dozen trees were felled, and another dozen left just barely standing.

She quickly descended and momentarily locked eyes with the Listening Bird. It was on its last legs.

However, it seemed to move faster this time.

AGI : 120