Chapter 916: Sudden Collapse
...
After reaching the other side of the river, Izroth and the 9th Division continued their journey through the Ferae Jungle.
As for the Ferae Tricky Primates, Izroth was able to take care of most of the creatures before the rest of his division arrived. However, several of the Ferae Tricky Primates fled after witnessing what happened to their companions. Though Izroth did not bother to chase after them. After all, their goal was not to hunt the monsters in the Ferae Jungle.
At the moment, Izroth had taken a position at the front of the group along with Niflheim as the two led the 9th Division onward.
"We're keeping a better pace than I anticipated. If things continue at this rate, we should be able to reach our destination within the next two hours. That being said—it's strange." Niflheim stated as he glanced at the members of the 9th Division behind him.
"So you've noticed it as well," Izroth commented.
Not long after they made it across the river, Izroth noticed that several of the 9th Division members were becoming increasingly sluggish and fatigued. However, this should not have been the case considering all of them had consumed an Ocean Spring Pill.
Even if they had poor stamina beforehand, with the effects of the Ocean Spring Pill aiding them, it should have been impossible for them to experience so much fatigue within just a few hours.
If it were just one or two people, perhaps it could be written off as a somewhat unique set of circumstances. But, nearly a third of the 9th Division was starting to drag behind.
'Something is definitely off. And, whatever it is, I'm unable to pinpoint it. Even after checking everyone with my Energy Vision Sense and looking over the battle logs, there was nothing out of place. Nonetheless, we can't continue like this. If we do, it won't be long before the rest of the 9th Division also suffers from the same thing.'
"This may sound strange to say, but on the bright side, whatever it is, at least it only seems to be affecting our stamina. Of course, that's not to say there won't be more adverse effects the longer we leave it unchecked. In fact, I'm sure things will get worse from here on out if we don't solve it soon. After all, based on everything that's transpiring, I believe one of two things happened." Niflheim stated.
He then continued, "First, we unknowingly walked into a magic formation. Though I figured we'd rule this out given your ability that's able to detect these sort of things long beforehand."
Niflheim was well aware of Izroth's Energy Vision Sense and its ability to detect mana along with other things.
The reason Niflheim figured the chances of it being a magic formation was low had to do with the fact that no matter how great a magic formation one constructed, it required a vast consumption of mana to function. There was simply no way to hide something like this from Izroth's Energy Vision Sense unless someone used a high-grade concealment-type magic item. Needless to say, Niflheim did not think this was the case, given their current location.
"I also think it's unlikely we're trapped inside a magic formation. We can rule out poisons and illusions as well." Izroth commented.
Izroth's thought process was the same as Niflheim's when it came to the magic formation. As for why he also ruled out poisons and illusions, after Izroth consumed the Evil Cleansing Pill, he gained the passive skill Evil Cleansing.
This made it so that if he were ever caught under the influence of poison or an illusion, the negative effects would automatically be cleansed. This effect could only occur once every two hours. And, seeing as how it had yet to go, Izroth felt that both possibilities were unlikely.
"That being said, if you're talking like this, then I assume you're leaning more toward the second option," Izroth noted.
Niflheim nodded and responded, "You're right. Although it's mostly just a gut feeling, I think sometime after we entered the Ferae Jungle, somewhere along the way, we were cursed by someone or something. I don't have any solid proof, but... It would certainly explain why nothing is showing up on the battle logs."
In RML, as a general rule, curses did not show up on battle logs, and the majority of the time, one would only know that they were affected by it after it was already too late. Of course, there were exceptions to this rule, such as the Curse of The Netherworld Izroth received from the Envoy of The Netherworld.
Nonetheless, curses usually took a while before the effects fully set in and displayed their strength.
"What you say makes sense. However, if we have been cursed, it's safe to assume that we were not all impacted simultaneously." Izroth said calmly.
"I agree. The timing is too spread out. It appears to be connected, but also separate somehow." Niflheim commented.
While the members of the 9th Division were displaying similar symptoms that confirmed the incidents were not isolated, there was no clear pattern of infection. Therefore, it was not easy to locate the exact cause of the problem.
"For now, I suggest we have some of the supports attempt to cleanse the negative effects. Depending on the curse, it could work, but..." Niflheim said as he furrowed his brows.
"As long as we don't know the source, it's possible we'll just be cursed again," Izroth said.
"Exactly." Niflheim sighed.
Once it was decided, Niflheim followed through over voice chat and had a few of the support players attempt to cleanse those he believed were cursed.
Unfortunately, even the A-rank cleansing skill used by Sanctity did not seem to make any difference.
To make matters even worse, the mysterious affliction swiftly spread to more than half of the 9th Division.
"Need... To take a... Break." One of the 9th Division players, Revel, commented.
At the moment, Revel's breathing was heavy and erratic as he struggled to keep a normal pace. In addition, his complexion made it seem as though he had not slept for days.
"Eh..? Why do I feel so tired...? I can hardly keep my eyes open..." Revel thought to himself as he felt his eyelids grow heavier with every passing moment. And, before he knew it, his eyes had completely shut.
Bang!
Out of nowhere, Revel's body crashed into the ground, causing those around him to become alarmed.
"Hey, are you okay?" One of the nearby players, Love Mist, asked.
Love Mist was a petite young woman with above-average looks. She had black hair fashioned into a french braid that reached the lower part of her back and a pair of eyes the color of honey.
She wore a set of elegant robes with a simple black wand at her waist, which clearly displayed her identity as a magic caster.
There was no response from Revel when Love Mist spoke, causing her to frown.
The next moment, she leaned over to check on Revel.
"Hm? That's..." Love Mist muttered to herself as she noticed something odd slightly sticking out from the back of Revel's clothing near the bottom of his neck.
At a glance, it looked like a small shadow that was no bigger than a portion of one's finger. But, by the time she blinked, Love Mist saw that nothing was there.
"Was I imagining it just now?" Love Mist thought to herself.
"I may have just been seeing things; however, I should say something just in case." Love Mist said to herself.
Although she was unsure whether she actually saw something, given the state of the 9th Division, Love Mist figured it was better to report it and let those in charge deal with the information as they pleased.
Love Mist was cautious by nature and had a keen eye for detail. It was because of these traits that Menerva chose Love Mist to be a part of her squadron.
As two of the unaffected players helped Revel up and supported him, Love Mist took to voice chat to report her findings.
Niflheim, "A small shadow? Are you certain?"
Love Mist, "I would be lying if I said I were absolutely certain, but I'm pretty sure something was there. It showed up right after he fainted and then disappeared without a trace before I could get a good look at it."
Niflheim, "If what you're saying is true, it's too much of a coincidence that this shadow appeared right as Revel fell unconscious. It's not concrete, but it's definitely something worth checking out. What do you think, Menerva?"
Menerva, "...In-"
Suddenly, Menerva fell silent without even finishing a word.
Niflheim, "Hm? Menerva?"
Niflheim was met with silence.
"I'm going to go check on things. I'll leave the vanguard in your hands." Izroth stated.
Niflheim gave a small nod in response. Then, without hesitation, Izroth started to make his way toward the rear of the group.