Below, was a sight that would send the human kingdoms running.

Hundreds if not thousands, masses of bodies dragged forward, some crawling over one another filling the lower basin like a live tide.

The smell was horrendous, it hit Atheline right in the face the moment he looked down.

Corrupted beasts, bone wolves, and fire bears with their fires extinguished.

Most of the normal beasts had turned into something worse, but surprisingly, some remained normal beasts.

Some had grown extra limbs while others crawled on the ground with parts of their bodies chewed off.

It was surprising how in harmony they were.

All of them seemed to be moving towards one direction, but Atheline couldn’t place which specifically since he himself didn’t even know where he was.

’Let’s get out of here, before they notice me’

He knew he was powerless against them especially without his power. His grip on the arrow tightened just in case.

He stepped back slowly, carefully making sure to be as quiet as possible.

Luck didn’t seem to be on his side.

A rock shifted under his heel, small, barely anything but in the silence it echoed.

’Shit!’

Atheline stilled. He watched his heart in his hand as it rolled down vanishing into the crowd, but that was enough.

Below the movement flattered, not entirely but this caused a ripple through the masses.

Heads turned, turned towards the cliff, their lifeless eyes focusing on his direction.

The familiar uneven vibrations that the corrupted produce , began to rise through the hoard.

’Tsk... so much for being quiet’

Things had changed too quickly for him to even react.

He didn’t wait.

The moment the first body broke from the hoard scrambling up the impossible incline faster than it should have been able to, he turned and ran.

There wasn’t a smidge of hesitation in his conscience, only a fool would stay and fight.

Even with his normal elements, he would have run.

Branches snapped underfoot as he pushed forward, speed rising as he pushed his body despite the uneven terrain.

His breath stayed even but his body protested the more ground he covered. Atheline didn’t have a definite direction as he ran through the darkened forest, the pounding behind him prevented him from assessing his direction.

He didn’t know when the sun had set but it didn’t make a difference, they could see clearly through the dark.

To make matters worse, the corrupted, were moving fast.

His hand moved, nocking three more arrows as he ran. He didn’t fully turn, just enough to lose a shot behind him.

The four arrows flew into the dark.

A hit.

Something fell but he didn’t stop, more corrupted took their places.

His pace increased, the dark forest in front of him , served as a respite and cover.

Atheline didn’t know how many arrows he had used but the sounds started to fade slowly.

Branches snapping behind him, the uneven pounding of bodies behind him thinned, then scattered until the forest became quiet.

He didn’t stop immediately, he couldn’t trust his perception at the moment.

His pace only slowed once the ground leveled out. His breath was coming out naturally despite the distance he had run and the ache in his body.

A few more steps then he finally came to a halt as he listened for any sounds.

Nothing was following him.

’I finally lost them’

His eyes had at some point adjusted to the dark. His gaze moved around as he observed.

Trees, nothing but trees.

It was at this moment that his body decided to complain.

Hunger, sharp and painful.

Except for the suppressant he had taken, Atheline hadn’t eaten anything during the whole walk.

His body had skipped past the warning stage and gone directly to demand.

He knew instinctively what made it worse.

The poison.

His body had been conditioned to a specific schedule and adding the poison in the mixture worsened everything.

It wasn’t just destabilising his strength but also burning through him faster than normal.

"So now you’re eating through everything..."

His voice was quiet but loud enough for only his ears, carrying mild annoyance.

His stomach tightened hard enough to hurt.

"Tch..."

He pressed a hand briefly against his side, exhaling softly. His gaze found the tallest tree. He was up in the blink of an eye.

He took out the little ration he had placed a long time ago in his storage ring. He mainly used it to store arrows in case he needed them urgently.

He ate the rations fast, there was no point in conserving anyway.

’I’ll look for something tomorrow."

The effects were immediate and satisfactory. The pain eased. He leaned on the trunk of the tree his gaze directed to the sky filled with stars.

’I wish I could show this to Lily, ’ his hand raised towards the sky’ ... I miss her’

This had been the first time he had been away from her for such a long time.

The fact that, he didn’t know exactly where she was made matters worse.

His hand lowered and covered his heart.

’... where are you’

The familiar rumble vibrated through the forest.

’Let’s just wait until the sun raises’

He made himself comfortable in the tree.

He had only started to doze off around midnight, when he felt it...

Quiet movement.

His eyes flew open. That was when he met with large black eyes glowing in the dark, staring at him.

Atheline could feel the hunger in those eyes. He was being hunted.

’Can’t I get a good night’s sleep!’

The owner of the eyes pushed into view, and the shrubs that had been hiding its body snapped like they were nothing.

At first, he couldn’t place it, then it fully revealed itself.

A giant rough bulbous frog, or what looked like one.

It was enormous, the body alone was the size of a carriage and a half, with a slick but rough bulbous skin that glistened in the dim starlight.

What held him still wasn’t its sheer size, but its mouth. It hung open slightly, black saliva dripping down on the forest floor in a pattern but that wasn’t the worst part.

The inside of its mouth was also black. Its flesh was peeling, with strings of blackened and decayed meat clinging in its jaws.

The rot didn’t spread to any part of the body, just around its mouth.

The stench was overwhelming but he had been through worse.

The good thing was that it wasn’t corrupted just decaying due to a lack of proper dental hygiene.

He could feel the aura rolling off it, it wasn’t weak despite how almost dead it looked.

It was an A + almost S-level beast and in his condition, he knew it was going to take a while to get rid of it.

’I hope those corrupted won’t hear the fight’

Its bulbous eyes, stayed on him their gazes held. For a moment, none of them moved then its throat expanded.

’Light’