Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 277: The Wandering Forest

Chapter 277: The Wandering Forest

The Wandering Forest was a mysterious place that had existed since time immemorial, long before mankind stepped on Ra’as.

Legend says that the Earth Mother, after forming the land, went into a deep slumber, her body constituting the foundation on which the Wandering Forest congregated.

The legend served as the only reason why the forest had such a dense aether flow compared to the places about it.

Its large size, which spanned more than 7 million square kilometers, sharing borders with the Azure Depths, was home to several animal species that couldn’t be found anywhere else in the world.

Some were mutants, creatures or plants that had bathed in the aether flow and gained intelligence alongside some supernatural prowess.

The BeastMen were the first race to gain a foothold so close to the Wandering Forest.

Thebes was once the wielder of that title but even they didn’t dare stay too close to the forest for fear of the mutants that usually scavenged outside the forest.

At that time, Mutant stampedes were quite rampant, with most taking place during the month of Astra when the Lightbringer closed its doors the longest.

However, the arrival of the BeastMen served as an antithesis to the Mutant stampedes as they withstood each one, using it as fuel to build their military and warring capabilities.

In recent years, there had been no stampedes, with some BeastMen speculating that the mutants in the forest had dwindled to an alarming degree.

This caused them to ponder on the best ways to ensure the stampedes continued as it was an integral part of their society with some suggesting heading into the forest to force breeding between the mutants, a rather radical approach.

Of course, before they had a chance to do anything, the corruption began.

It was mild at first, with only the abyssal aura that caused miners who worked in the coal mines to hallucinate once in a while.

But then, it began to get worse, so much worse that a BeastMan raised his weapon upon another and killed his comrade.

He ended his life while screaming like an insane person.

Since then, all BeastMen had withdrawn from the mines at which point, the corruption grew worse.

The trees withered and the mutants in the forest got corrupted, turning into horrifying monstrosities that only made the situation much worse.

At first, they thought the Will of the World would deal with the problem but it became apparent soon enough that the corruption was no small matter and from what they had gathered from their investigation, the corruption most likely originated from a place deep within the forest, a place no man or Cryptid had ever trespassed.

It sounded dangerous and it was, after all, the stampedes that had once been a yearly occurrence were only from the mutants at the periphery of the forest.

None that had fought those creatures could say they were easy pickings, so imagine how much stronger the creatures at the depths were, especially since the density of aether there was unlike any other.

However, despite their worries, Aragon had no choice but to push forward, else, their kingdom would soon be forced to choose between relocating or falling into poverty.

With the fate of everyone in the balance, Alejandro decided to risk it, to ensure the continuity of Aragon even after his death.

These and much more, Alex learned from Alejandro as he and the Rey walked at the forefront of the charge into the forest.

So far, they hadn’t encountered any adversaries, with few still pondering if it were a good or bad thing.

Of course, they had only been walking for a little over two hours but still...

"Halt." Alejandro suddenly said, bringing the party to a stop.

The group of 300 BeastMen armed to the teeth quickly put up their guard as they got into formation, their eyes scanning the area about them as they took steady breaths.

Just then, they appeared.

They looked like dogs but with half of their body melted to reveal a bony interior with organs in full view while the other half was filled with festering boils, each one the size of a grown man.

"What are those?" Alex asked with a grimace.

Alejandro clicked his tongue. "Zombie Jackals, rather annoying mutants due to their capability to heal from most injuries. With them here, their pack leader shouldn’t be too far away from here."

"Then we should begin?"

"Be careful. Aim for their heads if you wish to attack."

"No need." Alex calmly replied as he snapped his fingers.

The next moment, the whole area was enshrouded by Eternal Night with Alejandro and his men left speechless at the sight.

Before the Jackals could make a move, their heads began to blow up like confetti leaving Alejandro and co even more perplexed by what was happening.

Meanwhile, Ana and Victoria seemed pleased with the show of strength, reveling in the fact that their leader was no pushover.

By the time Eternal Night was lifted, the jackals were all dead.

Alejandro couldn’t help glancing at Alex, his eyes filled with awe.

Alex met his gaze calmly as he remarked. "Now that that’s over, shall we?"

"..."

***

After the Zombie Jackals, the march truly began.

Alex’s show had left the BeastMen feeling competitive, considering how scrawny he looked compared to them.

All Mutants that came in their way afterwards were swiftly dealt with causing Alex to nod in appreciation.

This was what he had in mind when he acted against the jackals.

Though he wasn’t one to flex muscles unnecessarily, he knew that if he didn’t do something to spur on the BeastMen to do their utmost best, they might end up being too slow in dealing with the mutants that might try to impede their advancement into the forest.

Now that he had shown them the way, he could stay back and watch them do the work.

However, even as they did their best to cut down the minor adversaries that appeared, Alex was well aware that it would be quite a long journey.

The trek had only just begun.