I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 177 - 177 176. There surely is someone who fell seriously

Chapter 177: 176. There surely is someone who fell seriously ill_1 Chapter 177: 176. There surely is someone who fell seriously ill_1 “This thing doesn’t look very appetizing, and indeed, it’s quite terrible.”

The man, wearing only a sleeveless shirt, held a bug leg in his hand, with tender white flesh on it. The meat sizzled and oozed grease as it roasted over the fire, emitting a strange odor.

According to Lu Ban, it was like the residual smell on your palm after squashing a stink bug.

That is to say, it was quite smelly.

Beneath the brilliant starry sky, five people sat around a campfire, with towering sand dunes beside them. The firelight reflected off the silver gravel, making their surroundings bright as well.

The muscular man wearing the sleeveless shirt was called Giant Arm, who could control fire. The short man was Flame Heart, and the emaciated, pale-faced man was Old Dream.

“Hey, you two are newbies. You probably don’t know the rules of the Wasteland yet. The names of Wasteland Hunters are a secret; we prefer to use nicknames to refer to ourselves. Of course, a resounding nickname can sometimes be more memorable than a real name, right?”

Giant Arm let out a hearty laugh as he explained simply.

One could see that his hands, though human in appearance, were embedded with countless tiny stones, which grew on his skin like crystals, shimmering brilliantly.

Similar to Giant Arm, Flame Heart’s entire right palm was encased in crystal, like a prosthetic. As for Old Dream, there were the same type of crystals around his eyes, and his eyes themselves shone like jewels.

“Crystal disease…”

Lu Ban learned from their conversations that it was the reason for the destruction of this world.

Yes, the Wasteland, this Foreign Domain, was different from other domains; it had indeed been destroyed thoroughly.

The world used to be exceedingly prosperous, boasting a level of technology far beyond that of Lu Ban’s world. But a disease ravaged the globe, and those afflicted developed radiant crystals on their bodies. These crystals spread over time, eventually turning the infected into rigid statues of crystal.

After a series of calamities and wars, the Wasteland took on its current form.

And Giant Arm and the other two were victims of the crystal disease.

The crystal disease was the source of Superpower Abilities in this world.

Once infected, the body would mutate, granting powers that surpassed the limits of ordinary humans. Some could grow powerful Giant Arms, some could manipulate fire at will, and others could influence people’s minds.

However, as time passed, the Superpower Abilities of those with the crystal disease grew stronger, but it also brought them closer to their end. The more they used their abilities, the faster the crystals spread, and in the end, at the peak of their powers, they would become crystalline flowers in the desert.

“Nicknames, huh? I think we should come up with a couple too, don’t you?”

Lu Ban turned to look at Shia beside him.

“…Yeah, indeed.”

Shia, still somewhat dazed by the strangeness of this world, nodded in agreement when she heard Lu Ban’s words.

“Then my nickname is… Mage.”

She responded immediately.

Lu Ban wanted to make a comment, but it clearly wasn’t the time. After thinking it over, he also spoke his chosen nickname.

“Clown, you can call me Clown.”

“That’s an interesting nickname, haha.”

Giant Arm laughed and handed the roasted bug meat to Lu Ban and Shia.

“Here, eat it while it’s hot; it’ll smell even worse when it’s cold.”

“…Thank you.”

Shia took the skewered meat, her face looking slightly queasy.

Lu Ban took his skewer and brought it close to his nose to smell it.

It definitely had the scent of stink bugs.

He affirmed, once again.

Then, Lu Ban took a bite.

“Hm?”

The taste was completely unexpected, like seafood that had been dead for days and had fermented and rotted before being thrown into a pot to boil, then served with mustard soy sauce.

It was a flavor that simply couldn’t be described by the word “delicious” or any of its synonyms.

Especially when the meat entered his throat, Lu Ban could even feel it squirming.

In fact, even after being roasted over the fire, the bug meat continued to writhe as if it still had a chance to save itself.

When Shia saw the iron-green look on Lu Ban’s face, she unconsciously stopped herself from putting the skewer of meat into her mouth.

“What’s wrong? If you don’t eat up, you won’t have the strength for tomorrow.”

Giant Arm urged her.

Under his earnest gaze, Shia swallowed hard, and gently bit off a piece of bug meat.

Flutter flutter flutter—

When she bit into it, the bug meat suddenly struggled violently, much like a carp trying to escape from a fish tank.

“Ha, this piece of meat looks very fresh. You’re lucky; fresh meat always tastes good.”

Giant Arm said enviously.

The female mage took some effort to completely get the meat into her mouth, and even as she chewed, Lu Ban could see the meat twitching in her cheeks.

“…Delicious!”

Yet, when Shia finally swallowed the piece of meat, her expression suddenly brightened.

“?”

A question mark emerged from Lu Ban.

He watched Shia savoring the taste of the bug meat with surprise, as if it were some kind of tomahawk steak or deluxe barbecue.

Could this person be one of those who pretend something tastes good when it actually doesn’t, just to trick others into continuing eating?

Lu Ban wondered.

Shia bit into the bouncing bug meat again, and in less than three minutes, she had devoured the whole large chunk.

“It really tastes good; it makes me feel full of vitality, just like my mother’s cooking.”

The young mage patted her belly… the armor on her stomach, and said contentedly.

“Haha, it looks like you can really enjoy this meat. You’re so lucky!”

Giant Arm laughed heartily, tearing off another piece of bug meat, and chewed it raw, producing a crisp chewing sound.

“Could it really… taste good?”

Lu Ban put down the piece of meat in his hand and picked out a wriggling chunk of bug meat, looked at it, and took a bite with his eyes closed.

Gurgle gurgle, Lu Ban swallowed the piece of meat.

“…One of us must be seriously ill in the taste department.”

That was his verdict on Shia.

The campfire burned, and Lu Ban and Shia volunteered to keep watch through the night. They sat by the flames while the three Wasteland Hunters slept separately in a state ready to awaken at any moment, wrapped in blankets. The creatures they rode, similar to camels, were tied near the luggage.

It was Lu Ban’s first time spending the night in the desert. He looked up at the starry sky and noticed that the star map of this world was very different from Earth’s. He tried to look for Aldebaran but found nothing.

At that moment, Shia, who had been resting with her eyes closed, suddenly opened her eyes.

“A new day has come.”

She said that and then took out an ancient book from her bosom.

Opening a page, Shia began to quietly recite something, as if in prayer.

“What are you doing?”

Lu Ban asked.

Without answering, Shia finished reciting after several minutes, closed the book, and then turned to look at him.

“I am praying for the spells I will use today.”

*

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