Chapter 52: Muscula's Nest

Boom! With the sound of something exploding, a bag of meat...the monster fell down as it died miserably.

The one who killed the huge monster that just died was Jarina. And Desire just watched her as she walked towards Desire.

His eyes watched Jarina move her right forearm that had a string attached to it, which was connected to the blade hanging from the string.

Splash! The blood that was remaining on that particular blade soon splattered on the ground, and it decorated the boring land cleanly.

Gulp.

Desire's throat moved involuntarily when his eyes met Jarina's.

'W-what was that...' Desire thought as he dazed dumbfoundedly at Jarina.

Two blades that were hanging from both of her forearms that tore, slashed, and destroyed every part of the monster's body.

It was a bizarre and new way of handling blades, but Desire didn't mind that at all.

In fact, he was fascinated by how Jarina 'danced' with the monster.

However, Desire found it too brutal. No, was it even brutal when the monster couldn't even fight back?

It was too shocking for Desire as he didn't think that the frail-looking monster could do something like that.

It slipped his mind that Jarina was a monster way stronger than him.

'S-so this is how she fights...' Desire thought, but he couldn't finish it as Jarina was already near him.

Jarina spoke with a smile, but that only made the scene more horrendous.

Well, it wasn't for Desire as he just thought how amazing she killed that monster.

"That's how you kill them. It's quite easy, don't you think so?"

"...you think?"

Jarina nodded her head when she heard Desire's answer.

After all, she really thought that it was easy. She was a monster that was born with some insane strength that she didn't have to train for it.

Meanwhile, the one she was talking to was Desire, who was...well, a baby from the start.

They had different experiences and perspectives ever since they were born.

That is why Desire spoke up to clear any misunderstanding.

"I'm not strong like you, though."

Desire said that with conviction, but Jarina just shook her head.

It seems that she believes Desire was much more than what he thinks of himself.

"You don't know. You're quite a monster." Jarina playfully said as she pointed to the place where the monster was laid down.

"That's a rank two monster, but it has absurd physical strength that it could crush any rank five monsters if given a chance. It's a monster called Muscula."

The Muscula that Jarina brought down was a huge one that its muscles were literally bulging out. It was a humanoid monster that one could see anywhere else.

"I think you could crush any rank two monsters or even other races even though you just started practicing."

Jarina then patted Desire's back and pushed him. Despite that, the blades and the string hanging on her forearm didn't move at all.

"Try it yourself. This place is the Muscula's nest, a breeding ground for them. Wander around, and you'll meet a few."

The place where they were was called the Muscula's nest. It was a mountain tall enough to pierce through the sky, and it was located to the west of Jakart.

This place was famous because of many newbie adventurers stationed in Vakigo Kingdom practice here.

They were able to get here pretty fast because Jarina carried Desire throughout the whole journey.

They were now standing at the foot of the mountain when Jarina killed a Muscula and asked Desire to go inside the nest.

"Wait. Are you asking me to go in there to kill some Muscula myself?" Desire asked, not able to believe what Jarina said.

However, it seems Jarina didn't plan to change her mind as she swung the blade around her forearm with a smile.

"That's right." Jarina said simply.

Gulp.

Again, Desire's throat involuntarily moved as he remembered the time when Jarina made him pass out just with her aura.

Even though he wanted to say that it was impossible for him to do so, there's no way he could.

It was something like an instinctual reaction for Desire now.

After all, Jarina's demeanor when having that same smile all over her face was now a 'threat' to Desire.

And so, he reluctantly entered the mountain called the Muscula's nest.

****

Jarina just watched Desire to walk over and climb the mountain. It wasn't much of a problem for her to do so, even though a few minutes have already passed.

Her monster genes helped her see things from far away, so even though Desire was quite far away now, Jarina could still see him clear as day.

It wasn't until 30 minutes have passed that Desire finally disappeared from Jarina's eyes.

And at the exact moment Desire disappeared from her field of vision, Jarina spoke while keeping her two blades.

She didn't really keep them as she just made them disappear. It was quite a mysterious event to see.

"I wonder what's with papa?"

Jarina took Desire to this mountain was because she was asked to do so by her father, Lionel.

It was actually weird for Lionel to ask of this as he can do it himself. What's more, Jarina could see that Lionel's attention was all over Desire.

It was to the point that Jarina thought that Lionel wasn't putting his clan to his eyes anymore.

Anyway, Jarina agreed to it, which was why they were here right now.

"Is it because of her?" Jarina said, and soon she nodded her head as if what she thought was right on the spot.

'I guess papa wants to keep Desire hidden...'

Jarina thought as she began to walk in a particular direction. If Desire went right inside and climbed the mountain, Jarina's chosen path was as if she were circling the mountain.

Her journey didn't take long as she moved fast, even though she was walking.

"Is that it?" Jarina asked herself as she saw a sign that only a Suckus could see.

It was an ordinary tree that anyone could see in any mountain, forest, or whatever place with a tree in it.

However, for Jarina, it was something that could be considered extraordinary.

In a Suckus village that is located in a forest or mountains or whatever it is, there is always the main tree where the village is 'planted.'

Without that main tree, a Suckus village could not exist. And the Suckus village's key is the branches that are stuck in their backs.

And clearly, Jarina doesn't have one of those keys in her.

'This is a problem...I never thought about it.' Jarina thought as she walked towards the particular tree.

She never thought about how to enter a Suckus village. After all, she never imagined that she would have to enter one.

In Skinjur, in that particular space called home, she never left. She always stayed there all her life. Well, not when things were still fine.

However, because of the rarity of Jarina, being a daughter of the current head of Suckus, Varyce and Lionel, if people were to get to know of her existence, many would hunt her down.

Therefore, she never really left Skinjur. And not leaving Skinjur means she doesn't enter a village or Skinjur itself.

That was why it didn't cross her mind that she would get inconvenienced by something like this.

"What do I do..." Jarina said as she used her right hand to touch the tree.

Nothing happened to the tree, and nothing happened to Jarina. It was still the same.

That was until Jarina heard a voice.

"You came, little girl...no, miss."

A light escaped from the tree, and a small figure of something emerged.

Jarina didn't take a second to recognize what that small figure was.

"Teresa!" Jarina shouted as she saw the woman, who occasionally brings something to her back in Skinjur.

She has the color green for her hair, and she was beautiful. It was something expected of her race.

However, if there were something different about her right now, that would be that she was wearing clothes.

It was simple, but if you compare it to Desire's experience in Liya's village, this was plenty.

"Let us go in. This is not the place for us to talk, Miss."

Teresa said as she made something float in the air with her hands stretched out.

She then looked at Jarina and gestured for her to get it as she spoke.

"It's the key." Teresa said as she disappeared right after.

The light also appeared in the process, but soon it also went out like a fire.

Jarina just watched all of that happen quietly. She didn't expect Teresa to show up here, but it was for the best.

After all, she didn't really know what to do if she didn't have the key in her hands now.

"So, this is the key..."

Jarina then looked at the key...at the branch that anyone could find in any forest.

However, Jarina could indeed feel something was different in this branch. It was the same feeling she had when she saw the tree.

"S-so, do I just enter through the tree now?"

As this was her first time doing something like this, Jarina was quite nervous despite her calm and collected mind.

And so, with that nervousness, she entered the village of Suckus located in the Muscula's nest.