Chapter 503: A New Map

Lian thought for a few moments.

Then he took out the Celestial Book of Treasure and opened it.

Ever since he had obtained this artifact, he had understood that one of its abilities for searching for treasures depended on a local map.

The book could rebuild the area around the user on its pages as a very simple map, but it was limited.

[Regional Search Mode activated.]

[Maximum Treasure Mapping Range: 300 kilometers.]

Golden threads came out from between the pages and formed a large circle on the page.

Its center was their current location.

An area up to three hundred kilometers around them appeared as very simple and incomplete lines, although it had previously been only 10 kilometers and had made good progress.

It showed rocks, elevations, several paths, and a small number of marks related to valuable resources.

But the farther areas were still almost unclear.

He placed World Memory beside the book, the two artifacts shook at the same time for a moment.

[External Map Detected.]

[Map Source: Celestial Book of Treasure.]

[World Memory synchronization has begun.]

The lines on the page changed.

The road that had been only a rough line a few seconds ago gained several branches.

Faint ruins appeared on both sides of the path.

An old tower, two pilgrim paths, and part of a mountain wall that did not exist on the current map.

But the farther the distance became, the weaker the information was.

[Historical data incomplete.]

[Distance from the current recorded area is too great.]

[Move closer for more accurate recovery.]

"It works." Lian gave a faint smile.

He now practically had a map that showed up to three hundred kilometers around them and in addition, all the treasures within this distance were also marked.

And no matter how far they moved forward, this range would move with them.

He now had a map that he could use anywhere.

He could now see the same thing on the page.

The things close to them were shown almost clearly.

But the possible destination was still only a group of unclear lines and marks at the farthest part of the map.

A faint golden mark could also be seen almost in the same direction.

But it was so far away that even the book could not fully read its information.

[Valuable source detected.]

[Distance: Too far for accurate evaluation.]

Almost half an hour later, the book suggested the first small detour.

A white mark appeared less than one kilometer from the main path, the book had managed to detect something valuable.

The young Vorhelm ordered One to leave the road slightly.

A few minutes later, between two white rocks, they found a plant that had only three thick and partly transparent leaves.

A golden drop was gathered in the center of the leaves, and it was shining even without direct light.

[Lightdew Leaf.]

[Rank: C.]

[Usage: An additional material for making spirit recovery medicine and temporarily increasing compatibility with the four elements.]

Lian pulled it out of the ground together with its roots and placed it inside his storage space.

"Aren’t you going to offer me some too? How did you even find this?" Kain looked at him.

"Instinct, and no, if you want something, find it yourself, although if there were several of them, I would give you one."

"Thank you, has anyone ever told you how generous you are?"

Several hours later, the book once again led them away from the path for another short stop.

This time it was not a plant, inside a narrow crack in the rock, there were three pieces of dull yellow crystal.

[Sunvein Crystal.]

[Rank: C.]

[Usage: Can increase Mana recovery speed by up to ten percent.]

Lian took two.

Kain naturally took one for himself and put it in his own storage space and after that they continued on their path.

About three hours after they started moving, the signs around them became truly strange.

It was no longer only a few pieces of black glass on the ground, some parts of the road had completely turned into a smooth and shiny surface.

The rock on their right looked natural a few meters above the ground, but its lower part was wavy and glass-like, as if it had once melted and then frozen again.

One had to slow down, some parts of the surface were so smooth that even his feet slipped slightly on them.

Kain got down from his back and stood beside part of the wall, running the tip of his finger across the smooth surface.

It was cold, but its shape looked like the result of extreme heat.

"Was this burned?"

Lian got down and examined the wall, then his eyes moved toward the rocks several hundred meters away, the same glass-like surface, a half-ruined tower in the distance, and its lower part was also melted.

Whatever had happened, it was clear that this place had been heavily burned.

Signs of heat and burning could be seen everywhere and all the structures that had once been along this path had been burned.

But it was impossible to say exactly when it had happened.

Kain moved away from the wall.

"Do you think whatever happened was the same event that destroyed this area?"

"Maybe."

World Memory showed several very old structures on the map, but it did not say anything about the cause of the destruction.

The only clear point was that the glass-like marks were very old.

But the narrow path that now passed between two parts of the mountain was not that old.

The edges of the rocks were still newer, the separated pieces were not completely buried under dust yet, a landslide or the collapse of the mountain had recently opened a path that did not exist before.

In simple words, something had recently opened the path ahead, and anything beyond it might still be intact.

In the middle of the fourth hour, Predator’s Instincts warned Lian.

He immediately placed his hand on One’s back.

"Slow down."

One slowed his speed.

"What?" Kain looked at him.

He did not answer, his eyes were fixed on the glass-like surface beside the road.

The wind was coming from the left and the thin dust on the ground was moving in the same direction.

The reflection of the rocks could also be seen on the black surface, but one of the reflections was moving differently.

"Watch the ground!"

Kain immediately jumped off One and at that exact moment ....KRRRRRRRRRK!

The glass-like surface beside the giant ant’s rear leg exploded and a long creature came out from underneath it.

Six short and thick legs and a body almost four meters long that was only half a meter above the ground.

Its back was covered with dark and partly transparent plates and no clear head could be seen.

Then the front part of its body opened, revealing a wide jaw with several rows of teeth.

[Glass Crawler.]

[Rank: Common.]

[Level: 32.]

The jaws closed directly toward One’s leg, but the ant was faster and pulled his leg back.

The creature’s teeth closed on nothing and One lowered his head and closed his own jaws on the edge of the Glass Crawler’s shell.

Crack!

The monster struggled, its shell was hard, but at the same moment Kain raised his palm and concentrated light came out of it.

Boom!

The attack hit the monster’s glass back, part of the light spread across the surface of its shell and created cracks, but the damage was less than he expected.

"Did it absorb it?"

"No, more exactly, it spread it out." Lian said while sensing another presence behind them.

The glass-like surface on the other side broke and a second creature came out.

Then a third.

[Level: 30.]

[Level: 33.]

The young Vorhelm moved toward one of them.

The Glass Crawler lowered its body and came forward like a heavy blade, but he planted his foot firmly on the ground and at the moment of impact, both of his hands grabbed the edge of its shell.

Boom!

The stone under his foot cracked, but he did not move at all and his eyes moved over the creature for a moment.

Then he used the strength of his body to push it away from its path.

The monster turned onto its side and its lower body became visible, unlike its armored back, its belly was soft and gray.

"Kain."

Kain understood.

One lifted the first Glass Crawler with all his weight, the creature’s body rose several meters above the ground and this time Kain did not aim the light at its shell.

He lowered his hand.

Boom!

A concentrated beam entered the monster from below, its soft flesh burned and the creature struggled with a sharp sound.

The giant ant slammed it against the rock beside the road.

Kaboom!

The shell broke.

Lian also turned the creature in front of him onto its side with a strike and blocked its path with a layer of ice.

The Glass Crawler tried to enter the surface again and ice grew into the cracks under its body.

Its movement stopped.

Kain sent his second attack and a few seconds later the last creature also fell to the ground.

The battle had lasted no more than a few seconds.

One went to the cores and ate them one by one.

"Anyway, the road here is still way too strange."

"Let’s hope the road gets easier ahead." Kain said after looking into the distance and they continued moving.

But unfortunately, during the next two hours, the path became more complicated.