Chapter 286: Sit Up

Chapter 286: Chapter 286: Sit Up

The power of a D-level rune was far beyond that of an E-level one. The air at the edges of the flame distorted from the intense heat.

A sliver of instinctual fear finally appeared in the monster’s crimson pupils.

It tried to dodge, but its massive body and the inertia from its missed lunge slowed it down for a split second.

"BOOM!!!"

The violent explosion nearly blew the roof off the small cabin.

Raging flames instantly engulfed the monster’s figure. A searing blast of air, mixed with the smell of scorched flesh and shattered Bone Spikes, shot out in all directions!

The walls shook violently, and the already overturned furniture was torn to pieces by the shockwave.

The wooden cabinet where Lucky was hiding groaned under the strain, but its curled-up position happened to be outside the core of the explosion.

Seraphina had dropped low the instant she threw the rune, pressing herself to the floor and shielding her head and face with her arms. Despite this, the searing heatwave and flying debris still sent a wave of stinging pain and shock through her.

The aftershock of the explosion had yet to subside, but Seraphina was already pushing through the discomfort and looking up.

The flames gradually dissipated, revealing a scene of utter devastation at the center.

The monster’s massive body lay on the scorched floor. Half of its torso was nearly blown to bits, exposing charred bones and viscera. The other half was covered in horrific burns and gashes. Foul-smelling blood gushed out, staining a large area.

It was still twitching faintly, but it had clearly lost all combat capability and was on its last breath.

Seraphina Sinclair did not approach immediately.

D+ Level monsters had tenacious life force; a dying counterattack could still be fatal.

She cautiously kept her distance and waited a few more seconds. Only after confirming that the monster had stopped twitching and its presence had completely faded did she slowly get to her feet.

The air was filled with the sickening, mixed stench of scorched flesh, blood, and dust.

Seraphina Sinclair glanced at the human remains on the floor, which had also been caught in the flames and were now even more mangled, then silently looked away.

This was the cruelty of this world. Survivors advanced by stepping on the bones of the fallen.

’Who knows when I, too, might become nothing more than remains in someone else’s eyes.’

She walked over to the monster’s corpse and prodded it with the tip of her knife.

Once she confirmed the monster was dead, she began to search the room again.

But just as she took a step, Seraphina Sinclair saw the monster’s corpse in front of her dissolve into motes of light and slowly dissipate into the air.

Unsure if this meant an extra reward, she simply stood her ground and waited.

After all the motes of light had vanished, the foul odor in the cabin also disappeared. Even the signs of battle on the floor faded away, leaving it looking brand new, as if nothing had ever happened.

As Seraphina Sinclair turned to check the walls and floor, a strange rustling sound suddenly reached her ears.

She looked toward the sound, only to be so startled by the sight that she took a step back.

The human corpse—the one that had been a gruesome sight, caught in the explosion—had actually... actually sat up!

Its hollow eyes were fixed on Seraphina Sinclair. Just as she drew her long knife again, assuming this thing was another monster, the corpse opened its mangled, bloody mouth—revealing the bone beneath—and actually spoke.

"Th... thank you."

The voice was hoarse and dry, like rough sandpaper scraping across a concrete floor. It also had an eerie, hollow quality, not at all like something that could come from a living person’s throat.

And...

As the corpse’s mouth opened and closed, she could even see its shattered jaw and the stump of its tongue. Combined with its slow, contorted movements as it sat up, the scene was utterly horrifying.

’If I’m not mistaken, that thing’s tongue is half-gone. How on earth is it enunciating so clearly?!’

She tightened her grip on her long knife, her muscles tensed. The words of thanks did not make her relax in the slightest.

’There’s no shortage of bizarre monsters out there. Until I’m sure this thing won’t attack, I have to be ready for it!’

Seraphina Sinclair kept her eyes fixed on the corpse, but it just stiffly turned its head, struggled to shift into a more comfortable position, and then let out a long sigh.

Like a ghost that could finally move on after its wish was fulfilled, its body began to dissolve into motes of light, just as the monster’s had.

But these motes of light didn’t disappear. Instead, they gathered together in front of Seraphina Sinclair and formed an exquisite little box.

’Is this... the reward for clearing out the monster?’

Seraphina Sinclair waited quietly for a moment. After confirming that nothing else was amiss in the cabin, she reached out and opened the box.

[Obtained: Skill Advancement Stone x1, Mist Beacon x1, Blessing of Fertility x1]

’This set of rewards is way too familiar.’

Seraphina Sinclair immediately remembered. ’Aren’t these the same items from the Path’s Gift?!’

’Needless to say, these were all good things. Use what I need to, and store what I don’t.’

But Seraphina Sinclair was different now. Before, she only had the Rune Making Skill, but now she also had Basic Knife Skill and Basic Concealment. She would have to think carefully about which one to upgrade.

With that thought, she used the Skill Advancement Stone.

[Please select a target Skill!]

[Currently upgradeable Skill: Basic Talisman Making (E-level) (At the current grade, you can only create D-level and lower rune paper. Creating D-level rune paper consumes a large amount of stamina, thus limiting the quantity!)]

"Hm?"

Seraphina Sinclair let out a genuinely puzzled sound.

’What’s going on?’

’What about Basic Knife Skill and Basic Concealment?’

She fiddled with her various panels for a long time before finally spotting a line of small text at the end of the Skill description.

[Basic Skills cannot be upgraded]

Seraphina Sinclair: "..."

’Well, so it turns out I only have one option after all.’

With no real choice to make, Seraphina Sinclair simply tapped "Use."

Just like last time, a cool sensation spread up her arm and flowed into her mind.

After the knowledge in her mind expanded, a new panel popped up:

[Master Rune Making (D-level)]!

’Excellent!’

’Quite a haul.’

In a fairly good mood, Seraphina Sinclair’s gaze swept around the cabin.

’Since that was an extra reward, there should be a basic one, too. And what about the ’relics’ left behind by the previous owner of this mobile cabin?’

She searched around the cabin and quickly found where the supplies were stored.

The owner of this Bronze Gate cabin was clearly a veteran survivor; the supplies were far more plentiful than in the first wooden cabin.

Besides the usual food, water, and basic materials, Seraphina Sinclair also found some Potions and a few scrolls. They were well-stored and had been almost completely undamaged by the earlier explosion.

But what caught Seraphina Sinclair’s attention the most was a small, locked iron box.

Seraphina Sinclair didn’t open it right away. Instead, she walked to the door first.

The bronze door panel was shut tight. She gave it a pull, and the great door opened, revealing that the outside had changed into a passageway leading to the next area.

’It seems that after dealing with the monster inside a cabin, the door reopens. The person exploring the cabin can then choose to leave at any time or continue exploring.’