Chapter 196: Oni

The squad attentively walked deeper into the tunnel. Their footsteps against the moistened ground and the drops of water falling from the wet ceiling at irregular intervals were the only sounds echoing through the otherwise dark and silent tunnel.

A line of multiple fireballs hovered at the front, illuminating the path for dozens of metres. Behind them was their caster, Seraphina, walking at the front of the group.

Raphael and Hugo were just behind her, walking on either side of her, with Alisha following them closely. At the end was Vlad, keeping watch over their backs.

They had only reached around a hundred metres deep into this declining tunnel, yet the entrance had already vanished behind them, leaving only blinding darkness.

After walking for around five more minutes, the rocks placed at irregular intervals along the side walls gradually became fewer.

The moment they moved past the last rock, everyone suddenly stopped.

"Tell me I’m not the only one who is feeling this," Hugo gasped, his eyes widening and his lips curling into a smile of excitement.

The other party members also wore similar expressions on their faces.

Now that they had finally moved past the natural Sense Blocking Array of the dungeon, they could finally feel it. A strong mana radiation emanating from ahead.

"This area of the forest comes within the explored region, yet none of the seniors or professors found out about the location of the Genesis Artifact because the array inside the dungeon was blocking the sensation of its mana radiation, while the dungeon itself was hidden behind the thick sheet of ice," Seraphina explained, piecing everything together. "If not for Vlad, we might have never been able to find this dungeon."

Now everyone looked back at Vlad with newly found respect, causing him to flinch at suddenly becoming the centre of attention.

"Guys, you can thank me when we finish our mission," Vlad said, rubbing the back of his head, knowing what they intended to do. "Let’s focus on what’s ahead of us first."

They nodded with warm smiles before turning their focus back to the path ahead.

The tunnel wasn’t formed in a straight path. It had numerous turns, and its width was also irregular. In some places, it was wide and tall enough to house two Mushroom camps side by side, while at other times, its height and width reduced to less than five metres.

As they moved deeper, the mana radiation naturally became even stronger. It took them around an hour to finally reach the end of the tunnel.

The path opened onto the high wall of a huge cave, spanning roughly a hundred metres across. The ceiling was nearly twenty metres above them, while the ground descended to roughly the same depth below.

The sight of both the ceiling and the ground left the group flabbergasted for a moment, even though they had expected the unexpected inside this cave.

At the centre of the ground below, a giant humanoid monster sat cross-legged. It had bloody-red skin and a thick, muscular body. Its torso was bare, with only a garland made from the skulls of different monsters hanging around its neck like trophies. The grey hide of a bear was tied around its waist, covering its lower body.

But what looked truly horrifying about this monster was its face. Two sharp horns jutted out from the corners of its forehead, piercing through its dishevelled white hair. Two pairs of equally long fangs protruded from its upper and lower jaws, giving its face a terrifying, beast-like appearance.

On either side of it, two similar-looking long steel sabers were placed, each nearly the same height as Vlad.

"I-it’s an Oni," Seraphina whispered, slightly taken aback. "A Peak Rank Four Monster."

Vlad had only read about these monsters in books. Putting them in the same category as mindless monsters like orcs and trolls was nothing but foolishness.

Apart from their obvious monstrous physical prowess, these monsters were known for being aggressively territorial. If any being dared to intrude into their territory, they would either be strong enough to kill it, or they would be chased by it to the ends of the world until the Oni claimed their life.

No wonder the trolls were keeping a distance of thirty kilometres from the cave, even though the artifact was hidden inside.

That was not the extent of their absurd abilities either. What placed them at the peak of Rank Four Monsters was their high intelligence. Unlike other monsters that fought on instinct, Oni actually trained themselves. They honed their skills through years of fighting, and some of them even managed to learn mana manipulation.

"This is going to be a troublesome battle," Seraphina muttered, her brows furrowing.

"Sera, what’s that?" Vlad asked, reaching beside her and pointing toward the ceiling.

Seraphina, who had been completely focused on the Oni until now, hadn’t noticed something even more incredible than the monster itself.

At the centre of the high ceiling of the cave, a massive white eye was embedded. Several veins spread across the ceiling around it, all of them connected to this eye.

It was also the very source of light in the cave, allowing the squad to see the Oni sitting on the ground below.

Waves of white mana radiation emanated from it, spreading in every direction.

"The G-Genesis Artifact..." Seraphina whispered with parted lips.

Vlad looked back at the eye again. This was the very thing that had brought them so far away from the academy, deeper into the Forest of Death. And now, finally, it was right before their eyes.

"I heard that Genesis Artifacts could take the form of anything," Alisha murmured, seeming mesmerized by the eye. "I never knew they could take the shape of a living being’s organ as well."

"Should we fight the Oni or steal the artifact and make a run for it?" Hugo asked, shifting everyone’s attention back to the matter at hand.

"The moment we make our move on the artifact, the Oni will definitely attack us," Raphael said, tapping his monocle. "We cannot claim it without eliminating the Oni."

"Well then..." Hugo unsheathed his saber, his lips curling into a smirk as he pointed his blade toward the Oni. "Let’s see what this infamous demonic monster is made of."