Chapter 47: The Flower's Scent—There Is No Return After It
I sighed, then stepped forward and registered my name on the participant list.
Of course… I did not write my real name.
I chose a title I made up: Heir of the North — Hero Hunter.
After about an hour had passed,we found ourselves amid the dense trees within the Demon Mountains.
The air felt heavier,and the silence was charged with something unseen.
I scanned the surroundings cautiously,searching for any abnormal signs.
I didn't notice anything obvious, but…
there were some monsters running about in a chaotic manner, without any fixed direction.
That alone
was not normal.
I quietly approached Jiang Chan.
"Greetings, milady… I've noticed something strange. Some of the monsters are moving in an unusually erratic way. I believe something is about to happen."
Before I could finish speaking—one of the elderly men among her followers shoved me roughly
and shouted loudly, "Stay away from my lady, young man!"
"If there were anything abnormal, we would be the ones to notice it.
You're just trying to get closer for greater benefits!"
"Step back… before I break your legs."
I sighed, cast a fleeting glance at the old man,then smiled faintly…
and took a step back.
At that moment—the system's voice rang out in my mind, and a flash of its emblem appeared before my eyes.
[Ding: Hunting Progress 2%]
I calmly shifted my gaze
toward Han Yang, then looked back at Jiang Chan.
She was staring at me with a strange expression… hesitant,as if she had sensed something she couldn't quite explain.
In truth… according to the original course of the plot,it was Han Yang who was supposed to notice
the abnormal movement of the monsters.
He would then approach Jiang Chan and whisper a quiet warning to her.
Because of that,she would begin to pay attention to him.
But…
What would happen next
I know very well.
According to the plot—a monster assault would occur very soon.
And everyone in this team
would die.
Everyone… except for two.
Jiang Chan.
And Han Yang.
I smiled inwardly.
The game…had begun to deviate from its path.
It didn't take long… before everything changed.
The ground beneath our feet trembled faintly,as if the mountains themselves were holding their breath.
Then—a deep roar thundered out from the depths of the forest.
It was not the roar of a single beast…but of a group of monsters.
Some adventurers' eyes widened in shock,while others froze in place.
The monster tide… had begun.
From among the dense trees,black shadows surged forth at insane speed.
Monsters.
Many of them.
Far more than anyone had expected.
The chaotic disturbance I had noticed earlier transformed into an organized assault.
Exactly as I had predicted.
Screams rose,confused orders overlapped,and the team's formation collapsed in mere moments.
I saw one man try to retreat—but a monster swallowed him before he could finish his step.
Another raised his weapon—then fell.
There was no time to think,no room for hesitation.
This was not an ordinary monster tide…it was a massacre.
Amid the chaos, he slipped through.
He approached Jiang Chan and shouted a warning to her.
Exactly as in the plot.
Her eyes widened, then she tightened her grip on her weapon
and retreated a step to the side.
The others… were not so fortunate.
Screams, collisions, then silence followed by more silence.
One by one, the members of the team fell.
I did not intervene.
This was not my time yet.
I only watched,while guarding Jiang Chan—my breathing steady,my mind terrifyingly calm.
Because I know the truth.
This tide… was only the beginning.
This tide… was not random.
Its cause was now clear.
The birth of a Beast King.
At that moment,Jiang Chan's expression changed completely.
At that moment, one of the three elders' voices rang out, shouting with all the strength left in his chest:
"You!
We will hold the beast here!
Take the young lady and withdraw her to a safe place!
Go—now!"
I looked at them.
Three elders… who knew very well that they were heading toward death.
I replied in a steady voice, lowering my head slightly:
"Elders… I will do it.
I promise you."
And within my heart, I added a sentence that was never spoken:
I wish you a good life… in the next one.
I extended my hand and grasped Jiang Chan's hand.
Her hand was cold.
Then I ran.
Exactly in the same direction Jiang Chan had run
according to the course of the plot.
Behind us… the final battle had begun.
And ahead of us…the future I already knew
was waiting.
According to the plot, after running in this direction, there would be a cave—the very same cave where the herb Jiang Chan had come to search for grows.
I kept running while holding her hand,and it didn't take long before we reached the cave.
Jiang Chan suddenly pulled her hand away,anger flashing in her eyes.
She said sharply,"Who do you think you are?! Dragging me by the hand like that?!"
Then she drew her sword in a swift motion and pointed its blade at me with chilling coldness.
"If you do that again… I'll kill you."
I sighed calmly.
Then I spoke in a measured tone,"Alright, milady. In any case, I only wanted to protect you.
Isn't that the reason you hired me in the first place?"
I lifted my gaze slightly and looked around us.
The monster tide wasn't over yet.
"Do you really want me to leave you at a moment like this?"
A brief silence followed.
Then the tension in her expression eased,and the sword slowly lowered.
She said in a less harsh voice, bitterness clearly carried within it,"You… you're right. You're only doing your job."
She paused, then added,"I'm sorry for shouting at you.
I'm just… sad. I didn't expect things to end up like this."
I looked straight into her eyes and said calmly,"It's fine. Look… we can stay inside that cave for a while. I don't know when things will calm down, and it's better to wait until the monster tide ends."
She hesitated for a moment, then said in a quiet voice,"Alright… still, your aura feels very familiar to me."
She suddenly stopped, then lightly shook her head.
"Forget it."
Then she turned and headed toward the cave.
That place… was not a site for leisure.
I narrowed my eyes beneath the mask, a demonic smile forming as I watched her enter the cave.
This cave was, in fact, not a place for wandering at all…
It was where the Twin Desire Flower had been planted.
Once someone entered carelessly without any preparation,they would be afflicted by an overwhelming desire poison.
Without hesitation, I set up a concealment formation at the cave entrance and followed Jiang Chan inside.
I entered the cave behind her with silent steps,the demonic smile still lingering on my lips beneath the mask.
The cave was dark and damp,filled with a strange yet fragrant scent…the intoxicating aroma of the Twin Desire Flower.
Jiang Chan suddenly stopped after only a few steps,placing her trembling hand against the cold cave wall as she tried to steady herself.
"W-what… what is this?
I feel a strange heat spreading through my body…"
She murmured weakly and in confusion.
Her breathing began to quicken, growing heavier.
She wiped her brow with her other hand,small beads of sweat forming on her skin.
I approached her slowly, deliberately,and spoke in a tone filled with false concern and feigned worry:
"Milady, are you alright?
Perhaps the air inside this cave is a bit stifling."
"I… I'm not sure…I feel something strange…my body… feels heavy…"
Her face gradually flushed into a deep rosy hue,and her breathing grew increasingly labored.
She slowly sank to her knees,her body beginning to lose its strength.
She raised her trembling hand to her neck,as if trying to relieve the rising heat within her.
She tugged slightly at the collar of her robe,her eyes growing hazy and unfocused.
"Why… why do I feel like this?
The heat… it won't stop… it's getting stronger…"
She whispered in a broken voice,trying to steady herself,but her body was now visibly trembling.
The poison had begun to take effect…
exactly as I had planned.
It seeped into every cell of her body.
She collapsed fully onto her hands and knees,her long hair falling down on both sides of her face.
She began to gasp heavily.
She shut her eyes, struggling to resist the mounting effect,but her body no longer responded to her will.
"I… I can't…what's happening to me?"
Her voice grew weaker and more desperate,small tears gathering at the corners of her eyes from fear and frustration.
I looked at her with cold, merciless eyes behind the mask,carefully observing every movement she made.
Everything…was proceeding according to plan,
with perfect precision.