readytorunbook Chapter 155 Twilight of Mokaricchi 1
Chapter 155 Twilight of Mokaricchi 1
Mokaridge at Dusk.
It is a mountain kingdom located in a valley, and also in a dense forest that seems to stretch endlessly. It is quite small in size, after all, the resources in the mountains only allow this kingdom to grow to such a limited size.
Even during the day, and given that the kingdom is located in a dense forest, sunlight rarely shines directly on it, and its location means that the kingdom is almost always shrouded in darkness.
Magic thrives in the mountains and forests, and the number of monsters far exceeds that of the plains. Because the kingdom is shrouded in darkness for many years, nightmare-like monsters have been born, somewhat similar to the ghosts of legend, except that humans can see them.
People hunt nightmares to use as fuel for lamps, and nightmares hunt humans to satisfy their killing instincts.
It is conceivable that in order to survive in such a kingdom, every household in Twilight Mokarich must have its own skills and abilities; those without such skills have long been eliminated by history.
Those with magical aptitude are not much less skilled than witches, but this kingdom has no magic association and no one has ever traveled abroad, so there are no witches.
Even those without magical talent are all elite hunters, possessing top-tier skills in both archery and swordsmanship.
They were born of darkness and live by hunting darkness.
The locals of Mokaridge at dusk call themselves "the Night Watchmen".
They considered themselves the guardians of the night, searching for a way out of the darkness for generations—they wanted to leave the mountains, to escape the dark forest that shrouded the entire kingdom, to see the world beyond the mountains, and to leave this prison filled with darkness.
Countless predecessors have perished in the dark forest as they searched for the exit, yet the Night's Watch continues to follow in their footsteps.
Often, they doubt themselves and whether there is truly a bright world outside.
But in the end, they all choose to believe it because their leader says it exists; he says his ancestors came from outside.
Even though many people think this might just be self-hypnosis, they are willing to believe it, otherwise they can't explain how their ancestors came to be here. They don't want to think about why they came here, nor do they have the time or energy to think about it.
Regardless, venturing out is the meaning of their lives.
Today, it's Eve and her team's turn to explore this dark forest.
Carrying lanterns fueled by nightmare fuel made from the leather of Nightmare's body, the group traversed the almost dark forest. Ahead lay unexplored territory uncharted by their predecessors.
Many of their comrades have already been buried in that eternal darkness.
Of course, many more were buried in the land that had already been explored.
In the darkness, countless monsters can take a person's life. Human life is so fragile in the face of these natural creations. Even though everyone in this team is an elite, many teams that are even more elite than them have been wiped out.
This forest is infested with man-eating beasts.
Eve was the vanguard of the team and also the vice-captain. This was her fifth time exploring the unknown territory. The first three times she had escaped unscathed, but during her fourth exploration, she entered a trap set by a pack of intelligent demon wolves. In the end, only she and one other person from the entire team escaped.
The other person was the team leader, Adam.
Being able to escape from such a dangerous place takes skill, and their experience is the biggest reason why they are now the squad leader and deputy leader.
Before venturing into the unknown territory, their team is taking their final rest and preparations before setting out to explore.
Some people were eating the drier and shriveled monster rations, some were taking a nap, and some were organizing their equipment.
Walking on the safe paths explored by generations of ancestors, the probability of encountering danger is very small. But once you step out of this comfort zone, crises will follow one after another.
The crowd sat around the burning campfire, and no one uttered a sound.
Adam was sharpening his sword, trying to make it as sharp as possible. He had various colored vials hanging from his waist, filled with different poisons, which he would apply to the sword when necessary. These poisons could produce different unexpected and effective results against different monsters.
He has a certain magical talent, but he often uses his magic to strengthen himself. As the front line of the team, he is the strongest shield, buying time and space for the mages in the back of the team to cast spells.
Perhaps the group was feeling rather dull, which was not conducive to their morale for the next exploration. After confirming that his sword was sharp enough, Adam clapped his hands and said, "Everyone, listen to me."
The group of about ten people all turned their attention to Adam.
No one would look down on this captain because his former team was almost completely wiped out.
There are far too many teams that have been completely wiped out—every single person who successfully returns from an exploration is a hero worthy of their respect.
“Next, we’ll be the pioneers. I’ll reiterate the experiences of our predecessors, mainly to remind the newcomers,” Adam said. “Don’t be nervous, everyone goes through this stage.”
"First, no matter what sound you hear, don't turn around. Those sound-mimicking monsters like to lure you into an illusion through sound."
"Second, when the ghost lantern in your hand is about to go out, report it immediately, saying that I have enough fuel for us to use for several days."
"third,……"
When Adam finished speaking, he stood up and raised his sword: “Men, we will surely triumph—we will surely find the way out of the light.”
It must be said that Adam is a natural orator. Under his encouragement, the team was no longer as listless as before, and they were full of confidence that they would surely win.
They firmly believed that the successive generations of Night's Watchmen would eventually find a way to bring light.
The expedition team officially set off under Adam's orders.
Eve, as the vanguard of the team, carried the lantern at the very front, her other hand gripping a knife tightly. Beside her stood a swordsman and a magician, both experienced adventurers who had successfully returned from two expeditions.
Adam, as the captain, would constantly speed up and slow down, moving back and forth between the front and back of the team to ensure that no accidents would happen.
His focus was on the rear of the group—he had great faith in Eve's abilities, and they stood in front and behind, keeping watch on the malevolent darkness all around.
The faint light emanating from them slowly seeped into the eternal darkness.
Like stars and candlelight disappearing into the ocean of night.
The candlelight flickered precariously, utterly helpless against the endless darkness, and could be extinguished at any moment.