Venturing (1)
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Third Person Pov
Shanks had been scouring the surrounding area for hours under the relentless blaze of the desert sun. Sweat beaded down the side of his face, the air dry and scorching, and not a single clue had surfaced.
'At least give me a clue. Damn System!'
The landscape was a nightmare to navigate—harsh, repetitive, and punishing. His boots crunched against the cracked earth, and his shirt clung to his body, damp with sweat. There was no shade in sight. He was to say the least.... tired.
Still, he pressed on.
Suddenly, a sharp instinct tensed in his chest—a flicker of danger that ignited his senses.
Without thinking, Shanks hurled himself backwards, using the strength in his legs to propel himself away from the spot he stood just moments ago.
CRASH!
The earth exploded violently beneath where he had been, a plume of dust and sand shooting up into the air. As the haze settled, a massive creature burst from below, its scaled body writhing as it reared its head.
A Desert Worm. It resembled a monstrous centipede, segmented with a plated exoskeleton, and stood at least six meters tall, easily towering over Shanks.
Its mandibles clicked hungrily.
"These again?" he muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Tch. But this one's a bit bigger than the last."
These creatures weren't particularly strong compared to some of the monsters he had faced before, but their sheer size and sudden appearances made them intimidate the 90% of the population. The desert was full of them.
With practiced calm, Shanks drew his saber. The blade, though sturdy, was chipped at the edge from the back-to-back battles he'd endured recently. He frowned slightly.
'Yeah... Definitely need to visit a blacksmith when I'm back in Magnolia.'
The monster screeched and lunged forward, its gaping maw wide enough to swallow a man whole.
But Shanks was already in motion.
INHALE
He took a deep, steady breath. His muscles relaxed; his mind shifted into a familiar, honed focus. Time seemed to slow around him.
Flickers of deep crimson and black magic curled around his sword—Destruction Magic, unstable and crackling with raw power. It radiated danger with each surge of energy, the very air vibrating from the force gathering around him.
He gripped the saber tighter, stepping in with a fluid movement, and then—
EXHALE
[Divine Departure]
A devastating slash cleaved through the air, a wave of condensed magical force that shimmered like a blade of light. The arc struck the Desert Worm squarely in the neck, the impact shaking the ground. A burst of blood erupted from the creature, spraying across the sand like a crimson fountain.
The head fell with a thud, the body following shortly after, twitching as life fled from it.
Shanks stood calmly amid the carnage. Not a single drop of blood touched him.
He sheathed his saber with a soft click, his expression unchanged.
This was routine now.
He turned away from the monster's corpse without so much as a glance, his boots crunching against the sand again as he resumed his slow walk.
His shoulders slumped slightly, the fatigue of the day finally settling in.
"I should just go and collect the reward," he muttered under his breath. "No point in wandering this damn desert any longer."
The System had directed him to this area, but whatever it wanted him to find clearly wasn't in the cards today. If it was that important, it would make itself known.
He sighed heavily, the weight of the sun and exhaustion pressing on his back as he made his way back toward Cacti Village, the silhouette of buildings beginning to appear faintly in the distance.
'I seriously need a bath… and a decent drink.'
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Shanks Pov
I looked at the bag of money in front of me. 100k Jewels. It was one of the reasons I liked doing Monster Subjugation Quests.
I was at my hotel room for now. It was probably the best one in the town, but it sucked, nonetheless.
I took out the notebook Porlyusica had given me and started reading it a bit. It was a important note that taught about herbs and how to use them. She had carefully guided the place to find those herbs with it's detailed drawing and all of its uses.
I looked at the Desert Section, there were very few here but I noticed something a bit strange as I looked at one of those herbs. It was a poisonous herb that could be turned into a medical herb after a bit of processing and treating but it was not the herb that surprised me but at its description.
I read its description-
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It usually grows in nearby areas of strong magical presence of creatures other than mammals. It is identified by its purple leaves and dark purple flower. The darker the shade of flower, the more poisonous it is and the older it is. Due to extinction of many strong creatures it is hard to find in recent times. The reason why it only grows when there is a strong magical power of creatures other than mammals is a mystery, but the fact is proven.
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Creatures other than Mammals?
...And strong magical presence huh.
My mind started racing.... everything I knew about Fairy Tail as a series and everything I knew about it as a world as its resident.
I thought of it. 'Creatures other than mammals eh.'
Is it just some strong variant of Desert Worms or other monsters?
But this area did not have any strong predator or prey. For a beast to grow strong, did a beast from nearby area migrate here...?
...That's also not possible, there are no strong beasts around this area but what if it's something with intelligence?
Even with intelligence I do doubt if something strong can migrate here unnoticed without destroying the food chain of this place.
'Wait. How dark was the color of the plant again?'
...I should have ventured near the place and take my search from there. I just saw it from the corner of my eye.
I remembered again and it came to me...the plant was very dark. That meant it was old so a creature who had lived in this area for a while, but I researched a bit before coming here and found out nothing about any such creatures.
But I did hear a certain rumor...
'Sightings of Giants.'
'I heard there is a village of Giant near it.'
I remembered what those people told me...Giants huh but they are mammals like us human as well.
...Giants eh.
My mind raced about every possible connection, remembering everything I knew and then it all clicked-
Desertic Areas...The Plant that only grows when there is strong magical presence of creature other than mammals...Giants...
I realized what I was searching for-
"The Sun Village."
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Authors Note: Longer chapter than my previous ones, don't worry I will increase the length from now on.
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