The Cornflower Witch Chapter 74

Chapter 74 Dark Strange Cat

After dealing with the ‘Fallen Leaf Monster’, Hylial felt a little relaxed. Then she surveyed the narrow clearing again, looking for similar monsters that might exist.

Indeed, during her search, she found two more ‘monsters’ disguised as leaves and killed them with her sword.

Black blood flowed along the blade, and wherever it touched, the blade twisted and writhed like an anomaly.

This sword is probably ruined, Hylial couldn’t help but shake her head, but she had no better choice now, so she could only make do with it for the time being.

After resting for a while, she continued to move uphill. This time, nothing unexpected happened; there were no monsters in the clearing—

But there was a strange tree.

A twisted, large tree stood in the center of the ‘bubble’ area. Its broad canopy had no leaves, but instead various knotty drooping branches, which looked disgustingly grotesque, as if growing tumors.

If you don’t see enemies in a chaotic and dangerous place, the biggest enemy is probably right in front of you.

Hylial looked at the large tree from a distance, not daring to approach rashly.

[Knot Tree] (Aspect: Twisted): An anomalous banyan variant, without leaves, but with many branches covered in knots.

Considering that standing still was not an option, Hylial picked up a stone and threw it at the large tree, but it didn’t react.

Could it be that it only reacts when I walk over there? she wondered.

Forget it, I’d better not take the risk. She would rather take a detour than be caught by the big tree. If she really couldn’t break free, she would regret it.

Hylial decided to be cautious and didn’t move forward but slowly moved to the opposite side, skirting the edge of the large tree, and re-entered the gray and white world.

After she left, the withered bark in the center of the large tree slowly split open, revealing a face-like appearance, looking in the direction where the girl had left.

‘I smell a supreme aura… Could it be that a ‘blessed one’ has come to this forgotten corner?’

‘Forgive me, my Lord, Aipos is no longer able to fight and can only co-exist with these twisted abominations to barely survive.’

Through the gap of its cracked mouth, one could vaguely see that the center of the tree trunk was hollow, and inside were various skeletal remains. The ferocious skulls spoke of its former strength and terror.

…

Away from the ‘bubble’ node from a while ago, Hylial continued forward, traveling through the gray and white world until she reached another ‘bubble’ near the mountaintop.

Someone had been here before!

The moment Hylial stepped in, she noticed the difference from the previous spots. There were broken weapon handles, shattered leather armor, and traces of a bonfire on the ground.

Then she searched further ahead, the light in her eyes flowing, allowing her to see a hidden cave behind thick bushes. Some kind of monster seemed to be lurking there, and a faint stench wafted through the air.

Covering her hair with her front, she breathed lightly, regaining her strength, then cautiously surveyed her surroundings, looking for any lurking monsters.

With [Nature Sense Lv.2] and [Identification Eye Lv.3] enhancing her perception and observation, she possessed a keen insight far superior to that of a first-tier. And if there was one more thing to add, it was that ‘Glorious Moon’ was the only aspect among all aspects that focused on pure clarity, and also the bane of many illusions.

Even though she hadn’t cultivated the ‘Glorious Moon’ aspect, her affinity for Glorious Moon still retained some of its qualities.

There were many ruins and remnants around, but no monsters were present. So the only possibility was the cave behind the bushes, Hylial mused.

As a practitioner of the ‘Jade Nectar’ aspect, she was not as skilled in combat as those of the ‘Blood Discipline’. If given the chance, she would try to avoid solving problems through combat.

Retreating now seemed like a better option, but… the path to the mountaintop was right next to that cave. If she were to detour, the other areas were steep cliffs, which she would find difficult to climb, and it would also consume more energy to traverse the grey and white world.

It seems that the pioneers who came here before her encountered the same problem, she thought, looking at the bonfire ruins at her feet.

Continue to detour, or take a chance.

Detouring would consume extra stamina and strength, and there was no guarantee she would find a way up the mountain. Not detouring would mean facing unknown dangers.

It’s really hard to choose, she thought, twirling a strand of her hair.

However, at this moment, it seemed there was no need to think, because the monster in the cave seemed to have smelled a living person and walked out.

It was hard to imagine that such a small cave could produce a huge black strange cat, taller than Hylial and bigger than a cow, spilling out like liquid. Its black fur was like the darkest night, blurring its form, and its only striking feature was a pair of ferocious lemon-yellow eyes.

“Hiss—”

Its exposed fangs were sharp and long. One might say it was truly a beast; the inherited power in its bloodline granted it powerful claws, teeth, and horns.

[Dark Strange Cat] (Twisted): Its form is blurry, like a strange black liquid fur, extremely ferocious.

Looking at the tall, bizarre black cat in the distance, and then at the twisted short sword in her hand, Hylial felt it was better not to fight, but to prepare to run away.

She leaped back into the gray and white world, ready to head to other safe bubble zones.

However, she soon realized her idea was wrong. The black cat also jumped into the gray and white world, with dark ink-like color flowing around its body, like ink spreading, allowing it to move in the gray and white world.

Helpless, Hylial accelerated again, avoided the black cat’s pounce, and then rushed back into the bubble where she had just been.

Stepping onto the grass, Hylial pushed off the ground, rotating the sword in her hand, drawing a sharp arc that slashed at the black fur of the attacking front paw.

The expected immense force didn’t arrive, as if striking an inflated balloon; after piercing the tough exterior, the inside was nothing but empty air.

The black cat sustained minor injuries. Black liquid and smoke seeped from its front paw, continuously evaporating.

Is this all it is? Hylial thought, but then felt something was wrong. If it were that easy to defeat, why were there so many ruins and broken blades on the ground?

The injured black cat arched its back, its blurry fur now bristling like a hedgehog’s quills, each sharp. It hissed again, then charged fiercely at Hylial.

The girl spun around, her sword slicing through the air like a shimmering silver arc, like a crescent moon appearing. The sharp blade split the black cat from its forehead.

As if tearing through the skin in an instant, the black cat’s body split open down the middle, but it didn’t die. Its divided eyes still stared at Hylial, then it pounced, its body and internal organs behind its head twisting like a swirling black mist, engulfing Hylial.

Oh no, this is its true attack method.

The completely illogical attack caught Hylial off guard, giving her no time to react, and she was completely enveloped in the black dense fog.

All light and sound disappeared, and she couldn’t touch anything around her; there was only endless void. Invisible distortions radiated from her body, starting with delicate blood vessels. Under the influence of the twisted aspect power, they became disordered, blood flowed backward, and blood vessels writhed like worms.

Then came the internal organs, as if invisible hands were tearing and pulling at the organs within her body, causing them to dislocate. This sensation made Hylial feel nauseous and retched.

Finally, even the invisible fate disc deep within her soul showed black, twisted dense fog. They entered from all directions, gradually spreading, staining the [Breathing Method Lv.3] and [Bloom-Flowering Method Lv.1] with black.

Like a virus, the originally magnificent and clear cards became murky, with black spots appearing on them, gradually spreading and eroding these cards.

As a Level 3 card, [Breathing Method Lv.3] could still resist, but [Bloom-Flowering Method], being only Level 1, quickly shattered under the erosion of corruption, reducing to dust. As a result, Hylial lost her newly acquired [Bloom-Flowering Method] and could no longer use its abilities.

Not only that, these black, distorted mists, by destroying the [Bloom-Flowering Method], also opened a path to the central aspect card, and began to spread and erode the [Gardening Apprentice’s Maiden] card.

If even the aspect card were to shatter, it would mean the end of Hylial’s life.

(End of chapter)