novelraw Chapter 90: Beastmen Giant Chieftain!
Chapter 90: Beastmen Giant Chieftain!
[You stay invisible and proceed down the road to the left.]
[After traveling for quite some time down the left path, you spot rows of towering stone buildings in the distance.]
[You quicken your pace and move closer to take a better look…]
[These structures are also built from giant stones, but compared to the grand tomb you saw earlier, they look extremely simple and crude.]
[The uneven giant stone blocks are stacked haphazardly, with gaps so large you could fit your entire Shell through them.]
[These towering stone houses are the dwellings of the ordinary Beastmen Giants. You are surprised to find that there is not a single Beastmen Giant in sight within this residential area.]
[Do you want to step forward and investigate?]
Lin Xun frowned. He had expected this area to be full of danger, but unexpectedly, the Beastmen Giants had all disappeared.
As the saying goes, when something abnormal happens, there must be a reason. He focused his attention and clicked “Yes.”
[You stay invisible and move in to investigate…][On the ground between the towering houses, you see countless wide but shallow grooves, as if left behind by some huge creature being dragged along.]
[Although these grooves are messy, they all point in the same direction.]
[You cautiously follow the grooves…]
[Passing through the cluster of stone houses, you soon come across a mountain of corpses.]
[A foul stench carried by the wind hits you, making you gag. The towering mountain of corpses is swarming with flies and crawling with maggots. All the bodies are Beastmen Giants, their flesh shriveled and dried out like pieces of wind-cured meat.]
[You tiptoe closer to examine them. Despite their horrific deaths, the faces of the Beastmen Giants look peaceful and calm.]
Lin Xun was instantly on high alert.
All the Beastmen Giants from this residential area had died here, their bodies piled up into a massive mound.
This was likely not a natural disaster. Could it be that they were slaughtered by some other creature, with their corpses deliberately stacked in this place?
It was hard to imagine what kind of powerful entity could wipe out an entire tribe of Beastmen Giants.
[Do you want to stay and search the area, or return the way you came?]
Lin Xun, knowing his invisibility skill’s time was limited, quickly clicked “Search.”
But the area was depressingly barren. After searching for a long while, he found nothing of value, only junk items like Rotten Meat Chunks and Broken Bones.
The Beastmen Giants’ corpses were all dried husks, and no game text appeared offering the option to Possess any of them.
Seeing that this area was now fully explored, he retraced his steps back to the fork near the giant log gate.
[You look toward the entrance of the gate. The giant log gate, which had previously spanned between the two mountain walls, has now been destroyed and lies in ruins.]
[Beside the ruins lies the shriveled corpse of a Beastmen Giant. It is the same one that had been guarding the gate earlier.]
That Beastmen Giant had turned into a dried corpse too?
Lin Xun felt this place growing eerier by the minute, and a chilling thought surfaced in his mind.
He quickly chose the path to the right, toward the tomb, and sprinted all the way back to the chieftain’s tomb.
Sure enough, the game text had changed.
[The two Corrupted Beastmen Giant Guards standing on either side of the giant archway behind the colonnade have also turned into enormous dried corpses. Their flesh is shriveled and withered, yet their expressions remain peaceful and calm.]
All dead? Lin Xun’s brow furrowed tightly.
He couldn’t imagine how these enormous, powerfully built Beastmen Giants had all been killed without a chance to resist, slaughtered like wheat being cut down.
Seeing the text repeatedly describing their horrific deaths but peaceful expressions, he had a creeping suspicion.
He tried to enter the tomb again. Although there were no longer any guards, the shimmering barrier at the archway still blocked his way.
“Looks like the source of all these clues must be in the ‘Chieftain’s Palace.’”
He retreated to the fork in the road near the giant gate, and the game text prompted him to pick a direction once more.
[You stay invisible and proceed down the road ahead.]
[After traveling for quite some time, you spot a magnificent and towering palace in the distance.]
[Climbing up the stone steps with both hands and feet, you reach the palace gate…]
[The palace doors are wide open, and inside lie the bodies of Beastmen Giants scattered haphazardly across the floor, their corpses in the same condition you’ve seen before.]
[Do you want to enter the Beastmen Giant Chieftain’s Palace?]
Even though this palace practically screamed death at every corner, Lin Xun had no choice but to enter if he wanted to get the key item needed for the tomb.
He waited for a while at the palace gate, letting his invisibility cooldown expire, then reapplied the invisibility skill and firmly pressed Yes.
[You stay invisible and step into the open palace doors.]
[Thick round columns line both sides of the hall, supporting the dome of the palace. The grand hall’s decor has a primitive and ancient style.]
[On the floor of the hall, dozens of Beastmen Giant corpses lie sprawled.]
[Looking deeper into the hall, you see a towering figure seated on a giant stone throne, so large that you have to crane your neck to look up at it.]
[Unlike ordinary Beastmen Giants, this colossal figure is so tall that even while sitting, it is slightly larger than the giant guards you saw before. Its thick, black fur has completely fallen off, and its once-ferocious fanged face now looks more humanlike. Its sharp beast claws have evolved into five-fingered hands.]
[A thick, almost tangible bloody aura wafts around the Corrupted Beastmen Giant Chieftain, like a shroud of blood.]
[The Corrupted Beastmen Giant Chieftain stares at the corpses of its kin scattered around the hall, its scarlet eyes brimming with madness. It sticks out its tongue and licks the dried blood still caked around its mouth.]
Lin Xun had already suspected what was going on, but now that the truth was laid bare before his eyes, he was still a bit shaken.
From the game text, it was clear that the chieftain had slaughtered its own kin, draining their blood and turning them into these horrifying dried corpses.
Why had it done this?
[Beside the giant stone throne leans a small bone club made of gold. Even though it appears small for the Beastmen Giant Chieftain, it is still far thicker than your Shell’s entire body.]
[The so-called small bone club is the Chieftain’s Scepter of the Beastmen Giants, the crucial key to entering the tomb.]
Lin Xun’s eyes lit up.
If the scepter had been in the chieftain’s hands, there would be no way for him to steal it or defeat the monster in a fight, he knew that without even thinking about it.
But since the scepter was leaning against the throne, this at least gave him some room to maneuver.
[Reckless Apostle, what will you do?]
[1. Reveal yourself and challenge the Corrupted Beastmen Giant Chieftain to a one-on-one duel. A true warrior’s battlefield is right here! Even in defeat, you will fall with honor.]
[2. Quietly exit the palace, giving up your chance to obtain the scepter. A coward who values life over death, you bide your time, waiting for a better opportunity to strike.]
[3. Stay invisible and sneak up to the giant stone throne. Seize the scepter while the chieftain is unaware. Then brace yourself for the Beastmen Giant Chieftain’s inevitable fury.]