Spirit Taming

Chapter 594: Intentional Rot

The seriousness of the group was growing with every single step. This wasn't because they were sure that the smell was growing, it was. Sinetad, it was because they could tell they were approaching dangers that they did not yet know.

Beyond just what they could smell, they could feel the unique darkness and poison energies that came together to make so many different forms of rot. They could tell that the thorny roots or vines, whatever they really were, were feeding on it. That was the strength of whatever controlled this happening.

The area was literally being reshaped. The violent jungle was no longer a jungle in this area. It was turned in to a rotting swamp for the most part. If Clark was not the one pushing them to explore such things, then they would have stopped already. However, they trusted that he had a good idea of what they might find here. Not to mention that the added challenge will allow them to get stronger.

"These thorny vines are everywhere now. They are even under the mud wrapping around the old tree stumps where they rotted them to mush." Grace was kicking up the mud around where she had almost tripped and fallen. She looked at it with disgust since this was clearly the caus of the area being like this.

"Nothing can even grow. It is a clear pest among pests causing a geographical change. I assume that this is an invasive species." Ella's addition made the system react. It also reacted because Clark had just caught something in the distance.

'Sub quest- rotting odor- completed

Requirement: follow the scent of rotting to the source.

Reward: mapping increase in the violent jungle map.'

The map reacted and Clark saw an entire portion filled in. but he was unhappy to see what had happened. It wasn't that he was unhappy with the map being filled in. he was unhappy because of the fact that what had been filled in was bad news.

The map labeled the area they had just walked in to as the rotting jungle swamp. This was also labeled as temporary and growing. Therefore, it was a clear issue. Furthermore, the system had reacted to the subquest to mapping the entire violent jungle.

'Major sub quest- growing rot

Requirement: destroy the invasive species of beast that has taken root of the dungeon and allow the dungeon to close properly.

Reward: major sections of the violent jungle map filled in, rot repellant potion formula, ten death crystals, ten shadow crystals, one large dragon crystal, one rare gotcha ticket.'

The rewards were very good overall. they would definitely be things that he could use. However, they also had things that the group as a whole could use. Maria would be able to use the rot repellant potion to help in the future. Things that could rot would be able to be handled. Especially when it came to plant type beasts or wounds infected with a rotting poison.

There was also the rare gacha ticket, the rare item would be a guarantee regardless of what it was. Clark knew that he would find some use in it. The system seemed to give him things that would always have some use to him or the group. Even if it was just to have some extra food or something for sale.

But the large outcropping of degrading stone that he saw was the center of what had developed his quest and the reaction from the system. Specifically because it was clearly the entrance to a dungeon. However, the thorny vines were leaving it and forcing it to remain open. Something that was normally impossible unless dastardly means were used.

People had tried to force the randomly appearing temporary dungeon to remain open. In doing so, the dungeons would degrade and become terrible hellish places. The beasts that lived there would become feral and lose their normal traits. The things brought in would even have a negative effect on them since they were affected by whatever energies running rampant in such places.

Sometimes they would cause the deaths of people investigating and trying to stay within. This had happened to those that thought to force a dungeon to remain  open as a farm. The sheep brought there had become a new species of beast that were carnivorous and ate every farmer. The dungeon had to be closed since they were basically immune to physical attacks with their unique wool coats.

These events were valuable to the human world since they had expected that they could keep these dungeons open for more rewards. More farming. More space. More everything. However, the downsides of it outweighed everything since the beasts taking from said dungeon had poorer materials by mutating and becoming such terrible things.

It was even recorded that one dungeon just became a barren wasteland where nothing could survive until it was allowed to disappear. That was why people gave up. Things only got worse when temporary dungeons were forced open past what existence intended.

'Degraded dungeon- broken

This dungeon used to be known as the peacock forest dungeon. It was a temporary dungeon that moved around the violent jungle randomly at random times. However, a traveler accidentally brought a carnivorous plant seed in to it and dropped it.

Due to this, the environment ideal for the rainbow peacock, the scarlet peacock… became impossible for them to survive and has caused their species to be nearly extinct. The carnivorous plant seed bloomed and grew rapidly without a  predator to control it. Therefore, it grew out of hand.

The carnivorous plant species would normally live in large swamps, not the jungle or forests at all. Now that it has found a place, it mutated and began to rot things to create its own space. This untouched growth has caused a massive creation of a broken dungeon and the changes of the land overall. If left alone, the violent jungle map will become the rotting jungle map.'

"That is a dungeon that should have closed a long time ago." it wasn't Clark that had said this but Isa. she recognized it from the fact that the broken stone opening was wrapping in thorny vines. She had been told that if she ever saw a dungeon that had a broken entrance, she should avoid it. Merchants knew that unsavory things happened in such forced open places.

Dangers that would make them all lose what they carried with them.

"That's exactly what it is. And we can already see what is happening. Regardless if this is newer, happened years ago, maybe years, then we should do something. This will take over the entire jungle." The depth of what Clark said hit everyone differently.

Everyone understood what it meant to lose a vital ecosystem nearby the city they lived in. The violent jungle was like a barrier to some beasts and other races. It stopped them from coming in and out because of the dangers within it. The dungeons that appeared randomly and the powerful beasts that slumbered here and there within it.

Furthermore, if the jungle become rotten swampy version of itself, then new beasts would come. Many beasts might mutate. And even more might find themselves with a path directly to a city where they could potentially eat their fill. It would be chaos and the end of Nova City and Academy.

This wasn't even following the potential that the other races beyond this deep wilderness would notice that the environment had changed and explore it. The relationships with other races were different for each city. But the one thing that was clear, was that in today's times, they were strained because of the state of the world. The world was too unexplored. Too dangerous.

"We have to deal with that or else, huh?" Brad just shrugged. He didn't see a reason not to.

"Well yeah, what else would we do? Can't get stronger unless we are willing to influence the world. And I think stopping this thing is doing just that." Reese's point was actually pretty good. They would have an effect on the world that they knew by doing this.

"I can learn to scout in this environment better. It's harder so I will learn more." Jerold's opinion was clear already too.

"Well, move your asses because I am going to try and chop away those thorns." Ralph was already wielding his axes and trying to cut on to the thorns. Unfortunately, they were resistant and already mending themselves from every chop he tried. He even moved closer to the dungeon for lesser results.

"We can fix this. I know we can." Maria's positive attitude just pushed everyone forward even more. Clark took his own mental deep breath before looking at the thorns even more. He was unsure what they would do and what would happen, but he knew they could handle this.

"The goal will be to get rid of the plant that causes these. The beast is going to be a darkness and poison type able to cause rot wherever it goes in multiple forms and feed on it. Be ready."