The Cornflower Witch

Chapter 73: Ink-Black Strange Cat

After dealing with that Fallen Leaf Monster, Sylutia felt a bit relieved, then she scanned the small grove clearing again, searching for any similar monsters.

Sure enough, 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 passed the edge twisted and writhed like an earthworm, grotesque and uncanny.

This sword was probably ruined, Sylutia thought, shaking her head, but she had no better option right now, so she had to make do.

After resting for a while, she continued upward toward the hillside. This time nothing unexpected happened, the clearing had no monsters—

But there was a monstrous tree.

A twisted great tree stood in the center of the Colored Bubbles area. Its broad canopy had no leaves; instead, its drooping branches were covered in various tumor-like swellings, like growths hanging from the limbs, disgusting and strange.

If a place is chaotic and dangerous yet you cannot see enemies, then the greatest enemy is likely right in front of you.

Sylutia observed the great tree from afar and did not approach rashly.

[Tumor-Burl Great Tree] (Aspect: Distortion): A bizarre banyan variant with no leaves, many branches, and numerous burls.Standing still forever would not help, so Sylutia picked up a stone and threw it at the tree, but there was no reaction.

Did it only react if she walked closer? she wondered.

Never mind, she decided it wasn’t worth the risk. She preferred to walk around rather than be grabbed by the tree; if she couldn’t break free, she would regret it.

Sylutia chose caution. She did not move forward but circled the tree’s edge, slowly making her way to the opposite side, then stepped back into the gray-white world.

After she left, the withered bark at the center of the great tree slowly split open, revealing a semblance of a human face that looked toward the direction the girl had gone.

I smell the supreme presence… could a Blessed One also have come to this forgotten corner?

Sorry, Your Majesty, Epos is too weak to fight. It can only coexist with these twisted spawn to cling to life.

Within the split mouth gap one could vaguely see the trunk’s interior had become a hollow cavity, piled with various corpses and bones. Those grim skulls spoke of the ferocity and terror of days long past.

…

Shortly after leaving the previous Colored Bubble node, Sylutia continued onward, traveling through the gray-white world until she reached another Colored Bubble near the mountain peak.

Someone had been here before!

The moment Sylutia stepped in, she noticed this spot differed from the earlier ones. There were broken weapon hafts on the ground, shattered leather armor, and signs of a campfire.

She swept her gaze forward again; light flowed across her pupils, revealing a cave hidden behind dense underbrush. Something seemed to lurk within, and a faint stench drifted on the air.

She held her hair over her chest, steadied her breath to recover strength, then watched her surroundings warily, looking for potential hidden monsters.

With Nature Perception Lv.2 plus Discernment Eyes Lv.3, these two fate-card perception effects granted her insight far beyond First Tier. If anything tipped the scale further, it was that Luminous Moon is the only Aspect focused on clear purity, and it counters many illusions.

Although she had not cultivated the Luminous Moon Aspect, her affinity for it had left a trace of its traits.

There were many ruins and debris around, but no monsters, so the only possibility was the cave behind the shrubs, Sylutia reasoned.

As a practitioner of Verdant Nectar, she was not as battle-proficient as those with Bloodline. Given the chance, she preferred to avoid fighting.

At this point retreating seemed wiser, but… the path to the peak lay beside that cave. If she went around, other routes were sheer cliffs; not only would they be hard to climb, but she would also expend more energy trudging through the gray-white world.

It seemed the earlier explorers who came here faced the same dilemma, she thought, looking at the campfire remains at her feet.

Go around and waste extra strength, and still possibly not find a path up; go straight and confront unknown danger.

A tough choice, she twirled a lock of hair between her fingers, pondering.

But she did not need to decide, because the creature in the cave seemed to scent a living presence and came out.

It was hard to imagine such a small cave could spill forth a creature like liquid, but out stepped a black strange cat taller than Sylutia and larger than an ox. Its black fur was like lacquered night, blurring its form, and the only striking feature was those fierce lemon-yellow eyes.

"Hiss—"

Its exposed fangs were long and sharp. Typical of beasts, they inherited strength in their bloodline, giving them powerful jaws and claws.

[Ink-Black Strange Cat] (Distortion): Fuzzy form, unusual black fur like liquid, extremely ferocious.

Glancing at the tall strange black cat in the distance, then at the twisted short sword in her hand, Sylutia decided not to fight and planned to run.

She leaped back into the gray-white world, intent on reaching another safe Colored Bubble.

But she quickly realized her plan was wrong. The black cat dove into the gray-white world with her; ink-dark color flowed around its edges like spreading ink, letting it move freely in that realm.

Forced, Sylutia accelerated again. After dodging the cat’s pounce she dashed back into the earlier Colored Bubble.

On the grass, Sylutia planted her foot, pivoted, and swung the sword so the blade traced a shining arc, cutting the black cat’s descending front paw.

The expected massive force did not arrive—hitting it felt like popping an inflated balloon. After piercing a tough surface, the inside was hollow air.

The black cat was lightly wounded; its front paw oozed black liquid and smoke that continually steamed away.

Only this much? Sylutia thought, but then felt something was off. If it were that simple to defeat, why were there so many broken blades and ruins on the ground?

Injured, the black cat arched its back. Its fuzzy coat abruptly bristled like a porcupine, each hair razor-sharp. It let out a hissing roar and lunged at Sylutia.

She spun on her feet, the sword flashing a silver crescent like a newborn moon. The blade split open the black cat’s brow.

As if tearing through skin in an instant, the cat’s body split down the middle, but it did not die. The two separated eyes still stared at Sylutia, then it threw itself forward; from the rear of the head the body’s entrails poured out like rolling black fog and engulfed her.

Crap, this was its true attack.

An attack that defied all reason caught Sylutia off guard; she had no time to react and was submerged in the black fog.

All light and sound vanished, nothing could be felt around her, only an endless void. An invisible distortion spread from her body surface. At first it felt like thin blood vessels—under the Distortion Aspect’s influence they became chaotic. Blood flowed forward and backward, vessels writhed like worms.

Then the internal organs—torn and pulled by unseen hands, the organs shifting out of place. The sensation made Sylutia violently nauseous.

Finally, even the intangible Fate Plate in the depths of her soul was invaded by black twisted mist. The clouds poured in from all sides, gradually spreading and staining her lower cards—Breathing Technique Lv.3 and Flower Blooming Method Lv.1—with blackness.

Like a virus, the once-bright, clear cards became murky, black spots appearing and slowly spreading, eating into the cards.

Breathing Technique Lv.3, as a level-three card, could still resist, but the only level-one Flower Blooming Method quickly shattered under the Distortion’s corrosion and crumbled into fragments. As a result, Sylutia lost the newly learned Flower Blooming Method and could no longer use its abilities.

Worse, because the black twisting mist destroyed the Flower Blooming Method, it opened a path toward the central fate card and began to creep toward that card—the Gardening Apprentice Girl.

If the fate card itself shattered, that would mean Sylutia’s life would end.