Chapter 162: The Well

The one Unorthodox member that had ran away and been struck by the Super Spark Strike Thrown was an unmoving corpse. Strangely, it was not because of Kazi’s attack but something else. Kazi approached the body and turned the face over. His eyes were black and empty like a void. Black cracks spread throughout his body and like dust…

“Huh?”

…the Unorthodox martial artist withered away. Kazi stepped away, disturbed. Nothing remained of him, including the blood stains that should have coated the ground and the grass. He glanced at the source of everything, the well. Upon his looking at it, his heart pounded against his ribcage.

“What…? Ngh!” Kazi winced and dropped to one knee. His heart—

B-b-badump!

Following his struggling heart was his brain. He wasn’t able to think. Nothing. Nothing.

B…b-badump!

The time between a heartbeat widened. His breathing became heavy. ’Why am I here?’ He winced again, a hand on his temple. ’Why did I come all this way? Why did I kill those people—nnngh!’

His eyes turned dusty and the green of the grass became white, till he caught sight of light at the corner. A necklace? Without thinking, he grabbed it and the world’s colour returned.

[ Item forcibly equipped! ]

He gained a sudden surge of magical energy. He panted, one hand clutching his heart and the other his head.

[ Equipment Name: Copy of Brísingamen

Rank: B

Magical Might: 50

A copy of the necklace that belongs to Freyja. Over twenty of these copies have been made in order to fight off against the power of the Void. Indeed, with this necklace, it is even possible to resist the divine territory of the Void. ]

“The divine territory of the void…” Kazi slowly pulled himself up, the blanks in his thoughts coming together. “This necklace is what kept all of them unaffected.” He casted a glance over to Lala and Noor and everyone else. They were done with their battle from the look of it. “If the mages are here, then considering everything else…it must be a combination of flowing magical energy, willpower, and one last ingredient that helps resist the void. Too little and you collapse. Too weak…” He looked back at the space that the corpse once occupied. “…and you die. Simple enough, except that I don’t know what that last ingredient is.”

If it was an element, the holy element would be the most likely. But that didn’t make sense, Kazi didn’t use elements and neither did Noor as far as he was aware. What they did share was…

’Fire. Fire resists Void? That…that sounds stupid though.’

It couldn’t be. Yet as Sherlock Holmes said, “When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

He glanced at the necklace, then at himself and the black garbs he wore. ’If not fire, then there’s one last probability: our accessories and garbs. I’m wearing the Garbs of Death which is gifted to every player by Azrael at the beginning of the Heavenly Games. Noor is wearing a lavender lehenga, a Kundan, and a golden septum. One of those three things must share a base with my Garbs of Death.’

That had to be it.

Kazi hurried over to Noor and Lala and noticed the heavy breathing of the mages and of the shieldswoman, Carla. Noor was lying on the grass, arms and legs lazily outstretched, eyes closed. The sweat and veins on her temple were darkening.

“Are you guys okay? Come on, up, up! Don’t let the island get to you!” Kazi didn’t have sufficient mana to cast Healing Waters. He went up to Lala and Noor. Between the two, Lala was in better shape, kneeling next to the laid out Noor. Kazi cocked his head. “Is she sleeping, or…?

Lala nodded curtly. She had been checking Noor’s forehead. “She’s just sleeping, yeah. She’s been trying to improve on close-quarter combat. She struggles though. That’s why she blew up the ship.”

“She did what?”

“She needed help and she needed to wake us up. It was the only way.” Lala fixed her wet hijab, lips pursed.

’Well, if it was the only way…’

“Why did we fight those people, Kazi?” Lala asked. “Why did they have to die?”

Kazi frowned. Technically, she was correct. This wasn’t part of the mission. “Unfortunately, this is war. It’s live or die. They wouldn’t have extended the same courtesy to us.”

“I know.” Lala looked sad. “But we won. I wish we could have captured them or knocked them out. Dying like this, disappearing into nothing, it’s like they never existed.”

“A proper burial, huh?” Kazi murmured. “I can agree with that.”

“What’s with all the moping? Lala?”

That voice…

“Noor! You’re okay!” Lala put a hand on her back and helped her sit upright.

“My MP regen is kicking in,” Noor replied. “Thank god for the System.”

Lala nodded, smiling. She briefly looked into the sky, thanking Allah for her answering her prayers. ’She’s too kind for her own good,’ Kazi thought. At that moment, a razorbill bird landed on Lala’s shoulder. She laughed and stroked its neck. ’The birds from the island. Lala tamed them fast.’

Kazi checked on the other mages. Everyone was utterly drained. The Unorthodox Sect were martial artists at the end of the day and experts at close-combat. Against mages in an island, they held the advantage regardless of numbers.

“Healing Waters,” Kazi casted. His hands became coated in a fluffy blue water that broke off and melded the wounded bloodied shoulder.

“Oh, thank god one of you is a healer.” Hands holding her up while sitting, Carla exhaled in relief. Her attire was elaborate and fantasy-like: a black bodice, knee-high, flat-heeled shiny black boots, and an indigo-coloured long skirt with diamond-shaped sections split into three. Style over fashion. “I thought I was going to die after this.”

Carla in particular had to push herself. Lacking Flow of Mana or the natural regulation of mana that mages had, the young woman protected and defended against the three martial artists through grit and willpower. For someone that was Level 17 and five-foot-two, it was impressive.

“I have to get going. You guys get the ship fixed.”

“Huh?” Noor picked herself up. “What, no way, you fix the ship. I have to get my prize.”

“You’ll die.” Kazi pulled on the necklace he was wearing. “You see these? The Unorthodox members were wearing this to protect themselves.”

“Is that why they are totally unaffected? That makes sense,” Carla murmured.

“Then give the necklace to me. None of us knows how to fix the ship. You’re the ship fixer person, right? Go on, do your job.”

“Wait, before that, can I ask about—”

“Look, time is wasting. Give me the necklace.”

“And I want to know if your clothes or accessories were made out of the Garbs of Death.”

Noor rolled her eyes. “Yes, my some lehenga is. My master threaded it for me. Who cares? Give me the necklace, I won’t treat it like jewellery if that’s what you’re concerned about.”

’So that answers that.’

Her lehenga was partially made of the same martial as the Garbs of Death, which, stat-wise, were worth nothing. But whatever it was made of, it was surprisingly effective against the element known as void.

“Hurry, hurry.” Noor kept beckoning him with her hand.

Kazi put a hand on his hips. If she was so adamant, then fine. As long as she helped him against Jack, it didn’t matter whether it was himself or Noor who got the upgrade. “Fine. Here you go.”

He handed her the necklace without further ado. Noor snatched it and immediately Kazi felt the magic leave him. The weight of the void pressed down on his shoulders. Once she felt the same comfort he did, Noor immediately ran off.

“Let’s get going,” Kazi told everyone. “The further away we are from the well, the lesser the affect.”

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