Odyssey of the Blind God

"Did they already start revealing some rumors?" Nial mumbled, not sure if he remembered his last conversation with the others correctly.

Just a few days ago, Mathias had visited him and informed him about their plans and that it would take a few more weeks to prepare everything.

Miranda was very careful and meticulous while revealing certain rumors.

It could be dangerous and they didn't even ask the government or the military for permission to tell the public about everything.

Whether they would label it as rumors or the truth didn't matter in this case.

She wanted everything to be planned beforehand to prevent any mishaps from occurring.

That was why it should have taken a few more weeks before the rumors would spread through all shelters, in every nook and cranny for everyone to hear!

'Where the hell are they then? They shouldn't have teleported to the other shelters to start spreading the rumors yet, right?' Nial was confused, and that was something everyone, who looked at him, could tell.

Tyson, the huge 2.3 meters tall Prometheus Original was also present. He had noticed Nial right from the moment he left the Forest of Life.

'Looks like his mana is still unstable. Well, it is already a wonder that he is still alive,' Tyson thought. He immediately concluded that Nial was tougher than his appearance suggested.

Even after almost two months passed Nial looked like he had just overcome a battle that decided over life and death.

His mana was the most distinct because it was unstable and almost appeared as if it was about to burst out of Nial to wreak havoc.

"Hey Nial, are you looking for someone?" Tyson thus asked, approaching Nial.

However when Nial turned around, his expression turned the atmosphere awkward.

Nial's expression seemed to scream ''Who are you?', dumbfounding Tyson a bit.

'Am I a nobody to be forgotten that quickly?' He wondered, feeling slightly depressed before he noticed that Nial's expression had changed once again

"I'm searching for the Witch of the South, Miranda, or Kirlia Maverick, member of the Heaven's Gates organization," Nial answered calmly, no sign of his earlier confusing expression left on his face.

He could roughly remember who Tyson was. In fact, even if Nial didn't remember, it wouldn't matter because it was more important to figure out where everyone was.

"Miranda and Kirlia? If I remember correctly, Kirlia was ordered to return to the Heaven's Gates headquarters. Her disciple went with her.

As for Miranda, she is either still somewhere around the Forest of Life, or she left as well," Tyson answered, smiling faintly.

He could tell that his answer was not helpful, but he shared everything he knew.

"Thank you…" Nial said half-heartedly before expanding his range of perception once again.

Miranda and Mathias wouldn't leave without leaving him a note or something similar to notify him of their whereabouts.

That means they were probably still somewhere close, or they wouldn't be away for long.

After realizing this, Nial calmed down within seconds. There was no way that something could have happened to Miranda and Mathias.

It was simply impossible that one catastrophic incident after another would unfold around Nial and the people close to him.

If that were to be the case, it wouldn't just be a coincidence or mere bad luck anymore.

Their entire fate would be riddled with curses and misfortune.

Nial didn't believe that this was the case, so he entered a calm state in no time before he left the small base that had been constructed by humans.

'Maybe I should test out my current strength?' Nial thought, wondering if he was still as strong as he had been before the incident with Silvian's attack and the large-scale battle against the Dryx.

He was in a comatose state for an entire month and had rested for three weeks after that. His body was full of vigor right now, but Nial couldn't say for sure that his movements were still as agile as before.

"It's time to find out then!" Nial exclaimed quietly, clenching his hands before he made his way toward the blackboard where all Dungeons around the Forest of Life were located.

'I wonder how big the difference between normal dungeons and the dungeon portals around the Forest of Life is…'

The dungeons around the Forest of Life were deemed different from the dungeons anywhere else. The mana-dense Forest of Life changed many things, including the number of higher-ranked dungeons that could manifest in closer proximity.

The high mana density in the surrounding area was a determining factor in the dungeons' size, the number of monsters that could live within the dungeon, what drops one could receive, how many rare bosses could be summoned, and much more.

As long as one didn't overestimate their capabilities, the region around the Forest of Life was literally a treasure trove for everyone, who dared to face dangers head-on!

Many human Originals and Elves had already ventured into the several dungeon portals that had manifested around the Forest of Life. All of their data was recorded and projected on the blackboard.

A huge map could be seen on the blackboard with various different markers indicating various things. Some dungeons were extremely dangerous and were meant only for the truly powerful to be used, while other dungeons were very good to farm Origin crystals.

There were even large-scale Goblins, Slimes, and Kobold dungeons at the Rookie rank. A bunch of Originals at the Origin rank could always be found inside the dungeon.

"Why are there so many humans?" Nial wondered. The more time he spent near the blackboard, the more suspicious Nial got about the situation.

"It looks like you haven't been here for long, brat. Should I answer your question?" A young man around Nial's age appeared next to him. He flicked back his long golden hair and looked at Nial with an aloof expression, almost as if he was talking to someone of much lower status than his own.

Nial didn't care about the odd behavior the young man showcased. He seemed strong and was also at the Mirae rank. His information could be useful as well.

"It would be very nice of you, if you could answer my question, thank you," Nial replied a bit too sweet as he turned in the young man's direction.

Nial's lifeless eyes looked straight into the brownish, multicolored eyes of the young man.

"Oh? Y-you are blind?" The young man was stupefied for a second. He took a moment to regain his senses and realize that his question was both stupid and rude.

The young man cleared his throat trying to hide his embarrassment before he answered Nial,

"Apparently, the Elves are more open to trades with humans from all shelters after the battle against the Dryx. They want to work together against our opponents. That was why we entered an Alliance with them. A new shelter will soon be built dozens of kilometers away from the Forest of Life.

A safe path between the Forest of Life and the new 3rd shelter will be created as well.

Right now, tens of thousands of Originals are trying to make the most use of the dungeon portals all around the Forest of Life. Most permanent dungeons will be occupied by organizations, the government, the military, or influential families the moment they branch out to the 3rd shelter.

By then, it will be quite difficult to reap benefits from the Forest of Life without paying any fees to all these higher authorities.

The existence of Prometheus-ranked Originals and Elves is enough for everyone to believe that the surrounding area is safe enough, so even Origin-ranked Originals will choose to teleport to the Forest of Life.

It may be expensive but it is definitely worth the effort!" The young man seemed to have a lot more to say, but he quieted down after stating the important facts.

Nial had expected to receive a short answer such as 'The surrounding area is deemed safe, and most Originals want to reap most benefits as long as it is still possible', but the young man's answer was also good.

"So there is already an Alliance?" Nial asked in a more rhetorical way than intended to the young man. However, the golden-haired young man didn't seem to feel like stopping blabbering as he took Nial's question seriously.

"Roughly a month ago the Elven and human Alliance was created. The alliance demands from both sides to support each other in the fight against all threats that could endanger their existence, but also to trade fairly, whether it is about goods, knowledge, or shared experiences.

At the first glance, it might look fair, but I think we are gaining most of it. After all, the biggest gain is already clearly visible. We can get our hands on runic armaments, and the teleportation circles within the hall of teleportation are efficient enough to teleport us straight inside the shelter we want to enter!" The young man said while Nial could only sigh inwardly.

'The Elves still gain more as long as the Forest of Life and the manifested Divinity Fragment are safe, but whatever…wasn't this dude arrogant and aloof before, why is he so overly courteous right now?!' Nial didn't understand this young man, but he couldn't be rude to him.

He answered Nial's question in an overly descriptive manner.

So the least Nial could do was to say, "thanks for answering my question," before he turned his focus back to the map of the Forest of Life and the surrounding.

'Alliance…well that happened faster than expected but it's not actually unexpected. We can be considered the Elves savior, and both gain something from the alliance,' Nial thought while continuing to use his [Mana Sense] to visualize the map that was projected on the blackboard.

"I can tell that you are also at the Prym rank. You seem to be around my age as well, so you've got to be talented. Do you want to team up with my group? We want to enter one of the few large-scale Low Expert dungeons," suddenly the young man spoke to Nial once again.

He was actually not sure what he was doing right now, or why he would continue to bother Nial. However, there was something that bothered him. Too many Elves and humans looked at Nial with interest and respect. The young man had never seen him so he wanted to find out what was going on.

"It's not called Prym rank. It's the Mirae rank," Nial suddenly muttered, smiling faintly before he ignored the geeky answer he had given to the young man.

"It would be nice to join your group for a dungeon conquest. Nice to meet you, my name is Nial," Nial answered with a faint smile on his face.

"My name is Timothée, but most people call me Timmy. Nice to meet you as well," Timothée replied while shaking Nial's hand.

"Let's go, we have a hunt in front of us!