The Rise of the Black Plain



Hearing Minos' question, the Gorgon looked at him, narrowing her eyes as she paid more attention to this human. 

"You... You really have a powerful aura! Are you really a human?" She ignored his question, feeling a slight oppression coming from Minos' body, even though he was weaker than her and a member of the human race.

Gorgons were not one of the ten strongest races in the Spiritual World. However, their characteristics and the fact that their members could reach the 10th stage placed them among the 15 strongest races.

Even though the human race was one of the 10 strongest, it didn't mean that every human had a talent or a level of strength superior to any being from one of the "lesser" races.

The few humans with Golden-grade talents and Saint-grade Physiques made humans relevant in this world. But most spiritual humans didn't have those traits and were naturally inferior to beings like the creature before Minos' group.

Moreover, not all people with Golden-grade talents and Saint-grade Physiques were the same. Some had more refined and heavenly characteristics!

The same was true for the members of the various races in this world.

Not every Sky Whale would be impressive enough to challenge every Dragon on the Continent of Beasts who was at the same level as them.

So when she realized that Minos had something that made her feel like she was facing a higher level being, even considering the level disadvantage he had compared to her, this Gorgon couldn't help but look at him more seriously.

It only took a second for her to realize that this human was similar to the most talented Dragons on this continent!

With that in mind, she immediately became defensive and raised her guard against this group.

"Who are you? Where are you from?" She asked Minos, thinking about how strange the formation of this group was. "And why is your group so diverse?"

Minos clenched his fists and said in a thick tone. "I asked you first, Gorgon. Why were you here? Does this place belong to Titus? Answer me, and I'll tell you who we are."

Against certain beings, one had to act defensively to protect one's own continuity. This was the case with the Sky Whales, for these beings rarely attacked those who showed humility toward them.

But other beings could be complicated to deal with if you showed inferiority. The best way to deal with them was to puff out your chest and show that even if your side loses, the other side will lose something too, because you won't take it without damaging the other side.

Gorgons were very different from Sky Whales. If they saw someone acting cowardly towards them, they would become even more interested in 'playing' with such beings. On the other hand, if they felt they had to respect or fear the other party, they would consider not getting involved with such beings unless they really had to.

Gorgons were very intelligent and wouldn't risk their lives for unnecessary things like a problem with an unknown group that didn't want to face them.

Then she stepped back, although she kept her terrible aura and the snakes on her head in a lunge position. "I was after that old fox. We had an agreement, but he didn't keep his side of the deal."

"So it was really him..."

"Do you know where we can find him?" Minos asked as the people in his group realized that this place really belonged to Titus.

"Your turn to answer, human." She said, waiting to find out who these people were.

Minos knew he had to be strong in the face of such a treacherous creature, but he couldn't just demand things and give nothing in return. So he answered her. "My wives and I are from the Black Plain Empire. We're on a journey to form a strong group to go to the North Sea."

"North Sea?" The Gorgon's expression changed when she heard this, understanding why there were so many beings of different races in this group. 'Are they idiots seeking their own death?' This thought crossed her mind while she couldn't help but let her guard down a bit.

This explained the presence of sea creatures in this group on the Continent of Beasts, but it also explained why this group was so diverse, even among the beast races. They were definitely recruiting because this Gorgon could also smell the scent of other races coming from these creatures.

"Yes, the North Sea," Minos confirmed.

"Is that why you want Titus? Do you want to recruit him?" She realized what they wanted.

"Yes, he seems to be nearing the end of his life and has an exploratory nature. He's a good match for us." Minos said.

"Is not being able to keep your promises and contacts also useful for your group? That bastard promised me to solve a problem weeks ago, and I haven't heard any good news from him... I went looking for him but found nothing! The bastard has run away."

"So you don't know where he is?"

"If I did, he would have turned to stone by now." She said angrily, but she wasn't really planning on it.

Titus was willing to experiment on beings of all species. As much as there were crucial differences between him and beings of other races, any discoveries he made with beings of other races could be samples of the path he should follow.

He dared to contact anyone who was willing to give him 'material' to work with and had recently made a deal with this Gorgon for the body of a member of that race. In exchange, he would have to fulfill a promise to this Gorgon, something he had not yet done and which would harm this creature.

'The bastard didn't get rid of the body of that bitch, and now I'm wanted for murder.' She thought silently, looking forward to her reunion with Titus. 'If he can't help me out of this mess, I swear I'll turn him to stone!'

Meanwhile, Minos and his people had no idea how the Gorgon and Titus were connected. Still, now they had a glimpse of him by confirming that this place belonged to him.

With that in mind, they had a path to follow to find this individual.

But before they left the area, the Gorgon asked them. "What are you going to do? Aren't you going to recruit me?" 

Hearing their silence, she laughed, aware that it would be impossible for any group with levels so close to hers to accept her. "It doesn't matter. But you should be careful. I'm not the only one looking for Titus. And I hope you don't find him before I do. If you do, expect trouble."

With those words, she disappeared from there, moving quickly to where she thought she might find her target, leaving Minos' group staring at where she had disappeared.