Chapter Forty-Two: The Clever Miss Corinne

The screams were fading...

Shana stood in the very center, a gentle green breeze swirling around her. Everyone’s condition was rapidly recovering.

Seeing that there were no further threats here, Colin began to take stock of the spoils from the recent battle.

He opened his pack, his gaze first falling on a few special items, all of which had come from that mage. Most conspicuous among them were over six hundred “Twisted Flesh Mushrooms.”

You realize that these mushrooms might be combined with the “Sunlight Mushrooms” you’ve seen before. Once synthesized, their negative effects will be greatly diminished.

Additionally, if given to an apothecary of the third stage or higher, they can be used to concoct special drugs that connect to the nervous system.

“So that's how these things should be used. Too bad I don’t have either at the moment…” Colin muttered, then looked over the rest of his loot.

There was a mage’s robe, a staff, a few dozen remaining Mist Points, a fragment of a treasure map…

And a “Twisted Soul.”

“The ‘Twisted Soul’ looks rather fresh—must have been sent to me just today. That mage may not have been decent, but at least he had a sense of duty,” Colin remarked, fiddling with the broken staff, his eyes lingering on the mage’s robe. He could faintly sense the power lingering in both items.

“‘Tattered Witch’s Robe’: Wearing it reduces your sanity to a certain degree, but grants triple that amount in mental defense.

Note 1: As long as I’m foolish enough, I won’t go mad.

‘Broken Frost Staff’: When used, it can trigger the remaining frost power within. Against enemies with endurance less than 4, striking them more than three times will freeze them for a minute.

Remaining uses: 5

Note: Severely damaged, cannot be repaired.”

“Control gear—not bad… huh…” Colin instinctively activated his hint ability, and within seconds his body stiffened, a strange look crossing his face…

You realize these two items belonged to the same person. After ages of corrosion, only superb craftsmanship kept them from decaying beyond use.

Your understanding is insufficient to trace their origins, but you do detect a negative effect.

If the user is male, repeated use will gradually make him more unbalanced, his masculine traits will diminish, and there is a minute chance he will become female…

This set ought to be sealed away!

Colin quickly stuffed both items into his bag, silently vowing never to use them. Even if he had to jump out a window, he would never put on that robe, much less wield the staff!

He had no intention of turning from “Mr. Colin” into “Miss Colleen”… and even losing a bit of his masculinity was out of the question! If he didn’t suspect these might become important quest items like “Kaedys’s Wooden Wheel,” he’d have tossed them in an auction for whatever he could get.

As for the “Twisted Soul,” Colin didn’t need to guess—it clearly came from the witch.

After completing the task, the items’ descriptions might change.

“Whether or not I do the quest, I might as well use it first. Let’s see where such a thing could have come from.”

A warped, blue, human-shaped flame burned quietly in Colin’s hand, casting a pale blue glow without any warmth.

He examined it over and over, from every angle, confirming that what was required for the quest was an inspiration score greater than nine, not something more intimate; and that Shana wouldn’t be getting a new little sister. With that assurance, he crushed it.

A familiar daze quickly swept over him.

“Where am I…? Cough… Where are my sisters…?”

“…I’m a witch, I come from…”

“…What happened here? Why are there only monsters? Where is the treasure? My sisters are still waiting for me…”

“…Don’t be afraid, I’ll stay and help you…”

“…I didn’t spread disaster…”

“…I just want to go home…”

In an indescribable, dream-like vision, Colin saw a beautiful woman in a witch’s robe appearing suddenly in this land.

Something went wrong upon her arrival. She forgot much, but eventually remembered her purpose: searching for some treasure. Whether out of pity or compassion, she chose to stay, helping the local villagers resist calamity.

But someone leaked word of her presence. The Church was alerted, believing her the source of the disaster.

In the end, she was executed by the Knights of the Church of Suffering.

“The Church really is incapable of anything decent…” Colin muttered. Other than Father Kaedys, he’d never seen them do anything good.

A new quest appeared on the scroll.

Quest triggered: The Homesick Witch.

Quest Objective 1: Defeat the “Aberration—Children of Suffering—Knights of Suffering” wandering Silvermoon Bay, and seize the witch’s head from the wrecked ship.

Quest Objective 2: Defeat the “Aberration—Witch’s Head” within the shipwreck.

Quest Objective 3: Return the “Witch’s Head” to the temple in the Witch’s Forest.

Quest Duration: Unlimited.

Quest Description: Upon learning that the villagers refused to betray the witch’s whereabouts, the Knights of the Church of Suffering initiated a massacre under the guise of mining.

In the end, her location was discovered. At the moment of her death, she seemed to hold no grudge—only memories of her homeland. So, fulfill her wish to return home.

Quest Rewards: Black Bread x999, Mist Points x1000, Special Character Summoning Card x1, Title Gift Box x1, Blueprint for Level 1 Temple x1, Water of Life 1000ml, Ancient Tree Seed x1.

Hint: This quest is extremely difficult. You believe you lack a way to reach the Witch’s Forest. You believe you lack the means to seal the Witch’s Head. You believe the Witch’s Head is an even greater threat than the Aberration Lord of Bigfoot…

Having read this, Colin drew a sharp breath, a deep sense of dread creeping over him.

This quest overlapped with the “Vengeance” mission he’d taken recently. Had he attempted it first, there’d probably already be weeds growing on his grave.

He might have run into that starting-level Lord Aberration, the “Witch’s Head”…

“Fortunately, I was clever and didn’t act rashly…”

Colin let out a long, quiet sigh.

Now, looking again at the witch’s robe, he noticed the many tears were indeed slashes. Especially around the collar, there was a faint, dark brown stain—it looked like dried, discolored blood.

Clearly, it was left by the blood that flowed when the beautiful witch was beheaded.

“Whew… These triggered quests really can’t be taken lightly. They may seem simple—just kill a few monsters—but once you go, you’ll find they almost always involve lord-level aberrations…”

“With too little information, I’d end up trapped in a desperate situation, just like last time.”