The light from the burning wood flickered softly in the dark.
Duogan woke up with a sharp breath, the sudden heat of the fire against his skin making his eyes widen in confusion. His gaze fell upon the flickering bonfire—and then shifted upward.
A short distance away sat a human man with black hair and golden eyes, smiling calmly.
Duogan froze.Then, all at once, his body tensed and recoiled instinctively.
"...Human..."
His voice trembled slightly. The dull pain at the back of his neck reminded him that what he was seeing was real.
His green pupils contracted sharply.
Subconsciously, Duogan curled into himself, pulling his knees toward his chest as he stared at the human with wary, fearful eyes.
Earlier—when he'd been half-unconscious and overwhelmed by bloodlust—he hadn't truly thought. He had simply fought to kill.
But now, with full consciousness restored, the realization struck him like a hammer.
This human—He could summon angels. No, not illusions, but divine creatures that should not exist in the physical world.
He had also used a strange acceleration technique—an ability eerily similar to "Shrinkage," something that should be unique to forest gnomes.
And worst of all—
This man wielded the power of the curse, yet remained unaffected by it.
Duogan's whole body trembled.
"You're awake," Minori said softly.
The golden-eyed human studied the forest gnome carefully. The bloodshot madness had faded from Duogan's eyes, and his expression, while still tense, had stabilized somewhat.
"Don't be afraid. I didn't bring you here to harm you."
He gestured toward the fire and then held something out.
"Let's eat first. After that, we can talk."
Minori offered him a roasted piece of wild boar—its skin golden-brown and glistening with dripping fat.
Duogan hesitated, eyeing the meat with suspicion rather than hunger.
During Duogan's unconsciousness, Minori hadn't remained idle.The forest around them had been purged by ten summoned Flame Archangels, leaving nothing but scorched earth and ash.
[Experience: 9632/10000]
He had nearly reached the next level.Had the summons lasted longer, he might have maxed it out.
Still—fifteen summoning scrolls remained unused. Minori wasn't foolish enough to waste them all in one day.
He had also been observing something else:The cursed energy in the forest. Specifically, the kind released when monsters were killed.
At first, Minori suspected that being too far from the battlefield caused him to miss the released curse energy.
So, after the angels vanished, he personally hunted a few monsters.
The result?Even with direct kills, the curse power gained was low.
His conclusion was clear:Only certain monsters carried strong curse energy—especially those with higher strength. Weak beasts barely offered any.
Just then—
"Don't eat it!!"
Duogan's face twisted with horror. He scrambled backward, nearly stumbling over himself.
Minori blinked, confused, the roast still in his hand.
"This forest is cursed!" Duogan shouted, his voice rising in alarm. "All creatures in it—everything—are poisoned!"
The forest gnome's eyes darted from the meat to Minori, and then suddenly widened again in recognition.
"...Ah. That's right… You control the curse."
He lowered his voice, a mix of awe and dread in his tone. "You're not afraid of it..."
Minori coughed awkwardly and placed the meat back over the fire.He had already eaten several pieces. And yet—he felt no discomfort.
So this "poison" was likely the same curse energy he absorbed.
"I see... That explains it," Minori murmured.
"By the way—about someone named Pasha. Is he a forest gnome who left the tribe years ago?" he asked casually.
Duogan's breath caught.
"He's... alive?" he whispered.
"He's currently living in one of our human cities," Minori replied lightly. "He's doing well. Though, to be honest, rare races like yours aren't exactly common. These days, even ogres can become celebrities. There's one called the King of War—real famous."
He gave a wry smile as he spoke.
Duogan stared at him, stunned.Then, the tension in his shoulders loosened slightly.
"Alive… That's good… That's… good…"
His words came in a low, hoarse murmur. Tears welled at the edge of his green eyes, and he wiped them away with a trembling arm.
Minori gave him a moment, then asked, "Can you tell me what happened to your tribe?"
"I have a friend who's been afflicted with the same curse. If I can understand the origin, maybe I can find a cure."
Duogan looked up slowly. His expression was full of disbelief.
"Even you—who command this power—don't understand it?"
Minori nodded. "I'm still figuring it out."
"...Should I take you back to your tribe?" he offered.
There was a long silence.
Then, Duogan shook his head. "No need."
His voice cracked.
"The tribe… is gone."
"All of them are dead."
Minori's expression darkened.
Duogan's shoulders began to tremble.
"I'm a sinner," he whispered, voice laced with guilt. "It's my fault…"
Then suddenly, Duogan raised his head. His eyes, filled with pain, locked onto Minori.
"It was the Abyss."
"Something happened there. Something... terrible."
Without warning, he dropped to his knees before Minori.
"Please! Take me there! Only someone like you—someone who masters the curse—can even approach it!"
Minori was quiet for a moment.Then, he gave a single nod.
"Alright."
The Next Morning
Dawn broke faintly through the dense canopy as the two figures moved swiftly through the jungle.
Their destination lay at the border of the Tob Forest and the Angelicia Mountains.
According to Duogan, the "Abyss" was not the mythical plane, but rather a massive, unnatural chasm—a bottomless gorge that split the forest apart like a scar.
The forest gnomes had always referred to it as the "Abyss."
Though still shaken, Duogan shared bits and pieces of his past as they traveled.
Minori listened carefully.
This all predated even the curse that afflicted Leinas.
The forest gnome tribe had long dealt with twisted monsters emerging from the chasm—creatures covered in black rot, reeking of toxins and malice.
At first, they were rare.The tribe incinerated the bodies after battle and treated it as their duty.
But then—something changed.
A ritual, perhaps… a mistake.Duogan hadn't said everything.
But something about the tribe's ancient rites had gone awry, and monsters had begun to emerge in far greater numbers.
Still—
As the two moved through the forest, not a single beast attacked them.
Whether due to fear of the curse or sheer coincidence, their journey went undisturbed.
Minori, thanks to a magic item called Forest Crossing, navigated effortlessly.
Duogan, a forest gnome by birth, was equally adept.
It still took them most of the day.
And then, finally—
They arrived.
Ahead, the dense jungle ended abruptly.
Before them lay a chasm that split the earth itself—deep, black, and silent.
It was as if the forest had been cleaved in half by a divine sword.One more step forward, and they would fall into a pit without end.
Minori gazed down at it.
"This is the Abyss."
And somewhere within—
Lurked the truth behind the curse.