Hero? Are You Worthy?
Chapter 437 - 289 Asina’s Unease (1)

Chapter 437: Chapter 289 Asina’s Unease (1)

Ah!

Asina’s scream still echoed in the cave.

Despite Asina’s strength and courage, the sight of Muse’s current appearance startled her so much that she instantly retreated a great distance, stopping only when her smooth back touched the cold stone wall.

Asina even doubted her eyes, and had it not been for the axe nearby, along with that messy, signature bird’s nest hairstyle, she would have definitely thought she had seen the wrong person.

Muse was crazy.

The title Mad Demon War Warrior was not without reason; his face was always a dark black with a tinge of crimson, but now it was pale with an almost bruised-blue hue, especially the lips which had turned nearly black-purple.

If that had been all, Asina would have been shocked but not scared. What really frightened her were the things on Muse’s skin.

His face was covered in a dense array of blisters, small as sesame seeds, and larger ones the size of peanuts, spreading across his entire face leaving not a single gap.

At a glance, it gave Asina an intense sense of fear and disgust, her body breaking out in goosebumps.

She remembered the First Generation Brave Hero Jie Luo talking about claustrophobia, acrophobia, trypophobia... Could this be the so-called trypophobia?

Asina felt Muse’s current state fitted it completely.

Occasionally, Muse, deep in sleep, seemed to feel an itch on his body and reached out to scratch it.

Pitter-patter...

A swath of blisters burst immediately, and transparent fluid rolled down Muse’s skin.

That rancid and decaying scent came from this.

Then, it got even more disgusting.

Asina’s scalp tingled, unable to fathom how Muse could have ended up like this.

She was never particularly close to Muse; although they were members of the Hero Team, that was the extent of their relationship. Now, Muse’s condition made Asina instinctively want to keep her distance, the farther from this guy the better.

Speaking of which, what on earth happened to Muse?

Was he ill?

Suppressing the disgust in her heart, Asina flicked her finger, sending a small fireball onto the back of Muse’s hand, bursting several blisters.

Muse, who had been sleeping, seemed to be stimulated by the pain of the flames and rolled his body, sitting up abruptly, his hand swiftly reaching out for his battle axe.

Though he looked weak and his body was slightly shaking, Muse’s combat readiness was like a brand deep within his bones, never fading. The man was almost instantly ready for battle.

His shaking body still exuded the ferocity of a wild beast.

Only when he saw Asina opposite did Muse’s hand loosen from the axe handle: "Asina, it’s you. You’ve finally come... cough cough... cough cough..."

Muse spoke.

His voice surprised Asina, dry and cracked, as if something was stuck in his throat, producing a rattling noise when he spoke.

He had barely spoken two words when he began to cough violently, spitting a mouthful of dark phlegm into the corner of the wall.

Asina felt increasing revulsion, barely suppressing a hairy sense of fear in her chest: "Muse, are you sick?"

Muse forced a smile with his chapped lips: "Lately... I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather... damn it... must be a cold or something."

"Blisters keep popping up all over my body, I’ll need to go get treated at the Church Court later."

It wasn’t just blisters. When Muse shakily stood up, there wasn’t much difference between his bare upper body and his face—both were packed full with dense blisters.

Was this some kind of skin disease?

She had never heard of a skin disease this severe.

"We should hurry up and finish our business and get out of this cursed place," Muse said, gasping for breath.

The once Mad Demon War Warrior had now become so frail. Gone were the days of his invincible valor and fury amidst hordes of demons.

"Although my Healing Technique isn’t as good as the Church Court’s... I’ll still treat you first. Maybe it’ll make you feel a bit better," Asina offered.

"Really? Thank you." Muse did not refuse, even though he wasn’t fond of Asina. However, if Asina could treat him and alleviate some of the itching and pain, Muse wouldn’t reject the help.

Asina’s face was still somewhat pale, and the inexplicable fear and ominous premonition in her heart grew stronger.

She felt very uneasy!

Collecting herself, she waved her Magic Wand gently, and a Water Healing Technique enveloped Muse.

Water Healing Technique was only an Intermediate Water Magic.

It was one of the rare Water Magic spells capable of healing wounds.

Of course, it could only heal injuries and not cure diseases, but it still had some effect, at the very least it could heal the torn skin on Muse.

As for curing diseases, the Holy Court’s Holy Light Technique was somewhat effective, and the Earth Mother Goddess Sect also had many specialized Magic Potions for this purpose.

After a brief hesitation, Asina unfurled another scroll of the Holy Light Technique, and a hazy glow enveloped Muse.

Muse’s voice recovered a bit, no longer whooshing as before, and the blisters on his body also seemed to have shrunk, not as numerous as before.

Though not completely cured by the Water Healing Technique and Holy Light Technique, Muse was significantly better off; however, a complete recovery would likely require high-level Healing Magic from the Holy Court or perhaps a specific Magic Potion from the Earth Mother Goddess Sect.

Asina had taken many Magic Potions from the Earth Mother Goddess Sect, but she wasn’t sure what Muse’s illness was; and Magic Potions were not something to be used recklessly.

Muse grasped the handle of his Battle Axe and swung it casually a few times, the blade tearing through the cold air with a whooshing sound, suggesting his strength had returned significantly.

Excitement spread across his face as he smiled, "Asina, thanks!"

Although he wasn’t particularly fond of Asina, the gratitude was sincere.

After a short pause, Muse continued, "See, over there is the secret room... That damned Magic Seal has blocked the entrance, I can’t open it, and I can’t destroy it violently."

Muse nodded in the direction not far ahead, and Asina sent a Fireball flying towards it, and soon, a dark purple Magic Barrier appeared before her.

It seemed that was the so-called Magic Seal.

Taking a deep breath, Asina walked towards it, she too wanted to break the Magic Restriction, retrieve the Soul Fragment of Jie Luo, and leave this ghastly place as soon as possible. Even though there was no one but Muse, an inexplicable, gloomy sense of dread lingered in Asina’s heart.

Muse felt better, but his body still emitted an unbearable stench, so Asina kept her Magic Barrier up without dispersing it.

Cackle... Cackle...

Approaching the Magic Restriction near the cave, the Magic Barrier suddenly transmitted faint fluctuations, as if something collided with it and was scorched by the blistering flames.

This strange situation instantly caused Asina’s brows to furrow, increasing her vigilance.

"How can... can you unlock it?" Muse urged from behind.

Muse was getting impatient, eager to leave this place.

But Asina didn’t rush to break the Magic Restriction right away, instead peering inside...

The Stone Plate carved with dense, tiny symbols, the darkened, corroded indentations on it, the remains that clearly endured immense agony before death, and on the bony fingers, a ring made from Jie Luo’s Soul Fragment.

The dark red blood of an unknown creature inside a glass bottle.

Weird skulls...

Metal tools with unintelligible runes drawn on them.

Strange pottery... within the pottery, tiny black worms squirming continuously.

The air was filled with the stench of decay.

The eerie sight inside the secret chamber raised suspicions for anyone; were those remains those of an alchemist, or did they belong to a Magician experienced in Magic Potions?

But, whether it was an alchemist or a Magician, the materials in this chamber seemed too bizarre.

Especially the small black worms still wriggling in the pottery... How many years had this chamber existed? Even the remains were reduced to bones, and the flesh had completely decayed, yet those worms were still alive?

It seemed that the pottery contained many strange things, and occasionally, one could catch glimpses of twisted vapors emanating from the mouth of the pottery as the black worms squirmed.

The sensation was that the odd items in this chamber were even more captivating to Asina’s eyes than Jie Luo’s Soul Fragment.

"Asina, what are you spacing out for, hurry up and break the Magic Restriction," Muse said.

Seeing Asina standing motionless, Muse became impatient. What was this woman doing?

Under Muse’s urging, Asina’s consciousness finally snapped back. She steadied her mind, suppressed her unease, and began to study the Magic Restriction.

The Restriction wasn’t too strong, but its methods were quite clever. The entrance’s Prohibition was linked to the inner mechanisms of the chamber. It was wise of Muse not to have destroyed it violently, as a violent destruction could trigger a chain reaction, leading to an explosion that would utterly demolish the secret room.

And at that point, even Jie Luo’s Soul Fragment might be obliterated.

After Asina’s manipulation, the dark purple barrier suddenly flickered and, accompanied by crackling sounds, vanished entirely within a few seconds.

This scene sent Muse into ecstatic joy.

He cheered and didn’t even wait for Asina, plunging headfirst into the secret chamber.

Muse, whose eyes were fixed only on retrieving Jie Luo’s Soul Fragment, failed to notice that, without the dark purple barrier, the chamber’s true colors were revealed—it was shrouded in a misty dark green!

The moment Muse charged in, his body was immediately coated in the dense fog, turning a sickly green...