Tenebrous Wolf
Chapter 73: Breaking Through The Fog

Chapter 73: Breaking Through The Fog

Slowly gaining consciousness, the first thing that entered his dizzy vision was the face of a beautiful succubus. It wasn’t an illusion. She was truly there. Rubbing his throbbing temple, Klaus gathered his strength and sat up somehow.

Briar spoke worriedly:

"Take it easy. How are you feeling?"

"I don’t know. Like shit? My head fucking hurts. And what’s up with this strange taste in my mouth? More than that—"

Grumbling, Klaus looked around and noticed the unfamiliar surroundings. Confused, he asked:

"Where are we?"

The succubus placed a hand on her lips, as if thoughtfully considering his question.

"Hm. That’s a good question. Obviously, we’re in the Shadow Realm. Or, as you humans like to call it."

"Ha. Ha. That’s really funny. I’d have laughed and commented on your terrible sense of humor if not for this bloody headache," he replied with a hint of sarcasm. "By the way, what did you mean by that? Do demons call it something else?"

"That’s not important. As for your previous question, we’re on top of some hill—hours away from that damn cavern, that’s for sure."

The demoness clicked her tongue.

Klaus nodded in understanding. Neither of them had good memories of the Forsaken Cavern.

Clearing his throat, he raised a question in a half-sleepy voice:

"How long was I passed out?"

"Four days."

"Ah, it’s not as bad as I thought. Wait... did you just say days instead of hours?"

"No. You were unconscious for four days straight."

Klaus’s eyes widened.

"What? I was actually out for four days?"

"Yes! How many times do you want me to repeat the same thing?! Did you also receive some brain damage?"

"Sorry..."

Inadvertently, he mumbled an apology under her glare.

Come to think of it, while he was unconscious, Briar had been the one responsible for their survival. That meant she had carried him here, looked after him, and kept watch for any monsters invading their space while all on her own. A person could barely survive by themselves in the Shadom Realm while the succubus had to look over two people. There was nothing more dreadful than the responsibility of taking care of another while trying to see tomorrow.

And Briar had done exactly that for four days straight.

Klaus couldn’t help but feel a surge of gratitude. It wasn’t often he was forced to rely on someone else, but Briar had handled it remarkably.

... Well, not exactly remarkably but he didn’t know that.

"Alright, how do I say this? I... appreciate everything you did. I know it couldn’t have been easy for you."

Hearing his wholehearted words, the demoness only huffed.

"It wasn’t exactly a walk in the park, but someone had to do it. Besides, it’s in my best interest that I saved you or do I need to explain even that again."

He nodded.

"I know. Still, thanks for looking after me during this time."

Briar shrugged nonchalantly, as if it didn’t mean much to her.

"Just don’t expect me to keep doing it. You can handle yourself next time."

Klaus chuckled despite the pain still lingering in his head.

"Fair enough. I’ll try not to pass out again. Then again, it was your idea to—!!"

He trailed off as he heard a sound outside, accompanied by the silhouette of a tall, humanoid figure. Given that they were in the Shadow Realm, a place teeming with Hollows, the sight of the figure only triggered alarm bells in his mind. It couldn’t possibly be a human.

’Shit!’

Driven by an instinctive urgency, Klaus forced himself to his feet and grabbed the broken sword before rushing out of the cave. He moved so swiftly that by the time Briar muttered, "Wait, Stop!", he was already outside.

However, the young Aspirant froze in his tracks, his face draining of color.

In front of him stood a towering monstrosity, easily eight feet tall. The humanoid creature had a muscular build, and its mask-like face featured a curved beak, with empty sockets glowing a deep crimson. It was carrying the carcass of a slain Hollow. With a single glance, Klaus could tell that the demonic-like crab, over two meters tall and impossibly heavy, was being carried effortlessly by the creature in one hand, as if it weighed nothing at all.

What the hell was that? That demonic-like crab could easily crush a car in half with its enormous pincers. There was no doubt about it. But now, that Chitinous Scavenger was dead and lifeless, with its head brutally crushed.

It wasn’t his imagination.

The sheer weight of the situation pressed down on Klaus like an iron grip. His fingers instinctively tightened around the hilt of his broken sword, though deep down, he knew that weapon wouldn’t be of much use against something like this

Even so,

Tap! He hesitantly placed on foot forward, gripping the broken sword.

Luckily, before he could do anything stupid, Briar came out of their personal space and blocked his way.

"Hey! calm down, would you?"

"BRIAR, ARE YOU CRAZY? CAN’T YOU SEE THERE’S AN AWAKENED GHOUL BEHIND YOU?! DO YOU WANT TO GET CRUSHED OR RIPPED IN TWO?! I ASSURE YOU, BOTH OF THOSE FATES ARE ANYTHING BUT PLEASANT AND PAINLESS!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU DAMN IDIOT! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU WERE SLEEPING LIKE A PRINCESS?! THAT THING IS JUST A MONSTER I COMPLETELY TAMED WHILE YOU WERE UNCONSCIOUS, SO STOP SHOUTING LIKE A MANIAC AND CALM DOWN!"

Briar huffed, her chest rising and falling as she glared at him.

Klaus blinked.

"What? Hold on... You’re telling me that you managed to tame an Awakened Ghoul?"

"That’s right. I fed that guy some of my blood, and the rest was history." Briar said with a hint of pride.

"You fed it your blood? How did you manage that?"

"Don’t ask about that." Briar’s expression twisted for a moment before she continued in a relaxed tone. "C’mon, breakfast is here. Help me dissect the monster carcass."

The bewildered Klaus could barely keep up with the Succubus pace. What exactly did she mean by breakfast? Surely, she wasn’t referring to the dead Chitinous Scavenger, right?

"!!"

Thinking that, goosebumps coursed down his back. Surely, it wasn’t monster meat that she had been feeding this past four days, right?

Klaus felt his stomach twisting at the thought. He looked between Briar and the dead Chitinous Scavenger, his voice tinged with disbelief.

"Wait. You’re serious? That thing is our breakfast?"

Briar raised an eyebrow.

"What else did you think we were going to eat? There’s no McDonald’s in the Shadow Realm, dumbass."

"Yeah, but monster meat? That thing looks like it came straight out of a horror movie!"

"Look, if you want to starve, be my guest." Briar rolled her eyes and turned to the Awakened Ghoul. "Hey, big guy, help me crack this open, will you?"

The Blackmane Stalker, still holding the Chitinous Scavenger, grunted in response. With a sickening crunch, it tore the hardened exoskeleton apart with its bare hands, exposing the flesh within. The smell that wafted out made Klaus gag and stumble back in digust.

Briar, completely unfazed, plucked out a piece of the flesh and inspected it.

"See? Perfectly edible. Well, if you cook it right, that is. Some monsters in this realm are toxic, but this one’s safe. Tastes kind of like normal crab if you season it properly."

"I know I’m going to regret asking but how... do you even know that?"

"Well, let’s just say I had a lot of time to experiment while you were busy being unconscious."

"..."

Observing that innocent-looking smile on her face, Klaus could only remain silent. Completely baffled, he massaged his throbbing temple. It was as if his headache has intensified.

"Unbelievable. First, I wake up in the middle of nowhere, then I find out you tamed a freaking Ghoul, and now you’re telling me you’ve been surviving on monster meat?"

"Correction. We have been surviving on monster meat."

Klaus froze.

"Wait... hold on. What did you just say?"

The demoness’ smile widened.

"Oh? You thought I went out and found some secret stash of human food for you? Cute. Nope. You’ve been eating Shadow Realm cuisine for the past four days, my dear master~"

Klaus’s face turned pale.

"You fed me this while I was unconscious?!"

In response, the demoness shrugged like it was no big deal.

"What else was I supposed to do? Let you starve? I even made sure to cook it properly. You should be grateful."

He opened his mouth, then closed it, at a complete loss for words.

Briar chuckled.

"Relax. If it makes you feel better, you’re still alive, aren’t you? Besides, you’re going to need the extra strength for what’s ahead."

Still processing this horrifying revelation, Klaus mulled over the situation before letting out a defeated sigh. As much as he wanted to protest, he couldn’t deny that Briar was right.

To begin with, there was no such thing as human food in the Shadow Realm. The only viable option was consuming the flesh of Hollows. However, the real challenge lay in distinguishing the poisonous ones from those that were safe to eat. This was precisely why a basic understanding of Hollows was essential before venturing into the Shadow Realm.

Given all that, he really had no right to complain about the food.

Reaching that conclusion, he exhaled another weary sigh.

Before Klaus could dwell on it any further, Briar tossed a chunk of the freshly carved monster meat onto a makeshift stone slab. She then flicked her wrist, and a small, eerie flame manifested in her palm. With practiced ease, she adjusted the fire’s intensity, searing the meat with controlled bursts of heat.

"At least let me cook it properly before you start making that disgusted face," she remarked, smirking at his reluctant expression.

Klaus shifted uncomfortably.

"I don’t know if I should be more disturbed by the fact that I’ve been unknowingly eating this for four days or by how casual you are about the whole thing."

She admitted nonchalantly.

"Both are valid reactions. But you better get used to it. The Shadow Realm isn’t exactly overflowing with choices, you know."

The sizzling sound of cooking meat filled the air, accompanied by a surprisingly savory aroma. Klaus hated to admit it, but it actually smelled... good. He wasn’t sure if it was his body’s hunger betraying his mind or if Briar really knew how to make monster meat edible.

Reluctantly, he crouched beside her. "Alright. Fine. But don’t expect me to enjoy it."

Briar flashed a knowing grin. "Oh, you will. Well, if you don’t, you can simply eat the dirt on the ground."

"As I thought, your sense of humour is completely terrible!"

Shouting so, Klaus begrudgingly reached for the cooked piece of monster meat, his expression twisted with a mix of hesitation and resignation.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and bit into it.

And immediately froze.

It wasn’t terrible.

In fact, it was... surprisingly decent? A bit chewy, with a hint of natural saltiness, but it had an oddly rich flavor. The texture reminded him of seafood, and thanks to Briar’s careful cooking, there wasn’t any lingering stench of raw Hollow flesh.

Still, he wasn’t about to give her the satisfaction of admitting it.

"...It’s edible," he muttered, forcing himself to act indifferent.

Briar wore a knowing smile.

"See? I told you."

Klaus refused to acknowledge her smug expression. Instead, he focused on eating, albeit reluctantly. As strange as it was to think about, this was now his reality. Complaining wouldn’t change the fact that they were stuck in the Shadow Realm, and survival took priority over personal preferences.

After a few minutes of eating in silence, Klaus finally set down the bone he’d been gnawing on and exhaled deeply.

"Alright. Now that I’m awake and fed... we need to talk."

"About what?"

"The Forsaken Cavern. What the hell happened after I passed out after killing the Awakened Tyrant?"

For the first time since he’d woken up, Briar’s smile faded.

A heavy silence settled between them. The Awakened Ghoul, standing nearby, let out a low, guttural growl and tilted its head between the two.

"Ughh."

Finally, after a few seconds, Briar sighed and leaned back against a nearby rock. From there, she began to explain what had happened during the four days Klaus was unconscious.