I Became the Only Reptile in the Community

Chapter 54

—–CROW—– 

‘Hmm. Everyone’s asleep.’

I quietly raised my head, hearing their rhythmic breathing. With the dark night sky and everyone asleep, the dim moonlight illuminated the ground in the distance.

‘Then shall I move?’

Now that I had confirmed that Silphy and Cheong were asleep, it was time to move. To find the Wraith that the wolf Divine Beast had told me about, I carefully snuck out of the cave, making as little noise as possible.

*Whoosh.*

[The night air is chilly.]

Perhaps because I had been inside the cave, I lifted my head, feeling the cold wind blowing as I stepped outside.  The beautiful night sky remained unchanged. The night sky, embroidered with twinkling stars, was a spectacular sight.

*Rustle.*

[You’ve come.]

[Yes. Black Despair-nim, you’ve come out on time as well.]

The wolf Divine Beast, who had come as my guide to find the Wraith today, emerged from the bushes with an uneasy look on his face.

Was it because it was late? I asked, looking at his unwell face.

[Why do you look like that? Are you very tired?]

[Ah, no, that’s not it. It’s just that, while withstanding the mana here… I must have unknowingly shown it on my face.]

Well, the mana here was particularly dense.

But as a Divine Beast, he should be able to withstand it easily, right?

[And with the two powerful energies inside, my instincts are sending a warning, so it seems I ended up like this.]

[…I see.]

It was because of the combined power of Silphy and Cheong.  Only then did I understand the wolf Divine Beast’s appearance, and I nodded secretly.

Yes, with the already dense mana and the added power of Cheong and Silphy, it wouldn’t be easy to withstand.

[Then let’s move right away.]

[Yes. Please get on my back.]

*Sshhh.*

Since I couldn’t use the wind to move around, the wolf Divine Beast had decided to do the moving. I got on his back, maintaining my balance to avoid falling, and he instantly began dashing through the forest, cutting through the wind.

*Thumpthumpthump.*

[You’re fast.]

[I’m confident in my speed.]

Watching the scenery change rapidly, I constantly scanned my surroundings, not lowering my guard, to see if the Wraith was nearby.

But a Wraith wasn’t a creature that could be found easily, and even after thoroughly searching the forest, I couldn’t find even a trace of it.

[This is the place?]

[Yes. This is where it was last seen.]

So, we had reached the place where the Wraith was last seen. I checked the claw marks and fallen trees here and there, looking around.

‘He didn’t know about the Wraith.’

The obvious signs of attempted attacks in the surroundings told me that. There were many marks, even though physical attacks were useless against a Wraith. That meant he didn’t know about the Wraith.

In the first place, there weren’t many beings here who knew about the Wraith.

[There are no traces of the Wraith here.]

[It seems so.]

There were only traces of claw attacks here.

Unfortunately, no traces of the Wraith were found.

[Black Despair-nim. What should we do now?]

[…Let’s look around a little more.]

The night had just begun.

[Questions about Wraiths]

-Author: DragonSnack

I think I found a Wraith nearby. Does anyone know how to find them? If you know any habits or characteristics, please let me know.

What use was a long night?

I couldn’t find the Wraith during that time.

In the end, I decided to borrow the forum’s power and quickly wrote and posted a message.

*Ding.*

*Ding.*

*Ding.*

*Ding.*

-Why are you looking for a Wraith?

└Is there a human nearby?

└Wouldn’t it be faster to find humans instead, Guild Master?

-Wow, I wonder if the Wraiths from ancient times are any different.

└I don’t know. Since they are a mass of human resentment, wouldn’t they be the same?

└Guild Master, if you find a Wraith, take a picture.

└(Author): I don’t know if I’ll be able to find one.

-But do Wraiths have any habits?

└Just look for nearby tombs, like in the support device.

└We haven’t found humans, so how are we going to find tombs?

└It doesn’t necessarily have to be a human tomb, right? Any place where many living beings died would work. Like a mass grave.

‘It doesn’t necessarily have to be human…’

I carefully read the comments and said to the wolf Divine Beast, who was resting,

[Is there a mass grave nearby?]

[A mass grave, you say? There is a place where we buried our fallen comrades, but… it’s in a very remote location, so it will take some time to get there.]

[Then let’s move right away.]

Just in case.

If there was even one clue, we had to move.

*Whoosh.*

[This is?]

[I helped you a little. It seems the night will be over soon.]

We had been spending too much time here, and the night sky was absorbing more light than when I had looked at it before.  Before the darkness receded and light filled the world, we had to reach the mass grave quickly.

And even though he had rested a little, the wolf Divine Beast, who had been running continuously, was more tired than before, which affected his speed. So I used the wind to help him.

*Whoosh.*

Perhaps thanks to that, we reached our destination before the night ended.

A huge place with uneven, irregularly sized stones.

[I found it.]

And floating above that place was a white life form.

The life form, which looked as if it was covered in cloth, was the Wraith that we had been moving around and searching for.

[But what is that thing doing now?]

For some reason, the Wraith was spinning in circles in the same place. Sensing something strange, I got off the wolf Divine Beast and slowly approached the mass grave.

*Sshhh.*

-……

‘Even with this close, it isn’t paying attention to me?’

But why was that?

The Wraith didn’t pay any attention to me, who had come so close, and was just focused on spinning aimlessly in the same spot.  It seemed strange, so I approached the spot where it was spinning. I saw a sword stuck in the ground and frowned.

[What is this unpleasant mana?]

No, was this even mana?

A strange, unpleasant power that seemed to invade my mind just by looking at it.

On the surface, it looked like a normal sword that had rusted over time, but those who were sensitive to mana, like me, or other Divine Beasts, would be able to detect its special nature.

[Was the reason why the Wraith came here because of this sword?]

What was that ominous sword?

I didn’t touch it, as the energy it emitted was unusual and my instincts were telling me to stay away from the sword. But considering the Wraith’s behavior, it seemed like I had to deal with the sword somehow.

[…Let’s withdraw for today.]

[Here?]

The wolf Divine Beast looked at me with a confused face, but it couldn’t be helped.

The night was ending, and morning was coming.

I could see it in the Wraith.

Its body was gradually becoming blurry due to the morning light.  To meet it again, I had to come back at night.

‘And it’s just my feeling, but that Wraith probably won’t leave this place.’

I had a feeling that it wouldn’t leave this place and confuse others like it did before.

The reason was probably that rusty sword.

[I’ll come back tonight.]

[Understood, for now.]

The wolf Divine Beast nodded, seeing that I had decided to leave.

It was just a feeling, but I felt like he would suffer a bit as my means of transportation for a while.

-……

[Wait for me. I’ll come back tonight.]

I looked at the Wraith for the last time, now almost faded, and returned home safely before Cheong and Silphy woke up.

“Ummm… hehe.”

-Heavyyy.

Back home, I saw Silphy still asleep, with Cheong’s legs on top of her.

How deeply asleep did they have to be to be drooling?

[It’ll take a while for them to wake up.]

I could go back to sleep, but I decided not to.

I wasn’t tired or sleepy. I wanted to browse the forum.

-So, did the Guild Master find the Wraith?

└(Author): Yup. I found it thanks to you guys.

└Oh, you actually found it.

└So where’s the picture?

└(Author): (Picture of a Wraith)

└Oh, it’s just a normal Wraith.

└Disappointing.

└(Author): lololololol

Alright. That post should be enough. Now, shall I check the new posts?

There have been a lot of new players lately, so I could have some expectations.

[How do I enter the Academy T_T]

[So how did everyone here get in?]

[Today’s Academy lunch]

[Everyone, check out this kitty]

Hmm, the first post already smells like a newbie.

It had only been a year since I had come here, but when I saw the new players’ posts, I would read them with the heart of a seasoned veteran.

Just like now.

[How do I enter the Academy T_T]

-Author: SparkleSparkle

I failed the Academy this time. What should I do? I don’t have much money, so I feel like I have to enter the Academy somehow. Is there a way? Please help me. T_T

-Wow, what do you have to do to fail the Academy?

└(Author): I got the time wrong and was late T_T

└Wow.

-If you have special abilities, there’s a chance for a special admission.

└(Author): How do I do that?!

└Idk?

└(Author): T_T

[Hmm. That’s unfortunate.]

But unlike my words, I had a feeling my lips were probably curling up if I looked in the mirror.

[Alright, shall I share a method I know?]

—–CROW—–