Cursed System-Chapter 131: Transylvania

RAGNA POV...

Over the course of those ten long, dragging days, the siblings—once they realized I had been conspicuously absent during the most brutal, decisive peak of the battle—finally sat me down and poured everything out in painstaking detail. They left nothing untouched, no scream unmentioned, no moment spared, as if reliving it through words might finally loosen the fear still coiled tightly around their hearts.

Most importantly—and this was the part that truly shook me—I learned how the Black Steel Knight wielding the black whip had nearly erased the entire pack of Death Wolves with a single, overwhelming attack, right after casually slaying their so-called king as if it were nothing more than a mildly irritating pest. Just hearing about it made my scalp tingle. The way they described it… it wasn't a battle. It was an execution.

As I listened, my surprise deepened with every sentence. It became painfully clear that my previous assumptions about that whip-bearing knight were not just wrong—they were laughably insufficient. I had underestimated him. Grossly.

Still, despite my shock, I didn't have much time to dwell on it, because Reiner was narrating the events with an enthusiasm that bordered on obsession, his hands waving, his voice rising and falling as if he were still standing in the middle of that chaos.

Only then did I realize something unsettling: before all this, I hadn't truly understood how terrifying that Black Steel Knight was. My demon instincts had whispered warnings, sure—but instinct alone had failed to grasp the full picture.

Now, after hearing everything that had happened, the conclusion settled heavily in my chest.

If I had actually gone back and tried to attack the whip-holding Black Steel Knight again that day… I would have died. No doubts. No heroic struggle. Just death.

As much as resentment still simmered within me, I wasn't stupid. At least for now, provoking him again was suicide—and I had no intention of throwing my life away so cheaply.

As our journey continued, the dangers only escalated.

The deeper we ventured into the desert, the more horrifying the beasts became. It was only then that the surviving demon children began to realize a terrifying truth: the desert's vicious wolves—the monsters that had once driven us to despair—were nothing more than the lowest rung on the predator chain.

Above them lurked far worse things.

We passed by entire beast colonies whose numbers rivaled, and in some cases even surpassed, that massive vicious wolf pack we had encountered earlier. There were flocks of gigantic black, three-legged birds towering several meters tall, their silhouettes blotting out the sky like moving shadows of death.

And then there were the monsters—those things—enormous saber-tooth tiger–like beasts, dozens of meters long, their bodies larger than trucks, their mere presence suffocating the air.

Thankfully, it seemed the Black Steel Knights had already weeded out as many "weak" demon children as they intended to. Perhaps satisfied, or perhaps simply bored, the whip-bearing Black Steel Knight finally began to act in earnest. He set up a powerful magical defensive formation around the carriages and personally repelled numerous beast groups that dared approach.

Because of that… casualties were avoided.

The most dangerous moment by far came when we encountered a dragon monster—an absolute monstrosity, dozens of meters wide and nearly seven meters long. At first, we thought the weather had suddenly turned hostile. The sky darkened unnaturally, thick clouds rolling in with ominous intent, as if a storm were about to descend upon us.

But then it struck us—since our arrival in the desert, there had never been rain.

That realization sent a chill through everyone.

Those clouds weren't weather. They were something else entirely.

The creature's movement was terrifyingly fast, its massive form closing the distance in moments. Yet, perhaps mercifully, that dragon possessed intelligence. It sensed danger—real danger—and understood that the Black Steel Knight was not prey.

After a brief, tense confrontation, it withdrew without attacking.

Only then did everyone finally breathe again.

I guess it's time, I thought.

I pulled out a small hourglass only a few inches tall, watching the last grains of golden sand cling desperately to the upper chamber while the lower half had already formed a small mound. Standing up, I opened the side door of the carriage and jumped down.

A subtle, moist breeze brushed against my face, carrying dust with it. Though it smelled of sand, it was surprisingly fresh—cool against my skin. I couldn't help but take a deep breath before walking toward the front of the carriages, just like I always did.

At the front, a Black Steel Knight was already seated.

"Good day, sir!" I greeted.

"Hm."

He merely glanced at me, gave a slight nod, and handed over the horsewhip and reins. "Good timing. I need to rest for a while."

I nodded obediently, taking my seat and gently tugging the black horses forward. Meanwhile, the knight leaned back into the corner, retrieving a small brown bottle from his waist pouch. He shook it lightly before opening it, and an intense smell of alcohol immediately filled the air.

After inhaling deeply, he nodded in satisfaction, lifted the bottle, and took a slow mouthful, eyes closed as he savored the taste.

Then, without opening his eyes, he spoke.

"We're about to reach our destination. Since you're my vice-captain—and you've helped me for nearly a month by driving the carriage—I'll answer one or two of your questions."

I had been just about to check my system panel, curious about the changes my body had undergone after consuming a demon. Hearing his words, I paused and thought carefully.

"Thank you, sir," I said, putting on an innocent, almost childish smile.

I had been wondering endlessly about what awaited us at the end of this journey. And now, finally, an opening had appeared.

I didn't waste it.

"Then my first question," I asked, "is what exactly awaits us at our destination?"

"And second… what is the name of that place?"

I stopped there. No more. Any additional questions would be ignored.

The Black Steel Knight finally opened his eyes. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"Our final destination," he said calmly, "is a world-dimension filled with glory, myth, and legends—home to beings who neither age nor die like ordinary humans." His gaze hardened. "It is called Transylvania. An ancient vampire world. There, certain people will decide what becomes of all of you."

He paused.

"Some of you may die. There is nothing that can be done about that."

Then, as if sealing our fate, he added, "Everything… is related to them."