My Love Debts Are Everywhere!-Chapter 682: Separated

"I’m hungry... Argh... It hurts... I want to eat!"

In the middle of a dark, mist-shrouded forest, a monster lumbered forward at a slow pace.

It stood thirty meters tall, with a humanoid shape, a bloated belly, and green skin.

Its bald head lacked even a single strand of hair. Massive arms and calves complemented its grotesque form. Its face was hideous, covered in cuts along the cheeks, forehead, and neck.

Its fiery red eyes bulged outward, as if they might burst from their sockets.

Its mouth hung slightly open, revealing rows of jagged teeth and a slobbering, protruding tongue.

In its right hand, it gripped a massive wooden club that resembled an oversized baseball bat, slung lazily over its shoulder.

Each of its steps sent tremors through the earth, as if signaling the approach of an earthquake.

Its very presence drove animals—and even other monsters—into a panicked retreat.

Even the iron-armored bear, a colossal five-meter-tall beast, fled at the sight of it.

That was no surprise; the monster dwarfed it many times over. Instinct alone screamed at the bear to run.

Suddenly, the monster halted. It lifted its head and grinned—an eerie, twisted smile spreading across its face.

"The scent of life... So delicious... I want it!" Its eyes widened, then it slammed the wooden club into the ground with wild passion.

Without hesitation, it charged ahead, each step making the earth quake with bone-rattling force.

***

Meanwhile, about three hundred meters from the shoreline, Leon and Elina wandered aimlessly, puzzled expressions on their faces.

"Are you sure this is the right direction, Young Master?" Elina asked, her voice laced with doubt.

Leon stopped, unfolded the First Elder’s map that Elina had brought, and nodded slowly.

"I’m sure, Elina. This is the route shown on the map," he replied firmly.

Even so, uncertainty lingered in his mind.

According to the map, they should have reached a path leading up the cliff by now—specifically along the left side.

The cliff in front of them wasn’t entirely steep or impassable. The map indicated that a path on the left side led from the black beach up to the top of the cliff.

But after walking for fifteen minutes, there was still no sign of any path. It felt as though they were going in circles.

Instead of a trail, they found a dense forest about four hundred meters ahead.

The forest looked strangely lush, filled with tall, imposing trees. A white mist blanketed the area, instantly reminding Leon of the Forest of Eternal Silence.

Yet there was a stark difference. Compared to the forest before them, the trees in the Forest of Eternal Silence were far larger, denser, and more towering.

Moreover, the ground beneath this forest was still covered in black sand—an odd and unnatural sight.

Logically speaking, trees of that size shouldn’t be able to grow on sand... right?

"Young Master, I don’t think we can rely too much on this map," Elina said seriously. "It’s seven thousand years old. There’s a high chance the geography has changed since then, right?"

Leon looked genuinely surprised. He gave her a once-over, then asked, "Elina, since when did you become this smart?"

Elina: "..." freёnovelkiss.com

Did I really seem like a stupid girl to him all this time?

"Ahem!" Leon cleared his throat awkwardly and gently patted her head. "I mean... I’m impressed by how smart you are."

Elina rolled her eyes and turned away with a quiet snort.

Leon chuckled, folded the map, and handed it back to her.

"But you’re right," he admitted with a sigh, his eyes fixed on the towering cliff ahead. "Seven thousand years is a long time. It’s no wonder this map is unreliable. Looks like we’ll have to find another way up."

Elina rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Young Master, can’t you fly? Why don’t we just fly up the cliff?"

"It sounds simple, but I can’t," Leon replied. "I can only manage around two hundred meters—maybe less. That cliff’s probably eight hundred meters tall, if not more."

"Besides, the wind up there is vicious. One strong gust and we could be thrown off balance. If it were possible, I would’ve done it already."

To be fair, Elina’s suggestion wasn’t entirely wrong. If the cliff had enough cracks or ledges, Leon might have been able to leap his way up.

In reality, the cliff was uneven, with a slippery and fragile surface made worse by the constant drizzle from above.

"Huh..." Elina let out a resigned sigh and turned her gaze toward the forest ahead. "In that case, our only option is to continue through the forest."

"You’re right," Leon said with a nod.

They moved forward. After barely fifty meters, a thick fog began to creep around them.

"Elina, stay close to me. If we get separated, things could get messy," Leon warned, his tone serious.

"I understand, Young Master!" Elina replied firmly.

She stepped closer and wrapped her arms tightly around Leon’s, clinging to his side.

Leon could feel the soft pressure of her chest against his arm, but there was no time to think about that—the fog ahead suddenly grew thicker.

*Whoosh!*

A gust of wind from the sea swept across the beach, thickening the fog until it became suffocating. In an instant, Leon couldn’t see more than five centimeters ahead.

"Damn it, this is bad!" He cursed under his breath.

Everything around him turned white. His sight vanished completely.

"Elina, are you okay? Don’t let go—we have to keep moving if we want to make it out of this fog!" Leon shouted.

To his surprise, there was no response from Elina. Her embrace had vanished, and Leon’s body tensed up instantly.

"This is bad!" His eyes widened in alarm. "Elina... she’s gone!"

***

"Young Master! Where are you?!" Elina cried out in panic, her voice echoing through the thick fog.

Her round face turned pale as fear slowly took hold of her.

"I’m so unlucky! How did I end up separated from Young Master?!" She grumbled, biting her lower lip anxiously.

Just moments ago, she had clung tightly to Leon’s arm to avoid being separated. But the moment the sea breeze blew in, the fog thickened, swallowing the path ahead.

She kept walking, but then she realized... she was alone.

"This is bad... If I stay separated from him, I’m going to die!" She whispered, her throat dry as she swallowed hard.

She looked around—left and right—but saw nothing but swirling whiteness.

Gritting her teeth, Elina raised her right hand and shouted, "Wind Magic!"

*Whoosh!*

A vortex of wind burst out around her, clearing the fog momentarily.

When the fog cleared, she realized she was standing in the forest.

But the moment was brief. The fog returned, thick as ever, swallowing her surroundings once again.

"I’m... already in the forest? But... how?"

Before she could make sense of it, the ground beneath her began to tremble—like an earthquake rumbling from deep below.

Then, a towering figure slowly emerged from the mist.

The moment she saw it, Elina froze, fear washing over her face.

The monster grinned and licked its lips as its gaze locked onto her.

"Hehehe... Found you..."

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