Undead Beast Master: Living Solely for My Desires-Chapter 387: Through the Jungle Veil

The blue skies had long since vanished, now painted in a greyish hue Zaroth had never seen before. Just looking at it filled him with an odd sense of peace.

The ocean, once wild, had gone still—not calm, but eerily silent. The waves disappeared entirely, leaving behind a surface so smooth it looked like perfect glass, mirroring the strange green sky above.

His lungs expanded as if taking in more air than usual, his pores opening with a strange clarity. 'This air…' He took a deep breath, feeling something enter his body—foreign, yet not necessarily harmful.

'The oxygen has to have some kind of healing properties,' he realized, his muscles feeling well-rested even if it had been a while since he slept.

Suddenly, the old stories didn't seem so strange anymore—how elves rarely aged, rarely reproduced, lived longer, had clearer skin. Even if the air wasn't the only reason, it clearly played some part.

With a flick of his fingers, he summoned Luna, causing her to materialize next to him.

She sat on the serpent's body next to her master and closed her eyes, feeling the wind passing through her white hair.

"It's nice," she whispered quietly.

Considering they were entering unknown territory, Zaroth saw no harm in being cautious. He called Eldros from his shadow.

"What do you think?" he asked, casting a glance at the Unholy Judger.

Eldros simply shrugged his shoulders, as if asking, "Do you expect me to sense trouble?"

Zaroth let out a sigh, "Well, fair enough, your forte is battle not forecasting possible troubles."

Making sure he spoke loud enough for Vera to hear, he cast her a glance.

A few seconds stirred into minutes, broken only by the serpent that was slowly pacing the island in sight.

"It's distorted." Faintly, Vera parted her lips. "There is something that should not be there."

Her assessment wasn't that helpful in itself, but it at least made one thing clear.

'Possible enemy up ahead,' Zaroth thought with a frown, reaching into his shadow, taking his odachi.

Feeling its weight in his hand, a flicker of calm washed over him. 'I've really come to rely on just one type of weapon,' he mused. 'Wasn't I supposed to master them all?'

He scoffed, shaking his head, 'Well, I will learn another one when I have the time.'

With nothing else to do, he sat on the serpent's back as well and waited.

Mythical serpent below him, a dragon to his side, an Unholy Judger at the other, and an oracle of high skill behind him.

Whatever this continent held, he would face it head-on.

And if it brought enemies...

His grip on the odachi tightened.

"Then I'll kill everything that stands in my way," he spat.

*****

The farther they traveled, the more Zaroth realized just how massive this continent truly was.

The elves controlled two already—was there some divide between them? Did they follow empires like the humans, or were they ruled by a single elder with immense experience?

The island's edges met the ocean not with sandy coasts or jagged boulders, but simply... ground. Solid and featureless.

Making sure that nothing was waiting for them, they stepped on the soil for the first time in a long while.

Zaroth's feet sunk deep in the earth, sending a shock of pleasure through his body, making him gasp involuntarily. Only now did he realize how much he'd missed solid ground.

"Thanks," he muttered to the serpent, about to desummon it. The creature was too big to take with them, and unlike Luna he—

'Wait,' Zaroth's pupils enlarged, gaze fixed on the mighty beast. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Can you turn into a human?" he asked out loud.

The serpent slowly nodded.

A large grin curled upon Zaroth's face. Being able to have the beast next to him as well would boost his defenses. If they weren't actively fighting, he could support all the serpent, Luna, and Eldros with no drawbacks.

"I think it's better if you keep him as a hidden card in case of enemies," Luna advised, never stopped probing the jungle in front of them for any kind of potential dangers.

Decided that it really was a good idea, he desummoned the beast.

"Let's go," he commanded, taking a step forward.

Their current formation was as follows: Eldros in the front, Zaroth and Luna at the back, and Vera in the middle. That way, should threats surprise them, the most vulnerable one would be protected easier.

With silent steps, Eldros used his two great swords to cut the greenery in front, creating a path for his master to follow.

"I think that this is the first time I have seen a jungle," Zaroth muttered, eyes observing the vines that had begun to grow everywhere in sight.

He had read about them in a book, but knowing it existed and seeing it were two vastly different things.

After some time, the oracle stopped mid-step, making everybody freeze as well.

"A fight is happening there," she warned, hand gesturing to the side.

"Good," Zaroth grinned, taking a step forward, taking Vera into a princess carry.

"Wha—!"

She began to cry out, her voice trailing off, Zaroth taking off to the supposed danger in the direction.

"Don't complain," he said, surprised even by his own stamina and speed. Now bearing two Fragments, he had gone far beyond what a human was meant to achieve naturally. In fact, despite being a Mage-class, he was likely stronger than most knights.

Eldros, of course, was still in the front running pretty fast as well. It wasn't his top speed—just enough to stay ahead of his master. His two blades moved with dazing speed, severing any vines that could be in their way.

Luna was at the back, still in her human form. She hadn't transformed because doing so could bring too much attention to them. The more hidden cards Zaroth had, the better.

It didn't take them long for the smell of iron and the cries of battle to reach their ears.

'There shouldn't be humans on this place. If there are any, they must be few and far between,' he analyzed, running speed not dropping even for a second.

'So it's highly likely that this is either a fight between an elf with beast or a faction of elves clashing against one another.'

His plan was pretty simple: help one side, earn their favor, and have them tell him the way this continent worked. It was much easier and faster than wandering aimlessly on an unfamiliar land—not to mention dangerous.

Going past the jungle, Zaroth and his team found themselves on an uneven plain. The ground there didn't seem too fertile, since there wasn't even grass growing on it.

But the condition of the earth didn't matter.

Then he saw her—and stopped.

A female elf stood at one side. She had the pointed ears and elegance of elvenkind, but something was different. Her skin wasn't pale like the elves he'd known—it was a soft brown, glowing faintly, setting her apart. Her back was turned to them, fully focused on what stood before her.

And that thing was a threat no one could afford to underestimate.

It was a demon.