The sky above the village outskirts had darkened unnaturally, a swirling miasma of corrupted divine mana coating the clouds in thick black veils.
Even before the first step into the afflicted territory, the land appeared broken, as though scorched by an invisible fire. Trees twisted into grotesque spirals, their bark peeling, blackened like charcoal.
The ground was soft and uneven, sloshing beneath Kyle's boots like mud—except it wasn't waterlogged, it was melting from within, corrupted at the very core.
Kyle's boots stilled at the edge of the ruin.
His eyes narrowed.
"Tch… even the outskirts are ruined. Looks like we're walking straight into a cursed swamp."
Melissa gagged beside him, her hand clamped over her mouth as she fought the instinct to retch.
The mana in the air was suffocating—too thick, too foul. Her whole body trembled like a reed in a storm.
"You can fall back. I'll handle this alone."
