The journey back to Bluestone Village was uneventful.


    Michael came across a few Green Vipers and more of the moles that had once almost killed him, but they didn’t make him feel even the slightest hint of danger. He stared at a group of five Vipers to his left with a complicated expression as he vaulted over a large rock with light movements.


    …Compared to the Forgotten, it’s almost funny.


    He landed, making them turn toward him. A few seconds later, however, he was too far outside of their range for them to do anything. Michael gave them one last glance. Why was the gap between the Forgotten and the other creatures so large? Lith had been powerful enough to be considered a Dungeon Boss, but the true danger lay in the fact that he had only been one of many. The battle against Bul and Tar had been much more deadly, even though they were only a duo. How difficult would it be to fight against three or more Forgotten? How many of them were there, anyway?


    How is anyone else supposed to face the Consumed Territory?


    A place with heavily restricted visibility and an omnipresent debuff capable of an ‘execute,’ inhabited by numerous enemies, each more powerful than most of the foes found in Dungeons. No matter how he looked at it, it was too much. It was highly likely that he was the only one in the Tutorial Zone capable of delving into it. Optional area or not, this was still the Tutorial. Something like the Consumed Territory shouldn’t exist. What about the Abyss, which was supposed to be even more dangerous?


    A bit lost in his thoughts, Michael leaped from one side of a cliff to another. The dim lighting provided by the glowing mushrooms was comforting after witnessing true darkness.


    The way I see it, there are two possibilities.


    One, since the universe was so large, it was likely that there were others who had managed to reach his level of power within the Tutorial, even though he had draconic blood. Maybe there were other mythical bloodlines and abilities that could grant a contestant enough strength. The second possibility was what worried him.


    I’m not as strong as I should be.


    Clyranth had proudly declared that each Dragon had been powerful enough to face the Martial God in battle and that they had only been overcome by Erasil, the Transcendent. While Michael didn’t know what those words actually meant in terms of power level, he felt like he shouldn’t be struggling against enemies inside the literal Tutorial, no matter how faint his bloodline was.


    At the same time, the descriptions of the draconic Skills and Titles made it clear that the Dragons felt nothing but contempt for the weak. Did he have to prove himself over time to obtain greater power? This thought made Michael smile. His heart throbbed in anticipation. From the start, he’d already received too much from his draconic side. Even if its boost ended here, it had already been good enough. As long as he tried his hardest each day, he would definitely improve. The System made sure of that.


    Well, if some God of War doesn’t decide to blow up the planet I’m on or whatever.


    Michael chuckled at the thought.


    After running for a bit longer, he entered Bluestone’s Territory, speeding up. On his way, he encountered a few groups of people out and about. They looked at him with wide eyes as he sped past them. A minute later, Michael entered Bluestone Village and ground to a halt, letting out a breath.


    The dirt roads were lively, packed with humans and dark elves alike. The image of the ruined Lith superimposed itself over the frames of the dark elves he looked at. Shaking his head, Michael started making a beeline toward Tairy’s house. With every step, more and more dark elves locked their eyes on him, nodding slightly. Slightly confused, he nodded back. The stares only became more obvious as he walked deeper into the Village.


    Making a turn, he looked at the large tree with blue mana leaves. Unlike before, there wasn’t a line outside Tairy’s house. The door opened before he’d even walked past the stone dais, and a dark elf with a disheveled beard and milky eyes walked out with a worried expression.


    “Oh, thank Asloth. You really came back before—” Tairy’s words caught in his throat as he looked at Michael’s torn robes, even though he was blind. “…No, you didn’t.”


    Michael rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.


    “I didn’t have much time at all before one of them found me. Had to fight.”


    Tairy slowly furrowed his brow.


    “…And how the hell did you survive without seeing a foot ahead of you? Actually, don’t answer that. Come on in. We need to talk.”


    The old dark elf promptly turned around and went back in the house. Michael followed him. Once they sat down at the only table, Tairy stared at him.


    “…What do you think? Now that you were in there,” Tairy asked in a serious tone.


    Michael shook his head slowly.


    “It’s a place that isn’t meant to be beaten.”


    He truly didn’t understand how others weaker than him were supposed to face the Consumed Territory.


    Tairy nodded.


    “I guess that about sums it up. When it comes to the first time, at least. Now that you were in there once, me and Sullivan can help you.”


    Michael tilted his head.


    “Is it related to the Curse of Darkness?”


    “Yes,” Tairy replied as he stood up. “Come on, there’s no time to waste. We’ll talk on the way to the town hall. Sullivan needs to take a look at you. It’s important.”


    Slightly confused, Michael followed Tairy out of the house. The blue leaves shimmered above them, casting a blue glow. Michael glanced at them before continuing to follow Tairy through the dirt roads, his eyes darting around.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    They’re looking at us.


    More and more dark elves turned to look at the two of them, nodding. In their eyes, Michael could see interest and respect. It was wholly different from the indifference from before.


    Soon, Michael and Tairy arrived at the town hall. As usual, there was a line of people outside, all waiting for their turn to talk to Sullivan. As if he couldn’t see them, Tairy decisively strode to the entrance and walked in, drawing several angry stares. Shrugging, Michael also went inside. Sullivan immediately came into view, sitting on his usual chair. The dark elf chief looked at Michael and stood up, waving at the humans inside.


    “I’m sorry, dear contestants. I must talk to this person. Please come back inside once we’re done,” Sullivan said in a monotone voice.


    The men and women frowned almost at the same time, whispering to each other as they looked at Michael.


    “Damn it, did he get a special quest?”


    “Fuck. I didn’t know you could trigger something like that.”


    “Hey, NPC! Why can’t we stay?” one of the men yelled. He was blond with blue eyes, and clearly dressed like a Warrior.


    Sullivan threw him a cold stare. The atmosphere changed. It was as if the air had become heavier. The blond man took a step back with a gulp, quickly waving his hands.


    “Wait! I get it! I’m not gonna interfere with the quest.”


    Sullivan said nothing else. Hesitatingly, the humans inside walked out of the room, shutting the door behind them. Only dark elves and Michael remained in the room. The elves’ expressions changed the moment the humans left and the door closed.


    “Michael,” Sullivan hurriedly said, sounding a bit anxious. “Come here.”


    Blinking, Michael complied and approached Sullivan, who walked toward him and placed his hand on Michael’s shoulder. A heartbeat later, Michael felt a titanic amount of mana move within the dark elf and resonate with the environmental energy. It flowed inside his body, making him tremble and grit his teeth. It didn’t hurt, but the sheer amount of mana strained his body.


    Each second felt like a year.


    After some time, Sullivan withdrew his mana and stepped back with a confused expression.


    “I… I don’t understand,” Sullivan said hesitatingly. “How is this possible?”


    “How bad is it, Sullivan? Just say it,” Tairy asked from the side with a frown. The other dark elves turned to look at Sullivan as well.


    Sullivan slowly shook his head.


    “It isn’t. I can’t sense the Curse of Darkness in him. It’s like he never entered the Consumed Territory at all.”


    The room froze.


    “…What the hell is that supposed to mean? That’s impossible,” Tairy replied after a few seconds.


    “It’s the truth. The Curse hasn’t entered his body.”


    Michael watched all of this with a tilted head. From their words, he managed to understand what this was about.


    The Curse seeps into living beings even before executing them. Does it cause continuous damage? Or is it part of the process that turns one into a Forgotten?


    It was highly likely that it hadn’t invaded his body only because of Illumination, which he thought was the least useful of the Heritage Skills. No, even so, he hadn’t kept Illumination permanently on. If it was what kept the Curse away, then it should have entered Michael’s body when he had been forced to use Lightspeed. He furrowed his brow. Did Illumination also remove the bits of the Curse that had already entered his body?


    All the dark elves in the room turned their heads to look at him almost at the same time. Their stares of disbelief only made Michael scratch the back of his head awkwardly, discarding his confusion.


    “Isn’t it a good thing?” he asked after a couple seconds.


    Silence.


    After what felt like an eternity, Tairy burst out into loud laughter and slapped Michael’s shoulder.


    “Fuck me. Yeah, I don’t know how the fuck you did it, but it’s a good thing. Sullivan, give him Clear Sight and let me go advise him about the Consumed Territory,” Tairy said with a chuckle.


    Sullivan scoffed, his eyes fixed on Michael’s figure as if he were staring at a ghost.


    “…I’ve accepted everything up until now, but this goes against any of my guesses about—”


    “Yeah, yeah. Nothing to do about it, though. It’s better if he doesn’t tell us. Come on, do your job,” Tairy quickly fired back.


    Sullivan sighed and approached Michael, extending his right hand.


    “Now that you’ve experienced the Consumed Territory and the Curse of Darkness, we are allowed to help you. I’m sorry. It’s a rule set by the System. I will now grant you Clear Sight, which will allow your gaze to pierce the veil cast by the Curse,” Sullivan said with a grave expression.


    Michael nodded, letting out a sigh of relief. So there was a way for him to see without relying on Illumination. This would allow him to use Lightspeed without forsaking his visibility, after all. However, because he didn’t exactly know if Illumination was what kept the Curse away from him, things weren’t so simple.


    “However, I’m unable to overcome the Curse. Clear Sight is a temporary effect. You’ll notice that its effectiveness decreases by the second when inside the Consumed Territory. You’ll need to return here for me to cast it again,” Sullivan continued, putting his large palm on Michael’s forehead.


    After a series of whispers, Michael could vaguely feel a current of mana enter his body and gather around his eyes. It felt like his insides were being drenched in warm water, especially his face. It didn’t hurt, but it was far from comfortable. He gritted his teeth. A few seconds later, Sullivan slowly removed his hand.


    Michael blinked, looking around the room.


    I don’t feel any different. I guess the colors are clearer?


    He furrowed his brow in confusion.


    “Michael,” Sullivan said, his voice dragging Michael out of his thoughts. “There’s a lot I could say, but… just be careful. The Consumed Territory isn’t easy to handle at all. The deeper you go, the more obvious this will become, but no matter what, don’t reach the center.”


    Michael tilted his head.


    “The Abyss. I can’t clear it as I am right now?”


    “You’d die,” Sullivan instantly replied. “Not immediately, but the end result would be the same. I don’t know why the Abyss exists, but it’s not something a human contestant in the Tutorial can beat. Trust me.”


    Michael frowned. Sullivan looked at Tairy, looking a bit more tired than moments ago.


    “I’ll be relying on you, old friend. We can help him now, so make sure he doesn’t die,” Sullivan said with a serious expression.


    Tairy scoffed.


    “Not planning to. This brat is my disciple,” he replied. Michael flashed him a warm smile.


    “Off with you, then,” Sullivan said, shooing them away, then looked at Michael. “Remember what I said.”


    Michael nodded and thanked the dark elf chief, who sat back down on his chair with a sigh.


    Do they have to keep staring at me?


    It was as if the other dark elves were trying to drill a hole into him with their eyes. Even Sullivan was looking at him with a strange glint. Was it really so shocking for someone to keep the Curse of Darkness from invading their body? Michael’s anxiety was tempered by wariness.


    I was too hasty.


    Because the ‘NPCs’ had been unable to tell him anything about the Consumed Territory before his first expedition, he hadn’t obtained any information about it and the consequences of going inside.


    Well, there was no other option anyway.


    In the end, he would have needed to go back to Tairy and Sullivan, who couldn’t possibly have predicted that he would resist the Curse. Either way, this would have been found out eventually. Now that the cat was out of the bag, he would handle the consequences in his own way. Michael nodded to himself, determined. The priority was to become stronger.


    “Come on kid, let’s go. We’ll talk for a bit before you head back to the Territory,” Tairy said, patting Michael on the back.


    Michael followed the blind dark elf out of the hall, withstanding the stares by both dark elves and humans alike. He looked up as he walked in the direction of Tairy’s house.


    The sight of the stone columns and glowing giant mushrooms superimposed over the destroyed bodies of the Forgotten he’d faced. The underground and its dangers were almost cute compared to the Consumed Territory.


    But that won’t stop me.


    As long as he was careful and remained self-aware, he could come out on top. Michael pushed down the pride swelling in his chest. He didn’t need the draconic traits’ effects right now.


    I’ll clear it.


    To become as prepared as possible for whatever lay beyond the Tutorial Zone and to protect his family and friends.


    He would become stronger.