Volume 2 Chapter 10 – The Fall

Who was calling me? Where am I going? What... was I doing just now?

She couldn’t remember.

Wenfu wandered with her head bowed low, eyes dazed and empty. Her steps were uneven and unsteady, drifting aimlessly across this unfamiliar land.

She didn’t know her destination, nor why she was moving. She was simply following some instinctual calling, stepping forward mindlessly. Even her tail—usually perked proudly behind her—drooped lifelessly now, her furry ears flopping down. The once-lively catgirl now resembled a predator at rest, spiritless and lethargic.

Footprints trailed behind her, but they were quickly swallowed by the windswept sand and dust, vanishing without a trace.

She was trapped in a haze, moving by pure reflex. She couldn’t recall where she had been or what she was meant to do.

As the sun dipped into the horizon, a massive shadow rose over the barren landscape, blotting out the crimson light and casting a heavy gloom over the dusky earth.

Wenfu eventually came to a stop. She stood still, like a puppet devoid of strings.

Around her echoed anguished howls, sharp and eerie—but she paid them no mind. Towering creatures with strange, twisted movements also wandered nearby. Their eyes were just as hollow. When they passed by Wenfu, they gave no reaction, as if unable to see the unfamiliar demihuman among them.

A faint rustle disturbed the stillness. Behind a rock outcrop, Astrid stood frozen, stunned by the sight before her.

“Miss Wenfu… what is she doing?” Astrid asked after a long silence, gazing in disbelief at the girl swaying slowly before a crumbling wall.

“I don’t know,” Dylin replied, lightly holding back Felicia who looked ready to charge forward.

“But it doesn’t look like she’s in immediate danger.”

“The beastmen around her… they’re acting strange too. There's none of the usual aggression towards the lightborn,” Dylin added as he observed the creatures aimlessly pacing around Wenfu.

“Let’s not rush in yet. I think she’s safe for now.”

He activated his [Divine Appraisal], and a curious icon appeared above Wenfu and each of the surrounding beastmen—an image resembling a brain.

What did that mean? Loss of self-awareness? Madness?

But why had only Wenfu been affected? Why not the others?

Then a thought struck Dylin. He recalled a rumor from a book he’d read before their journey—a tale of demihumans entering the Coleman Forest only to vanish mysteriously, never to be found again.

Could this be related...?

He looked toward the broken ruins ahead of Wenfu. Clearly, this was once a structure—only a few columns and walls remained, not enough to identify its origin or style.

But it definitely wasn’t beastman-made. The architecture was far too refined for their brutish tendencies.

Could it be an ancient lightborn ruin? But why would such a place contain some kind of mind-control enchantment targeting demihumans?

Astrid and Felicia both turned their gazes to Dylin. This was his domain now—they knew to rely on the Divine Child in such moments.

“I’m not sure what’s happening yet. I need to get closer for a better look.” Dylin frowned. Through his [Divine Appraisal] lens, he could see a faint layer of energy—purple light radiating from the center of the ruins.

Felicia and Astrid nodded silently, taking up protective positions around him.

The three of them crept from behind the rocks toward the ruins, trying not to alert the trance-like beastmen.

As they drew nearer, Dylin's vision sharpened. The faint purple light definitely existed—an energy field. He tried to analyze its nature further…

Suddenly, a flash of blinding light overwhelmed his eyes. Agonizing pain surged through his retinas, like fire ants chewing on his nerves. Dylin collapsed, rolling across the ground in a cold sweat.

Startled, Astrid pulled him back instantly while Felicia stepped forward, sword at the ready.

“Dylin? Dylin?!”

“M-My eyes… are they still there…?” Dylin murmured, slowly regaining sight. His head had landed on Astrid’s soft, black-stockinged thighs, and cold sweat soaked his back.

“Your eyes…?” Astrid blinked, then realized what had happened.

Feeling the warmth and silkiness behind his head, Dylin blushed and quickly sat up, his expression wary as he studied the ruined temple.

“Felicia, no need to stay on guard. We should be safe… probably,” he said, wiping his brow.

“I tried using Divine Appraisal to analyze the field around the ruins and got hit by backlash.”

Felicia raised an eyebrow in concern. Dylin’s voice turned grave.

Divine Appraisal backlash—a known phenomenon. The skill’s tier determined what could be scanned. Trying to analyze something of too high a tier could cause feedback. If the target was vastly superior in rank, it could lead to severe consequences—even spiritual damage.

Dylin had read about this in the Divine Appraisal Manual after the Freshman Crown Tournament. It explained why most Divine Children couldn’t use the ability on themselves.

Royal-blooded Gold Elves, for example, couldn’t be scanned by low-tier appraisal spells.

But this shouldn’t be happening to me...

Dylin’s [Divine Appraisal] had been upgraded to Epic Tier by the Golden Chalice Butterfly Ornament. How high would something’s rank have to be to trigger backlash even then?

Standing up, Dylin boldly approached the ruins.

Fear was rooted in the unknown. Once something became understood, fear lost its grip.

“Relax,” he said over his shoulder. “Getting close should be fine.”

If the field could reflect Epic Appraisal, then it was highly unlikely any of the beastmen under its influence were dangerous. Whatever spell or Divine Authority was at work, it had neutralized them.

Astrid and Felicia exchanged looks and followed.

Just as Dylin had predicted, the beastmen remained oblivious even as they entered the ruins. They wandered aimlessly, ignoring the humans entirely.

“Wenfu, Wenfu…” Astrid gently cradled the dazed catgirl, trying to shake her awake. But Wenfu didn’t react at all.

Astrid and Felicia instinctively turned to Dylin again—he was clearly the brain of the group now.

“I can’t dispel whatever is affecting Wenfu,” Dylin said. “But it’s likely caused by the ambient field. I don’t know if it’s Divine Authority, magic, or something else entirely. But its range seems limited. If we take Wenfu away from it, she should return to normal.”

“Then what now?”

“Simple. We’ve got something important to do first.”

“What?”

“You two already forgot?” Dylin rolled his eyes, incredulous. “Looting. Obviously.”

“Dylin... you mean…” Felicia’s brows furrowed as she glanced at the dazed beastmen around them.

“Exactly. We didn’t come all this way to leave empty-handed.” Dylin gestured. “They're not dead, but they’re close enough. Take their claws. If we’re lucky, maybe even a demon heart.”

“I doubt it,” Felicia said, shaking her twin-tails. “These are likely green or standard beastmen. No Divine Authority—unlikely to have demon hearts.”

“Then claws it is. One less thing to farm later.”

“But what if they snap out of it and attack?” Astrid asked cautiously.

“They won’t. Trust me.”

Seeing Dylin’s confidence, Astrid and Felicia felt reassured.

Felicia hefted her crystal-powered greatsword and cleaved a beastman’s neck in one brutal stroke. Crack! The body staggered two steps before collapsing in silence.

Astrid stayed on alert, but the others didn’t react. Not even flinches.

“So it’s true...” Felicia licked her lips. She stared at the beastmen—lifeless, oversized dolls—and a wild glint entered her eyes. She started hacking wildly, intoxicated by the catharsis.

Dylin retreated to a safer distance to avoid the blood splatter and watched Astrid tend to Wenfu. He crouched down to harvest claws with a small knife—but the blade wasn’t sharp enough, and he lacked the strength. In the end, Felicia had to help again.

It felt a bit scummy, attacking defenseless enemies… but Dylin didn’t feel guilty. He had no sympathy for beastmen.

Felicia, meanwhile, was having the time of her life. She was already up to her tenth kill. Taking down such large prey felt amazing—she couldn't stop herself from indulging in the thrill.

With every cleave, blood spattered across her boots, her hair, her skin. She didn’t care—in fact, it made her more excited.

But the ruins had aged poorly. Their foundation, already unstable, began to crumble under the disturbance.

Dylin noticed it first.

“Felicia! The floor’s giving way—get out of there!”

BOOM! His shout was perfectly synchronized with the collapse. Felicia stepped into air and plummeted.

“Shit—wait?!”

Dylin stared in shock. Beneath where she’d fallen, a massive chasm gaped open.

It’s hollow?!

The ruins weren’t just decorative—they were covering something.

Before he could think further, the floor under him gave way too.

“Dylin!” Astrid lunged to catch him, but quickly jerked back with Wenfu in her arms as a boulder crashed down where they’d stood.

Stone pillars and walls began crumbling, burying the ruins.

Astrid held the unresponsive Wenfu tightly, speechless as the dust cloud rose.

Silence.

Darkness.

cough cough... Dylin woke up, dazed from the long fall. But he’d landed softly—surprisingly so.

It felt bouncy, like a spring mattress.

“Dylin? Are you okay~?”

“Cough—yeah, I’m fine... what about you?” he asked, recognizing Felicia’s voice nearby.

“I’m fine too. But if you’d kindly get off me, I’d be even better.”

“Ah… right.” Dylin scrambled up in embarrassment. Turns out, he’d fallen directly on top of her.

Face first.

Oh… that explains the bounce. Better not think about that too much.

“Sorry about that, I didn’t mean to—”

“I get it~ Force majeure, right?” she teased with a smile.

“Y-yeah…” Dylin replied awkwardly, brushing dust off his clothes and surveying the area. “Didn’t expect it to be hollow down here…”

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