Chapter 224: Hunting Together
Although Run had revealed little, Shin had learned enough to piece together the situation.
She had attacked them simply because they were outsiders. Their village lay to the northwest, hidden beyond a maze of rivers and cliffs. More importantly, his guess about the Spectre had clearly struck a nerve.
There was probably something wrong with the Amazon Queen. This wasn’t just a personal matter—it was a community crisis.
Shin crossed his arms, thinking quietly for a moment before looking back at the bound warrior.
"A Spectre cursed your queen, didn’t it?"
Run’s jaw tightened, making Shin smile.
"So I was right."
No answer came, but he didn’t need one.
"You know what these curses can do," Shin continued calmly. "You must be searching for a rare ingredient."
Run remained silent.
"A monster," Shin added. "You were hunting a monster whose core or organs can be used to prepare a cure. That’s why you’re so far away from your tribe."
For the first time since her capture, genuine surprise flashed across the Amazon’s face.
"...How do you know that?"
Shin smiled faintly.
"I have no obligation to answer your question. And let me guess—you are looking for a Moonfang Basilisk."
Run’s eyes widened ever so slightly. The reaction was enough.
"I knew it."
The Moonfang Basilisk was a powerful magical beast that nested deep within the Death Forest, far from where the Amazon tribe was settled.
Shin looked directly into Run’s eyes.
"I’ll help you hunt it, but in exchange," he continued, "when we arrive at your village, you convince your people not to attack us on sight. That’s all I’m asking."
Run lowered her head, apparently considering the proposal. Finally, she let out a slow breath.
"Fine."
She lifted her gaze again.
"If you truly help me kill the Moonfang Basilisk, I’ll speak to the others before you enter the village."
Her voice sounded sincere enough, but Shin knew she was lying. Run—and probably the Amazons as a whole—had no intention of trusting a group of strangers, no matter what.
"That’s good enough for me," he said with a smile, pretending to believe her.
Fortunately, that wasn’t the point.
The Moonfang Basilisk’s territory lay far from the Amazon village, buying them several more days. Every day they spent traveling and hunting was another day for Lilel to continue studying the Goddess Mark.
If she could decipher it before they arrived at the tribe, then Shin would become their god, and all their problems would be solved.
And so the group began moving.
"By the way, what exactly are these Spectres?" Medea asked curiously as the group made its way through the forest in search of their prey.
Ordinarily, she would have directed the question to Shin. However, the man had a habit of keeping valuable information to himself whenever possible. Instead, she turned toward their captive.
Shin noticed the exchange but remained silent. He had no intention of revealing how much he knew, especially with Run listening.
"I don’t have to answer you," the Amazon warrior scoffed, looking away.
"We’ve already been through this," Medea replied with an irritated sigh. "The more cooperative you are, the easier this becomes."
Run merely smirked.
"So stubborn..." Medea muttered.
With a flick of her fingers, the enchanted vines tightened around Run’s arms and legs. The restraints bit into her skin just enough to make her grit her teeth.
"Ghh...!"
"You can keep pretending to be tough," Medea said coldly, "or you can save yourself the trouble and answer."
Run glared at her for several long seconds before finally letting out an annoyed sigh.
"Fine. Whatever." She rolled her eyes. "But I honestly thought succubi like you would already know more about them than we do."
"Why?" Medea asked, genuinely surprised.
"Because Spectres are low-ranking demons, just like succubi. That’s why they’re still around instead of ending up dead with the rest."
Medea blinked.
"What?"
The answer caught not only her attention but everyone else’s as well. With the exception of Mora, who seemed utterly uninterested, the other succubi gradually gathered closer, eager to hear more.
Run frowned.
"Don’t tell me none of you actually know this." She looked from face to face with growing disbelief. "What happened? Did all of you lose your memories or something?"
"We probably did," Materna admitted with a frustrated sigh. "We vaguely remember serving the higher-ranking demons, but those memories feel more like fragments from someone else’s life."
"Maybe, in a way, they are," Medea murmured as several pieces suddenly fell into place.
Everyone turned toward her.
"Succubi can evolve," she explained. "As they grow stronger, they gain new abilities, become more powerful, and even change physically. But the opposite is also possible."
She crossed her arms thoughtfully and laid out her theory.
"The succubus kingdom was deprived of mana and sexual energy for so long that our bodies regressed to a much weaker state."
"And we lost our memories in the process. We eventually formed a new society, forgetting about our past."
"We may all have once been high-ranking succubi. Then, after losing our mana, our bodies weakened... and most of our memories disappeared with them," Medea concluded.
"So you’re suggesting our current selves are almost like a second life," Yasmin said as she materialized beside the group, thoughtfully nodding.
"It would explain quite a lot," Medea murmured.
Then Yasmin shifted her attention toward Run.
"We can investigate that theory later. For now, tell us everything you remember. About the Demon Lord, the low-ranking demons... and the Spectres."
Run snorted.
"And why exactly would I do that?"
Yasmin’s expression remained perfectly calm. Without warning, her translucent ghostly hand slowly passed straight through Run’s chest.
The Amazon’s mocking smile instantly vanished.
"...W-What are you..."
Yasmin gently closed her fingers, and Run’s body violently stiffened.
"AAGH!!"
It wasn’t like being stabbed. There was no wound, but it felt much worse. Run felt as though icy fingers had reached inside her body and wrapped around her organs themselves, squeezing them from within.
Every breath became agony, while the unnatural sensation made her stomach churn far more than the pain alone.
She desperately struggled against the vines.
"S-Stop...! Stop it!"
Yasmin’s voice remained perfectly even.
"I only need to tighten my grip a little more."
Run’s breathing became ragged, and within moments, the woman gave up any resistance.
"You monsters..." she muttered between breaths.
After composing herself, she finally began speaking.
"Long ago, during the Great War, humans fought beside that bitch against the Demon Lord and his armies."
She paused before continuing.
"Except for us. Our tribe was the only human nation that chose to stand with the demons."
The succubus girls nodded, and Shin paid just enough attention to confirm what he already knew.
"When the Demon Lord was finally defeated, the victorious armies slaughtered nearly every high-ranking demon they could find. They were too dangerous to be left alive."
"But hunting down every last lesser demon would have taken years. Instead, the gods created this sealed dimension."
Run gestured toward the endless forest around them.
"They imprisoned the surviving low-ranking demons here... together with the Demon Lord’s prison, hoping we would all die soon enough."