Pillar of Yita

The Southern Region of Colin Ishurian actually refers to the area between the Kudi Mountain Range and Azata’s ’Ladder of the World’, a narrow and pleasant climate zone encircling Long Lake, dotted with several towns and peppered with civilization.

But leaving this area and heading east, the mountains rise, penetrating into the Dwarves’ Holy Land ’Eldron’; to the south, the waters of Long Lake flow into Nogness’s lowland swamps, surrounded by jungle; to the west, beyond the ruins of Idus, lies Istania’s perpetual dusty desert, all places rarely visited by humans.

Fang Hong and his party left Fanric and headed westward, after passing the shores of Shallow Gold Lake, they plunged into a stretch of barren mountains and wilderness, gazing far into the distance, where cliffs made of gray rock and dark forests forming precipices towering over the lake were visible, with not a trace of civilization within sight.

The small village they passed a few days ago seemed to be the last stop of the Kingdom of Colin—Ishurian in the Southern Region—beyond it, they delved into the uninhabited heart of the wilderness. For two days, the group did not even encounter a single adventurer, as the mountains and forests remained silent, with only an occasional glimpse of a wary gray deer darting through the woods.

Sometimes, a long cry from an eagle over a mountain stream would evoke a sense of being isolated from the world—

Hilveld would recount to the group the history of the Southern Region, stating that in fact, a century ago, this road had once led to Idus, with civilized settlements—villages and towns—scattered along the highway. But since the disaster of the Dragon Witch, following Idus’s destruction, the settlements along this road became derelict.

Numerous adventurers and hunters fled the area, and the local residents moved to places like Fanric and the White City. Since then, traces of humanity along this road have started to vanish. The dense vegetation followed the retreating footsteps of humans, grew, and before long, it once again covered this region.

As if to confirm her words, soon after, Mr. Greyrock passed a village more than half a century ago, which had long lost its former appearance, with towers and broken walls overgrown with layers of lush green foliage.

A mature male Bipedal Flying Dragon stood atop the tower, curiously observing these rare outsiders, but humans, Papalarians, and Big Cat People were not part of the Bipedal Flying Dragon’s diet, so both sides had no interaction.

The well created in the village center over a century ago was still usable. Despite decades of sedimentation, the water, contrasting with clusters of fern plants, became even clearer. Below, it seemed connected to underground streams, with a few blackfish swimming within.

The Papalarians glanced over the well, but the fish shadows were nowhere to be found.

Fang Hong planned to spend the night here. The ruins could provide Mr. Greyrock with relatively safe shelter, but before settling in, they had to clean up the place.

After all, apart from the ’native’ residing atop the tower who wouldn’t interfere with them, there was also an uninvited guest—a roaming Grey-Spotted Jaw Lizard.

When Fang Hong and his group discovered it, the reckless intruder was lazily basking in the sun on the street. Its four tiny eyes quickly spotted the newly arrived prey, shaking off the dust to stand up, about the size of a minivan.

The first combat ended quickly in failure.

Eteliria’s classification for beasts, anomalies, and magical creatures distinguishes between those above level 19 and those below. Below level 19, most creatures often rely on physical strength for combat, without any fancy tricks. A well-equipped and prepared adventurer party can easily handle a monster whose level is not three grades above their team’s average.

But starting from level 19, various species show evident distinctions. Those relying on physical attributes become unusually huge, such as Mr. Greyrock and his kin, even the petrified cattle ’Catoblepas’, possessing mountain-like massive sizes.

Including the pinnacle of this evolutionary path—the Floating Island Whale.

Other species develop unique abilities, known as anomalies or magical creatures. These beings exhibit a wide range of capabilities, such as the Quartz Dragon Beast’s elemental immunity, the Withered Tree Elder’s physical immunity, or various Living Blood Creatures, Mud Creatures, Gray Spirits, and even semi-aquatic demons possessing magical abilities.

Not to mention three grades higher, even in a same-level confrontation, adventurer teams frequently face annihilation when hunting these monsters.

Among them, Fang Hong encountered the Rock Shark, a representative of such beings, though its level isn’t high. Rock Sharks range from level 15 to 22 from infancy to adulthood. Young Rock Sharks nearly lack resistance when hunted, hence they rarely approach the continental shelf.

However, adult Rock Sharks above level 19 require several teams working together to capture these big fellows.

Nevertheless, Rock Sharks essentially represent the lower limit of such beings. Another widely recognized lower limit is the large family of Grey-Spotted Lizards, from Grey-Spotted Jaw Lizards to Grey-Spotted Crested Lizards.

Despite being a lower limit, underestimating Rock Sharks and Grey-Spotted Lizards would be a grave mistake.

Therefore, the group instantly suffered from a setback under the sonic attack of the big creature, while the Energy Angel circling behind for an attack couldn’t penetrate its thick scales. With the attack failing, everyone had to retreat reluctantly.