With Lunaria's arrival following the incident with Bovoy and his companions, they were no longer merely completing a mission to hunt Wolfhorns.
They needed to investigate why members of Eternal Darkness had appeared in the city of Aztec. It was impossible that their reason for being there was a mere visit.
As inhabitants of a cursed world, a small oversight could lead to a far greater tragedy. This motto was not only held by the members of the Radiant Covenant but was also disseminated among the populace.
It was a form of doctrine established by the Radiant Covenant to ensure that everyone remained critical and cautious, preventing the occurrence of the unexpected.
Kaelan remained with Reynold's team, but new members had been added: Lunaria and Mary, the latter serving as Lunaria's personal secretary.
It seemed Lunaria was not adept at formal matters, such as writing reports or remembering small details—for instance, handling administration and finances. However, when it came to exploration and executing missions, she was the most reliable.
"This grave is where they were," Reynold said, pointing to a spot where a burial had been haphazardly made. "They came from the north previously."
Lunaria furrowed her brow. "I don't remember there being a cemetery here."
As a team of explorers, they understood the environment surrounding the walls quite well. And they understood just as well that there were no cemeteries of any kind outside the walls.
"Judging by the soil and the remains, this grave was made less than a month ago. Perhaps just a few days, at most a week," Mary shared her analysis as a stage two Mentis Organa.
Lunaria approached the grave before her. She looked at the crudely made, nameless headstone before touching the earth and closing her eyes.
Kaelan felt something faint. It was like a cold wind emanating from Lunaria's hand, seeping into the grave. However, he did not dare voice it, fearing a repeat of the incident where he was able to understand the ancient language.
Kaelan chose to be cautious, avoiding drawing too much suspicion to himself. He did not yet possess the ability to protect himself, so he refrained from revealing things he didn't fully understand.
"What is the Captain doing?" Kaelan whispered to Drake at his side.
"At the Captain's stage, she is able to move the curse energy within her body. Right now, she is channeling her curse energy to detect what lies inside the grave."
Curse energy was not only consumed by Devourers; it could also be controlled after reaching stage four.
As was known, there were four stages of mutation: Initiation, Adaptation, Evolution, and finally, Ascension.
Ascension was the pinnacle of mutation. As for what happened beyond that, Kaelan did not have the status or contribution level necessary to know.
Lunaria opened her eyes and frowned. She stepped back a few paces and ordered Reynold to dig up the grave.
With his great strength, it only took a few strokes for Reynold to dig to the bottom of the pit.
At the base lay a wooden coffin, constructed sloppily. Reynold glanced at Lunaria and nodded before prying it open.
"What on earth is this..." Reynold stammered in disbelief.
Kaelan peeked in and discovered something horrific.
It was a pulsating lump of black flesh with six human arms. Black fluid and pus continuously oozed from it. A foul, stinging stench polluted the air.
"Ugh!" Kaelan felt nauseous but did not vomit; he had seen more disgusting things and was relatively accustomed to it.
"Why would they bury something like this?" Rebecca asked.
"There is a massive amount of curse energy. This isn't just a human corpse, but someone who was forced to become a Devourer and ended up losing their mind," Mary stated.
Lunaria nodded. "It was exposed to the curse for some time. I think there was some kind of ritual here."
"There must be other graves," Reynold said. "We need to scatter and find them."
Kaelan saw that Reynold seemed to be in a hurry. For efficiency and speed, they needed to split the group.
"What kind of ritual is performed with corpses?" Kaelan asked.
"It can't be said for certain," Lunaria replied. "But something with such dense curse energy buried like this definitely represents a ritual."
"A grave is a symbol marking the end of a life cycle and the beginning of death. This creates a connection with the curse, which also symbolizes calamity and death," Mary added to the explanation.
Knowing that a grave was not just a symbol of death and a final resting place, but could also be a ritual, made Kaelan afraid.
Kaelan stood up from the grave. There was a high probability that he himself was part of a certain ritual. However, he could not ask about it because his awakening had to remain a secret.
"Most likely, they plan to manifest more cursed energy in this city. Find the other graves and stay alert," Lunaria quickly organized her strategy.
"Kaelan and Drake will stay with me. The rest of you, find the graves."
Without wasting time, they split into small teams. Reynold went alone and ordered the other teams to hurry. Meanwhile, Rebecca went with Mary.
Lunaria left the strange corpse behind and searched for other graves. Kaelan and Drake followed without many words.
They remained in a state of high alert as they explored the forest.
"...help—"
Kaelan heard a familiar whimper. He saw a large object moving a few meters in front of him. A figure that was familiar and slightly traumatic.
In their journey, they encountered a monster—a large lump of flesh with a mouth on its stomach. Seeing it, Kaelan felt his trauma resurface.
"A Big Eater, huh," Lunaria remarked. "Basically, they aren't easy to find, and this one is relatively weak."
Its size was only half of the one Kaelan had previously encountered, and the monster's humanoid body was much smaller. But that meant one thing: killing it would not be easy.
"The Radiant Covenant rule: whoever finishes off the monster is granted permission to consume 20% of it to increase their mutation."
Lunaria turned and smiled at Kaelan and Drake. For some reason, that smile made them both shudder.
Perhaps it was because they roughly understood that Lunaria Veil was a gentle girl who was also, occasionally, a psychopath.
"You two deal with it. I won't help unless you're dying."
Drake looked reluctant. "But Captain, I'm not even a Devourer. I'm just a Curser."
Lunaria didn't lose her smile. "Your compensation is a cursed charm."
To recite curses, Drake needed a medium like a charm containing a curse. Without it, the danger he faced increased significantly when reciting a Cursed Prayer.
"In that case, please begin!"
Lunaria clapped her hands. She immediately leapt into the trees and sat down, swinging her legs and humming cheerfully.
Kaelan had no choice. He had to face the trauma he unknowingly carried.
"Sorry, but I can only help you from a distance," Drake said. "I can only recite three more curses!"
Kaelan thought quickly and devised a strategy. Even though Lunaria said she would help, Kaelan could not rely on her. He realized the necessity of having the ability to protect himself.
"Then use them according to my direction. First—"
Kaelan whispered his plan. Simply put, Kaelan would face it head-on and create a condition where he could kill the Big Eater.
"Alright!"
Drake and Kaelan split up. One ran toward the Big Eater while the other sought a safe position to cast his prayers.
Kaelan gripped the blade of his dagger to draw blood. He immediately formed four blood needles that launched toward the Big Eater.
"Help!" the Big Eater roared and ran toward him.
Kaelan immediately headed toward an area with many trees to hinder the large creature's movement.
"I must accumulate all my experience until now."
Kaelan had to grow from every battle. He became increasingly aware that great strength was needed to survive.
He maintained a sufficient distance and hid behind the trees. Kaelan concealed his presence while condensing his blood.
The Big Eater approached slowly, as if searching for him carefully. This creature had no eyes; it relied on hearing and sensation to detect prey. With even a small movement, Kaelan could be discovered instantly.
"...help—"
Without breaking his concentration, Kaelan condensed a mass of blood and flesh. Although he could not harden it, Kaelan compressed a large amount until its size became small.
By doing so, he would achieve a certain hardness for his shot.
The distance grew closer. However, Kaelan did not panic; his focus was fixed on his attack. Not until the Big Eater was right beside him did Kaelan take action.
"Drake!" Kaelan shouted as he aimed the blood bullet at the tips of both his palms.
"Disturb!"
Drake threw a cursed prayer and made the Big Eater freeze in place. The effect would only last for a moment. Its duration grew shorter as the target became stronger than him.
"...help—" The Big Eater was stiff as it stood right next to Kaelan.
Not wasting the opportunity, Kaelan formed a pistol shape with the index finger and thumb of his right hand. Right at the tip of his finger was a dense lump of flesh, with a vortex of blood surrounding it.
He aimed at the Big Eater exactly where its weakness lay: where the human-like part of its body was located.
"Goodbye."
The flesh bullet was fired; the blood propelled it with force, splattering everywhere.
The Big Eater's flesh was torn apart, leaving a large hole right in the middle of its human-like torso.
Kaelan had conquered the monster that had once nearly killed him.