Translated by XephiZEdited by Aelryinth
The three ran to the bottom of the ravine and sprinted to safety.
The Medusae seemed to be aware that the human Mages would blast them with spells if they went into the ravine, so did not chase their targets recklessly. However, the mist shrouding Mo Fan, Zhao Manyan, Mu Bai, and Heidi’s back was still around. It felt as if their vision was blocked when they turned around. They could only see the eyes of the dominant female Medusa in the darkness.
“You are in great trouble!” the leader of the convoy, Halla, informed them urgently.
“Didn’t we already escape from it?” Zhao Manyan gasped in confusion.
“You are Cursed by the Eyes of Vengeance, the scariest ability of the Medusae! Not a single person has survived the Curse of the Eyes of Vengeance. It’s been like this for thousands of years!” Old Halla sternly warned Mo Fan and the others.
“It’s just a big female Medusa. If there weren’t so many male Medusae and Lesser Medusae around her, I would have cooked myself a snake stew by now,” Mo Fan spoke up, unimpressed.
“No no no, you shouldn’t take it so lightly! The Eyes of Vengeance is a terrifying Curse of the Medusae. It will imprint you with the hatred of their entire species. Even creatures as small as snakes and as huge as snake demon lords will go crazy on their marked enemies!” Halla exclaimed.
“I’m grateful toward you all for saving my Steel-Armored Beast, but please don’t underestimate the Eyes of Vengeance. I had a very experienced senior, a powerful Hunter Master. He stole a Medusa’s egg close to Bikheris’ Pyramid and was marked by the Eyes of Vengeance while he was escaping. The day he came back to New Suez, he sold the egg at an insane price and drank until late at night. I was the one that brought him back to his room.
“The next afternoon, I went to wake him up to grab some lunch together, but when I opened the door, I witnessed something that I will never forget for the rest of my life…” Chad told Mo Fan and the others sternly.
“Was he dead?” Zhao Manyan asked.
“The whole room was full of trails left by snakes. The white bed sheets were splattered a terrifying red. When I flipped the blanket over, there was no sign of my senior. All I found were his scalp, his hair, his torn clothes, his eyeballs, and his toes…” Chad recalled the eerie sight. His eyes were filled with terror.
“Wasn’t he in the city? How was he attacked?” Mo Fan asked curiously.
“It’s exactly what I was the most confused about. We were in the city center with lots of Hunter Inns nearby. There were many powerful Mages around us, but my senior still died such a horrible death. We did hear from old friends at the bars that we shouldn’t mess around with the big female Medusae.
“The army of Medusae with them isn’t the scariest thing, it’s their eyes! Once the female Medusae set their eyes on you, the only way out is death! I always thought it was just a legend, or perhaps the female Medusae possess some kind of power that we don’t understand. They became scary creatures, as people constantly exaggerate their power through rumors, but after witnessing my senior’s death…” Chad trailed off.
In comparison to how calm and collected he was when figuring out a way to lure the Medusae away and guarantee the convoy’s safety, the man was now like a little kid overwhelmed by fear, as if he was totally clueless about Egypt, the desert, and the Medusae.
“Dying on the bed, that sounds a little…” Zhao Manyan had goosebumps after hearing about the incident.
Mo Fan fell into deep thought, too. How was the man eaten alive if he was in the city? Were the Eyes of Vengeance of the female Medusae really that terrifying?
“I’ve heard of the Eyes of Vengeance, too. It’s the deadliest Curse of the Medusae in Africa. I’m afraid we’ll have to excuse ourselves, as we have some other business to attend to,” Vani said.
“Sir, are we going to leave just like that? Didn’t it all happen because of us?” Zoey said.
Some rumors were terrifying even if people had only heard about them for the first time. It was not scary because of how formidable the enemy was or how cruel and evil the Curse was, but how the victims were no longer safe, even in their own territories!
Imagine dying on the bed in one’s own room in a luxurious city; when Mages were awake, they had different ways to fend off demon creatures in the wild as long as they were strong and experienced enough. However, it was impossible to stay alert all the time. The victims of the Curse could not afford to close their eyes before they figured out how the demon creatures were able to sneak into a busy city and reach their room. They could not even have any contact with their close ones, since it might endanger them…it was the most torturous part while they were constantly bothered by the Curse!
“There’s nothing we can do to help them. We did lure the Medusae to the convoy, but they were the ones that decided to turn around in the end,” Mentor Vani replied firmly.
The people of the European University Institute had obviously heard of the Curse before, and decided to leave without hesitation. Vani also realized he had no hope of winning Heidi’s affection, so he was unwilling to waste any further time. It was more important to help his students graduate.
Zoey had no choice but to follow the others. She even apologized to Mo Fan, but Mo Fan did not really mind. They were only strangers brought together by chance. The most he could do was to beat up the male students of the European University Institute the next time he stumbled into them again. It was not much of a big deal.
“I’ll stay with you guys. The Curse should only last for a certain period of time,” Chad said.
“No, it’s fine, we aren’t as weak as you think. Curse of the Medusae? Bring it on, I’ll let them know that it’s a nightmare to mess around with a Mage whose hands have been itching a lot recently!” Mo Fan said.
Mo Fan had gone to slaughter the Medusae partly because he was impressed by the old mercenary’s sacrifice. In addition to that, he needed to collect more Soul Remnants and Soul Essences…
He was quite pleased with his recent achievements. His Summoning Gate had broken a hundred after the previous battle. He now had forty-three Enormous White Wolves and fifty-eight White-Marked Wolves! Medusa Mountain, was it? Once he collected enough wolves, he would show them how he was going to let the dogs… let the wolves out!
“I won’t disturb you guys, but please let me keep an eye open for you. I will leave once you are safe for a week,” Chad said.
“Fine, I guess I can learn more about Cairo from you too!” Mo Fan accepted the kind gesture since the man insisted.
They would be leaving in a week anyway. It would not make any difference.