Next to the cauldron were various mounds of resources . Zac recognized almost all of them as the various herbs and plants he had seen while walking the tunnels . There were mushrooms , vines and purplish grass neatly separated into their own piles . He also identified a few plants that he had seen above ground in the transformed area close to the incursion .
On a stool stood an imp , slowly stirring the contents of the cauldron with a large wooden ladle . At least he thought it was an imp , but he couldn’t be sure as because it was almost as large as an adult human . But it shared many features with the imps such as its purplish skin and bat wings .
In contrast , its skin wasn’t mottled and irradiated like it seemed like with most imps , but rather smooth and clear . It also wore a proper , albeit simple , robe . The most advanced clothing he had seen on an imp thus far was a dirty rag used as a loincloth , while most of them were simply naked .
It lacked any horns or ears , and as it turned its head to grab a mushroom to throw into the pot he could also see its face , making him sure he was dealing with an imp and not a demon . It had the extra set of eyes placed in its forehead , just as the normal imps .
He had found his fourth Herald . He couldn’t see any other explanation than that . It looked far too different compared to its brethren , and its intelligence seemed to be on another level if it cared about things such as clothing .
Zac didn’t dare to use Eye of Discernment] l to make sure though , as even the normal imps could sense it when he used the skill on them .
The Herald wasn’t alone , unfortunately . There currently were a group of roughly 10 imps milling about in the cave . They were sorting a pile of resources and moved them to their respective mound close to the cauldron . When an imp made a mistake it was ruthlessly slapped in the head with the boss’s ladle , eliciting a scared whimper .
Zac decided to wait for a while in order to let them finish their task and then hopefully leave . Between this group and the ones just outside there simply were too many imps for comfort . But before they were even halfway done with the task a few imps entered the cave and dumped an armful each of various plants .
Meanwhile , the herald kept throwing some plant or mushroom into the pot every now and then , constantly stirring . Zac started to feel that the cauldron had to be a magic item like his pouch , as it never seemed to flow over , even after Zac had watched the Herald throw things into it for an hour by now .
It looked like the imps wouldn’t leave the cave in the end . Zac deliberated whether he should wait some more or fight . By now he was more or less completely restored from his escape from the monkey Herald , apart from being covered in tender bruises . Finally , he opened up his quest page to make sure of the progress of his dynamic quest , slowly reading through it .
With all preparations done , he threw his worries and doubts out of his mind and hefted his axe .
Chapter 53 - Blitz
The wall separating Zac and the cavern was less than a decimeter thick , and wouldn’t be able to hold against him kicking it down . Luckily there were no crystals embedded that strengthened its integrity as well . He moved his axe to his left hand and gripped a throwing knife in his other .
After a few deep breaths , he put all his weight on his left leg and kicked forward with all the power he could muster . A deep thud echoed out and a large part of the wall completely crumbled . Zac shouldered his way through the newly created crevice , not caring about the few cuts he got from the sharp rocks .
He immediately threw his dagger with full force at the Herald , hoping for a quick conclusion . Unfortunately , it didn’t work , as the blade seemingly combusted by itself and turned to ashes as it approached the large imp .
Zac wasn’t surprised , and without hesitation pushed forward . He managed to kill two of the smaller imps with daggers on his approach , and then he was instantly within 10 meters of the herald .
The boss roared angrily and lifted the ladle , using it as a staff . A huge wave of pitch-black flames rolled outward toward Zac . Anything it touched turned to ashes immediately , even a few unfortunate imps that were incinerated since they stood at the wrong position in the cave .
A golden sheen enveloped Zac completely , and he jumped through the wall of flames . He could hear a peal of eerie laughter and a snap , then he was through the flames . He didn’t hesitate and pushed all cosmic energy he was able to gather into the fractal on his hand , creating a five-meter blade which whooshed toward the herald .
The blade slammed into an invisible barrier and started sizzling , causing extraordinary pain somehow transmitting into Zac’s mind . But Zac’s power wasn’t for show , and after a brief struggle the blade pressed on , slamming into the Herald’s body .
