Chapter 2020


    Andres didn''t answer that question. Instead, he asked, “Elder, do you know about the Progenitor of the


    White Muraco n?”


    Zeke nodded and replied, “Yeah, I know about it.


    “The Progenitor is said to be the ancestor of all cursed parasitic worms, and it determines the fate of all


    the other cursed parasitic worms.


    “If the Progenitor dies, all other cursed parasitic worms raised by the White Muraco n will die as


    well. Simrly, if the Progenitor thrived, the other cursed parasitic worms will grow well too.”


    Andres nodded and replied, “That''s right.


    “A few days ago, I realized that someone had gravely wounded the Progenitor, and it is barely


    surviving. I can''t afford to let all other cursed parasitic worms die, so I have to heal the Progenitor. That


    is why I have been spending all my time here caring for it.”


    Huh?


    Curious, Zeke asked, “The Progenitor is, in essence, the most important asset of the n, and you''ve


    set up an incredible security system here. It should prevent any average warrior from breaking in.


    “Who on earth could''ve broken through all the traps and get to the Progenitor?”


    Andres shook his head and replied, “I''m trying to figure that out too, but my investigation was fruitless.


    “The culprit is extremely cautious and didn''t leave any clue behind.”


    Zeke then asked, “Let me ask you something, then. A few days ago, a group of men joined forces with


    the ck Muraco n. I''m sure you are aware of that, right?”


    Naturally, Zeke was referring to the Netherworld.


    Andres nodded and replied, “Yeah, I know about that.”


    “As soon as those men went over, the ck Muraco n began poisoning the vigers in the Vige


    of Livestock.


    “Even now, I suspect those men are too powerful and had forcefully upied the ck Muraco n.


    That is probably why the ck Muraco n is working for those men.”


    Zeke replied, “Those men are from an organization known as Netherworld. They are extremely


    powerful, and a few among them are as powerful as I am.”


    Andres was surprised to hear that. He thought Zeke was ridiculously powerful because thetter had


    managed to scare the Sacred Beasts away with just a howl.


    I can''t believe that a few of those men are as strong as Zeke... I guess that means they really are


    powerful.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Zeke then asked, “Is it possible the men from Netherworld are the ones who wounded the Progenitor?”


    Andres replied, “I suspect that is the case as well, but I have no evidence to back my words, so it didn''t


    feel right to judge.


    “Also, I can''t find any motive. Why would they want to hurt the Progenitor of the White Muraco n?


    Are they trying to destroy the n? That didn''t seem like the case. After all, they have nothing against


    us, and we''ve never met before...”


    Zeke said, “Their objectives aren''t something most can understand, so let''s put that aside for now. Take


    me to the Progenitor. Who knows? Maybe I can cure it.”


    Andres grinned bitterly.


    Zeke definitely knows our elder, but he doesn''t have the elder''s skill, so how can he heal the


    Progenitor?


    The Progenitor is one of the mostplex organisms in the world, so it''s likely even the elder can''t


    heal the Progenitorpletely.


    However, he has already asked to take a look, so it''d be rude not to let him try. Andres felt as though


    his hands were tied, so he nodded and led the way.


    Andres lit up the torch inside the cave and illuminated the ce.


    After that, he led Zeke into a separate room within the cave.


    That was where Zeke saw the Progenitor.


    Zeke had only heard about the Progenitor from the elder of the White Muraco n, so that was his first


    encounter with the worm.


    The Progenitor was almost as thick and as long as a human arm. It had a shiny exterior that made it


    look like a piece of jade.


    It also exuded a mild aura that seemed ever so holy. Wow! No wonder it is known as the ancestor of all


    parasitic worms.


    Unfortunately, there was an enormous cut on the Progenitor''s back, and Zeke could sense the


    Progenitor''s life force oozing out of that wound.


    The Progenitor was barely hanging on to its very weak life force at that moment, and it seemed as


    though it might die soon.


    Andres sighed and said, “Its wound was even worse off earlier. If I hadn''t used Soul Blood in time, it


    would likely have already...”


    Hmm...


    Zeke turned to Andres and asked, “Are you using your own Soul Blood to treat the worm?”


    Andres nodded and replied, “Yeah. Given its current state, Soul Blood is the only way to save it.”


    Zeke further questioned, “How many drops of Soul Blood did you use?”


    Andres answered, “Two.”


    Zeke murmured, “Ah, is that why you''re so weak? Because you sacrificed two drops of Soul Bloods?”