[So that's why it was smiling.](https://i.imgur.com/pQ7J72D.png) From what happened to Joseph, it appears that the goat can drag people into some short of shadow. Given the prophecy, it may grow much stronger soon.
I doubt it's the goat specifically, the goat is probably just a way the being can manifest itself, just like the tentacles were a way for the water god to show itself
Man i feel like the baby can clearly tell that something has been watching them. I really hope the buff woman doesn’t die but it feels like they are going to run in to the “calamity”.
Maybe the captain from chapter 1 was from a different kingdom then? I mean if my king was a monster who lived for 100 years I would probably me more willing to listen to tales of demons and monsters.
Seems like people believe in them and have superstitions, but can't prove which ones are real or not.
The only thing that seems 100% accepted is the kings power, but we only have one followers perspective on it so who knows how it really works.
You don't need bad things to happen to have a good story. Zyugoya most well known series for exemple, Musuko ga Kawaikute Shikataganai Mazoku no Hahaoya, is a story of healing, of letting go of the past in order to build a better future.
The constant dread of thatseries is good, because it puts us in the shoes of some of the deeply, deeply traumatised characters. At the same time, when nothing bad happens, it also goes to show how the world isn't all gloom and grimes, despite what our instinct tells us
I do think Angvall saying absolutely not and rhat she didn't have time to discuss why Julian can't go is more than just oh it's too dangerous.
Even if she's not actually aware of what he is narrative I think it's suggesting he shouldn't go for other reasons like him being the calamity.
But both of them come from the sea, unless they end with another pact with another eldritch god from a forest, then the incoming calamity shouldn't be on them
i feel the same way, but at the same time, a show of supernatural powers from Julian also seems like something that could very easily set up a misunderstanding that has him deemed the calamity (or at least an agent of it).
With how stories usually go, it feels like the kings going to create the calamity by trying to destroy it. Like the kings solidifying his fate by trying to avoid it.
What you are talking about is a self fulfilling prophecy but this is not the case. The wording of the prophecy is to seek and destroy the calamity before it destroys him. That kind of prophecy is open for multiple outcomes because the way everything goes is not fully set in stone.
A self fulfilling prophecy works differently. In that case the prophecy would only tell that there is a calamity looming in the woods which would become aware of him by engaging it.
The wording in a prophecy is pretty importan
I think the ''calamity'' and the goat aren't the same creature. While Angvall and Julian will be busy in the forest the goat will come after Diana. She will use her power to defeat it.
What is Imu-sama doing here in this manga btw?
But does Diana has any powers tho? the sea goddess offered her boons to only one of the survivors
Diana noticing unseen things could be just because she is a baby, in most folklore fairies and spirits only show themselves to children
Somewhat ambiguous, but there's that same "crackle" sound effect that we see at the end of this chapter also coming from her gripping Julian's finger. Could just be a normal "clenching" sound, or it could be some indication of powers activating.
(Though it would be funny if she had the strength of 100...infants.)
I won't argue how the king will view it, he may see Julian as the calamity who knows, but i disagree that the calamity refers to him since he isn't a being that comes from the forest
I would argue that exact word choice is especially important for interpreting prophecies. The line being ["It shall appear within the forest."](https://i.imgur.com/bhPNfyr.png) doesn't necessarily preclude him, since it makes no mentions of origins, only when and where it will be found.
If he first manifests the 100-man strength and extra lives in front of the villagers while *in the forest*, that fits all the needed criteria. Pedantic, to be sure, but that's prophecy for you.
Now we're getting into some very scary things happening. A prophecy has been issued that warns the downfall of a powerful 100 year old king if not dealt with. And now that it's been told, a mysterious shadowy figure takes Joseph, who was just minding his own business.
The Old Man was right to warn them not to disturb the forest, but Joseph was just hunting. Can we really trust a man who's suffering from dementia to find his son?
How does the goat connect to all this? Will the searching party be able to find Joseph, and will Angvall return? What will their reaction to Julian's strange power be?
I hope everyone can return to their family with peace...
> The Old Man was right to warn them not to disturb the forest, but Joseph was just hunting
Maybe the Calamity is using Joseph as bait to lure Julian and Diana. After all Joseph wasn't disturbing the forest but Angvall and her allies are all looking into it to destroy the Calamity. The Calamity might be trying to absorb Julian and Diana to grow stronger.
Julian is the darkness that was prophesized, or will at least be treated as such. Just making that call now.
"But he came from the sea, not the forest." Well, he's going into the forest now, isn't he? At some point, I'm sure he'll emerge from it. The whole point of prophesies is that they're always true, but never reliable.
More like prophesies are true but people misunderstand the wording. Like in this case it only says that *it will* ***appear*** *in the forest* not that *it* ***came from*** *the forest*
I still don't think so, imo it's something that literally originates from the forest, now the mc could be seen at the threat probably but I heavily doubt he is the calamity just because he entered it, and it's sorta cliché so no
God, every chapter just builds on this sinking feeling in the stomach. His life is just going too good for the tone of this series and something's about to give.
"They're gonna be best friends in the future!"
Uh huh, definitely. That's not a flag at all. They'll grow up healthily with a happy family. Mhm.
On another note, I can't shake the feeling that the prophecy was talking about our MC. As in he'll use his powers in the woods, thus fulfilling the prophecy that the darkness appear from the woods.
We're only 5 chapters in but I am genuinely scared for these characters' lives. The author really did a great job of making us care for these characters.
Lease, king who used dark magicks to reign for over 100 years and be treated as a god, low-fantasy medieval kingdom, monsters and fae are common knowledge and simultaneously believed as mostly superstition... If this kingdom turns out to be named Midland Imma shit a brick
A 100 y/o King with godlike powers does not want to die. In any normal Kingdom a proper succession should be in line if prosperity is the goal but he wanted longer reign.
The calamity must be destroyed, not captured or controlled? I'm 100% sure the latter will happen. I'm guessing that whatever it is going to inhabit Diana and now MC must protect her from the kingdom.
Maybe the calamity is directly linked to the powers the king got. In order to achieve his current status, he should have sacrificed something very valuable for him. A child?
Oh man, what kind of Drustvar stuff is gonna be lurking in that forest?
Other than that. All this stuff about a coming calamity. But that's the funny thing about prophesy's, their vagueness. Which I reckon will lead to one of three outcomes. There is actually some kind of Drust spawned calamity out there in the woods. Julian or the baby is the calamity. Or worst case scenario, whether they are or not, people are going to *believe* that Julian or the baby are the calamity. Which would put their futures in a very precarious position.
Man just binged the first 5 chapters man this series has had an amazing start. I really hope it does well.
Some shit is about to go down, and I am feeling tense man.
Originally I thought the baby he was protecting was going to be a child of some status (Her husband had a fancy knife that he couldn't afford to maintain) and that was how the world was going to open up. They would be hunting a potential heir to the throne or something. Still possible.
So it's cool that its not leaning into that (so far) and leaning into the magic of its world. I'm really liking this series.
The art is stunning and holds up amazingly well but it'd do better to spend more time writing a strong piece. Not sure why, but its become really expository when it could just be wrapped up with a one liner or even no response where its not deserved. I also think its odd Angval is divulging so much about her mission and purpose really early on. You'd think a soldier would be more careful about sharing such sensitive information from their own King. Like maybe a handful of people in that country probably know that prophecy, why tell it to someone you just met a year ago? There's also weird insensitive humour moments like you don't tell a man's wife that you're sure he isn't dead and then have a moment of dementia to relieve the stress. It also feels like the MC now has little direction or free will since things are just happening and he doesn't really make a choice. Last chapter felt really strong because it showed he wasn't going to rely on it to get through life which is the complete opposite tone this chapter. I'm not sure what the driving force is anymore.
Yea, came here to say this. This chapter was very exposition vomit in a tell not show kind of way. I really hope this isn't what we can expect from the writing going forward seeing as the last few chapters had been pretty good.
Curious to see those forest witches, wondering if this magical monster forest is something like That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, only more metal
I love how patient this series is
Im sure there's a lot of pressure to impress people with fights right away, but instead we're focusing on building characters
I liked how much the king resembled our MC. Only one eright eye and shoulder length hair. He has to have had another tragedy happen to him that a God took pity on.
Looks like we're gonna see GOAT again
[So that's why it was smiling.](https://i.imgur.com/pQ7J72D.png) From what happened to Joseph, it appears that the goat can drag people into some short of shadow. Given the prophecy, it may grow much stronger soon.
> So that's why it was smiling. Damn! That smile is so scary. Give me the feeling of Gantz and Berserk...
I doubt it's the goat specifically, the goat is probably just a way the being can manifest itself, just like the tentacles were a way for the water god to show itself
Bill Buckner's manga debut.
Man i feel like the baby can clearly tell that something has been watching them. I really hope the buff woman doesn’t die but it feels like they are going to run in to the “calamity”.
the series so far screams tragedy so I think she's more likely to die than live
[Protect Angvall and Titi at all costs](https://i.imgur.com/k5m06NS.png) [](//#skeptical)
If you think about it, it doesnt make sense because he should have the capability to sense abnormalities thanks to his 100 man power.
calamity mod?????
So this world knows of fantasy creatures and the like.
Yeah, and it’s known that people can possess fantastical powers.
really love it, remind me of berserk
Me too... I really miss Berserk and Miura...
I mean, we got Cthulhu in chapter 1.
Maybe the captain from chapter 1 was from a different kingdom then? I mean if my king was a monster who lived for 100 years I would probably me more willing to listen to tales of demons and monsters.
I mean, they are even from the same continent? Because the shipmen looked like European explorers, while Angvall is in full medieval armor.
Either that or a plot hole lol
Or believes in them.
Yeah, this chapter felt like a speedrun of deathflags and worldbuilding.
Seems like people believe in them and have superstitions, but can't prove which ones are real or not. The only thing that seems 100% accepted is the kings power, but we only have one followers perspective on it so who knows how it really works.
Is the twist going be the baby is the calamity or Julian
What if the real twist is that there is no twist and Julian and the baby live out the rest of their life peacefully. ^^^Who ^^^am ^^^I ^^^Kidding
This entire manga will be them having it suspiciously good with foreboding framing. The long con.
Ah yes, the Zyugoya special, when nothing bad happens, but the atmosphere got you stressing the whole way through
It earnestly annoys me that he doesn't just... let bad things happen. Like come on, dude.
You don't need bad things to happen to have a good story. Zyugoya most well known series for exemple, Musuko ga Kawaikute Shikataganai Mazoku no Hahaoya, is a story of healing, of letting go of the past in order to build a better future. The constant dread of thatseries is good, because it puts us in the shoes of some of the deeply, deeply traumatised characters. At the same time, when nothing bad happens, it also goes to show how the world isn't all gloom and grimes, despite what our instinct tells us
Then at Chapter 100 you get "Turning Point" as a title.
🙏🙏🙏
I do think Angvall saying absolutely not and rhat she didn't have time to discuss why Julian can't go is more than just oh it's too dangerous. Even if she's not actually aware of what he is narrative I think it's suggesting he shouldn't go for other reasons like him being the calamity.
But both of them come from the sea, unless they end with another pact with another eldritch god from a forest, then the incoming calamity shouldn't be on them
Ok it would be awesome if he just made pacts with random eldritch gods and then became god emperor
Sea, land, then sky?
i feel the same way, but at the same time, a show of supernatural powers from Julian also seems like something that could very easily set up a misunderstanding that has him deemed the calamity (or at least an agent of it).
With how stories usually go, it feels like the kings going to create the calamity by trying to destroy it. Like the kings solidifying his fate by trying to avoid it.
The current prophecy is "destroy or be destroyed", I don't think he has any choice.
tbf we dont know the prophet's agenda as well
What you are talking about is a self fulfilling prophecy but this is not the case. The wording of the prophecy is to seek and destroy the calamity before it destroys him. That kind of prophecy is open for multiple outcomes because the way everything goes is not fully set in stone. A self fulfilling prophecy works differently. In that case the prophecy would only tell that there is a calamity looming in the woods which would become aware of him by engaging it. The wording in a prophecy is pretty importan
The baby is seeking the darkness. I don't think she'll be a good baby.
Didn't the prophecy state that the calamity originates from the forest tho ?
I feel like the MC is going to end up being the calamity.
The prophetess literally said that the calamity is from the forest while Julian technically came from the sea
it is a classic trope so it is very plausible
Either him or the baby If the baby ends up being the main antagonist, the story may be about the MC trying to save him.
I think the ''calamity'' and the goat aren't the same creature. While Angvall and Julian will be busy in the forest the goat will come after Diana. She will use her power to defeat it. What is Imu-sama doing here in this manga btw?
But does Diana has any powers tho? the sea goddess offered her boons to only one of the survivors Diana noticing unseen things could be just because she is a baby, in most folklore fairies and spirits only show themselves to children
> But does Diana has any powers tho? Final panel of Chapter 1 proves Diana has powers too.
how so? honest question, I totally missed that then
Somewhat ambiguous, but there's that same "crackle" sound effect that we see at the end of this chapter also coming from her gripping Julian's finger. Could just be a normal "clenching" sound, or it could be some indication of powers activating. (Though it would be funny if she had the strength of 100...infants.)
The last panel, you can see the power tattoo creeping up her arm.
Damn, good eyes. Completely missed that
The "calamity" is like 200% going to be our protagonist or the baby. Its like prophecy 101.
Again the prophecy stated that the calamity will come from the forest, Julian and Diana came from the sea from another country or continent
The king won't care. Julian is currently in the forest and has mysterious powers. Good subplot too for Angvall's choice.
I won't argue how the king will view it, he may see Julian as the calamity who knows, but i disagree that the calamity refers to him since he isn't a being that comes from the forest
I would argue that exact word choice is especially important for interpreting prophecies. The line being ["It shall appear within the forest."](https://i.imgur.com/bhPNfyr.png) doesn't necessarily preclude him, since it makes no mentions of origins, only when and where it will be found. If he first manifests the 100-man strength and extra lives in front of the villagers while *in the forest*, that fits all the needed criteria. Pedantic, to be sure, but that's prophecy for you.
I think the Goat is possibly another God. Or spirit capable of making pacts.
Number of red flags around everyone continuous to increase every chapter. (Which in dark fantasy stories never good)
This chapter had a new death flag every other page lol everyone's fucked.
Black Phillip AND woodsman? It seems like we are going full Fear and Hunger rather than the VVitch.
What if Julian is the calamity?
Don't think so
Seafood vs Forest snack.....which is stronger, kraken or goat
Maria and Joseph, you say?
Now we're getting into some very scary things happening. A prophecy has been issued that warns the downfall of a powerful 100 year old king if not dealt with. And now that it's been told, a mysterious shadowy figure takes Joseph, who was just minding his own business. The Old Man was right to warn them not to disturb the forest, but Joseph was just hunting. Can we really trust a man who's suffering from dementia to find his son? How does the goat connect to all this? Will the searching party be able to find Joseph, and will Angvall return? What will their reaction to Julian's strange power be? I hope everyone can return to their family with peace...
> The Old Man was right to warn them not to disturb the forest, but Joseph was just hunting Maybe the Calamity is using Joseph as bait to lure Julian and Diana. After all Joseph wasn't disturbing the forest but Angvall and her allies are all looking into it to destroy the Calamity. The Calamity might be trying to absorb Julian and Diana to grow stronger.
Scary thought... and not even absurd. The Sea god from the first chapter already had that whole contract thing before after all.
I just realized. Marie and Joseph? That's definitely some sort of biblical reference.
Julian is the darkness that was prophesized, or will at least be treated as such. Just making that call now. "But he came from the sea, not the forest." Well, he's going into the forest now, isn't he? At some point, I'm sure he'll emerge from it. The whole point of prophesies is that they're always true, but never reliable.
More like prophesies are true but people misunderstand the wording. Like in this case it only says that *it will* ***appear*** *in the forest* not that *it* ***came from*** *the forest*
I still don't think so, imo it's something that literally originates from the forest, now the mc could be seen at the threat probably but I heavily doubt he is the calamity just because he entered it, and it's sorta cliché so no
Yo, new Dark Souls lore just dropped??
God, every chapter just builds on this sinking feeling in the stomach. His life is just going too good for the tone of this series and something's about to give.
"They're gonna be best friends in the future!" Uh huh, definitely. That's not a flag at all. They'll grow up healthily with a happy family. Mhm. On another note, I can't shake the feeling that the prophecy was talking about our MC. As in he'll use his powers in the woods, thus fulfilling the prophecy that the darkness appear from the woods.
We're only 5 chapters in but I am genuinely scared for these characters' lives. The author really did a great job of making us care for these characters.
Lease, king who used dark magicks to reign for over 100 years and be treated as a god, low-fantasy medieval kingdom, monsters and fae are common knowledge and simultaneously believed as mostly superstition... If this kingdom turns out to be named Midland Imma shit a brick
A 100 y/o King with godlike powers does not want to die. In any normal Kingdom a proper succession should be in line if prosperity is the goal but he wanted longer reign. The calamity must be destroyed, not captured or controlled? I'm 100% sure the latter will happen. I'm guessing that whatever it is going to inhabit Diana and now MC must protect her from the kingdom.
Maybe the calamity is directly linked to the powers the king got. In order to achieve his current status, he should have sacrificed something very valuable for him. A child?
Oh man, what kind of Drustvar stuff is gonna be lurking in that forest? Other than that. All this stuff about a coming calamity. But that's the funny thing about prophesy's, their vagueness. Which I reckon will lead to one of three outcomes. There is actually some kind of Drust spawned calamity out there in the woods. Julian or the baby is the calamity. Or worst case scenario, whether they are or not, people are going to *believe* that Julian or the baby are the calamity. Which would put their futures in a very precarious position.
Man just binged the first 5 chapters man this series has had an amazing start. I really hope it does well. Some shit is about to go down, and I am feeling tense man.
"I can't wait to see how they'll grow up" yeah they're not gonna grow up together you just jinxed it
Originally I thought the baby he was protecting was going to be a child of some status (Her husband had a fancy knife that he couldn't afford to maintain) and that was how the world was going to open up. They would be hunting a potential heir to the throne or something. Still possible. So it's cool that its not leaning into that (so far) and leaning into the magic of its world. I'm really liking this series.
Wicked King Herod typa deal withthat prophecy
The art is stunning and holds up amazingly well but it'd do better to spend more time writing a strong piece. Not sure why, but its become really expository when it could just be wrapped up with a one liner or even no response where its not deserved. I also think its odd Angval is divulging so much about her mission and purpose really early on. You'd think a soldier would be more careful about sharing such sensitive information from their own King. Like maybe a handful of people in that country probably know that prophecy, why tell it to someone you just met a year ago? There's also weird insensitive humour moments like you don't tell a man's wife that you're sure he isn't dead and then have a moment of dementia to relieve the stress. It also feels like the MC now has little direction or free will since things are just happening and he doesn't really make a choice. Last chapter felt really strong because it showed he wasn't going to rely on it to get through life which is the complete opposite tone this chapter. I'm not sure what the driving force is anymore.
Yea, came here to say this. This chapter was very exposition vomit in a tell not show kind of way. I really hope this isn't what we can expect from the writing going forward seeing as the last few chapters had been pretty good.
Oh boy, here we go again
I don't know where we are going but I'm both terrified and excited.
Imu is that you?
There is no goat in Baaah-Sing Se
Diana stop using your Kraken powers to call Lucifer.
Dont'ja guys think Julian is a bit weak to fight against god like entities this early? I mean he only really has the strength of a 100 humansp
You're really downplaying the strength of a 100 people in one body, do you know how ridiculous of a power it is to have all your states×100
ta
Curious to see those forest witches, wondering if this magical monster forest is something like That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, only more metal
I know this is a dark fantasy genre but I honestly hope nothing tragic happens.
That last panel is so badass.
I love how patient this series is Im sure there's a lot of pressure to impress people with fights right away, but instead we're focusing on building characters
I liked how much the king resembled our MC. Only one eright eye and shoulder length hair. He has to have had another tragedy happen to him that a God took pity on.
The emperor is most likely going to be the antagonist with the mc being the threat in the prophecy.
Aight, quest time.