Kalbein's Forest
After roughly two weeks of nothing but riding a carriage from dawn till dusk, we finally reached our destination: Kalbein's Forest.
The carriage came to a halt right at the forest's edge. Dense jungle terrain of tightly packed trees made it impossible to enter by carriage.
"Whoa..."
I stared at the forest, mouth hanging open in a daze.
Unlike the snow-covered regions elsewhere, Kalbein's Forest radiated a considerable heat. It felt as if I were standing under the blazing midsummer sun with my whole body.
The other adventurers seemed to be seeing this forest for the first time as well. Everyone marveled at the contrast between the cold regions and this scorching forest.
Kik-kik-kik-!
At that moment, a strange cry echoed from deep within the woods. True to a forest that formed a hot tropical climate, the monsters inside appeared quite active—a stark contrast to the cold winter outside.
Luna confirmed that the adventurers were ready to depart, then jumped down from the carriage.
I tilted my head at the horses left behind. We would need those horses to return—were we just abandoning them like this? But contrary to my worries, they had assigned someone to guard them. One of the five swordsmen began setting up a campsite beside the carriage.
"Alright! Shall we go?"
Luna started walking ahead as if she knew exactly where the path was. What would first-time adventurers like us know about this place? We simply followed her blindly.
Unlike the cool breeze at the forest entrance, the moment we stepped inside, a stifling heat enveloped our entire bodies. Just as described in the adventurer's guidebook, the ecosystem deeper in the forest was quite bizarre—trees and plants of kinds never seen outside, and even insects of shapes I was seeing for the first time.
If the outskirts were like this, what kinds of creatures would appear if we went even deeper? I wiped the sweat from my brow, eyes gleaming with interest.
Hot and humid regions quickly ramp up people's stress. Even the adventurers who had been walking vigorously began to frown, their moods souring from the unpleasant environment. The group that had been clustered closely together started putting distance between themselves.
Just then, a strange buzzing sound reached my ears—giiiiii-.
Wondering what it was, I turned my head and saw an enormously huge mosquito flying around us. The long, sharp needle-like thing on its snout was twitching; it clearly hadn't approached with good intentions.
I immediately drew my sword and charged at the creature. Startled by my sudden approach, it tried to soar upward, but my movements were faster. As my legs pounded the ground in a rapid sprint, damp clumps of earth scattered in all directions. By explosively releasing the mana within my body for an instant, I leaped a good two meters into the air in one bound.
That was enough. I swung my sword with all my might—a downward slash, as if striking from above. A blue flash erupted from the blade, severing the mosquito-like creature's wings and legs. With its body sliced by the sword, it lost balance and plummeted downward. It flapped its severed wings desperately as if wanting to live, writhing about, but the other swordsmen who rushed in next stomped it flat and burst it open.
"Huh..."
What flowed from the giant mosquito's body was green bodily fluid mixed with red blood. It looked like a mosquito, and sure enough, it really was a blood-sucking mosquito. Its size was a bit larger than a goblin. If an ordinary person had started having their blood drained by this mosquito, it wouldn't have been strange for them to die right then and there.
"This is..."
Luna approached next and examined the giant mosquito's remains as she spoke.
"This is a mosquito."
"Just an ordinary mosquito?"
"Yeah, looks like the mana in this forest caused a mutation."
"Hmm..."
I nodded blankly at Luna's reply. I had tried sensing the mana the moment we entered the forest, but nothing special had registered. What part of it was so special that even this ordinary mosquito had grown such a massive body? I tilted my head and wiped the blood from my sword.
There had been a brief commotion, but we didn't stop advancing. Luna took the lead once more and started walking. The deeper we headed into the forest, the more sharply the perceived temperature rose. It went beyond hot—it felt scorching.
Unlike the adventurers dripping with sweat, the female mage Isolin didn't shed a single drop. A faint wind swirled around her body, so she was probably using mana to create a breeze. It was a method I could use too, but I couldn't maintain that state all day like her. My total mana capacity was insufficient.
"Hot? Want some water?"
"Ah, I'm fine."
I shook my head in reply to Isolin's question. Isolin, who hadn't even exchanged names with the other adventurers, was the only one among them who was friendly with me. Probably because I was the only other woman among the adventurers, she felt a sense of kinship.
Thanks to the muggy weather, the adventurers poured sweat like rain. Sweating like this naturally increased the need for water replenishment, and as a result, all the water we had brought ran out before we even reached our destination. Even mine was gone. Probably the only one in the party who still had water left was Isolin.
"Haa..."
"We can't go on like this. Let's look for water."
One of the adventurers who had been walking for a long while finally couldn't take it anymore and spoke up. He stripped off the shirt he was wearing and wrung it out like laundry, squeezing out the sweat. Judging by how much sweat poured from the twisted shirt, he had been sweating an enormous amount.
"If we keep going like this, we'll all die of dehydration."
Once the complaints started, the other adventurers nodded in agreement. Luna, who had been leading the way, wiped her sweat and nodded as well. Her water flask was just as empty.
With our destination temporarily changed, two rangers took the lead of the party. The two carefully surveyed the surroundings, then without a moment's hesitation headed simultaneously in one direction. The two rangers' skills were solid. Before long, they discovered a large lake.
But one problem remained. Near the lake, a lizard-type monster with a massive body was crawling about. The rangers in front stretched a hand back and led the adventurers into the underbrush. I too hid myself in the grass and carefully observed the lizard.
It was hard to be certain from a distance, but it looked about twenty meters long. Its skin had a yellow-and-green spotted pattern, and what was peculiar was the organ like a volcanic crater protruding from its back. From that crater-like organ, pure white smoke rose along with shimmering heat haze.
"What should we do?"
That was Luna's question. What to do. It seemed she was asking whether we should fight or look for another place. The adventurers gauged each other's reactions. Honestly speaking, I had no confidence we could win against that giant lizard. And the other adventurers seemed to feel the same. They finally sought the mage's opinion—with their eyes alone, of course.
Isolin received the full weight of the adventurers' gazes and shook her head.
"I think it'd be tough for me too... Most of the lizard-type monsters in this forest have strong magic resistance."
"No choice, then..."
At Isolin's answer, the adventurers sighed and rose from their spots. They seemed ready to set out in search of another water source besides this lake.
Just as we were about to leave—the lizard that had been lounging near the lakeshore suddenly spewed pure white smoke furiously from its crater-like organ, then charged off toward the depths of the forest.
"This..."
Someone started to speak, and at the same time the adventurers sprinted for the lake. Aside from the giant lizard, there were no other monsters in the vicinity, so there was nothing to worry about. Whether this water was safe for humans to drink was a question for later. The adventurers filled every water flask they had brought with lake water.
While they were busily scooping water like that—I noticed strange ripples spreading across the lake's surface.
Thud-! Thud-! Thud-!
And a massive vibration reached us. I wasn't the only one who felt that vibration and rumble; the other adventurers also froze and stared across the forest.
"What the hell..."
Before one adventurer's curse could even finish—the forest on the opposite side exploded outward as if shattered, and the giant lizard revealed itself.
As that enormous cry spread through the whole forest, giant birds took flight into the sky. Should we fight? I rested a hand on my sword hilt and checked the state of the adventurers. They had collapsed to the ground as if the strength had drained from their legs. No—none of them were in any condition to fight.
I shouted at the adventurers and hauled up Luna, who was still sitting there.
"Everyone, snap out of it!"
Right now the only ones still standing properly in the party were me and the mage Isolin. I slapped the cheek of a nearby adventurer hard and shouted once more.
"Move!"
Apparently my voice had gotten on the creature's nerves. The party finally scrambled to their feet and began running in a panic.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
We ran with everything we had, gasping out ragged breaths. Even so, the distance between us and the giant lizard refused to widen. After we had been running for quite a while, one of the rangers leading the charge shouted as if screaming.
"Th-this way! Run this way!"
There was no leader guiding the party in this situation. Everyone simply followed the ranger's voice and bolted in one direction. There was a cave with a narrow passage there; it seemed they meant to hide inside it.
"Get in!"
The rangers who had been running at the very front threw themselves into it. Next came me and the swordsmen, sliding in one after another. The last to enter were the priest and the mage Isolin.
And right after that, the giant lizard thrust its head toward the narrow hole.
Rumble!
The cave shook as if it might collapse. The entrance crumbled, and the creature's snout stretched forward. But that was all it could do. Its massive body simply could not pass through the narrow passage.
The giant lizard stared regretfully at us hiding inside the cave, then circled in front of it for a long while before finally turning and leaving.
"Haa..."
Only then could the party let out a collective sigh of relief.