Surviving in the Forest (4)

Flash- flash-

“Hoo….”

Exactly ten hunters had entered the forest.

If they’d all stuck together, that would’ve been one thing. But apparently they were roaming solo in hopes of pocketing my bounty… or my slave-sale proceeds…? Whatever the hell it was.

“They still haven’t noticed….”

I muttered as I watched the blinking red dots on Real-Time Mapping.

Six left.

[04:26:33]

It had been thirty minutes since the event started, so if things went on like this, I’d probably be able to handle them all. They were spreading out more and more as time went by, which was a little worrying, but maybe it’d work out somehow.

……It’s not like I particularly have to take them out.

“T-there… that thing….”

“Oh, you can see this?”

“Y-yes…!!”

The elf hunter I’d just caught swallowed hard and looked up at me, trussed up tightly to a tree with rope.

So NPCs can see the phone too…

I hadn’t really thought about it, but this was the first time someone else had mentioned it first. The NPCs on the 50th floor of the Z Tower had probably seen it too, but maybe because of my inspector status, no one had ever brought it up.

“……! I-I can’t see it! I don’t see anything!!”

“Cut the crap. Can you see what I’m looking at too?”

He quickly changed his tune, clearly deciding it was something he wasn’t supposed to see, and I snorted.

“Uh, n-no….”

“This?”

“I can’t see it.”

“What about this one?”

Nod, nod.

Of course he couldn’t see Real-Time Mapping, or the search results in the wiki, or Starpang. All he seemed able to tell was that I was holding something suspicious.

“What about this?”

“Hieeek!!”

“What kind of hunter freaks out over something like this?”

Just to be safe, I showed him an old ghost photo I’d taken back in the Peak Tower ages ago.

The moment he saw the picture still sitting in my gallery, he jerked back in horror, and I let out a dry laugh.

“T-that person….”

“My older sister.”

“But she isn’t an elf….”

“You fucking racist—do you not know what PC sensitivity is?!”

“S-sorry…!”

I watched him hurriedly lower his gaze, then checked my phone again.

Come to think of it, that ghost can see me through the camera too.

She was looking straight at the version of me reflected on the phone screen, through the camera app.

Does that mean only the parts of my abilities gained through Irregular can’t be seen?

The basic abilities the tower originally gave me were fine, but… the ones I obtained through Irregular couldn’t be shared?

Make a note of that for now.

It wasn’t easy to test against NPCs, and it wasn’t like I had the luxury of carefully verifying it right then, so I decided to put it off.

Flash- flash-

“Ah, one of them should be coming soon. You need to act well, okay?”

“Y-yes, sir!! Leave it to me, big brother…!!”

“Good. You want to live too, right? If you betray me, I don’t care about the others, but you die for sure.”

“How could I ever betray you, sir…!!”

Once again, I checked Real-Time Mapping. One red dot was heading this way.

Soon he’d find the guy tied up here, so I slipped into the trees and hid myself like a proper elf.

A somewhat red elf, sure.

High-level tracking? Traps? I’ve got the advantage here.

Tracking? I just click the wiki and it’s over.

Traps? Your own teammate already sold you out, didn’t he?

It’d be a pain to keep killing them nonstop, so it was smart of me to gather intel from one of the hunters I’d found at a decent spot.

Tap-tap, tap-tap.

“Hey, Slot!! What the hell are you doing there?!”

“A-ah…! You came to save me, Fisher…!”

After I waited in hiding for a moment, the newly arrived hunter rushed over to the one tied up against the tree.

They chatted while untying the rope. When asked who’d done this, he said he’d been knocked out and didn’t know.

Beautiful.

I’d been ready to subdue him with magic the instant he reached for a flare, but thankfully it didn’t look like I’d need to.

And then, just as the rope came loose and the bound hunter regained his freedom—

Thwunk.

“Slot…?”

“Shit… sorry. I, I want to live too…!”

Thud.

“E-elf sir! Did you see that?! I did exactly what you told me to do!!”

The newly arrived hunter dropped at an utterly impossible betrayal.

After finishing him off just in case and shouting while scanning the surroundings like a madman, I laughed under my breath and stepped out of hiding again.

“What are you doing? Sit at the base of the tree and wait.”

“Yes, sir!”

So among illegal human traffickers, there really isn’t any such thing as loyalty.

He’d said he’d do anything if I just let him live, so I made him prove it.

And, well… he really would do anything.

Watching him smile stiffly while his blood-smeared hands trembled, I somehow felt like I’d become the villain.

……These guys are the bad ones, right?

Something about this… something about it felt weird.

* * * * *

[04:46:32]

Crack—!

“So, this forest has a lot of especially dangerous bastards in it, which is why people don’t usually come here, but some information broker sold my info, huh?”

“Haah, that’s right, big brother?”

I let out a dry laugh at the hunter, who was talking as he was tied up with rope again as if it were second nature.

Big brother? Who are you calling big brother?

Anyone could see you looked at least ten years older than me.

What, was he assuming I was older because I was a high elf?

“This forest already has a terrible reputation. It’s full of strong monsters, and a few years ago, some guy called the Lord of the Forest suddenly showed up.”

“So that bastard took over the forest, and the rest of the strong ones hid in caves?”

“Yes. That’s why once you enter the forest, there’s nowhere for people to hide. Unless you’re a mage like you, big brother… or maybe a swordsman? No, actually, even that would be tough.”

Maybe that was why no especially strong monsters or beasts had shown up during the first event.

They’d hidden in caves, he’d said, so maybe even if they’d caught my pheromones, they’d still have been scared off by the Lord of the Forest.

The one covered in scars is probably that lord.

The final event would definitely be tied to that guy.

Whether I ended up taking him down or running away.

“……And you people wanted to wander around this forest alone?”

“What’s scarier than money?”

Fair point.

They were a race that would kill even someone they knew for a single coin, so that made enough sense.

Fucking humans.

Maybe because I was playing an elf, I could feel the disgust building up.

It definitely wasn’t because this was reminding me of my childhood.

Swish—

“Looks like they’re not coming this way anymore.”

“You mean those hunters?”

“They’re your teammates.”

“My only teammate is you, big brother!”

“Crazy bastard….”

If he meant it, then his adaptability was absurdly good. If he was acting, then he had incredible situational awareness.

Either way, it didn’t matter much to me.

“Is that thing telling you where they are?”

“It’s a magic tool.”

“A magic tool… something that precious…? As expected of you, big brother…!”

“……”

Seriously, having someone in the next seat over buttering you up like that was annoyingly pleasant.

Even though I knew he was only struggling to stay alive, my mouth kept tugging upward anyway.

At this rate, this’ll end without any trouble.

I had no intention of dragging over hunters from far away just to knock them down.

It wasn’t even that I thought I’d lose in a fight; it was more like, really? Why would I bother?

“Hey.”

“Yes, big brother.”

“Tell me something interesting.”

“Then, big brother──”

* * * * *

[03:30:00]

BOOM-!!

“That’s the retreat signal, big brother!”

“Go.”

“But… how can I leave you here…!”

“Quit the bullshit.”

“Yes, sir.”

He seemed genuinely moved, as though he hadn’t expected me to really let him go, and I let out another laugh.

He was likeable right up to the end.

Honestly, I wasn’t entirely free of worry that he might suddenly betray me or come back with the rest of his team… but.

If you do, I’ll let you get me once, special exception.

There were only three hunters left, including this one.

And I had a feeling that once the event ended, hunters wouldn’t be running around this forest anymore anyway.

“Stay safe, big brother!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

He bowed so low it was almost ridiculous, then ran off without once looking back.

He’d called me big brother the whole time, but he’d still been scared stiff, hadn’t he? If I’d spent an hour showering him with praise, the least I could do was let him live. That was basic human decency.

……I really should wash up soon.

After coating myself in blood for hours on end, the reek of it was practically radiating off me.

* * * * *

“Haah… I really should’ve eaten some human meat or something.”

[03:02:12]

Two minutes until the wiki’s new event alert.

The sky, which had been blazing bright just a short while ago, was now stained with evening twilight.

I’d eaten a solid meal before entering the tower, but after this much time, I really couldn’t keep my hunger in check anymore.

I should’ve asked that guy if he had anything to eat.

Back then I’d been so focused on the map that I hadn’t been able to pay attention to anything else.

Trickle, trickle—

I’d come to the water’s edge thinking I might catch a fish or something and eat it, but I had no way to make a fire.

I’d considered rubbing sticks together to start one, but there was no way I actually remembered how to do that in detail. I spent maybe three minutes trying, and it was just hopeless. I wasn’t even sure I was doing it right.

It was the same with monsters or beasts.

If I couldn’t light a fire, I couldn’t eat them. And eating them raw set off every modern instinct in my body like an alarm bell.

Shit, I should’ve learned fire magic.

No matter what happened next, I was learning fire magic.

[03:00:36]

Swish.

Thirty seconds until the next event announcement.

I glanced at the wiki for a moment, then checked my current condition.

The sword was fine. It was still sharp, as if to say I hadn’t wasted that absurd amount of money on it for nothing.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

The shield was a little beat up, but it was still usable for blocking attacks in a pinch.

Fifteen low-grade mana stones, one mid-grade mana stone.

I’d used roughly eight low-grade mana stones over the past seven hours.

Less than I’d expected. I’d been in this forest for a long time, but thankfully the fights hadn’t been all that dramatic.

This should be enough to last until the final event.

Beep-!

The instant the time limit hit three hours, the wiki’s alert rang out.

“……Is this a battle royale?”

This was exactly that thing, wasn’t it.

The one where the ring keeps shrinking until everyone has no choice but to fight.

……

The fact that the forest’s life forms went berserk was probably just a side element.

What this third event was really saying was painfully obvious.

It means the final event will build a stage just for me.

I didn’t know how much the circle would shrink.

The forest was so vast and sprawling that I just had to trust it wouldn’t get too small.

Survive

[02:58:56]

After all, the tower’s clear condition was simply to survive.

Even if, at the end, it became a one-on-one stage between me and that bear, it would all be over if I ran until the very end.

In that case, those hunters won’t be coming in here again either.

I’d been wondering whether they might show up again with their teammates, but it seemed like I could stop worrying about that too.

Swish.

It’d be better to move early and get a position.

I checked my location through Real-Time Mapping.

A little west of the forest’s center.

It was deep enough that I almost doubted the area would shrink this far, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling that I should prepare for it just in case.

It’d be better than getting caught later and forced into a fight while running away with other monsters and beasts.

Caw! Caw-!!

“……”

Crows were circling over the sunset, which had turned red as blood.

Maybe they sensed something, because their cries as if foretelling calamity made the unease inside me swell for no reason.

It’ll work out somehow.

The mapping the wiki gave me marked the positions of all the monsters.

I couldn’t tell exactly which individual was which, but if I just confirmed the one called the Lord of the Forest during the final event, I’d be able to mark him easily enough.

As long as I could run while looking at my phone, it didn’t matter if the forest shrank a bit.

“Where would be best for running away easily….”

With that, I prepared for the final event and slowly moved while checking the map.

* * * * *

Whoooooosh-!

“……So this really is the End of Days Flame.”

I let out a dry laugh at the wall of fire blazing in the distance.

Flames shot up to the sky as if they were determined never to let anything out.

I’d confirmed the forest was burning through mapping, but seeing it with my own eyes made it feel like something on a completely different scale.

Caw! Caw-!!

It was like a wall so high even birds couldn’t escape the forest.

I came here because it was hard to tell from mapping alone.

Looking at that scene from atop the cliff, I felt some of my strength drain away.

Could fire that intense even be put out?

It was supposed to shrink the survivable range, but didn’t this feel more like it was making survival impossible altogether?

It might shrink even more than I expected.

I’d figured at least thirty percent of the area would remain, but now it looked like even twenty percent might be enough.

[01:48:33]

That’ll keep burning for another fifty minutes….

Hot wind tore through the forest.

The choking smoke was already reaching all the way to the center.

Should I go to the water and soak my clothes first?

Maybe I should tear some fabric off and make a makeshift mask.

Swish.

I checked my current location and the nearby water’s position.

It was a place I could reach in about five minutes, and with the thought that the water I was about to drink might be my last, I hurried my steps.

* * * * *

BOOM-!!

“Kwoooaaarrrrrr──!!”

……This must be the Lord of the Forest.

Right after I tore up a bit of my clothes by the water and made a crude temporary mask, the ground trembled and a scream that felt ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like it could tear my ears apart rang out.

Maybe all the living things gathering toward the center had irritated something.

Even though Real-Time Mapping showed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠there was nothing nearby, my mouth had gone completely dry with tension.

Fwoosh….

Can the fire calm the hell down already…!

I was starting to get scared.

What if this really did just burn everything down until only one wrestling ring was left?

Thinking of the bear I’d seen a few hours earlier made my heart hammer harder.

How much had it fought for its entire body to be covered in scars like that?

Not even mafia or yakuza would have scars like that. Just how ferocious had its temperament been──

“KRAAAAAAAHHH──!!!”

“Shit….”

And there was a chance I’d have to deal with a bastard making sounds like that….

I was glad I’d saved quite a few mana stones. I’d have to use the terrain somehow and make it work.

First I should move to that hideout I spotted earlier….

I started searching the map for a route when—

Flash- flash- flash-

“……?”

I frowned at the beast barreling toward me at breakneck speed.

It wasn’t just fast. It felt like something was sprinting in a dead straight line through a forest packed with trees that looked like they’d stood for dozens or even hundreds of years.

I thought maybe a bird was flying at me, but when I looked up at the sky, there was nothing there.

Grip.

“Damn it….”

I shoved my phone away carelessly and tightened my grip on my sword.

Ready to throw a mana stone at any moment, I waited for the living thing racing toward me.

At that earlier speed, it should appear any second now. Please, just don’t let it be the Lord of the Forest.

For a moment longer, I thought that—and then—

Crack-!

Crrrraack──!!

“Wait…!!”

I widened my eyes as thick trees toppled like chopsticks.

More precisely, some massive lump was flying this way while knocking over the trees.

Flash-!

There’s no way I can parry that, wiki!!

With red light filling my entire field of vision, I twisted my body and sprinted to the side.

Thinking only of avoiding a direct hit, I grit my teeth, ran like a lunatic, and threw myself forward.

BOOOOM-!!

“Hah… hah….”

I’d barely dodged it.

The flying mass slammed into the ground and kicked up a huge cloud of dirt.

“What on earth──”

I squinted, trying to figure out what had been sent flying like that.

Then, as the pale dust cleared, the thing standing there made my mouth fall open.

“The Lord of the Forest…?”

That enormous, scar-covered bear.

The bear was dead.

It was covered in blood from what looked like a fight it had just been in. I stared dumbly at the body, motionless and smashed into the ground, for a moment—

BOOOOOOM-!!

“Kwoooaaarrrrrr──!!!!”

The whole forest shook with a deep roar, and I slowly turned my head.

That bear wasn’t the Lord of the Forest…?

Just what the hell ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was the final event planning to throw at me?

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