Chapter 78: To the Southwest (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 78: To the Southwest (2)
Tiring-
[You have defeated the Owl Bear.]
[First Kill Reward: 100 Coins]
Thud- The massive body collapsed, kicking up a cloud of dust that scattered in the wind.
I lightly conjured some magic to blow away the dust and swiped the screen floating before my eyes away.
“Good work, Hyun-woo.”
After quickly grabbing the magic stone and climbing down from the Owl Bear's corpse, Iris rushed over and wiped my face with a handkerchief.
I wasn't really sweating, but it felt nice, so I decided to quietly enjoy her touch.
[Remaining Match Time: 42:15:41]
It had already been three hours since we started crossing the Great Forest toward the southwest. The scenery remained largely the same, with the occasional monster popping out. In my mind, my assessment of the Great Forest had long since been downgraded from a famous tourist spot to the set of a survival documentary.
Ordinary, cute animals like rabbits and squirrels did appear, but most of the wildlife consisted of monsters like the Owl Bear I had just faced.
They were usually D-rank, with the occasional C-rank appearing. The more I fought them, the more I wondered just what kind of species the elves who lived in this forest were.
Were they a warrior race or something?
Iris was the one who answered that question.
“The capital's walls have a barrier that repels monsters. Other towns and villages have similar ones.”
That made sense. Even if they were a warrior race, they wouldn't live long if monsters like that attacked them day in and day out.
Even if they could handle it, some would eventually grow tired of that life and leave, making it impossible to maintain a nation.
“By the way, Hyun-woo, you're truly amazing.”
“What is?”
“Reaching the 4th Circle! In the entire world of magic, there's probably no one who has broken through to new realms as quickly as you!”
The sudden flood of praise was a little embarrassing, but it wasn't a bad feeling. I guess this is why guys smile like idiots when a pretty girl compliments them.
Even though we were walking through the middle of a forest teeming with monsters, just having Iris by my side made it feel like we were on a date at a famous spot.
Of course, our pace was nothing like the leisurely stroll of an ordinary couple.
“Shall we get going again?”
“Yes.”
I held Iris in my arms again and cast 'Haste' before running through the forest. I left the navigation entirely to her, using Magic Detection to run in a direction that would avoid as many monsters as possible.
The trees were so dense that running wasn't easy, but we had no choice. If we didn't do this, it would be impossible to reach Wavel within the remaining two days.
There were protruding tree roots and rocks perfect for tripping over, and even branches at just the right height to run into.
Compared to running through dungeons, this felt like an extreme obstacle course, but I was gradually getting used to it as time went on.
The important thing was breathing.
Instead of just brute-forcing my stamina with magic, I had to learn to control the flow from my heart, the most crucial organ, to the very tips of my extremities without missing a single spot.
Of course, that was easier said than done. It was incredibly difficult at first.
It required more concentration than usual, especially since I had to listen to Iris's magic lessons and her directions at the same time.
At times like these, I coveted the martial art Cheon Yeo-hwa used when she ran through the forest.
'I should ask her to teach me when I get back.'
I think they called it a Lightness Skill?
On Earth, learning a proper martial art was as complicated as learning magic. Due to the issue of leaking techniques, you couldn't learn their martial arts no matter how much money you had, unless you were recognized as a member of that particular sect.
And even if you did learn something, it was usually a mediocre art.
“Um, Hyun-woo? Are you listening?”
“Huh? Ah, sorry.”
I had been lost in thought and hadn't heard Iris's voice. She just shook her head at my brief apology.
“It's alright. You must be very tired from running while carrying me.”
“I keep telling you it's not like that.”
I'd heard the same thing from her several times now.
Every time, I told her that far from being heavy, it felt like I wasn't carrying anything at all, but it seemed to still bother her.
“So? What were you saying before?”
Iris pointed slightly to the right of our direction of travel.
“There are people 200 meters ahead.”
“People?”
“Yes, and they're elves.”
Magic Detection wasn't omnipotent.
As the name suggested, it was a magic that detected magic power. Detecting humans who hadn't awakened their magic or plants and animals with only faint traces of it in their bodies required a high degree of concentration.
Of course, that didn't apply to Iris, who commanded spirits.
“Elves? Are they like that scouting party we met yesterday?”
“I don't think so. Rangers mostly operate at night. Judging by the bow on their back, they're probably villagers from nearby who are out hunting.”
Surprisingly, the elves of this world were carnivorous.
When I heard Iris was a vegetarian, I assumed all elves were, like in fantasy novels. But she told me that was a trait unique to High Elves.
“...There are humans with them. Quite a few, actually.”
Hearing the slight tremble in her voice, I immediately changed direction.
I had a good idea of what she was trying to say.
As we got closer, I could also feel faint presences. I heard someone's shouts, screams, and the clash of weapons.
“You cast the perception-hindering magic, right?”
“Of course.”
I picked up speed, weaving through the densely packed trees. I also drew my sword to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances.
“-Get...!”
“-This... bitch...?!”
“-...!!”
The sounds grew louder.
Without a moment's hesitation, I pushed through the undergrowth and emerged into a decent-sized clearing, where an absurd scene met my eyes.
Five rough-looking human men and two female elves were in a standoff, weapons in hand.
No, it was hardly a standoff. Anyone could see the elves were on the defensive. One of the elven women even had an arrow sticking out of her shoulder, and the other looked very young.
Effectively, the only one on the elven side capable of fighting was the woman with platinum-blonde hair who resembled Iris.
“What?!”
“There are other humans in the Great Forest at this time of year...?”
“...They don't look like they're in our line of work.”
In contrast, the humans seemed perfectly fine. While the elves were armed with only a flimsy wooden bow and a single dagger, the humans were properly equipped.
The two sides had different reactions to our sudden appearance.
The humans looked flustered to see us, while the elves looked utterly hopeless. It seemed they thought we were with the humans.
'That's harsh. Even with the perception-hindering magic, they're lumping me in with guys who look like they live dead-end lives in back alleys...'
A sigh escaped my lips unconsciously.
“Hyun-woo...”
Iris's voice was trembling.
Of course, judging a situation by appearances is incredibly naive and discriminatory... but in a situation like this, anyone would say those humans were the source of all the problems.
I gently set Iris down, and she immediately ran towards the elven women. They were naturally wary of her, but when Iris partially dispelled the perception-hindering magic and her ears grew long again, they seemed to relax and let her help them.
'...Seeing that arrow is suddenly pissing me off.'
It brought back fresh memories of being shot by an arrow in the dungeon.
“Hey!”
As I was momentarily lost in memories I'd rather forget, a gravelly voice that sounded like its owner chewed on cigarettes for a living called out.
The speaker was the best-equipped of the humans, a man who, unlike the others, possessed a faint amount of magic power.
If I had to compare, it was even less than the dark elf woman from yesterday. I understood why my Magic Detection hadn't picked him up.
“What.”
“...Don't you know that short words can shorten your life?”
The man facing me gave a brief hand signal, and the other men began to slowly move, as if to surround me.
“I'll make you a proposal.”
Do people make "proposals" with a knife to someone's throat these days?
“If you want to live, get the hell out of here. But leave the woman behind.”
A nasty smile spread across his and the other men's faces. I finally understood what was going on.
“It's been hard to find even one elf, but we're lucky today. To think we'd find three elves of such beauty.”
As their gazes turned to Iris, an indescribable feeling of disgust made me want to vomit.
“Boss, do we really have to offer up all three? Maybe just one of them could be-”
It was instantaneous.
The head of the man who was about to utter the unspeakable met the ground.
One second passed, then two, then three.
Only then did the men standing there realize that one of their comrades was dead.
Their companion's head was rolling on the ground, but no one made a move. No, to be precise, they couldn't move, because they knew they would suffer the same fate if they did.
Hans, their leader, felt cold sweat trickle down his spine, and his hands and feet trembled.
Despite being a mere mercenary, he was a skilled fighter who had reached the lower ranks of Aura Users.
And yet, he hadn't noticed a thing until a flash of light flickered before his eyes, his comrade's head flew off, and a fountain of blood erupted. In other words, the man before him was a fighter who vastly surpassed him.
'Dammit...!!!'
How could he not have realized?
A human wandering the Great Forest at this time of year would never be an ordinary person.
Normally, he would have recognized that and been extremely careful with his words and actions. That was the secret to a mercenary's long life in this harsh world.
But he had spent over a week in the Great Forest hunting for elves, carefully avoiding detection by Peledeia's rangers, surviving monster attacks, and enduring the harsh wilderness.
That was the root of the problem.
He had been blinded by the thought of finally capturing an elf and had failed to assess the situation calmly.
'...At this rate, we'll all be annihilated.'
Hans was not optimistic enough to think he could survive after provoking a fighter of that caliber.
On the contrary, he was extremely realistic, pessimistic, and calculating.
“...If you just let me live, I'll give you all my wealth...!!”
“Too late.”
───Again. Another flash of light.
And the overwhelming scent of blood pierced my nose.
He looked around.
The headless corpses of his comrades were strewn about.
And his own right arm along with them.
“...Guaaaaaah!!!”
Faced with the extreme pain of his entire arm being severed, Hans writhed on the dirt floor like a child, screaming in agony. He desperately pressed on the wound with his remaining hand to stop the bleeding, but the blood flowed out endlessly.
Such a meager attempt at first aid was nowhere near enough.
“Drink.”
Hans felt a cold, bitter liquid flow down his throat. Instinctively recognizing it as a potion, he swallowed without resistance.
But it didn't take long for him to realize that was a miscalculation.
Swish-
“Gack?!”
In the blink of an eye, a blade swung past, lightly grazing Hans's ankle. The blade had sliced through just the tendon, meaning that unless he was treated by a high priest, he would never walk normally again.
Kang Hyun-woo stared at Hans with cold eyes, then turned and walked silently toward Iris.
In that moment, an image of what would happen to him flashed through Hans's mind.
This was the Great Forest, also known as the Demonic Realm.
This area, in particular, was famous for its frequent monster appearances. There were quite a few monsters that he and his mercenary squad could only barely handle by fighting together.
A helpless piece of prey, reeking of blood, in a forest swarming with such creatures.
That was his fate.
“P-please, spare me!! I'll do anything!!”
Kang Hyun-woo ignored Hans's cries and disappeared with the elves beyond the undergrowth.
“I'll give you as much money as you want!!! Pleeeease!!!!”
His empty shouts echoed through the Great Forest, but they wouldn't last long. Just as he predicted, the monsters inhabiting this place would not leave a defenseless meal reeking of blood alone.
The Black Crow Mercenaries, once famous for their activities in the south-central part of the continent, were as notorious as they were famous.
They were wanted in several cities for frequent looting and murdering commoners.
For such a notorious group, their end was all too fleeting.
“FUCK, I SAID SAVE MEEEE!!!!”