Episode 15
Episode 15
A week had passed since we started wandering in the Forest of Temptation, but we still hadn't found a way out.
Even after checking the special compass we were given initially multiple times, it wasn't functioning properly.
'There's just no solution in many ways.'
No magical beasts were appearing either, maintaining only a strange sense of tension.
Despite the words of worry and concern that reached us, we just lightly patted each other's shoulders and tried to offer comfort.
We were barely smiling, but everyone was exhausted.
Unlike requests where the objective and method were clear, this was like walking in darkness.
And not just any darkness - it was pitch black where you couldn't see even an inch ahead.
The Guide was also tired and had started walking one more step rather than checking our reactions.
"Ah! The communication device is on!"
The heavy silence was broken by the voice of a member who was following right behind.
Guild Leader Karen also urgently checked her communication device.
Ch-ch-ch. Amidst the noise that disturbed hearing, the man's voice could be heard.
"Anyone listening... right now, leave the forest immediately... the Knight Division has... so get out..."
Even though it wasn't clear, everyone understood.
The urgent voice, the sounds of battle and screams coming through like background noise. They were sounds that indicated an emergency situation.
"Can you tell us what's happening? What's going on?"
"Lis... ...zone now... ..attack... after... ...annihilation"
The noise grew increasingly worse until eventually the voice could no longer be heard.
Fortunately, we recognized the owner of the voice.
"Guild Leader, that voice just now - it's that person, right? The 3rd Knight Division Vice-Captain. That big guy, you know."
"I think it's him too... but is he someone who would contact us from the rear?"
"No way. He's always fighting on the front lines."
The 3rd Knight Division.
Their specialty is breaking through paths, destroying walls, and disrupting enemy formations with a willingness to die.
Accordingly, the Vice-Captain is also someone who always goes to the front lines to fight. He has a hearty personality and is such a good person that I've eaten with him a few times.
'It was a bit uncomfortable how he treated me like a daughter... but he was a good person.'
He nagged a lot so it was annoying, but he was by no means weak.
Objectively speaking, he was about midway between me and Guild Leader Karen in terms of skill, so he was plenty capable.
Moreover, he always had the personality to fight at the very front. But such a person had given up and grabbed the communication device.
"Going to help wouldn't make sense, would it?"
"We can't even go to help... judging by the situation earlier, we have to consider it already too late."
After exchanging serious looks, we approached the Guide.
"Can you find the way? Looking at the situation, it seems we need to get out quickly."
The Guide, who clearly looked exhausted, shook his head back and forth.
"So there's no way out? More than that, why can't you find the path? The entrance area is like your own home for someone of Guide level."
"Well, that's..."
The Guide looked around, drew a dagger from his waist, and stabbed it deep into a nearby tree.
As the dagger fixed into the ground, the Guide said to me:
"Could you follow me for about 10 minutes?"
At this incomprehensible action, I briefly looked back.
Guild Leader Karen, having confirmed my gaze, nodded lightly.
"Yes, then let's move."
I followed the Guide and slowly advanced.
Unlike Guild Leader Karen who made a face as if she had realized something along the way, I still couldn't understand.
At what felt like less than 10 minutes of walking, I realized.
The forest was continuously moving.
"The dagger... it's still here."
The dagger that the Guide had stabbed earlier.
We had clearly only moved forward, yet somehow the dagger was stuck in the same tree in the same way.
The Guide nodded, pulled out the dagger, and put it back at his waist.
"Yes, I only realized today that we've been repeating continuously. It seems something that interferes with our thoughts has been continuously erasing the sense of strangeness."
"Could it be mental magic or a large-scale barrier? Guild Leader, what if we call the members who can use magic and try something, even now?"
"It's not magic. If it were magic, there's no way I wouldn't have noticed."
Guild Leader Karen's mana detection is superior to that of most mages.
Only someone strong enough to be counted among the top in the Magic Tower could use mana without being detected.
Though if they were that strong, we wouldn't be able to respond anyway.
"Then what about a barrier?"
"It's not impossible that it's a barrier... but it would take days to break through anyway. Since we're in this situation, let's make a base here and solve it."
Eventually, after a week of continuous movement, we had to stop again.
We set up tents, assigned night watch shifts, and then everyone began to rest. The members who could use magic gathered to search for an escape method.
After roughly organizing the situation, I immediately went to Guild Leader Karen's tent.
"Guild Leader, what are you thinking of doing?"
I approached Guild Leader Karen who was touching the communication device filled with noise.
At my voice, her gaze turned toward me.
"Hoo, I don't know either. Even if we move, we just return to the same place... and if we just hold out, our food will eventually run out. Is moving the right answer for now?"
"Wouldn't doing something be better for the members? That way they can at least hold onto hope."
"That would be true. Then let's send out investigation teams daily."
"I'll organize the investigation teams separately and let you know later. Any contact from other places?"
"None. It just keeps showing noise."
Along with her answer, she pushed the communication device toward me.
When I tried to connect using mana, it only repeatedly showed noise.
Even seeing this, the Guild Leader repeatedly attempted to connect.
Truthfully, she couldn't not attempt to connect.
Although it consumes mana, this is how they can send and receive conversations with just one side's mana even if the other side has none.
'Well, originally someone at the Guild Leader's level wouldn't even feel such a small amount of mana anyway.'
Communication devices don't use much mana to begin with. It's enough to just connect the mana that acts as a telephone line for communication.
Anyway, aside from mana, rest was necessary.
No matter how strong you become, it's impossible to stay awake forever without sleep.
"What if you and I take two shifts? One of us should stay awake to handle important matters."
Guild Leader Karen nodded as if convinced.
"And since it's the Forest of Temptation, I'll take members with me on patrol. If we send them out alone and they get hurt, only we suffer the loss."
"Right, let's do that. While we're at it, form at least one squad when going on patrol."
"Understood. Guild Leader, you should rest too. Worrying continuously won't change anything. You'll just waste your energy for nothing."
"You rest first. Let's divide the time as usual. I'll take the night shift."
"Then I'll take the day shift."
With those words, I quietly left Guild Leader Karen's tent.
Her expression still showed remaining concern, but that much was to be expected given the weight of being Guild Leader.
"I should go rest too."
*
"Vice-Captain! No particular changes again today!"
I nodded at the member's voice and drew a line on a tree with my dagger as usual.
Scratch! The tree was carved and the 10th line appeared.
"It's already been 17 days since we entered the forest."
Ten days had passed since we started holding out at the base.
During that time, we succeeded in contacting via communication device a few times, but no meaningful information was shared.
Only one piece of information was discovered.
The fact that other zones were in the same situation as us. Sadly, even that connection was cut off yesterday.
'This is when the original work information doesn't help either.'
Even when I tried to use information I knew from the game a few times, it was meaningless.
When playing the game, I could move freely using the pathfinding function or through the map. There were also NPCs that showed the way.
So even with information, it was useless. Because none of those functions exist here.
"By the way, wasn't the place that lost contact yesterday right next to us?"
One of the members checking the surroundings nodded.
"That's right. The Red Tide, wasn't it?"
"Yeah. But... what could be the reason they suddenly lost contact? Couldn't they have just coincidentally escaped?"
"That can't be. If that were the case, they would have sent rescue teams somehow, but we haven't seen even an ant in the forest... it's like we're in a different space."
"Then what if a sage or Dragon King from legends used spatial magic?"
"Stop with the nonsense and let's go back if the investigation is over. It's because you keep having such strange imaginations that men look down on us."
"There's nothing you won't say to the Vice-Captain..."
As if accustomed to hearing this daily, the member didn't even pay attention and moved their footsteps.
I also didn't mind much and followed along.
Since I started from being an errand runner here originally, these are all people I've been with since childhood.
At this point, distinguishing hierarchy would be more awkward.
"I wonder why the Red Tide lost contact. Could it be related to the Knight Division that contacted us before?"
"Could magical beasts have appeared? It's not just any place - it's the Forest of Temptation."
"Is that so? Magical beasts in the Forest of Temptation..."
At least up to the middle of the forest, there aren't particularly threatening magical beasts.
If they come in swarms it might be dangerous, but by game standards, only small groups of magical beasts appeared, probably for balance reasons.
You had to go to the deep parts to encounter real monsters.
Originally, the magical beasts in the deep areas don't come out to the entrance. There's no food there, and no reason to come to a place with insufficient mana concentration.
'Then could it be the Hidden Boss? That one's activity range is the entire forest though.'
The Hidden Boss that protects the ruins at the center of the forest.
Its attack range is wide, its attack power is strong, and the entire forest becomes a combat zone.
Of course, that creature also doesn't attack unless provoked first.
"I'm not sure. No particular magical beast comes to mind."
Hearing the answer I gave after pondering, the member let out a deep sigh.
"Fine. I didn't expect much anyway. More importantly, let's hurry back and rest. It's almost shift change time."
"I still have 2 hours left. I'm jealous."
"If you're jealous, ask the Guild Leader. You're close with her."
"I can't do that. No matter how close we are, she's still the Guild Leader."
As we exchanged meaningless conversation, the base came into view.
As the tents became visible, the member following beside me pointed at the sky and muttered.
"Huh? Something's glittering up there? Look up."
When I focused on the direction his finger pointed, something glittered in the sky.
Something resembling a human form.
The moment I saw that form, all my nerves reacted and my senses became sharp.
It was an instinctive reaction that occurs when meeting a powerful enemy.
"I'm going ahead! Tell the Guild Leader to come running right away!"
I ran at full speed toward that glittering object.
*
"...What is this kid? Does she know what that is? Her reaction is interesting."
While sitting at home checking the situation with magic, the man muttered.
The small woman showed a reaction as if she had identified what it was just from seeing the distant form.
The fact that she was holding a shield as large as her own body was also quite interesting, so his interest was naturally drawn.
'Where did that woman come from?'
Just from briefly seeing it from afar, she was preparing for the approaching enemy.
Her stance, her gaze, even her attitude - all showed a reaction of knowing what it was.
Her standing there as if she would somehow block it, weak as she was, was also quite amusing.
"There's no way someone that weak could block that crazy bastard to begin with..."
After pondering for a moment, he finally got up from his seat.
"I'll just check it out myself."