Chapter 3
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Escaping the Black Forest (2)
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A long time passed, and silence finally settled over the forest.
Jun quietly opened his eyes and looked around. As expected, not a single goblin was in sight.
"Phew."
He shook off the moss and leaves covering his body and headed toward where he'd buried Aiden.
"Aiden. Wake up."
"...!"
As soon as he dispelled the spell he'd cast, Aiden—who had been sleeping like the dead—sprang to his feet.
"S-Senior?"
"You're awake."
"What... what happened with the battle?"
"Look around."
At Jun's words, Aiden whipped his head this way and that.
"Ah."
Bodies were scattered everywhere.
The unusual part was that most of them were just headless torsos.
"We lost. The goblins took everything except the heads from the dead ones. Probably turned them into rations."
"Even Senior Popkin... is dead."
"...No time to grieve. We've got work to do."
"...Senior?"
"The captain's death spot. Remember where it was?"
"Huh? Oh. Somewhere over that way."
"Follow me for now."
Aiden still looked dazed, but he soon fell in behind Jun.
"By the way, Senior. Did you... put me to sleep?"
Recalling the spell Jun had cast before he lost consciousness, Aiden asked. Jun nodded.
"Sorry for using magic without permission. I had to completely erase our presence."
"That's... fine. Given the situation. Just let me know next time."
'Next time?'
The word struck him as odd, but there were more pressing matters at hand.
"Around here, right? Ah, there it is."
"Mm..."
Before long, Jun arrived at the tree where the mercenary captain's head was hanging.
"The necks on those bodies..."
"Goblin habit. They hang the heads of strong enemies to declare victory and mark their territory."
"......"
"Details later... Found it!"
"...?"
Jun hurriedly picked up something near the mercenary captain's body and turned to Aiden.
"Aiden. You know how to use a shield?"
"Yes. Trained in shield work too."
"Good. Can you use that one over there?"
"This is..."
"Best the goblins left behind."
A tower shield big enough to cover his whole body.
The goblins had taken most gear, but this was too big and heavy, so it remained.
Aiden nodded.
"I can manage."
"Great! Let's head back to the fortress then. But it'll be dangerous."
Awooooo—!!
"Next up are the beasts that smell the blood."
Jun recalled his days as 'Lee Jung-jun'.
The Black Forest was basically the intro area in the game Blackout.
But that didn't make it friendly to newbies.
'Friendly? Sure, if by friendly you mean it politely teaches you this game isn't kind to rookies.'
After the initial goblin fight.
Having barely beaten the goblins, the newbies were greeted by beast-type monsters.
'Those aren't meant to be beaten.'
Sure, if you leveled your character and NPC party, you could hunt them. But fresh newbies didn't have that luxury.
Most cocky newbies, high on their goblin win, ended up staring at [Game Over] as the blood-scent beasts swarmed.
Overwhelming agility, stamina far beyond goblins, and a howling debuff that crushed morale.
A recipe for wanting to slap the developers, from a newbie's view.
So how did you clear it?
"Shh. Incoming."
"......"
Aiden raised the massive shield, covering himself and Jun behind him.
Then the beast monsters approaching, Outer Wolves, sniffed around as they drew near.
Each one twice the size of a normal wolf.
And there were five of them.
Their paw prints were a full handspan wide.
That huge paw would crush Aiden's shield in no time.
Yet Aiden held firm, grip unwavering.
Sniff.
Grrrrr...
Bark!
The beasts came right up close...
And passed by.
The two held their breath until the wolves were out of sight, then exhaled in relief.
"Whew. Dodged that one too."
"Yeah... Really owe you my life, Senior."
They still had over a day to the fortress.
This was already their fourth wolf encounter.
Without prep, they'd be dead.
Aiden paled at the thought, staring at his shield.
It was caked in mushrooms, grass, and rotten wood—unrecognizable from before.
"Never imagined camouflage would work this well, Senior."
"Black Forest monsters have crap senses of smell compared to their other senses. They only pick up blood scent well."
The reason tied to the forest's nature.
"Makes sense. Living here, their noses wouldn't last."
Dead trees everywhere, mushrooms and herbs blooming from them—the stench assaulted even humans.
For sensitive beasts, torture.
They evolved dulled noses.
'In-game, you couldn't survive without hiding like this.'
But it wasn't foolproof.
Most monsters had poor smell, but not all.
"...Damn."
"What?"
"Undead."
"...!"
Aiden squinted where Jun pointed.
Nothing visible.
"Hiding like us. Check the tree bases closely."
"...Ah. That?"
Something bulging, covered in moss and mushrooms.
Goblin corpse sized. Blended perfectly into the scenery.
"Impressive, Senior. I didn't notice at all."
"You'll spot 'em quick once you're used to it."
Jun's Bright Eyes skill, picked at character creation, helped.
A hunter staple, but versatile for any class.
"It knows we're here."
"...Then why isn't it moving?"
"Undead, but not your standard kind."
Plant Undead.
Literally undead hosting plants—a symbiosis.
Undead follows instinct toward the living; plants seed the prey to spread.
But combat-wise, pathetic. Slow moves, weak swings and bites.
"It never moves itself. Likes watching from afar without lifting a finger. It'll scream if you get close or threaten it."
Calling other monsters.
Problem: not a normal scream.
"Their screams enrage specific monsters."
Like the Outer Wolves that just passed.
Making already tough beasts even stronger. Though dumber and predictable.
Still too much for newbies.
"Ah... So that's the source of those weird cries in the Black Forest."
"Yep. In subjugation squads, you ignore 'em. They're smart enough to know pulling aggro from tough foes means death. But small groups like us..."
Easy targets.
One reason Blackout solo play sucked.
Every area had gimmicks like this; blind rushing meant death.
'High quality matching the difficulty—that's why it was popular...'
But experiencing it firsthand? Brutal.
"What do we do? Snipe from range?"
"Nope. Cockroaches. Where there's one, expect more."
"There, there, and there. See?"
Aiden spotted the hidden undead easily now. His face darkened.
"...Yeah. Those corpses goblins?"
"Yep. One of the few goblin rivals here."
Beasts usually ignored goblins. Symbiosis like Plant Undead.
Goblin scraps fed them without effort.
'But enraged beasts? They see red.'
No need to fight them anyway.
Jun and Aiden backed away slowly.
'Just turn and go...'
Bark!
An Outer Wolf howl from right behind crumpled Jun's face.
'Insane. Ambush event here?'
In-game random event from poor scent management.
'Damn. Sweat scent? Too busy to notice.'
Game vs. reality.
Game showed scents via UI; reality didn't.
'Undead ahead, wolves behind... Can't slip away clean.'
Resolved, Jun eyed Aiden.
Aiden gripped his shield handle tight, assuming stance. Aware.
"Alright. No choice—let's fight."
Jun toyed with his choker, drawing mana.
'Can't let their eyes turn to Senior.'
Aiden watched the growling Outer Wolves gauge distance.
Buy time till Jun's spell thinned their numbers.
'Hold out, then sync with Senior's magic for joint attack.'
Only three wolves. Doable.
He lunged forward. Mana stirred behind.
'Already?'
Once a porter, he'd run missions with Jun.
Never this fast back then.
'Is he okay?'
Panicking into weak magic? Big mistake.
Would draw eyes without kills.
'Sharp guy. Won't mess up.'
Shaking doubt, he sensed mana direction.
'Now.'
Jun couldn't pierce wolf hide/bone fully yet.
Aiden dove deep—
"Target the one on the side first!"
Jun's arrow-sharp command sent Aiden at the nearest wolf reflexively.
Simultaneously, a gale blasted past his head.
Blade-like wind sliced the wolf's neck.
Or rather, obliterated it—like cannon fire. Head gone.
'What the...!!'
No junior mage power.
Wind Cutter ranked among top 2-circle spells for junior mages' cutting power.
Great mana efficiency; must-learn for combat mages.
But 2-circle limits: range chief flaw.
Lost edge at distance.
Jun knew, but tuned it for his lifeline.
Brute-forced with overflowing mana from Demon God Body.
'Tch. Overdid it.'
Long time big mana; control slipped. He clicked tongue.
'Eh, even 3-circle mages strain for that.'
Late 3-circle caveat, but excusable.
Finger to choker habit.
Familiar feel.
A voice echoed.
-This necklace will save your life. For a while.
'Damn master bastard.'
Recalling the choker-fitter, rage surged.
Mana whipped violent winds into reality.
Aquarium-swirled gust roared madly at foes.
Boom—!
Blood and guts sprayed; another fell.
Last wolf: Aiden's sword pierced its throat just in time.
'Not average skill, that kid.'
Jun took two, but junior merc soloing Outer Wolf?
Blackout would've been newbie-friendly then.
"Senior, that just now..."
"No time. Run."
"Ah."
Questions aplenty, time short.
Blood stench wafting.
More monsters soon.
Aiden reached for shield—
"...Senior! Behind!"
"What?"
Kiiiiiiii—!!
The Plant Undead's screech echoed through the forest.
"Damn it."
Now he saw: another Outer Wolf pack approaching from opposite.