Chapter 38
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Dispel (1)
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I'm perched high up. Even for these mountains, this is an unusually elevated spot.
It's the treetop. A towering giant thrusting through the mist. I'm astride one of its branches, surveying the rugged terrain with my SZX-9500 Mana Optics Microscope.
"...So it was mushrooms."
The most prominent feature catching my eye is the 'mushrooms'.
Mushrooms cluster everywhere in this misty mountain—in tree roots, under vines, in the shadows of jagged rocks, on cliff faces, you name it.
◆ Mushroom
The terrain is rugged and convoluted, with trees growing tall to cast deep shadows. The dense atmospheric mana easily accumulates underground, while consistently cool temperatures prevail. These are optimal conditions for fungi to thrive...
'Spirit' refers to a human soul, but it's not exclusive to humans. Animals have them, plants have them, and even fungi possess spirits.
The thick mana makes those spirits' wills all the sharper.
Therefore, this mist isn't a phenomenon of water vapor. It's mana infused with spirits. In other words, a byproduct of the mushrooms' spores mingling with the mana in the air.
Mushrooms are fascinating things. They seem like independent organisms at a glance, but 'mycelium' underground connects every single one in the area. Countless fungi operating under a single will.
Source: expedition notes jotted in my Notebook.
◆ Ecosystem
The ecosystem appears diverse at first glance. Monkeys, wild boars, tigers, bears, deer, squirrels—not to mention monsters like pitcher plants from hell, fire lizards, and golems have been sighted...
The misty mountain's ecosystem looks like a typical food chain.
It's not.
However, all the beasts and monsters in the misty mountains subsist primarily on mushrooms.
Here, mushrooms alone form the foundation of the ecosystem. Countless beasts and monsters on the surface eat only mushrooms, while plants draw nutrients solely from the mycelium. Carnivores and herbivores, predators and prey—none of that exists.
Uwooh-! Uweh-!
Just then, monkeys in a tree across the way pointed right at me.
Seemingly fascinated by the human at the treetop, they waved their arms in weird patterns my way.
Anyway, everything—including those monkeys—eats mushrooms. Carnivore, herbivore, predator, prey—it doesn't matter. They all consume only mushrooms.
They may already be infected with the mushroom spores.
Infected. It's a loaded term, but it doesn't mean the mountain's fungi are puppeteering all the flora and fauna like zombies. It just means the very act of carnivores making mushrooms their staple diet counts as infection.
Bears ignore fish leaping from streams. Tigers don't even glance at deer. Unnatural behavior. The entire ecosystem might be addicted solely to mushrooms, with the animals' aggression suppressed entirely.
That's as far as I got.
I tucked the report into my duffel bag. Gazing down at the ground, I muttered to myself.
"...It's about to collapse soon."
The fungi, acclimated to ultra-high mana concentrations of 9,000ppm, can't survive anywhere else.
The dispel at 7 p.m. will utterly dismantle this ecosystem.
Then the beasts and monsters freed from the mountain's 'mushrooms' will rampage—that's how it'll unfold.
Uweh-!
Suddenly, a baby monkey approached me.
"What're you doing, punk."
Uweh- Uweeh-!
Clutching a mushroom in one hand and flailing its arm around, it was pretty damn cute. Adorable little face, too.
Uwooh- Uweh-
The little guy pointed at my chest with its finger.
"Huh?"
I looked down there too.
"...Huh?"
Something flickered ever so faintly.
A thread of mana. Stuck near my collarbone, linking off to some distant place.
"That bastard."
Kielle came to mind immediately. His Spectrum was a thread, right?
"You got talent, kid?"
I gave the monkey a thumbs-up.
I can see it thanks to my SZX-9500, but what about this one? Monkey version of Gerkken Kal Dun or something?
Uweh- Uweeh-
The baby monkey grinned innocently. I plucked the thread off my body. Meant to burn it, but suddenly it reached out a hand.
Uwooh- Uweeh-
A 'gimme' gesture. Curious little bugger.
"Alright. Thanks."
I placed the slender thread in its palm. It beamed and offered me its mushroom in return.
"How're you this smart?"
Living in high-mana environs must do that—way sharper than your average monkey.
Thud—!
Then the trunk shook violently.
"Shit, what the—"
I peered below.
—Yo, just wreck everything first. See what we've got.
—Roger that.
—Set it on fire? Wood's not very flammable.
—Hold up. Lemme chop some trees first.
Another exploration team. Not the Endex guys I saw. Their uniforms—Litton, maybe?
They're pounding spots in the forest and trees, setting fires—total mayhem.
"...Well brought up."
Uwoh-! Uwoh-! Uweeh-!
Thanks to them, the local monkeys were in a panic. Mama monkey swooped in, snatched the baby beside me, and bolted along the branches with practiced ease.
"Whoa..."
I watched them, a bit dazed.
Using their long arms and legs, they grab branches, swing like pendulums for propulsion, launching to the next. No gaps, no hesitation in those motions. They twist their flexible bodies wide, pulling off leaps impossible for a human.
Graceful, fluid technique. Innate instinct, honed into muscle memory, etched into their genes.
Watching them, a thought struck me.
Could I learn that too?
Could I see it, remember it?
Thankfully, my arms are long. Unusually so for my height.
My old master praised it—natural-born martial build.
Crackkk—!
The tree tilted. On top of it, I closed my eyes for a moment. Recalled the monkey's movements I'd just seen. Rewound the 'memory' of it flitting through the foliage like flying.
I summoned it to myself.
"...Hup!"
I leaped from the branch.
Thud-! Landed on the opposite trunk. Extended my arm long, gripped another branch. Pulled my body up and forward, snagging the next one.
But don't swing too hard. The key is movements that don't load too much weight. Twist every muscle and joint fluidly—from one tree to another, flowing naturally like water...
Absorbed in tree-hopping, I glanced back. I'd crossed dozens of trees already.
"Nailed it."
Today, I learned from a beast.
—Yo, mana ritual's done. Light 'em up?
—Hang on. Gotta snap some pics first.
But the folks on the ground had zero consideration. No manners. No brains. Spoiled brats, plain as day.
I snapped off a thin branch. Sharpened it roughly with my knife. Held it between three fingers and hurled it.
Whiiiish—!
It whistled through the air, embedding in some punk's shoulder.
—Aaaagh!
He clutched it, screaming.
—Fuck, goddamn it! I got attacked! Help!
—Where?
—Here, dumbass!
—No, where's the enemy?!
"Right here."
I threw another.
Whiiiish—!
This one into the ground, on purpose.
—Ah, shit! Yo, goblin maybe! Poison needle or something—fucking hurts bad!
—Told you, idiot. Puke it out first...
They bolted in a frenzy. More beastly than beasts.
Uweeh-!
Then the baby monkey from before reappeared. I gave it a thumbs-up.
"Avenged ya."
Uweh-! Ukki-!
It bared its teeth in a grin, then scampered off with its family.
Meanwhile, Kielle casually poked around the misty mountain. He snapped photos with his camera of the unique vegetation he'd spotted from the base, fierce beasts like bears and tigers, monsters like moss golems and fire lizards, and even commemorative shots with other mana academy kids he bumped into.
"Alright, time to hunt it down~"
Around 3 p.m., he stretched and got ready.
Sure enough, the thread was taut. Meaning Sion Askal that fucker was scurrying around like a hyperactive squirrel.
"Little shit's working hard, huh."
This might yield an unexpected haul.
Who knows? The analysis nerd might've written up a solid report.
"Thanks. Coming to collect~"
Kielle grinned wide and dashed up the mountain path.
Direction: north, where the thread led.
...30 minutes later
Midway up the misty mountain. Amid dense trees, Kielle fanned himself with his hand and sighed.
"Where the hell's this bastard headed?"
Felt like full sprint for 30 minutes straight, but the distance kept growing.
Well, last place means you gotta hustle... but this guy's got pointless enthusiasm.
Wonder if all that effort'll amount to shit for a loser like him.
"Deep into the damn mountain."
Not just kinda deep—way deep. Aiming for the summit or what?
Shoulda just waited for him to come down and jumped him.
Nah, then I couldn't swipe the report and pass it off as mine. Need time to copy it too.
Right now, Soliet Arkne's favor points trump grades.
"Haa... You're dead when I catch you."
Kielle started running again.
...90 minutes later
"Huff, huff, huff."
Kielle's hands on his knees, panting hard.
Minutes? Hours? No clue how far he'd come.
All he knew: crossed four rivers without pause, clawed up near-vertical slopes, leaped cliff-like gaps.
"Okay. Okay. Stamina acknowledged."
He wiped sweat, muttering.
Even a sluggard rolls when it has to. Loser's got one redeeming trait: endurance. Deep this far in? Kinda impressive, actually.
Bet the report's solid. Only way he could've pushed this far.
"Ten to one it's crap. I'll kill him."
Bzzzzt-
His paper cup phone vibrated.
"Yeah. What."
—Kielle, we're all gathered. Where you at?
He checked his wristwatch. 4 p.m. Eight hours till deadline.
"Surveying now. Soliet there?"
—Nah. Just us chilling.
"...Hit me up if she shows."
He hung up.
"Fucking annoying useless pricks."
Without Soliet Arkne, they're pointless.
Kielle raised a finger. Thread still taut. Distance unchanged.
"Tree-hopping or some shit? Ugh."
Grousing, he ran toward it.
...180 minutes later.
"..."
Kielle's sprawled out. Flat on the ground somewhere deep in the mountain, wrecked, staring at the sky.
The fog had parted enough to reveal the moon. Stars scattered in messy profusion.
Nice view.
Bzzzzt-
Paper cup vibrated. He slapped it on his forehead.
Too drained to hold it to his ear.
—Kielle. You there?
"...Yeah. What."
Too drained to speak properly.
Couldn't find the bastard? Catch him? Didn't care anymore.
Just fucking pissed.
—When you coming?
"Headed back now."
Exhausted. Three hours of near-constant pursuit hiking shredded his stamina.
—Where even are you?
Kielle sat up halfway.
"...Good question."
No idea.
Deep in the mountain, sure. Trees all around, nearby cave, cliff ahead shrouded in fog.
"Where the hell is this."
—Huh? Anyway, hurry. Sion Askal's here.
"...What?"
Thought he misheard.
—The cheater's here.
"Bullshit."
How could Sion Askal be there? He'd chased the fucker all the way here.
"How the hell did that guy—"
Kielle raised his finger. The blue line to Sion Askal. It went slack.
Close by.
"!"
Eyes bulging, Kielle followed the thread. Not far—no, right above, to a nearby tree.
Joy lit his face.
"You're fu—"
Uweh- Uwooh- Kki-!
A baby monkey at the thread's end. Mocking him, pointing right at him.
Kielle stared blankly at its hand.
Uweeeh-!
The thread was there.
"...You crazy fucking monkey!"
He bellowed. The baby flinched.
"Get over here! Monkey stew time!"
It glanced scared somewhere else.
"Gonna eat your brain!"
Kkeng-! It wailed and dropped the thread, fleeing.
"That insane monkey shit...?"
Kielle belatedly shut his mouth.
Shiiiiver—
A chill rippled from behind.
His heart pounded. Spine chilled. Goosebumps stiffened his nape.
"..."
Turning slowly, something grotesque filled his eyes.
"...Gulp."
He swallowed, hands shaking as he grabbed the paper cup. Voice stuck like sand.
"G-Guys."
—Yeah?
"Th-That..."
Darkness over there. Barely humanoid, but no way human... Monster.
"Save m—"
Crashhh—!
Mid-sentence, it lunged.
"G-Gaaaah!"
His scream echoed as Kielle's thread snapped.