Incidents and Accidents...! # 6
Incidents and Accidents...! # 6
Reinforced leg strength and mana power.
I kicked off a tree and launched into the air. Right as I soared upward, I thrust my sword with pinpoint accuracy at the flying squid-things.
—Shliing!
They must swarm by nature, because two of the clustered bastards got split in half in a single stroke. But there were three in total.
One was still left.
"Squeeee!"
The survivor was diving like a missile to attack my buddies on the ground, but the instant I'd cut those two down... I'd already shot out my left hand.
And thus.
—Squelch!
"Squeak?!"
I latched right onto the squid-thing's body.
"You little shit! You're no match for me!"
"Kururuk...!"
If I've got a grip, it's over. I sawed the blade through its body, and the thing burst apart, guts and blood spraying everywhere as it died.
Alright. Now for the landing.
—Thud-thud-thud-thud!
The ground was crawling with Antajora. My three buddies had formed a triangle formation and were holding them off well enough, but from up here they looked like trees about to get swept away by a tidal wave.
Landing smack in the middle of that? Not happening.
"Time to show some real skill!"
—Whirl!
I spun my body and executed an emergency breakfall. Target landing zone was right next to the formation. Totally doable.
And so I—
"Hraaaaah!"
—plummeted down gripping my sword in a reverse hold.
—Shrrrrak!
The moment I hit the ground, I cleaved a nearby Antajora clean in half.
"Huff!"
"Kim Geun-cheol!"
A notification pinged in my ear. Ignore it. Right now, all I need to think about is hacking monsters to death. That's what I decided, and I poured my mana straight into the blade.
"Dieeeee!"
—Shrakk!
I swung the sword with everything I had. In a chaotic brawl like this, anti-personnel swordsmanship is worthless. Just cut big, cut hard—that's all you need!
"Squeeee!"
"Squeeeeee!"
These bastards are nothing but F-rank monsters.
A ton of them were swarming me, but every time the blade touched their flesh, they just got torn apart and split open, bursting with blood.
"Forget about me! Do your job!"
I kept shouting as I cut monster after monster down.
"Kururk!"
—Squelch!
Now and then, an Antajora would shoot out a tentacle and latch onto my forearm. But I'm wearing underarmor right now. I'll just rip the damn thing off!
"Tentacle piece of shit!"
"Squeeee!"
I tore the tentacle off with my hand, and when another bastard came charging to body-slam me, I rammed it right back with a shoulder-check.
—KABOOM!
The Antajora went flying. I swung my sword right after and cut it down. Thanks to the underarmor, I didn't have to worry about defense. I literally pushed through the bastards like a tank.
"Hraaaaaah!"
And just like that, I slaughtered the entire monster wave.
"Huff... huff...! Alive! I'm alive!"
"Oh, Geun-cheol! You were okay all by yourself?!"
My friends, half-buried in a mountain of corpses, shouted back at me.
"Yeah! I'm fine! You guys held out great! Nice work!"
"Scream Man...! Fine in the middle of that swarm?!"
"It's the gear I'm wearing."
I lightly hopped over the Antajora corpses and climbed up toward them—and holy hell, they looked wrecked. All of them drenched in blood, hair a complete mess. They looked shabbier than runaway slaves in some period drama.
Not that I probably look much better.
"Anyway. Let's get out of here. The ones we passed might come back around."
We had to move fast.
"R-right. Let's go... Hoo! Hoo! Damn, I seriously thought I was dead...!"
"But we're alive! As long as we believe in Geun-cheol, we are alive!"
Maybe it was the hard-earned victory, but everyone was pretty amped up. First real fight they'd ever been in, and they'd handled it without a problem. Their confidence had to be skyrocketing.
"Heh-heh-heh. See, guys? Keep your heads on straight and you'll live. Right here in this otherworld, huh? We straight-up took down a monster wave for real. You know what that means? It means we can pull ahead of everyone else. Today's experience is gonna boost your skills like crazy."
I fed them those lines.
"Indeed...! You're right! This was our first truly ferocious real fight! Precious experience!"
I saw hope rise in their faces.
"Then let's go."
Time to move again.
* * *
"But, Geun-cheol. You know those flying ones from earlier?"
"Yeah, what about 'em. First time I'd ever seen those."
I'd done some studying on monster types, but those flying squid-things were new to me. Looked like they might be F-rank.
"That one's called an F-rank Peolzora."
"Peolzora?"
"Yes. Presumed to be a close relative of the Antajora. They've barely appeared before, so almost nothing is known about them besides the name."
"Ohhh, is that right?"
"Most likely they don't cross the gates easily because they fly. That's the working theory."
But there are other flying monsters, aren't there? So what, do gates just form on the ground-side of this planet? And only things like Antajora end up riding through?
That's actually pretty convincing.
"With Peolzora in the mix, it's now certain. The name of this dimension... or planet... seems to be Zora."
"Zora, you say?"
Ken said it.
"Yes. Most of the monsters that have come through from this side are presumed to be Antajora or closely related species. Hence the name Zora, sir."
"Damn. Wild, right? A whole monster ecosystem."
"Isn't it, though?"
This guy's way more helpful than I'd imagined. Gotta start hitting up Brian with questions a lot more often.
"Hey, Brian. So... do these monsters just pour in from planets in totally different dimensions?"
Mun Min asked that.
"There is a high probability they do. Monsters also originate from somewhere, after all. Conversely, if Mun Min went to a planet in a different dimension, you'd be Monster Mun Min."
"Why me specifically?!"
Ah, so you could view this whole phenomenon like that. The phenomenon where we cross over into the monsters' world.
"Hm."
Anyway, we resumed our journey. The fighting had drained our stamina, but we were running on the high of that sweet victory.
There was a spring in everyone's step.
And as we walked—
—Ding.
[Main Quest - Additional Quest]
[Mine the Otherworldly Minerals]
[Reward: 1,000 Coin]
Otherworldly minerals?
Another quest popped up.
"Hold up."
An additional quest?
I got the feeling completing this was the right call. If it's an additional quest, it's probably one step in a clear process. If we track down the minerals, maybe we'll figure out how to get back.
"Scream Man? What is it?"
"Nah, gimme a sec."
Whatever the case, the quest just popped, so we should be able to find the stuff if we search. Alright, how do I locate it...
"I'm gonna hop up into that tree for a sec and take a look."
"You just did that. Everything around us is just jungle anyway, isn't it?"
"We moved, so let's look again. Plus, that earlier tree was small. Check it out, that one's huge."
"Yes."
I climbed a big tree right ahead of us. Climbing a tree is nothing.
—Wriggle-wriggle.
"You little shit!"
Mid-climb, a tentacle stuck to the tree tried to grab me. I disciplined it with my fists.
—Bam! Bam!
Beat it till the tentacle exploded.
"Good."
Once I made it to the crown of the tree, I scanned the surroundings. Let's see... First of all, it's all just fucking jungle. I'd love to see something else. I kept that thought in mind as I looked north—or what I assumed was north.
"Huh?"
I caught a spot where the trees looked oddly sparse. Strangely, it gave off more of a grassland vibe than jungle right there.
My gut knew.
There's something over there.
—Fwish.
I dropped right down and broke the news.
"Yo. There's some weird terrain over that way. Let's head for it."
"Weird terrain?"
"Yeah. Trees are a little open, I guess? The whole damn place is nothing but giant plants. So if there's a patch with nothing... that's suspicious."
"I agree, Geun-cheol."
"Sounds good. Let's go check."
Opinions locked in immediately. We headed straight there.
* * *
A few minutes of running, and we reached our destination fast. As soon as we arrived, it was wide open—I could tell right away it was an empty clearing with no trees or anything.
But then—
—Gleam!
"O-oh?! Th-that is... nandesuka!"
Found it.
"E-excellent! It's otherworldly minerals! Oh no! Such a lustrous chunk of ore!"
"What the—! Let's hurry over there!"
"Y-yeah!"
The moment my friends spotted the minerals, they went into a frenzy and sprinted over.
I followed and checked it out—sure enough. A glowing, bluish semi-transparent crystal ore was jutting out of the ground in a seriously unnatural way.
Not even any grass around it... And doesn't this look kinda like a mineral?
The size was about up to a guy's shin. Chunks like that were scattered all over the place.
"To think such minerals exist...! Incredible! We'll be able to sell them for a fortune! Let's mine them immediately!"
"Hell yeah, aren't we gonna be rich?! I'm gonna sell this and buy gear just like Kim Geun-cheol!"
"Oh, sounds good!"
They were huge enough that we probably couldn't carry all of them.
"Let's just mine them first. Mun Min. Brian. Keep watch. Ken. We'll chop 'em with sword aura and take whatever we can carry."
"A shame we have no bags!"
"We could make some. Wanna make 'em?"
"Excellent idea!"
So Ken and I gathered leaves and tough fibers from around the area, threw together makeshift backpacks, and then collected and stashed the otherworldly minerals inside.
—Ding.
[Additional Quest Complete]
[Reward: 1,000 Coin]
Sweet, sweet reward.
"Hahaha! It's not all bad! If things keep going well, I might never have to worry about pocket money again! Especially with chunks this huge!"
Ken was in a total frenzy of excitement too.
"Hahaha, for real. Let's split it exactly even."
"Of course!"
We took all we could reasonably carry, then called Mun Min and Brian back.
"Oh! We're gonna be rich!"
"Hell yeah!"
And see, this kind of monetary reward makes everything worthwhile. Otherworldly minerals are extremely precious. Used as a new energy source, or to make anti-monster weapons and equipment.
Bringing back this much raw material? We'll be able to stuff ourselves full of good food and still have a fuckton left over.
"Hold on. But isn't this a little too unnatural?"
Brian said that.
I agree.
"Yeah. You're right. It doesn't blend with the surrounding environment at all. It's way too alien."
"Correct. Normally, ore doesn't surface like this. It is strange."
"Yeah, but you're only questioning it now? Heh-heh-heh."
"Our eyes went blind with mineral-fever! Hahaha!"
I had a rough guess, though.
"Some kind of influence... don't you think? Scream Man. And Brian. Perhaps this is the special phenomenon we experienced. It may be related to that. Just as we were unnaturally summoned, these minerals here might be the same."
"Hm."
Probably.
I don't know about the rest, but I'm certain of this.
The special phenomenon we experienced.
That and the main quest are absolutely connected. By the same logic, the reason these ores formed is probably tied to the main quest.
"Hey, why do you keep bringing up unsettling stuff? All we gotta do right now is grab this and head back."
"Well, Mun Min has a point this time. Deeper investigation can wait until we return and do it alongside the superhuman scientists, I think."
Fair point.
Then, shall we get moving again?
* * *
"Mun Min! Over there!"
"Got it!"
An Antajora coming from the flank. I left that one to Mun Min.
—Schwing.
He swung a fierce sword strike and split the Antajora in an instant. After that, I kept giving orders, and we rapidly picked off the Antajora swarming in from all sides, one by one.
"Huff! An Antajora is nothing anymore! Truly, F-rank monsters are no match for us!"
Ken, having just cut through three with his samurai swordsmanship, adjusted his glasses and laughed.
This is all thanks to the proper training we've piled up. Once you get a grip on your mental game, you can do anything.
"Hey, Brian. Any E-rank monsters that could pop up around here?"
"Hm, Morzora. There is that. But it's manageable. Just a stronger version of the Antajora, after all."
"That so? Nothing to worry about, then. Alright, let's move out again."
"Got it."
We'd beaten back the attack. Just as we were about to set off again—
—Kuoooooooh!
Suddenly.
A monster's roar echoed out.
"Naiiiight?!"
"Contact direction! Watch the contact direction!"
Incredible volume...! At that size, is it medium? No, a large-type? First, we have to see it. Gotta watch so we can react!
And then—
—CRACK!
With the sound of shattering trees, I started to make out the bastard's silhouette from beyond.
"SQUEEEEEE!"
Something enormous was barreling through, crushing all the trees!
"Q-Quoperelzora! C-rank monster!"
"So that thing bigger than an elephant was that?!"
Fuck!
It was massive and thuggish. The bastard had a head-plate like a Triceratops, and underneath that, octopus-like tentacles made up its head!
Anyway, it flailed its long, grotesque old-man-junk-looking arms and charged right at us like crazy.
"Dodge! Dodge to the sideeee!"
"Hwaaaah!"
"Oooohhh!"
All of us immediately threw ourselves to the right to evade the charge!
And then—
—Krrmmmmmmm!
The Quoperelzora barreled straight through where we'd been, kept charging, snapped every single tree in its path, and disappeared.
"D-did it leave...?"
"Huff...! Huff...! We must run! Quoperelzora! We can't win! We will be slaughtered!"
I agree!
—Ding.
But what the fuck does this say!
[Main Quest - Additional Quest]
[Defeat the Quoperelzora]
[Reward: 1,000 Coin]
Another quest popped!
"Yo! Wait! Don't run! I think we need to investigate that thing!"
Normally, I'd never do this! As squad leader, I can't put my team in danger. But the main quest popped. This isn't just about my own gain—it's practically a compass.
To get out of here, we have to follow the main quest. Killing the Quoperelzora has to be part of that.
I'm sure of it! We gotta kill that thing to get out!
"Geun-cheol! You! Are you insane?! How are we supposed to take down a C-rank monster?! Crazy man!"
"He's right! This motherfucker's crazy!"
"Scream Man...! I do not recommend this!"
The party's mental is starting to crack under the squad leader's reckless call!
"Hey, just hold on. Right now we need to observe this thing and gather intel."
"Gather intel...?"
"Yeah, dude. We've got no clue how long we'll be stuck here. You guys know anything about the Quoperelzora besides its name?"
"W-well..."
Brian shook his head.
"Nothing, right? This jungle-living could drag on a long time. There might be more of those things. So what do we do? We gather info so we can actually escape, yeah? Its traits. Hunting patterns. Sensory organs. Gotta figure 'em all out."
Just running away won't build any proficiency. If all we do is run, no matter how much time passes, we'll still be at Level 1. You grow by observing your enemy and gathering data.
That was roughly the logic I used to persuade them.
"R-right. Scream Man is correct. If all we do is flee... that's all we get. Even if it's a bit dangerous, gathering information is smart."
"See?"
"You're crazy! No! This isn't right!"
"Hey, Brian. You just saw it. We dodged its charge with our own power. That's enough. We can survive if we get caught."
"Th-that's...! Really? Is that truly the case?"
"Yeah."
I'm doing this to get you all home in one piece. I poured that honest thought into my persuasion, and whether it clicked or not, everyone finally nodded.
"Kim Geun-cheol... if we're fucked, I'm blaming you."
"Dude. You ever heard of a community of shared fate? Shared. Fate."
"You lunatic!"
"Let's hurry up and investigate. Lucky for us, the bastard left one hell of a trail."
We just have to follow the path of completely wrecked trees.
—Crunch-crunch.
As they say, strike while the iron's hot. We immediately started tracking the Quoperelzora.
And as we went—
"Kwoooaaah!"
A howl rang out.
"Guh...!"
"Urgh."
That is not a sound conducive to mental health.
Anyway.
The sound is getting closer. Since I don't hear any other noises... is it just standing still there? Don't tell me it's calling for a female or something?
I made those guesses as we crept forward cautiously, staying alert.
—Slap.
The Quoperelzora came into view.
"Quiet."
"...!"
I hushed the others, and we carefully hid ourselves and observed the beast.
"Kuoooooh!"
But what the hell is this thing doing?
—Kaboom!
—Kaboom!
It was in a total frenzy. It kept swinging its head like a mace, trying to smash something. Its tentacles were just straight-up obliterating everything around it. Dust clouds were kicking up because of the ruckus, so it was hard to see clearly... but after staring long enough, I caught something.
"What's that?"
I could see a distinct shape.
Looking closer... it was something like a regular octahedron, almost diamond-like. And it was surrounded by a force field.
"Kuoooooh!"
The Quoperelzora kept battering its head around, as if trying to destroy that force field.
"What the hell is that thing?"
The surface of the octahedron was engraved with all sorts of geometric patterns.
Is it... artificial?
The instant I thought that—
—Ba-dump.
My heart pounded.
At the same time—
"Guh...!"
A fucking headache! My head is pounding!