Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 66
>Chapter Title: If I Can Remember the Tree
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The sun had fully risen that morning.
“Whew…….”
I patted my full belly and leaned back against a tree stump.
Tweet, chirp.
Even in the Hamern Great Forest, birds existed.
It was just that the rumors were so grim, making it sound like a place rivaling the demonic realm, but there were beautiful aspects too……
Crunch!
“…….”
I watched as a bird singing on a branch suddenly gaped its beak wide and swallowed the one next to it whole. My thoughts ground to a halt.
Anyway.
The Hamern Great Forest surely had a beautiful natural ecosystem somewhere……
Crunch, munch.
……somewhere.
‘……I just haven’t seen it yet.’
That’s what I thought while enjoying a leisurely morning.
“Hey, are you really planning to take down the Swamp Sovereign?”
“What, gonna run again?”
“Ahem, um! Yesterday wasn’t me trying to run—it was just that I really had to use the bathroom…….”
Last night.
Our loyal slave…… no, our Pathfinder Railey had attempted to flee.
- Ahem, um. You’ll be really busy tomorrow, so I’ll take the night watch.
Even though Obern’s barrier made it unnecessary, he insisted on pulling an all-nighter.
- What’s that?
- Ah, haha. This is an herb that purifies the mind and body. Burning it in the campfire works best.
He even tossed some suspicious herbs into the fire.
Of course, the claim that it purified the mind and body was an obvious lie.
The moment the smoke rose……
- Ugh, suddenly feeling so tired……
Obern collapsed into sleep.
- Why are you covering your nose and mouth?
- This doesn’t agree with me……
The guy had plugged his nose and mouth, holding his breath the whole time.
I played along, of course.
If I didn’t know, fine.
But once I did, no poison or sleep gas was getting the drop on me.
The instant I closed my eyes, I heard the racket of him packing up.
And then what did he say?
- Spin your tops all you want, you bastards. I’m out.
As if he could navigate the Hamern Great Forest teeming with tangled monsters.
‘No way he thought breaking through that was easier than fighting the Swamp Sovereign.’
So, what did I do?
- Wanna die?
- ……No, I—
- What.
- I just really have to go to the bathroom……
I let him run a suitable distance before dragging him back.
Naturally, I beat him black and blue—no need to mention that.
That’s why, this morning, dark bruises bloomed vividly across Railey’s face.
Anyway.
“Which tree do you like?”
“……Pardon?”
“Pick one tree you like from around here.”
Railey tilted his head at my words, then pointed at one a fair distance away.
“That one?”
“Yes.”
It was a decent size.
Gigantic by outside standards, but middling here in the Hamern Great Forest.
“……But why?”
“If you try running again, you’ll become fertilizer for that tree.”
“…….”
“And whenever I see that tree, I’ll think of you. ‘Oh yeah, there was that guy back then.’ Of course, only if I remember the tree.”
“……I’ll serve with utmost loyalty.”
After leaving Railey with that simple warning, I brushed off my butt and stood.
“Up we go.”
Breakfast had been hearty.
Condition was top-notch.
Railey……
‘Not combat material, so exclude him.’
His specialty was pathfinding, and with his mercenary experience, he could handle basic swordplay, but not as frontline force.
Now, the key was Obern.
“You good?”
“…….”
Obern, seated and continuing his breathing exercise, slowly opened his eyes.
Since he opened them right away, it probably wasn’t the breathing method.
More like steeling his mind before the decisive battle.
“Heading out now?”
“Yeah. Ready?”
“I’m…….”
Obern half-lidded his eyes again.
“……ready.”
I nodded at his resolute expression.
“Good. Let’s go.”
At my declaration, Railey hurriedly packed the rest of the gear.
Obern gathered his things, preparing in his own way.
Me? All my stuff was in the sub-space.
Soon after.
We returned to the swamp.
“Huff, haa……!”
Railey panted like his heart might burst, while Obern bit his lip slightly and looked at me.
“You, stay back further.”
“Yes! Got it!”
“Obern, you too.”
“……Yes.”
Railey answered eagerly and crawled into the underbrush.
Obern followed.
Only I would fight.
Railey was, as said, not combat material.
And Obern……
- Maintaining Overclock requires intense focus. Once the Gift fully awakens, it’ll be fine, but……
He had the most crucial role.
Anyway.
“Let’s begin.”
I said it loud enough for them to hear, but I wasn’t expecting a reply.
With that, I……
Splash!
Dove straight into the swamp.
‘They say it senses anything entering its territory like a ghost?’
Tracking was probably via the bait I’d left in the water.
But how it detected territorial breaches so quickly? No one knew.
However.
‘Hmm, still weak?’
I recalled what Railey had spilled yesterday through tears and gritted teeth.
- If it’s chasing other prey, you’ll need something stronger.
I pulled a small dagger from my sub-space.
Slash!
Slicing my palm sent crimson droplets scattering across the swamp’s murky surface.
The change was immediate.
Grooooar—!
A terrifying roar echoed from afar.
I’d felt its dread yesterday—it was enough to make even my hackles rise.
The thrill of pre-battle excitement after so long.
I smiled.
“Welcome, guest.”
No, that wasn’t right.
“Get beat by the guest.”
As I said that.
Splash—! Splish—!
The sound of water parting violently.
Thud! Thud!
The ground trembled faintly.
As the cacophony echoed, the surroundings fell into eerie silence.
And right after.
Not long later.
The Swamp Sovereign emerged from the distant swamp.
I watched it briefly, then signaled when it was close enough.
‘Start.’
An inexplicable vitality surged through my body.
As brilliant white light enveloped me, I clenched my fist.
‘This is…….’
Overclock.
Nothing compared to my past life……
‘But it’s been a while.’
A true sense of liberation after so long.
* * *
The Swamp Sovereign.
Its form matched the giants from ancient records.
A colossal 4-meter frame.
Bipedal.
Its fists were iron-hard, shattering boulders in one blow; its feet so massive that a light kick could pulverize an adult man.
But.
That wasn’t what truly made the Swamp Sovereign fearsome.
One adventurer had described it thus in the records.
‘Its eyes are demonic, freezing your breath with a mere glance; its roar disrupts the world’s order. Its hide withstands even a valiant knight’s blade, and its sense of smell is as keen as a hellhound’s…….’
Stripping away the flourishes, its most distinctive feature was those eyes.
Demonic Eyes.
Not literally freezing breath.
It froze the mana of anyone meeting its gaze.
I didn’t know the principle.
Just one of the ancient species’ special abilities.
And its roar?
When this ancient beast bellowed in earnest, it warped the ambient mana.
‘Disrupts the world’s order.’
That’s what it meant.
A natural predator for mages, yet not vulnerable to knights either.
The thick fur covering its body.
The hide beneath.
‘Withstands even a valiant knight’s blade…….’
It truly blocked blades infused with torrents of ether.
Not just mage spells……
But knightly swords too.
An impregnable monster impervious to both.
That was the Swamp Sovereign.
Of course, it wasn’t utterly invincible.
Mercenaries had studied it over ages, even devising subjugation methods.
But……
‘Tough. If the Swamp Sovereign stays in the Death Swamp, best to leave it alone.’
They’d just designated the Death Swamp a forbidden zone and called it a day.
Railey, who knew the situation best, swallowed dryly.
‘It’s…… starting…….’
Obern was now eyes closed, focusing to maintain Overclock.
The Swamp Sovereign charging across the swamp looked every bit the legendary giant.
4 meters tall.
Towering over the sky-scraping giant trees with overwhelming presence, as if the world were being sucked toward it.
And the one facing it?
A frame less than half its size.
Body shrouded in a robe.
The physique glimpsed beneath seemed toned enough, but still human limits.
“M-Mage! Careful, be careful! Don’t stare into those eyes for more than 3 seconds……!”
Railey shouted belatedly, realizing his mistake.
He’d warned in advance, but in real combat, fear often froze people.
In his half-lifetime as a Pathfinder in the Hamern Great Forest, Railey had seen plenty of half-baked types like that.
Promising mages and knights from noble houses, disciples of famed masters.
Despite their reputations, they’d frozen before a monster’s ferocity and met quick ends.
“……Ah.”
Three seconds.
The mage stared straight at the Swamp Sovereign, and now it was right upon him.
Railey grew anxious.
‘R-Run now…….’
The Sovereign hunted anything entering its territory.
Railey hadn’t touched the swamp, so technically safe, but who could stay calm?
Just instinct writhing to flee the overwhelming terror before him.
But then.
Groooowl—!
Amid a low growl, as that brutish claw reached to shred the mage……
Shimmer……
A mysterious glow rose from the swamp’s murky waters.
The light was vividly crimson, spreading like black ink in clear water.
Some kind of magic……
‘H-How?’
Doubt flashed through Railey’s mind in that brief moment.
Meeting its eyes should’ve sealed any magic.
Why could that mage……
‘Ah!’
Railey realized.
Through the mask’s slits, no pupils visible.
‘He…… closed his eyes.’
Not frozen in fear—that took insane courage.
Who in the world could calmly close their eyes before the Swamp Sovereign?
As Railey grasped that.
“Overclock, huh…….”
A low voice carried clearly.
Even as time seemed to slow, everything crawling……
“……Thanks to it, I’ve broken through one wall.”
Flames erupted from the swamp right then.
Boom—!
Fierce blaze surging from the crimson glow!
Unfathomable.
No matter the magic, it couldn’t fully defy nature’s laws.
Flames rising through water?!
No, it was possible.
The solitary, proud image of crimson fire.
At stage 2, Manifested Flame.
Groooaaar—!
As the Swamp Sovereign thrashed in agony from the sudden flames, Aster’s surroundings blazed like a hellscape.
“Not…… bad.”
No, actually good.
He’d planned various ways to take it down.
Breaking an unexpected wall.
“Might as well enjoy it a bit.”
Beneath the mask, a dark smile curled his hidden lips.