Chapter 161
Chapter 161
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 161
Chapter Title: Forest of False Dreams (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Rumble...
A vibration emanated from the pitch-black hole in the ground. The self-proclaimed patrol members didn't even flinch, instead chattering away idly.
"Tch, that woman is too fine to just use as bait... Can't we sneak her out for ourselves somehow?"
"Forget it. Did you see the size of that barbarian she called her husband? Mess with the wrong guy, and he'll rip your limbs off with his bare hands."
"Hah... Damn it, this is driving me crazy. After dealing with nothing but elf-chasing idiots day in and day out, we finally spot a decent woman, and now I can't settle down..."
"But why'd a beauty like her end up with a brute like that? She's got the looks, at least..."
"Ugh, you idiot. Didn't you sneak a peek earlier? That barbarian's not just big up top—he's packing down below too..."
Vulgar banter echoed loudly among the clusters of men lounging around. They didn't give a damn about what the vibration meant, or what would become of the travelers, or their comrades who'd gone inside. It was all routine to them anyway.
To these patrol members, this burrow was nothing short of a blessing.
They had once been mercenaries drawn to the Great Primeval Forest by dreams of striking it rich off the elves. But once they realized this forest was no pushover, they quickly switched to banditry. Even that turned out to be no walk in the park.
Raids always came with serious risks. Large groups were obvious trouble, but even small ones could fight back fiercely. If you ran into a traveler who resisted hard, you'd have to be prepared to lose a couple of your own.
But everything changed after they stumbled upon this "man-eating burrow."
No more grueling fights or spilling blood. They'd just lure travelers in, shove them into the burrow, and guide them as far as the "stomach" with a scout ahead. Then the burrow would secrete its digestive juices and cleanly melt down the clueless prey.
What if the travelers got suspicious and refused to enter? No problem. It was true that this was the only way through the forest. Release them and let them wander—they'd usually come crawling back ragged after a few days, meekly marching into the stomach on their own.
Graciously, the digestive juices only dissolved flesh. Once digestion was complete, they'd enter and scavenge the remains for money and gear. Thanks to that, they could rob even the strongest, largest groups without getting a drop of blood on their hands.
And that wasn't even the end of it.
One day, they realized the burrow "changed" the more prey it consumed. Those changes rekindled dreams they'd abandoned long ago—of one day venturing deep into the Great Primeval Forest to claim its sweet fruits and get rich.
But in the midst of their chatter, one member suddenly grumbled.
"What the hell? Why haven't those bastards come out yet? It's way past time..."
"......"
All eyes turned to the dark burrow entrance.
To guide travelers to the burrow's "stomach," they'd devised two roles: the scout and the rear guard. The scout lured the prey up to the point where the stomach walls closed, while the rear guard extracted the scout or handled any friction.
It had been over two hours since the travelers entered. The scout and rear guard should have been out long ago, but not a single soul appeared at the entrance. A bad premonition began prickling the backs of their necks.
Just as talk turned to who should go check...
*Fwoosh-thwack!*
...a sharp flash streaked in from the forest edge.
"...Huh?"
"Gah! W-What...?"
Someone flopped forward. Bewildered by why he'd fallen, he tilted his head in confusion. His comrades, realizing the reason, blanched in horror.
"H-Hey, your ankle..."
"...Huh?"
Turning back revealed a severed foot, cleanly sliced off.
Torn tendons and vessels spurted blood in rhythmic gushes.
"M-My... my foot... Aaaaaagh!!"
The fallen man's face drained paler than a corpse. Unfortunately—or fortunately—it wasn't just his tragedy. The flash shot back into the forest, repeatedly firing and leaving a trail of ownerless feet on the grass.
*Fwoosh-thwack! Fwoosh-thwack!*
"Gah!"
"Agh!"
"Aaaaaagh!!"
Those far off, those nearby, those fleeing... no exceptions. The patrol members staggered like broken furniture before collapsing. The last ones to fall sensed their fate and screamed before even glancing at their severed ankles.
"Aaaaaagh!! Aaaaaagh!!"
"H-Help... G-Guh..."
"Uwoooooh!! My ankle!! My ankle!!"
The area turned into a blood-soaked field of carnage in an instant. Agonized screams echoed into the burrow. Soon, the culprit emerged indifferently from the forest.
A barbarian clutching an axe soaked in blood.
The patrol members' eyes widened in unison. They couldn't fathom why someone who'd entered the burrow was emerging from there.
"W-Wha...? Why is that guy...?"
"G-Gasp! What the...? H-How is he...?"
"......"
But that wasn't important now. Standing still might mean losing more than just an ankle. As the barbarian approached, a few hurled spears and daggers from their seated positions.
"Aaaaaagh!! Y-You bastard!!"
"S-Stay back!! Stay back, you fuck!!"
*Thud, plunk, thud!*
Futile resistance. The barbarian blocked them without even using his axe, swatting the metal away barehanded like flies. Seeing that, everyone lost their minds in a daze.
Kadim first reclaimed the rations they'd "donated." Then he piled the one-footed patrol members like luggage. Ilenia gathered vines from behind, and Duncan hesitantly added a few bundles. With that, he bound them all tightly into a human bundle.
"Ugh..."
"Gah... What the hell..."
Half the patrol members had already passed out from blood loss and shock. The conscious ones groaned endlessly. One in the middle asked in a trembling voice.
"Guh... What the hell is this...? W-We guided you into the burrow, but you pop out somewhere else... What happened to the scout—no, the guide—who went with you?"
"......"
Silence was the only reply. Kadim quietly dragged the human bundle toward the forest. The member urgently twisted and asked again.
"Guh! W-Where are you taking us? There's some misunderstanding here—loosen these first and let's talk..."
"......Is it really that curious?"
"W-What...?"
"That curious? Where we're going."
The questioning member suddenly felt a chilling dread. He wanted to shut it down somehow, but the merciless lips parted without mercy.
"Don't worry. We're heading right where you always guided travelers. We've already tossed all your comrades in there first..."
"...!!"
Rumble...
A heavy tremor shook the ground. The bound members' pupils dilated wildly in unison.
Kadim stared at the earth and muttered impassively.
"......Looks like those guys alone weren't enough to fill it up."
*
The entrance to the lush Great Primeval Forest.
Furious screams erupted from the hole in the ground.
'Aaaaaagh!! Aaaaaagh!!!'
'...Aaaaaagh!! Get me out!!! Get me oooout...'
The freshly shoved human bundle's wails. Bubbling boils sounded occasionally, and acrid, foul steam wafted up. It felt like peering into a hole straight to hell.
"Th-This... Wh-Wh-What's...?"
"......"
Duncan gaped like a fish, pale as a ghost. Kadim glanced sideways, and Ilenia finally explained everything.
"Well... Uncle. As you might have guessed, the place we entered wasn't an ordinary tunnel. This burrow's true nature is a massive worm shaped like a tunnel... what they call a 'Root Tunnel Worm.'"
"...Guh!?"
The Root Tunnel Worm acted as a docile passage when dormant. But when awakened, it became a predator digesting prey in its stomach. In awakened state, it blocked the passage, but consuming enough higher lifeforms like humans temporarily reopened the path.
"Th-Then this thing's like some devil or what? A worm pretending to be a burrow and eating people...?"
"No, not a devil. More like... a monster infused with dangerous mystery, akin to a golem or dragon. Its goal isn't torment or despair—it's just connecting paths and feeding on higher lifeforms. Humans don't hunt beasts out of malice to cause pain, right?"
"......"
"Well, sure, the ones down there did lure people in with similar malice..."
'...Aaaaaaaa...'
'...Guuuuh... S-Save...'
"......They're paying the price in full now, so let's not worry about it."
Ilenia smiled brightly despite the sounds of melting flesh. Duncan, however, couldn't keep his composure. The dying screams were horrific enough, but they'd been inside just moments ago...
They had escaped by punching through the stomach ceiling into the Root Tunnel.
Kadim had entered following the scout precisely for that—to locate the stomach, bore a hole, and turn it into a chute for shoving in tons of food.
The Root Tunnel Worm could handle such a large hole and still digest fine. It saved the hassle of carrying each bandit through the narrow tunnel one by one... but if Duncan had known the plan beforehand, he wouldn't have followed so obediently.
The archaeologist trembled his lips as if he'd expected as much.
"Sigh, that's why I told you. I couldn't say because I was afraid you'd refuse to enter, Uncle. Still, it's not all bad that it woke up. The more fresh food it eats, the more it grows, extending passages farther."
"...!"
The mystery infusing the Root Tunnel Worm connected exits farther away. That's why passing through let you skip the looping entrance and reach deeper into the forest.
But if awakened, feeding it prey to grow could extend it even further.
These fake patrol members had aimed to do the same, feeding it enough to reach the forest's heart. The piles of bones inside proved their persistent efforts. In the end, they became its fodder too...
Rumble...
The ground tremors gradually subsided. The gluttonous burrow seemed to finally feel sated. No wonder—it had swallowed over twenty living humans.
"Phew..."
Duncan sighed, nodding awkwardly in reluctant acceptance.
It was gruesome, but karmic justice made it palatable. Leaving those fake patrols alone would have led to far more victims. And with so much human fodder offered, even the lord should be satisfied...
However.
Kadim wasn't satisfied with that much.
The patrols were mere appetizers. He had a main course in mind from the start—one that might drastically shorten their journey, defying common sense.
Before executing the plan, he asked Ilenia one last time.
"Hey, this worm really won't have a problem overeating?"
"Pardon?"
"Stuff it till it bursts—no issues? We already punched a big hole in the stomach; won't everything just spew back out?"
Ilenia pondered blankly before answering.
"Uh... Yeah. Should be fine. Root Tunnel Worms grow immediately upon eating lots, and their stomach expands accordingly... The walls will swell massively, naturally sealing that hole."
No hesitation needed then.
Kadim immediately pulled out an iron flask and chugged it. As blood rage surged to his fingertips, he raised Blood Ghost and advanced to the stomach edge.
"L-Lord?"
"M-Mercenary sir? What are you...?"
And before anyone could stop him...
*Crunch-thwack!*
...he severed his left arm and tossed it into the stomach.
*
――――― *Rumble-rumble-boom!!!*
A colossal roar shook the earth. Towering ancient trees in the forest swayed like reeds, and every form in the world blurred white with vibration.
"Gaaaaah!!!"
The humble mercenary Benson hunkered down, bellowing in terror.
Dust poured into his throat, bones ached where they met the ground, but he didn't budge. He prayed only that this calamity pass him by unharmed.
Rumble... Rumble...
After what felt like eons, the quake ravaging the land finally ceased.
Benson cautiously rose, spitting dust.
"Cough, cough... Hack, ptui, ptui..."
He had no idea what caused it. He'd been about to pursue that young lady and the barbarian's group... only for some random earthquake to interfere. He'd nearly left this world before even negotiating with her.
But the cause wasn't an earthquake.
Having tracked Kadim's group, Benson beheld a jaw-dropping sight.
"Wh-What the hell is this...?"
An entrance far too massive for a mere burrow.
Even from afar, its scale was staggeringly grand—like a dragon gaping its maw.
Looking closer, it hadn't been that big before.
Ancient trees with sprawling roots had been pushed aside, toppled. Cracks spiderwebbed the hole's rim. Surely from rapid expansion. The path it carved bulged the ground behind like fresh-baked bread, turning the forest into a mess of uprooted trees.
Impossible as it seemed, a suspicion arose.
'No way... That quake was from this burrow growing?'
His dull eyes quivered pitifully. How could a burrow grow this huge...? Who did this...? How deep did such a massive tunnel go...? Supernatural dread swept over him like a gale.
Most terrifying: Kadim's group's footprints led straight into the giant cave.
"......"
Benson hesitated—turn back now?
But stubborn pride kicked in. He wasn't asking for much... He'd come this far; snag the elf or that lady—at least one? They'd already passed through... What could go wrong?
That resolve nearly shattered before he even entered.
Precisely at the bright red grass patch near the entrance.
"...Uwaaaaaah! Gyaaaaaaaah!!!"
Spotting the scattered ownerless ankles, Benson screamed like a girl with a spider on her nose and collapsed in hysterics.