Chapter 25
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: The Demon of the Forest
-----------------------------------------------------------------
—A demon lived there.
Dianal had said, recalling his time serving in the Neokalitz Unit.
That there was a demon in the Bronserian Forest.
When Demian first heard it, he scoffed.
Where in the world would you find a demon?
But Dianal's expression had been quite serious.
A monster that operated on a whole other level.
Monsters that were as ferocious as if possessed by a demon, displaying strength beyond all measure.
—Would you believe me if I said a single demon-possessed orc beat a steelwolf to death with its bare hands?
A steelwolf was a monster with teeth and claws as sharp and strong as steel.
It took five orcs just to have a fighting chance against one.
But a single orc did that?
—I wouldn't have believed it either if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes. In the end, we had to give up on that place because of it.
The Neokalitz Unit, disbanded for reasons unknown.
Though thanks to that, he had been able to meet Dianal.
—A demon…
Demian recalled that memory.
*Step, step.*
Was it just his imagination, or did the air feel even colder today?
Having entered the Bronserian Forest, the Neokalitz Unit moved cautiously, searching their surroundings.
They had entered a forbidden zone.
“Halt. We’ll scout the area first. Move in three-man cells, but do not leave each other’s line of sight.”
The search was to be conducted only within the range of their squadmates’ vision.
At Tarone’s command, everyone nodded and quickly dispersed into the surroundings.
Then, Tarone looked at Demian and Kyle.
“You two, with me. Don’t fall behind.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Understood.”
Demian and Kyle replied, following Tarone’s search party.
*Swoosh.*
Demian lightly scanned the area.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
But the air was heavy, a stark contrast to the scenery.
‘…What is this?’
It was just an ordinary forest.
‘Why does it feel like a battlefield?’
A place where life and death coexisted.
Demian had spent five years in the heart of such a place.
Because of that, every one of his senses was screaming.
This place was dangerous.
*Step… step…*
His gait grew cautious.
Demian’s gaze settled heavily as he scanned his surroundings.
There was nothing there, yet he felt as if something lay just beyond his sight.
And then.
*Tweet!*
A very short whistle.
Tarone stopped and turned his head toward the sound.
“Found something?”
Soon, the squad members gathered where the sound had come from.
The gruesome corpses of several people lay there.
What was strange was that the mercenaries' belongings were untouched.
“Just how rushed were those damn foxes to just check and run off like that?”
“Foxes” was the nickname for the Erkal Garrison’s search party.
Because even if they didn’t retrieve the bodies, they always took anything of value.
Tarone looked at the sword and other weapons lying next to the mercenaries.
They were decent pieces of equipment.
“It means they were that terrified.”
*Swoosh.*
Tarone looked from the dead bodies to the forest on the opposite side.
A large tree was split vertically, its two halves fallen to either side.
What kind of monster could do something like this?
“Could it be some kind of bear monster?”
“There are no bear monsters in the Bronserian Forest capable of this.”
“Then… could it be an ogre?”
The ogre, known as the tyrant of the forest.
If it was one of them, this would qualify as an emergency.
But just then.
“I don’t think so.”
“…?”
The squad members’ gazes turned to one side.
Behind a bush lay the carcass of a Redbear.
Etched into its back were five long wounds.
The five gashes were too evenly spaced to be from a sword.
Demian, who had been examining the Redbear’s corpse, lifted his head.
“As the commander said, it seems to be a bear-type monster. Otherwise, the spacing of these claws makes no sense.”
The gap between the claws was over five centimeters.
That meant the paw, when clenched into a fist, was the size of a human head.
If a creature like that had swiped with its claws extended…
“…That would explain that, too.”
Demian looked at the vertically split tree.
Upon closer inspection, you could see marks where something had pierced the center and torn it sideways.
“…”
Tarone turned his gaze to Demian.
The analysis the man had just given.
Not a single word of it could be dismissed.
Perfect reasoning based on the evidence.
It was as if the scene was playing out in his mind.
“Where did you learn this?”
“My father was a hunter. I don’t know much about the forest, but I picked up a lot growing up.”
“Huh? I thought your father was in the arm—”
Kyle stopped mid-sentence.
He had met Demian’s eyes.
Pressing his lips together, Kyle feigned ignorance and turned his head away.
“…Is that so. You learned well. Alright, let’s hurry and collect the bodies. We have to return them to their families.”
The squad members took out large cloths they had brought and wrapped the bodies.
Unfortunately, they didn’t have the luxury of taking the mercenaries’ corpses.
“We’ll sell these to buy medicinal herbs.”
They only took the mercenaries’ belongings.
As they began to finish up, Tarone looked deeper into the forest.
There was definitely something in there.
If there was a threat, it had to be eliminated.
That was their duty. But…
“…We’re heading back for today.”
“We’re not advancing further?”
“We’ll return the bodies first, then regroup and come back.”
*I have a bad feeling.*
Tarone swallowed the last part of his sentence.
There was no need to cause unnecessary anxiety.
Demian agreed.
Although there were clues, they pointed to something far beyond normal expectations.
To venture deeper into the forest without knowing the enemy’s identity or strength was suicide.
‘He was an excellent commander.’
In his past life, Dianal would occasionally talk about the commander he had when he was the youngest in the squad.
—He was gruff, but he was a good man. Skilled, too. I learned a lot from him.
He was worth missing.
A commander like this.
Most would push their limits or take their subordinates’ sacrifices for granted in pursuit of their own glory.
It was only natural.
Sacrifice, at most, meant a slight inconvenience. Or a disadvantage in money and position.
After all, making a mistake didn't get people killed.
But this place was different.
Tarone knew.
A single one of his decisions could cost his men their lives.
That was why he had to be all the more cautious.
Even if it seemed a little slow and frustrating.
“We’re heading back. Hurry up!”
As the order was given, Squad Leader Aaron shouted loudly.
The squad members picked up the cloth-wrapped bodies and their collected gear, immediately turning to leave.
But in that instant.
“…!”
“Everyone, get back!”
With Demian’s shout, something black fell from above.
*CRASH!*
“Aaaaaaaargh!”
“My leg! Aaaaaargh!”
It was a massive boulder, at least two meters in diameter.
So large it made you wonder if such a thing could even exist in a forest.
The squad member crushed beneath it screamed in agony.
“Kyle!”
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!”
At Demian’s shout, Kyle shoved his hands under the rock, trying to lift it.
But it was too heavy; his strength alone wasn’t enough.
“Hup!”
Demian joined in.
The mana in his Mana Hall suffused his entire body.
As Demian started to help.
*Grind!*
The completely pinned boulder lifted slightly, creating a gap.
“Quickly…!”
“Get the men out!”
Other squad members pulled their comrades out from under the rock.
A few others rushed to Demian and Kyle’s side, helping to lift the boulder.
There was nothing to grip, making it hard to apply force properly, but with a dozen men, they managed to pull out all the trapped squad members.
“…Dammit.”
Tarone’s brow furrowed.
Two of his men were badly injured.
One, in particular, looked like his right leg was completely crushed.
But just then.
“Chew on this.”
Demian took out the Amancho herb and a red, raspberry-like fruit from his bag.
“You have to chew it for as long as possible to get the juice out. It should dull the pain a little.”
Demian placed the herb and fruit into the injured men’s mouths. Or rather, he was about to, when—
*Thwack!*
Tarone grabbed Demian’s arm.
“Amancho has painkilling effects, but it’s a poison. Eating it without an antidote could be dangerous.”
“That’s why you eat it with this Naemoja.”
The red fruit was called a Naemoja.
To be precise, one was meant to eat the seeds inside.
“If you chew the Naemoja seeds thoroughly and extract the juice, it can neutralize the Amancho’s poison.”
Demian immediately put the Amancho and Naemoja into the injured men’s mouths.
They had to chew as much as possible while they were still conscious.
At Demian’s words, the two injured men chewed the herbs with all their might.
“Hnngh…”
“Ugh…”
They were still in pain, but their expressions seemed to be easing slightly.
But that wasn’t the real problem.
“Groooooooooooowwwl!”
It had appeared.
Tarone shot to his feet and yelled.
“Battle positions!”
*Shing! Shing! Shing!*
The squad members quickly drew their swords, all facing one direction.
The black thing that had revealed itself.
It was clearly a bear-type monster, but…
“…Crazy.”
“I’ve never seen one… that big before.”
It was easily over three meters tall.
So tall you had to crane your neck back just to see its face.
It was so massive that a shadow fell over them the moment it appeared.
“Groooooooooooowwwl!”
“Move!”
*WHOOSH!*
With a great roar, the Blackbear swiped its foreleg.
Even though they dodged, the wind pressure alone was enough to make them stagger.
“Get the injured back and surround it! Attack its legs first!”
It was so large they couldn’t even think of attacking its upper body.
At Tarone’s shout, the squad members quickly encircled the Blackbear and began their assault.
“Hyaaaaaaaah!”
A muscular squad member roared as he swung his axe.
The moment the curved axe struck the Blackbear’s calf.
*CRUNCH!*
“…!”
The blow ended up doing little more than tearing the hide.
‘My attack, which can split an orc’s thigh…’
It couldn’t even cut through its calf?
The muscular squad member’s eyes wavered.
“What are you doing?!”
“Ah!”
He had only frozen for a moment in his shock.
But that brief lapse…
*THWACK!*
The muscular squad member was hit by the back of the Blackbear’s paw and sent flying.
*Thud.*
Since it wasn’t the claws, he wasn’t killed.
“Helson!”
The squad member called Helson didn’t get up, seemingly knocked unconscious.
“Grrrrrr!”
The Blackbear then lunged toward the fallen Helson.
It seemed intent on punishing the one who had wounded its calf.
Its massive forepaw descended upon the fallen Helson.
But in that instant.
*CLANG!*
“Grrrgh…!”
Tarone blocked the Blackbear’s attack with his greatsword.
*Drip.*
Red blood trickled down from Tarone’s forehead, running down his cheek.
He had succeeded in defending, but he couldn’t absorb all of the impact.
“You damn monster…!”
Three of his men were injured.
Tarone’s eyes glinted with killing intent.
“Hyaaaaaaaah!”
“Attack now!”
While Tarone held the beast at bay, the Neokalitz Unit members aimed for the Blackbear’s rear, thrusting their weapons into its legs.
They couldn’t inflict deep wounds due to its incredibly tough hide, but…
“Dammit! Keep stabbing until it goes through!”
“You monstrous bastard!”
No beast is a match for sheer numbers.
Soon, blood began to flow from the back of the Blackbear’s thighs and calves.
“Groooooooooooowwwl!”
The beast roared loudly and staggered.
And in that moment.
“Now it begins, you damn bastard…!”
Watching the Blackbear stumble backward, Tarone kicked off the ground hard.
He rapidly closed the distance and gripped his sword with both hands.
The sword, lowered toward the ground, began to vibrate faintly.
*Wooooom.*
At that moment, Demian’s eyes, who had been watching, flashed.
‘…Mana?’
And then, as a faint aura of mana enveloped Tarone’s sword.
“Die.”
Tarone’s blade cleaved through the Blackbear’s body.