24. Great Forest (1)
‘To lose one’s reason out of desperation...’
Alicia Taylor gazed at Mech Warrior Nevil and the dead soldiers, feeling the pain of having severed her own limbs. But even if the same situation arose again, she would make the exact same choice. Their strength was absolutely necessary to defend this place right now.
“Squad Leader Wayne, please come inside.”
With the office cleared out, Alicia led Wayne back in. This time, Blaster guarded the entrance, and no one else entered with them.
“I’m sorry. Please accept my apologies for this regrettable incident.”
Wayne noticed Alicia’s split lip as she bowed her head. “You’re bleeding from your lip.”
Alicia wiped the blood with the back of her hand. “It’s fine. As a gesture of apology, I’ll sell the monster byproducts we captured yesterday and give you all the gold. Of course, if you want more, I’ll do my utmost to...”
“Well, recovering broken trust isn’t easy.”
It was a cutting remark toward the woman who had killed her own subordinates, but Alicia’s expression didn’t change. She had to hold onto the man before her somehow.
“How much do you know about me?”
“Pardon?”
“Wouldn’t being honest help rebuild that trust?”
Alicia swallowed dryly at Wayne’s blunt question.
“You’re certainly no mercenary. I suspect you’re the young master of some great noble house, or perhaps a high-ranking imperial figure.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Your subordinates make it obvious. That day in the goblin cave, the youngest girl among them piloted a 3rd class Gigant with ease. And the woman in her thirties was teaching Gigant combat techniques to that young mech warrior. That means she’s an even more skilled mech warrior— at least mid-tier in my eyes. And there were three more like her, all deferential to you. Who could command not one or two, but four mid-tier mech warriors?”
The corner of Wayne’s mouth twitched upward.
“And the mechanic Jamie who assembled your Gigants is far more skilled than our territory’s own. Just a few days ago, you had only one Gigant, and now you have three.”
She was wrong about Curtis and his comrades, but that wasn’t the point. What amazed him was how she had pieced all this together in the short time they’d been together—especially after her subordinates were killed, she was kidnapped by goblins, and dramatically rescued.
“So you killed your subordinates out of fear of retaliation?”
“No. They disobeyed my orders as the lord’s proxy. The soldiers at this outpost are gripped by terror, knowing they could die to monsters at any moment. If the chain of command breaks down in this state, it’ll be impossible to control.”
Wayne nodded.
“Um... if I may make a shameless proposal?”
“Go ahead.”
“Just one month! Please protect this outpost. I’ll give you every bit of profit from any monsters we hunt during that time.”
It was a bold offer. If monsters swarmed like today, they could earn a fortune. Having Gigants didn’t guarantee defending the outpost—Alicia knew what was truly needed: skilled mech warriors. Nevil was a ten-year veteran in Lorenne territory, but he’d lost a precious 3rd class Gigant to a three-meter bug monster in the previous battle. Compared to Wayne’s movements today in combat, it was night and day. If Wayne had that skill at his age, imagining the prowess of his mid-tier comrades was daunting.
Wayne spoke up. “But why go to such extremes to hold this outpost?”
“It pains me to abandon the outpost we built with our soldiers’ sweat, but the real issue is our main force that went hunting in the Great Forest. If we retreat, this area falls completely to the monsters, and even if they escape the forest, they’d need four more days pushing through beasts. That’s why we must wait for them here, behind solid walls.”
“How long have they been in the Great Forest?”
“Over a fortnight.”
“How long do they usually take to return?”
“Ten days at most.”
Wayne’s face filled with pity. “They might not come back.”
“I know. But I have to do what I can. If they don’t return, our territory is...”
Alicia trailed off, but Wayne understood. Lorenne territory was carved from barren land, with food supplies far worse than other regions. Their only income was selling monster byproducts, and without the troops in the Great Forest, there was no hope left. She was clinging to this last thread.
“Do you know where they went?”
“Only roughly. To avoid overlapping with other territories’ hunting grounds, they went deep into the western side.”
Wayne pondered deeply.
“Then let me make a proposal.”
“Please.”
“I’ll go into the Great Forest and bring them back.”
“Pardon? Bring them back?”
Alicia couldn’t believe her ears. He wasn’t just saying he’d wait at the outpost—he planned to enter that deadly Great Forest and rescue them. It was practically impossible, yet the man before her brimmed with confidence.
“Of course, for such a dangerous task, the reward must be greater.”
“Even if it’s possible, we have nothing more to give.”
“No, you do. Something the baroness has that I don’t.”
Alicia looked puzzled.
“Troops. Soldiers to process and transport monster corpses, mechanics, and men to guard the outpost.”
“Pardon?”
“We’d have to hire soldiers with gold anyway, so I’ll take troops instead.”
“Does that mean you’ll stay here?”
“No. There’s an abandoned outpost to the north. We’ll set up there.”
“Patton? It’s been empty so long, it’ll need massive repairs.”
Wayne chuckled. “But it’s close to here—that’s the advantage.”
“...?”
“Defending against monster swarms with one outpost is nearly impossible. But if Lorenne Outpost and Patton Outpost support each other side by side, how about that? At least monsters from one side won’t be a worry. Of course, this assumes I bring back Lorenne’s troops from the Great Forest.”
“Ah!”
Only then did Alicia grasp Wayne’s intent. Wayne and Alicia held a long discussion in the office.
Curtis, waiting nearby, rushed over when Wayne emerged.
“Squad Leader, what took so long?”
“Just business talk.”
“Business? We thought you’d been enchanted by the elf baroness.”
“Even I don’t make a hobby of married women.”
“Hahaha! Married in name only—she might as well be a virgin.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Curtis glanced around and whispered. “Overheard the soldiers gossiping. The Lorenne lord can’t use his lower half.”
“What?”
Fredric Taylor, Baron of Lorenne territory, was in his fifties. After losing his first wife, he took Alicia as his second once his son came of age—three months before the wedding. He fell backward from his Gigant, paralyzing everything below the spine. Knowing his condition, Fredric offered to call off the marriage, but Alicia had admired him since childhood as her family’s benefactor and refused. They quietly wed.
“So, married in name only.”
“Enough gossip. Gather everyone—I’ve got important news.”
“Yes, sir!”
Wayne glanced at Alicia, who followed. She was directing soldiers to repair the outpost.
Come to think of it, I forgot to ask about her green Odd Eye. Oh well, plenty of time.
The squad gathered.
“Nancy Oliver.”
“Yes, Squad Leader!”
“Can you pilot my Gigant and fight monsters?”
“Well...”
Nancy hesitated. Having witnessed Wayne’s battle, her confidence had plummeted. Monsters were terrifying, and death loomed without real combat experience.
“This Gigant is yours from now on.”
“Pardon?”
Nancy’s eyes widened in shock.
“That’s why I’m asking if you can fight monsters in it.”
“......”
“Don’t worry. Nancy can handle it.”
Sera Raudi answered for her. She oversaw Nancy’s training and knew her skills best.
“Nancy, thank him properly.”
“Ah! Th-thank you, Squad Leader.”
Being assigned a Gigant meant becoming a mech warrior—with heavy responsibility.
“Sera, you’re in charge of preparing her for monster combat.”
“Understood.”
“What about Loren?”
“Me? Really?”
“Yes. I’ll give you a 3rd class Gigant. Can you fight monsters?”
Loren swallowed hard. “Marching and transport, sure, but combat...”
“Mark, what’s your take?”
Wayne asked Mark Shaker, who trained Loren.
“Combat time would be about twenty minutes max.”
“That’s enough. Loren, you’ll assist Nancy. You two will defend the outpost with the soldiers here.”
“Yes, sir!”
They answered, but both looked uncertain.
“Jamie, take these soldiers to the goblin cave and sweep up every usable part.”
“Really?”
Captain Jamie’s face lit up.
“Yeah. They’re providing four hundred soldiers and three transport Gigants—no shortage of manpower.”
“Awesome!”
Then Blaster, the guard knight, asked gravely. “Where are you going, Squad Leader?”
“I’ve got to head to the Great Forest.”
“The Great Forest?!”
The squad’s faces filled with horror.
Before mounting the quadruped Gigant, Wayne reviewed everyone’s tasks again. Finally, he stood before Yann Bauman.
“Yann!”
“Yes, Squad Leader.”
“Eleven looks a bit skinny.”
“Pardon? No way—he’s put on weight. He could pass for a lion cub now.”
“Really? Anyway, your task is simple. When I return, I want to see him running around. Train him well.”
“...Yes, sir.”
Yann nodded but couldn’t fathom why a Gigant trainee like him was babysitting and training a wolf monster pup.
“Squad Leader, can you handle Artemis properly? Why not take Nancy’s Gigant?”
Artemis was the new name Wayne had given the quadruped Gigant.
Wayne chuckled at Curtis’s question. “I’m good. I’ve gotten used to eight-legged monsters lately.”
“Pardon?”
Leaving the cryptic words, Wayne climbed into Artemis.
> [Nancy, give me the sword!]
Nancy mounted her Gigant, drew the crimson-glowing blade Hong Yeom from its back, and handed it to Artemis. Wayne shifted it between the four arms, swung it experimentally, and began moving. The squad gaped.
“Gasp! Look! The lower and upper body are moving independently!”
“I-it’s impossible!”
Jamie nearly fell over; theoretically, mechanically, it was impossible. Even Curtis, the only 2nd class veteran, couldn’t handle a quadruped Gigant like that. Regardless of Odd quantity or piloting skill, humans had two arms and legs—controlling eight limbs simultaneously was unnatural. Yet Wayne did it, like he’d become a spider monster himself!
> [See you later!]
Artemis raced toward the Great Forest. Alicia, repairing the walls, clasped her hands in prayer as she watched Wayne go.
‘May the gods’ blessings be with you...!’
The Great Forest! Trees stretching to the heavens, a canopy so dense sunlight barely pierced. Vines thick as a man’s torso snaked everywhere, massive roots jutting like houses. Did such a primal wilderness still exist? Kuwaaaaa! A monster’s roar echoed from somewhere. The predator’s thunder sent chills down the spine—enough to make an ordinary man soil himself. If hell existed on earth, this was it.
‘Why does it feel like coming home?’
Stray beams filtered through leaves, blooming nameless flowers in profusion. Wayne paused before them. If he were the monster Python, he’d bask in that sunlight. With red Odd radiating, or perhaps entering the Great Forest itself, he empathized deeply with monsters. Python’s experiences resurfaced—the Gigant that killed him last.
‘Definitely from our territory.’
An 8-meter 2nd class Gigant, painted deep green to blend in the forest, number 31 etched on its chest.
‘If I hadn’t eaten that guy, I wouldn’t have been caught so easily...’
Python had battled an A-rank disaster croc over prey, winning bloodily and devouring both. But the croc was huge—two days to swallow, far longer to digest. Soon after, Gigants approached; red Odd warned him, and he fled, weakest right after a big meal. Caught eventually, his heavy body fought fiercely, but the 2nd class Gigant’s blade severed his head.
The memory of decapitation made Wayne shudder.
‘Wish I could see that bastard’s face.’
Even elite mech warriors wouldn’t enter the Great Forest solo with one Gigant—suicide. Except Wayne, beyond ranks, infused with red Odd and Python’s 400 years!
Concentrating red Odd forward, his eyes gleamed like infrared cameras, missing no warmer signature.
Wayne refocused Odd, immersing in Artemis’s controls. He’d named this spider Gigant after the goddess of the hunt for perfect Great Forest monster hunting.
‘Right—I’m a spider monster now!’
Wayne brainwashed himself, thinking and moving like a spider.