Published: August 25, 2025
Today, two chapters posted simultaneously.
This is the second chapter.
The next day.
I started moving a little later than usual. Since I had a good rest last night, my physical condition was fine.
However, no human from that frontline base would likely come this deep into the Tree Sea. The path completely disappears, and places where thick grass and vines intertwine to form natural barricades are not uncommon. To proceed, I have no choice but to cut through the jungle myself, which inevitably slows down my pace.
Even just moving forward takes more effort than before... but the magical beasts don't take that into consideration.
“Gegē!”
“!”
The strange noise approaching from afar heightened my vigilance. At the same time, mana sensing detected a single magical beast running at high speed, followed closely by countless raptors.
“Ugh, could it be that this one—”
“Gegegegegege!!!”
Just as I targeted that magical beast based on prior information, an ostrich-like magical beast suddenly burst out from the jungle. It ran past me without attacking (……) and then fled sideways. Naturally, the pursuing raptors would notice me.
“‘Paralysis Mist’ and ‘Spark Ball’!”
I took the initiative and scattered poison and lightning attribute magic. The paralysis poison mist acts quickly, and the electric balls discharge around the point of impact. Both wide-area spells blocked the path of the swarm like a wall, but their effect was weak.
From mana sensing, the raptors inhaling the paralysis mist visibly slowed down, but not enough to stop them completely. Still, the dulled raptors seemed unable to dodge the continuous electric shocks.
(Still, only about 30% were taken down. Spark Ball works well on humans, but against magical beasts, its power is somewhat lacking.)
Still, reducing the number by 30% instantly was meaningful. The raptors towards the rear, who seemed relatively calm at first, stopped in their tracks, and about half the swarm began to flee. The remaining roughly 20% could be handled carefully without trouble.
I continued dealing with them calmly and efficiently to minimize suffering, and by the time the attack subsided, the area was filled with the smell of corpses and blood.
“Phew... Just lying around, there are about 50 bodies. I wonder how many there were in total... So that’s the take ostrich.”
That ostrich-like magical beast lives inside this dangerous Tree Sea but has almost no combat ability. Instead, it has strong legs and hips, which not only help it survive by running but also emit pheromones that excite other species of magical beasts and incite them to attack prey.
Because of this habit, it earned the nickname “the weakest yet worst magical beast of the Tree Sea,” but... when you’re attacked by a flood-like swarm of raptors slipping between the trees, you understand why. If you lose your composure overwhelmed by that terrifying momentum, it’s no surprise that you’d be killed helplessly.
“It’s a shame, but this time I won’t bother collecting the body...”
Due to the take ostrich’s habits, it will probably return to scavenge the corpse after a while. It would be terrible if it incited another raptor swarm then.
■ ■ ■
After walking continuously until afternoon, I spotted a natural large rock, not a huge rock.
“If I go southeast from that rock, there should be a lake...”
I proceeded, confirming the route to the village as written in Gain’s letter. After a while, all plants except the Heat Dissipation Trees disappeared, and the view opened up. This must be the lake Gain and the others mentioned...
“Isn’t it more like a muddy swamp?”
There were puddles and floating water plants here and there, but it was a swamp with little water, hardly worthy of the name “lake.”
...Well, either way, the footing was bad. It wasn’t very deep yet, but even stepping one foot in now would sink you up to your ankle. If I carelessly stepped on the wrong spot, I’d get stuck. Better not risk it; I’ll use that.