Chapter 517: Natives (5) |
Shrouded in the labyrinth's darkness, I couldn’t tell how far they were falling from.
But…
9th-grade, 8th-grade, 7th-grade…
The lower-level monsters, pouring down like rain, disintegrated into light the moment they hit the ground.
It was a grotesque sight.
Crack—Squish. Boom!
Blood and flesh splattered everywhere, and the air was filled with the agonized cries of beasts… but…
Swaaaaaaaaaa!
Had I ever seen such a bright light before?
I was momentarily mesmerized by the spectacle, but I quickly came to my senses and looked around.
Boom!
We were huddled beneath a tree, inside a barrier that Bersil had spent hours preparing.
But it didn’t feel safe at all.
Crack!
The barrier shook violently every time a monster slammed its head against it, and blood splattered across the translucent surface.
And…
6th-grade, 5th-grade…
Unlike the lower-level monsters, these creatures, worthy of being called monsters, were still moving even after being half-crushed.
Of course, there were differences between individuals.
Even within the same rank, some were reduced to mangled corpses, while others were still moving, depending on their size, durability, and regeneration abilities.
Like this.
[Kwaaaaaaaaaaa—!!]
The monsters, spotting us beyond the barrier, charged forward.
But the real problem was…
“Uh… Bjorn? Is that a new species…?”
…the unidentified monsters mixed in with the familiar ones.
It was hard to call them a ‘new species,’ though.
Their individual characteristics were too distinct.
“I think… those are the strange corpses we saw all over the island…”
I agreed with Bersil’s theory.
The monsters with exaggerated characteristics didn’t disintegrate after they died. Their bodies remained intact.
And some of them were still alive…
“Uh… it’s… coming closer…!”
A monstrous figure, over 10 meters tall, its upper body obscured by the trees, turned towards us.
“That’s…”
“What is that…?”
We didn’t need a long discussion.
We all knew.
Thump—Thump—Thump—
It was something out of an apocalyptic nightmare.
Marupichi, clinging to my arm, started shaking.
[L-Let’s go back to the village! If we stay here any longer, stronger monsters will appear!]
The other teammates probably felt the same way, even though they didn’t say anything.
We had started encountering 4th-grade monsters…
And…
Boom!
The giant bird in the distance had started moving.
I hadn't fought it, but I could tell.
Bersil’s barrier wouldn't hold against it.
“…It’s time to go back to the village.”
We had seen enough of the monster rain.
______________________
We entered a large crevice beneath the tree, and the village came into view.
We were all speechless.
“Whoa…”
Lush, green grass, moist with rain.
A soft, white light illuminated the area.
Stone buildings, a clear sign of civilization…
“This is… a monster village…?”
“O-Our sanctuary is better than this!”
Ainar suddenly declared, but I wasn’t so sure. Our sanctuary was still mostly tents, even though it was under development.
‘I didn’t expect this…’
I knew it was different from a typical underground city, based on Marupichi’s description, but this was beyond my expectations.
It felt like I had entered Wonderland.
“You’re here.”
The Elder was waiting for us at the entrance.
“Do you believe me now? About saving your lives?”
His nonchalant tone was annoying, but I decided to acknowledge his help.
“Sort of.”
He had saved us.
Well, there was a chance that we could have obtained the information about the ‘rainy season’ from Marupichi…
‘But we didn’t even know if the ‘rainy season’ affected the entire floor, or if it was just a local phenomenon.’
If it was the former, he had indeed saved our lives. We would have been in serious trouble if we hadn’t entered the village.
“Let’s continue this conversation inside. I’ll give you a tour of the village.”
The Elder led the way, and we followed.
There was no point in turning back now.
“I… I never thought I would enter a monster’s den…”
“Don’t worry! I’ll protect you! They don’t seem that strong anyway!”
“Frenelin! Keep your voice down! They can hear you! And that old man understands our language…!”
“Haha! He’s one of the ancient heroes! It’ll be fine!”
“B-But still…”
Bersil trailed off, glancing at the Elder, but the Elder didn’t react.
He must have heard her.
But he didn’t seem to care.
“…Erwen, you don’t have to stick so close.”
“But something might happen. I have to protect you.”
“…Whatever.”
Erwen stayed by my side, still wary, while Amelia seemed more interested in the village itself.
I thought she was trying to make the best of a bad situation, but I was wrong.
“There are many differences from human cities.”
“Like what?”
“Don’t talk to me. I’m trying to memorize the route.”
“…Memorize the route?”
“It’s important to know the terrain in case we have to escape. If that happens, follow me.”
Ah… so she wasn’t enjoying herself.
I decided to stop observing my teammates and focus on the Elder. He seemed to be only talking to me.
“That’s the forge. Metallurgy wasn’t my specialty, so it took a lot of effort to develop it to this level.”
“Impressive. But where do you get the minerals?”
“We melt down the debris that washes ashore, and after the rainy season, we gather resources from the island. It’s not just monsters that rain down from the sky.”
“Really? I didn’t know that.”
“You probably didn’t see it. It only happens after three days.”
“I see.”
I continued listening to his explanation, asking occasional questions.
And after a while…
“This is my house.”
“It’s spacious… but surprisingly simple.”
“What good is wealth and glory in a place like this?”
His casual remarks revealed his true nature.
He was similar to Lee Baekho in some ways.
He spoke in a gentle, almost emotionless tone, but I could sense a hidden ruthlessness. A willingness to do anything to escape this place.
“…Where are the captured explorers? Are they still in prison?”
“Of course not. Come inside. They’re waiting.”
We entered the Elder’s house and found seven explorers from the Silver Lion Clan.
So many of them had died…
“…Hey, Baron Yandel!”
The clan leader, who had lost a lot of weight, looked at me with a complicated expression. He then rushed over to his teammates and embraced them.
“Marina…! You abandoned us…!”
“N-No, I was just…”
“Chen! You too! You left your brother behind! How could you?!”
“I-I didn’t abandon you! I went to get help!”
“Krian! You ungrateful bastard…!”
“…….”
I could understand his feelings. It was even a little amusing.
But…
‘How long are they going to keep this up?’
I was about to intervene when the Elder spoke.
“That’s enough.”
“Ah, y-yes… I apologize, Elder Brugrid.”
The clan leader straightened up like a scolded child.
But there was something that bothered me.
“…Elder…?”
“Uh… didn’t you hear, Baron? He’s Dragon Knight Brugrid, one of the Last Sage’s companions—”
“I know.”
“Oh… you do?”
“I’m curious about something else. You seem… surprisingly cheerful, considering your subordinates are dead.”
I was being subtle, but my question was clear: Why were you so friendly towards the leader of the monsters who killed your men?
Thankfully, he understood.
“We’ve already heard Elder Brugrid’s story… and it was an accident. He actually saved us. And he even punished the monsters who killed our comrades.”
Punished them…
That was a joke.
How could he be so forgiving after his men were killed?
‘…It’s none of my business.’
It didn't matter whether he was hiding his true feelings or if he was just that naive.
I only cared about my own people.
“Now that you’re done, can we talk?”
I turned my attention back to the Elder. He had gathered everyone here for a reason.
‘What is he planning?’
As we waited in silence, the Elder finally spoke.
“I have a favor to ask of you all.”
“…A favor?”
“I assure you, it’s not a coercive request. In fact, it’s a mutually beneficial proposition.”
I would be the judge of that.
“Go ahead.”
“I will provide you with all the support you need for your exploration. In return, I’d like you to share your findings with me.”
It sounded like a quest.
______________________
Sharing our exploration findings.
It was a reasonable request, as long as the Elder's story was true.
But was it?
“Why don’t you explore yourself? Instead of asking us?”
“That’s—”
“Don’t tell me it’s because the trees here don’t float. You said resources were constantly flowing in from the sea and the sky.”
I had seen countless wooden objects floating in the sea.
So what was his answer?
“Seeing is believing. Do you have any wood you’ve collected? Anything will do.”
The Elder spoke gently, and I asked Bersil to retrieve the floating objects she had collected.
And then…
Swoosh.
As soon as the Elder touched a wooden wardrobe…
Fizzle—
…it disintegrated into dust.
“What… did you just do?”
“Nothing. I just touched it.”
“But why did it…?”
“It’s my passive ability. Any wooden object I touch turns to dust. Even if I wear gloves, it eventually crumbles.”
That was ridiculous.
I almost said it out loud, but then I stopped myself.
‘Come to think of it… have we seen any wooden objects here?’
…No.
The buildings were all made of stone.
The archers were using bows made of horn and sinew.
They didn’t use fire, so they didn’t need firewood.
Was the grass on the ground not considered wood?
‘And the blacksmiths were using abilities to create fire… not burning wood…’
The only wooden objects we had seen were the tree roots at the entrance to the village…
“Just to be clear, this doesn’t apply to living trees.”
He was making it difficult to tell if he was lying or not.
So I asked,
“Then why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“It would be foolish to reveal a potential weakness to a stranger. I wasn’t sure if you were our enemy.”
“Uh…”
Well, he wasn’t wrong.
“I understand.”
“You’re surprisingly quick to accept this.”
“I’m an explorer.”
The Elder nodded, as if he understood.
“Right, you’re an explorer.”
An explorer didn't waste time on trivial matters.
______________________
The Elder's request was unanimously approved.
There was no reason to refuse.
‘Free support? I’ll take it.’
If things went south, we could always abandon the quest and run away.
And if we couldn’t escape, we could just keep our promise.
‘And we have to stay here for a week anyway…’
According to the Elder, the ‘rainy season’ lasted for exactly seven days.
He had even offered us empty houses to stay in and given us permission to freely roam the village.
“Phew…”
That was why I was alone right now.
Amelia and Bersil were exploring the village.
Ah, I wasn’t part of either team.
I had a special mission, befitting my status as a multilingual interpreter.
Swoosh.
I was reading.
‘It’s been a while since I last read a book…’
The Elder, annoyed by my constant questions, had given me access to his study. Ah, of course, all the books in the study were written by him.
He said writing was his only hobby.
The books were all made of monster leather, as if to prove his claim about not being able to touch wood…
Thwack—
Focus, focus.
I slapped myself lightly and sat up straight.
And then I continued reading.
[Compendium of Monsters]
It had a similar title to a series I was familiar with.
The Elder had warned me to handle it with care, and the contents were indeed valuable.
It was practically a strategy guide.
The Elder had recorded everything he had learned about the monsters on this island after he woke up here.
Well, the quality and accuracy weren't as good as the books in the Archives…
‘But there are monsters here that weren’t in the Archives.’
I forced myself to stay awake, memorizing the information.
I was tired, but the content was interesting—
“Huh?”
That was him.
The giant monster we had seen during the rainy season.
“Its name is… Hippermachant?”
What a terrible name.
It sounded grand in ancient language, but it just meant ‘giant giant’.
[First encountered by a patrol team on the coast after the rainy season. Half of the thirty elite warriors in the patrol team were killed. Estimated rank: 2.]
2nd-grade…
I had suspected it was strong, but I didn’t expect it to be that strong.
‘It’s a good thing we came back to the village before encountering it.’
As I was reading…
“…Huh?”
I froze.
[According to the surviving warriors, the monster grew even larger as soon as the battle began. Judging by the difference in size…]
[Hippermachant’s ability is presumed to be the Orc Hero’s [Gigantification].]
…I had a new goal.
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