Chapter 28

Tōru quickly examined the dead boar, whose insides had been violently torn out. He had instantly used <Restoration> to turn an overturned tree back to its original state and wedged it into the gap, which worked better than expected. When a quadruped, in this case a hexapod, is on its side with its legs in the air, it surprisingly becomes quite difficult for it to get back up.

Approaching the giant beast, he found its shoulders and neck densely covered with hard, black bumps. The appearance, reminiscent of scale armor, confirmed it was indeed an Armored Boar.

The problem was its size and the presence of an extra pair of legs extending from the middle of its body. As Tōru frowned, a hesitant voice called out to him.

"Umm... that... um..."

Turning around, he saw a young man standing there, his leather armor's shoulder part still torn. He seemed to be still in a state of confusion, unable to fully grasp what had happened. His words faltered, and he stammered.

Tōru nodded lightly and handed him the round shield he had removed from the boar's tusk. Though the shield had a large hole in it, the young man seemed relieved upon receiving it and finally relaxed his shoulders a bit.

"Thank you for saving me..."

"Don't worry about it. I was planning to hunt this one today anyway."

Tōru's curt response made the young man smile awkwardly. Even if it was a hunting target, there was no need to help a fellow hunter who was nearly dead.

Facing his savior, the young man felt his neck turn red as he recalled his rude attitude. At the same time, a flood of questions about the impossible phenomenon that had occurred to them began to surge.

"Ah, um, well..."

Various emotions overwhelmed him, causing him to stumble over his words again. Tōru silently placed his index finger to his lips. The young man, surprised by this unexpected gesture, let out a deep breath and smiled naturally. Tōru nodded again and pointed to the boar's body.

"Look here, it has extra legs, right?"

"Yes, it doesn't seem to be a normal Armored Boar."

"This is called a Cluster Phase. I've seen it before."

When the number of monsters increases too much or their territory becomes too small due to external factors, a phenomenon called Phase Change occurs. This causes the monsters to transform into a special form called the Cluster Phase, which is said to make them more vicious.

"That's... "

"Actually, I just saw a goblin cave. It's almost overflowing."

"Really?!"

"Sorry, but can you lend me a hand?"

"Hey, everyone, gather here!"

At the young man's call, the other members, who had been in a daze, slowly gathered. The faces of the three who heard the explanation changed.

"Seriously? That sounds pretty dangerous, doesn't it?"

"Not just pretty, Rikkar. It's very, very dangerous."

"Stop making light of it. What do we do, Shisan?"

"I think it's best to follow Tōru's lead."

With all four pairs of eyes on him, Tōru continued.

"First, we need to get out of here quickly. The Armored Boars are close to their territory."

"Hey, are we leaving the boar behind?"

"Tokochan, aren't you going to eat the meat?"

The two who were dancing around the boar, disappointed, groaned.

"We can come back for it later. We need to hurry."

"Okay. Let's go, Mūchan."

"It's a treat for later!"

Reaching the forest road, Tōru and the others split into two groups. The logging site in this forest is located in the northeast and southeast, with one inside the circular forest road. When a goblin cave appears deep in the forest, even ordinary goblins become more active and venture outside their territory. This poses a risk of them reaching the logging sites, so the sites are spread out as a precaution.

The group of four headed south, while Tōru and the others headed north. After walking for about thirty minutes on the forest road, the sound of axes chopping wood could be heard. After another ten minutes, they finally reached an open area.

The logging site, which also served as a storage area, had logs piled up everywhere, and men with large saws and skinning sickles were moving around. Tōru spotted an acquaintance and approached him.

"Sorry to bother you, but can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Hey, it's been a while. What's up?"

"A goblin cave has appeared. And it's in a very dangerous state."

"What?!"

The man, whose face was tanned, turned pale and ran to the site supervisor. A whistle was blown sharply, and the men immediately stopped their work and gathered. Mū clapped his hands excitedly.

"A cave has appeared! We need to retreat immediately. And there's a possibility of a 'Great Outbreak.' Get ready to alert the town!"

At the supervisor's command, the men in headbands hurriedly prepared. They collected freshly peeled bark, piled it up, and set it on fire. When the bonfire was burning, they threw in large amounts of leaves and green wood.

The fire began to emit thick smoke, and the supervisor threw in red powder. Instantly, the smoke turned red, and the bonfire became a signal fire.

After signaling the town, the loggers confirmed that everyone was present and left the site in small groups. Tōru and the others took the rear.

While walking on the forest road, they could see red smoke rising from the trees. It seemed the message from the group of four had been successfully delivered. An hour later, they reached a point where the stone wall was visible through the trees.

Tōru let out a silent sigh of relief, noticing there were no signs of battle.

"Great! We can see the wall!"

"Just a little more. Don't let your guard down!"

As the men called out to each other, Tōru's expression grew more serious. Normally, a red flag would be hanging from the side towers of the wall as a warning. But it wasn't there.

He had heard that half of the guard force had been dispatched as vanguards for the Bosseria expedition, and it seemed they were feeling the impact. When the outer gate, crowded with returning adventurers and loggers, came into view, Tōru stopped.

"What's wrong, Tōruchan?"

"Tokochan, can't you walk anymore? Should I carry you on my back?"

"Umm, that's a bit too much, Mūchan."

Sora, who had been pulling the sled, protested when Mū tried to add more passengers. Approaching the two, Tōru touched their shoulders and spoke quietly.

"I have some unfinished business to take care of. You two go back and stay with the innkeeper."

"Okay, I understand. We'll protect the innkeeper."

"Actually, it's the other way around. He's a hundred times stronger than you. Just try to stay close to him."

Seeing Sora nod, Tōru crouched down to Mū's eye level.

"Tokochan, I'm going out for a bit. Can you wait here like a good boy?"

"Can't Mū come too?"

"I'll be back as soon as I'm done. Take care of Sora while I'm gone."

Mū, whose expression didn't change, bowed his head slightly. Tōru gently pulled his cheek and offered a fist bump.

"See you later."

Mū reluctantly nodded and tapped Tōru's hand with his small fist.

Watching Tōru's back as he headed north through the trees, Sora noticed a familiar face approaching. It was the gate guard, Karurus, carrying a few thin spears.

"Hey, Sora, where's the guy?"

"Tōruchan said he has some work to do."

"Geez, where does he go when it's important? Hey, can you see that red smoke? I'm not sure if it's real or not. Hey! What are you doing, kid?!"

Karurus, who had been hit in the shin by the sled, questioned Mū's sudden misbehavior.

"You suspicious guy! Don't get near Sora!"

"This person is okay, Mū. And it's really dangerous. A lot of goblins might come out of the cave."

"No, that can't be. The goblin cave was sealed just ten days ago. Even if a new one appeared, it wouldn't overflow for a month."

However, Tōru, the veteran, wouldn't make a mistake. Karurus immediately realized that something unexpected was happening.

"This is bad. The group from the southern logging site hasn't returned yet. We should go and meet them."

The group of four, including Shisan, had headed to that location. Since the red smoke had risen, something might have happened on their way back. Sora couldn't help but raise her hand and voice.

"I'll help too!"