Chapter 69

Large waves surged, and red water splashed high into the sky.

Every time the massive body kicked the river bottom and moved forward, the water surface shook terrifyingly up and down.

The red water, like a harbinger, surged over the riverbank and spilled onto the riverbed with great force.

The adventurers, whose feet were wet by the water, finally began to speak in shock.

“...Hey, what’s that?”

“No way, did they trigger a swarm phase?!”

“What are they thinking, those guys at the outpost?”

The territory of monsters each has a unique size.

However, when the number of monsters becomes too large to maintain their territory, they acquire a new form.

This form is called the swarm phase.

Among the more aggressive monsters, some have the habit of going on a rampage to expand their territory.

“Damn! Hey, let’s retreat!”

“What’s the rush? It’s just that the hippo got a bit stronger, right?”

“Don’t be an idiot—”

The conversation among the men suddenly stopped.

It was because the surroundings suddenly darkened.

The two men hurriedly looked up.

Their eyes widened to the maximum, and their mouths gaped open in astonishment.

A giant hippo was flying in the sky.

The adventurers, stunned by the unbelievable sight, froze in place.

Then the massive body descended.

With a tremendous roar, the stones were crushed and scattered, becoming deadly weapons that were strewn around.

Screams and shouts erupted everywhere.

Two more hippos landed amidst the raindrops, causing more screams to rise, and the people, losing their composure, were quickly engulfed in chaos.

The adventurers, who had been hunting monsters in large numbers just moments ago, were easily put on the defensive.

However, not everyone retreated. Some stood their ground and faced the threat.

A man clad in red iron armor, holding a large shield, stood in front to block the monster’s charge and floated effortlessly into the air.

Those who attacked from the side were pushed to the ground by something unexpectedly hard that had expanded.

The monstrous hippo, trampling them mercilessly, let out a deep roar.

The people, losing their senses from the thunderous roar, panicked and tried to escape, pushing away any obstacles in their path to reach a safe place.

More hippos joined, further deepening the chaos on the scene.

Betty and Godan, who had somehow moved to a distance, calmly observed the chaotic riverbed.

“This is terrible, Godan.”

“Yes, it seems that everyone is not accustomed to such a situation.”

“I don’t think it’s an excuse that adventurers are not used to being attacked by monsters.”

“Perhaps it means that in this hunting ground, sudden accidents are unlikely to occur.”

“Hmm, I need to report this to Father.”

While continuing their conversation, the two watched the adventurers being ravaged as if it were someone else’s problem.

“By the way, what’s happening with those hippos? What are those on their sides?”

“Those appear to be fins. There are also membranes and fins on the sides of their front legs and the back of their hind legs.”

“Yes, they look like flippers. I see, they use them to splash water and jump up.”

The characteristic of the swarm phase hippos was the foldable wing-like fins on their sides, the membranes between their front legs and flanks, and the fin-like protrusions extending from their hind legs.

Thanks to these, their ability to paddle through water significantly improved, and the faster-moving monsters could now leap out of the water and attack.

The unexpected method of landing, which was different from the usual slow movement up the riverbank, caused great confusion. Additionally, their reddish skin seemed to have increased in strength, making the martial and magical techniques used against them almost ineffective.

The five rampaging hippos scattered the adventurers and even tore apart the surviving hippos with great force.

The monsters, which had been running around the riverbed at will, seemed to realize that there were no more moving targets and changed direction to return to the river.

They then ran downstream with a torrential force and disappeared.

“Let’s hurry, Godan.”

“Where to, my lady?”

“There should be Thor and the others downstream. If we don’t—”

Realizing her slip of the tongue, Betty cleared her throat and corrected herself.

“Let’s see how the unsung hero handles it, shall we?”

“It’s too late, my lady.”

“Shut up, let’s go!”

The loyal butler, glancing around, asked his mistress, who had turned away.

“Shall we leave this place as it is?”

Several motionless adventurers lay on the riverbed, and the embankment was filled with the groans of the injured who had fled.

The red-haired woman, who had been stopped, slowed her pace and glanced at them briefly.

Then she replied in a tone that showed no interest.

“Adventurers must survive by their own strength to be true adventurers. They should be able to handle this on their own.”

Her cold, red eyes were strikingly similar to someone else’s.

After the commotion at the quarry riverbed, Thor and his group, who had finished hunting river slimes, were resting in a tent.

“The rain isn’t stopping.”

“...It will continue for a while.”

“Just when the bridge is almost complete, this is really bad timing.”

“Shouldn’t new slimes start appearing soon? What do you think, Thor?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Frogs should be spawning too. Moe, I’ll leave it to you.”

“Thor-kun, Moe is very sleepy and can’t move right now.”

“Oh, Moe. I told you not to eat too much.”

“...Sleep, young one. My <Wind Sense> can detect any movement. Can you forgive me?”

“Moo, leave it to Moe, Thor-kun!”

The child, who felt his job was being taken, jumped off Yuril’s lap and gathered magic in an instant.

The purple snake he released disappeared into the air, and Moe pointed at the river proudly.

“There’s nothing over there. ...But there are a lot of big ones over here.”

“Big? The only big things in this river are hippos and crabs. Did you eat too much, little one?”

“Moo, that’s rude!”

“...The young one’s words are correct, Rorulf. Five large presences are approaching from upstream.”

The three brothers exchanged glances at Tali’s words and ran out of the tent to the riverbed.

The youngest, Gugtaf, who reached the curved part of the river first, looked back at his brothers who were lagging behind and then turned his gaze forward.

Then he let out a shocked cry.

“Look, brothers. A huge wave is coming!”