Chapter 5

After finishing the meal of nuts, the sun began to tilt, and night once again descended upon the forest.

For a moment, the terror of last night's goblin attack flashed through my mind, but with three strong guards here tonight, everything should be fine.

"By the way, aren't you guys getting sleepy?"

"We are undead monsters, so we don't need sleep or food."

"I see... So, after absorbing the magic stones from the monsters we defeated, you guys will become even stronger, right?"

"That's correct; it's likely that we will become stronger."

"I see. If that's the case, by actively hunting monsters and having you absorb their magic stones, we can further strengthen our forces..."

I don't know what kind of situation we might be drawn into from here on out, or how we can return to our original world, but if we can strengthen our forces, it shouldn't be a waste to do so.

While thinking about this, the sun began to tilt and then set.

Unlike last night, the moon hadn't risen yet, so I could enjoy the starry sky.

There must be a galaxy in this world too, as the Milky Way flows through the sky.

After enjoying the stars for a while, I noticed something strange.

"Huh? Why is it so bright without the moon?"

"Sir Kent, how does the surrounding scenery look to you?"

"Um... It feels like a cloudy day during the daytime..."

"It seems that Sir Kent has become accustomed to using dark magic, so your night vision has improved."

"Really? So, is it actually pitch dark here?"

"Even with the eye enhancement magic, a normal human can barely see the tips of their fingers in this darkness."

Wow, the power of darkness is amazing. Last night, with the moon, I could barely see the goblins, but now, without the moon, I can see the forest.

Moreover, I can see the stars clearly and the darkness too. This is way too high-performance.

Then, I noticed the approaching goblins while they were hiding in the shadows.

"It seems we have visitors."

"Hmm, as expected of Sir Kent, to see them in this darkness."

"Yeah, it seems that for a dark magic user, the night's darkness is an advantage. I feel a surge of power from deep within my body."

"Hehehe, but Sir Kent, please don't take our job."

"I understand, but Reinhardt and Bastien, stay back. You two might crush the goblins' magic stones."

"Ugh, such a waste..."

"We also want to use this power..."

"You can't until you can control it properly. Fred, please quickly defeat and collect the magic stones."

"Understood..."

The two vicious skeletons, grinding their teeth in frustration, looked quite surreal.

Meanwhile, another carbon-black skeleton seemed to melt into the darkness, and the goblins' heads rolled off.

The goblins probably didn't even realize they were being cut down.

It took only a few seconds for all eleven goblins to be defeated.

After collecting eleven magic stones, I had the others absorb three each, leaving two for me.

There was no visible change, but they felt more robust.

If we stayed in one place, the smell of the goblins' blood would attract more goblins and kobolds.

Reinhardt and Bastien pleaded, so I had them take care of it.

Bastien managed to collect the magic stones by only destroying the heads, but the kobolds hit by Reinhardt's attack turned into a spray of flesh and blood, along with the magic stones.

"Reinhardt, house!"

"Ugh..."

When I forcibly recalled him with Shadow Summoning, Reinhardt slumped, looking dejected.

Seriously, you need to learn to control your power. What kind of monster are you fighting with that one hit?

After that, Fred and Bastien continued to hunt and strengthen themselves, but this created a vicious cycle for Reinhardt.

He already had trouble controlling his power, and now he was getting even stronger, which was not a good situation.

Then, they appeared.

Their massive, reddish-brown bodies were about three meters tall, with thick chests, biceps, and thighs.

Their curly, dark brown hair reached their shoulders, and their chins were sturdy, as if they could withstand a bat's blow. Two horns protruded from their foreheads.

These powerful monsters, known as Rock Ogres, were far more intimidating than goblins.

Thinking about their bad luck, I nodded to Reinhardt.

The three Rock Ogres, likely the strongest monsters in the area, approached the pile of goblin and kobold corpses without any caution and began to feast, making disgusting sounds and filling the air with a strong smell of blood, which made me feel sick.

I couldn't help but think about being eaten myself.

"Reinhardt, go ahead..."

"Leave it to me..."

Reinhardt, without hiding, walked boldly towards the Rock Ogres.

"Ubooo..."

The Rock Ogres, noticing Reinhardt, let out threatening roars.

Reinhardt, hearing this, turned slightly and smiled with genuine enjoyment.

Oh, he's really in the mood to kill.

One Rock Ogre stood up, flexing its shoulders, and approached Reinhardt.

"Ubooo, ubaaaaa!"

"Uraaaaaa!"

Reinhardt, without drawing his greatsword, met the charging Rock Ogre with his bare hands.

Even if they were made of tungsten, a 180 cm skeleton fighting a 3-meter muscular monster in a physical contest is not a good idea.

Use a weapon, for Gram's sake.

As expected, Reinhardt was pushed back by the Rock Ogre's superior strength.

I thought about recalling him with Shadow Summoning, but when I looked at Bastien and Fred, they both shrugged, indicating it was fine.

Oh, even though they are skeletons, I can read their expressions and intentions.

Feeling a mix of joy and sadness, I turned back to see the situation changing.

"Ubooo... uboooo, ubooooo..."

"Aaaa... aaaaa... uraaaaa!"

The Rock Ogre, whose wrist was broken, was being pinned down by Reinhardt.

Reinhardt bent the Rock Ogre's wrist in the wrong direction, and the Rock Ogre groaned, but Reinhardt didn't let up, trying to force it to the ground.

Noticing their comrade's disadvantage, the other two Rock Ogres stopped eating and stood up.

Reinhardt, seeing this, kicked the Rock Ogre's face, causing its head to explode like a balloon.

Reinhardt then drew his greatsword, Gram, and delivered a horizontal slash to the Rock Ogre's leg.

The Rock Ogre tried to jump back, but the greatsword's strike severed its legs below the knee.

Reinhardt left the immobilized Rock Ogre and moved to the next one, delivering a horizontal slash to its head.

The Rock Ogre tried to block with its arm, but the greatsword cut through the arm and the head, sending it flying.

Hmm... a sword causing an explosion is strange.

"Ugaaaaa!"

Reinhardt, after letting out a victorious roar, delivered a quick finishing blow to the legless Rock Ogre.

His pose, as if to say "I did it," was incredibly over-the-top.

"Fred, can you collect the magic stones for me?"

"Understood."

Fred moved swiftly to Reinhardt, like a ninja.

Yeah, he looks cool.

"Sorry, Sir Kent, the captain has always been like this..."

"Yeah... I understand. It's okay if he can release his energy from time to time."

"That's right. He's generally a good leader, but he's a skeleton now."

Basten, with a distant look, seemed to have endured a lot in life.

I decided he would continue to endure.

Taking care of such an over-the-top guy is beyond me.

After the three Rock Ogres' magic stones were absorbed and the team was strengthened, we moved to a new location to rest.

As a dark magic user, I feel more energetic at night, but considering we need to move during the day, it's better to get some sleep.

I wasn't very sleepy, but I decided to let the others guard me while I slept.

I thought I wasn't sleepy, but it was because I was tense. As soon as I lay down on the soft grass, I fell asleep like I was knocked out.

Chun, chun, chun...

The next morning, I woke up to the chirping of birds again.

Last night was fun, as the Skeleton Knights enjoyed their slaughter.

Then, I noticed a pleasant aroma.

"Sir Kent... breakfast is ready..."

"Good morning, Fred! Oh! Fish!"

"It's from the river ahead..."

"Thank you, wow, it looks delicious, let's eat!"

The fish, similar to trout, had no fishy smell and a mild taste, making it very delicious.

There were also fruits, but I was so focused on the protein that I devoured the fish.

"By the way, Sir Kent..."

"What is it, Reinhardt?"

"If you're going to Volzard, you need to change your clothes."

"Ah, you're right. I'd be suspicious in this outfit."

My current outfit, torn by goblins, is more like rags than clothes.

My body is human, but the blood-stained clothes make me look like a zombie.

If I go to town like this, I'll definitely be suspicious.

"Hmm... But are there any stores on the way to town? Besides, I don't have any money."

"That's why, Sir Kent, should we walk near the road?"

"That's fine, but why?"

"If we're lucky, we might find something to wear."

"Okay, I'll leave it to you, Reinhardt."

Following Reinhardt's suggestion, we moved through the forest, close enough to see the road but not on it.

We avoided the road to prevent sudden encounters with carriages, which could lead to suspicion and even attacks.

To avoid unnecessary conflicts with humans, it's wise to be cautious.

As we moved along the road in the forest, we found an overturned carriage.

Approaching it, we saw bloodstains and rotting flesh.

The three of us were on alert, but no monsters were around, as the attack had happened some time ago.

"Reinhardt, this was attacked by monsters, right?"

"Yes, that's the most likely scenario."

"Should we take something from this carriage?"

"Yes, the cargo will just rot otherwise. We can use it."

Monsters are interested in the people in the carriage but not the cargo, so many items were left intact.

I felt a bit guilty, but I searched for clothes that might fit me.

Most of the clothes were too large for my 160 cm frame, but I couldn't be picky.

I found some neatly folded clothes in a bag, said a prayer, and took them.

The others also searched for useful items.

We found a complete set of clothes, gold and silver coins, magic stones, bolts of fabric and carpets, knives and pots, flour, salt, sugar, oil, rope, needles, and thread.

It felt a bit like looting, but if another carriage passed by, the same thing would happen, and using the belongings of the dead is considered a form of memorial in this world.

For a normal person, carrying this much cargo through the forest would be impossible, but I could store it in the shadow space.

Reinhardt said that forest trade is dangerous but profitable, and the value of the recovered treasure was enough to live comfortably for two to three years.

With clothes and money, we decided to head for the fortified city of Volzard.

※ The manga is currently being serialized!

Gaugau Monster

https://gaugau.futabanet.jp/list/work/5dd4f51f77656175d2030000

Nico Nico Seiga

https://seiga.nicovideo.jp/comic/47146?track=official_list_s1

The novel is available in two volumes, and the manga in five volumes.

https://www.futabasha.co.jp/search?author_name=%E7%AF%A0%E6%B5%A6%E7%9F%A5%E8%9E%BA