Chapter 53

Halumenta (3)

In the middle of a dark forest, a man and a woman sit by a campfire. The man, with various weapons at his waist, and the woman, dressed in a thin robe, are accompanied by the mutilated corpse of a giant wolf.

The woman, as if accustomed to it, slices off pieces of the monster's flesh with a dagger and places them on the fire, whistling as she waits for the meat to cook.

"Not all monsters in the Demon Realm are poisonous. Some of them are even more delicious than ordinary animal meat."

The woman's words receive no response from the man. He merely stares into the flames.

She clicks her tongue and turns the skewer of meat.

"So, now that we've made it to the central area, what do you plan to do next?"

"We need to find the bastard."

"Okay, but what's the detailed plan? You've been tight-lipped the whole way here."

"There is no plan. I'll search the entire Halumenta and kill the bastard. That's it."

The woman sighs at the man's blunt answer.

"I told you, the Demon Realm is a dangerous place. The bastard might have already been eaten by a stronger monster. What then?"

"If you're going to keep interfering, you shouldn't have followed me."

She narrows her eyes in annoyance.

"I told you not to talk like that, didn't I?"

"......"

"Land was a dear comrade to me, like family. If his brother is wandering around to avenge his little brother, how can I not interfere?"

"It's a pointless worry. I'm much stronger than you think."

"Sure, sure. You're the famous ranger from Barcato. How could a mere adventurer like me compare? I should just focus on guiding the way and cooking the meat."

The woman stirs the meat irritably.

The man, watching her, says casually,

"......You were the one who said you'd cook the monster while I left the food supplies."

"Who said that?"

"If you need me to do something, just say it."

"No, I don't need anything. Just eat when it's done."

She speaks curtly but inwardly smiles. Despite their opposite personalities, they both have soft hearts, just like siblings.

Crunch!

As the meat is cooking, the bushes rustle, and more monsters appear. A giant scorpion, a six-legged crocodile, and a deer with vicious horns—a bizarre and inexplicable combination.

The woman, tense, picks up her staff, while the man draws a single dagger from his waist.

Swish!

The dagger, like a flash of light, pierces the deer's forehead.

The man, now wielding a longsword, leaps at the scorpion. His blade glows with a deep blue aura.

He dodges the scorpion's tail, which is poised to strike, and slices it in half.

The man then mutilates the scorpion's thrashing body and swiftly beheads it, killing it instantly.

Roar!

The crocodile, leaping from the side, bites at the air.

Though it was a sudden attack, the man is already airborne, leaping from the ground.

He steps on a tree trunk and dives back down, impaling the crocodile's head as he lands.

"......Wow."

The woman watches in amazement as the man dispatches the three monsters with ease and calmly sheathes his sword.

There was no time for her to help. She has seen his skills many times on their journey, but it still amazes her.

"These kinds of monsters are common here."

The man looks at the dead monsters.

A deer, a crocodile, and a scorpion. An inexplicable combination.

"Are the monsters in the Demon Realm usually like this?"

"No, they're not. These are just strange."

The woman, who said this, also looks at the corpses with a peculiar expression.

The Demon Realm is a place beyond normal comprehension, where encountering all sorts of inexplicable things is routine.

But when such occurrences keep repeating, it becomes concerning.

They have encountered such groups of monsters several times on their journey.

Though she hasn't thought deeply about it, she is starting to feel a sense of unease and strangeness.

Squawk!

Looking up, a bird circles the sky, emitting an unpleasant cry.

She watches it for a moment before turning her attention back to the meat.

The meat seems to be almost done while they were dealing with the monsters.

***

Trouble.

This is a situation I've never considered.

Stepping out of the cave, Ashel and the horses are nowhere to be found.

I have no idea what happened outside while I was in the cave.

"What the hell...?"

Were they attacked by monsters?

That's the only possibility that comes to mind.

There must have been some unavoidable reason for her to disobey my orders.

But if they were really attacked, by what?

Even in the Demon Realm, the only monsters that could overpower her are named bosses.

If there was a battle with such powerful monsters, I would have sensed it with my heightened senses, even deep in the cave.

'Something's off.'

No matter how I think about it, something feels wrong.

I turn my head to look up at the rock tower and use spatial leap to reach the top in an instant.

From this height, I can see the entire landscape of the Demon Realm.

In front is the path we took, to the left is a forest, and to the right and behind are plains.

Even with my enhanced vision, I can't see any sign of Ashel.

I scratch my head and sit down on the ground.

Suddenly, a piercing cry comes from somewhere, and a giant monster bird flies toward me.

Already agitated, I shoot a blood droplet at it irritably. The bird, flying confidently, crashes to the ground.

I watch it fall and then stand up, descending the rock.

Maybe I can find some clues by examining the surroundings.

'Where she stood.'

I start from where Ashel stood and thoroughly examine the area.

The ground is hard, leaving no footprints, but I use my heightened senses to detect even the smallest traces.

I soon notice something faintly dragged on the ground.

'......What is this?'

A messy drag mark.

I try to imagine what it could be, but it's too faint to determine.

However, I can tell which direction it leads.

I follow the trail with my eyes. It leads toward the forest.

'......'

I try to imagine again.

The only trace on the ground is this drag mark, and there's nothing else.

The creature that left this trace is probably not very large or heavy.

If it were, it would have left deeper marks.

'Something small and light.'

Did something small and light attack Ashel and drag her into the forest? Or was she dragged?

I don't know. But since Ashel is missing, that's the only direction I can think of.

I recall the named bosses in Halumenta.

They are all massive, so it's unlikely that one of them attacked Ashel.

I slowly move forward.

I don't know what it is, but the only thing I can do is follow the trail.

It's Ashel. I have to find her no matter what.

The only fortunate thing is that there are no bloodstains, giving me hope that she is still alive.

I move toward the forest.

The ground in the forest is soft, making the trail much clearer.

I thought the creature might be a spider-like monster with many legs, but the trail doesn't match.

It's more like... tentacles?

I imagine tentacles wriggling on the ground, leaving such a trail.

Rustle.

【Lv. 56】

As I follow the trail, a monster bursts through the bushes.

A giant deer with a horn on its forehead, reminiscent of a demon.

It licks its lips, lowers its head, and scratches the ground with its front hooves, preparing to charge.

I extend my finger to shoot a blood droplet, but the ground beneath me suddenly shakes.

"......?"

What is this?

The next moment, an unexpected scene unfolds before me.

Thud!

A massive hand bursts from the ground, grabbing and crushing the deer.

The sound of flesh tearing and bones breaking. The deer collapses like a rotten fruit, meeting a gruesome end.

The ground in front of me flips over, and the owner of the hand slowly rises.

【Lv. 82】

A bear as massive as the one I encountered in the Lutherus Mountains.

I blink, staring at it.

'......Bulcantier?'

One of the named bosses in Halumenta.

The bear, which emerged from the ground, had trees growing on its back, indicating how deep it was buried.

I mutter in disbelief.

"Were you hibernating or something?"

Bulcantier shakes off the dense vegetation and trees on its back.

Its size is so enormous that it looks like it's brushing off dust.

Roar!

The bear, with its blood-red eyes, radiates a menacing aura, ready to tear me apart.

To put it back to sleep forever, I extend my finger.

At that moment, a voice comes from the side.

"......Step back!"

A massive fireball flies and strikes Bulcantier.

Turning my head, I see two people. Humans?

【Lv. 73】

The man, who was hit by the fireball, takes a step closer and pushes me away.

"Get out of the way."

He ignores my words and lunges at Bulcantier, unleashing a flurry of sword strikes.

But his attacks only leave shallow cuts on the bear's tough hide.

The bear, regaining its senses, roars and swings its massive front paw.

The man narrowly avoids the attack and steps back, looking at his sword with a grim expression.

The woman, approaching me, prepares a spell and shouts again.

【Lv. 59】

"What are you doing here alone? We'll handle it, so run!"

"No......"

I try to speak, but she ignores me and turns her attention back to the fight.

What's going on with these people?

***

Boom!

The woman bites her lip, watching the man struggle against the bear.

The bear is so massive that all the other monsters they've encountered seem like mere cubs.

Even the man, who easily dispatched other monsters, is barely managing to dodge its attacks.

She raises her staff and channels her magic, preparing the most powerful spell she can cast.

But the bear suddenly turns and charges at her.

"......!"

The man leaps and rolls with her, narrowly avoiding the attack.

As she tries to get up, the bear is already close. Its speed is astonishing for its size.

'......Oh.'

Is this it?

She doesn't have time to cast a defensive spell. Even if she did, it would shatter instantly.

As the massive paw comes down, the two of them sense their impending death.

Suddenly, something appears in front of them, and the ground around them explodes from the shockwave.

"......?"

The two look in disbelief at the scene before them.

The man they just met is standing in front of them.

The bear's paw is suspended in mid-air, as if stopped by an invisible wall.

The bear, confused, growls and steps back.

'What is this......?'

The man's form vanishes from their sight.

The bear's massive body collapses with a loud thud.

Boom!

The two stare in shock at the man standing on the fallen bear's back.

He looks down at them and says,

"You should listen when someone speaks."