Chapter 55

Halumenta (5)

In a deep underground tunnel of Halumenta.

It stretched its long, massive maw up to the surface, cylindrical in shape. Hundreds of eyes embedded in its body rolled and scanned the surroundings.

Birds flew around it, chirping noisily as if delivering messages, circling the area.

The monster, having rapidly evolved over several decades to possess exceptional intelligence, became aware of the presence of invaders who were killing its subordinates.

Four tiny bugs.

The monster knew what they were. Occasionally, unpredictable creatures would flow in from the outside.

Some were as weak as their size suggested, while others possessed overwhelming power that could not be challenged.

Especially the red bug that had recently ravaged this land was nothing short of a disaster.

The only thing the monster could do to resist the red bug was to hide in this sanctuary, waiting for it to leave after slaughtering the subordinates to its satisfaction.

Grrr.

These were just the right prey to vent its frustration.

It raised its massive body to the surface, emitting a low, heavy roar that summoned all its subordinates in the vicinity.

Soon, black and massive waves surged from all horizons.

***

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

Even after regaining consciousness, Ashel seemed to be in a daze, as if the reality hadn't fully sunk in.

But after a few minutes, she returned to her usual self as if nothing had happened.

"I'm sorry. I really feel ashamed."

"It's fine. Just be more careful next time."

I glanced at the horses entangled in the plant stems, dead.

They had been dragged along and killed with Ashel.

It was fortunate that she survived, but they were horses we had been with for quite a while. I briefly wished them well.

Soon, the two people who had fainted on the ground also regained consciousness.

The woman, with a dazed look, got up and looked around, spotting us.

"......What happened? When did we fall unconscious?"

I pointed to the drooping plant stems.

She seemed to understand the situation and gasped. Then, noticing Ashel standing next to me, she smiled brightly and said,

"You managed to save your companion? That's a relief."

In contrast, the man, with a less pleasant expression, checked his body as if assessing his condition before standing up.

It was a normal reaction to have been knocked out without realizing it. The woman's reaction was the odd one.

Ashel looked at the two people with a puzzled expression.

"We met by chance. They are adventurers."

"Ah......"

I said to them,

"Thank you for your help. Tell me about the monster you're looking for. If I know anything, I'll tell you."

They must have followed me because they wanted something from me.

Regardless, thanks to them, I obtained information about the monster and significantly shortened the tracking time. I was willing to help them.

Of course, I couldn't guarantee it would be useful, but I intended to share any information I had about the monster's known habitats.

Squawk!

At that moment, the birds flying in the sky circled around noisily.

I glanced up at them.

I noticed they had been circling around for a while. What was going on?

"Yes, the monster we're looking for resembles a toad......"

The woman described the monster they were looking for.

As soon as I heard "toad," something came to mind.

'Devil Toad?'

A giant poisonous toad with a black body and a three-pronged tongue. Its level was probably close to 70?

If it was a toad-like monster in Halumenta, it could only be this one.

"......It had a completely black body and a tongue that split into several parts. Oh, and it also had poison......"

"I think I know which monster it is."

My response elicited a more intense reaction from the man than the woman.

He opened his eyes wide and asked urgently,

"Is that really it?"

I looked at the two of them and asked,

"Before that, can I ask why you're looking for it?"

There were two reasons for asking.

One was simple curiosity, and the other was concern for them.

Devil Toad. While it was the weakest of the named bosses in Halumenta, it was still a boss.

In the game, it was a troublesome monster with a highly toxic attack that ignored most players' poison resistance.

Even if the man's level was high, he could be killed instantly if he let his guard down.

The man stared at me and then said calmly,

"There's no special reason. Just to kill it."

"Why?"

"Because it killed my brother."

Ah...... So it's revenge?

A simple and clear reason.

But what was his brother doing that he died while wandering through such a dangerous place?

The woman's next words answered my question.

"He was also my companion."

"Companion?"

"Yes. We explored various places, including the Labyrinth, as a group of five. After he died, we all scattered."

I recalled that they used to explore the Labyrinth and other places.

The woman, though at a lower level than the man, was not a low-level mage.

At level 59, she had the skills to hold a position in a noble family. For an adventurer, it was even more impressive.

'But that doesn't mean they could wander the Labyrinth so freely.'

Reading the puzzled look in my eyes, the woman laughed awkwardly and said,

"We all got along so well that we could take down even strong monsters by working together. But as this happened repeatedly, our confidence grew, and that confidence turned into overconfidence. So......"

The rest was obvious.

They encountered the Devil Toad, and he died while the others survived.

She sighed deeply and looked at the man.

"Six months passed, and then this person, claiming to be his brother, found me. He wanted information about Halumenta to avenge his brother. So, we eventually ended up coming here together."

I shifted my gaze to the man.

Honestly, I was more curious about his identity.

He didn't seem to be an adventurer like the woman, and he didn't appear to be of ordinary status.

"Oh, and this person is a former ranger from Barkato."

......Barkato?

The woman revealed the man's identity. I was a bit surprised.

Barkato was the elite force of rangers guarding the southern border of Saintea. No wonder his level was not ordinary.

The man, seemingly displeased that his identity was revealed, glanced at the woman and then urged me,

"Now, tell us what you know about that monster."

Well, if it's for revenge, there's nothing I can do.

It wasn't my place to dissuade or persuade him.

"I know where the monster is likely to appear and the type of terrain and environment it prefers."

"......!"

"But it's just a guess, not exact. If that's okay, I'll tell you."

"Anything will do. Tell us."

I described the characteristics of the areas where the Devil Toad might be found and pointed out a few specific locations.

I wanted to share some attack patterns I remembered, but I couldn't be sure how different the game and reality were. I decided not to, fearing it might backfire.

After hearing my explanation, the man asked with a strange expression,

"How do you know so much about it?"

It was understandable for him to be puzzled; such detailed knowledge couldn't be gained just by encountering the monster.

"Believe it or not, it's up to you."

I had no excuse, so I just said that.

The man hummed and nodded.

"......Anyway, thank you."

That settled our business with each other.

We needed to leave the forest, so we decided to travel together until then.

Ashel carried all the luggage that used to be on the horses.

While walking through the forest, the woman suddenly spoke.

"Come to think of it, we haven't even introduced ourselves. I'm Chersy."

She turned to the man, who also introduced himself.

"I'm Kelip."

I wondered if it was necessary to exchange names since we would part ways soon.

"I'm Ron. This is Ashel."

Chersy asked again,

"Sir Ron, I hesitated to ask, but could you tell me who you are?"

"I said I'm an adventurer."

She looked at me with disbelief.

"......That doesn't seem to be your real identity, does it? And the person next to you isn't a companion but a bodyguard......"

Seeing I wasn't going to answer, she didn't press further and asked other questions.

"Then, how did you kill that bear we encountered earlier? I didn't feel any magic power, so it wasn't magic, right?"

The woman was very curious, probably because I was an adventurer. She asked everything she wanted to know, even if it was awkward.

It was hard to answer everything, so I just ignored it.

She sighed regretfully and changed the subject.

"By the way, why have birds been circling above our heads since a while ago? Is it just my imagination?"

I had also found it annoying, so I looked up.

The birds had been circling above us, coming and going. Why were they doing that?

We were almost out of the forest when I sensed a faint presence with my heightened senses.

"......?"

No, it was just faint because of the distance.

What was approaching from far away was a vast horde.

Soon, the ground began to tremble slightly, and the other three also noticed something was wrong.

"Wh-what is it? The ground is shaking?"

When we finally emerged from the forest, everyone could see it.

A black and massive line stretching across the horizon, covering the ground ahead.

It was an army of monsters, consisting of numerous creatures from the Labyrinth of Halumenta.

"......"

I was momentarily stunned.

I stared at the scene in disbelief. What...... What is that?

"......Is this a dream?"

Chersy, in a daze, tapped her cheek.

Ashel and Kelip had serious, tense expressions.

I looked again.

Upon closer inspection, there was a noticeable creature among the monsters.

It was very large, with a long, thick tentacle-like appendage in the middle of its body...... but its bizarre appearance was secondary.

【Lv. 91】

What was most striking was its level.

Level 91.

A monster with a level equal to Quan's and one level higher than the Belvago we encountered in the Lutherus Mountains.

'......Ah.'

Only after confirming its level did I realize.

It was this creature.

The frequent encounters with inexplicable groups of monsters while exploring the Labyrinth, the birds that had been annoying us, and the monster army before us—all were its doing.

'Domination ability.'

The ability to dominate other monsters and use them like slaves.

It seemed that at this point in time, Halumenta had a named boss with a domination ability.

'But what is this insane number?'

The creature extended its massive tentacle toward us.

Light gathered at the tip of the tentacle, forming a giant purple orb.

Feeling the chilling magical aura, I frowned and stepped forward, spreading a barrier as wide as possible.

Flash!

The view was completely filled with light.

The magical blast the creature fired completely covered the barrier.

When the light faded, the surroundings were in ruins. The sound of trees collapsing behind me echoed.

Only the part blocked by the barrier remained intact; the forest in the middle was as if erased, leaving a gaping hole.

"......What the hell."

Kelip, having assessed the situation, muttered in a lifeless voice.

Chersy, who had been in a daze, suddenly came to her senses.

"Y-you blocked it?"

Without answering, I stared intently at the creature far away.

The attack just now seemed to be the signal for a full assault.

The monsters roared in unison and began to surge toward us like a tidal wave. The distance closed rapidly.

"Let's run! Hurry!"

Chersy, pale with fear, shouted. Kelip looked at me as if asking why I was standing still.

"Sir Ron."

Ashel, rarely showing urgency, called my name.

An army of over a thousand monsters from the Labyrinth. If we clashed head-on, we wouldn't leave a single bone.

But there was no need to run.

I was a bit taken aback by this unexpected situation, but that was all.

To me, they all looked like moths rushing into a flame, ready to die.

I slowly raised my hand forward.

Swish.

Blood flowed from my palm, rising high into the sky and forming a sphere.

I continued to perform the blood magic, drawing more blood.

The increasingly large, dark red blood sphere soon grew as massive as my body.

I compressed it as much as possible and then unleashed it with full force toward the front.

Boom!

Countless droplets of blood exploded in the air, raining down like a torrent on the monsters covering the ground.