Chapter 42

"We've gathered quite a lot of mushrooms."

Our baskets were filled to the brim with mushrooms.

I recognized the flat mushrooms and egg mushrooms, which I had seen in my previous life, but the rest were all fantasy mushrooms with shapes and colors I had never seen before.

Leidia confidently said these were edible mushrooms, and Rent also nodded without any issues, so I assumed everything here was safe to eat.

However, there were some brightly colored and rather toxic-looking ones mixed in, which made me a bit uneasy. But I decided to trust my companions.

"Tonight's dinner will be mushroom hot pot."

"Grilling them and eating them with salt would be good too."

"That sounds nice."

It's decided then; tonight's dinner will be mushroom dishes.

Drying them would make them last longer, and they would add flavor to soups.

We've really gotten some good stuff. I wish we had explored this area earlier.

"...Wait. I hear something approaching."

Just as we were about to move on with our baskets, looking for the next ingredients, Leidia gestured for us to be quiet.

We hid in the shade of a tree and waited. Soon, we heard the sound of wings.

Looking up, we saw a large stag beetle flying through the forest.

It had three long horns, like an Atlas beetle, and its body was a shiny bluish-green.

"That's a large stag beetle."

It must be about ten meters long.

It's a size that completely redefines the concept of a stag beetle.

"A Tentacles. It's an insect-type monster with extraordinary power and toughness."

"From the looks of it, its defense must be incredible."

"Not only is it highly resistant to magic, but arrows can't even penetrate it. It's a terrible match-up for me..."

Given that Leidia primarily uses magic and arrows, this monster is almost like her nemesis.

Indeed, with such a hard exterior, it seems like arrows wouldn't be able to pierce it.

Should we just wait for it to pass? But since it's flying through the forest, its detection and movement range must be quite wide.

It might be better to confront it and defeat it rather than hide and waste time.

But being able to fly like that is quite appealing.

"Maybe it could let us ride on its back?"

Given its size, it seems like we could ride on its back without any issues.

"It's not a plant-type monster like a Kiraplant, so that's probably not going to happen... Oh!"

Just as Leidia was expressing her doubts, Rent suddenly darted out from the tree shade.

Seeing Rent jump out, the Tentacles stopped flying and landed on the ground.

"Maybe this is a situation where we can make peace... No, that doesn't seem to be the case."

The atmosphere was more like facing a clear enemy.

Rent and the Tentacles were staring each other down, not moving an inch.

"Leidia, please stay back just in case."

"Yes, I'd die if I got caught in the crossfire."

Leidia stepped back behind me, giving a clear answer.

Leidia is the most vulnerable in a fight, so I can protect her if she stays behind me.

I also readied my staff, preparing for battle. Suddenly, both Rent and the Tentacles started moving.

They both ran straight at each other.

The Tentacles thrust out its horns, and Rent spread his arms wide to receive it.

The impact of their collision sent branches and leaves flying.

Although Rent was slightly pushed back by the Tentacles' weight and power, he firmly held it down with both arms.

It was a clash of immense power.

Feeling that I shouldn't interfere, I watched for a while.

Rent broke the deadlock by firmly planting his feet and enlarging his arms.

With his now giant hands, Rent pushed hard and lifted the heavy Tentacles, throwing it away.

The Tentacles hit a tree and flipped over.

"Rent wins!"

"Sure enough, as a Gaianote, he can overpower a Tentacles..."

I was excited by the power battle, which felt like a monster movie, while Leidia had a distant look in her eyes.

After winning, Rent raised his arms in a victory pose and then went to help the flipped-over Tentacles get up.

The Tentacles, now standing, bowed politely to Rent, without any signs of aggression.

It seemed that the Tentacles wasn't the type to immediately become aggressive.

Relieved, Rent returned and nudged me forward.

He wanted me to greet the Tentacles as its master.

Thinking this, I stepped forward, and the Tentacles was already moving with a determined look.

It had the same tense atmosphere as when it was facing off against Rent.

Stag beetles are cute when they're small, but when they're much larger than you, they can be quite intimidating.

"...Hey, hold on. Didn't we agree to something?"

I turned around, and Rent gave me a thumbs-up.

I had no idea what kind of negotiation led to me having to face the Tentacles in a power contest.

While I was panicking, the Tentacles started charging at me.

I couldn't run away at this point. But facing a massive creature like the Tentacles head-on, like Rent did, would be suicidal.

It would be like trying to stop a large truck at top speed with my bare hands.

It might not be a pure power contest, but to protect myself, I used my ability.

I grew trees in front of me to block the Tentacles' charge.

There was a tremendous sound and the trees didn't break, despite the force.

The Tentacles' horns were stuck in the trees, and I quickly grew more trees to push it away.

I then used vines to lift the flipped-over Tentacles and set it back on its feet.

"This isn't a pure power contest, but I hope you'll let it go at that."

I didn't fight it head-on with my bare hands, but I felt I had done my best using my ability.

The Tentacles seemed to understand and bowed, looking somewhat satisfied.

Then, the Tentacles' gaze turned to the next challenger.

I followed its gaze and saw Leidia, who was trembling and backing away.

"Are you kidding? I'm a rear-type High Elf! I can't possibly match the power of Rent or Hashira!"

Leidia let out a scream, but the Tentacles was determined to challenge her. It seemed determined to win this time.

"Hashira, help me!"

"Sorry, but it seems he's really set on this. Try to use defensive magic to protect yourself and avoid getting hurt."

"Wh-What!?"

When I firmly told her to give up, Leidia's face turned pale.

Think of this as a ritual to become friends with the Tentacles.

"Come on, put up a barrier quickly or you'll get hurt."

"Ah!"

As the Tentacles charged, Leidia instantly deployed multiple layers of barriers.

Each one was a powerful defensive spell.

"It's impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible!"

However, the barriers were shattered like paper by the Tentacles' charge, and Leidia was gently pushed and rolled over.

Yeah, it seems the Tentacles can also show some restraint. I was prepared to protect her if necessary, but it turned out to be fine.

"Leidia was the only one who lost."

"...Hashira, I hate you."

I reached out to Leidia, who was lying on the ground, and she got up, muttering her complaints.

I'm a bit scared to eat the mushroom dishes for dinner now.

"But it's necessary to become friends with the Tentacles, right?"