Chapter 23

Monsters are broadly classified into two categories.

One is "Common Species."

These range from monsters that can be easily defeated by ordinary people to those that require a team to take on. Common species are further divided into more specific types. The monsters that inhabit this forest are generally common species.

The other category is "Dragon Species."

As the name suggests, these are monsters that embody dragons.

Their danger levels also vary, but they are generally aggressive and harmful. The Funeral Dragon and Blade Dragon that we defeated before are examples of dragon species.

...Now, there are exceptions that don't fit into either category.

These are "Mythical-Class" monsters.

Their strength also varies widely.

Many mythical-class monsters do not harm humans.

However, they are all dangerous enough to be mentioned in legends. They are far beyond the level of ordinary common or dragon species.

Of course, their numbers are also few.

I was quietly trembling.

The overwhelming superior individual that suddenly appeared before me was a mythical-class monster, one I had read about in a book.

It had the lower body of a lion and the upper body of an eagle, with sharp eyes fixed on me.

On its back were pitch-black wings that blended into the dark night.

Its body was about five times my size.

It was a Griffin.

The Griffin swayed its tail and scrutinized me from every angle.

The overwhelming pressure.

I was rooted to the spot.

I realized it was an enemy I couldn't match the moment it broke through Sigh's gravity barrier.

With my stamina already pushed to its limits, I couldn't do anything.

My instant decision was to call for Sigh's help.

"H...e...l...p!"

I realized I couldn't make a sound as soon as I opened my mouth.

Was it because my stamina was almost at its limit?

No.

It was the pressure.

The mere fact that the Griffin was in front of me was overwhelming.

I found myself collapsing.

This was partly due to my stamina being nearly depleted.

The pressure was the trigger.

I couldn't muster any strength in my body.

The Griffin slowly approached me.

I have to run...!

But my body wouldn't move, contrary to my thoughts.

Move...!

Move!

The key of pressure that was placed on me suddenly unlocked with a snap, and I started running as something in my body snapped.

But I found myself breaking through the gravity barrier and being pinned against a tree trunk.

The impact ran through my back, and my head was slammed against the trunk.

My back hurt from the impact, and my vision was shaking.

"Roaaaaaar!!!"

When the Griffin roared, I could see the back of its throat between its beak. The eagle's face was right in front of me.

The Griffin's claws dug into the trunk, and my body was squeezed.

"G...g...a..."

During the 10-day survival, I had managed to get through such critical situations.

But this time was different.

It was impossible.

With a mythical-class monster, there was no way to survive by chance.

...No, don't give up!

This time is no different.

It's no different from the critical situations I've survived during the survival.

I took out a knife from the holder with my free hand and thrust it into the Griffin's arm with all my might.

But the knife only pierced shallowly and didn't go any deeper.

The Griffin didn't flinch and pressed me harder.

It was suffocating. I felt like I was being crushed.

I could still use my ability, at least to make a sound to drive it away.

But I was outside the gravity barrier.

If I used up my strength here, I would die.

But dying here would be meaningless.

I had to use all my strength and take a gamble...!

I managed to draw in some air despite being crushed... and then I amplified the sound and shouted.

"H...elp, Sigh...!"

My voice echoed through the forest and reverberated.

Although it made the Griffin flinch slightly, the sound didn't affect it.

I thought I was dead.

But the Griffin released its grip on me and slowly turned around.

I fell to the ground and lay there weakly.

The next moment.

The first thing I saw was the Griffin being blown away out of my sight.

The next thing I saw was Sigh, with her black hair flowing, landing gracefully.

Sigh ran over to me when she saw I had fallen.

"Are you hurt?"

"...Sigh... you came... Thank you, Master..."

"Answer me clearly. Where does it hurt?"

"I... don't have any major injuries... I think..."

"That's good... I'm glad..."

Sigh, who had been crouching next to me, stood up and glared into the darkness.

"Stay here. I'll be back soon."

With that, Sigh walked into the dark night.

No way, is she going to fight that thing?

After Sigh disappeared into the darkness, the forest was filled with the sounds of battle from all directions.

The sounds would come from one direction, then another, and sometimes from above.

I couldn't imagine what kind of intense battle was taking place.

Several giant trees creaked and fell.

Eventually, the sounds stopped, and Sigh returned from the depths of the forest, not even out of breath.

"The Griffin's meat is tasteless, so I didn't leave any.

But the claws are good materials. We can collect them tomorrow morning."

So she really defeated it.

Amazing, Master. I'm almost in love.

"To be caught by a Griffin and still survive, huh. You're lucky."

Just caught, huh? That's annoying.

Sigh picked me up and started walking slowly toward the camp house.

I rested my head on Sigh's shoulder and closed my eyes. Her body was warm.

I opened my eyes a little and sniffed her hair.

Yeah, it smells good.

---

Despite my injuries, the training continued.

Medicine was applied to all my wounds, and after a night's rest, the training resumed.

I continued to train with my heavy body and slightly recovered stamina.

After two more days, I could control my abilities to some extent, and it was time to move on to the next step.

"In the third step, we will train your dynamic visual acuity and reflexes to the limit."

That's what she said.

In the third step, I will train my dynamic visual acuity and reflexes to the limit.

"You can detect all kinds of sounds, but your response is slow.

You need to improve your brain's ability to recognize, judge, and react quickly.

It's no use if you can hear sounds faster than anyone else but can't react."

"I see."

I thought I had trained a lot during the survival, but apparently, it wasn't enough.

But how will I train?

To train dynamic visual acuity, people often suggest memorizing license plates of passing cars instantly.

Will I have to keep looking at moving objects?

"Training by watching a moving Sigh would be nice.

If that were the case, I'd be motivated because Sigh is cute."

"...We won't train that way."

She's blushing a little. So cute.

Since then, I've been teasing Sigh like this from time to time. It seems she prefers being called cute over beautiful or pretty.

Since training is usually tough, this is a small comfort.

"Then how will I train?"

"You will go through survival training again."

"...You're kidding, right?"

I was devastated.

"However, this time, I will go with you."

"Really!?"

For real!? Yes!

"The western forest where you went before is inhabited by relatively weak monsters.

Next, we will go to the northern forest, which has more challenging monsters."

"Ah..."

15 days left until the end of training. The training is still long.