Chapter 68

By the way, the frog in front of me.

It's a bit too big to hold with both hands.

Its skin is brown with black patterns.

Only around the eyes is there an orange border.

There's no way to tell if it's a poisonous frog just by looking at it, but it has a dignified air about it.

Well, what should I do?

I'll probably just observe it with a safe attack from Kuki's bow and arrow.

I'll have Kuki attack and keep Helix and Obsidian on standby.

The arrow was released.

But in the next instant, the frog was gone.

It had apparently leaped away in an instant.

I had completely lost sight of it.

When I noticed, it was perched on a branch above, glaring down at me.

That's not all.

The monster's tongue had stretched out and hit my chest.

Damn!

The damage wasn't too bad.

I was almost knocked off the vine.

That was close, man!

I managed to close the distance and punch it with my right hand.

Just a test at first.

The feel wasn't bad.

But it didn't seem to take much damage.

I gripped the hidden claws in my left hand and punched it.

Naturally, the claws dug in and scratched it.

How about that?

No status effects.

That's a shame.

It seems regular attacks might work.

I'll have the summoned monsters attack.

It was over in an instant.

The frog occasionally made tricky moves.

It would leap, but otherwise, its movements were generally slow.

It was fairly tough, and the HP bar didn't decrease much.

Or maybe, because its body was soft, it had some resistance to physical attacks.

Is it weaker than the monsters in the forest labyrinth, like the skeletons to the west and the goblins to the south?

This monster dropped an item properly.

I can kind of see the intent of the developers.

【Material Item】Tendril Frog's Oil Sac - Raw Material - Quality C - Rarity 2 - Weight 0+

A bag filled with the oil of a Tendril Frog. The oil is in a salve-like state.

It's good for skin care. It also has a rust-preventive effect when applied to metal.

Toad oil!

I have no idea how or where to use it.

I don't have any metal weapons, but I do have tools, so it won't go to waste.

I also have a machete that Kuki is carrying.

I'll aim for what's further ahead.

The forest atmosphere is gradually fading, and the vines are getting thinner.

The ground is finally becoming visible.

Before I knew it, I could see the surroundings.

I looked back.

There was a green carpet.

Quite a view, isn't it?

I must have climbed pretty high.

It's a bit chilly, which makes sense.

There was a nearly vertical ridge along the way, but I managed to get over it.

After crossing a few, I received an info message.

【Your action experience has increased the level of [Grapple]!】

I've been using it alongside climbing.

It makes sense that it leveled up.

Following the ridge, the path split.

The diagonal left direction leads to the mountain's peak.

The route continues along the ridge.

The diagonal right direction is downhill.

The view shows a forest and a plateau-like terrain, not too deep.

This looks familiar.

That's right,

It resembles the place where my master brought me.

The place where I fought the Snow Ape.

The place where the Woundwort grows.

Indeed, it's similar.

What should I do?

Which way should I go?

Of course, I'll go down.

It's too cold to climb any higher.

Finally, the area is wide enough to walk normally.

The surroundings are deep green in some places, but it has the appearance of a plateau.

It's a good atmosphere.

I'll head north, checking the direction with a compass.

I had Helix fly and survey the surroundings, but it seems this scenery continues for a while.

Then, I'll switch.

I'll return Kuki and summon Crescent Moon.

The exploration range will expand significantly.

The first thing I encountered on the plateau was a bear.

Its form was black and robust.

A Moon Bear?

No, there's no white fur around its neck.

I'll use [Identify].

Black Bear Lv.5

Monster - Target for Elimination - Active State

It looks exactly as it should.

What should I do?

I'm riding Crescent Moon.

I have the range of the rod.

I can also expect support from Helix and Obsidian in the air.

Can I handle it?

No, you can't know until you try.

I'll just try.

Bears are surprisingly fast, unlike their appearance.

If I weren't on Crescent Moon, it would have caught up for sure.

I dodged the bear charging at me like a ram, striking it with the rod and chipping away at its HP bar.

I've been stabbing it multiple times with the rod and hitting it with surprise attacks from Helix and Obsidian, but it's not going well.

It's a tough monster.

It might even be tougher than the Snow Ape.

I kept attacking it one-sidedly, taking advantage of my mobility and maintaining distance.

But I let my guard down for a moment.

While trying to navigate around a rock, the bear caught up.

The bear leaped at me and tackled me while I was on the horse.

I was thrown to the ground.

I also dropped my rod.

The bear was in front of me.

It stood on its hind legs, as if to intimidate me.

It's a bit bigger than me, right?

What should I do?

There's no choice but to counterattack.

I don't think I can win in a straight-up grapple.

I dodged the charge by jumping.

I drew the tonfas from my back and held one in each hand.

I'm not sure if I can fight on equal terms, but I have no choice.

The bear turned around quickly, and Obsidian attacked.

The bear tried to counterattack, swinging its arms.

But Obsidian immediately stopped the attack and flew back up.

The main attack came next.

Helix struck the bear's head from behind with its beak.

That one hit reduced the bear's HP bar by half.

I quickly closed the distance.

Now that it's distracted, there's an opening.

I struck the side of its face with my elbow.

Of course, with the tonfa.

It felt good.

I also hit its stomach with my knee.

I knew it wouldn't be very effective.

My main attack came next.

I thrust the tip of the tonfa into its eye.

I pushed it in as if to reach the back of its eye.

"Raaaaa!"

The bear roared fiercely.

I took a few hits from its wildly swinging arms, but I didn't have the time to worry about it.

I selected a spell and cast it.

Even while chanting, the bear's roars didn't stop.

Does it hurt?

It must hurt.

The remaining eye was glaring fiercely.

Of course, it was targeting me.

I can't forget that I have my summoned monsters.

Crescent Moon stomped the bear's front legs from behind.

Distracted by that attack, I cast a spell at the bear.

"Paralyze!"

Instantly, the bear's movements stopped, and it stiffened.

Where's the marker?

I can see a small marker indicating a status effect.

I switched the tonfa in my right hand and thrust its tip into the crushed eye.

I kicked the tonfa with my foot to push it deeper.

I could see the bear's HP bar decrease significantly.

But it wasn't down to zero yet.

I kicked the tonfa again to push it even deeper.

Finally, the bear seemed to give up.

【Your victory in this battle has increased the level of [Lightning Magic]!】

Thanks to the bear, my lightning magic has leveled up.

That's great.

But when I stabbed it with the skinning knife, I got nothing.

What's going on?

Was the way I finished it off not good enough?

I'll head further north.

Since I've hunted a Black Bear, I'll try using the Call Monster ability.

There are some.

There aren't many monsters, but there are some.

Actually, there's a Snow Ape.

It seems the Snow Apes have their territory on the mountain slopes near the forest.

I don't see any Blitz, the goat monster.

That's fine.

I'll try calling a Snow Ape.

I'll select the one closest to me.

Just one.

Why?

I want to fight one-on-one.

When I identified the Snow Ape that appeared, it was like this.

Snow Ape Lv.4

Monster - Target for Elimination - Active - Summoned

It's about as strong as the Snow Apes I've fought before.

It doesn't have a stone axe.

As for me, I intend to fight it bare-handed from the start.

Why?

Because it seems to be a good benchmark.

It's definitely a higher-class opponent in terms of speed, power, and toughness.

My stats have improved with the level-up.

But my agility, strength, and vitality haven't changed much since the last time I fought one.

How far can I go against this thing?

I want to test it.

As a kind of benchmark.

I'll have the summoned monsters stand by and challenge the Snow Ape alone.

This is the first time I'm challenging it head-on.

It's coming.

I watch the ape, which has lowered its posture, as it grips the ground with its feet.

This isn't flat ground.

It's usually a disadvantage.

As my grandfather used to say, don't think of it as a disadvantage, think of how to use it.

There are some fairly large rocks on the ground.

No good.

I can't come up with a good idea.

The ape charges at me.

I lower my posture even more and go for a one-legged tackle.

The ape's arm passes over my head with a loud sound.

I lift it under the armpit and kick the back of its knee at the same time.

The ape turns around and tries to grab me with its extended arm.

I grab its wrist.

I twist it slightly inward.

I press the joint with my arm and throw it with a fireman's carry.

I twist the ape's arm in the opposite direction as it hits the ground.

I drop my knee on its unprotected arm.

There was a dull sound.

The sound of the ape's arm breaking.

I put some distance between us.

This time, I'll go for a striking battle.

The ape is only using one arm now.

Even so, I can't say I have the advantage in a striking battle.

I've taken a few light hits.

It's fast, which is good practice.

A mix of strikes and kicks is just enough to keep it balanced.

Or maybe the ape still has a slight advantage.

With one hand out of commission, the ape starts aiming for my neck.

It swings its remaining left arm.

Either one would be a big problem if I took it head-on.

I hit it with precise, but small, strikes.

I don't kick much.

It's not a good choice in an unstable footing area.

After a while,

The ape's movements had slowed down significantly.

The HP bar was down to about 30%.

Mine was only down about 10%.

Should I finish it off now?

It won't be good practice if it's an even or lower opponent.

I slip under the large left arm and move behind the ape.

I wrap my arm around its throat and jump onto its back.

I lock my legs around the ape's torso and start to choke it.

The ape's thrashing was fierce, but it was good that it was thrashing.

I just had to hold the lock.

I watched the HP bar slowly decrease as I attacked the ape's throat.

I also twisted its head using the hand I had wrapped around the back of its head.

Little by little.

Little by little.

The ape started to make long, thin moans as it struggled for breath.

The ape's strength also began to wane.

I put more force into the hand at the back of its head and twisted its head sharply.

There was a light sound.

The ape's HP bar disappeared.

The ape died with its head tilted at an odd angle.

The only item that dropped was a Snow Ape bone.

As a result, that's enough.

How was the battle?

Intercepting an opponent coming at me is good, but attacking is a bit unsatisfying.

I can keep up with the speed as long as it's within my range.

But there are monsters like Blitz that are faster than human limits.

Even when I fought the Black Bear, it was fast.

Even the slug and the frog, though weak, had elements that would make the battle difficult if I considered the overall situation.

I need to be aware of that.

My strength is having a lot of cards in my hand.

My weakness is having average stats for direct combat.

How can I enjoy the battle on top of that?

It's not fun to rely only on summoned monsters.

I ride Crescent Moon and move forward.

I have Helix fly at a constant height and keep watch.

Obsidian is perched on my shoulder, keeping watch.

We're in full exploration mode.

Right after I beat the Snow Ape, Helix spotted something strange.

It was a temple-like building made of stone.

It was fairly large.

But the surrounding stone walls were badly damaged and in ruins.

It's a ruin.

The entrance was sealed, and it wouldn't open no matter how I pushed or pulled.

It didn't look like it had ever been open.

The grooves were filled with dirt.

It seems like there's something here.

I circled the building, but it was just in ruins.

What should I do?

I had Helix survey the surroundings from the air, but this was the only noticeable presence.

I checked the movements of the surrounding monsters with Summon Monster.

There were Black Bears and Snow Apes in a somewhat distant location.

When I tried to summon a Snow Ape, it failed halfway.

A fumble?

I tried to summon another one, but it also failed.

I tried with a Black Bear, but it also failed.

Can't anything get close to this area?

There's definitely something here.

I'll try a spell that comes to mind.

"Sense Magic!"

It's a spell to detect magic.

I casually looked at the building, and it was a bingo.

I could see that the entire door was enchanted.

So, I should use that spell.

It's the common counter-spell Unlock.

Like the key lock of the common enchantment spell, I've never used it before.

I selected the spell and cast it, a bit nervous.

"Unlock!"

With Sense Magic still active, I could see the magic on the door gradually being undone.

Can I get through now?

But I couldn't open it with my arm strength.

I removed the dirt from the grooves with carpentry tools.

It still didn't seem to open.

Is the door itself too heavy because it's made of stone?

I'll go for a forced entry.

I returned Crescent Moon and summoned Jericho.

I tried pushing the door with Jericho and me.

It moved a little.

Is it a double door?

The stone door slowly moved inward.

The sound of the outside air being sucked in continued for a while but then stopped.

Inside, of course, it was pitch black.

"Flash Light!"

I secured my vision with the light and went inside.

In this pattern, it wouldn't be strange if there were traps.

At least in the tabletop games I played a long time ago, there would definitely be traps.

I cautiously moved inside.

I'm sorry to Jericho, but I had him lead the way.

He's the toughest and toughest in this group.

Inside, it was as spacious as the building outside.

There was an altar-like place in the center, which was strangely bright.

It's naturally bright.

It's the example soul.

【Traveler】

【We are the waymarkers】

【If you wish to unseal this place, you must undergo a trial】

【Win the trial】

【And we will aid you】

Well.

What should I do?

I was torn between the virtual window's "Yes" and "No" that appeared in front of me.

If I choose "Yes," I'll probably have to fight.

The problem is our formation.

The inside of the building is spacious enough for Obsidian to fly around.

But it's too narrow for Helix.

I returned Helix.

After some thought, I summoned War Ghost.

Well.

Should I try it?

When I selected the "Yes" virtual window, a large shadow appeared.

It was a big man.

More than a head taller than me.

Muscular.

He was dressed in a barbaric loincloth, but that wasn't the problem.

The weapon in his hand was the problem.

A pickaxe.

A solid melee fighter, huh.

And there are two, no, two of them.

When I identified them, they were completely different from anything I've seen before.

Abandoned Earth Spirit Knocker Lv.2

Event Monster - ???

Earth spirit?

Knocker?

Level 2 seems weak, but...

In any case, it's definitely an event monster.

Moreover, it's a clear power fighter.

There's no mistaking it.

It's