Chapter 70 of 100

Chapter 70

12 min read3,011 words

The footing was disadvantageous only for me.

And it must be the best environment for the snake.

Once it gets into the gaps between the intertwined vines from an aerial attack, I won't be able to reach it.

It's troublesome.

It has become an extremely troublesome opponent.

My Levitation effect is still active, so there's no worry about my feet, but that's no consolation.

Don't run, snake.

No, it's aiming at me from the gaps in the vines.

Select and execute a spell.

Intercept, and then stop its movement, or there won't be any talking.

The spell is complete.

I held it back without releasing it.

I've already selected and executed the next spell.

How long can I wait?

I haven't tried it, so I don't know, but I'll try to wait as long as possible.

Come and attack me.

Come on!

Then the snake's head turned towards me.

"Freeze Touch!"

I released the spell while striking the approaching head sideways.

Since I hit it while making contact, it should have hit without a doubt.

But there's no time to confirm the effect.

"Paralyze!"

I think this one hit directly too, but there's no sign of disturbance in its movement.

There doesn't seem to be a small marker indicating an abnormal status.

Instead, the HP bar has decreased by nearly half.

The Freeze Touch seems to have been quite effective.

The snake tried to slip back into the gaps between the vines, but it didn't succeed.

The Oni Guard had already severed the snake's head with a scythe.

I can tell from the visible area around the eyes and mouth.

It's a good smile.

In an evil way.

"Keh!"

No, I get it, I'm happy!

But screaming like that is scary!

It seems that the monsters that appear in this forest where the vines grow are generally weak.

The skeletons in the cave to the west and the goblins in the cave to the south are also generally weak.

Occasionally, there are variations like slimes and skeleton dogs.

I stripped the items.

It was a dangerous item, like the Magic Mushroom.

【Material Item】Tree Snake's Venom Fang, Material, Quality C, Rarity 2, Weight 0+

The fang of a Tree Viper. A sac filled with venom is attached to the base.

The venom gradually drains HP through poisoning.

Poison!

I knew it would be there.

It's dangerous!

Well, there's no point in worrying about it too much.

At this point, it's just an item.

The fang itself is much smaller than the Snow Leopard's.

If I were to use it as a hidden weapon, it would probably be something like a ring, and it would be difficult to use against monsters.

Maybe I could use it as an arrowhead.

In any case, I'll need to come up with a way to use it.

I followed the vines down.

The Levitation effect ran out halfway, but I added it twice more to get back to the forest maze.

It took 30 minutes.

It took 30 minutes to get back through the vine path.

I think it took over an hour to climb up.

Spells are convenient.

I entered the forest maze directly.

Helix will take over here.

I summoned Wolf.

It feels like it's been a while, but the coordination seems to be going well.

Indeed, the War Oni moves quickly, but Wolf is even faster.

He's steadily dealing damage to the mushrooms without giving them a chance to react.

It's reassuring to be able to leave it to him.

I want to get through here quickly, but there are several parties fighting.

To avoid getting in their way, I have to wait for the battles to end.

I unexpectedly spent a lot of time moving from the White Plaza to the west through the forest maze.

I quickly cut through the underground cave that serves as the skeleton's lair.

Skeletons?

Of course, I trampled them.

But no magic stones appeared.

No skeleton dogs either.

It seems that fighting skeletons doesn't feel very good.

Is it because of my bad behavior in daily life?

I emerged onto the plain.

The time was 1:30 PM.

The weather was clear.

It was a beautiful sunny day.

The grassland that spread out there was different from the area around Remto Town.

There were trees here and there, and in some places, there were even large-scale forests.

The last time I came here, I just took a look and turned back.

Today, I'll go further to see the scenery.

I returned Obsidian and Oni Guard and summoned Crescent Moon and Helix.

Today, I've been summoning and returning quite frequently.

Maybe because my level has gone up, my MP consumption has decreased significantly.

Still, my MP bar has decreased quite a bit.

It's below half.

But once you know the convenience of useful spells, you can't stop using them.

I used the Magnetic Compass spell.

The direction to proceed is straight west.

Shall we go?

There's nothing.

No monsters.

The grassland was full of the vibrant breath of life.

There were many wild animals.

However, none of them were targets for slaying.

There were small birds, small animals, and even large beasts like wild horses, but none of them were targets for slaying.

Of course, there was no danger of being attacked.

The plain, despite its name, had a gentle undulation, and the scenery and journey were not boring.

I had Helix fly at a high altitude to explore a wide area.

So far, there doesn't seem to be any suspicious places in sight.

I had Helix fly at a wider range, so the movement with Crescent Moon was a bit slower.

Wolf was also following well.

Occasionally moving long distances is a good thing.

Although it's a bit hard on Helix, both Wolf and Crescent Moon seem to be in good spirits.

Finally, a suspicious place was found.

It's a bit to the south of the cave entrance, to the west.

It would take an hour and a half at Crescent Moon's speed.

If I ran full speed, it would take an hour.

It was a strangely flat place.

A deep grassland spread out.

There was a path through the grass that Crescent Moon could pass through.

Suddenly, it was all grass.

The center of the area was also visible to Helix.

It seems to be a village-like place.

The stone walls and fences that marked the village were half buried in the vines.

A green fence, not a green curtain.

There was an entrance in front of me.

It was creaky.

I managed to find a gap and slip through.

Crescent Moon also managed to pass through.

No, I made it pass through.

It's easy because Helix is exploring inside first.

There was no one inside.

It was easy to imagine from the state of disrepair.

The inside was in complete disarray.

Weeds grew in the ditches of buildings made of stacked stones.

Buildings that were probably made of wood were half-rotted.

The village was larger in scale than Legias.

It was definitely a suspicious place.

I decided to look around each building one by one.

There were only broken dishes and furniture scattered around.

Oh.

I should use that spell.

Sense Magic.

"Sense Magic!"

The spell's effect should detect any beings with magical power.

Let's continue the exploration.

Still, there were no suspicious places in any of the buildings.

But the suspicious place wasn't in the buildings.

It was in the square.

The center of the village.

There was a stone statue that was almost collapsed.

I could see a human soul floating above the stone statue.

I got off Crescent Moon and thought for a while.

This feels like a battle.

I shouldn't just feel it; I should assume it's certain.

Will it be like the Knocker?

How should I set up my formation?

Should I ride Crescent Moon and fight?

Or should I switch to another summoned monster?

It's a dilemma.

But I'll approach the human soul while riding.

If I hesitate, I should just jump in.

It has begun.

Of course, I chose "Yes" on the "Yes" and "No" screen.

What will appear?

The monster that appeared was unexpectedly small.

Especially compared to the Knocker.

Three animals, each a head shorter than me.

An otter? A weasel?

If so, they're quite large.

They have a fur that Adele would be happy to see, and a cute face.

Naturally, I tried to identify them.

Remnant Wind Spirit Kamaitachi, Lv.2

Event Monster ???

Kamaitachi?

If it's the same pattern as the Knocker, is this also a type of spirit?

"Kuruu?"

Moreover, it made a cute chirping sound.

Its gestures were also cute.

If Adele were here, she would have run over to hug it.

Despite its appearance, the monsters seemed to be on guard, lined up horizontally.

Helix, who had been perched on my shoulder, flew into the air.

That was the signal to start the battle.

"Meditate!" "Breathe!"

While casting staff techniques on myself, I urged Crescent Moon to charge at the monsters.

What about the Kamaitachi's movements?

Fast.

Fast, but not too fast.

It was good that I was riding Crescent Moon.

There's no doubt that I couldn't catch them with my feet alone.

Wolf and one of the monsters were already engaged in a storm-like battle, trading attacks and defenses.

What about Helix?

But I couldn't worry about that.

There was a Kamaitachi in front of me.

I thrust with my rod from the saddle, but it was easily dodged.

I activated the spell I had already selected.

"Physical Enchantment Wind!"

The target for enhancement is Wolf.

I originally intended to cast it on Crescent Moon, but I changed my mind.

Because the battle situation with Wolf was even.

The monsters were fast.

They seemed to be on par with Wolf in agility.

It's not a bad thing to ensure an advantage.

I was thinking about the next spell when a sharp pain shot through my back.

My HP bar had been reduced by nearly 20%.

A spell?

No, I didn't hear any incantation.

The MP bar of the Kamaitachi behind me had decreased by about 30%.

Only then did I notice the other Kamaitachi.

It had dodged Helix's aerial attack and fired something.

A spell?

Sense Magic showed the release of magical power.

The glow was white.

It seemed to be a special attack accompanied by magic.

Helix managed to avoid the attack with a reckless aerial maneuver.

These guys.

They seem to be wind attribute?

Helix managed to avoid a direct hit, but it took some time to regain its composure.

As if it had been blown by the wind.

I turned Crescent Moon to face the monsters.

This time, the monsters tried to circle around me.

Crescent Moon started to pursue them.

The monsters were faster.

What a bunch.

I selected and executed a spell.

The Kamaitachi?

It had circled around to the side of Crescent Moon.

Would I be too late?

But Wolf had bitten into the side of the monster.

It seemed to have finished off another monster and come to my aid.

Wolf's attack, biting the throat, reduced the monster's HP bar to less than half.

The monster tried to counterattack, but Wolf's attack was faster.

It lifted the monster while biting it and slammed it to the ground.

It seemed to be dealing more damage by rotating its body.

The monster seemed to have died from that.

One left.

"Physical Enchantment Wind!"

I boosted Crescent Moon's agility.

The remaining one was still engaged with Helix.

Helix approached the monster but lost its balance just before it.

Through the eyes of Sense Magic, I could see a magical barrier-like presence.

It was probably a wind shield.

Similar to the Wind Shield of wind magic.

They thought it through.

A strong wind attacked me and Crescent Moon.

The range was wide.

It hit us directly because we couldn't avoid it.

But it might have been for the best.

Wolf, who had stopped behind the Kamaitachi, started to shake it by biting its hind legs.

It didn't let go of the leg it had bitten, even as it slammed the monster into the ground from time to time.

The monster seemed to have died from that.

It was a Wolf rampage.

I'm glad he was there.

If it had been Jericho, it would have been a different story.

<Bless>

The human soul that was wavering in the square split and flew away.

I couldn't tell what was about to begin.

<3 bonus points have been added. You now have a total of 13 points.>

The only thing I can understand is that this was also an area portal.

Everyone had taken damage.

I gave potions to everyone to recover, but I was far from fully recovered with just one potion, so I cast a recovery spell.

"Fire Heal!"

It took a while, but Fire Magic has leveled up.

In other words, I will obtain a new magic system by using Fire Magic and Wind Magic, Earth Magic, and Water Magic spells in succession.

Probably.

There are some concerns.

Whether to acquire more magic skills.

Unfortunately, bonus points have been added by unlocking the area portal today.

Yeah.

I'll probably acquire it.

While I was dealing with the post-battle procedures, a message arrived.

It's from Fina.

'Guild members at Kaya's place have confirmed a new magic system, Magma Magic, using Fire Magic + Earth Magic. I'll send you the spell data.'

Hmm.

Kaya, as in the blacksmith connection.

I opened the attached data and checked the spells.

Heat Metal: Heats metal, damage judgment on contact.

Shape Change: Softens and deforms solid objects.

Defense Fall: Temporarily lowers the target's defense.

I'm drawn to the last spell.

A tough opponent would be a Branch Golem, but I can throw it at that size.

But there will be monsters of a size that are difficult to punch, kick, or throw.

I've seen a few.

Without such support spells, it will be tough in the future.

Yeah.

Since Fire Magic has leveled up, I'll move towards acquiring it.

I thought about replying to the message, but I'll try it out.

I selected and executed the Telepathy spell.

The incantation was short and ended quickly.

A screen appeared to specify the whisper target, so I selected Fina.

"Fina, can you hear me?"

"Eh? It's Keith?"

"Yes. It's the Telepathy spell. Is now a good time?"

"It's fine. The boss battle group just succeeded and is taking a break. I have time."

"I received your message. That's all, really."

"It's a Telepathy test. It doesn't seem to be different from a regular whisper."

"Can other party members hear it too?"

"Wait a moment."

After a while, a reply came.

"It seems to be limited to individuals."

"Is that so. Then it doesn't completely inherit the whisper function."

"Still, this is convenient. We can have completely private conversations."

"Seems so. We're quite far apart, after all."

That's right.

It's a distance that took over an hour and a half to travel on Crescent Moon's legs.

A convenient spell that solves the distance problem is great.

The Return Home transfer spell is also convenient.

"So, where are you now?"

"From there, to the west. On the map, I'm at the W2 area portal."

"You seem to have made a lot of progress. Oh, wait a moment."

What?

Is there something she needs?

"If you can come to Legias tomorrow morning, I have a guild member I'd like to introduce you to."

"A guild member?"

"Yes. Remember the gem you had before? The expert in that field."

"Eh?"

"Lapidary. A jeweler."

Oh, right.

So far, it's been in storage.

It would be good to ask about how to use it.

"Understood. I'll show up."

"I'll be waiting."

"Alright. See you tomorrow."

"Got it."

Before cutting the whisper, I checked the remaining effect time.

About three minutes per spell.

The MP bar didn't decrease much.

This is good.

I want to use it more in the future.

Main Character: Keith

Race: Human, Male, Race Level 8

Class: Summoner (Summoner) Level 7

Bonus Points Remaining: 13

Set Skills:

Staff Level 7 (↑1), Strike Level 4, Kick Level 4, Joint Techniques Level 4, Throw Techniques Level 4

Dodge Level 4, Block Level 4, Summon Magic Level 8, Space-Time Magic Level 1

Light Magic Level 4, Wind Magic Level 4, Earth Magic Level 4, Water Magic Level 4

Fire Magic Level 4 (↑1), Dark Magic Level 4, Ice Magic Level 2, Lightning Magic Level 2

Wood Magic Level 2

Alchemy Level 4, Pharmacist Level 3, Glasswork Level 3, Carpentry Level 3

Coordination Level 6, Appraisal Level 6, Identification Level 6, Insight Level 2, Cold Resistance Level 3

Grapple Level 6, Horsemanship Level 6, Precision Operation Level 6, Jump Level 3

Heat Resistance Level 3, Climbing Level 3, Dual Wielding Level 3, Mental Fortitude Level 3

Rapid Incantation Level 2

Equipment:

Kaya's Rod x2, Kaya's Tonfa x2, Snow Leopard's Hidden Claw x3

Wild Horse Leather Armor +, Snow Monkey Arm Guard, Wild Horse Boots +

Snow Monkey Leather Helmet, Wild Horse Belt +, Backpack, Item Box x2

Items:

Skinning Knife, Carpentry Tools

Titles:

Apprentice to the Old Summoner, Proof of the Forest Guardian, Seeker of Moderation

Spell Catalog

Summoned Monsters:

Wolf, Wolf Level 6

Crescent Moon, Horse Level 4

Helix, Hawk Level 4

Obsidian, Owl Level 4

Jean, Bat Level 4

Jericho, Wood Golem Level 3

Oni Guard, Oni Level 3

War Oni, Beast Ape Level 2