Chapter 71

The time had passed 3 PM.

Returning to the southern side of the forest labyrinth, the S1W1 map, would take a bit more time.

Even if I reached there, it would be past dusk.

It's not a good time for exploration.

What should I do?

There are options to head north, south, and further west from this abandoned village.

Even with this W2 map, I haven't explored everything.

What should I do?

I've come this far.

I'll try to move further ahead.

I'll go west.

The phrase "Go West" sounds familiar from somewhere.

When I stepped out of the village, a noticeable change had occurred.

All the grass had been cut.

The cut grass was still lying on the ground.

And with the effects of Sense Magic still active in my eyes, I could see that the stone walls and fences were imbued with magic.

It's the same as the shrine of the earth spirits.

The impression is completely different from the first time I saw it.

I looked at the wide-area map.

This abandoned village was marked as the village of the wind spirits.

In that case, there should be a portal area with event monsters like spirits on the S1W1 map.

Yeah.

I'll explore it tomorrow.

After circling around the village to check the situation, I headed west.

Upon closer inspection, there were traces of fields and pastures around the village.

There were also primitive irrigation channels made of stone.

Though they were broken.

To make the village function properly, it would require some work.

The biggest problem is the lack of residents.

I continued heading west.

Until I reached this abandoned village, Wolf didn't show much caution, but his demeanor had changed.

He seemed to be more alert.

The same went for Helix, who was flying overhead.

The number of wild animals around had suddenly decreased.

That's strange.

Is there some kind of trap?

Or is it a trap set by the game operators?

Before long, something unusual happened.

In the sky, Helix seemed to have noticed something.

It quickly turned into an encounter and a battle.

Helix started to descend.

I hurried to the spot where it would land.

Helix descended while repeatedly attacking, entangled with something.

Its opponent was also flapping its wings and struggling.

Both of their HP bars had decreased by about 20%.

Angry Crane Lv.3

Monster Target for Elimination In Battle

It's a crane.

It's much larger than Helix, which is an eagle, but it's surprisingly agile.

Helix and the monster descended almost to the ground, and Wolf attacked.

He bit the neck and pinned one of the wings to the ground.

However, the monster didn't let go of Helix's legs.

Helix also didn't release the legs it had sunk into.

But Helix was the one dealing the attacks with its beak.

There was a clear difference in the rate at which the HP bars were decreasing.

By the time I and Crescent Moon arrived, the battle was already over.

Before I could use the skinning knife, I examined the monster's corpse.

It was large.

Surprisingly light for its size.

And it had vicious claws and a sharp beak, unlike a typical crane.

Its appearance was far from the noble beauty of a red-crowned crane.

The coloration reminded me of something.

A white-naped crane.

It closely resembled the gray, not-so-beautiful crane.

Only a few of them migrate from Russia, and they rarely make the news except for bird flu.

I was wrong.

They lack any notable features.

Oh, I can't let this go.

I need to check what I can skin from the monster.

When I used the skinning knife, all that was left was the beak.

[Material Item] Angry Crane's Beak Raw Material Quality C Rarity 2 Weight 0+

The beak of an Angry Crane. It is gently curved.

Now, what can I use this for?

I could just sell it as is.

From the reactions of Wolf, Helix, and the non-monster animals, it seems that monsters have started appearing.

After throwing the skinned Angry Crane's beak into the Item Box, another monster appeared.

A lizard?

No, it's more like a dinosaur.

It's standing upright.

I can identify it with [Identification].

Raptor Lv.1

Monster Target for Elimination Active

It's a dinosaur, alright.

I rode Crescent Moon and struck the side of the monster while circling around.

Though I couldn't read its expression, it let out a warning cry when it faced me.

"Grar!"

Then it attacked.

It was good that there was only one monster.

Helix's attack hit the back of the monster's head.

When the monster shook its head to shake it off, Wolf bit its leg.

The monster struggled to pull Wolf off.

Wolf didn't force it and kept its distance.

"Physical Enchantment Wind!"

I boosted Crescent Moon's agility and selected the next spell.

While chanting, I poked the monster's head with the rod.

This monster seems to attack the nearest target.

It's straightforward.

Even while I was distracted, the monster's HP bar was being reduced by Helix and Wolf's attacks.

But the rate of decrease wasn't significant.

"Fire Shot!"

I hit the monster with a spell at close range.

I then put some distance between us.

The smell of burning flesh filled my nose.

The monster's HP bar was almost depleted.

Still, the monster stood up.

It bared its fangs and tried to attack me, but Wolf attacked from its blind spot.

He bit the monster's belly.

With that one hit, the monster finally fell.

[Skill Link Established! The magic skill [Dust Magic] is now available for acquisition.]

[Skill Link Established! The magic skill [Melt Magic] is now available for acquisition.]

[Your [Fast Chanting] skill has leveled up due to your victory in this battle!]

[Your summoned monster 'Crescent Moon' has leveled up due to your victory in this battle!]

[Please add 1 point to any of your status values.]

Crescent Moon has also leveled up, and it seems I have acquired several new skills.

Well, it's as expected.

While healing Wolf and Helix with potions, I checked Crescent Moon's status screen.

Crescent Moon's strength value has already increased.

I decided to boost its agility value.

Summoned Monster Crescent Moon Horse Lv4 → Lv5 (↑1)

Dexterity 7

Agility 22 (↑1)

Intelligence 7

Strength 22 (↑1)

Vitality 23

Spirit 7

Skills

Stomp, Gallop, Endurance Run, Sprint, Trample, Kick Up

Crescent Moon's HP bar isn't fully recovered, but it's gradually healing thanks to the Fire Heal effect.

Hmm.

This Raptor was a formidable opponent.

In this battle, I consciously used attack spells, but it might have been a mistake.

Would it have been better to use enchantment spells as usual to reduce damage?

I should reflect on this.

And I'm teary-eyed because I couldn't skin any items.

It would have been nice to get at least some fangs or claws!

Two new magic skills are now available for acquisition.

I already knew about Melt Magic, which combines Fire Magic and Earth Magic, so that's fine.

But Dust Magic, which combines Fire Magic and Wind Magic, is new.

What does it mean?

I'll understand when I actually acquire and use the spells.

I spent 3 bonus points to acquire and activate Dust Magic.

I did the same for Melt Magic.

I might as well go all the way.

The phrase "If you're going to eat the poison, you might as well eat the plate" came to mind.

I slowed down Crescent Moon's movement to observe the effects of the newly acquired spells.

If the effect of Melt Magic is the change caused by heating a solid, then Burn Magic would be the change caused by heating a liquid.

And Dust Magic would be the change caused by heating a gas, right?

In other words, Dust Magic seems to be a spell that forcibly accelerates aging and degradation.

Let's look at each one.

There are three Dust Magic spells.

Bio Spoil (Dust Magic)

Aging (Dust Magic)

Offense Fall (Dust Magic)

First, Bio Spoil.

It's a spell that deals damage by forcibly rotting the target.

The range is narrow, and the damage isn't significant.

However, there's a low probability of causing continuous damage.

It's a pity that it doesn't affect non-living monsters.

Next, Aging.

It's a spell that accelerates reactions.

It has effects similar to alchemy skills, but it's more indiscriminate.

It can affect anything.

Meat and fish will rot, wood will decay, and stone will turn to sand.

It's not an attack spell but seems to be a utility spell.

But it looks more dangerous, doesn't it?

It can be described as a spell that forcibly ages and degrades.

Finally, Offense Fall.

It's a spell that reduces the target's attack power.

It also seems to reduce destructive power.

I want to use it with Defense Fall from Melt Magic.

It would be very helpful as a support spell.

Melt Magic was as I expected from Fina's message.

I edited the lists to make the new spells easier to use.

It's getting more complicated to use them.

My MP bar was significantly depleted from the battle.

I used Dark Heal from Dark Magic to heal Wolf's HP, which was the most concerning.

Wolf's MP bar decreased by about 10%.

Hmm?

It didn't decrease as much as I thought.

I remember that Wolf's intelligence and spirit aren't that low.

Is that affecting it?

This is a blind spot.

With Dark Heal, I don't have to use my own MP.

I'll use it more often from now on.

I continued heading west.

I crossed several gentle hills and a few narrow rivers.

Have the monsters disappeared again?

I thought so and used Call Monster, but they were still there.

The cranes and raptors were still there, but their numbers were very low.

I prioritized heading west without summoning them.

On the wide-area map, I was trying to move beyond the W2 area.

I wanted to check if there was a mechanism like the forest labyrinth.

I should be in the W3 area on the wide-area map.

I thought there might be a checkpoint or a labyrinth, but it seems not.

The landscape around me is becoming slightly less green.

There were forests here and there earlier, but they are becoming less visible.

I'm starting to worry about the time.

It's already 4:30 PM.

I want to expand my exploration range while Helix's vision is still good.

Murphy's Law.

You always encounter monsters when you don't want to.

I want to believe that the creature in front of me is just a wild animal, but it doesn't seem to be.

It's acting very strangely.

It's a cow.

A bison.

Its size clearly exceeds Crescent Moon.

It has short but sharp horns.

Its black body is very robust.

It's a cow.

What would be good?

Sukiyaki, steak, hamburger, personally, I like churrasco.

Oh, no.

I was thinking about that when the monster attacked.

First, I need to calm down.

I need to identify it with [Identification].

Bullfighter Lv.4

Monster Target for Elimination Active

What?

A bullfighter?

I have a bad feeling about this.

Anyway.

I'll select and cast a spell while observing the monster.

It's taking wide steps.

It's crouching, probably preparing to charge.

I won't fall for that.

If it maintains that stance, it will take a little time to charge.

I'll just wait.

Wolf moved to a position slightly away from Crescent Moon, where I was riding.

It's a half-encirclement.

If we were bunched up, the monster would charge and trample us, using its weight.

We need to spread out the danger.

A half-encirclement might also deter the charge.

There's a possibility that it will ignore the attack from the side and charge, but we have a reliable summoned monster.

Helix.

A hawk that can fly freely in the air doesn't have to worry about the monster's counterattack on the ground.

"Physical Enchantment Wind!"

First, I boosted Crescent Moon's agility.

Next.

While the bull was paying attention to me, Helix attacked its rear.

It was a complete surprise.

"Grarrrrrrr!"

The roar of anger was a somewhat strange sound.

The monster ignored Helix and charged straight ahead.

There was no one in its path.

Not me and Crescent Moon.

Not Wolf.

It was just a rampage.

It's fast.

Maybe because it's rampaging, it's unusually fast.

But it's gradually circling back towards us.

It charged at me and Crescent Moon.

"Physical Enchantment Earth!"

I also boosted Crescent Moon's vitality.

Then I rode Crescent Moon.

When Crescent Moon started moving, it dodged the charge and circled around the monster's side.

I wanted to attack with the rod, but the speed of the crossing was too fast.

I need to do something with a spell.

The monster showed a burst of speed that could almost catch up to Crescent Moon.

I could continue attacking with hit-and-run tactics, but I was taking several grazing hits from counterattacks.

"Paralyze!"

I cast the spell on a whim, but it worked.

At that moment, the monster's charge stopped.

Not only that, it collapsed and rolled over on its front legs.

A good opportunity.

Wolf and Helix simultaneously attacked the monster's belly.

I dismounted Crescent Moon and ran to the monster's head.

The monster tried to raise its head but couldn't muster the strength and lowered it again.

Now's the time.

I hooked the rod on the horns and twisted it like a lever.

I twisted it more.

More.

When I twisted it more than 90 degrees, the rod became horizontal with the ground.

This time, I twisted it upwards.

It required more strength.

"Physical Enchantment Fire!"

I boosted my own strength value and twisted it even more.

I twisted it almost 180 degrees.

The monster's neck bone seemed to have broken at some point.

When I noticed, the monster's HP bar was gone.

Crescent Moon was the only one who took damage in this battle.

I had a hunch and selected and cast a spell.

There are six recovery spells, but I usually use Fire Magic and Earth Magic for the amount of recovery.

But this time, I tried to recover with Water Magic.

"Aqua Heal!"

Crescent Moon's HP bar was almost fully recovered.

[Skill Link Established! The magic skill [Burn Magic] is now available for acquisition.]

As expected.

It seems that casting spells consecutively, even after a battle, is allowed.

And Burn Magic is now available for acquisition.

What should I do?

Of course, I acquired and activated it.

I don't care what happens now!

The body of the fallen bullfighter was indeed large.

I estimate it to be about 50% larger than Crescent Moon.

When I used the skinning knife, as expected, I got some meat.

[Material Item] Bullfighter's Thigh Meat Raw Material Quality C+ Rarity 2 Weight 3

Bullfighter's thigh meat. It's not fattened meat, so it has little fat.

However, it has a fine texture and is delicious with the natural flavor of the meat.

Thigh meat?

Really?

Are there other cuts of meat?

Really?

Oh, no use worrying about it.

I'll keep moving forward while there's still daylight.

I moved west for more than 30 minutes.

I encountered a few bullfighters, but they were passive, so I ignored them.

The scary ones are herds of a dozen or more.

One is manageable, but with a herd like that, I can only run.

By the time I found a suspicious place, it was almost dusk.

From the top of a hill, I could see a spring and a forest.

It wasn't an oasis in the desert, but it looked like a strange landscape.

It's suspicious.

More accurately, it's the only distinctive terrain around.

There are things I can do in advance.

Sense Magic.

I'll investigate to see if there's anything abnormal.

Main Character Keith

Race Human Male Race Lv8

Class Summoner (Summoner) Lv7

Bonus Points Remaining 4

Set Skills

Staff Lv7, Strike Lv4, Kick Lv4, Joint Lock Lv4, Throw Lv4

Dodge Lv4, Block Lv4, Summon Magic Lv8, Space-Time Magic Lv1

Light Magic Lv4, Wind Magic Lv4, Earth