Chapter 69

"We've arrived."

"Ah."

"Looks pretty normal, doesn't it?"

"Actually, isn't it more peaceful than usual?"

"..."

"Alright! I'm ready!"

"Me too."

The seven of them gazed at the forest where the Sail River flowed.

Judging by the position of the sun, it was probably around 11 o'clock.

Although the sudden change in direction cost us about 4 hours in total...

Still, this place could be called a hidden gem, or at worst, a den of monsters.

The surroundings were a grassland, just like the route to the fishing spot. If no one had said anything, it would have been almost indistinguishable from the entrance to the Palmera Great Forest.

In the end, the six who followed my suggestion were, for better or worse, hunters.

No, that's not quite right.

They should be called residents of this world.

Death was a close companion.

Taking risks to earn a living was a matter of course, and they had chosen 'great wealth' over 'the possibility of death' when weighing the two.

That's the kind of mindset they had.

...One of them was a bit suspicious, though.

Still, they followed me.

So, I'll do what needs to be done.

I'll hunt monsters, and try to keep the six who followed me alive while earning money.

I need to be even more determined than when I was with Jink and the others.

"Let's get started. Today, we'll go about 500 meters east from the river. I plan to eliminate the monsters in this area as I move along."

"Is it okay for us to start in about an hour?"

"Yes. Since we don't have a clock, it will be approximate, but that should be fine. Please don't stray too far from the river. I can only estimate the distance by feel, so I suggest you stay within about 300 meters, to give yourself a safety margin."

"Understood."

"Even if something happens, you should be able to easily retreat to the safe area we're in now. For the first day, we'll focus on the shallower parts of the forest. When your baskets are full—Mizuru."

"Sure thing!"

"Please blow the whistle as loudly as possible. I'll take that as the signal to end for the day, and I'll come back here. If you're surrounded by monsters and can't handle it, blow the whistle twice. I can't guarantee I'll make it in time, but I'll come to your aid."

"Leave it to me. I'll avoid that situation and prioritize escaping from the forest if it gets dangerous."

"That's the best approach. Well... I'll be off then!"

With cheers from behind, I ran into the Lulub Forest.

I started with the area around the river.

I didn't expect to miss any orcs, so I focused on small wolves and rig spiders, switching between [Exploration] to create and expand a monster-free zone.

(If there's no reaction right away... maybe it's a bit further in?)

Thinking this, I moved about 100 meters into the forest, and the atmosphere suddenly changed.

(Wow... I can see three orcs, and there are... five rig spiders within 30 meters. And small wolves—how many are there...?)

[Exploration] doesn't show specific numbers.

I can only sense that there are some in that area, and if there are too many, I can't distinguish individual reactions.

(Well, it's fine. Small wolves will probably come to me. They're already running this way. I just need to be careful not to get within the rig spiders' range and take them down one by one as they approach.)

With this in mind, I took a step, then another, deeper into the forest.

"Hey!!"

Four small wolves leaped at me from the front.

I swung my sword horizontally as the lead one used [Charge].

I immediately cut down the next small wolf that used [Charge] in the same way, and slashed the belly of one of the following two.

"Ouch..."

One of the remaining small wolves bit my arm, but thanks to my defense, its teeth only barely sank in.

This level of pain was manageable.

I struck the head of the small wolf that was biting me with the hilt of my sword, kicked it to the ground, and prepared for the three orcs and five small wolves approaching, as well as the several more small wolves I could see behind them.

"Ha ha ha... This is great! A non-stop feast!! Hey!! Come at me!!"

A blue-purple mist enveloped my feet.

Thud!

"Earth, rise up, great and mighty!!"

Rumble...

With a stomp, a mound of earth appeared in front of me, creating a wall between the two orcs and the two small wolves that were charging. I kicked the side of the mound, slicing the neck of one of the orcs.

"Damn..."

Was it a matter of strength, or a problem with the [Swordsmanship] skill?

I couldn't decapitate the orc, but I stabbed its neck from behind as it knelt. I dodged the attack of another orc, who was swinging a log like a club, and slashed its thigh, making it kneel.

At that moment, a small wolf leaped at me from behind the orc, so I quickly stabbed its eye with a knife in my left hand.

"Ugh!"

I felt a blow to my side and was slightly knocked back, but it wasn't a severe pain.

Without looking at the cause, I glared at the small wolves leaping at me and attacked them with my short sword in my right hand and my knife in my left.

[You have obtained [Bite] Level 2]

(Huff... Huff... Before I finish off the orcs, another group of small wolves... )

I stepped on the fallen small wolf and stabbed the neck of the orc that had hit me earlier with my knife, then stabbed the belly of the third orc that was raising its club in front of me.

But the club kept swinging.

Thud!

"Ugh..."

I felt a strong impact on my head, and my vision flickered. I felt slight pain in my shoulder, arm, and leg.

"Damn... This is annoying..."

"Wind, tear the surroundings apart!!"

Whoosh...

The blue-purple mist immediately turned into invisible blades, slicing the bodies of the small wolves that were biting me.

[You have obtained [Charge] Level 4]

The orc in front of me, which had been stabbed in the belly, was covered in numerous wounds, but because I was crouching, its attack hadn't reached my upper body.

However, the pain was making my face gradually lower.

—Then.

I pulled out the knife that was still stuck in the orc's neck and immediately stabbed its throat from below.

Huff... Huff...

That should have killed the orc, right?

[You have obtained [Staff Mastery] Level 2]

"Phew... Huff... Huff... Finally... I can relax a bit..."

Around me lay the bodies of nearly 20 monsters.

I had no experience with such continuous combat.

I was truly exhausted, and the skill acquisition notifications kept flowing across the top of my vision, but I had no time to leisurely look at them.

Even now, as I'm a bit calmer, I have no time to think about such things.

They will soon enter the forest to gather materials.

I need to expand the monster-free zone as much as possible—

"The river area, which was untouched... is dangerous... I need to... conserve my magic power..."

Muttering this with my last breath, I moved towards the rig spiders that still had a presence.

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