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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“The weather’s lovely.”
“Y-Yes, it is.”
“It’s huge… There’s a forest this big inside the dungeon?”
[It’s nice to walk around, but if we die here, it’s all over. Contractor, don’t die, okay? Keep your promises. There are so many places I want to go.]
One hour after entering the dungeon, we were faced with a vast, sprawling forest.
Above us was a giant sun… well, not exactly, but a glowing orb serving a similar purpose.
The air was fresh, filled with the scent of grass.
This was supposed to be the Beast’s Grave? It was too bright and cheerful.
“I’ll set up camp first. Crafting.”
The camp was set up in five minutes. While the kids gaped at the instant construction, faster than instant noodles, I gathered some branches and built a campfire.
“Gather around. I have something to tell you before we start exploring.”
Everyone sat around the campfire, their eyes fixed on me. I pulled out some jerky and took a bite.
“It’s been a while since breakfast, so eat something. But don’t touch any food once we enter the forest. The creatures in this dungeon might pick up the scent and come after us.”
“Wouldn’t the deodorant be enough?”
“Deodorant doesn’t mask all scents. Especially the items I brought for this dungeon. They have a strong odor that even deodorant can’t completely eliminate. So wear the masks I gave you.”
“Those bulky things?”
Sif picked up the mask hanging from her belt and examined it, her face a picture of confusion.
I kindly explained its purpose.
“Wearing that will protect you from toxic gases.”
“Why would we need that?”
“Because I’m going to use this.”
I pulled out a sealed box from my bag, about the size of a soccer ball. Inside were the precious ingredients I had procured from the dining hall. I had been stockpiling them for this day.
Viola, who had seen me crush and seal the ingredients in the box, grimaced.
“M-Mister, are you really going to use that?”
“Viola, what is it?”
“Something very… potent.”
If it worked as intended, we could breeze through this dungeon.
Ignoring their curious gazes, I put the box back in my bag. They seemed intrigued by its contents, but I wasn’t ready to reveal them yet.
I didn’t want to alert the monsters by opening the box prematurely or risk it being accidentally spilled.
“Wait here while I scout the forest.”
“What? Alone? That’s too dangerous!”
“I appreciate the concern, but it’s unnecessary. I won’t be entering the forest.”
Ignoring their puzzled looks, I pulled out my shovel.
Who would bother going in and checking manually these days?
There were easier ways.
“Crafting.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, the ground rose, forming a watchtower, complete with a ladder, at least ten meters tall.
Looking down at the stunned party members, I said,
“I’ll go up and take a look.”
I climbed the ladder and pulled out a telescope.
It was difficult to see long distances with the naked eye.
The forest was larger than I expected, about the size of a small village. There were no flying monsters, and the dense trees obscured the ground below… but I could make out the path to the second level.
There was a small opening to the north, according to my compass. That was probably the way down.
We just needed to head north.
The basic route was set.
The only concern was the unknown dangers lurking within the forest. I wanted to identify all the monsters from up here, but I couldn’t see through the dense canopy of trees that were almost as tall as the watchtower.
The thought of venturing into the forest to assess the dangers was exhilarating.
…Well, it was still better than dealing with baby bears or hydras.
Those creatures could shrug off most traps and possessed both brute strength and cunning. I could confidently say that there were few monsters more annoying than them.
Even the monsters in the rift weren’t as…
[Contractor, they’re calling you from below.]
Ah, time to go down.
“Lewis. Can you use Aura?”
“For a short time.”
As expected of the protagonist. At his age, claiming to use Aura would usually be dismissed as bragging. But he actually drew his sword and showed a faint glimmer of Aura.
It was reassuring.
With a year of intense training, I could probably get him to near end-game specs. I knew the most efficient growth path…
…Since when did I become a Lewis trainer?
I wasn’t interested in raising boys.
“Conserve your Aura. Minimize energy consumption until we encounter the dungeon boss.”
“Understood.”
“Alright, we’re entering the forest. Maintain formation.”
Lewis in the lead, followed by Sif. Me in the middle. Shuri and Viola in the rear. We entered the forest in formation.
The forest was eerily silent.
I would have preferred some noise.
I pulled out my compass, checked north, and instructed Lewis.
“Our first destination is the northern edge. Stay alert.”
“Yes!”
Their voices echoed in unison. This was what a party should be like.
I adjusted my gas mask and slung my shovel over my shoulder, ready to deal with any monsters that might appear. The handmade gas mask was uncomfortable, but it was better than nothing.
“It’s strangely quiet.”
“Maybe there are no monsters around?”
Considering how long they’ve been breeding, there should be quite a few.
I ignored Sif’s comment and sharpened my senses.
Nothing was more dangerous than an unseen enemy.
But even deep within the forest, there were no signs of life. I raised my hand and quietly gave the order.
“Stop.”
“H-Here?”
“Yes.”
They seemed perplexed, but there was something I needed to check.
“Shuri. See that withered tree?”
All the other trees were healthy, but that one was thin and withered. It even seemed to be moving slightly.
“Y-Yes!”
“Hit it with a spell.”
“That tree?”
“Yes.”
Shuri stepped forward and extended her hand towards the withered tree. The distance was about twenty meters, a safe range in most situations.
She closed her eyes for a moment, as if choosing a spell, then opened them and chanted.
“Wind Cutter!”
A blade of wind shot from Shuri’s hand and sliced through the withered tree. A chilling scream echoed through the forest, followed by a spray of blood.
“Blood…!?”
“Weapons up! Stay alert!”
I quickly scanned the still inexperienced party members.
These were the kids I had to protect in case of emergency. I extended my shovel and held it with one hand, keeping the other free for magic.
Looking back at the withered tree, the source of the scream, I saw it moving. A face had formed on the trunk.
The monster, with a face like a Halloween pumpkin I had seen on the internet long ago, started walking towards us, bleeding from its wound, spewing smaller creatures from knotholes in its trunk.
“This is bad. Lewis, I’ll take care of that thing. Focus on defense.”
“W-What about magic?!”
“Unnecessary.”
I extended my hand.
The distance was about fifteen meters, within my magic’s range. I uttered the name of the spell I would soon come to rely on.
“Abyssal Grasp.”
My hand transformed into a mass of blue tentacles. Thin tentacles, unlike the kraken’s massive limbs I had seen a few months ago.
I stretched the tentacles like Mr. Fantastic and grabbed the branches of the withered tree monster.
Then, I shortened the tentacles.
Whoosh—
The distance between me and the monster closed rapidly. I needed just one strike. I released the magic and, using the momentum, swung my shovel.
Caught off guard by the sudden approach, the monster’s face caved in like it had been hit with an axe, and an earsplitting scream rang out right in front of me.
So damn loud.
“They seem to be doing fine…”
Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be many of these monsters. Only the small creatures that had spawned from it were running rampant.
I took advantage of the tree monster’s pain and activated my skill.
“Crafting.”
A pit. A bigger pit.
I used the skill repeatedly until a pit large enough to swallow half of the tree monster’s body appeared beneath it. Still not enough.
“Crafting. Crafting. Crafting. Crafting. Crafting.”
I surrounded the root monster with structures.
Like the hydra, the root monster, pinned by numerous pillars, could do nothing but scream.
The small creatures swarming us were annoying, though.
“Sprinkler.”
I sprayed the monster with sticky mucus. The root monster seemed bewildered, but that wasn’t going to stop me.
Just stay still and I’ll give you a nice tan.
After swatting away the smaller creatures with my shovel, I pulled out a match from my bag.
“Tonight will be warm.”
I struck the match.
As the tree monster, sensing its impending doom, thrashed about, I tossed the match into the pit. I hoped it wouldn’t go out mid-air. That would be troublesome…
“!@&#(&!)($&!)#$(!&@!*()!!”
It was burning nicely. Even better than the Forest of Illing…
“Crafting.”
I erected a wall around the tree monster, which was now engulfed in flames like a giant campfire, to prevent the fire from spreading. It looked like some kind of primal ritual sacrifice.
With the screams as background music, I leisurely walked towards the others, who were still fighting the smaller creatures.
I pulled the box from my bag.
This was the perfect opportunity to test it.
I carefully opened the box.
Time for a taste of my special bio-chemical warfare.
The pungent smell of garlic, amplified several times over by the added ingredients, began to permeate the forest.
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Sensory terrorism.
whelp that’s brutal way to finish em off