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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Lord Fourth
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Melina followed the trail of a giant snake, her fingers tracing the deep grooves in the earth and the broken branches, piecing together the clues.
The depth of the tracks and the gashes on the trees indicated that this was no ordinary animal.
“Just how big is it…?”
She muttered, examining the trail once more. Her curiosity grew with each step.
She couldn’t help but imagine the encounter with this massive creature.
But then, her composure vanished in an instant.
Thwack!
Something whizzed past her, narrowly missing her face as she instinctively ducked. The arrow quivered, embedded in a tree. If she hadn’t reacted in time, the consequences would have been dire.
“Who’s there?!”
Without hesitation, Melina nocked an arrow, her movements fluid and instinctive. The arrow flew, a blur of motion disappearing into the foliage.
“Tsk-”
A low groan echoed through the forest, followed by the rustling of bushes as figures emerged.
They were Lamias, half-human, half-snake creatures, their sharp eyes and shimmering scales adding to their menacing aura.
Three Lamias slowly surrounded Melina, their movements predatory.
“Why did you attack me? If possible, I’d like to resolve this peacefully.”
Melina spoke calmly, her bow drawn, but her tension was palpable. If they couldn’t communicate, she would be forced into a desperate fight.
“Hmm, an elf.”
The Lamia in the lead muttered, looking Melina up and down.
“I didn’t expect to see an elf here. Less troublesome than humans, I suppose.”
The hostility in the Lamias’ expressions softened slightly.
It seemed they didn’t harbor the same level of animosity towards elves as they did towards humans, perhaps due to their shared connection with nature.
Melina seized the opportunity, her mind racing, recalling their characteristics.
“I apologize. Was this your territory? I’ll leave immediately if you wish.”
Lamias were instinctively territorial.
“Hmm, if you leave quietly… But that won’t work now.”
Melina pleaded, but the Lamias refused, their eyes gleaming with a predatory glint.
“Our Queen is furious.”
“A human trespassed on our territory, and we’ve heard reports of more humans encroaching on our lands. The Queen has ordered us to deploy our forces throughout the forest. We can’t let you go, as you might be one of them.”
Melina’s heart sank. If what they said was true, the academy students were in danger.
They were all scattered throughout the forest, and even with the safety personnel stationed throughout the area, it would be difficult to respond to a full-scale Lamia attack.
Rustle-
Just as she was trying to think of a solution, she heard another sound from the bushes.
“What’s that?!”
The Lamias turned their heads in unison, their gazes fixed on the source of the sound, their bodies tense.
Rustle-
“Meow~”
But what emerged from the bushes was… a white cat.
‘Lates…!’
Melina breathed a sigh of relief. Lates, her loyal companion, had appeared at the perfect moment, creating a diversion.
“Just a cat…”
The Lamias looked at the cat, momentarily distracted. Melina seized the opportunity.
“You let your guard down!”
Three arrows flew like lightning, each finding its mark. The three Lamias screamed and collapsed, injured but not dead, unable to pursue her.
“Lates, now’s our chance! Let’s go!”
“Meow~!”
Melina and the cat changed direction and ran. The assembly point wasn’t far from her current location. But worry gnawed at her.
“I hope everyone is safe…”
Were the others alright? Could they handle the danger spreading through the forest? She gritted her teeth and ran, her anxiety clinging to her until the assembly point came into view.
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“Hmm.”
What kind of monster should he hunt? Should he just hunt everything he saw? No, that would be inefficient.
The strongest monsters in this forest were Cyclopes and Black Bears, or their stronger variants, Devil Cyclopes and Giant Black Bears.
They were challenging opponents in the game, but the current Arnold could easily handle them.
“Search.”
He cast a search spell, deciding to target only the strongest monsters in the area.
Since the evaluation was based on the strongest monster one hunted, there was no point in wasting energy on weaker ones.
[Search complete within a 250m radius]
[Giant Black Bear (1)]
[Devil Cyclops (1)]
[Black Bear (6)]
[Cyclops (4)]
[Goblin (17)]
[Slime (22)]
Information about the surrounding area flowed into his mind. The monsters he was looking for were nearby.
He combined the search spell with the Tracking spell, and a white line, like a navigation guide, appeared in his vision, pointing in a specific direction.
“…….”
He followed the magic, moving swiftly, the wind whistling past his ears.
“Grrrr…”
“Roar!”
There they were.
Following the guidance of the magic, he found a Devil Cyclops and a Giant Black Bear facing off against each other, their fangs bared.
It was an interesting sight, a clash between a monstrous one-eyed ogre and a bear several times larger than a human, but he didn’t have time to watch.
Crack –
A twig snapped under his foot.
Both the Cyclops and the Black Bear turned their heads simultaneously, their gazes locking onto him.
“Roar!”
“Groooooar…!”
Their hostility shifted towards him. It seemed his presence had changed their priorities.
The Devil Cyclops, after glancing at the Black Bear, charged towards him.
Monsters instinctively prioritized stronger opponents, and it seemed he was deemed the greater threat.
“Waaaaar!”
The massive figure raised its club, its thick, muscular arm bulging with strained tendons, and swung it down at his head.
Slash –
But he wasn’t foolish enough to just stand there and take the hit. He swiftly drew his sword and parried the blow.
Swoosh!
“K-Guh…”
The Cyclops’s thick neck was severed in a single strike.
It was supposed to be the strongest monster in this forest, and yet it died without even a whimper.
Thud –
The headless body collapsed like a scarecrow. The Black Bear, despite being a beast, seemed to sense the shift in power and appeared slightly intimidated.
“R-Roar!”
The bear still growled at him, but he calmly approached it.
It swung its massive paw at him—
—but he dodged and—
—Thwack!
—“Gah-?!”
—thrust his fist into its snout. And without hesitation, he cast a spell.
“Fire Blaster.”
Boom! A deafening explosion erupted from his hand, followed by a sickening thud, like a watermelon splitting open. The shockwave shook the forest, and blood splattered everywhere.
“Ugh…”
It was gruesome.
His face and clothes were splattered with blood, but he could clean it up later with purification magic, so it wasn’t a big deal…
“Huu.”
He had defeated both the Devil Cyclops and the Giant Black Bear. Their bodies were mangled beyond recognition, but their claws and flesh would be enough for identification, so there was no need to worry.
“Alright, should I just take these?”
He collected the claws and hide from the Giant Black Bear and extracted the magic stone from the Devil Cyclops’s chest.
Not all monsters had them, but some had magic stones embedded in their bodies.
Should he head back now? It would be best to return early, considering the upcoming attack event.
The Lamia attack on the assembly point was an unexpected crisis in this exam.
Timing-wise, it should be about time to head back.
“I hope the others are safe.”
He wondered how Varis and the others were doing.
He wasn’t sure if they could defeat the boss-level Lamia that appeared at the end.
He thought they could probably handle it with Professor Adria’s help, if they worked together.
Unless there were any other ‘unexpected variables’…
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Hi Lord Fourth here!
I’m new to translating so if you find some mistakes or inconsistencies let me know about it on the dedicated channel on discord.
