Chapter 24: The Lurking Threat and the Quiet Respite

After approximately two weeks of traveling by carriage, we finally arrived at our destination: the Sleeping Forest of Kalvain.

The carriage stopped right at the edge of the forest because the terrain, thick with densely growing trees, made it impossible to enter by carriage.

“Wow…”

I stared in awe at the sight of the forest.

Unlike the snow-covered regions we had passed through, the Sleeping Forest of Kalvain emitted a noticeable heat.

It felt as if I were standing under the scorching sun of mid-summer.

It seemed that this was also the first time for the other adventurers to be here, as they marveled at the stark contrast between the cold areas and the hot forest.

Kreeeek!

Suddenly, a strange cry echoed from deeper within the forest.

It seemed that the monsters within the tropical heat of the forest were quite active.

The contrast to the cold outside was striking.

Once Luna confirmed that the adventurers were ready to set off, she jumped down from the carriage.

I raised an eyebrow, wondering if we were leaving the horses behind.

But contrary to my concern, it seemed that someone had been assigned to stay behind to take care of them.

One of the five swordsmen began setting up a camp next to the carriage.

“Alright! Shall we go?”

Luna, as if knowing exactly where to go, began walking ahead.

The adventurers, who had never been here before, had no choice but to follow her without question.

Unlike the cool breeze at the entrance of the forest, once we stepped further in, the scorching heat immediately enveloped us.

Just as described in the adventurer’s guidebook, the ecosystem within the forest was quite bizarre.

There were trees and plants unlike anything we’d seen before, and strange flying insects that I had never encountered.

If this was just the entrance, I couldn’t help but wonder what kinds of creatures might lie deeper within the forest.

Wiping the sweat from my brow, I couldn’t help but feel excited.

The hot and humid environment was quickly raising the tension among us.

Even the adventurers who had been walking with energy began to show signs of discomfort as their expressions tightened.

They started to space out, no longer walking so closely together.

At that moment, I heard a strange buzzing sound.

I turned around, only to see an enormous mosquito buzzing around us.

Its long, sharp proboscis twitched as it moved, clearly not approaching with friendly intentions.

I immediately drew my sword and charged at the creature.

The mosquito seemed startled by my sudden approach and tried to fly up into the air, but my movement was faster.

As my legs quickly pushed off the ground, wet clumps of dirt scattered in all directions.

By explosively channeling my mana, I was able to leap about two meters into the air in an instant.

This was enough. With all my strength, I swung my sword.

It was a downward slash, coming from above.

A blue flash of light erupted from the blade, severing the mosquito’s wings and legs.

The creature, its body cut in half, lost its balance and crashed to the ground.

As if desperately clinging to life, the severed wings flapped furiously, but the other swordsmen, who followed swiftly behind me, trampled it and crushed it.

“Huh…”

The massive mosquito’s body leaked green fluid and red blood.

It looked like a mosquito, and indeed, it appeared to be one that sucked blood.

Its size was slightly larger than a goblin.

If an ordinary person had started being drained of blood by this mosquito, it would not have been strange if they died right there.

“This…”

Luna, who had approached after us, observed the giant mosquito’s state and spoke.

“It’s a mosquito.”

“Just a regular mosquito?”

“Yeah, it seems like the mana in this forest has caused a mutation.”

“Hmm…”

I absentmindedly nodded at Luna’s response.

I had felt the mana as soon as we entered the forest, but nothing special stood out. What was so different about this place that even a simple mosquito could grow to such a size?

I tilted my head as I wiped the blood from my sword.

After the brief commotion, we continued on without stopping.

Luna took the lead again, walking ahead.

The deeper we entered the forest, the hotter it became, the temperature rising rapidly.

It was so hot it felt like it was unbearable.

Unlike the adventurers who were sweating profusely, the female mage Isoline didn’t shed a single drop of sweat.

A faint breeze seemed to swirl around her body, suggesting she was using mana to create wind.

It was a method I could also use, but I couldn’t maintain it all day like she did.

That was because I lacked enough mana.

“Are you hot? Want some water?”

“No, I’m fine.”

I shook my head and replied to Isoline’s question.

Unlike the other adventurers, Isoline, who hadn’t exchanged formal greetings, was the only one who had become friendly with me.

She probably felt more at ease with me since I was the only other woman in the group.

Due to the oppressive heat, the adventurers were sweating like rain.

Naturally, this led to a need for more water, and by the time we hadn’t even reached our destination, all of our water supplies had already run out.

Even I had none left.

The only one who likely still had water left was Isoline.

“Hah…”

“We can’t go on like this. Let’s find some water.”

One of the adventurers, who had been walking for a long time, could no longer bear it and spoke up.

He took off his shirt and wrung it out, squeezing the sweat from it as if doing laundry.

The amount of sweat he had shed was immense, and as he twisted his shirt, a large amount of sweat poured out.

“If we keep going like this, we’ll all die from dehydration.”

As complaints began, the other adventurers nodded in agreement.

Luna, who had been leading the way, wiped the sweat from her face and nodded as well.

Her own water flask was also completely empty.

With the change in plans, the two rangers took the lead and began guiding the group.

The two rangers carefully observed their surroundings and without hesitation, both moved in the same direction at the same time.

Their skills were clear. Not long after, they discovered a large lake.

However, there was one problem remaining.

A large lizard-like monster was crawling near the lake.

The lead rangers gestured for the adventurers to follow them into the tall grass, pulling them into cover.

I also hid in the grass and carefully observed the lizard.

Though it was a bit far, it appeared to be about 20 meters long.

The creature had yellow and green spotted skin, but what stood out was the volcanic crater-like organ on its back.

From this organ, white smoke swirled up, with a shimmering mirage rising from it.

“What do we do?”

It was Luna’s question. What should we do?

She seemed to be asking whether we should fight or find another place.

The adventurers exchanged looks, unsure.

To be honest, none of us had the confidence to fight that massive lizard.

And it seemed the other adventurers felt the same way.

They looked to the mage for guidance, their eyes silently seeking her opinion.

Isoline, who had become the focus of their attention, shook her head.

“I think it would be tough for me… Most of the lizard-type monsters in this forest have strong magical resistance.”

“Guess there’s no choice…”

Sighing at Isoline’s answer, the adventurers stood up, seemingly ready to leave.

It seemed they were about to look for another water source, excluding this lake.

But just as we were about to leave, something unexpected happened.

The lizard, which had been lingering near the lake, suddenly started emitting white smoke from the crater-like organ and ran deeper into the forest.

“This…”

As someone muttered, the adventurers quickly ran toward the lake.

With the giant lizard out of sight, there were no other visible monsters nearby, so there was no danger.

The question of whether the water here was drinkable would come later.

The adventurers quickly filled their flasks with water from the lake.

As they worked hard to fill their containers, I noticed strange ripples spreading across the surface of the lake.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A massive tremor passed through the ground.

The tremor and vibration weren’t felt by just me; the other adventurers also stopped moving and stared across the forest.

“This is insane…”

Before one adventurer could finish their curse, the opposite forest exploded as the giant lizard revealed itself.

[Kwaaaargh!]

Its massive roar echoed through the forest, causing enormous birds to fly up into the sky.

Should we fight? I placed my hand on the hilt of my sword and looked at the adventurers’ conditions.

The adventurers seemed to have lost all strength in their legs, sitting down on the ground.

No, none of them were in any condition to fight.

I shouted at the adventurers and helped Luna, who was sitting down.

“Get a hold of yourselves!”

The only ones still standing in the group were me and the mage Isoline.

I slapped a nearby adventurer’s cheek hard and shouted once more.

“Move!”

[Kwaaaargh!]

At that moment, the giant lizard let out another roar.

It seemed my voice had irritated the creature.

Only then did the adventurers stand up, scrambling and running.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

They ran with all their might, breathing heavily.

However, despite their effort, the distance between them and the giant lizard didn’t seem to increase.

As we ran for a while, one of the rangers who had been leading the charge screamed,

“This way! This way!”

There was no leader guiding us at that moment.

Everyone just followed the ranger’s voice, running blindly in that direction.

There, in the distance, was a narrow cave entrance, and it seemed like we were heading there to take cover.

“Go in!”

The rangers, leading the way, dove into the cave.

Next, the rest of us, including the swordsmen, followed suit and slid into the cave.

The last to enter were the priest and mage Isoline.

Just then, the giant lizard thrust its head toward the narrow entrance.

Boom!

The cave trembled as if it might collapse.

As the entrance caved in, the lizard’s snout stretched forward.

But that was all the creature could do.

Its massive body couldn’t fit through the narrow passage.

The giant lizard stared longingly at us, hidden inside the cave, then circled in front of the entrance for a while before retreating.

“Hah…”

Only then could the adventurers exhale in relief.