Chapter 69: The Forest King: Descent into Chaos

It was a bit sudden, but I ended up going on an expedition with everyone.

Most of the team members, except for Selion, joined, and due to the nature of this forest requiring travel through trees, Nightmare couldn’t be brought along.

“Um, your name was Seris, right?”

“Yes…”

The one who spoke to me was a tall male team member.

Judging by how he occasionally opened the map to give directions and guided the team, he seemed to be the deputy leader, filling in for Selion’s absence.

I couldn’t recall his name right away and hesitated, but I finally remembered it when I saw the large scar prominently marking his face.

“That’s right, Dorvan.”

“So, how did you end up here? At your age, reaching Silver rank, wouldn’t it have been better to be knighted by a noble?”

At Dorvan’s question, the other team members turned their gazes toward me.

How did I end up here?

The answer was obvious.

“I wanted to see every corner of this world. Besides, being tied down somewhere doesn’t suit me.”

“Then, do you plan to visit places like Blue Veil or the Kingdom of Grim Shade?”

“If possible, yes. Why did you come here, Dorvan?”

“Of course, for the money.”

“Can you earn a lot here?”

“Obviously. Do you know how expensive the monster materials found only on Monster Island are?”

Several team members nodded in agreement with Dorvan’s words.

It seemed they had also come to Monster Island for monetary reasons.

And so, the team members and I exchanged idle conversations as we explored the forest.

We leaped between trees and grabbed sturdy vines to glide over long distances.

Occasionally, monsters appeared, but they didn’t charge at us. Watching one vanish between the vines, I spoke up.

“The monsters seem calm. Are all the monsters here like this?”

“No, not all of them. It’s just that they’ve learned because we’ve been here for so long.”

“Learned what?”

“That they’ll face greater losses if they mess with humans. Of course, not all monsters act that way, so you still need to be careful.”

As Dorvan warned me, he brushed his hand over the scar on his face.

His fingers slowly traced the long, jagged mark.

Perhaps that scar was an injury he’d gotten here.

Watching him, I nodded silently.

Exploring the forest was a series of new experiences.

I encountered numerous monsters I’d never seen before and learned about the special herbs that only grew here and their effects.

Surprisingly, direct confrontations with monsters were rare.

“Was it around here…?”

Dorvan, who had been leading the way, stopped and opened the map.

After scrutinizing it for a while, he nodded and addressed the team.

Judging by his gaze fixed on me, it seemed he wanted me to pay particular attention.

“From here on, it’s monster territory, so everyone needs to be cautious. Keep your weapons ready to respond to any sudden attacks.”

Following his instruction, I drew my sword and scanned the surroundings.

As expected of skilled adventurers, none of them carried ordinary iron swords.

Instead, they wielded weapons crafted from special minerals or monster materials.

The sword I brought was made of Crodium.

I would have liked to bring Stormbringer as well, but since I couldn’t travel with Nightmare, I had to leave it behind.

As we advanced with weapons in hand, a strange tension filled the air.

The gazes of the monsters watching us became sharper, and their postures turned threatening, as if they could pounce at any moment.

It was a natural reaction from their perspective.

To the monsters, we humans must have appeared as invaders disturbing their sanctuary.

On the intricate forest paths, there were small markers that only humans could recognize.

Shapes like arrows or skull drawings, intentionally engraved.

However, most of these markers seemed outdated, with crosses slashed over them.

As we walked for some time, I suddenly realized how much darker the surroundings had become.

Looking up, I saw dense vines entwined above, completely blocking out the sky.

But that wasn’t the only change.

The air in the forest felt much heavier than before, and the flow of mana riding the wind now descended toward the ground.

At that moment, Dorvan, who was ahead, stopped and spoke.

“Now that we’ve reached the central area, we should rest for the day.”

At his command, the team members began unpacking their gear.

Watching them, I tilted my head in confusion.

While it had gotten darker, it wasn’t yet nighttime.

I couldn’t understand the decision to rest so early.

I approached Noel, who was unpacking, and asked.

“Um, Noel?”

“Hm? Yeah?”

“Why are we resting already, even though it’s not nighttime? We could keep going, couldn’t we?”

“Well, it’s not night, but it’s as dark as night, right? Once you’re in the forest’s central area, there’s not much time left to move.”

“As dark as night? Ah…”

It was only after hearing Noel’s answer that I remembered how far removed my vision was from that of an ordinary human.

Although the special mana of Monster Island had stopped further changes, my transformed body remained the same.

I’d become so accustomed to my enhanced vision that I hadn’t considered how this forest might appear to others.

I nodded awkwardly, smiling.

“That makes sense.”

Night fell quickly in the forest.

As time passed, the surroundings grew even darker, and the movement of the monsters became more pronounced.

Occasionally, the sight of monsters wandering near our campsite and then disappearing added to the tension.

It was still too early to sleep, so most team members passed the time by inspecting their weapons or reading books.

The campsite, devoid of conversation, was steeped in a somber atmosphere.

Some team members wandered nearby with small lamps, jotting notes into notebooks, but they never strayed far from the camp.

“Hm…”

I let out a small sigh as I observed the team members.

With everyone keeping silent, it felt difficult to approach anyone and start a conversation.

Even while engaged in their personal tasks, they reacted to the faintest rustling, suggesting that their senses were heightened to prepare for any monster attacks.

Suddenly, a massive roar erupted from deep within the forest.

[Kyieeeek!!!]

The roar carried a mixture of fear and high-pitched resonance, creating an ear-splitting pain that pierced my ears.

I let out a faint groan and clutched my ears.

“Ugh…”

“Damn it…”

I wasn’t the only one struggling with the monster’s roar.

Most of the team members writhed on the ground, letting out small groans.

However, they seemed somewhat accustomed to this sound.

After what felt like an eternity, the wailing that filled the forest gradually subsided, and the team members sighed in relief, sitting back up.

Watching them, I asked a question.

“What… what was that just now?”

“The King’s cry.”

The one who answered my question was Dorvan.

Still feeling the pain in my ears, I asked him again.

“The King? Is that the name of a monster?”

“Yes, it’s the ruler of this forest.”

“Isn’t it dangerous? Hearing its cry this close must mean…”

“It’s fine. That creature doesn’t leave its designated spot unless provoked. As long as we don’t mess with it, we’ll be safe.”

“What does this King look like?”

“The King is—”

Before Dorvan could finish his sentence, a series of heavy, thundering booms echoed from the depths of the forest.

It felt as though something massive was charging toward us at full speed.

Dorvan’s expression twisted as he stared into the distance. That was when a white shadow appeared, far away.

The white figure moved incredibly fast, leaping between the trees as it closed in on our location.

“Everyone, get ready! A monster is approaching!”

Even as Dorvan’s shout rang out, the white shadow rapidly shortened the distance.

Then, suddenly, the snowy figure vanished.

The team, which had been bracing for the King’s approach, began looking in every direction.

The tips of their swords, once aligned, wavered uncertainly.

Only the harsh sound of their anxious breathing filled the air, amplifying the tension.

Fear crept in, spreading like wildfire among the team.

Just how strong was this King to terrify a group of at least ten Silver-tier swordsmen?

While nervously swallowing dryly and lost in thought—

Boom!

It appeared without warning.

A gigantic, snowy-white figure descended from the sky, crushing the lamp at the center of our campsite and plunging the area into darkness.

The campsite, which had relied on faint light to illuminate the surroundings, was instantly shrouded in gloom.

“The K-King…!”

Thwack!

One of the team members, the first to voice his alarm, disappeared in an instant.

A crisp, striking sound accompanied by a long, white arm.

The faint, final image of the fallen team member was burned into my mind.

It was then that I could finally make out the monster’s full form.

The creature was a massive ape, covered entirely in white fur.

It stood at least ten meters tall—if one could even call something so massive an “ape.”

“Run! It’s the King!”

Dorvan’s scream echoed through the air.

Without hesitation, he swung his sword at the colossal creature.

But his shimmering white slash merely grazed the King’s fur.

The King’s counterattack followed immediately.

Its colossal fist, drawn back for a moment, shot straight toward Dorvan.

However, Dorvan narrowly dodged the blow with a pale face, quickly turning and sprinting away.

Staring at the King’s overwhelming presence, I understood.

There was no way I could face that creature alone.

Without hesitation, I turned and began to run.

If we had all attacked together… If Selion were here… If I at least had Stormbringer…

Countless “what-ifs” swirled chaotically in my mind.

As I sprinted, the team’s screams, the King’s cries, and the heavy sound of its footsteps blended into a cacophony behind me.

Pouring mana into enhancing my body and activating the War Chieftain’s Crest, I ran at full speed.

Suddenly, a white shadow slammed down from the sky with a deafening thud!, sending something massive flying toward me.

There was no pain.

Only a dazed feeling, as though my senses had gone numb.

My body spun rapidly through the air before plummeting downward.

Abruptly, my descent was halted with a jarring jerk, as if caught by something mid-fall.

“Ugh…”

Pain arrived belatedly. Blinking my blurry vision repeatedly, I surveyed my surroundings.

It seemed I had been struck by the King’s fist and fallen, only to be caught in some vines on the way down.

“Cough…”

Though my fall had been cushioned, my body was in shambles.

My right eye, drenched in blood, could barely see, and every bone in my body felt broken.

“Ugh…”

Moving was out of the question.

This was the worst situation I’d ever faced since embarking on my adventures.

How was I supposed to get out of this?

My chest felt like it was burning with frustration.

After struggling alone for what felt like an eternity, I exhaled deeply and began to focus my mana.

Whether it would work or not, I didn’t know.

But trying was better than giving up without even attempting.

Though I couldn’t move my body, I could still control the mana in my heart.

As I attempted to channel it, a large, starlit sphere began spinning rapidly, forming a long mana circle around it.

Typically, healing magic was the exclusive domain of clerics.

That was the setting in most worlds I’d read about or seen.

But there were exceptions. In some places, mages, too, could wield recovery magic to heal wounds.

I didn’t know how magic worked in this world.

But I was different.

I could create my own inner world and summon the mysteries I desired into this reality.

That was the magic I used.

This time was no different.

I wished for my body to heal, and the mana imbued with my desire began to act.

What I needed now was a strong image of recovery.

A fictitious healing spell of green and golden light began to take shape within me.

The mana I possessed seeped quickly into my body, knitting together torn muscles and skin and repositioning fractured bones.

But the mana expenditure was beyond what I had imagined.

“Ugh…”

As my body’s sensations returned and the pain intensified, my mana reserves ran dry.

Even though I had pushed myself to my limit, I could barely move my body.

“Haah…”

I let out a long sigh.

Replenishing mana was relatively simple.

I just needed to absorb the abundant mana in the area and form a mana circle.

However…

Running my tongue along my teeth, I felt the sharp points of my fangs.

The decision didn’t take long.

So what if my appearance changed a little?

Survival came first.

Exhaling slowly, I began absorbing the mana around me.

The unrefined mana of Monster Island flowed into my body, forming a circle around my heart.

As it spun rapidly, the newly created mana spread throughout my body.