Chapter 67: Hunting Season (2)

It was a man who was carrying a huge longbow and had a crude machete hanging on his waist. His eyes glinted between the tangles of his disheveled hair.

Crockta greeted him. “Are you alive? We are—”

However, before Crockta could even finish his sentence, the man pulled out his machete and aimed it at Crockta. "Fuck off, thieves.”

“We aren’t thieves. We are just—” Crockta tried to explain, but the machete drew closer to him, making contact with his skin.

Crockta’s eyebrows twitched in irritation. Nevertheless, he decided to take a step back first since he and Tiyo had entered the man's home without permission.

“Understood. We will leave, so please put your machete away,” Crockta said.

Upon hearing that, the man withdrew his machete.

Yet, Tiyo, who had been watching them, jumped up and down agitatedly. “Ah, no! We are—!”

“Shut up, little kid,” said the man as he glimpsed over at Tiyo.

“What did you say? Little k-kid?” asked Tiyo in shock.

Crockta had to hold Tiyo back, as he looked like he was ready to put his General to use.

Meanwhile, the man approached the magic staff that had been protecting the area. He tapped on something, and the staff’s blue energy returned. The energy spread everywhere and created a faint shield around the fence.

“We didn’t have bad intentions. We will leave now. Please stay alive,” said Crockta in farewell.

Then he crouched over to leave through the hole under the fence.

The man glanced at Crockta but didn’t respond. Crockta shrugged and crawled through the hole.

While the man stared at Crockta receding in the distance, he muttered, “Annoying brats...”

Then he looked at the cow staring at him. It was the cow Crockta and Tiyo had rescued from the wyverns.

“How have you been, Schola? Have there been any issues lately?” asked the man in a soft voice.

He sounded like a completely different person from when he had been ready to swing his machete at Crockta. The man rubbed his cheek against the cow, and the cow emitted a long, drawn-out cry.

“What?” The man tilted his head as if he understood what the cow was saying.

The cow cried again, “Mooooooo...”

The man’s gaze turned solemn as he looked behind him. He was looking at the hole below the fence, through which Crockta and Tiyo had left.

“That doesn’t mean you are indebted to them. They came here on their own, so they should take care of themselves,” the man stated.

Then he let out a sigh while gazing off into the distance.

“Fine, fine. Understood. Don’t worry,” he said to Schola.

The man then went up to the other cows and rubbed his cheek against theirs as well. He gathered them in one place and fed them fodder. Then he looked at the black sea of trees beyond the fence. This place was always humid and dark. It was a forest of darkness that didn’t allow light to seep through to the inside. Most people who entered lost their way and became prey to the monsters dwelling there.

The cows that had been eating the hay cried out, “Mooooo...”

The man filled up his quiver of arrows and replied, “I said I understood.”

***

“He’s such a nasty guy. Isn’t he, Crockta?” asked Tiyo as he walked with quick footsteps.

“It’s true that we were uninvited though,” replied Crockta.

“But we protected the cows!”

“We are the ones who caused the wyverns to attack in the first place.”

“Hmph! That’s true, but he called me a little kid!” Tiyo exclaimed, jumping and nudging Crockta’s shoulder. Tiyo yelled frustratedly, “I’m considered tall among gnomes, but he still called me a little kid! Isn’t he also a little kid compared to you?!”

“Hahaha.”

“This is not a laughing matter!” grumbled Tiyo.

The pair continued to head north by following a compass. If they persisted in treading through the forest, the northern region would eventually appear.

“There aren’t as many monsters as we had expected,” remarked Crockta.

He had expected to be relentlessly attacked by monsters as soon as he entered the Forest of Monsters, but that wasn’t the case. Things were going smoothly.

Right now, they couldn't sense the presence of any monsters around them. It was completely silent without even the sound of birds or bugs. They didn’t see wyverns flying around either.

Crockta fiddled with the hilt of his greatsword. “Tiyo.”

“Hmm?”

“Shh...” Crockta put a finger to his lips. “Let’s tread quietly.”

“Did you see something?” asked Tiyo.

“No, but this area is too quiet. It doesn’t seem like a forest notorious for its monsters. If this area is devoid of monsters, there could only be one reason for that.”

Tiyo understood what Crockta meant and nodded.

The fact that there weren’t any monsters around meant there was a predator so powerful that other monsters were no match for it. Crockta and Tiyo had perhaps stepped foot into an even more dangerous area.

“Let’s get out of here quickly,” said Crockta.

“Understood.”

They began to walk with silent footsteps. As they walked on, vines that drooped down from branches covered their field of vision. Crockta pulled out his greatsword and cut through the vines, continuing to advance. The Ogre Slayer swiftly cut away the obstacles despite its hefty size.

“Why does that guy live here?” grumbled Tiyo.

“Not sure.” Crockta was also curious about the backstory of the man who was skilled enough to instantly defeat wyverns with his arrows.

Why had the man built a home here? In any case, he was definitely a hunter.

“Perhaps to hunt?” suggested Crockta.

Hunters lived to hunt. They proved themselves by killing strong prey. There had to be a reason for the man to build a house and live here. What was a hunter of his caliber aiming to catch here?

Crockta suddenly flinched as a huge shadow brushed past them.

“What?” Tiyo raised his head in surprise.

He hadn’t been able to see properly because of the branches, leaves, and vines covering the sky, but it appeared to be a large black shadow.

“Was it a wyvern?” wondered Tiyo while tilting his head curiously.

He was about to continue walking forward when the shadow flew above their heads.

“...!” Crockta grasped his greatsword and looked up.

The creature’s huge body flew past their field of vision in an instant. It was definitely bigger than a wyvern.

“Tiyo!” shouted Crockta.

“I— I saw it too.” Tiyo was already preparing his General for a battle.

He raised the General’s muzzle toward the sky, but the shadow didn’t reappear.

Tiyo surveyed what he could see of the sky and said, “What was that?”

Crockta and Tiyo walked slowly while keeping an eye on the sky.

Right then, they heard a noise.

“Krr...” a shadow of a beast growled behind them.

Crockta quickly turned around and raised his greatsword. There was a huge beast baring its teeth at them from beyond the trees and vines.

“That... What is that...?” muttered Tiyo in a trembling voice.

The huge face of an elderly man was looking at them. However, the bared teeth were that of a beast’s, and a pair of wings spread out behind the creature’s disheveled mane. The wings made its body appear even larger.

This creature, which had an old man’s face on a lion’s body with bat wings, was a manticore. It was the type of powerful monster that would appear at the last stage of a dungeon. Yet, it approached Tiyo and Crockta now.

Because of its size, it felt like a house was moving toward them. Crockta stepped back instinctively.

The manticore’s wrinkled face became distorted. “Krrrrrrrrrr...”

It had a horrendous appearance; it resembled a wrinkled old man in a strange way that elicited disgust. The manticore reared its lesion-covered face toward them and opened its mouth wide to reveal its sharp teeth.

“Krrraaaaaaahhh!” The manticore charged.

Crockta almost turned his back toward the creature in fear. It was that unsightly. The way the manticore charged resembled a huge train running in his direction.

Right then, a beam of light flew from behind him and struck the manticore.

“Kreung!” yelled the manticore.

It slowed down as beams of light continued to fly toward the manticore and strike it. This support was coming from the General in Tiyo’s hands.

Crockta grinned in relief. He had almost shown an embarrassing side of himself.

Then Crockta began to direct all of his focus on the opponent in front of him while tensing his muscles. They swelled up and felt as if about to burst. He kicked at the earth with his strong legs and prepared to run.

Crockta raised his greatsword and charged at the manticore.

The manticore cried out, “Krrrrraaaaahhhhhh!”

Crockta didn’t falter and roared back, “Bul’ttttaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrr!”

He activated his Essence-tier skill, the Army Crushing Roar. Suddenly, the Forest of Monsters shook as if there was an earthquake. The manticore stopped in its tracks as Crockta ran toward it with incredible momentum. An intense aura rose like steam from Crockta’s greatsword. Simultaneously, the manticore swung its paws.

Sparks flew between Crockta’s Ogre Slayer and the manticore as they collided. Crockta grappled with the manticore, who tried to bite Crockta with its sharp teeth.

“No way!” yelled Tiyo.

He struck the manticore with his General again, focusing his aim around the manticore’s eyes. The General’s hits caused the manticore to shake its head in pain.

Crockta didn’t miss that opening in the manticore’s defense and plunged his Ogre Slayer into the manticore’s chest. For a second, it seemed like the blade was obstructed by the manticore’s thick skin. However, it was a greatsword that could even tear apart ogre flesh. The Ogre Slayer pierced the outermost layer of the manticore’s skin and made its way inside, plunging deeply into the manticore’s flesh.

The manticore screamed. It was a resounding wail so desperate that it sounded like the manticore had a deep-seated grudge against Crockta.

“Kiyyyyyaaaaaaaaaaaakkkkkk!”

“Ugh!” Crockta was flung back by the force of the cry.

It was the same for Tiyo as well. They both fell backward and then raised their heads in a daze.

Black energy began to flow out in streams from the manticore. As it swung its tail, dark energy spewed out and attacked Crockta, who was unable to dodge in time. The hit sent him rolling across the ground.

“Ahhh!” he screamed.

Blood rose from within Crockta as the black mana penetrated his body and suffocated him. Crockta squirmed while trying to resist, and his head jerked at the mana that coiled around him like a snake. If he let it continue, the mana would invade his body completely and tear him to pieces from the inside.

Something happened right then.

[The Belt of Despair (Hero) that had been asleep is reacting to the demon’s mana.]

[Resistance toward the demon’s strength has been activated.]

The belt at Crockta’s waist stirred. Black mana failed to completely infiltrate Crockta and retreated. The Demon’s Mouth ground its teeth while drooling in search of prey. Crockta told the belt to calm down by tapping on it. It then shut its mouth and fell back into sleep.

“That thing is not normal...” muttered Tiyo behind him.

The manticore glared at Tiyo and Crockta with reddened eyes while emitting dark energy. The manticore was a powerful monster by nature, but it had grown even stronger from consuming the forest’s mana. Each time the manticore moved, dark energy wavered around it.

“As expected of the Forest of Monsters,” said Crockta as he propped himself up on his greatsword.

He tried to stay calm, but his body trembled. Crockta was daunted by the strength of the creature.

“I will guard you from behind,” said Tiyo with a determined face.

Then, he manipulated the trigger mechanism of the rifle to adjust the General’s output power. The General was fueled by Tiyo’s energy, so it was dangerous for Tiyo to increase its output, but he had no choice.

“We can’t die here like this,” said Crockta.

“Of course,” agreed Tiyo.

The manticore grew closer. Crockta looked it straight in the eye and read the manticore’s movements. The manticore swayed its body back and forth. Then in an instant, the manticore’s terrifying face was right in front of Crockta’s nose.

“...!” Crockta got a shock.

‘

Such astounding speed

,’ thought Crockta.

The manticore’s hideous face, which resembled an old man’s, was now contorted like a demon’s as its mouth swallowed Crockta up to his torso.

“Aaahhhhhh!” screamed Crockta.

Everything turned dark. A smell like that of rotting flesh wafted from the manticore’s insides and stung Crockta’s nose. Soon, the manticore’s teeth would chew up Crockta’s body. Crockta shut his eyes tightly and was about to make a last-ditch effort to save himself when the manticore’s mouth opened up again and released Crockta.

Covered in the monster’s saliva, Crockta wobbled as he gasped for air.

He turned to look at the manticore. “...!”

An arrow was stuck in the manticore’s neck. Then another arrow flew in and pierced the manticore’s cheek.

“Kiyeeeeeehhhhh!” the manticore screamed.

Black mana seeped from its wounds. The man they had met earlier stood where the arrow had flown from. He calmly let go of his bowstring, piercing the manticore with yet another arrow.

Then the man said something.

Crockta wasn’t able to hear him clearly because of the distance between them, but Crockta could make out the words from the movement of his lips.

“Why are you just standing there?” the man asked.

Crockta nodded and concentrated on wielding his greatsword. Strength ran from the vessels in his body to his hands and permeated the blade of the Ogre Slayer. This was Leyteno’s Swordsmanship!

Crockta jumped. His goal was to behead the manticore. The Ogre Slayer pierced the manticore’s neck and ripped it open. Crockta wasn’t able to cut all the way through the neck because of its width and had to stop halfway.

The manticore let out another horrifying shriek. Its half-cut neck dangled from its body while blood gushed out. Crockta leaped up and finished off the manticore. The manticore thrashed around but didn’t have the strength to resist. Crockta sliced through the rest of the manticore’s neck, and the manticore crumbled to the ground.

The ground shook as the manticore’s huge body collapsed. Simultaneously, the manticore’s head glared at Crockta with a heinous expression.

“Whew...” Crockta kicked at it to turn it around. He didn’t want to look at it anymore.

“Thank you for rescuing me,” Crockta said to the hunter.

The hunter didn’t reply though. He approached the manticore without a word and began to hack away at its corpse. First, he tore away the skin from the manticore’s face. Then, he dissected its body and extracted an organ that resembled a heart. It smelled of decay.

“What are you doing?” asked Crockta.

The man remained silent while wiping the blood off his machete on the manticore’s mane.

Then he said, “The hide from the manticore’s face can ward off monsters. Its heart is tough to chew because it’s all muscle, but eating it can restore your strength.”

‘

As expected of a hunter

,’ thought Crockta.

The man then thrust his machete into the manticore and stared at Crockta. “Why did you guys come here? To satisfy a foolish adventurous spirit?”

Up close, the man appeared older than they had expected. His face bore the traces of time; it had deep-seated wrinkles, and his hair and beard were marked with white. Despite that, his body was large and brawny beyond his age.

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Crockta replied, “We want to pass through the Forest of Monsters to get to the north.”

The man smirked as if what Crockta had said was ridiculous.

“Do you know anything about the north?” asked Crockta.

“It’s impossible, you idiots,” said the man.

“Huh?”

The man pulled out the arrow stuck in the manticore’s body and laughed at Crockta. “It’s impossible to pass through the Forest of Monsters.”