Chapter 113: Grotesque Monster

"So this is the Ikalo Jungle, huh?"

Regis thought out loud as he stared at the abundant vegetation before him.

The area was filled with tall trees and dense greenery, to the point that they couldn’t even see the ground they were walking on.

But aside from all the beauty of nature it was showcasing, the high levels of humidity combined with the high temperature made the three of them sweat.

Furthermore, as they moved into the jungle, they had to consistently strike with their machetes in order to clear the path.

"Ughhh, this is why I’d rather go on dates than adventures..."

Killian, who was beside Regis, complained out loud as he wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"You were the one who insisted on taking this shortcut rather than the path that was used by the hunters in the village..." Regis gave him a side eye as he replied.

"But you heard the mayor, right!? He said that it would take more than four hours if we wanted to reach the point where the hunters saw the monster using that path, while we can reach it in just around an hour if we go straight here instead..."

"Still, you don’t have the right to complain even if that’s the case. Pathetic." This time, Pandora was the one who replied.

Sensing the disgust in her tone, Killian just clicked his tongue and didn’t rebut.

After a while, he spoke again, "I still can’t figure out why the mayor withheld information from us. We wouldn’t have known it if it wasn’t for my Rebecca..."

"So Rebecca is yours now, huh?" Regis rebutted, shaking his head at his words.

Noticing his blunder, Killian had an awkward smile as he changed the topic again, "But don’t you find the mayor’s reason suspicious too?"

Upon hearing his words, Regis began to think seriously.

When they confronted the mayor earlier about the fact that he deliberately didn’t tell them all the information regarding the quest, he got on all fours and apologized repeatedly.

He told them that he just didn’t want to complicate his son and that he was afraid that they would take him.

It turned out that his son was one of the hunters who ventured into the Ikalo Jungle in order to hunt wild beasts.

However, when they encountered the monster, his son was the only one who was able to come back alive.

Obviously, he was afraid of them apprehending his son for causing death to the other villagers.

’Still, there’s something off about it...’

Regis couldn’t help but have a nagging feeling in his heart.

He didn’t know if he was overthinking it, but he couldn’t exactly put his finger on it. So in the end, he couldn’t do anything about it.

’Let’s just see. This is my first adventure, after all. Maybe I’m just a little paranoid...’

Shaking his head, Regis decided not to think about it anymore and just continued hacking at the vegetation with his machete.

Currently, only he and Killian had machetes in their hands.

They decided that it would be enough and just ordered Pandora to be on high alert to keep watch for any ambushes.

After all, even if they could enhance their senses with aura, detection through mana that was omnipresent throughout the surroundings would be far more efficient.

This continued on for about half an hour more before Pandora suddenly spoke.

"There’s something nearby..."

Hearing her, Regis and Killian immediately unsheathed their swords.

They lightly circulated the aura in their bodies in preparation for anything that might happen.

However, they made sure to avoid activating their stars to avoid commotion.

After all, wild beasts aren’t the only things that inhabited the jungle. There were also beasts that could pose a threat to them.

They moved carefully, minimizing the sound emitted by their machetes.

"Can you tell what it is?"

Regis asked in a whisper as his eyes darted around the jungle.

However, Pandora shook her head, "I can’t. It is still too far from us. I think about a hundred meters or more? I might be able to tell if we moved a bit closer to it..."

"What do you think, Boss?" Killian asked as he glanced towards Regis.

Although he was the one who handled most of the matters when talking with the mayor, he was aware that he needed to follow Regis when it involved a battle.

"How many do you sense?" Regis asked after a moment.

"Just one... but it looks big. There are also some wild beasts hidden in the surrounding bushes so be careful."

Pandora said as she tightened her grip on her staff.

Regis glanced at Killian, who was still awaiting his orders, and said, "We’ll slowly close the distance, but make sure to not disturb the wild beasts to avoid causing a commotion."

"Alright." Kilian responded as he continued hacking on the vegetation in front of them.

They moved even slower as they approached the thing that Pandora had sensed.

90 meters...

85 meters...

80 meters...

This continued on for a few minutes before she spoke again, "I think it’s beginning to move— Wait!!!"

Hearing the distress in her voice, Regis immediately asked, "What happened!?"

"Uhhhh, Boss...."

Killian’s voice trembled, prompting Regis to look where he was looking.

It was then that Regis saw it.

Standing before them was a three meter tall grotesque monster.

It seemed as if its body parts had come from numerous animals, only being bound to it by the stitches that ran all over its body.

There were also unknown green fluids being secreted from various parts of its body.

Its head was that of a human, while its body seemed to be a mix between a boar, a horse, a deer, and other wild beasts that inhabited the jungle.

Even for someone like Regis who was a demonic human before, it was his first time seeing something so repulsive.

Well, except for the beast that was formed from the souls of the demonic children that he fought in Toran City, that is.

"What the hell is this...?"

As soon as Regis spoke, the monster immediately struck with its right arm that was like that of a gorilla.

BOOM—

"Fuck! Such power... I think it’s at least Two Star!" Killian cursed as he recovered from the attack.

Regis and Pandora were also able to dodge before the monster’s fist hit the ground.