Chapter 230

Exploration (2)

We had nearly been wiped out right at the beginning, but thanks to my quick judgment, we managed to escape unharmed.

Things would have become serious if I had noticed something strange but continued deeper inside anyway.

The incident also taught me something: I lacked basic information.

I knew the animals from where I used to live—in other words, Earth—but knew very little about this world’s flora and fauna.

Wonmo alone was an owlbear, a creature commonly seen in fantasy stories.

Tyrano being a dragon went without saying.

’I don’t know what kinds of creatures live here.’

This was already a region where even herbivores became extraordinarily powerful.

What if I encountered an animal that was naturally strong—or even a creature I had never seen before?

Unless I got as lucky as I had just now, I could easily be killed before I even understood what was happening.

’The only way to gather information is to explore more frequently.’

That made it even more important to search the area thoroughly.

As the saying went, look before you leap. I needed to approach everything cautiously.

"And with that in mind, I’ll carry you around like a lantern, Cain."

[Must we really do this?]

"Would you rather dangle from my backside?"

[Being a lantern does not sound so bad.]

Thus, I tied Cain with rope and carried him around like a lantern.

That way, if we noticed anything strange or encountered an unfamiliar animal, he could respond immediately.

I couldn’t place Ludwig at the front, so I couldn’t entrust the role to him.

Since I still lacked far too much information, this was the best option.

"By the way, I think I understand what caused the territorial conflict in the mandrake colony."

I surveyed the place where the enormous Thicket Hell had been.

Ordinarily, as its name suggested, it should have been only the size of a thicket. This one, however, had grown into an entire forest.

It had consumed everything indiscriminately, plants and animals alike, leaving only barren land behind.

To be precise, only the area previously occupied by the Thicket Hell was empty.

"$%%%?"

[He is asking whether we intend to continue.]

"Of course. The Thicket Hell is gone now."

Only the place where the Thicket Hell had stood was barren. The rest of the forest remained intact.

In other words, the forest stretched endlessly beyond it. Unlike before, the sounds of insects and birds were lively.

I handed Ludwig a torch as a precaution.

We had been lucky earlier. Without even realizing it, we could have walked straight into someone’s mouth.

’I should tie the thread securely here.’

I firmly tied the World Tree thread around a tree beside the former location of the Thicket Hell.

I then handed the ball of thread to Kkobong and checked our surroundings several times.

Unlike before, I sensed no abnormalities. It seemed safe to depart.

"Let’s go."

[Please walk slowly. The ride is rather uncomfortable.]

"If it’s that uncomfortable, would you like me to put you between my legs? It should be comfortable there."

[Ares! Please, anything but that!]

After silencing Cain’s complaints, I started walking.

As I had said, only the place once occupied by the Thicket Hell was barren. Everything beyond it was normal.

The forest continued without end, and unlike before, it was filled with the sounds of birds and insects.

[Come to think of it, this is rather peculiar. One would expect monsters to inhabit a forest of this size.]

"Monsters?"

Cain spoke curiously from where he was tied to my chest as we proceeded cautiously.

[Have you ever encountered monsters such as goblins, orcs, or gnolls?]

"Hmm..."

I thought carefully about his question.

I had encountered many four-legged animals, but almost none of the creatures Cain had mentioned.

"What distinguishes a monster from a wild animal?"

[It varies depending on the era, but in my time, the distinction was usually based on whether it attacked humans.]

"Then were wolves classified as monsters back then?"

[Only after they had eaten a human. Contrary to what one might expect, wild animals rarely prey upon people.]

I nodded at his explanation.

When I first fell into this forest, I had fought a Mad Dog and nearly died.

When I asked the gallery about it, they told me Mad Dogs were classified as monsters.

Moreover, this place was a wilderness far removed from civilization.

There was still something I didn’t quite understand, however.

"Then would humanoid mushrooms with arms and legs be considered monsters? They’re incredibly muscular too."

[Normally, yes. Even if they do not directly harm people, their spores pose a serious threat.]

"What about a gorilla that practices martial arts? He even committed theft."

[At that point, should he not be treated as half-human rather than as a beast?]

"What about a dragon that has lived since the Age of Mythology?"

[Now that I think about it, it would be easier to classify everything here as a monster.]

Cain seemed to realize that classifications were meaningless in this forest.

Still, creatures classified as monsters outside might have become even more dangerous here.

Even the gorillas had acquired intelligence comparable to humans. Creatures that were already intelligent would likely be even more formidable.

[If their intelligence has increased, goblins would probably be the most dangerous. They are the most cunning of all monsters.]

"Goblins? I thought they were weak."

[That is precisely the problem—they know they are weak. They recognize their weakness and continually develop ways to overcome it.]

That sounded terrifying even to imagine.

Moreover, this had continued beyond Cain’s era and remained true in the present day.

According to Ludwig, goblins accounted for more than half of all monster-subjugation missions.

In agricultural terms, they were like swarms of locusts.

"But I haven’t seen any goblins so far. The only creatures I’ve encountered living in groups were gorillas and kangaroos."

[They may inhabit another part of the forest. I will inform you immediately if I notice any traces, so remain vigilant.]

Intelligent monsters such as goblins and orcs marked their territory in simple ways.

They would drive a stake into the ground and place an animal skull on top.

Alternatively, they might hang an animal’s corpse from something.

’I still don’t think any of them live around here.’

Monsters and animals alike required drinking water, yet there was no river nearby.

If goblins were truly intelligent, they would settle somewhere with a reliable water supply.

I continued forward while listening carefully to my surroundings.

[It is quiet.]

"We can still hear birds pretty often."

[True, but I merely said that because I am bored.]

"You little..."

[Do not curse me. It is better to make noise while traveling.]

"Wouldn’t that reveal our position?"

[That would still be preferable to startling something and provoking an attack.]

Cain occasionally offered useful advice.

We weren’t conducting a military operation, so it was better to make noise during an expedition.

Bears in particular were highly sensitive to sound, and many explorers had been injured after unexpectedly encountering and startling one.

"What if a monster or animal hears us and deliberately attacks?"

"#%%%.##@%$%. #$%."

[He says that because our group is so large, most animals will not bother us. The same should apply to monsters. At most, they might send a scout.]

Since even Ludwig agreed, it seemed safe to trust their judgment.

Still, we found no droppings, markings carved into trees, or any other traces.

Apparently, this area was more of a passageway than someone’s territory.

Thanks to that, we continued exploring in relative safety until lunchtime.

’I gathered medicinal herbs along the way too.’

I collected every herb that glimmered under my appraisal ability. I could send them to the Heavenly Demon later.

Eventually, as lunchtime approached, I called for a short break.

I would have preferred to go hunting, but there were so few traces of animals that I gave up.

’There’s seriously nothing here. Is something else going on?’

I looked around while lighting a fire. The rest of the group was preparing to rest.

Since even lighting a fire produced no reaction, we probably hadn’t wandered into another Thicket Hell. Should I consider this some kind of neutral zone?

The area around my shelter was usually quiet as well.

"Here. Eat."

"Kkyuu!"

"Piik!"

I gave Wonmo and Tyrano some meat I had purchased through the gallery.

Both of them ate like pigs, so I had no choice but to splurge a little.

What did the rest of us eat?

Ludwig and I caught and ate lizards.

There were no large animals, but small creatures such as lizards were present. Fortunately, they weren’t poisonous.

Namu ppareumbo and Kkobong made do with wallgokdan. As an added bonus, Namu ppareumbo kept glaring at Kkobong for eating his wallgokdan.

Lastly, Largo... Well, the ground was covered in grass, so he feasted to his heart’s content.

"I’ll leave another marker here."

Although we had the World Tree thread, I didn’t forget to leave markers along the way.

Once we had more or less filled our stomachs, we resumed our journey.

I hadn’t chosen a particular destination.

We could simply return to the shelter before dark. If that wasn’t possible, we could camp outside.

Rooooar—

"Hmm?"

I was walking at the front when a sound reached my ears.

When I stopped, the rest of the group looked puzzled.

[What is the matter?]

"Give me a moment."

I placed my index finger against my lips, signaling for everyone to remain quiet.

Then I concentrated on the sound.

Amid the calls of birds and insects, I began to hear something out of place.

Rooooar—

"...!"

It was water.

That was unmistakably the sound of flowing water.

The moment I recognized it, I turned my head. I could roughly determine the direction it was coming from.

"I think there’s a river nearby."

"A river?"

[Did you say a river?]

"Yes. Follow me carefully. There may be wild animals nearby."

I led the group toward the river.

Gradually, fragments of stone began appearing among the thick leaves covering the ground.

Rooooar!

The sound was clear now. The others seemed to have recognized it as well.

Meanwhile, I pictured the area’s geography in my head. This river was undoubtedly different from the one near the shelter.

’There was a place near the sea where the two connected, right?’

The river didn’t flow into the sea. Instead, it originated from the sea.

This river was likely similar, merely flowing in another direction.

The two rivers essentially formed parallel lines.

’In other words, there’s a high probability that the end of this river is connected to the sea as well.’

There was also a strong possibility that we would encounter the territory of some wild animal or monster nearby.

As a precaution, I readied my sword and shield.

When I assumed a guarded stance, Ludwig also drew his mithricon sword.

Mounted on Largo, he looked almost like a cavalryman.

’Except that he’s riding a giraffe.’

Setting that aside, we continued walking cautiously and eventually reached the river.

Rooooar!

Like the river near the shelter, it had an impressively powerful current.

The water was clear enough to see the riverbed, so it should have been safe to drink.

’The other side... is just an ordinary forest.’

The only animals present were a deer drinking from the river and a wolf stalking it from behind.

Thwack!

"Yelp!"

Correction.

The deer kicked the wolf with its hind leg and sent it flying into the distance.

Now there was only a deer.

Why were all the deer in this forest so ridiculously strong?

I shouldn’t mess with them.

[What will you do now?]

"Hmm..."

I contemplated Cain’s question.

Although this was a different river, following it upstream would most likely lead us to the sea.

Conversely, following it downstream should bring us to a lake.

As I considered our options—

’...Hmm? Wait.’

I traced a diagram on my palm with my index finger, trying to calculate the directions.

Although I didn’t have a compass, I could still determine them approximately.

’This river is flowing in the opposite direction.’

If the rivers ran parallel to each other, this one should have flowed from left to right.

Instead, it was flowing from right to left—the exact opposite direction.

No matter how many times I worked it out, I reached the same conclusion.

In other words, this river was probably connected to somewhere other than the sea.

"For now, let’s follow the current downstream. We don’t know what we’ll encounter, so stay alert."

"Mm."

"Kkobong, the thread is still connected properly, right?"

"It is."

Then I should leave a marker here as well. Getting lost would be disastrous.

Still, as long as we followed the river, we shouldn’t have to worry about losing our way.

Splash! Splash!

As we continued downstream, several fish leaped high out of the water.

I was just about to wonder whether they were salmon when—

Whoosh!

A tongue shot out of the river and snatched one of the salmon.

The tongue alone must have been over a meter long.

Splash!

The struggling salmon was dragged beneath the surface.

It had probably become someone’s lunch.

[There appears to be a frog in the river.]

"..."

I know that too.

Swallowing the words, I moved slightly farther away from the river.

If that thing caught me, it would all be over.

Rooooar!

We had been following the current for more than thirty minutes.

The river had grown considerably wider, yet its current had become even stronger.

’That’s strange. Shouldn’t the current weaken farther downstream?’

The others seemed to find this strange as well, judging by their puzzled expressions.

However, standing around wouldn’t provide us with an answer, so we kept walking.

Eventually, we reached the end of the river and discovered why the current had remained so violent.

Rooooooar!

It was a waterfall.

A waterfall flowing upward.

That might sound like complete nonsense, but it genuinely looked as though someone had turned a waterfall upside down.

It was a sight that treated not only the laws of nature but gravity itself as something trivial.

The top of the waterfall was obscured by mist.

I stared at the jaw-dropping scene and exclaimed,

"Wow... What an absolute farce."

[Do you not mean a magnificent sight?]

"If this isn’t a farce, what is?"

[You make a fair point.]

Once again, I hadn’t chosen the wrong word.

It truly was an absurd spectacle.

After letting out a disbelieving laugh, I approached the side of the waterfall.

I wanted to see what was up there.

Whoosh!

"Huh?"

But the moment I drew near, my body flipped upside down.

"Uwaaaaaaagh?!"

And I began to "fall" toward the sky.

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