Volume 4 Chapter 40 The Needle of Demon Exploration and the Roar of the Forest
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
We stepped into the Shadow Forest──the place everyone thinks the stampede will start.
Most adventurers won’t even set foot in here.
They’re camped out by the entrance.
But a handful are actually exploring the forest anyway.
Some came on guild jobs.
Others just want to prove something.
Either way, they’re sneaking past the crowd and heading deep in.
They want answers──what’s causing the stampede?
And if they’re lucky, maybe they end it right there.
If a single party pulls that off solo, they’re set for life.
Fame, reward, the works.
Not that anyone actually thinks that’ll happen.
It’s pitch-dark in here.
You could wander forever and never spot a thing.
And worst case?
You run into a swarm, lose track of the exits, and that’s it──game over.
Still, some folks just can’t resist chasing huge payoffs.
Me?
I’ve got a secret weapon this time.
I fish a magic tool out of my belt pouch.
”Spirit-Seekers’ Compass.” Found it on dungeon floor 5.
It’s supposed to point me wherever I need to go.
I grip the golden compass, fill it with mana, and focus.
”Find the cause of the stampede.”
The compass glows.
Soft light seeps out.
But the golden needle just spins and spins, like it’s lost.
Guess my order was too vague…
I haven’t had this tool for long.
Still don’t really know how the thing ticks.
”Alright then… Where’s the strongest monster?”
I try asking a different question.
The needle jerks, then snaps to a stop──dead ahead.
It’s pointing straight into the forest depths.
”That’s the same way the monsters keep flinching from.”
Lifia chimes in, eyeing the compass.
”Alright, let’s go after it.”
If that’s not the root of the stampede, it’s still the biggest threat in here.
Either way, we’ve got every reason to hunt it down.
”Um… We really have to go all the way in?”
Yomi’s already shrinking back.
”You scared?”
”It’s not that I’m scared… it’s just──why not fight monsters outside? Out where it’s open. It’s less suicidal.”
I get where Yomi’s coming from, honestly.
But honestly, just standing at the forest entrance, fighting off wave after wave of monsters?
Feels endless.
No finish line in sight.
If things go sideways, some could slip past and get behind us.
I don’t care about earning glory.
What I want is to keep the town safe.
If we can cut this off at the source, that’s way better.
And when I team up with other adventurers, all I get is pointless drama.
More problems, never less.
Learned that the hard way, just now.
So yeah.
I’m thinking we go deeper into the forest.
I’ve got my skill──’Love Hotel’.
No sweat, even if we’re surrounded by monsters.
We can duck inside ‘Love Hotel’, have Tifi open the door… zip!
Instantly back to the entrance.
Plus, with those girls backing me up, we actually stand a chance in a fight.
No clue how many monsters are inside, or how strong they’ll be.
But I doubt they’re crazier than the monsters on dungeon floor 5.
If it turns out we’ve bitten off more than we can chew, maybe we’ll have to team up with the other adventurers or the army by the entrance.
That’ll cost a lot of lives, though.
Either way, we should check things out first.
After I lay all that out, Yomi looks like she gets it now.
”…Yeah, you’re right. If we thin their numbers inside, maybe the people at the entrance can hold the line.”
Yomi’s gotten close to the kids at the orphanage too.
No way she wants them in danger.
She’ll want to keep them safe──same as me.
”Alright. I’m in.”
”Good, that’s the plan. We’ll follow the needle, track down the monsters, and wipe them out if we can.”
”Roger that, Master!”
”Finally, the real action begins!”
Lifia and Kéa both perk up, looking fired up.
And just like that, we head into the heart of the forest.
To put an end to this disaster.
We push forward, picking our way carefully through the trees.
The deeper we go, the more monsters crowd around us.
I can sense them out there.
Stalking.
Waiting.
Sometimes, I spot glimpses──monster shapes moving between the trees.
But for now, we’re avoiding a fight unless we absolutely have to.
If it was just about taking them out, we could do it──no problem.
But if we spook them, we could start a stampede.
That’s the nightmare.
Even if it’s bound to happen, I want to delay it as long as we can.
Every second counts.
The monsters aren’t coming for us.
They’re just hiding──like something scared the life out of them.
Maybe they’re freaked out they’ll draw the wrong kind of attention from something even worse.
Deep in the forest, we moved quietly over the leaf-covered ground.
I stepped carefully, avoiding branches, mindful of every sound.
The air was thick and damp, pressing down on us, and even the birds seemed silent.
Suddenly, Lifia stops dead in her tracks.
Her tiny shoulders are shaking.
”What’s wrong, Lifia?”
I call out, and she clutches her chest, eyes darting up at me.
Fear on her face.
And… something sad, too.
”M-Master, the forest… I can hear it, the forest’s voice…”
Lifia’s voice is brittle.
Barely more than a whisper.
Then──the forest shudders.
OOOOOOOO…
Something roars, all the way up from under the earth.
The bass shakes the air.
My whole body prickles.
The sound came from deep inside the forest.
Same direction as the compass is pointing.
”W-What… was that?”
”Whatever it is, it’s bad. Real bad!”
Yomi frowns and scans the trees.
Kéa drops into a stance, growling low.
The silent woods start trembling.
Not the wind, not some animal.
The whole forest is uneasy.
I’ve heard an orc roar out here before.
That scared us then, sure.
But now? An orc wouldn’t even slow us down.
I could take one solo, no sweat.
But that roar just now──
Not even close.
Even I feel like my blood’s turned to ice.
This is something way nastier than any orc.
Lifia’s hand is shaking as she points into the forest.
”…Over there. There’s something huge, something deep, something awful. Even the wind and the trees are trying to run away.”
The direction: Lifia’s finger, and the compass.
The roar.
That suffocating silence.
All the fear bleeding out from one spot.
No doubt about it.
That’s where the stampede started.
Right after the roar, the forest explodes into chaos.
The monsters start moving.
Frenzied, they bolt as one.
They’re running.
Running from whatever made that roar.
Fleeing out of the woods.
The whole horde’s coming right at us.
They’re not thinking.
They’re just running──anything to get away from that terror.
The flood of monsters heads toward the village, past the forest.
A stampede has started.
Goblins, orcs, and all kinds of monsters are charging from deep within the forest, coming straight for us.
They’re not specifically after us, though.
They’re just panicking, running for their lives.
But they’re still cutting through everything in their path.
At this rate, we’ll be overwhelmed.
There’s no choice.
I activate my skill, ‘Love Hotel.’
A door materializes from the ground.
”We need to evacuate, now!”
”Yes!”
We open the door and rush inside.
The moment we step into the Love Hotel, the place gets swallowed by monsters.
’Love Hotel’ is a safe space, isolated from the outside. It creates an inner room in a subspace. We’re safe here.
I let out a deep breath.
But… what now?
The source of the stampede is deep in the forest.
There’s no way through the sea of monsters to get there.
An overwhelming number of monsters are scattered and rampaging, crushing everything in their path.
Brrr…
As I’m thinking, the intercom buzzes.
It’s one of ‘Love Hotel’s’ features.
It’s a call from Tifi.
”Hello? What’s going on?”
I tap the menu and start the call.
Tifi’s voice comes through.
’Mr. Taro, are you okay? What was that noise just now?’
Seems like that roar echoed all the way outside the forest.
”You heard that? That roar got the monsters moving. A stampede started. It’ll reach you soon enough.”
’────!’
I can hear Tifi’s breath catch, the shock hitting her.
I can faintly hear the bustle and chaos on her side too.
’…Understood. We’ll start responding right away. Mr. Taro, please stay safe.’
Tifi’s voice trembles, but she stays calm.
She really is a pro at this, being the receptionist of the Adventurer’s Guild.
”Yeah, don’t push yourself too hard, Tifi. If it gets dangerous, head inside…”
”Get inside a safe room.” I stop myself before saying it.
If she takes refuge in ‘Love Hotel,’ Tifi’s safety is guaranteed.
But that would mean telling her to leave everyone else behind to die.
She’s the kind of girl everyone loves ── gentle, friendly, and totally trustworthy.
She might already be on good terms with the local Adventurer Guild staff.
No way she’d choose to save herself and let her colleagues die.
I could push her to do something… but that’d cast a shadow over her whole life.
I don’t wanna do that to her.
”Hey… throw in some extra demon sardines. But Tifi’s safety comes first, okay?”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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