Chapter 274 To the Depth of the Forest
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
After gathering the mass of Red Slime¹ I’d just splattered, I decided to push deeper into the forest. The materials on my back were still light; this measly amount wouldn’t be nearly enough to keep up with the mass production my shop required.
I hit a few more spots after that, leaving a trail of carnage behind me. Yeah, not bad, I thought. My methods for harvesting the Red Slime’s bodily fluid still had room for improvement, but at least I’d confirmed their habitat.
Fortunately, the forest was the picture of serenity. I hadn’t crossed paths with any particularly large monsters yet. Since I’d come this far, I figured I might as well trek out to the Pororo Snail² territory.
I stopped for a moment, straining my ears against the oppressive silence of the dark woods. In times like these, I focus on my five senses, eventually surrendering to a primal sixth sense. To be honest, even for a bottom-tier adventurer like me, that gut instinct has saved my life more than once or twice.
Then again, I’ve been retired for several years now. There’s a good chance those senses have rusted to hell.
”…Only one way to find out,” I muttered, and began walking toward the heart of the forest.
I’d already let my precious Lily-chan and the rest of the household know I’d be away for a few days. Even the adventurer elf Tania-san, who’d checked the magic resistance of my defensive magic circuits, had told me that even a weakling like me should be fine with this setup.
Lily-chan had still been a nervous wreck, though. She’d fought me until the very last second, insisting she go in my place. But hey, it should be fine. Unless something “irregular” happens – like getting lost or becoming catatonic in the woods. Yeah, no matter how you look at it, I was basically waving a death flag. But it’s fine, really.
After all, the forest looked exactly as it always did. You wouldn’t even know a “Stampede”³ was happening elsewhere. It was too normal.
I pressed on, moving with a caution I hadn’t used since my active days, heading toward the “Deep Zone” where I’d never set foot before. Along the way, I spotted Great-Horn Deer tracks, found fresh claw marks gouged into tree trunks, and heard a distant roar that made my heart skip a beat. The current me could handle this much, but I’d be lying if I said my knees weren’t ready to buckle.
I tracked the various traces, taking long detours to avoid the path of anything dangerous as I aimed for my destination.
”Phew… I’ve really come a long way in,” I exhaled, wiping sweat from my brow. It was technically winter, with spring just a whisper away, but the tension had me running hot. I hadn’t lost my bearings, though; I had a rough map of the area burned into my brain.
Back in my rookie days, I’d memorized these routes, certain I’d eventually challenge them. I never actually made it here back then, but it’s funny how that useless trivia is finally paying off.
Adventurers love their tall tales. I’d heard drunkards rambling about this forest a thousand times. But as they say, seeing is believing. The heart of this forest was far more terrifying – and beautiful – than any barroom story.
I passed the “Ancient Twisted Oak,” a colossal, gnarled giant. In the Royal Capital Canarias, you aren’t considered a real adventurer until you’ve laid eyes on this thing.
Feeling a brief spark of sentimentality, I turned north. The Pororo Snail habitat was just ahead. Word was they loved thickets and the damp hollows of tree roots.
”There they are…” I whispered.
I peered through the brush from a crouch. Ahead of me, a cluster of massive snails was writhing and pulsing about. I felt a wave of relief; at least these guys hadn’t been affected by the Stampede.
Believe it or not, it was my first time seeing a live Pororo Snail. I’m deeply in their debt, but god, they were repulsive. It’s hard not to be grossed out by a snail the size of a Great Dane.
I watched them intently, suppressing a shudder of pure physiological disgust. I’d heard that because they protect themselves with mucus secreted from the head, it’s actually easier to defeat them by shattering the hard shell.
I decided to stick with the shockwave magic bullets I’d used on the Slimes and took aim. I hoped to snag two or three in a single blast, but I kept a spare charge ready just in case I missed.
I steadied my breathing, my finger tightening on the trigger… and then it happened.
”Huh…?” I gasped.
The world didn’t just go dark; it vanished. The snails, the trees, the sky – everything.
There’s no warning, no impact. Not even a sound. I was simply swallowed by an absolute void. My defensive magic flared up instinctively, so my body was unharmed, but my vision was completely cut off by the dark.
”What the – what the hell!?” I shouted.
My heart hammered against my ribs. The forest had been dim, but not like this. What could possibly cause things to go pitch black so suddenly?
My brain scrambled for a solution until a specific magic circuit – no, a “Holy Relic”⁴ – flashed in my mind. It was a tool I’d brought along thinking it might be useful for lighting fires. Inside the safety of my barrier, I wrenched my backpack off and fumbled through the bag until my hand closed around its familiar, awkward shape. I held it up and thumbed the switch.
”I can’t believe this piece of junk is actually going to save me…” I muttered.
Flash!
The “Sparkling Neon-Buddy” erupted with blinding light. It was a Holy Relic crafted by Nina-Mailse-san, a local lunatic from the Church and a Holy Artificer who insisted on calling herself my disciple.
The garish light was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. For a moment, I felt my panic recede – until I actually saw what the light revealed.
The snails were gone. The trees were gone. Just outside the thin shimmer of my defensive barrier, a wall of pulsing, wet pink flesh had appeared. It wasn’t just in front of me. I was surrounded on all sides by that throbbing pink wall.
”…!”
I’m going to give myself credit for not screaming. It wouldn’t have helped, but at least I held onto a shred of dignity.
The reality was undeniable: **I was inside the body of a living creature.** The reason I knew was the thick, gelatinous mucus coating the pink walls.
I’d walked right into the trap. Every “death flag” I’d jokingly planted had just been harvested.
”Dammit! I’ve never even heard of a monster this big in these woods!” I snarled.
Judging by the scale, this thing had to be gargantuan to gulp me down whole. A snake? Maybe. But I hadn’t heard a single footfall or sound. It was a silent predator.
The only snakes in this forest were Dara-vipers – little venomous things no thicker than my arm. They didn’t grow into man-eaters.
That meant this was an invasive species from the Stampede. But why hadn’t I seen any signs?
…Wait. I see now. The reason the forest felt so “normal” while the Red Slimes were fleeing in terror wasn’t because the threat was gone. It was because the monsters that usually lived here had already been eaten.
This thing was a phantom. It had moved through the woods, vacuuming up everything in its path. The surviving monsters had settled back into their routines because their old threats were gone – completely unaware that a new, much hungrier god had moved in.
And I’d fallen for it hook, line, and sinker.
I could analyze the ecology all I wanted, but it didn’t change the facts. If I didn’t find a way out before my mana hit zero, I was going to be digested as this thing’s afternoon snack.
My heart, which had calmed down briefly upon seeing the light of the “Neon-Buddy,” began to beat like a fire bell again. A cold, sinking dread settled in my gut.
Am I actually going to get out of here alive?
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Trivia:
- The protagonist is a retired adventurer with ‘rusted’ senses.
- He is using defensive magic circuits checked by Tania-san.
- The ‘Stampede’ is a major background event causing monster migrations.
- The ‘Neon-Buddy’ relic was intended as a fire starter, not a primary light source.
- Pororo Snails are the size of large dogs
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Character Insight:
The protagonist displays a mix of merchant-minded pragmatism and residual adventurer instincts. His overconfidence leads him to ignore his own ‘death flags’ until it is too late, showing he still struggles to reconcile his current weakness with his past experience.
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Behind the Scenes:
The author uses the concept of ‘flags’ (tropes) as a meta-humor element common in light novels to foreshadow the protagonist’s misfortune.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Tania – An Elf adventurer who, despite her race’s reputation for low sex drive, is secretly quite passionate. She initially seemed ‘wasted’ (emotionally dry) to her friend Raika, but was easily introduced to the pleasure-items sold at ‘Harvest.’ She is easily embarrassed and attempts to maintain a dignified facade, despite her recent, frequent purchases. She wears practical but light armor over a simple cloth tunic and short pants, highlighting her grace and agility. Her primary relationship is one of friendly senior-junior with Raika.
• Lily – the sl*ve and primary experiment subject for the magic shop, ‘Harvest.’ She has striking pink hair, Blue eyes, medium breasts, which the Protagonist associates with being ‘wanton’. She has a working knowledge of magic, which she kept hidden from the slave trader.
• Nina-Mailse – A Sacred Artificer from the Holy City. She has short violet hair and wears bottle-bottom glasses thick glasses that somehow look stylish. She is attached to the Saint.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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