Chapter 113: Probel has a very interesting technique.
—It seems these squads are quite excited.
I watched the soldiers marching ahead of us.
Beside me, Lurdot let out a soft chuckle.
—Of course.
—These are the elite troops of the City of Distant Wind.
I nodded slowly.
But both he and I knew the truth.
Elite...
Perhaps against bandits.
Perhaps against ordinary beasts.
But inside that forest...
They would serve only one purpose.
Cannon fodder.
.
.
.
.
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The Forest of Distant Wind was relatively close to the city.
Even with wagons, horses, and dozens of soldiers, it took us only eight days to reach its borders.
The moment I laid eyes on the forest...
I felt something strange.
My entire body became slightly heavy.
It was like walking while carrying an invisible backpack.
The air felt denser.
Colder.
Quieter.
Even though it was spring...
The forest conveyed no sense of life whatsoever.
Quite the opposite.
Everything seemed to be dying slowly.
I looked at the trees.
There were very few leaves.
The trunks were covered with deep cracks.
My mind immediately made a comparison.
The danger level here...
Is comparable to that of Arcangrove Tower.
Although on a much smaller scale.
Ordinary people could still enter to gather herbs...
As long as they were extremely careful.
But that probably would not remain the case for much longer.
Suddenly.
The Viscount’s firm voice echoed out.
—Let’s set up camp!
The entire column came to an immediate halt.
The soldiers dismounted and began working with remarkable efficiency.
Tents were raised.
Campfires were lit.
Sentries were posted.
Within just a few minutes...
A small military camp had emerged in the middle of the forest.
Naturally...
Neither Lurdot, nor I, nor the other acolytes were required to help.
We merely watched as the soldiers handled all the heavy work.
I got off my horse.
I tied it to a relatively healthy tree.
Then I walked over to one of the pots where they were preparing soup.
I was handed a steaming bowl.
I sat down on a fallen log and began drinking it slowly.
As I did...
My eyes continued analyzing everything around me.
The vegetation seemed to be withering even before reaching the officially contaminated area.
While I was reflecting...
Several soldiers spoke quietly near the campfire.
—Everything is different...
—My family were hunters.
—When I was a child, there were deer, boars, rabbits...
Another soldier sighed.
—They were everywhere.
—There were herbs all over the place.
—Wild vegetables.
—Mushrooms.
—Today...
He looked toward the dark forest.
—There’s almost nothing left.
I subtly lowered my head.
—Biochip, analyze the composition of the air.
[Analyzing...]
[Comparing with database...]
A few seconds later...
[Analysis complete.]
[Oxygen reduced by 8.7%.]
[Nitrogen increased.]
[Unknown gaseous element detected.]
[Current concentration: 2.2%.]
[Density continues increasing as the group advances.]
My expression turned serious.
An unknown gas...
If that component was truly affecting the vegetation...
At that moment...
The Viscount’s voice interrupted my thoughts.
—Get some rest.
—Tomorrow we advance.
—There is a very high chance we will enter combat.
No one replied.
Everyone understood the seriousness of the situation.
.
.
.
.
.
The following morning...
The camp was dismantled before sunrise had fully arrived.
After a quick breakfast...
We resumed our march.
The farther we advanced...
The heavier the atmosphere became.
The Viscount led the formation.
—Stay alert!
—We’ve entered the territory of the Worpu Forest!
Instinctively, I placed my hand on my chest.
I touched my metal armor.
It was my second skin.
Most of the retired acolytes around me wore nothing but robes.
They placed complete trust in the barriers formed by their spells.
I subtly moved my right arm.
A faint metallic click echoed from inside the armor.
The launcher automatically chambered an Explosive Fire Crystal.
It was ready to fire at any moment.
During my stay at the Phantom Mountain Market, I purchased ingredients and spent several days producing dozens of those crystals.
Naturally...
I could also simply release my golems.
They would probably carve a path through the entire forest.
But...
That would reveal one of my greatest trump cards.
No.
It was not the right time yet.
I kept walking.
Not long afterward...
The forest changed completely.
There was not a single living leaf.
The very earth seemed dead.
I reached out.
I picked up a small dry branch.
My gaze hardened.
It has already lost every trace of moisture...
I gently tightened my fingers.
Crack...
The branch simply crumbled into fine powder.
The particles slowly slipped through my fingers before being carried away by the wind.
Even its internal structure no longer remains.
My heart grew heavy.
That destructive power far exceeded my initial estimates.
It was not merely a lack of water.
It was absolute destruction.
As if all organic matter were being slowly consumed.
Ahead...
The Viscount turned to Lurdot.
—Which way do we go?
Lurdot took out a strange object that resembled a pair of small glasses.
After placing it on his nose...
He answered seriously.
—The center.
—Only in the heart of the forest will my spell be able to detect the true source of this anomaly.
Everyone followed in that direction.
I walked past a massive fallen tree.
The moment my foot touched its trunk...
It sank a few centimeters.
It felt like stepping onto a giant dried sponge.
It was at that moment...
The Biochip issued an alert.
[Warning!]
[Dangerous organism detected ahead!]
I quickly looked around.
I needed to warn the others.
But how?
If I simply shouted that there was an enemy...
They would ask how I knew.
Then...
There was no more time.
Whoosh!
Branches exploded apart in front of the formation.
A black shadow charged forward at a terrifying speed.
It opened an enormous jaw filled with unnaturally white teeth.
A red tongue lashed out like a whip.
Shuua!
It instantly wrapped around one of the soldiers in the front line.
There wasn’t even time to react.
The spear slipped from his hands.
The very next instant...
His body disappeared into the depths of the forest.
—Watch out!
The Viscount roared.
A desperate scream echoed through the forest.
—Aaaaahhh!!
A few seconds later...
The soldier’s body was thrown back out.
Or rather...
Half of it.
The rest remained trapped between the creature’s jaws.
Entrails scattered across the ground.
Blood instantly stained the dead earth.
Even though I was accustomed to violence...
That was still somewhat brutal.
—Damn it, Eliot... I promised your wife and children I’d bring you back!
The Viscount drew his massive sword.
With a single burst...
He charged forward.
At the same time...
One of the acolytes raised both hands.
"Slow... Slowww!"
Particles of magical energy appeared before him.
The spell struck the creature directly.
Its body seemed to sink into the air.
Its movements became much slower.
I took advantage of the opportunity.
Now I could finally see the monster clearly.
It resembled a gigantic black lizard.
Four muscular legs.
A long tongue like that of a serpent.
And a small horn protruding from its forehead.
I frowned.
Strange...
Based on the information I had received...
This animal should have been extinct.
Then...
Why were there still living specimens?
—Biochip.
—Analyze this creature.
[Beep.]
[Creature detected.]
[Body Status]
Strength: 6.0
Agility: 7.0
Vitality: 5.0
Mana: 3.0
I nodded silently.
Quite dangerous.
Its mana was low.
But its physical attributes completely made up for that weakness.
Especially its speed.
It made sense that there were more monsters of this kind. There was no way Probel could have eliminated every single one of these creatures by himself.
Meanwhile...
The slowing spell remained in effect.
The lizard could no longer fully exploit its greatest advantage.
The Viscount seized that moment.
He violently tensed the muscles in his arm.
A brilliant light appeared over his sword.
—Sword Aura!
The energy condensed into a radiant blade that extended several meters beyond the sword itself.
With a single strike...
It sliced completely through the monster’s neck.
My eyes lit up.
A Knight Aura technique...
And he hadn’t even needed to activate his life energy.
What terrifying mastery.
The creature still managed to take a few more steps.
Then...
It collapsed heavily.
The black scales immediately began falling away.
Dark blood flowed across the ground.
Then...
Something unexpected happened.
—Look!
One of the acolytes pointed at the corpse.
Everyone turned their attention toward it.
Its entire body began to melt.
The scales continued falling off.
The flesh seemed to dissolve like heated mud.
The blood evaporated before our eyes.
In less than a few minutes...
Nothing remained.
Only a completely white skeleton.
And a few black scales scattered across the dead earth.
I watched the scene in absolute silence.
...
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