Who suffers the most when war breaks out?
Is it the treasurer, who is burdened with preparing supplies? The knights, who may lose their lives?
No, of course, it’s the conscripts and the civilians living near the battlefield.
This time, there were no conscripts, so the only victims could be said to be the villagers near the altar.
Thanks to the sudden appearance of the altar, their daily lives were being disrupted.
Fights frequently broke out between the tent personnel from Lemegeton and the knights, and even at dawn, they were busy keeping each other in check. Because of that, the villagers were on edge.
And that wasn’t all.
When a large number of people gathered, trash inevitably accumulated.
Whether they were from Lemegeton, otherworlders, or knights, there were no exceptions.
After all, in groups that engage in fighting, the proportion of violent individuals is bound to be high.
It was common for such individuals to come to the village and cause trouble.
Some even sought interviews, scratching the villagers’ nerves...
“Ugh, I’m tired. Damn those guys... How long are they planning to stay?”
“Seriously. Ugh... How can we live in fear like this?”
It was only natural for the villagers’ anxiety to rise.
In particular, the village chief's family felt the most apprehensive. It wasn’t just because there was a military force nearby.
They had a rather peculiar girl in their household.
“Are you all okay...?”
“Hey, did you wake up? Go back to sleep. We don’t want the knights to see you.”
“Yeah. The dawn isn’t far off. You need to replenish your energy as much as possible.”
She looked to be around 13 years old, a girl with brown hair. Up until this point, everything seemed normal. If not for the tattoo on her thigh.
It was the pattern of an ornate book.
While the book itself didn’t have any distinguishing features, the reddish-black color of the tattoo indicated that the girl was a Manifestation Bearer.
At the urging of the chief and her family, the girl returned to her sleeping quarters.
Seeing that, her family let out small sighs.
Having a Manifestation Bearer in the family was acceptable; they had already taken that into account since her 10th birthday. Being good-hearted, they couldn’t abandon their family member.
But how unfortunate that knights were stationed so close...
“We’ll just have to endure until the knights leave.”
“...Understood.”
Their worries deepened.
The confrontation between the knights and Lemegeton occurred on the day the dawn broke a few days later.
It was also the day when an injured knight stumbled into the village chief’s house.
What is the difference between the middle layer and the deep layer?
The answer is simple: the size of the manly trees.
Plants, after all, are living beings, and they are also influenced by mana.
The trees there grow without knowing the heights of the sky.
Because of that, the forests in the deep layers are often referred to by another name, filled with admiration and awe.
That name is the Forest of Giants.
“...Wow.”
As they approached the deep layer, Im Ha-neul involuntarily gasped.
A breathtaking scene lay before her. Trees towering almost to the height of apartments stood densely packed.
In the midst of that, the leaves completely covered the sky, resembling a green roof.
The boundary between the middle and deep layers, like the surface layer, didn’t change all at once.
The environment changed gradually, and at some point, one realized that they were near the deep layer.
Yor had hinted that the trees would be much larger, but she never expected them to be this massive.
It was majestic, dreamlike.
And it felt eerie.
Although Im Ha-neul had seen various landscapes through flying magic, she had never experienced anything quite like this.
‘I’m glad I turned on the recording function.’
She thought to herself, relieved that she could save this sight.
With Chae-rin retired, it was good to have at least this video source.
Of course, she had obtained Yor’s permission beforehand. Naturally, with the condition that all parts indicating her as a Manifestation Bearer were removed.
“I might not be able to protect you anymore from now on.”
Just as she was marveling at the scenery, Yor spoke up.
His face, usually relaxed, was now filled with vigilance. That meant this was a place where caution was necessary for him as well.
Ha-neul silently nodded. She had taken that into account the moment she decided to follow him.
“...”
Yor fell silent for a moment, immersed in the view.
It was truly a sight he hadn’t seen in a long time. The last time he had been here was several years ago.
At that time, he had been nearly killed because of the monsters in the deep layer.
Because of that, he hadn’t dared to enter since; he knew it was a place beyond his capabilities.
But how was it now? To be honest, he wasn’t sure how much his power had changed.
However, one thing was clear: his hearing had definitely improved compared to last time.
After all, a certain deranged demon had given him a gift.
He briefly closed his mouth and concentrated on the surrounding noise.
His heightened hearing brought in various pieces of information from around him.
During that time, Im Ha-neul suddenly asked a question.
“Um, I’m curious about something... Can I ask?”
“Go ahead.”
“Here, the sunlight doesn’t come down well, right? How are there such large plants on the ground?”
That was a good question.
Sure enough, due to the leaf roof, the amount of light shining down was extremely low.
Even during the bright day, there was only as much light as in early dawn.
No matter how much mana stimulated growth, that size was abnormal.
Plants’ primary energy source is sunlight. So how were there such dense plants under the trees?
The answer was simple.
“They are carnivorous plants.”
Thunk.
As soon as Yor answered, he picked up something unusual with his hearing.
It was the sound of something activating. A fibrous machine was trying to tear apart an intruder in its territory to consume as nutrients.
Thud.
“Wha...?”
Yor quickly grabbed Ha-neul and stepped back.
Right after that, the ground they were standing on rose sharply.
Crack-!
As if the earth itself was trying to bite down. The ground folded in half.
What emerged was a plant monster that looked like a Venus flytrap. The ground itself had been the disguise.
If they had been even a second late...
“What the...?”
Im Ha-neul cursed inwardly and checked the monster’s level.
[Chalco Plant Lv 109]
A staggering level of 109. It meant this mere plant was stronger than an Aulbear.
However, being a plant, it didn’t move further, but her heart raced and didn’t calm down easily.
She couldn’t even comprehend how Yor had known about this...
“Let’s go.”
Swoosh-!
As she watched with a mix of admiration, he said while slashing the plant monster.
After that, monsters popped up quite frequently.
All of them were monsters that Im Ha-neul couldn’t even think of facing.
[Tendry Culus Lv 124]
A plant-type monster covered in thorny vines.
[Mutated Boar Lv 131]
A boar heavily addicted to mana, growing as big as a house.
[Two-headed Hound Lv 136]
A giant dog with two heads, dark red in color.
Each one was a boss-level monster.
Only a veteran A-ranked adventurer party would have a chance against them.
All that Ha-neul could do was hide behind him and cast meager buffs.
‘Hiding behind a man for protection...’
It felt somewhat awkward, but given the vast difference in strength, her embarrassment was minimal.
Yor was effortlessly dispatching those monsters.
Of course, he couldn’t take their lives in a single blow like with the Aulbear.
Even he couldn’t show that kind of power against the monsters in the deep layer.
However, a sense of ease still lingered on his face.
“Phew...”
What he said after handling the monsters was even more ridiculous.
“I’m still running into weak ones.”
“...What?”
“Well, they’re still manageable.”
His maximum hearing had proven to be quite helpful.
Thanks to it, he could avoid the ones making dangerous noises.
While he couldn’t completely avoid encountering monsters, he was in the process of choosing the weaker ones.
Of course, Chae-rin found this utterly absurd.
‘What the hell is his level?’
She knew he was strong, but she still hadn’t seen his limits.
However, one thing was certain.
Yor was at least on par with an S-rank adventurer.
This meant he was equivalent to those with a minimum level of 140, stepping into the realm of superhumans or even above that.
‘I shouldn’t provoke him anymore.’
That was already her intention. But this incident solidified her thoughts even further.
And so, they continued to wander around the outskirts of the deep layer. As mentioned before, Yor’s goal was simple.
To check his own abilities and, if possible, gather valuable herbs.
Identifying herbs wasn’t difficult.
All he had to do was find plants with an unusually high concentration of mana. Such plants generally have efficacy in some way.
However, despite his enthusiastic search, he found no trace of herbs.
‘Do I need to go deeper...?’
Well, this was a relatively shallow area.
Yor pondered for a moment.
It was dangerous, but should he venture a bit deeper, or just coolly give up?
Fortunately, his contemplation didn’t last long.
The choice was quickly made.
It wasn’t that he decided to go deeper.
It was just that a chilling sound reached his ears.
...Grrr.
Something growled ferociously. And it was a sound Yor had heard before.
“...!”
In an instant, his body froze.
A warning bell rang in his head at maximum volume.
The fear he had felt in the past began to creep up on him.
Thud.
Before Ha-neul could speak, Yor quickly covered her mouth.
‘What the hell, why is that thing here?’
It must have been prowling in its territory deep below.
Could it be that it had come down in search of prey?
If so, he was incredibly unlucky. Why did it have to show up just as he was exploring the depths?
“...?”
Ha-neul looked at him with a puzzled expression. Regardless, Yor was too busy focusing on the sounds he heard.
He desperately hoped it would just pass by... but the growling was growing louder.
At this point, it was impossible not to notice.
The creature was definitely approaching in this direction.
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Just as he had sensed it, it must have sensed him as well. Its sense of smell was terrifying.
Soon, the creature came into view at the edge of their sight.
A gigantic body that could not be hidden even by the massive trees in the forest.
A solid body made of muscle, with razor-sharp claws. And the countless scars of fierce battles covering its entire body.
Oof.
Ha-neul felt chills from its overwhelming presence and checked its level.
[Mountain Lord Tiger Lv 173]
And she couldn’t help but curse immediately.
‘Damn...’
It was one of the most formidable monsters discovered by users so far.
Not only was it beyond her capability to catch, she hadn’t even dared to imagine facing it.
It was even a named monster with a title.
Was that even a monster intended to be fought?
“Growl-!!!!!”
Finally, it roared.
Its howl reverberated through the quiet forest.
“Gahh...!”
“Run!”
Ha-neul covered her ears, and Yor quickly turned to retreat.
If they wanted to live, they had to run.
With that, they began to head back toward the middle layer.
“Gaoo!!!”
The Mountain Lord Tiger chased after them fiercely.