episode_0110

The sudden death caused a slight sense of tension to appear on the faces of people who had never felt nervous at all.

It was because I saw with my own eyes the evidence that this forest was a dangerous space.

This was especially true because the condition of the deceased was so miserable that even those who were accustomed to such scenes could not help but frown.

In the end, many of the group stopped in place.

It was not a strange decision.

This forest is not a very easy place to just pass by any risk factors and proceed.

Of course, there were some groups that didn’t care and moved forward, but others that included mercenaries or adventurers stopped moving forward.

Of course, our group was included among them.

“This is… This is my first time seeing traces.”

This was what Max said after examining the brutally murdered body.

“Me too.”

Johanna also agreed.

“Are you guys too? So do I.”

Hector, who was conducting the investigation with the two, also gave the same answer.

All three are mercenaries who can be said to be veterans among Darbil’s mercenaries.

The fact that none of them know any information about it means that it is an entity that has not appeared in the recent past.

“Then they say it’s a new species or mutation… … .”

“Looking at the shape of the claws, does it look like that of a wild animal?”

“First of all, it would be a good idea to gather information from other people as well.”

As the three of them started discussing these traces, I was quietly looking at the devastation.

“… … .”

I’ve seen these traces before.

And that too relatively recently.

When I took on El’s request, I came across a group of people who had been brutally murdered on the way to their destination.

Charlie, who was leading the group at the time, said this after examining the traces left on the corpses.

It’s a type of trace I’ve never seen before.

However, no matter how much I looked at it, the traces left on those corpses and the traces left on the corpse in front of me were very similar.

This means that there is a high probability that the person who committed the crime back then and the current criminal are the same person.

Or the same species.

That’s how I organized my thoughts, but I didn’t tell Max or anyone else about it.

It wasn’t really a reason to hide myself.

It was simply because I didn’t have much information.

It’s just that I’ve only seen these traces once before and didn’t know the details.

Anyway, while I was lost in thought, the conversation between the three of us was progressing in its own way.

The three even called nearby mercenaries and discussed the wounds, but in the end, no one recognized the traces.

“Hmm… Mutations and new species appearing are not uncommon events in the forest… … .”

Max said, stroking his chin.

As the saying goes, the ecosystem of this forest is unlike anywhere else on the continent.

It can be said that the creation of new entities or mutations is common.

However.

“The problem is that this guy doesn’t seem to be normal.”

The fact that so many people were in such a serious mood was partly due to the gruesome appearance of the murdered person, but there was a more fundamental cause than that.

The fact is that the deceased was a fairly skilled warrior who came from outside.

I had never heard that name, but I knew from the magic remaining on the corpse that it was true.

The dead man’s skills were at a fairly decent level.

Although it is not at a level that stands out greatly among the group, at least it is not at a level where it can be brutally beaten in the forest at this location.

They were nervous because they knew that fact, and Max was rarely serious.

“Hmm… Still, I think it’ll be okay if I’m careful. In Lee Ja’s case, the problem is that he was too far away alone.”

It was Hector’s opinion.

As the saying goes, there are quite a few people around, so as long as you keep a certain distance, you can get help right away even if you are attacked by an unidentified monster.

“Yes. I guess that would be better.”

Max also came to that conclusion and shared his opinion with the other mercenaries.

Of course, it was literally nothing more than an opinion, without any force, but it wasn’t that strange, and it seemed like a reasonable opinion to them, so if they didn’t want to die, they would keep it.

After gathering our opinions, we set out on the road again.

However, not long after, our steps stopped again.

Because there was another victim.

“Tsk. I told you to keep your distance.”

Max clicked his tongue as he looked at another dead person.

This time, the victim was also a victim who walked away alone without maintaining an appropriate distance.

The people who gathered here in the first place are warriors with strong egos.

It made no sense for them to listen to everything the mercenary said.

Anyway, in the end, another victim emerged.

The mercenaries, including Max, examined the body again, but again no special features or clues were found, and this time movement resumed relatively early.

Since then, several more deaths have occurred.

They were all people who did not keep Max’s words.

Only after it became so tragic and the number of deaths increased one by one, did the warriors begin to act and follow the rules.

And it was only then that there were no more victims.

“I should have done this a long time ago.”

Max clicked his tongue at that behavior.

If they had followed his words a long time ago, there would have been no needless deaths.

He was regretting that fact.

However, regardless of his regret, there were no more deaths, and the group returned to its normal flow.

However, the peace that came was soon broken again.

This time, in a slightly different form.

“It’s an attack!”

The incident occurred with a shout heard while going through the forest.

The group and those around them quickly headed in the direction where the sound came from and were able to see it.

A group of monsters that seemed to number in the dozens.

“What is it, vine deer?”

Max immediately frowned upon seeing the identity of the monster.

And there was puzzlement on Johanna’s and my expressions.

This is because the identity of the monster was so surprising.

“These guys attacked?”

A vine deer is a monster that appears after entering the forest. It is a deer with vines on its head instead of the antlers that a deer would normally have.

Except for the fact that its size is well over twice that of an average deer, its appearance is not so terrible that it can be called a monster.

And, befitting its appearance, its temperament is also gentle.

It’s not that they aren’t hostile to humans, but unless they get too close or attack first, they rarely attack first.

Even the vines that grow on the head are used as valuable medicine, so their value is quite expensive.

If you look at it up to that point, it seems like mercenaries or adventurers will turn their eyes and rush at you if you encounter them in the forest, but that’s actually not the case.

Because the fighting power of the vine deer is not at an easy level.

Because the vine deer has a fighting power that even an experienced mercenary cannot ignore.

It’s not for nothing that such a gentle personality can survive in this magical forest.

However, regardless of their strength, vine deer were the ones that did not attack people first.

But not just one or two, but dozens of these gentle deer deer were attacking humans at once.

It was definitely an unusual sight.

Even though I became a mercenary and heard many stories, I had never heard of a group of deer deer forming a group and attacking a person first.

But such an unusual thing was happening right before my eyes.

But in the end, the unusual incident ended sooner than expected.

The vine deer is definitely a pretty strong monster, and there are dozens of them, but each one of them here is someone who can take on a vine deer without difficulty.

Did it take 10 minutes?

In that short period of time, the attack by the vine deer came to an end.

No one was even seriously injured.

“So how did this happen?”

“Do you understand? It’s not like the deer deer took the medicine as a group.”

It was a time when Max and Hector were trying to understand the situation while looking at the deer deer that were no longer moving.

“There has been a death!”

A sudden voice stopped their conversation.

***

The fatalities from this attack were not caused by vine deer.

“That’s what he did.”

The guy who has caused deaths several times so far.

It was that damn thing.

“I never thought something would happen while my eyes were drawn to the deer… … .”

Hector clicked his tongue.

However, then Johanna spoke.

“Should I consider this simply bad luck?”

“Then?”

Hector’s head immediately turned towards Johanna.

Johanna looked down at the corpse with sunken eyes and continued speaking.

“Isn’t it too strange to call it a coincidence? From the creeper deer attack. I’ve never heard of a deer attacking a person like that.”

“… … .”

Hector’s expression sank.

At that time, Max opened his mouth and spoke.

“Maybe it’s not a coincidence.”

A scary possibility.

“… Was the deer attack intentional in the first place?”

“Maybe.”

Hector’s eyes sank at Max’s answer.

“So, does that mean he planned from the beginning to use the deer to create chaos and kill people during that chaos?”

“There is a possibility that it was like that.”

“… That doesn’t make sense.”

Hector sighed.

That was a story that broke common sense.

But, if that assumption is true.

“Maybe this guy is hunting us.”

We may be in a position to be hunted.