2 – Demon Garden

Amel looked up at the [Basilisk]’s head.

It was huge.

But only huge.

‘(I expected it, but it’s brutal.)’

‘Well, it’s the [Execution Sword], after all.’

If the [Execution Sword] hit, it could take down even a [Death Knight] in one shot.

It was her strongest [Skill].

The problem was hitting.

If it hit, it was a one-hit kill.

‘(Large [Monster]s are usually hit first, that’s the premise.)’

Win laughed, finding it amusing.

Large [Monster]s, being large, weren’t good at dodging.

In the competitive environment of nature, skill played a smaller role, so the strategy of increasing size and overpowering with physicality was dominant.

[Monster]s that evolved in that way couldn’t conceive of dodging a human’s [Execution Sword], which was much smaller than them, and took it head-on.

They probably realized it was dangerous after being hit and then tried to run,

‘(One-hit kill.)’

Yeah, they died in one hit, so there was no time for that.

Of course, even if they knew an instant-death level attack like [Execution Sword] was coming, their clumsy bodies couldn’t change.

‘(Swordsmen are usually weak against large enemies. [Magician]s are advantageous against large enemies. Are you trying to take my spot?)’

Despite her complaining, Win chuckled as if she found it amusing.

Amel put away the [Mithril Sword] and turned around, and the [Dryad] was terrified.

Jang Yu-ha, who was next to her, said there were more [Monster]s to catch and asked the [Dryad] to guide them.

[Basilisk, Overlord of the Demon Beast Garden]

Black text.

Head severed by [Execution Sword].

[Crayking, Master of the West Lake]

Dark red text.

Internal organs liquefied by the blast.

[Cockatrice, Master of the West Mountains]

Dark red text.

Snake head exploded by [Heavenly Destruction Fist].

[Drake Lord, Master of the North Desert]

Dark red text.

Spine broken by [Destroying Heaven Kick].

[Super Giant Golem, Guardian of the North Cliff]

Dark red text.

Dismembered, leaving only the core.

[Ant Queen, Ruler of the East Jungle]

Dark red text.

Slaughtered by [Phantom Sword]. Tens of thousands self-destructed after the Queen was killed.

[Mantis Queen, Overlord of the East Jungle]

Dark red text.

Severed mantis hand impaled in the chest.

The battle situations were a bit more complicated, but they could generally be summarized as above.

East, west, north, south.

Only the south remained.

In the south, there was a [Monster] that was a rival to the [Demon Beast King],

[Dragon Bear, Master of the South River]

Black text.

Frozen to death.

Frozen to death.

The [Dragon Bear] became an ice sculpture along with the river.

Amel said that it didn’t seem like an opponent she could have fun with using her sword, so she would use a [Skill] she wanted to try, and that’s what happened.

The [Dryad] looked at the giant [Dragon Bear] ice sculpture and,

“….”

Couldn’t finish her sentence.

Based on [Hero] standards, they were easily over level 50,

And they were monsters that could seize power in a region, just like they did in the [Demon Beast Garden], if they left the [Demon Beast Garden].

But each and every one of them couldn’t put up proper resistance against Amel.

The [Dryad] saw that.

The [Elder Treant]…

[Elder Treant, Master of the South Forest]

Black text.

The [Elder Treant] was a conifer, pointed and tall like a Christmas tree.

[Dryad]s sat on the branches among the thorny leaves, like different kinds of leaves.

They looked this way, but all stared with fearful eyes.

They had been catching [Demon beast]s that were known to be strong, so it was understandable that they were scared.

Amel hadn’t come to fight, but when they looked at her with those eyes, she felt like an invader.

“First of all…”

The [Dryad] bowed deeply.

“Thank you for granting my request!”

“It’s nothing.”

There was nothing to be thanked for.

Amel had some fun too.

The [Monster]s were weak if you looked at them individually, but it was more about quantity than quality.

Unlike the small fry, each [Monster] had a weighty taste of being caught.

“I had fun too.”

“Fun…”

The [Dryad] trembled.

“…I’m glad if you did.”

“Yeah. Tell me if they show up again. I’ll catch them again.”

“Yes… I will.”

“By the way, how long does it take for [Demon beast]s to grow to this level?”

They were easy to catch, but [Demon beast]s of that level probably couldn’t grow easily.

Even considering it was a game, [Full Dive] pursued naturalness.

The [Dryad] raised both hands and spread seven fingers.

“It takes at least a week.”

“That’s shorter than I thought.”

Yeah, [Full Dive] pursued naturalness.

Could the [Demon Beast Garden] be a production plant that provided [Player]s with [Field] bosses while maintaining the naturalness of [Full Dive]?

And the [Magic Beast Witch] was the manager who managed it.

‘Then what happens to Cappuccino, who became the current [Magic Beast Witch]?’

“A week, huh? Does it take that long because the [Witch] is there?”

“…If the [Witch] is there, stronger [Demon beast]s are born faster.”

“….”

Should Amel ask Cappuccino?

She would ask tentatively.

Amel asked the [Dryad] why she had called her here, and

The [Dryad] requested cooperation, saying she wanted to protect the garden that the [Witch] had cultivated.

She wanted to make a deal,

But it was as good as concluded.

The [Demon Beast King]’s vacant spot would be filled in about a week.

Amel said that if they requested help each time, she would come and catch them.

It was as good as concluded.

“But if that happens, how will you distribute the loot?”

Jang Yu-ha suddenly asked.

“I don’t need it.”

“Amel, I know you. Do you know that the [Monster]s you catch are incredibly rare as materials?”

“Materials are used to make [Equipment Item]s, right? I don’t think they’ll be helpful to me.”

She could make strong weapons.

But she wouldn’t be able to make a weapon that she could use as her main weapon.

She couldn’t fight [Death Knight]-level enemies without a weapon like the [Black Sword].

And for opponents weaker than that, it was more economical to use an iron sword.

But,

“Not at all. The main materials might be like that, but you don’t just use [Mithril] to make a [Mithril Sword]. The same goes for the black sword you used against the [Death Knight].”

“Really?”

Amel thought of the [Mithril Sword].

Was something else mixed in besides [Mithril]?

She thought of the [Black Sword].

What was it made of?

“Soft metals can be surprisingly great alloying materials, and you don’t just use any firewood to make a fire.”

So take it.

Jang Yu-ha said.

‘(That’s right. There are so many useful things as [Magic] materials. Take it for my sake!)’

‘My [Inventory] space is precious.’

‘(Don’t you have a lot of empty space right now?)’

She did.

This time, one of the iron swords broke, creating one space.

But it wasn’t enough to put all the [Material item]s in, and the [Material item]s weren’t small enough to put them somewhere else.

“If [Inventory] space is a problem, I’ll take them.”

“…Do you use [Telepathy]?”

“No. It’s intuition.”

It was almost [Telepathy].

Anyway, accepting Win and Jang Yu-ha’s opinions, Amel decided to take the [Monster]’s materials.

“How much do you want?”

Amel asked the [Dryad].

The [Dryad] shook her head.

She waved both arms.

“I decline. You’ve already given me enough by defeating them. I’ll get sick if I receive more.”

“Still, I’d like you to grow a bit more. I don’t want someone else to come and cut you down.”

“….”

With the feeling of giving fertilizer to a potted plant, Win placed the unnecessary materials that she was talking about at the base of the [Elder Treant]’s roots.

“…Thank you.”

“I’m the one who’s grateful. But tell me if you have any requests. Is there anything else?”

“There… is… something.”

There was something.

That was good.

Her hunting ground.

Let’s take care of anything that could be a problem in advance.

“What is it?”

“Well, you see.”

The [Dryad]’s expression was very stiff, probably because she was a plant.

“There’s a group of humans contacting me. They’re asking me for the corpses of [Demon beast]s.”

“A group of humans?”

“I don’t know much about humans, but it seems they need sacrifices for a ritual. At first, I thought they were bandits, but they were too powerful to be ordinary bandits.”

“….”

[Demon beast].

Corpse.

Ritual.

Sacrifice.

Bandit.

Powerful.

She listed quite a few interesting words.

“Are they bothering you?”

“…Yes.”

“Then I’ll have to take care of them.”

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. But just in case, I’ll check them out first before dealing with them.”

“Yes. I feel reassured just by you stepping in, Amel.”

Her tone was stiff.

Probably because she was a plant.

“So when are they coming?”

“They said they’d come today.”

“Today?”

“Actually, they just arrived at the entrance.”

“….”

“Is it okay to let them in? Or should I leave them outside?”

Amel pondered,

And decided.

“Let them in.”

Let’s see what their faces look like.

Just from using the word sacrifice, they weren’t ordinary guys.

Sacrifices for a ritual.

Just from the expression, it was religion.

Then she felt a surge of [Magical Power].

The entrance to the [Demon Beast Garden] opened, and [Magical Power] from outside flowed in.

Judging by the direction, it was the place where the [Dryad] had first brought Amel and Jang Yu-ha inside. Amel was about to [Leap].

“Me too.”

“….”

“My intuition will be helpful.”

Amel took her.

“….”

The [Dryad] was left alone.

Her legs trembled, and she collapsed.

She supported herself with both hands on the ground,

And couldn’t help but say it.

“I’m doomed.”

Her plan had completely gone awry.

The [Elder Treant]’s plan to take over the abandoned [Demon Beast Garden] after the [Witch] died was completely ruined by Amel.

[Leap] to jump far.

The forest passed quickly beneath her feet.

“It was probably a lie.”

“About the bandits?”

“About the [Demon Beast King]. Maybe they were planning to eat us when we were tired from fighting them?”

“No way.”

Landing,

And [Leap] again.

“You’re saying they’re hostile to us even though they know [Hero]s don’t die?”

“Yes. I think so.”

“What’s the basis?”

“My intuition.”

“….”

“My intuition is right 98 percent of the time. At least, they were definitely plotting something against us.”

“98 percent.”

Landing,

And [Leap] again.

“That’s really high.”

“That’s why Chris keeps me by her side and sent me to Amel.”

“I guess that’s why she called you a secret weapon. What ability did you awaken?”

“It’s a trade secret.”

Landing.

Quietly.

She knelt in the grass, absorbing the impact as much as possible to silence the sound.

She lowered herself so that her face almost touched the grass, and Jang Yu-ha smoothly landed on the ground as she landed.

At that moment when the momentum had completely died down.

Pushing off the ground, [Leap].

She broke through the grass.

The bandit group came into view in the wide-open field, and the bandits turned around in surprise.

Information windows appeared above them.