Chapter 37: To the Sage’s Forest (4)

“F*ck…”

Four hours after confidently entering the forest, I had to admit I was lost after returning to the same spot six times.

When I first entered, there was a well-trodden path, likely made by villagers, allowing for easy progress.

But as I ventured deeper, the path gradually disappeared. Confused by the dense trees, I found myself circling the same area.

‘Is this place under some spell?’

Of course, I knew the forest wasn’t actually enchanted.

There was no trace of the unnatural mana flow that would accompany such magic.

Still, repeatedly ending up in the same place despite taking different routes made me suspicious of some intruder-repelling enchantment.

‘Back here again…’

I sighed as I spotted the “Baldo is the best” I’d carved into a tree two hours ago.

This marked the seventh time I’d returned here. Swallowing a curse that nearly escaped, I stopped myself from heading in yet another direction.

‘I need to approach this calmly and intelligently.’

Blindly forging ahead would only lead me back here or further astray.

I needed to conserve energy for fighting Marang, so I had to resolve this situation as efficiently and strategically as possible.

With that in mind, I placed my hand on the sword hilt at my waist and executed a draw cut towards the forest ahead.

“Baldo!!!”

Baldo: Vacuum Slash.

The razor-sharp blade of energy flew forward with my draw, slicing through thick trees like paper and kicking up a massive gust of wind.

The most efficient and strategic way to handle this situation was to use the most efficient swordsmanship.

After all, they say most problems in this world can be solved with a well-executed draw.

And the few problems that can’t?

Those can be solved with an even more powerful draw cut.

As the Vacuum Slash neatly sliced through trees, birds perched above took flight in surprise.

I advanced straight along the new path carved by my technique.

With only one path now, there was no risk of getting lost or circling back to where I started.

I continued forging ahead, clearing the way with Vacuum Slashes. As dusk began to fall, I paused my blade work.

‘This could go on forever at this rate.’

While I still had energy to spare, pressing on like this would mean nightfall before finding Marang.

Facing a beast comparable to a young dragon in the dark while tired seemed unwise.

I needed to find a way to conserve energy while clearing a path and securing a light source.

‘I’d rather not, but…’

Though I was reluctant, it seemed the time had come to use that technique I’d been saving.

I placed my hand on the sword hilt again, hesitated briefly, then steeled my resolve and looked ahead.

My target was the same as before – straight ahead. But I wouldn’t be drawing just yet.

“Bal…!!!”

Poised to slash down all the trees before me, I choked back tears and returned the katana to its sheath.

Draw, then resheath.

I repeated this faster than the eye could follow, until the scabbard grew hot as if flame-forged.

Ugh…! Truly hellish.

To forgo an immediate draw, despite it being for the sake of a future draw – it felt like having my draws controlled by someone else!

A world where I couldn’t draw freely – the very thought was horrifying.

‘All for the sake of Baldo…!!’

The friction from drawing creates heat energy as friction converts to kinetic energy.

This technique harnesses that heat, but requires hundreds or thousands of aborted draws – a terrible drawback that made me loath to use it.

But if it meant a more satisfying Baldo in the end, I had to endure this torment!

“Arrrrgh!!!”

With a scream-like roar, I finally unleashed the draw I’d been holding back towards the forest ahead.

Baldo: Thermal Blaze

This technique amplifies the draw’s friction heat to launch a superheated energy blade.

The scorching blade erupted from the scabbard along with the katana, igniting the trees it touched and blazing forward.

Seeing it set the forest aflame through sheer heat, without accelerants, I felt both awe and unease.

‘…A powerful technique, but too many drawbacks.’

Setting aside scabbard durability issues common to all Baldo techniques, having to abort hundreds of draws to use Thermal Blaze was agonizing.

It made me reluctant to use it except when absolutely necessary.

As I pondered this while watching the flames, the thing that always insulted my Baldo appeared.

[Baldo: Thermal Blaze] [Rank: B+]

[A technique that maximizes the friction heat generated when drawing the sword, channeling it into the blade. Indeed, what’s produced during a draw is friction heat, not kinetic energy.

Of all Baldo techniques seen so far, this one wastes the most energy. It never should have been created.]

“I’ll f*cking kill you, you bastard!!!”

I glared fiercely at the sudden intrusion.

A technique that shouldn’t exist? No such Baldo technique exists in this world.

Despite its flaws, each technique is a precious, unique existence.

To prove this, I unleashed another Thermal Blaze at the burning trees.

As the flames spread like a plague to other trees, the fresh heat caused them to burn even more fiercely.

Satisfied with the forest glowing red-hot and radiating heat like a fallen sun, I grinned.

“Hahaha!! Burn! Burn like the comment section of a novel that suddenly introduced NTR!!”

Who could call Thermal Blaze useless after witnessing this?

Surely even the trash who wrote that description was watching and regretting their foolish words.

Come to think of it, I should have done this from the start.

This clears a path, provides light, and most importantly, should draw out Marang to protect its sleeping master’s forest.

As I watched the flames rage, threatening to consume the entire Sage’s Forest-

-Boom!!

The ground shook violently as if hit by an earthquake.

‘An earthquake? So suddenly…?’

Natural phenomena aren’t sentient and aren’t things to consider timing, but this timing felt too unnatural.

I wondered if it might be the footsteps of a massive magic beast, but sensed no such presence nearby.

Left with no choice but to resheath and observe, I soon witnessed a bizarre event.

-Boom boom boom!!

The ground around the burning trees bulged upwards like a volcano about to erupt.

Worried lava might spew forth, I watched the swelling earth – but what emerged was soil, not magma.

Like a whale’s blowhole, dirt fountained upwards and smothered the flames on the trees.

Under the relentless torrent of soil, the fire’s intensity waned until only scorched trees remained.

“What the hell?”

As I stared dumbfounded, an unfamiliar voice spoke from behind me.

“That’s my line.”

Surprised more at being caught off guard so easily, I spun around to face the speaker.

‘A tree?’

Behind me, a tiny sprout that hadn’t been there moments ago suddenly sprouted and grew at an unnatural speed.

In an instant, the sprout became an ancient tree that looked centuries old, with an old man’s face etched into its trunk.

‘A spirit?’

If it was a spirit at one with nature, it made sense that I hadn’t sensed its presence.

Recalling the earth spirit that had announced Pierre’s death, I guessed this might be the same entity from that tale.

“You who defile the land where the Sage sleeps. Why do you cause such a commotion?”

Though not overtly hostile, his tone was stiff and far from friendly.

Keeping my hand on my sword hilt in case things went south, I addressed the spirit.

“…Why am I causing a commotion, you ask?”

“Indeed. This is hallowed ground where the Sage rests. It is not a place to be defiled by base desires.”

Though irked by the ‘base desires’ comment, I ignored it and continued.

“There’s a wolf here called Marang, right? I’ve come to hunt it.”

“…Foolish words. Lobo merely guards his master. He poses no threat if left unprovoked.”

Lobo? Was that Marang’s true name?

I filed away the name of the soon-to-be-dead beast and pressed on.

“I’m not here because it’s a threat. I’m here to kill it because it benefits me.”

“Benefits…?”

After I briefly explained my reasons, he furrowed his wooden brow and spoke.

“…In 200 years I’ve seen many fools, but none quite like you.”

“I hear that a lot. I’m used to it.”

“…Is that so? I’ll refrain from harsh words. I’ll open a path back to the village for you. Take it and leave. I don’t want blood spilled on this land where the Sage sleeps.”

“…Whose blood are you talking about? Yours? Or that mutt, Lobo’s?”

With those words, the atmosphere between myself and this nameless spirit grew tense.

In the hostile mood where either of us could attack at any moment, the spirit sighed and backed down first.

“…It seems no amount of talking will change your mind. Very well then. Go, and die.”

With those final words, the tree that formed the spirit’s body rotted and crumbled as rapidly as it had grown.

[Look behind you.]

His voice echoed throughout the forest.

After a moment’s hesitation, I turned to see the scorched trees parting to reveal an eerie path.

[Lobo waits at the end of that road. Go and witness the power of the Wolf King who guarded Pierre alongside me.]

[raei: sorry, just realized ‘Pier’ should most likely be ‘Pierre,’ so it has been changed]