episode_0104

Shir was very excited.

The most delicious thing I ate was the honey mushrooms I brought from Puri Village. You can’t tell how happy Shir was when I explained the scenery of Puri Village.

That’s right, because something rare to see in the jungle is autumn leaves.

“Aunt. Can I go to Root Village now?”

Jules smiles and pats Shir’s head.

“No.”

Shir’s face was horribly smashed.

As my expectations were shattered, I began to feel fatigue and started to feel droopy. At the same time, he looks at Jules with his bright eyes again, pretending to be sad.

“···Can’t you?”

“If you go to the village now, the tension in your body will be relieved. In the Black Forest, your body must be somewhat tense.”

“Wow…”

“Even if I don’t go now, I will stop by when I return.”

At my answer, Shir made a sulky expression, but did not ask for more.

“Sihyeon. You are the most dangerous in the black forest.”

Jules looks at me.

“When insects hunt for food, they distinguish between prey based on their size and scent. In that sense, you are the perfect prey for the hungry insects of the Black Forest.”

It became dark before my eyes.

Could it be that I was the most dangerous person here?

“The Black Forest is dangerous both under the ground and above the trees. There is no such thing as a blind spot. You must stand in the middle of the procession with Shir and never stray to the side.”

···After receiving Jules’ serious advice, it feels like the current procession is heading towards the abyss of death. And I could feel without a doubt that my ominous premonition was not wrong.

The Black Forest was a forest with dense trees.

Unlike the vicinity of Puri Village, where trees grow sparsely compared to other places, trees that could be as long as 100 meters were growing in abundance within the boundary line, which seemed to be an area measured with a ruler.

Huge trees, similar to those seen in redwood forests, are growing thickly like weeds.

As it is a tree, the area where the leaves grew most abundantly was on the top of the head, and there was a spider’s web tightly like the nest of a swarm of spiders escaping from flood damage.

At the beginning of the forest, something huge was pecking at the ground.

The only way I could guess what it was was because of the crest on its head.

“···Is that a chicken?”

“That’s right. Insects often crawl out of the Black Forest, so they must have found a home.”

“Jwiyul. Do you think a cockatrice looks like a chicken?”

Julia’s bewildered voice is heard.

“A cockatrice is a chicken.”

Julias, who was at a loss for words at Jules’ carefree answer, let out a laugh and shook his head.

“Crazy bitch.”

If that thing looked like a chicken, Jules must be crazy.

Cockatrice had a similar appearance to the theropod dinosaur. To be exact, it is halfway through the evolution of dinosaurs into chickens.

The wings had three fingers and colorful feathers.

It had a long tail, and shiny feathers decorated the long tail. At the end of the tail, majestic tail feathers hang down like a rooster’s tail.

In other words, that is a giant feathered dinosaur that resembles a chicken.

The cockatrice’s stiffly crested head faces this way.

The bright orange, new eyes of diurnal animals seem to be looking precisely in this direction.

for a moment.

“Jul. Don’t you think the cockatrice saw this way? It seems like your eyes are threatening me to get out of front of you?”

“That’s right.”

Who doesn’t know that?!!!

“···Then wouldn’t it be better to disappear quickly?”

Jules laughs cheerfully.

“Don’t rush. He’s a rare male. That’s because I want to show you something cool. Sur. Cover your ears.”

Cover your ears?

“Aha. Lee, you better cover your ears.”

Dennis covered his ears with a strange exclamation, and Julias did the same.

Shir also looked around and covered his ears.

When Juul walked out and faced the cockatrice, the cockatrice touched the ground with its wings and spread out its wide tail.

Flap!

Its shiny blue and black feathers spread out and flutter like a peacock.

As the colorful wing feathers spread out in all directions, the colorful border colors spread in all directions and caught the eye. It looks like the peacock’s tail is attached to both arms.

“Wow.. what is that…”

Ahhh !!!!!

“──────────────?!!”

It was as if his vocal cords were torn because he had screamed so much, it was rough and sharp, and it was as loud as a cannonball. My body cringes. At first glance, it was a distance of over 50m, but even though there was that much distance, I felt painfully that this distance was not a problem for that creature.

I guarantee you, if you put your mind to it, it will attack you in 4 seconds.

Only then did Jules slowly take a step back and come towards me.

Jules, who looked this way… was smiling.

“That’s a rooster. Isn’t it bloody?”

It makes me laugh—?!

The sound of howitzer shelling is also quieter than that!

It’s so brutal that it gives me goosebumps and my body loses strength. It may be a warning to get away, but I don’t think you’ll be able to escape no matter where you run.

If I run away, the cockatrice will regain its chasing instinct and come after me. These random thoughts run rampant in my head. My legs are shaking.

Shir fell to the floor, frozen in fear and unable to take his eyes off the cockatrice. Julia’s rattlesnake-like tail was shaking slightly and making a sound, and Dennis’ fingertips on the bowstring were also trembling.

Only Jules laughed mirthlessly.

“The cockatrice’s warning stimulates the fear of all prey. All insects in the Black Forest, which have sensitive hearing and smell, must be running away by now.”

…Is that the only reason you provoked that huge thing?

“···Are you crazy?!”

Juul began to laugh like a ballerina, wondering what was so funny.

Solar plexus… I want to hit the solar plexus!!! Then he shrugs and looks at me. It seems like you should watch carefully and learn.

“You have to know how to use everything tactfully.”

“We all die trying to find the trick!!!”

In the end, I couldn’t bear it anymore and struck Jules’ thigh with my fist.

*

In conclusion, the point was correct.

When Dennis and Julia asked why they didn’t stop Jules’ crazy behavior, they said that cockatrices that form a group rarely leave the group. The previous warning was simply a warning not to come closer.

It is said that if they are really angry, they will run without even screaming and grab the person with their wings and tear them to pieces. Thanks to this, I’ve been walking through the black forest for about an hour, but I haven’t found any large insects yet. I looked up at Jules with a slightly resentful expression.

“You should have explained it first.”

Jules is still tripping.

“Then it’s no fun.”

What kind of fun is it having to offend a monster that would eat an elephant? Jules needs to know that such behavior is only fun for him.

“Shir! Did you just enjoy that?”

Shir smiles and looks at me with clear, selfless eyes.

“Yes. I was really surprised at first, but now I want to see it again.”

“What about Dennis?”

“I want to emulate Seolrang’s imagination. I never thought you could chase away bugs with a cockatrice…”

“···What about Julias?”

“I tried to burn it when it came. What do you do when you grow up?”

…I don’t know anymore.

It seems like everyone else is doing that. Am I being too sensitive? I don’t think so…? Even though it wasn’t even daylight, the forest was darker than expected.

From time to time, I could hear the sound of insects chirping somewhere, but as soon as I got closer to the sound, it disappeared.

“It may be hard to tell, but the sun will set soon. Bugs are flocking to Ain’s body odor. Even cookie cutters are moving in the dirt.”

Dennis speaks quietly in a firm voice.

Can you spot animals moving underground? My ears and nose are probably worse than Juul. How did you know? What on earth is this cookie cutter that is moving now?

I just don’t know.

In particular, Cookie Cutter is a name I heard before coming here.

“What is a cookie cutter?”

“It’s a type of earthworm. It identifies the opponent by vibration and suddenly jumps out from the floor and eats the soles of the opponent’s feet. If you get bitten without a shoe, the flesh is cut into a round shape. If you get bitten because your teeth are dirty and you don’t take action, you will suffer from all kinds of inflammation and high fever.”

…Do you mean biting into the soles of your feet like you’re eating an apple?

When you bite into something, you can say that the shape of the teeth resembles that of a piranha.

Piranha in the dirt…!

Even though I was wearing shoes, I couldn’t help but feel anxious.

“···Was it really necessary to come here?”

Jules nods.

“Just crossing this forest shortens the arrival time by a month. Plus, there are a lot of wild people on the way back.”

···savage?

Of course, there are indigenous people everywhere…

“Why does it have such a bad name?”

“That’s because it’s literally barbaric. A radical who refuses to belong to the Unaira Alliance and wants to wage war with the Drekkar Alliance.”

I thought they were literally calling me an uncivilized person.

It’s not actually uncivilized. ···If Jules said it, there is a high probability that friction will arise the moment he sees me.

“······This is a group that seems to quite dislike humans.”

Jules glances at me.

“Don’t worry, we know where wild people live and operate. Now we’d better light the torch and go.”

A torch filled with pre-made resin and oil was ignited with a lighter.

The surroundings emit orange light, making the surroundings bright──

“Hee profit…!”

Phew──!

Something with dozens or hundreds of legs runs away.

centipede! He deserves to be 1 meter tall! The spiracles in the sides swell and breathe.

“Lee. That’s a gentle bug called a millipede. There are no water teeth.”

···millipede?

Since they have many legs, they all look the same. I wish all polypods would become extinct. please!

“···How many fires can we light?”

“One is enough. I need to use it for a few days, so give it to me and stick with Shir. Julia, please take care of the kids.”

As I held out the torch to Jool and looked around, I saw something huge running away. As Dennis said, just by turning on the light, animals that hate light began to run away.

“I’m doing it without having to say it. Since the ground is sealed, you don’t have to worry about the soles of your shoes being ripped off by cookie cutters.”

It is Julias, not us, who is most exposed to the risk of cookie cutters.

Because there were no shoes that fit the snake’s body. thank god. Because I wasn’t confident that I could dodge attacks coming from underground.

“Dennis. I’d like you to escort Julia from behind. Julia’s tail is too long.”

“Yes. That would be better.”

“I feel relieved to think that Dennis is protecting me.”

Julias speaks with a faint smile and a soft voice.

However, Dennis’ expression did not fall, and Julias must have sensed that Dennis was serious, so he kept his mouth shut.

“Please take care of your two children.”

“Don’t worry.”

Dennis, who had been guarding all around next to me and Shir, heads behind Julias.

Jules walked closer to me and Shir and pulled out the dagger he usually used.

“The Black Forest is a forest that comes alive at night and sleeps in the morning. Let’s walk like this until dawn and then take a break.”

In other words, you have to walk for the next 10 hours.

“Can’t we just create an isolated space with Julia’s mud wall like yesterday?”

“Insects have an extremely detailed sense of smell and are good at digging into the soil. Julia, who needs repairs, can’t rest. We have to traverse this forest for several days.”

ah···.

“Shir. Us too.”

“Huh…? Huh?”

He took out his bow, put an arrow on the bowstring, loaded his crossbow, and began to look around with anxious eyes.

In this way, I was able to move forward while being alert in all directions… but just looking at the crossbow made me feel like I was going to be mistaken for a friendly fire, and it sent a chill down my spine, so I couldn’t hold on.

“Shir. Don’t be too nervous. Got it?”

Shir glances at me and puffs out his lips.

“···You were more nervous.”

Is it because of what you’re holding?

As I looked to my right, Shir glanced at me and started looking to my left. And so the first night in the Black Forest began.