episode_0122

As we passed through the territory of the radical wild people, none of the wild people were dissatisfied with our passage. Of course. Gregory, who had expressed his dissatisfaction directly to Jules, had his head cracked with a single blow.

Thanks to this, the journey was lighter than when I came.

How far did he walk like that? The group was able to stand in front of an absurdly tall tree in the Black Forest without any problems.

“From here on, the roots of the tree are too deep. I have to take out the ingot.”

Patter patter—!

A huge chunk of rock protruded through the ground.

This is a giant ingot made by melting the skin of Ouroboros. It’s like copper. I looked up at the black forest that I had not seen in a long time.

‘Is the sunlight coming in?’

How did they do it?

Light is coming into the dark forest. Dennis was in front of the forest, scanning the top of a tree as tall as a skyscraper.

······The spider webs that covered the sky have all disappeared completely.

“···This is what happens just by having a dragon manage the forest.”

“An ancient dragon well-versed in the South. That guy is called Lindt, but he can even control the ecology of the sea.”

It’s hard to believe Jules’ bragging.

is not it?

······Now that I think about it, you said that Lindtcaller was the ruler of the mangrove forest before coming here, right? That place is a mangrove. Dennis nodded and sat down, putting his ear to the ground.

“I can still feel the presence of cookie cutters. Those who were originally blind remain. Quite a few of those who are extremely sensitive to light have left. And······.”

Dennis laughs awkwardly.

That expression was like, ‘You have to leave now! ‘This is hell!’ seems to be quietly asserting.

“······I can feel the presence of Cockatrice and Groots. They have built a nest.”

Jules nodded.

“Hmm. It has a vicious smell that is unique to super-sized sea water. The ruler of the mangrove forest deliberately brought in large animals to clean up the black forest.”

Jules didn’t step any deeper and just stared at the forest.

Even the cockatrice croaked like a crow and was reluctant to enter the place where its own species lived.

It seems that it was decided not to cross the Black Forest.

“With Groots?”

Except for this guy.

“Shir, do you know what Groots’ nose looks like?”

“No.”

“Groots’ nose looks like a snake. The muscles themselves are very similar to snakes, and like our Lamia, they shoot out at once to snatch their prey. It has teeth on its nose.”

······Teeth in the nose?

I have no imagination at all.

Having teeth in the first place means having bones in the nose, but then it is not an elephant.

“The grip strength of the nose is enough to easily crush an iron tree, and it’s also covered in poison. You catch and eat a cockatrice with that nose.”

There’s poison in your nose? I couldn’t predict what it looked like at all, but I knew for sure after hearing the last words.

“I better go back.” “I miss you!”

······One more person who wants to enter has been added.

Shir turns his head towards me.

And then he looked at me with a subtle look, as if asking me to quickly agree with him────

“Dennis. Groots has a better nose than any other animal I know. I like young cockatrices that play away from group cockatrices.”

Jules’ eyes turn to the cockatrice behind Dennis.

······The idea is to release cockatrices. In fact, the cockatrice itself is leisurely tilting its head and digging into the dirt with its sharp claws.

Dennis’ eyes turn to the cockatrice standing blankly behind him. Dennis, who stroked the cockatrice’s crest, had a look of resignation on his face.

“I can’t help it. Let go────.”

“Jwiyul. You know that cockatrices don’t accept pups from other groups, right? And Shir needs Grootsrang.”

Jules looked at Julias with sad eyes, as if he had been planning on getting rid of Cockatrice from the beginning.

“Why?”

“I want to show Shir what the cross-section of Groots’ nose muscles look like. I can assure you, there is no sea beast as powerful as Grootsrang. Besides, Groots and his nose are a delicacy, right?”

After crossing the Black Forest and walking for a few days, you will reach the village.

However, I don’t think that Heilang would allow a wild beast like a cockatrice.

In the first place, if you hear that your child was chosen by God or that his name was changed, you will naturally feel relieved. Why should we raise dinosaurs in that situation?

If you don’t have enough space, it becomes difficult to tolerate the other person.

In that case, it is right to leave it here.

However, it is only a prediction, and basically all demi-humans believe in the thirteen servants and Maal. Perhaps this can be accepted leniently.

“Are you trying to use the Cockatrice to lure Grootslang?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t say nonsense. That’s not a nose, it’s a huge venomous snake without eyes.”

“Groots and I only move at night to catch the night blind cockatrice. Since there are still many insects remaining in the Black Forest, we should only move at night. There’s no way that huge guy could kill anyone, right?”

“The group is in danger.”

“Oh my, are you talking about danger when I’m here?”

A dispute of opinion arises.

From the beginning, it didn’t make sense for Ain to raise a cockatrice.

‘It’s right to let go at this point and go.’

Shir comes towards me and looks at me.

Has there been some hatred built up over the years?

“You hated cockatrices.”

“Still… you miss Groots so much?”

hmm. The focus was off.

When I glanced at Dennis, I saw that he was already stroking the cockatrice’s red crest as if he was compiling his thoughts. Rather than organizing things, it feels like saying goodbye.

Pet─── No.

Dennis did not treat the cockatrice as a pet.

Because I treated him as a friend, I was able to easily let go of the cockatrice I had spent nearly half a year with.

Although it is not a demi-human, it is also a cute animal that has been with me for almost half a year.

“Jul. Just go.”

Jules’ head turns towards me.

“Groots is quite intelligent for an animal. You can’t drive it out with disgust, and it’s one of the animals that kills the most dragons. There is also an entity that ate as many as 4,000 demigods?”

“Can’t Juul or Julia beat Groots?”

Jules shakes his head hesitantly.

“····That’s not true.”

“Well, there are two people who can deal with Groots, so there’s no problem, right?”

“You can’t think simply. Groots and I are as skilled hunters as Ain. It’s to the point where I can just see him as an independent child.”

“Jul has a good nose.”

“The sense of smell is influenced by the wind. Even if there is a headwind, it cannot be detected.”

“What if Dennis takes the lead? You can read the presence of living things.”

Jules looks at me sullenly.

There’s nothing you can do if you don’t like it. Only Dennis is looking this way. Jules’ gaze, which had been staring at me, eventually turned towards Dennis.

“The spider webs are gone, but the trees are still tall. At night, there is no light, so you cannot see. Additionally, a bow is a weapon that requires the use of both hands. Dennis, can you handle it?”

Dennis immediately nods, saying that this is the time.

“It is possible.”

*

In reality, it is impossible for Dennis to carry the torch.

I volunteered to carry the torch in his stead. The sun may not have set yet, but the world is bright. Even small plants that could not grow due to lack of sunlight are now growing quite large.

The mold that had been visible on the dirt floor had visibly disappeared.

The humidity unique to the Black Forest has also eased considerably. As humidity reacts very sensitively to the ecology of insects, there were finally insects roaming around.

The moss has softened a lot and the damp smell has disappeared.

However, the sound of a cockatrice crying continues to be heard from somewhere.

It’s just a simple voice, not a warning sound or anything, but I can’t help but feel uneasy.

“Aunt. If we pass through the forest this time, we’ll stop by Root Village, right?

“Okay. Passing through this place is difficult, so let’s relieve the travel fatigue for a few days.”

Shir, who was walking ahead of Julia, cheered.

I wonder if it’s okay to cheer in a forest like this, but it probably doesn’t matter.

Drurrr!

This is because the pile of ingots that Julias had already brought to the ground was being brought back using elemental magic. A huge ingot was being moved using magic, and the sound of the ingot being moved was quite loud.

Enough to echo in the forest.

Jules seemed to be feeling playful, as he sat down on the ingot, crossed his arms, and started laughing arrogantly.

“Try to drive the carriage properly.”

Julia burst into laughter.

“You don’t want to see the passengers die, do you?”

“Ah, his sense of smell is unrivaled by any animal in Pangea. My hair is good too. If so, there is a possibility that they may be lurking and waiting for us on our way, so be careful.”

“Okay.”

What on earth is it with Groots that he says this?

An elephant has a poisonous snake on its trunk…? It’s a confusing story.

“What on earth does Groots look like?”

“Rido, are you interested in what kind of animal Grootslang is?”

Dennis looks at me.

“Just a little bit.”

“I don’t know Groots very well, but… People who have heard it say it resembles Drake.”

drake.

It is a dragon that walks on four legs and has a slim body.

“No one knows if that’s actually the case. There are so few people who saw Groots and survived.”

“Less?”

“This guy is a smart creature that is conscious of subhumans.”

When I turned my gaze toward Julia, he read my gaze and nodded affirmatively.

“That’s right. It looks like Grootslang’s body was designed entirely for combat. But the shape designed for battle is different from the shape designed for hunting.”

“Yes. I’ve heard of it.”

“No matter how strong you are, you can’t eat it, right? Thanks to you, they are smart. It is also called the wisest seawater.”

The story is that the beast is equipped with civil and martial arts skills.

I’ve heard many stories like this. A tiger or a bear might create a fake trail to catch a hunter who came to hunt it, and then do the hunting themselves.

Is there a need to go hunting such dangerous animals?

“I heard you’re good at fighting with Groots? Can I go catch it?”

“Well, all I need is the nose. Just cut the body in half.”

Julias laughs dejectedly.

His gaze is directed at Shir, who is walking next to him.

“Ah, I can’t wait to remodel Sur!”

····How strong is Yulias so excited?

I feel uneasy when I see that light appearance, thinking it’s no big deal, but when I see people complimenting me like that, I feel uneasy again.

“Is Grootslang’s nose stronger than Ogre?”

“Ogres are dangerous no matter how you are or Juul. Because they are the ones who break the neck of a cockatrice like twisting a chicken’s neck. If even a rock is thrown at you, you have no talent to block it. If you get hit, you’ll turn into a lump of blood.”

“In that case, how about catching an ogre and having it study?”

“Sihyeon. Could you please stop talking like such a bastard? Groots’ nose muscles seem to be beautifully crafted… they’re a very special and detailed part. It contains everything about the goddess Ceres! Ogre’s muscles are ugly, like a dull heavy sword, but Grootslang’s…”

I glanced at the cockatrice while pouring out all kinds of rhetoric from Julia. He now has neatly chicken-like plumage. The black feathers on the tail’s shiny blue tail are majestic and beautiful, befitting breeding feathers.

As he walked away, he turned his head in all directions.

This animal has good ears. Of course──────

Caw!!!!!

Cockatrice emits light.

Why are you yelling all of a sudden?

Faba Park!

The arrow that Dennis suddenly fires is launched into the sky at a gale-like speed. Then, he neatly pulled out three arrows in his hand and started shooting them.

The speed is like shooting a rifle.

Dennis had shot all nine arrows in 5 seconds and was taking out new arrows from his quiver.

I followed Dennis’ gaze and looked at the sky of the Black Forest.

Tens of meters above the ground. What was there was an elephant. It’s not an elephant, but it is an elephant.

────With Groots.

It was watching this direction closely, with its ears spread out like a fan and its sharp nails dug into the tree. It may seem like it is spreading its ears like a cobra to warn, or it may be spreading its ears to collect sounds and listen.

The body seems to be covered with enormous muscles.

It looks just like a bear. Their arms are unusually thick compared to other animals, so much so that they can be compared to thighs.

The gray and greenish-brown body of the Jihaengryu has red patterns as if it is poisonous. The mouth protrudes forward. The sharp fangs press down on the lower lip like a cat, and the tusks extend forward like horns.

‘Is that a coin?’

It was an incredible length.

About twice its own body length. The nose resembles a ‘pharyngeal jaw’. Something like that of a moray eel, or the second mouth of an alien.

Dennis’ arrow flew straight towards Grootslang’s face, but did not cause any significant damage. But there was blood.

It licked its own blood and glared at us fiercely.

Only Jules and Julias had calm faces, and Shir suddenly hid next to Julias and began looking around.

“That’s Groots. It looks creepy, right?”

Jules is shaking.

Did he at least react to the sound of laughter?

Bang───!!!

When Grootsrang jumped from the tree, the ground rang as if a howitzer had been fired nearby.

“Are you coming?! that! Are you coming to us?!”

As soon as he suddenly ran away behind Julias, Jules started to giggle.

“The reason you open your ears is to listen. I smelled it and came here to observe out of curiosity.”

My spine ache.

Was the word ‘curiosity’ such a creepy word?

“Curiosity…?”

Jules continues to laugh as if it is no big deal.

Now I see that Julias is also smiling at Dennis as if he is satisfied.

“All living creatures have curiosity. Especially the better the brain, the better.”

“Dennis, you did a great job. Since we attacked first, Groots and his personality will come to retaliate in some way before we leave this forest.”

It is an adoption of language that adds goosebumps to goosebumps. retribution?

“Retaliation?”

Julia looks at me with a smile.

“Yes. Retaliation is all the same. Kill your opponent in as painful a way as possible. ”

“Since you bleed, it will be easy to trace.”

Dennis says that and looks at Jules.

Jules laughed dejectedly as he pissed off the elephant-sized monster.

“Where should we hunt Grootslang?”