11 – Anomaly(2)

As we entered the forest, the bright sunlight disappeared and a dusky light like the dawn took place.

Clearly, the trees were not densely packed, but it was difficult to secure a view from inside the forest to the extent that it was difficult to see outside.

As expected, it was inside the forest overflowing with mana.

“It’s cold… .”

Perhaps because the sun didn’t come in, it was cold inside the forest.

The sudden change in temperature could be attributed to the influence of mana.

That’s because from the moment I entered the forest, I felt like I was in a different place.

“It’s a forest that contains mana… .”

It’s just a dungeon right?

Monsters and dungeons mainly appeared in places with high mana concentration, so if my hypothesis was correct, there was a strong possibility that this place was a created dungeon.

If so, it is said that there may be monsters in front of us.

Will I be able to deal with monsters?

What if I possessed Altyn’s body, but didn’t have Altyn’s talent as well?

If I resign now, will I be able to take care of this forest in Mene, where there is no one who can fight with a weapon, let alone a guard?

Be that as it may, the reality is that I am the only one who can solve this problem in Mene, Lian Altane.

In addition, if it was to protect Mene, which would normally be destroyed, it was more appropriate for me to step forward.

“Please appear one by one… .”

I walked slowly into the forest with my sword in my hand.

As we entered, the wind died down and only white noise filled the room.

It was then.

――Ugh!

Suddenly, the sound of an unidentified being wailing was heard from inside.

The densely planted trees began to dance rapidly, like aspen trees trembling, and I involuntarily took a backward step.

“Ugh?!”

This is not the sound of an animal that is often heard, but the howl of an existence that has never been heard before.

No, to be precise, the sound I heard only on the monitor.

“Ent… .”

A monster called the forest spirit, the king of the forest, and an ordeal that comes to the group of early protagonists.

It was the voice of the Ent.

*

In the original work, Altane appears after the entrance ceremony.

It is mentioned for the first time when the main character picks up the attitude he abandoned.

A black attitude that can only be used by the blood of the Altane family. The main character and player will use it to rise to the ranks of heroes,

However, one common condition was followed for Altane and/or non-family players to be able to demonstrate that attitude.

When facing monsters.

――!

I immediately pulled out my attitude and hid behind a tree.

Curiously, the moment I picked the attitude, I felt like my body was moving on its own.

It was an act that came out so naturally that I wondered if this was the feeling that the body remembers even if the head doesn’t know.

I don’t know if it’s the power of attitude or the talent of Altane, but I feel like I’m familiar with the knowledge of how to wield a sword and how to move.

‘Is this why it’s called the devil’s talent?’

Altein, who has this ability even before the game starts, is definitely one of the best talents.

The problem is that you have such a bad personality that you can’t use it.

I moved slowly off the straight road and through the trees.

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Judging from the fact that there are no other monsters yet, this dungeon has just been created.

The fact that it wasn’t long ago meant that the owner of the dungeon, the Ent, was still immature because he hadn’t had enough mana yet.

In fact, even in games, old dungeons require a lot of manpower and time.

Therefore, now was the right time to attack.

‘Where’s the child?’

However, even though they came quite far into the forest, the child was nowhere to be seen.

If this is the case, I should think of it as being on the ent side.

As I entered more and more, the air around me became cluttered.

It can take a few minutes to make your way through the overgrown bushes. I was able to get to the center of the forest.

As expected, there was an Ent.

A monster in the form of a man who moves with a giant tree that appears to be about 10 meters high.

That strange yet mysterious creature is the spirit of the forest.

And there was also a woman’s child around Ent.

Didn’t move, perhaps fainting.

―――Wow!

The Ent, noticing my presence, started howling again.

At the same time, the surrounding trees swayed and the leaves fluttered violently.

As if by magic, the leaves rotated and circled around me.

I reflexively raised my arms to protect my face from the leaves.

The leaves spinning at high speed were like blades.

And between the leaves, the Ent started running as if it would crush it at any moment.

Its movement was so honest that there seemed to be no great difficulty in avoiding it.

“Yes.”

After waiting for the Ent to come at close range like a wild boar, I immediately jumped to the side to avoid the attack.

It was an Ent called the spirit of the forest, but that was when it became a full adult.

The condition of that guy, who is only 10 meters tall, can be compared to that of a human being.

It is difficult to expect an intelligent battle like an adult.

‘Should I call it luck at least?’

In fact, the Ent that the main character meets later is only 50 meters tall.

That’s why he didn’t know how to use mana or use his own body, just like a big goblin.

I lost my balance and walked over to the fallen child, leaving the Ent behind me.

Then, turn the child over and check the sound of breathing.

Fortunately, it is hidden.

Now, if we just get out of here-

“What?!”

The moment I lowered my posture to turn my child over, the world turned upside down.

I was too careless.

When I woke up, my body was already flying.

“Keuk!”

It happened so quickly that I didn’t even have time to react.

After rolling dozens of turns, I crashed into a tree.

On the way, his side throbbed, as if a tree branch had been impaled on it.

“Cool! Ugh, it hurts so bad… .”

My body ached as if I had been hit by a truck.

Fortunately, it ended with ‘sick’.

If Altane had been a normal person instead of his body, he might have died instantly on the spot.

It was a miracle that he was alive because he had been hit squarely by an Ent’s fist the size of a truck.

I slowly raised myself up using the tree for support.

His side was damp, but not enough to bother him. I picked up my fallen attitude and looked at Ent.

The Ent, who had just corrected his posture, continued to glar at me as if he were going to attack at any moment.

Green light began to flow from the Ent’s upper body.

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Judging by the location, this is where the nucleus is located.

‘If I get hit again, I’ll pass out unconditionally.’

You need to neutralize it while avoiding the Ent’s attack.

This is something I can’t even begin to do with my current skills. To be honest, my arms are shaking. Even now, I can barely hold the sword.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and focused my consciousness entirely on my attitude.

I decided to thoroughly entrust myself to the power of Altein’s talent and attitude. I can’t follow you just thinking about it. You have to react instinctively.

As before, I felt someone’s hand covering my hand, which held my attitude.

I don’t know if this is Altean’s remnant or the strength of his attitude, but it seems like I can instantly approach the Ent now.

‘Kuh.’

Mana is disappearing at a rapid rate.

There was not much left to maintain this state.

I immediately spurred the ground and rushed at Ent.

*

“The sound just… .”

Nadia stood up.

The strange sound heard a while ago was definitely coming from the forest outside the village.

“It is a sound from the forest. Maybe Kazu… .”

“It won’t be.”

“… Yes?”

A woman looking at Nadia with her face covered.

The woman was taken aback by her stern words.

“Normal demons don’t scream for no reason. The only time I scream is when I have a good opponent or when I am in danger.”

Nadia’s sunken eyes turned towards the forest.

As she said, monsters don’t scream like that at mere prey.

… As long as there is no crisis in existence itself,

I was able to know this because it was Nadia who traveled all over the continent as an elixir manufacturer and hunted monsters.

There was no doubt that the monsters in the forest were on a different level from the low-level monsters she had dealt with so far.

Even though it was quite far away, I was overwhelmed by the scream of the existence.

He probably had to pay quite a bit of money to subdue them.

However, there is currently someone in that forest who is enough to make such a monster scream.

‘Is there a person of that level in this town?’

Menera does not intend to disparage the village, but Menera is a remote village due to its location.

It is also a typical situation on the verge of bankruptcy where more people leave than come.

In the current situation, which can be said to be the worst, the probability that there was a talented person who was dispatched with her by ‘accidental’, and that Nadia did not realize… .

-Let’s call the guards and look for the child.

Thinking of the man with gray hair, Nadia immediately shook her head.

‘There’s no way he’s such a slender guy.’

There is no possibility that the man who seems difficult to lift even a bag, let alone a knife, is a hidden talent.

Perhaps, he was lucky enough to ask for help from the knights who were touring the area.

Nadia had reached a conclusion in her mind, but her eyes were still on the forest.

“… Are you worried?”

“Yes?”

“The lord—no, the person I was with just before. I wondered if he was looking at the forest because he was worried… .”

“Am I? no way I met you for the first time today.”

“Yes… ? I’m sure I’ll be your lover-“

“aaaeein—? Huh, true! It can’t be.”

Nadia vehemently waved her hands in denial.

Nadia was not soft enough to feel affection for a man she had only known for less than an hour.

She said, pulling back her red hair.

“And I don’t like people who are so gullible. never.”

On the contrary, Nadia was wary of the man who wore the hood deeply and, to put it bluntly, gave off a gloomy aura.

He might not have known that he had dared to introduce himself as a servant of the Theseus family, but Nadia had already noticed Lian’s lie.

Notably, she didn’t have a goofy personality, so she stayed still, but it was difficult to look favorably on someone who was hiding her identity even while lying.

The woman’s eyes did not believe Nadia’s words, but she did not add anything.

“Then, since you seem to have calmed down a bit, I will look around town and come back.”

“ah… thank you. Until this… .”

“Don’t worry too much. Kazu must have simply got lost near the village.”

That is why Nadia’s heading to the forest now is not based on simple goodwill,

To find out the purpose of the mysterious man,

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Just a simple curiosity.