The Unwanted Undead Adventurer: Volume 4 Page 6
In fact, after that encounter, I decided to stop hunting Ents altogether. If I were able to utilize magecraft, I’d simply fire a spell from afar, and in doing so safely discern between an Ent and a regular tree. That, however, was impossible for me at this point in time. I’d also thought of asking Edel, eventually doing so. But it was futile in the end. I was here for materials, and Edel only knew two spells: a blade of wind and a fireball. One would scar the lumber badly, and the other would burn the whole place down. Maybe it was still too difficult for Edel to control the output of these recently-acquired spells? Either way, this could only be solved by me working hard and learning proper magecraft in the near future.
While it was Edel who’d first mastered how to channel and shape this power, part of him doing so was probably due to his desire to assist me. There were many monsters that could blend into their surroundings, the Jyulapus Ent being just one of them, and it’d be most troublesome if I had no way of telling them apart should the need arise—other than clubbing them with some sort of object, that is. I may be many things, but I am not a caveman by any measure.
If one were in a place like the Labyrinth of the Moon’s Reflection, such worries would be uncalled for. But the same couldn’t be said for the areas beyond this floor. Progress was a good thing, yes, but monsters like that were worrisome. I supposed I just had to put my back into it.
I continued walking, and soon the forest opened up into a wide clearing. In the middle of it was something that shouldn’t exist in a natural, real forest: a stairway leading down. Where exactly it led to was none other than the next level of this labyrinth, the fourth floor.
That much was known to me instinctively. Thinking about it calmly, however, I realized I still didn’t understand the reason as to why these labyrinths were built. Who would have made such a place, and for what reason? Was it the work of the gods? Or perhaps the faeries? While there were many theories, the labyrinths’ existences yet remained one of the greatest mysteries of the world.
Now, I had no hopes of solving said mystery. That would be something left to someone like...Lorraine, perhaps.
My job was much simpler. All I had to do was defeat monsters—monsters much like the ones currently wandering around the stairwell.
While I’d been looking forward to exploring the fourth floor, it seemed the labyrinth disagreed with my enthusiasm. Gathered and loitering around the stairwell were quite a few Forest Wolves.
Forest Wolves, as their name may suggest, were wolf-type monsters that mainly lived in forests. They also inhabited the third floor. They were weak individually, since they were nothing more than slightly hairier wolves. But they were a danger when attacking in packs. The monsters themselves usually hunted as such; it was their nature. When quite a few of them were gathered, much like now, some of the wolves would howl, magically strengthening other monsters in the vicinity. They were every bit of worrisome as I’d mentioned.
To make things worse, there were five wolves before me. What a hassle...
But they had to be defeated if I were to proceed. They were blocking my path to the stairwell, after all, and running past them would be quite a challenge.
I did have a choice, however. I could simply return home for today, and not proceed any further. Honestly speaking, I already had more than enough materials to create some wands: the Jyulapus Ent’s lumber for the handle of the wand, and magic crystals from the fallen Orc Soldiers mounted on the top as focus mediums.
Due to the fact that Orc Soldiers were monsters commonly found on the fourth and fifth floors, materials harvested from them were adequate for the creation of a wand. But those Orc Soldiers had strayed far from their original floors and had caused the quality of their crystals to decrease...which fueled my desire to collect better magic crystals. We were making wands for beginners like Alize and myself, so materials of a slightly lower quality would suffice. But magical foci had a tendency to explode if they were synthesized from sub-par materials, and I didn’t want Alize to be using anything so dangerous. As such, I’d have liked to gather other types of magic crystals if possible...which has landed me here.
Thinking about it more, I could even use the magic crystal of a Forest Wolf. But I still wouldn’t be able to return home; I’d yet to gather the materials I needed for Alize’s weapon. And since I’d already come all this way, we might as well return with some spoils from the fourth floor. Surely I’d be able to gather quite a few different materials there.
Taking all those factors into consideration, I supposed I had little choice but to defeat the Forest Wolves before me.
I placed a hand at my waist, drawing my blade. I channeled mana into my sword and body, strengthening them both. Forest Wolves were monsters that relied on their speed. A solid first strike would surely influence the flow of battle afterward.
The first strike had to draw blood.
I slammed a foot onto the ground, raising my sword for a preemptive attack.
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...Gyawaaan!!!
With a piercing cry, the monster leaped away from me, having been slashed by my blade. My target was none other than the largest Forest Wolf in the group near the stairwell. If I had to guess, this wolf was the alpha. I couldn’t be sure, so I decided to strike first, though it would seem I was right on the mark.
As the howl rang out, the other Forest Wolves in the surroundings entered a state of alert, glaring at me from where they stood. Then, they struck.
It wasn’t a fatal wound, but it seemed the monsters were annoyed by the fact that I’d gotten a hit in on their leader. Loyal, yes, but all too predictable. Their movements were easy to read, so I’d say this was a successful first strike.
I turned to the first incoming wolf, slicing into it and flinging it away with the weight of my blade, before doing the same to the next. No matter how quick they were, a straight, head-on attack like that would simply be deflected with a single, well-placed blow. There was no easier hunting than this—until the leader of the monsters soon noticed what I was doing.
With yet another loud howl, it alerted the other Forest Wolves.
It seemed Forest Wolves had quite the thick hide, I began noticing. A single attack from me didn’t really hinder them very much at all. As expected of the Labyrinth of the New Moon... The monsters here had a higher level of endurance, most likely because I was near the entrance to the fourth floor.
I’d slain the Jyulapus Ents somewhat easily because I just so happened to be able to pinpoint their weakness. One could say I had quite an advantage over them. In the case of these Forest Wolves, however... This seemed to be quite the difficult encounter.
Having regained their calm after an assertive howl from their leader, the movements of the Forest Wolves were visibly those of skilled hunters. It seemed like the wolves would no longer give me many openings to work with, so the situation was now that of a stalemate. If the battle were to stretch on like this, my stamina would surely wear out. For a moment, I thought of tossing Edel, who was currently perched on my shoulder and not fighting at all, toward the wolves as food. Edel’s response was swift: “Don’t even think of it” was the gist of his response. I suppose I’ll honor your request, mouse...
In that case, I had no choice.
Pork was the solution.
I reached into my magical pouch, pulling out a slab of pork wrapped in a Maalt Hoonoki leaf—wrapped Orc meat, in other words—and tossed it at the monsters. Since I couldn’t use the mouse as bait, I’d use Orc meat. Not a very imaginative plan, but Orc meat was considered a delicacy to both humans and monsters.
As the meat’s fragrance wafted past the Forest Wolves’ noses, they let their guard down for just a moment. It was just what I’d been looking for.
I propelled myself forward in a familiar motion. Raising my sword, I channeled mana into the blade, aiming to land a decisive blow.
If I were to sever something, mana was the best candidate. However, using mana to slice a hard object meant
quite a bit of it would be used. I wanted to conserve my energy, so I limited the amount of mana channeled into my blade. Though, if my reserves of mana were emptied out in the worst-case scenario, I could just return home at that point.
The leader of the Forest Wolves, as if noticing I’d been waiting for this moment, quickly gave three short barks. Probably something to the effect of, “Don’t be distracted by the meat!” A terrible thing to say, given that the leader-wolf itself was drooling at the scent of it.
Is Orc meat really that delicious? Well, I guess it would be...
The wolves noticed a little too late, however. By the time their attention had returned to me, I’d already buried the blade of my sword into one of the monster’s necks.
So far so good, but as expected...this flesh was hard. The endurance of these monsters was markedly different from those of the previous floors. If it were a Goblin or a normal Orc, this amount of mana would have been more than enough to cleanly remove either of their heads.
But these monsters could be sliced up, so it wasn’t impossible. A sign from the labyrinth, possibly, that the early floors with monsters easily slain just by a slight application of mana ended here.
I tensed the muscles in my arm while increasing the amount of mana channeled into my sword. With that, the impaled wolf froze. With a heavy sensation, the blade sank deeper into the Forest Wolf’s flesh. With a swift motion, I pulled the blade through, its surface cleanly slicing through the monster’s flesh. A dull thud—and the Forest Wolf’s head was on the ground.
Monsters were much more resilient than they looked.
The wolf’s head, now on the ground, spun violently this way and that, still staring in my direction as it met its end. Its body, too, remained standing for a short while, shivering as it did so. I suppose it couldn’t live for much longer after being separated from its head, however, as it fell to the ground in a few seconds. The body was still, the head’s eyes now closed.
...One down. Four more to go.
The battle was far from over, but it’d be much easier from here on out. After all, these particular Forest Wolves were used to hunting in packs of exactly five.
Why did I know this? Because there were now gaps in their patterns of attack. The timing of their approaches was visibly off. Their combination attacks had been relatively flawless before, so this new development made them significantly easier to deal with.
The Forest Wolves, as if surprised by how I’d aimed for the lapses between their attacks, seemed stunned, not knowing how to react. In response, the leader-wolf, now visibly agitated, ground its fangs together before dashing straight at me.
We can end this right now.
I raised my sword once more, channeling mana into its blade as I aimed for the wolf’s neck. If I’d let them reorganize themselves and regroup, the gap in their attacks that I’d created would effectively disappear. Their pack of five was now a group of four. Now was the opportune time to strike.
To the wolf, however, me dashing in to take advantage of this chance may have been the opportunity they sought as well. If I let up on the attack now, I’d have to start fighting defensively, in which case, the battle was sure to drag on.
Forest Wolves were monsters known for their explosive potential, with quick, powerful strikes as their weapons. But they didn’t have much in the way of stamina. They were stronger than a normal wolf, but didn’t have the capability to fight for more than tens of minutes, and definitely not hours with an adventurer armed with mana techniques. If I did not finish this here and now, victory would depend entirely on when the wolves would tire out.
Well, then. Let’s go.
Raising the sword above my head, I turned to the leader-wolf, unleashing a vicious downward swing. It, too, had a trick up its sleeve, as its fur began glowing a dim green. Was it channeling mana into its body? While I didn’t know what it was about to do, I understood that the wolf was now fighting seriously. No... The fact that the monster was using this ability now—it could very well be its trump card.
I could feel a certain pressure emanating from the monster. This Forest Wolf was somewhat larger than the rest, possibly because it was the leader of these monsters.
But I couldn’t lose here. I was still Bronze-class. I still had a long way to go to become strong enough to defeat an enemy like this almost effortlessly...
I focused intensely on that thought, bringing the blade down on the Forest Wolf’s neck. The blade dug deep, slicing straight through. I’d increased the amount of mana channeled into my weapon by almost 50 percent, hence the lack of resistance. It being the leader of these monsters, I hardly expected to be able to defeat it with the same amount of strength.
With that, the attack was successful, and I pulled my sword through what remained of its flesh. Its head was now falling toward the ground. I’d won, but—
It opened its mouth. With a resounding “woosh!” what appeared to be a green, shining blade flew out from the monster’s gaping maw, flying straight at me.
Damn!
I panicked as I bent forward, attempting to dodge the attack. The green blade of wind narrowly missed me, almost grazing my cheek as it did so. A thunderous sound rang out from behind me immediately after—the sound of something splintering and breaking. Turning around, I witnessed a large tree fall on its side, apparently having been sliced clean through by the spell.
Is it still alive...?
I should have noticed this upon slaying the very first Forest Wolf... But to think it could cast a spell in such a state. An unexpected development...
The leader-wolf’s head was now silent, so I supposed that was its final attack. Even so, I had no intentions of letting my guard down. I vowed to be cautious with the remaining three monsters. I had to be careful even after they were slain.
That said, the remaining wolves were now without a leader, and their movements were exceedingly simple to predict. They could also no longer launch any combination attacks. All they did was rush at me in straight lines, hoping to get a good bite in.
I, in turn, simply cut them down one by one—it felt almost too simple. The difficulty of the encounter I’d complained about mere moments ago was nowhere to be seen.
In the end, I only spent a few more minutes defeating the remaining wolves, now armed with firsthand knowledge of just how terrifying Forest Wolves that had banded together in packs could be. With a few decisive swings, the battle had met its end.
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The carcass of a Forest Wolf provided an adventurer with quite a few usable materials. There was its magic crystal of course, but also the wolf’s hide. In life, the wolves had strengthened their skin and fur as much as they could, so much so that even the sharpest sword couldn’t easily harm them. At a glance, the hide of a Forest Wolf was impossibly hard, but that very same hide was now surprisingly soft to the touch, having lost all its previous tension in death. The hide was smooth, pleasant to the touch. It was equally soft as I leaned against it, its fur warm. One could fall asleep stroking it.
The pelts of Forest Wolves were usually highly in demand, and were used in the manufacture of coats, rugs, carpets, and the like. They had to be carefully dissected and preserved since the pelts were worth a good sum of coin. While it couldn’t be made into weapons or armor, it was still an important source of income.
Its fangs and teeth, however, could be processed into tools, so I’d be harvesting those, too. Its pelt was one thing, but the carcass of a Forest Wolf provided quite a few other useful materials too. It was most gratifying.
After I was done harvesting the appropriate materials, I dug a hole in the ground, burying what remained of the monsters. I could have left the carcasses there, yes, but I’d fought these wolves right at the entrance of a downward-leading stairwell. Doing so would inconvenience adventurers ascending from lower floors, and even adventurers currently in this area. I could hardly think of any adventurer who’d find a gathering of monsters at the top of a labyrinth stairwell a
musing.
Edel also helped with the process, scattering the lingering smell of fresh blood with his wind magic.
All that was left now were sprays of blood and scraps of meat on the ground, but there was little I could do about that. At the very least, such a small amount of blood and scattered scraps shouldn’t attract a huge horde of monsters... Maybe ten or so at most. Adventurers heading up from deeper floors were usually extremely careful during their ascent. If the debris here really did attract a fair amount of monsters, said monsters would be visible from afar. Adventurers who couldn’t defeat a large group would most likely give up and return home.
Basically, there were no longer any outstanding issues here.
Though I did have to remember what had happened here even as I descended to the fourth floor... It’d be all too foolish if I’d somehow walked into a monster horde of my own making, not knowing they were there, and perished in the process.
A potential horde of monsters on the third-floor stairwell... A potential horde of monsters on the third-floor stairwell... A potential horde of monsters on the third-floor stairwell...
Good. I’ve said it three times now.
Still muttering the reminder, I made my way down to the fourth floor, taking care to tread slowly and carefully.
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Stepping out from the stairwell, I was greeted by what appeared to be a huge mountain made out of strong, weathered rock. We were now on the fourth floor. The mountain floated, a gigantic piece of rock casually suspended in the air. Surrounding the surreal sight was nothing but empty, bottomless space.
The place I currently stood on was linked to the giant floating mountain by a single path. More precisely, the end of the descending stairwell was supported by a small floating rock...small compared to the mountain, I supposed. The platform I was on was approximately the size of a three-story house. Both were very rocky floating objects indeed, and no other path could be discerned from my position.