Chapter 93: Tracks (2)
zzonVMThe reflex training I started together with the sloth.cXpCNJb
qVxSy11More than training, it felt like a one-sided beating, but I endured it firmly.1fmAE
yhxNsxuThe sloth was also holding back a little, and my reflexes were gradually beginning to improve.myGz
K2EcAt the very least, if I concentrated until the end, I no longer got hit completely defenseless.ty7WkMO
ihqS9Even if only barely, I could at least react and try to catch it now, so the training was working.4OwB45
2rFNoS“Wonmo. Your dad is having a really hard time.”IXYq
tYDE6Z“Kyuu?”jkUYAKd
AnKQQHK“So come here.”NlXGXD
VgEaLunchtime.AWGRKVj
eWcEdq8I hugged Wonmo, who had just woken up from his nap, to heal my depressed mental state a little.Gqd
q6uEven though he didn’t understand anything, Wonmo let out a happy purr.HV4DvN
oFuGN8iI calmed the bad mood left by the training and started preparing lunch.MuGn
FcKLunch would be the fish caught this morning.tbwb4i
EwOGnAnd by the way, two more fish had fallen into the traps.u3ooPx
Zm6Having plenty of food really made me happy.hfoEg
h8iSFFor a while, I could live by feasting on fish.Jye
afIQ6N‘In the afternoon I need to go exploring.’jfl
uGtYQdEven if I decided to stay here for a long time, that didn’t mean stopping exploration.ihJA33k
6YbtE4xFrom now on, instead of wandering far away aimlessly, I planned to investigate the surroundings more thoroughly.UpO3x
SG17xWith luck, I might find medicinal herbs as valuable as the adult Mandrake.Lz24n
m1uOvOOr perhaps rare minerals like that orichalcon cave.nHq
0bMSK‘Sometimes I don’t even know if I have good luck or bad luck anymore…’VubMeN
x4CAfter finishing lunch, I prepared myself together with my animal companions.J8iSjNo
pqLgOn my left waist was the special backpack.uPJ
4x41OLOn the right, several bottles, including the elixir.einmpcf
E4mEverything was ready.sMK5Q
dtGThough before that, there was something I wanted to check.7HxSl5
FKy‘What if I try drawing the bow?’3qD
KWUmThe bow that that regular user who seemed to be an elf, LetsPlantTrees, gave me.4nAlI9e
aHPRBefore, even drawing it was torture.7WzF
EHd0ty8But now, how would it be?1ccDpNQ
bO1FHTMy strength had obviously increased, so there had to be progress.Pfu
YGzSRsuCreeeeak—Z3UK9r
nqGW6pJust as expected, I could draw it much more easily now than before.J6y4zr
nKCThough that didn’t mean I could already use it in combat.JS3dqW
1XaBefore, I had to use all my strength.ofliBV
vPjNow it was simply very difficult.G7NX
oS5oTo use it properly, I still needed more physical strength.tvP
E6D2jV‘And the dwarf still isn’t responding. He’s probably drinking.’hpT2Ox
Sd7yR7rOriginally, I was supposed to receive the barricades from the dwarf.MX2
FDwRJKBut maybe he was busy or drunk, because he wasn’t answering.8MxJAbE
MXFNiEIt would probably be better to explore first and pick up the barricades afterward.OKzs
eFzKGh‘Today I won’t follow the river. I’ll go into the forest.’cMH4
WMUOYesterday I realized that walking along the river didn’t make much sense.06axr
OZo8XgIt would be better to explore the forest while gradually expanding the map.XTnpNty
U41OIFinding rare herbs, discovering animal territories.5ykZHQm
AvvuA0Just like beasts do, turning this area into my own “territory.”pdlABM3
UbyrcY‘Though I’m not planning to mark it.’WaRe9
aGdthnIf I started marking territory like an animal, I might end up attracting ambushes.2ZbPpE
t8ImYmAnd I also didn’t want to lose my dignity as a human being.3ttF7
ua6It was already humiliating enough suffering every time my stomach hurt.ckFXSv
dEosI didn’t want to reach the point of solving it like an animal.72Bkh
9dedg8“Woah. And what’s this?”sPT20
O59WPI was exploring while thinking about finding mysterious herbs when I ended up finding a mushroom.V2QViL
LtCYHYIf a normal person saw it, they probably wouldn’t even think it was a mushroom.MR5
g2sKrIt looked more like a blue deer antler.Ken7
jD2‘Could it be a related species?’Zbo
Km3RPThe famous Red Antler Mushroom, known as the “king” of poisonous mushrooms.y1MiQ6
1pxOzgJust as its name suggested, it looked like a red antler.HP7
ZPulPvJPeople said its poison was so powerful it could cause damage comparable to radiation.lQYq
Nm2BXThere was even a rumor that simply touching it caused dermatitis.pRDE
y74g‘Interesting. I should record it.’9xVa
Cbw9xnI took out the notebook I had prepared beforehand and drew the mushroom’s shape.ynMPiK
TFqvIt was enough to draw an antler.Rbfl
ExIAfterward, I checked the surroundings to make sure there was nothing strange nearby.12PIRo
LBvIt could be a case like the Golden Mushroom.vSYW
7EFRn‘Looks like it just naturally grows this way.’v8L
F3X6VThere was nothing particularly remarkable around it.xiAo4R
ef1TI closed the notebook and uploaded the picture to the gallery.RwH4
zg7tTitle) I found a blue mushroomlPVaOk
H4DWildGrillsKogI
39X5e58(Photo of a blue antler-shaped mushroom)gbkf0c
eCXcgeDoes anyone know what kind of mushroom this is?69L7T
yO1WJust looking at it makes it seem poisonous, so I didn’t even touch it, but I’m curious.3Z2ElJ
mKfdKkw└HeavenlyDemon: It looks like it’s screaming not to eat it.L2U6X
EsZv└Swordmaster: Honestly, yeah. Even touching it feels ominous. Though maybe it resembles HeavenlyDemon.3p1
pHAto└HeavenlyDemon: Did you just compare this lady’s face to a mushroom?X7LtS
AFvQ5└Swordmaster: But they’re both blue hahaWN8lNx
SU9i7AG└HeavenlyDemon: It seems you want to end up blue as well. I’ll have to suggest it to the submoderators.cD5snH
5cRyNJF└Swordmaster: Sorry;;VPyOmfa
Jhi└Looks like she really hates turning blue lmao.bBCet
yid└She must hate it a lot hahaeIF
pDICv└But does HeavenlyDemon really work as a submoderator??k6Ipy
r7W└Yeah. Since she’s unemployed, trash posts disappear much faster.ta5b5r
evMHsp└StarlightPrincess: There exists a similar mushroom called the Red Antler Mushroom in the Central Continent, but I’ve never seen a blue one before. Could it be a variant?WSjj
qV8FU└WildGrills: Mushrooms like this also exist over there? Where I lived there was a similar one.1Oa
B1s└StarlightPrincess: Yes. It’s extremely famous for being a very potent poison. But this is also my first time seeing a blue one.Nal
t7K5└AllFather: I’ve never seen a mushroom like this either. If it’s not a bother, could you give me one for research?YOY
vcO3m8└StarlightPrincess: If possible, I’d also like one.fMEknYB
ktn0Kd└WildGrills: Yes. Understood.4UBrOA
XEBOJust in case, I put on gloves before collecting the mushroom.jZpu
C8nqSince it wasn’t something to eat, the exchange could be done without restrictions.qaPUj
q0Au12‘Looks like there are so many strange variants here that even compared to the outside world, new things keep appearing.’wuq1R
HeEI continued moving forward while exploring.6FEyRKM
Y4G0kWonmo walked ahead, using the excellent sense of smell characteristic of beasts to detect anomalies before I could.1l4zz
T1AkEven if he was still a cub, an Owlbear was still an Owlbear.IYHCSW
vxzOvHis sense of smell was incredible.7Ik
Se0Several times I almost failed to notice animal droppings, but each time Wonmo warned me.XTbCsC8
F9KAVJ9‘This is Owlbear dung. And it’s already pretty old.’Zw95
P6pnI had seen it before.3hAtz
YVIlOwlbear excrement.QjA5d
f9o7NTA lot of time had passed, and it had rained several times too, so it had almost faded away.xQACi7
FLs2jHStill, the shape remained, so recognizing it wasn’t difficult.8j8IJ
IF10WI‘So originally this was Owlbear territory.’jfw
DcTBrUntil now, I had explored only by following the river, so I had no idea.3Zfk
WYpuThen now that the Owlbear disappeared, who occupied its territory?jKx0
DWCG5For now, I couldn’t see any obvious signs of anyone else.X024AQ
jrbNs‘Though the Owlbear itself had already lost its territory to the saber-toothed tiger.’TpUMQcK
ypEEven if the Owlbear was strong, it could never defeat that monster.kgo0x
ptFVVGAnd on top of that, the saber-toothed tiger had absurd regeneration, so there was no way to compete in a battle of endurance.uaSmvRD
lkc7“Kyuu. Kyuu.”LUAD4Xu
T6bER0While I observed the surroundings looking for more traces.osuB
KCHNTWonmo began hurrying me forward faster.pEd6j
aV3FM4He looked adorable pointing ahead with his tiny front paws.KTSN
vtZI let out a small laugh and followed behind Wonmo.wlAo
rg8After all, he was much better at finding traces than I was.uRZe3p3
zXdNI only needed to pay close attention for strange plants or mushrooms along the way.srjBr9B
BYHAnd if a snake appeared, eliminate it immediately.y9aUh
uhak4Y“Kyuuuu!”jqPn
lPAHpn1Then, Wonmo found something and began jumping around excitedly.unkhdiG
9voI frowned curiously and pushed through the dense vegetation.717WHpQ
CSnAs I passed between the trees, a fairly wide clearing appeared before me.PvL
ZBISe“A cave?”GvN4
Ucs3And also a huge cave with a gigantic entrance.6V2
kkEV1yjThe cave where I lived already had a considerably large entrance.jweMKnj
uwhBut this one was even bigger.3RyWj
sgsJfj7And there was also a pleasant cool breeze.P1qi57
jyTMrt9‘The wind is blowing inward.’HeUC
tNNY9Just in case, I prepared myself for combat.cOEkI
O17mijI had no idea what could be inside there.ofXAb
B6EQI didn’t turn on the light sphere.FeCu
Df5gZaoPart of the ceiling seemed to be open, because natural light was coming in.LpfBd
V611RM“Alright. Let’s go.”Bp1NIa
ysSKTd“Kyuu!”EBuE
fOtL2fAfter finishing all the preparations, we entered the cave.P8lXjj
3FUjWonmo seemed so excited that he immediately dashed forward hopping ahead.iZyS
gTQI wanted to tell him to slow down, but it was already too late.vFNNH
KWtIf there was another creature inside, he would definitely scream.BhGc
TaS“Kyuaaaa!!!”KN9ZaVU
km19yJust like that.eDnM8
rFjV7WWonmo disappeared behind a rock and let out a terrified scream.eizpO
Wbr4B9AI was startled and hurriedly ran over.9kT
rztAnd what I saw was an animal.3TamuM
TUG5I didn’t even pay attention to the enormous amount of bones scattered around.Ym0
OCrMaovThe only thing that froze me in place was that creature strangling Wonmo.en2b2m
0OcrMAn oddly long neck.03KX
3xxA body slightly leaning forward.8XFRBO1
naLproA melancholic expression.dpU3
CtXAnd above all, those enormous muscles bulging even from a distance.T1z
huhOZ3B‘A-A kangaroo?’pkiPNB
wnMujA huge kangaroo had Wonmo trapped in a headlock with one of its muscular arms.VJrGQ
lTuOaMTThough calling it a headlock was an understatement.B9B9
581c1Judging by how Wonmo struggled, it was practically strangling him.Ygu2T
xmzgI had no idea why the hell there was a kangaroo in the forest, especially inside a cave, but first I had to rescue Wonmo.YbYwx
6I70rI immediately rushed toward the kangaroo and swung my sword.0uzs2hv
xxWyIt was a creature threatening Wonmo.uSZbyu
F4IP1EI intended to kill it without hesitation.apxV
DPCDSQ0Slash!IWqt
qJNCPBut, as expected of an animal from the Forest of Four Seasons, the kangaroo easily dodged.yhr7c
mPTpBy3Though it released Wonmo’s neck, I still couldn’t lower my guard.JUwnv6S
aydWonmo whimpered as he ran toward me.2Abm4
fhg‘You’ve got to be kidding me. Why does it have a better body than me?’BGLRv22
NO0vqrI was left speechless at the sight of the kangaroo’s muscular physique.q6p5PT0
ah058The Muscle Mushrooms had such grotesque limbs that they didn’t even give off a sense of strength.g22x
plPIQBut the kangaroo was different.qOQgc
ZwhL0VIts muscles were clearly defined beneath the skin, so I inevitably became more tense.psLYh6C
Ne5S0d“……”53M
Oy8yCreeeak—OXC
kiNmRmpThe kangaroo watched me for a moment and slowly lowered its torso.KKarXbT
0mgFrom the sound of tension building in its powerful hind legs, it seemed to be preparing to charge.lA3
amAJust in case, I raised the shield in front of me.GLnk2bB
9pi17Boooom!OwiF
ghlkOThe kangaroo launched itself with its hind legs and made an enormous leap.jjHY59L
NqyB6PHIt jumped so high it even passed over my head.Vyc0F
0Lt14I didn’t take my eyes off it for even an instant.M9nI
dscThud! Boom! Thud!7dl1K
ZsKHUQ6The kangaroo landed behind me and escaped toward the cave entrance.47mt
iUBFortunately, it didn’t seem to have any intention of fighting.RLlY9gt
bkUKI never thought I’d end up encountering a kangaroo inside a forest.4JRwsd
p1gtUBut of course, this was possible because we were in the Forest of Four Seasons.a1QYkS
BWO‘There are quite a few creatures that crossed over from the other side of the river.’GuL
CV7Like the sloth, who seemed to come from a jungle.yxYm
s171w3IOr that kangaroo I had just seen.6gqM1FL
rYSnpThey were probably all creatures that came from areas where space was distorted and were never able to return.q9X
y7Gcc6SI let out a long sigh and checked Wonmo’s condition.Jmdgv
9r0TkxO“Kyuu… kyuu…”RW7Rv0
j7WIt seemed the strangling had really hurt him, because he clung to my leg.IvTDN3f
ZlJPkcMaybe it was the first time he had felt pain since he was born.KppXe00
Dc4an54Not even when we fought the orichalcon Guardian had he felt danger like this.GefJ9Y
JNvbx“It’s okay. I’m here.”Ejo
uKhJVo“Kyuu…”N50gWSe
XMfkzVjI gently patted Wonmo to calm him down.kRXhG
Hw8And thanks to that, little by little he recovered his spirits.NHJ
JHzns8Now that the kangaroo had left, the only thing left was to inspect the cave.ELY
Dyb4DThe enormous amount of bones scattered everywhere proved that some animal had lived here.fUBOR0A
T6b897v‘It doesn’t seem like the kangaroo was the one who did this.’BxSricx
SoQLl7Kangaroos are herbivores.C93QRBS
EkQd3Even if they can strangle animals with those monstrous arms, they’re still herbivores.hDx66B
mys6Of course, the Forest of Four Seasons could have changed them and turned them into carnivores.Xk8Zlz
kbBju0But the kangaroo fled the moment I threatened it.DYYD
Vd0kTThat meant it at least didn’t consider this place its “territory.”4ovV
ZvicPgG‘Is that a nest?’wlv7h
C7lThe bones weren’t the only striking thing.LLU
Np7PuDRThere was also an enormous nest.ei7q
DgYm7C8And the most curious thing was that Wonmo approached it and lay down comfortably as if it were his own home.DW1WUz
jzqsMTEvery now and then he let out small sounds with a sad expression, so I quickly understood what kind of place this was.pVdt
MCxkTd‘So this was the Owlbear’s cave.’cSsbo
AAgkAEven the nest was much larger than any giant bed.ezKcACV
09iFn1It definitely had the perfect size for an Owlbear.7HJY8V
UVr9U5‘Though Owlbears really build nests?’8ob
T8aw6gSince I didn’t know, I searched the gallery for information about Owlbears.TvcW
7ACwAnd since they were fairly famous creatures, there were tons of related posts.wQ1NJKj
45LUEvThat’s how I discovered that Owlbears had the habit of building nests inside caves.peHD
annrThe world was truly full of strange things.ptr
t1hAfter thinking for a moment, I continued inspecting the cave.cuv6cc
geD8oTrickle, trickle.KfYh3
tv78A small stream ran inside.g6j
htYEVE0There were even tiny fish swimming in it, so the water seemed clean.LeLVz
nzkAx‘I’d like to move here.’yAv
XP4BE7IWith proper defenses, this place could become an incredible natural fortress.5v66mPR
vOOqYZMThough the problem was that the ceiling was partially open.LF6lmH
LJiGLIf it rained, it would be a headache.yrFijlz
fftYwCiAnd it was also too large.9puo
qvZg5WyThat could become a disadvantage too, because enormous creatures could enter and move around freely.IJqf
fQm0‘……Huh?’cA221Q
msVmOIt happened while I was checking around the nest.0V4smJ
lBBewkHAmong all the scattered bones, one especially caught my attention.GsK6gFX
5h3bWA bone that stood out far too much compared to the others.YqfN
WFLha‘……Don’t tell me this is a skull.’R1hlAK
wDIIt was a human bone.0Kl
RlOOk GD7D
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