Chapter: 219
It’s not a bad thing that the monsters here are weak. Since I’ve given up on experience points, it’s better for me if things go smoothly.
Even so, I felt an inexplicable sense of anxiety.
Since it’s not a dungeon, there shouldn’t be any variables. Everything within here was no different from my knowledge, but still, I just couldn’t relax.
Why?
Has anything ever gone the way I wanted since I fell into this world? Has anything ever been easily resolved?
Nope, not a chance.
I always had to face the threat of death.
There was always something unexpected blocking my path, and the suddenly appearing foes grabbed me by the collar. That has been my life.
I had barely managed to stand here after overcoming countless crises.
Maybe that’s why I couldn’t fully rejoice in this peace and tranquility.
What if a ding sound suddenly rings out?
What if a dungeon suddenly appears from somewhere?
What if Luca’s foolish acts come back to kill me?
Or what if there’s a variable lurking somewhere in this forest that I don’t know about?
Such anxieties made me constantly glance around.
“I’m at the point where I think it would be better if something popped up now.”
If something happens, I could just solve it. It would certainly be dangerous, and maybe I’d have to prepare for death, but at least I wouldn’t be so anxious.
[So, you were human after all.]
Finding nowhere to vent my anxiety, I pouted, and Grandpa muttered something.
“What on earth are you talking about?”
I’ve always been human, you know? I’m not some rotten human in the community. If you treat a rotten thing as something other than a human, I will get mad! Seriously!
[It’s a joke. A joke. I’m telling you to relax.]
“Grandpa, your jokes really suck. I can totally see how much your subordinates struggled.”
[What nonsense. The other holy knights were laughing so hard they were about to fall over when I said a word.]
“What about your comrades?”
<...Those losers are emotionally very different from holy knights.>
“Sounds like they were well entertained.”
A grandpa boss with all three: results, ability, and power. Horrifying indeed.
There’s definitely a pillar somewhere in the holy knights’ headquarters with insults written about Grandpa.
Listening to Grandpa’s claims of being a good superior go in one ear and out the other, I continued to move forward.
The third boss was a two-headed dog walking on two legs.
I gave it some education with my mace since it didn’t seem to realize that a pet shouldn’t be scaring humans, and it soon collapsed.
The fourth boss was a witch that bloomed from a rotting corpse.
Using her vines to restrain her opponent and attacking with magic, poison, and curses, she would usually be quite a tricky foe, but not for me now.
The witch’s vines weren’t strong enough to bind me.
Her magic couldn’t penetrate my shield.
The poison was purified before it could ever invade my body.
And the curse never even came close.
At first, she looked fierce, but as I shoved my mace into her slightly horrified face, she soon scattered away.
Confirming that she was completely burnt to ashes by divine light, I picked up some seeds from her remains and tossed them into my inventory.
I could bring them to Adri later to get rid of the curse and find a use for them.
Now, it’s the final one.
The one that turned this forest into death.
Once a necromancer, now a spirit after dying, it came here to seek revenge, hoping to find what it left behind. It turned this place into hell, absorbing life force and ultimately losing its original purpose.
The necromancer.
Having killed the four subordinates ruling over this forest, it should now reveal itself in the very center.
As I walked towards the center, I sensed a huge aura of death rising from afar and spreading out around me.
This aura was on a whole different level from what I had faced until now. A grudge flowed through the dark magical energy darker than the night’s shroud.
A voice filled with resentment. The will to curse the living. The desperate longing to grow stronger even after going mad.
[You okay?]
“Yes, this is nothing.”
I absorbed the aura, but it didn’t affect me at all. The energy of corruption was purified by the divinity I possessed before it could even penetrate my body.
[It’s quite a strong one.]
“Seems that way.”
No doubt a real boss. Just its appearance brought such oppressive pressure. Had it not been insane, it would have been a troublesome opponent.
What kind of monsters were the holy knights back then to have brought that guy down? I could almost hear the discussion going on in the community.
[Do you feel confident?]
“Well, they’re a weak opponent compared to the Evil God, right?”
This guy is just sad compared to Karia. There’s no reason to feel threatened.
[Comparing it to those is a bit harsh on the opponent though.]
“Is that so?”
[Seriously, though. How many people are stronger than Karia back then are there on this continent now?]
That does sound right. Now that I think about it, it’s a pretty unfair comparison.
So then, umm, oh right. If I say it this way, it would be accurate.
If the situation and conditions were right, my friends from the academy—Arthur, Joy, Phoebe, Frey—these four could hunt it.
Since Phoebe is perfectly specialized against big undead, as long as she buys time for her to purify the restless spirits, that would be great, but that still counts as a victory, right?
I can confidently say that the necromancer of this forest is only that kind of opponent.
If there are no variables, I wouldn’t lose to such a foe, right?
The problem is if there are variables. If it’s a somewhat decent opponent, I could handle it with my current power.
If the truly worst-case scenario happens, and a situation arises where I can’t handle it…
Well, the sloppy god should take care of it somehow, right? Since it’s a trial that he gave me, he should at least take some responsibility.
If the worst-case scenario isn’t Luka’s scheme, then Luka will protect me.
What a dilemma.
Even while these thoughts crossed my mind, I couldn’t help but chuckle and kept moving forward.
The further I went, the thicker the dark magical energy became.
It was a concentration that would have suffocated an ordinary person, choking them to death.
As I casually walked through the haze, I suddenly reached the center.
At that moment, I realized a few things.
The black magical energy spreading throughout the forest wasn’t intentionally leaked by the necromancer but rather something it couldn’t control.
The true master, having revealed itself after a long time, was greeted by cheers from the spirits.
There’s a significant difference in the sense of pressure when viewing something through a monitor versus seeing it with my own eyes.
Taking a deep breath, I released divinity throughout my entire body.
Odd personality aside, the one ability given by the true god enveloped my body and drove away the surrounding darkness.
In the place once filled with blackness, white dots began to appear, drawing the attention of everything lurking around.
Facing the mix of horror and hatred in their gazes, I mentally recited divine magic.
With increased divinity, the performance of various buffs naturally rose.
As vitality surged through my body, my heightened senses drew in the voices of the spirits.
– A knight.
– It’s a knight.
– What are you doing here in this place?
Putting more strength into the grip on my mace.
– Perfect. Let’s torment him.
– Let’s kill him.
– No, we must torture him.
– We need to hear his screams.
– We must make him beg for his life.
– We need to turn him into one of us.
Gripping the leather handle of my shield tightly.
– Everyone, shut up!
I closed my eyes, then raised my head again.
The abyss-like black eyes looking down at me met the red eyes looking up at it.
– A knight I want to kill right now. A little kid that looks like stomping on. I have something I want to ask you.
The rotten, decaying voice echoed in my ear. It was hard to understand, but not to the point of not understanding.
“What is it?♡ Tell me, crazy auntie!♡ I’m nice, so I’ll even listen to the ramblings of a lunatic!♡”
– Have you met a girl named Adri?
And this content was no different from what I already knew.
I’d need to have a few more conversations to confirm, but I’m already somewhat certain.
This necromancer isn’t much different from what’s in the game. It’s pretty close to what I remember.
“Curious?♡ Sooo curious, huh?♡ Let me think for a moment!♡ I can’t remember little sloppy ones very well!♡”
– Remember well. Your life depends on it.
“Ah!♡ I remembered!♡ The lonely old hag staying at the mansion!♡”
As I raised my voice, a red dot appeared in the necromancer’s eyes, previously filled with black.
That’s a sign of reason. It means we can talk, even if just for a moment.
The skill I once gained when I gifted Adri a ribbon gave her power, restoring some sanity to this necromancer.
Yeah.
This necromancer is Adri’s parent.
They were defeated by the holy knights, but somehow they preserved their spirit and escaped.
And they came here to plot revenge and salvation.
In the end, unable to endure the spirits’ wrath, they went mad. Now, they can never return to being human—a being worn down, unable to even reach the god.
The necromancer’s dad.
– Adri! Have you seen Adri?! Is she alive?! Answer me! I said answer me!
A pitiful mother, still calling out for her daughter’s name despite having lost her sanity.
I mentioned before how this quest got reevaluated once I found out it was a linked quest, right?
That’s the reason why. After completing Adri-related quests and coming here, a mundane farming quest turns into an emotional story.
There’s a power in a mother’s love that can bring tears to a person, so they say.
To be honest, I still can’t empathize with it. Growing up as an orphan, I’ve never felt a mother’s love.
Recently, I felt a bit of paternal affection unintentionally, though.
Well, that’s not really important, so let’s skip it. But what I want to say is.
“Yes!♡ I saw her!♡ I even know where she is!♡ But I won’t tell you!♡”
I’m the kind of person who can taunt a necromancer while knowing the entire situation.
– What?
“But you look like you’ve got a dull brain!♡ Even if I told you, you wouldn’t remember!♡ So I think I’ll just keep quiet!♡”
– …I understand. Then I’ll make you speak.
The moment the voice rich with longing shot towards me, I felt ecstasy flooding my body.
Ah, right. There’s one thing I forgot to mention.
When I arrived in the center of the forest and faced the necromancer, I realized.
This guy should serve as a good warm-up.
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