As spring arrives, quite a few things have changed.
First of all, the weather has become extremely warm.
No, it’s honestly crossed the line into being hot. It seems that as time goes by, summer is slowly creeping in.
Just thinking about summer made me furrow my brow slightly.
Maybe it’s because winter is so short, but summer here feels exceptionally long.
Fortunately, it isn’t as scorching as the murderous heat caused by global warming on Earth, but unfortunately, my cave doesn’t have anything like air conditioning.
You can imagine how big of a deal that is.
So, during summer, I usually spend my time in the cave without a shirt or just in my underwear.
Why wouldn’t you dress comfortably when at home? This cave is my home, after all.
But this time, that seemed a bit tough. I never know when an uninvited guest might show up.
Of course, I did camouflage the cave a bit last time, but anyone paying close attention could still notice the difference.
Worrying about it already was unavoidable.
“Well, I’ll think about that when the time comes.”
For now, I had things to do, so I decided to push that worry to the back of my mind.
One downside to spring is that it’s not just plants that are getting energized.
Prey is starting to grow, and since the weather is nice for activities, monsters are also running amok.
Sometimes, even those living in the deep layer expand their activity range and come down to the middle layer. It’s rare enough that counting it happens only a few times a year.
But still, it’s worth keeping an eye out.
If luck runs out, a monster like a mountain lord might come down. Of course, not all are that dangerous, but there’s really no reason to meet one and get bothered.
Therefore, today’s task is reconnaissance.
I’m going to wander through the forest looking for any signs of change. If nothing has changed, then that’s good. If there is, I’ll check whether it poses a danger or not.
So I spent some time wandering around near the forest. Since the forest is vast, I mainly moved in the area I operate in the middle layer.
After wandering a bit, I finally discovered a human trace.
Some footprints and a monster’s corpse that seemed to have been sliced by something sharp.
In other words, it was a sign of human presence.
*
Swish-!
“Skreeee!”
Following the trajectory of the sword, a bright red line appeared on the goblin’s body. The frail goblin’s body couldn’t withstand even a single strike from the stranger’s sword.
That said, the stranger’s expression was still furrowed.
Splash-!
Seeing the goblin collapse to the ground, the stranger let out a curse.
“Damn it, how can there be so many monsters…”
Is this forest really that different?
Proving it was unmanaged land, enemies were everywhere.
But if I decided to step into the surface layer, it felt like pursuers might be investigating there too.
“Phew…”
The situation was tough in many ways. I was a bit hungry, and my body was tired. I wanted to eat something, but it wasn’t easy to differentiate what was edible.
And… maybe due to the stress piling up, my libido was rising a bit too.
“Damn…”
Still, she persevered through tiredness and kept moving forward. At least, she needed a place to hide. She needed a base to endure for a while.
She planned to stay there for a bit and contact the church.
As she was moving forward, she suddenly noticed a man. The stranger was momentarily taken aback.
“Whoa…”
The man’s appearance was strikingly attractive.
His sharply defined features, the solid body visible beyond his clothes, and his good proportions. The slightly sharp atmosphere actually added to his charm.
A man who might rarely be seen even in a bustling city suddenly popped out of the forest.
Questions swirled in her mind.
What is this? Why is there a person here?
Could he be living here? At first glance, he didn’t look like someone from the city.
While she tossed a few questions in her mind, she soon thought.
“Anyway, this is a good opportunity.”
If things went well, she could ambush him and get some food. And if he actually lived here, she could take over his base.
She concealed her presence and prepared to ambush.
She wasn’t overly careless. The fact that he was here meant he had some skill. She would be patient, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
However, the situation she hoped for didn’t happen.
The stranger noticed her even sooner.
“Do you think spilling blood like that will hide your presence?”
The man smiled casually while looking right at her.
She couldn’t help but be taken aback.
“What?”
No way, does he recognize me from this distance?
She had some skill, but she particularly prided herself on assassination and camouflage.
After all, she was the one who beheaded the knight on guard duty the day she ambushed the carriage.
Being confident in concealing her presence, she couldn’t believe she was spotted so easily.
“Damn it.”
Tsk-!
She bit her lip and charged at him.
Just because she was caught doesn’t mean she was going to back down. If ambush isn’t possible, she would push through with sheer skill.
In an instant, her sword lunged toward the man, Yor.
Unfortunately, that strike was blocked by the dagger Yor drew.
Clang-!
Sparks flew, and the stranger’s sword was sent soaring high.
She gazed at him in surprise, analyzing her opponent.
“Quite the skilled fighter.”
The sword she was wielding was a cheap iron sword stolen from a nearby forge. But even considering that, it was steel, and the fact that he was able to block it so easily was baffling.
She quickly made a decision.
In this state, she wasn’t at the level to challenge him. Especially not with her stamina running low.
But that didn’t mean she was thinking of backing off.
Despite appearances, she was a veteran who had faced numerous formidable foes.
She had met countless opponents stronger than herself.
And even against them, she was always the victor.
“I’ll wait for my chance.”
All she needed was one solid strike.
He wouldn’t be able to move hastily with one of his limbs compromised.
Clang-! Clang-!
As swords clashed in the quiet forest, sharp sounds echoed.
She was mostly the one being pushed back. Even though it was just a dagger, it felt like facing off against a greatsword.
Whenever she tried to find an opening to thrust, he blocked every attempt.
He truly was a formidable opponent, at least to a certain extent.
On the other hand, she was intentionally playing the role of being pushed back.
With exaggerated frowns and showing that she was struggling, she hoped to provoke his carelessness. Since her main profession was assassination, she wasn’t particularly adept at straightforward confrontations. What she excelled in was creating variables and ambushes.
Then, during the fight, an opportunity suddenly arose.
Yor pushed her back with considerable force, sending her body flying.
“Ugh…!”
Though she grimaced, inwardly she was cheering.
This created an opening.
She quickly pulled her sword back and prepared to thrust.
Even if she thrust, the distance was far too short to reach him.
However, she wasn’t worried. Just like when she stole the guard’s keys, she had the skill to extend her arm.
Swoosh!
Now, her sword lunged toward Yor.
At first, Yor didn’t react. The distance was just too far.
But there was something the stranger overlooked.
Before being just a skilled fighter, Yor was a survivor in this place. Just like her, he had encountered numerous formidable foes and lived through them.
If he was already aware of her presence, he certainly had the ability to react.
As the stranger’s body faced the unexpected, the trajectory of the sword surged forward once again.
Yor’s eyes widened momentarily. Then he immediately reacted, raising his dagger in a defensive posture. The stranger’s thrust arrived at that moment.
Clang!
Sparks flew as they entered a brief moment of struggle. The blow was indeed prepared; the stranger’s strike was far heavier than before.
For just a brief moment, Yor’s sword was pushed back.
But that was only if the decisive blow had landed directly.
In the already-defended situation, he couldn’t pierce through.
Pffft-
Yor’s arm took a minor cut, and the stranger’s sword was deflected.
The sword soared high and embedded itself into the ground.
“Wow, that last one was impressive. Most would have fallen to that.”
The stranger was incredulous. That was an attack fueled by all his remaining mana.
Although she couldn’t produce a blade yet, she could deliver power close to it.
The fact that she effortlessly blocked it was simply unbelievable.
As she watched the stranger in a moment of dumbfoundment, she noticed Yor’s arm swiftly regenerating. The healing speed was abnormal.
And from that, she faintly sensed a murky energy.
Seeing that made her gasp.
Before she knew it, she muttered.
“…Manifestor?”
“Huh?”
At that, Yor turned his gaze toward her.
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