Chapter 44 : Adventure Level 30 (6)

Inside the Rift was a forest.
The quiet atmosphere made me anxious.
I hurriedly looked around for the guy.
He was quite far away—I don’t know when he got there.
Seeing him standing upright, it seemed he wasn’t hurt already.
I lifted my feet slightly and flew.
Flying high would be nice, avoiding the trees, but unfortunately, I was currently in a situation where I had to follow secretly.
Well, truthfully, high altitudes are scary, so I don’t prefer them anyway.
It was a forest, but the trees felt sparsely placed, so getting too close seemed likely to get me caught. I hid behind a tree farther away.

“They’re manageable! Manageable, but didn’t she definitely say puppies when we entered? Is this a puppy?”
Ignoring the Flame Mage grumbling, covered in dirt as if he’d been rolling around, I checked on Do Yugeon. He was stretching.
Unlike the other person, only his clothes were disheveled—there were no dirty spots, so he probably hunted relatively easily.
It was a relief, but hunting this quickly meant I probably lingered too long outside the Rift.
I should have come sooner and watched from the first engagement.
Though, it turned out fine this time.
Several trees were shredded with beast-like claw marks, likely signs of the fight, and the ground showed signs of being dug up.
What kind of plausible beast-type monster is there?
Hmm, a werewolf?

“Wolves are canines, right?”
“Wow. It would be great to raise a wolf at home!”
I briefly expanded my senses to find the mob.
There was a wolf walking on four legs.
It was a wolf, albeit quite large.
Just an ordinarily huge wolf.
Not a werewolf.
That’s a relief.
…What? Was it relief? My sense of danger seemed off—I was confused.
It is relief, right?
Do Yugeon laughed heartily.
“Still, it was thrilling and fun.”
Must be nice to have fun.
I, on the other hand, don’t like thrills.

Seeing the Necromancer digging in the dirt with a trowel, it seemed they were taking a break.
I should check out the wolf now.
Just hearing “wolf” didn’t give me a good sense of it.
If it were goblins holding guns, I’d immediately feel a sense of crisis.
It was a bit far, but I went to find the wolf.
It was huge.
Its size suggested I’d have to crane my neck to look up if I got close.
No matter how short I was, it was still way too big.
Still, it didn’t seem that scary since it was just munching on grass, contrary to its size.

I always forget its existence, but I grabbed the Grimoire floating nearby.
Since it was off guard, a preemptive strike means victory.
I’d need to fight it for a while to know how strong it truly was, but since this was the first time, it was safer to take it down in one shot…
As I gathered mana, the wolf, which had been eating grass, immediately looked toward me.
Its body swelled, and its fangs were bared.
Its massive size was inherently threatening.
When the wolf growled “Grrr,” goosebumps rose on my back.
It was a fear originating from deep within my instincts.

In the moment my thoughts dulled, the wolf charged.
In the blink of an eye, it was right in front of me.
Uwah?
Startled, I haphazardly moved my mana and swung the Grimoire.
Lightning suddenly enveloped the Grimoire.
A loud roar erupted.
The surrounding grass caught fire from the lightning, and the wolf flew sideways, crashing into a tree.
Hooah, huwaah.
That startled me.
Calming my pounding heart, I slowly flew backward.
Gathering mana and remaining vigilant, I watched the fallen wolf, and it turned into EXP.
What, it was weak? Phew.
I let out a sigh of relief.

I’d seen the Orc Shaman use lightning magic, but the lightning arced and damaged the surroundings, so I hadn’t even practiced it. Yet somehow, by sheer luck, I used it well.
I thought I was going to die.
My poor reflexes just make things unnecessarily dangerous.
Should I start playing badminton with Yu Mina or something?
Sports are tiring, though.
As the tension eased, my surroundings came into focus.
The weeds burning from the arcing lightning, the noise the lightning made…
First, uh… I took the Grimoire and smacked the burning weeds. Pang pang.
After hitting them repeatedly, the fire died down.
Good.
It was scorched, but this is fantasy, so scorched grass exists, right?
Sometimes lightning strikes from a clear sky too.

As I was rationalizing, the tree the wolf had crashed into creaked and fell over.
A loud thud echoed through the forest.
No matter how you looked at it, it wasn’t natural.
Ugh, I messed up.
Expanding my senses, I checked Do Yugeon’s location. They were moving toward me.
It seemed they were coming to investigate the unidentified disturbance.
Do Yugeon, who is sometimes unnecessarily perceptive, might notice my presence.
What should I do…?

A brilliant idea flashed through my mind.
There are orthodox and unorthodox ways to handle accidents.
The orthodox method is to revert things to before the accident occurred. Everyone knows this, but it’s not always possible, and it’s impossible now.
The unorthodox method is to change the standard by which something is judged an accident.
If you’ve caused an accident, just insist it wasn’t an accident.
No, that’s not it. Isn’t there a cooler phrase?
Ah. Creative destruction.
Not the right context for this term, but anyway, this was creative destruction.

I hurled a Fireball.
The tree struck by the Fireball shattered, and the surroundings caught fire.
I also compressed mana and detonated it, and while I was at it, after a few tries, I created and launched lightning spears.
I devastated the surroundings.
When my head started throbbing a bit, I stopped casting magic.
It’s kind of fun using magic without restraint.
How far have they come?
Seems like they should be arriving soon.
Checking on Do Yugeon’s group, they were cautiously approaching from a moderate distance.
They should have arrived by now, but the fact they hadn’t meant they were carefully approaching due to the sudden commotion.
No need to hide hastily then.

I looked around for a good hiding spot.
The forest, now turned into a clearing, was filled with burning tree debris and irregularly gouged pits.
I didn’t consider that there aren’t many places to hide when there’s a fire.
Perhaps it was better to hide near the path they were coming from, under the principle of “the darkest place is under the candlestick.”
With a sight like this before them, they wouldn’t have the presence of mind to check nearby.
As I leaned against a suitable boulder, thinking about how I wanted coffee, I heard footsteps.
They’ve arrived.

The Flame Mage peered into the clearing through the bushes, then, realizing there were no mobs, let out a grim sound, his expression hardening.
“I wasn’t told about this…”
Of course, you weren’t told.
Because I did it.
“If they knew and didn’t tell us, it’s beyond the scope of a prank. If it was an accident, that’s its own issue. It’s dangerous—let’s head back now.”
“Yeah. Whatever it was, these aren’t traces of something manageable.”
While the Flame Mage and Necromancer talked, Do Yugeon was silently thinking about something.
It made me feel unnecessarily guilty.
What are you thinking?
Think simply. Simply.

“Let’s head back for now. The longer we stay, the more dangerous it gets.”
Yes, like that.
“Going back the way we came is the safest, right?”
“True, but lingering isn’t good either, so let’s cut straight through the middle on our way back.”
Waah, solved.
If Do Yugeon goes home like this, there will be time until the next scheduled event, so I can think about it then.
If only wolf-level mobs like this time appear, perhaps there’s no need to stop him forcefully, as long as I gear him up or follow along.
Though I need to gather more examples before deciding.

Following them with a relaxed mind, I expanded my senses to check for any other dangers.
There were no problems on the path they had taken.
However, when I fixed my direction toward the exit and scanned far ahead, there was something.
A treasure chest and a wolf that seemed to be sleeping.
And what are you?

It’s red, so red.
Every time the sleeping wolf breathed, its red fur shimmered in the sunlight.
It seemed larger than the wolf I caught earlier, and its appearance was extraordinary.
Though hidden because the wolf was large, there was also a treasure chest behind it.
Thinking in game terms, no matter how you look at it, this is a boss mob.
Just moments ago, I thought conquering the Rift might be manageable for Do Yugeon, but I need to change my mind.
A variable like this is troublesome.
Until now, I’ve acted while respecting his intentions, but this time, it’s better to stop him.
As Yu Mina said, I’ve been too accommodating, so it’s better to stop him once and see how things go, comforting him afterward.
Because it’s the first time, unexpected dangerous things popping out like this is troublesome.

The perfectly sleeping red wolf opened its eyes and looked this way.
What now?
I didn’t do anything this time.
Flames simmered inside the wolf’s mouth, and fire erupted from each strand of fur.
The fire spread rapidly.
I shot a lightning spear, and the wolf countered by spitting a fireball from its mouth.
Flame and lightning collided, shimmering and pushing out hot air.
Using the ensuing shockwave as a smokescreen, the wolf lunged out.
I expected that.
I pushed all the surrounding mana forward, sending it at the wolf.
The wave of mana pushed the earth, creating a dust storm that swallowed the wolf.
The dust storm became engulfed in flames.
Wow…

My mind felt blank, perhaps due to excessive magic use. Then, I suddenly realized and fled.
Judging by the wolf’s impression, it didn’t seem like it would die from something like this, and it would be better to flee to a distance where Do Yugeon couldn’t see, then take it down from the air.
If I attacked unilaterally from the sky, it would die, right?
Surely, a wolf wouldn’t have wings.
As I fled, I realized something strange.
There was no sign of pursuit.
I stopped flying and focused my senses, but the wolf wasn’t there.
It wasn’t near the treasure chest, nor anywhere else.
Don’t tell me this wolf has something like stealth?
This is problematic.

I cautiously gained altitude.
As I scanned the surroundings vigilantly, EXP flew in from afar.
From the direction of the treasure chest.
What?
Wondering if it had actually died, I cautiously went back.
As my senses had told me, the wolf was, of course, not there.
Uh, um.
It was nothing special.
This is absurd.
First the Orc Shaman, now this thing—they look impressive, but why are they like this?

Feeling deflated, I created a wind to clear the dust and pulled out the treasure chest embedded upside down in a corner.
There was nothing inside.
Is it normally like this? Wondering if I missed something, I looked around the area, which was a mess of dirt mounds. In one corner, buried, was what looked like an item: metal armor.
After pulling it out, I saw it was a dented, defective piece.
Hmm. It must have been defective originally. Probably… I casually tossed it aside.
Good. I took care of all the dangerous stuff.
I checked on Do Yugeon’s group—they weren’t coming this way but detouring around elsewhere.
They must have heard the commotion.

Suddenly, I felt a strong surge of mana.
What is it?
I quickly looked up at the sky. The sky itself was cracking and fragmenting.
Ah? Wait, this feels like the entire space is breaking down.
Somehow, this seems like the signal that the objective is complete and it’s time to leave.
No, wait, that wasn’t my intention.
The sky shattered and fell.
Huaaa…?

My vision blurred, and for some reason, my body tumbled down.
When I came to, I realized I was rolling on the pavement.
Disoriented, I pushed myself up.
An alley.
Yu Mina is over there.
The nameless magical girl is there too.
Behind me was the Rift.
A chill ran down my spine.
I really messed up this time. My mind went blank.
I need to hide somewhere quickly.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
I grabbed Yu Mina as she approached.
“Where do I hide?”
“Why are you asking me?”
This isn’t the time for that kind of talk!
“Ugh!”

Hearing a scream, I looked back at the Rift to see three people, including Do Yugeon, tumbling out onto the pavement in a tangle.
Too fast.
I quickly hid behind Yu Mina.
Okay. Calm down. I’m hidden. Let’s gather my thoughts and deal with this. Panic is bad. I really messed up, but I can handle it.
Huh? No. If I’m hiding behind Yu Mina, I’m not hidden, right?
The premise is wrong.
Does that mean I shouldn’t calm down?
“Cha Haneul?”
Do Yugeon called out.
Yu Mina shrugged, grabbed me, and pushed me forward.
How could you betray me there?

I quickly composed my expression and faced Do Yugeon.
“Hi. I was worried because I didn’t know where you were doing this, but thanks to Yu Mina contacting me, I just got here. Are you going in now?”
Good. I said it properly.
“You saw us come out.”
Ah.
I smiled awkwardly.
Do Yugeon watched me for a moment, then went over to the Flame Mage when called.
I don’t know how much he figured out, but it seems he’s letting it go, like always.
What a relief…

I glared at Yu Mina.
“You’ll pay dearly for your betrayal.”
“Want some ice cream then?”
“Yes.”
Perfect timing—I was feeling hot.
I tore open the wrapper and licked the ice cream once. Yu Mina started talking.
“How was it? Still determined to stop him?”
“Yeah. He was weaker than expected, and hmm… With preparation, Do Yugeon could probably take down the boss mob alone, but stopping him is still the right call.”
“You won’t be able to persuade him, though?”
“This time, it’ll end without persuasion.”
“Going to force it? It might work, but…”
“Of course not. Got to be refined.”

I pointed the ice cream at the Flame Mage, who was bickering with the magical girl over ice cream.
“That’s a bad adult.”
“So?”
“Recite Article 64, Paragraph 1 of the Labor Standards Act.”
“I told you I’m not going into the legal profession.”
“But you know it.”
“You have no consideration for others… Labor Standards Act Article 64, Paragraph 1: Those under 15 cannot work part-time, with exceptions.”
“The content is right, but the wording is completely different?”
“I stopped memorizing laws back in elementary school.”
“Your memory is bad. Anyway, that’s it.”