Pioneering the Apocalyptic World - Chapter 47
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Chapter 17: To the center of the anomaly
“I already said that I won’t take you guys.”
“But why?!”
“We are good at magic. I’m sure that we will be useful.”
When we were about to leave for the depths of the forest, there were some elves who came saying “We’ll accompany you!”, but I immediately refused.
Well, since the investigation team has gone missing, fighting power is certainly a necessity, but the problem is not that part .
“There’s no way I can go with someone who is likely to drag down Uru, who is our greatest strength, right?”
“…!”
“D-Do you wanna say that I’m inferior to that lizard over there…!?”
How annoying, with that thought process, you guys didn’t have the intention of cooperating from start, right? By any chance, are these people are stupid?
Besides, even if you guys were stronger than Uru, I don’t want to take someone who goes beyond the level of lack of trust and reach into the negative points level of relationship…
It’s too bothersome to deal with them, and just when I was thinking about ignoring them and leaving, another person called out to me.
“Rion-sama, please wait.”
Heh, it’s Fricka.
After all that, I haven’t seen her since then (and incidentally, I didn’t let anyone come in my room at night), so I was a little worried, but she seems to be fine. From what I can see, It’s not like she has any visible injuries.
……Well, I’m talking only about her appearance, I don’t known about her mind. I can say that because she somewhere looks like she has no leeway in her face.
“Please, take me with you.”
“Umm…”
I became a little stumped in how to reply. The surroundings became noisy, saying, “Don’t cut the line!” but I will ignore them. I have no intention of letting you guys came along in the first place.
The aforementioned relationship of trust is not a problem for her. Although there is not a problem…….
Just a few days ago, I remembered how she stumbled and got caught her feet just by walking around, so I wonder if it’s really okay to take her…? That question arose in my mind.
If it’s just a short walk, it should be fine, but if was a situation when you’re attacked by a monster and have to run away, will she be able to do it safely?
“It is okay to just take her.”
“Uru?”
“… She seem be determined.”
When I looked at Fricka again after being indicated by Uru… It seems that her preparations are complete.
A leather breastplate and gauntlets, a small bow and a staff… She was equipped with what looked like a wind muffler, an accessory that made the body a little lighter. She seemed to be fairly used to them, and didn’t seem to have her movements inhibited by them.
Even still, I have to confirm this part.
“Do you have your father’s permission?”
“…Yes. Rather, I was sent off saying ‘You will become useful for miko-sama.'”
Instinctively I exchanged glances with Uru.
In common, the impression of “Suspicious …” came out. After showing that much hostility ‘You will become useful for miko(me)’, was it?
That’s already incredibly suspicious at this point, but… It looks like it’s going to get even worse if I leave her here instead.
I’ve consulted with Wiega-san, I can only pray that he won’t do anything strange in the village while we’re away.
Following the east river, we walk up towards the upstream.
I’ll have Uru take the lead and watch out, and I’ll follow along while observing if there’s anything strange in the surroundings. Fricka is in the middle of us, and so far it hasn’t stumbled.
“Muu…”
“Uru, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing, It just that didn’t see any beasts at all… I thought I could ask Rion to cook them for me.”
The gluttonous remarks from Uru made me laugh.
However, it’s strange that there are no animals in such a large forest. Is this also one of the effects of the weakness…?
“Fricka, have you heard that about that the hunters haven’t been able to catch any prey recently, or that there have been fewer prey than normal?”
“… I’m sorry, I haven’t heard of it. But now that you mention it, I feel like the number of meat dishes have been decreased.”
Hmmm, I see.
Oh, I just remembered one thing.
“Before coming to Alness Village, I saw a ridiculously huge Silent Killer’s nest, but how about in these parts?”
“I haven’t heard of anyone being stung, but… I haven’t seen the nest itself recently too.……It was useful as a sweets.”
Ah, as I expected, honey can be harvested from that. It’s just that they are very belligerent, but they are just like bees.
…… I’m starting to want it. I don’t have much variety in sweets in our house right now…………I can’t just laugh at Uru’s gluttony, this time.
But how do they get it? I feel like it would be tough to annihilate them all. Let’s ask them when the things calm down.
“……This Is delicious.”
“That’s right.”
At noon, Fricka, who ate the food I made, had widened her eyes in surprise. Mikos can do all the kinds of things related to creating, but… Perhaps I don’t look like I’m good at cooking?
And why is Uru puffing out her chest… Well, her gestures are cute, so I can forgive her for just that.
Uru is telling a story about how she ate this kind of food or how she ate that kind of food, it’s not enough to say that the conversation is lively, but to just have Uru and Fricka having a friendly conversation, that’s all the motivation that I need to do my best at cooking.
By the way, today’s menu is venison grilled with herbs sandwich. The frying pan has been making a good work since the day it was made.
We drank hot milk (with weakness resistance buff) made in the pot after eating, and started the investigation after taking a break.……We are not doing it because it’s fancy.
As we progressed, the plants that were in a bluish-purple or withered state have increased.
Not only plants, there was also bones of animals, and rotting carcasses in front of them could be seen. But there are no insects that gather around them here.
Even though it was daytime, it was dim, and it wouldn’t be strange for monsters to appear at any time, but that didn’t happened either.
The wind blowing through the trees was chilly and oppressive, and there was a low-pitched sound that seemed to contain some kind of resentment, this is just like??
“It looks like a forest of death.”
The words Uru whispered were exactly what was in my mind.
“Rion, do you have any idea about this kind of phenomenon?”
“Hmm…”
It’s not like I don’t have……. But the situation is different this time.
There were monsters that can put the player in a weakened state with drain attacks, there were also dungeons devoid of the living??but with a lot of the dead??called the Mansions of the Dead.
However, the former wasn’t this wide ranging, and in the latter I can’t feel any sign of a dungeon core or undead wandering around.
“Fumu, I’ve been feeling a strange presence since a while ago… I wonder if that is an undead.”
“Eh, is that true?”
“Since the reaction was too small to know where it was, I didn’t gave a warning because I thought it wasn’t nearby. I’m sorry, I should have told you more early.”
To Uru with her sharp senses don’t understand where It is, It seems quite far. It’s true that if I was vigilant to such point, I might get tired with all the nerve-racking first, but the situation is like this, so I urged her with a “Please do that next time.”.
But an undead… I hope the holy water will be enough, when I was checking the contents of my item box, Uru continued to speak.
“The weakness state, Is it correct to perceive it in the sense that something like the life force is being sucked away state? ”
“That’s right.”
“Didn’t Rion said before? ‘The dungeon absorbs the blessings of the land.’ Is it possible that this place has already became a dungeon and that all the life force has been already sucked away?”
“It’s not out of the question, but…”
Even so, It hits the point that I still can’t sense the presence of the core.
Well, I don’t have the confidence to say that my perceptive ability is absolute.
“Then, how about the dungeon being so wide that you can’t perceptive it?”
“Ugh… If that’s the case, then it will be a tough work…”
And it’s not just wide, it seems that it could be collecting resources in a quite a wide range, so it might be very troublesome to deal with.
Fricka, who had been silently listening to our speculation, timidly interrupted.
“Um… How about if the core of the dungeon was being concealed?”
At the same time as the words are said, she moved her hands as if they are wrapping something.
I’ve also thought about concealment. However, while I have experience about a phenomenon that the dungeons near the final destination, where the core was too strong and it was difficult to know where it exactly was, I don’t have any experience in cases of the presence being weakened by something… I can’t say it can’t be possible.
No good, at the moment there is too little material to judge. We have no choice but to keep going.
At the moment that I thought that.
“Kyaah!?”
Fricka tripped over a root and fell.
……I thought it it didn’t happened in a while, but it finally appeared here……Ahahaha…….
With a wry smile, I held out my hand and asked “Are you okay?”, Fricka blushed and stumbled while trying to explain herself.
“No, no, um, hm, that was different.”
“Hmm?”
“The ground suddenly shook—”
??Zuzu-*
“Uwah?”
“!?”
The ground shook, and Uru and I were suddenly lost our balance.
Could it be an earthquake? It’s not even a volcanic area, how unusual…
“Rion, be careful! This is??”
In an instant, Uru’s expression became stern, in other words, she was in combat mode.
With a sharp gaze she looked around, and by the time that it fixed downwards.
“It’s a monster attack!!!”
At the same time as the warning, several black roots protruded from the ground like spears.
*Translator note: Zuzu-(???) japanese onomatopoeia for rumbling, dragging sound with the end being muffled, imagine a muffled landslide sound and it will be probably sound like it.