The shapes of the trees revealed through the mist were completely different from those on the other side of the river. The trunks, which should have grown straight, had been twisted and bent in all directions. The bare branches spread wide and drooped toward the ground as if trying to block out all light.
âOf course, we need to be cautious of those too. The creatures here wonât be ordinary,â Ian muttered, looking back.
The landscape beyond the river felt oddly distant and faint. His senses were subtly disturbed and misaligned. It was the influence of the pervasive corrupted magic. Ordinary people wouldnât last more than a few minutes here before theyâd be unable to find their way out. freewebnĂžvel.com
âCould corrupted beings be hiding here?â Mev asked, picking up her helmet.
Ian shook his head. âI donât sense any magical circuits or spells. Itâs just corrupted magic.â
â...Then it must be influenced by the madness of the Black Wall.â
âProbably. From what I can see, itâs beyond just being influenced....â Ian glanced at Charlotte, who was sitting upright.
â...Itâs almost like a demonic realm is about to be completed.â
âA... demonic realmâŠ? But for that to happen, this entire area would have to be completely overtaken by madness,â Philip stammered, his eyes wide.
âItâs nearly impossible for a demonic realm to form without someone deliberately creating it before word spreads....â
âIt seems madness is spreading that quickly. Have you forgotten that the frontier is currently at war,â Ian replied flatly, looking down at Philip.
âIt means that this place is filled with death and madness everywhere.â
âTh, thatâs....â
Screechâ
Philipâs voice faded as a distant screech erupted. It sounded like the scream of a child who hadnât yet gone through puberty. As Philipâs shoulders twitched, the scream echoed far and wide. The cries, which had been continuing as if signaling each other, abruptly ceased. An ominous silence followed.
â...Whatever it is, it wonât let us pass peacefully.â
âIndeed,â Ian nodded.
Philip promptly halted the carriage, and Ian drew his horse closer.
âTake this,â Philip quickly tossed him the reins to secure the horses.
Charlotte, on the other side, did the same, tethering her horse. They quickly formed a makeshift four-horse carriage. Ensuring the horses and carriage were securely connected, Ian looked at Charlotte.
âGuard the horses. If you canât protect all, at least save two.â
âIâll try to guard them all if possible.â Charlotte drew her fang sword. She was the only one, aside from Ian, who could fight while maneuvering atop the horses.
âYou assist Charlotte in guarding the carriage, Philip,â Mev added as she dismounted, fastening her helmet and watching Ian dismount as well.
âWas that a wraithâs scream?â
âTo me, it sounded like a human voice.â
âThatâs a relief,â Mev said, lowering her faceguard and heading to the other side of the carriage.
Ian easily caught her implication. Mev could no longer use her divine power against those who werenât her targets for vengeance. Thus, she was now just a skilled combat knight, helpless against enemies immune to physical attacks.
Those types will all be my responsibility...
As he thought this, the sound of rustling branches spread. No one mistook it for the wind. Something was approaching from the mountainside, a lot of them.
The sound, like the earlier scream, quickly died down. But Ian didnât miss the reddish glows that began to flicker through the mist.
âScouting parties....â he murmured, his eyes glimmering with gray magic. He nodded slightly to Charlotte before darting forward without warning.
Woosh.
His figure shot through the forest like an arrow. The stagnant mist swirled as it was displaced by his swift movement, and the glowing eyes drew closer in an instant.
âScreechâ?!â
The creature shrieked in surprise. Despite its girlish voice, it was a disgustingly hideous monster. Its skin was a deep green, its eyes were like buttonholes with bloodshot red pupils, its nose looked like a lump of clay, and its long, frothy lips revealed teeth like broken glass.
The creature looked very much like a goblin commonly found in the frontier. However, its stature was much larger, with a grotesquely developed upper body and long arms disproportionate to its short legs. Ianâs brow furrowed slightly as he recalled a similar creature from the game.
These things... could they be...?
Even as he speculated, his body acted with precision.
Crack!
His sword buried itself deep in the goblinâs neck as it raised its arm reflexively. The creatureâs blood was a dark crimson, different from that of a typical goblin.
âKrr... Aaaagh!â It gurgled, reaching out its arm.
Ianâs eyes glowed with gray magic.
Boomâ
The Vacuum Explosion silently tore through the creatureâs neck and part of its chest.
âGrrrkâ grrrk!â The goblin was flung to the ground, wheezing.
Ian pounced on it and drove his sword down again. Only after several strikes to its head did it finally stop moving. The stench was as foul as any goblinâs. The red fluid and resilient vitality were the same.
Are these really half goblins...? But they shouldnât be appearing yet.
As the thought crossed his mind, Ian suddenly rolled to the ground.
Boom!
A fireball exploded where he had been standing. Even if it had hit, it would have only been a bit hot, not fatal.
It seems they can use magic⊠but why is the magic so sloppy?
Ian, rolling on the ground, saw another goblin under a tree, extending its hand. This one had an enormous head with limbs much shorter than the one he had just killed. It was still larger than a regular goblin but looked unbalanced due to its head size.
Why do they look so haphazard?
Crack!
Ianâs kick smashed into the goblinâs head, toppling it. Before it could even scream, Ian drove his knee into its chest.
âScreech!â
It shrieked with a child-like voice before being silenced by a sword strike to its head. Ian continued to strike until brain matter and fluid spurted out.
Screech! Screechâ
The shrieks from all around indicated that the other goblins had realized they were under attack.
These seem more like mutants than halves now.
Ian dashed toward another goblin with a disproportionately large right arm. Memories from the game flashed through his mind. Hybrid goblins and mutant kobolds were the most common monsters in the frontier regions of the gameâs third chapter, where the entire area had become a demonic realm. Common didnât mean weak, especially in the demonic realm.
The creatures were aggressive and moved in groups. Some could even use magic. Attacking one would quickly bring dozens, often resulting in a game over. The quest to kill their leader in the demonic realm was something he never cleared. At best, he would lure them out of the demonic realm to kill them.
Boom!
However, these hybrid goblins were much weaker than they were back then. Even considering that he had become stronger since then, it was still true. Moreover, they were a complete mess in appearance as well.
Ian easily dodged the hybrid goblinâs swinging fist and observed its movements for a moment. The goblin, with only its right half grotesquely overdeveloped, was raising its fist unsteadily, struggling to maintain balance. Its punching stance was also very sloppy.
Is it because they havenât been fully consumed by the madness of the void yet...? If so, this might be the starting point for these creatures.
Given that the demonic realm wasnât fully formed yet, it was possible. With that thought, Ian finally swung his sword. The blade cleaved into the goblinâs face.
Boomâ
A following Vacuum Explosion blew off its head, leaving only part of its lower jaw intact. Ian didnât even look at the collapsing creature as he turned back toward the carriage.
...As more people join, it does feel reassuring to have support.
Mev, like him, didnât seem to have charged at the goblins. The few screaming and charging at the carriage were being dealt with by Charlotte. Philip was busy as well, driving his sword into a goblinâs shoulder and smashing its head with his shield. It seemed Ian didnât need to worry about the carriage for now.
Tap, tapâ
Ianâs movements shifted as he sprinted again. Instead of ensuring each kill, he delivered powerful blows as he ran past, continuing his forward momentum.
These are still goblins after all...
His gaze swept over the hybrid goblins still creeping toward the carriage, their basic instincts not entirely lost.
...There must be a leader.
As Ian dashed through the twisted forest, his gaze darted in all directions until it finally settled on a goblin near the mountainside, surrounded by several large goblins. This one, however, was remarkably well-proportioned. Long, robust limbs, a face that, although hideous, was symmetrical, and most notably, it wielded a rather decent sword and shield.
...Not the chieftain. A tribe leader, perhaps.
Feeling a bit disappointed, Ian came to a sliding stop. The tribe leader turned to look at him as if sensing his gaze. Its eyes twisted, the red pupils bleeding into a purplish hue. A quest window popped up in front of Ianâs eyes.
[Altar of the Twisted Hybrids.]
Altar...?
Ianâs brow furrowed slightly as the goblin pointed its sword at him.
***
With a thunderous roar unlike anything before, a shockwave strong enough to ripple the mist erupted from the forest.
â...?!â
Philip, who was locked in combat with a goblin, stabbing it in the side, widened his eyes. The goblinâs pained and angry groan abruptly ceased, and the pressure on his shield vanished. Philip looked up at the goblin, who was staring in the direction of the shockwave. Its red eyes were bleeding into a purplish hue.
âScreech!â
With a shriek, the goblin shoved Philip away. Philipâs sword tore through its side as it ran, fluid gushing out.
Tap, tap, tapâ
But the goblin didnât seem to care as it ran off. Philip barely regained his footing.
âWhat the...?â Philip gasped, looking at the goblins dashing through the mist like ghosts.
âIan must have⊠done something,â Philip said as he approached Charlotte, who was standing nearby, drenched in red fluid.
Charlotte nodded without surprise and flicked the blood off her sword. Philip took in the scene around the carriage, littered with goblin corpses. While he had just managed to take down his third goblin, Charlotte had downed more than twice that number. But what caught Philipâs attention wasnât the number of goblins.
âThey look like goblins in skin and face... Could they be mutated by the madness of the Black Wall?â
âPerhaps. Iâm not sure,â Charlotte added, spitting out some fluid that had gotten into her mouth.
âThey smell like goblins. But the taste of their blood....â
The moment that Philip asked, âWhat about the taste of the blood?â
Boomâ
A bright yellow pillar of fire suddenly erupted through the mist, not far from where the shockwave had originated. The goblinsâ screams pierced the air for a moment.
â...?!â
Flames surged like waves, the heat reaching them despite the distance. Philip, watching in a daze, sighed in awe.
"Truly... remarkable...."
It was clearly Ianâs magic.
An obvious thought crossed Philipâs mind: if Ian had such talent, why live as a mercenary? Even in an era of declining magic, securing a high position somewhere would be easy for him. Ian was also a skilled swordsman, a rare magic swordsman from tales of old.
Excelling in both fields was extremely difficult. Despite his abilities, Ian chose to live battling monsters in the wilderness. Philip felt a renewed sense of awe for Ianâs choice.
âIan must have found a way to lure the monsters....â Mevâs voice followed.
Philip turned to see her, covered in blood, approaching the carriage.âMy lord, are you injured?â
âNo. Itâs not my blood, so donât worry,â Mev replied, lifting her faceguard and looking beyond the fading flames.
The goblinsâ screams had ceased entirely. The forest hadnât caught fire, only thick smoke billowing up. The mist quickly filled in again, mixed with the smoke, tinting the surroundings gray.
Philip muttered. âIs it over?â
âI doubt it. Knowing Ian, heâs likely headed to find the monstersâ den.â
âThen we should prepare to follow him,â Philip said, looking at Mev and Charlotte.
Mev nodded, but Charlotte hesitated as she began to nod.
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â...Ian tasked me with guarding the carriage. Iâll stay here. You two go.â
âIf you say soâ-â
Mevâs words were cut off by a calm voice.
âA commendable sense of responsibility, butââ
The group simultaneously turned toward the gray mist.
Ian emerged, coughing lightly. "It seems it would be best if we all go together."
â...?â