Chapter 0030 Lizardman
-x-X-x-
"Here, for lunch, we have mountain bandit roast-style bird meat and flame-grilled boar cheek meat."
Both were grilled meats …
"Abel, black pepper also has the effect of relieving fatigue, so please eat all you can eat."
"O-ou."
Ryo was enjoying the bird meat that he had not had for a long time.
Compared to rabbits and boars, it was less likely to encounter bird-type monsters.
Although there were many things on Abel's mind, eating when it was the time to eat was an essential ability for an adventurer.
For now, he focused on eating.
For a while, only the chewing sounds of the two people echoed in the clearing.
Abel, who was considerably tired from using two 『Sword Arts』, felt that he was no longer tired by the time he finished eating.
The two of them drank the water prepared by Ryo and sighed with satisfaction.
"I would be so satisfied if the time now was right before evening and we could set up camp here."
Ryo smiled wryly at Abel's words.
"Abel wants to join his friends as soon as possible, right?"
"Even so, this is probably going to take weeks, isn't it? There's no point in rushing."
"Well, it is true that we don't know how long it will take. That said, we can still walk for half a day, so let's go."
Ryo stood up while saying so.
"All right then."
Abel replied and stood up as well.
"Hey, this is a journey to send Abel back to your friends …"
"Hey, Ryo, about that battle just now …"
As usual, Abel was in front and Ryo was at the back.
Since it was a dense forest and there was a possibility of getting separated, Ryo followed directly behind Abel.
"Yes, what about it?"
"How did you prevent the Assassin Hawk's attack? It has that invisible Wind Magic and assault charge, right? And the charge comes at a speed which is impossible to avoid by visual reaction."
Abel had his gaze forward as he asked Ryo while walking.
"I prevented them using Water-Attribute Magic, Ice Wall, which is a spell that creates a wall of ice."
"Hoh, so there are such spells too?"
"Abel, look behind."
Abel looked back as he was asked.
There was nothing in particular, with Ryo within an arm's reach. But … he felt something was off.
"Hmm? This is …"
Knock knock
Abel noticed the ice wall and knocked on it.
"It's extremely transparent."
"Yeah, it's hard to notice, right?"
(I see. Did the Assassin Hawk charge into this transparent wall and kill itself?)
"Water Magic is amazing too. Unfortunately, I don't know anyone who uses Water Magic, so I don't know much about it."
The magicians Abel knew were Fire, Wind, Earth, and Light. There were quite a few magicians among those four attributes, but none of Water and Darkness.
Darkness was quite special so there were almost no users in the central countries as a whole. Water was …
"I was told that Water Magic wasn't suitable for combat, but it seems quite useful. I'll complain to gramps when I meet him the next time."
"Hmm? Abel, did you say something?"
"Ah, no, I'm just talking to myself, don't mind me."
There was something that worried Ryo.
It was the monster in the forest beyond the opening where they engaged with the Assassin Hawk.
At the very least, it was not a monster that Ryo had ever encountered.
When the battle between Ryo and the Assassin Hawk began, that monster did not exit into the clearing and eventually returned to where it came from.
From the 『Feel』, it wasn't a large monster.
In fact, they were passing through the area where the monster was supposed to have been, but the branches were not broken. If it was a large monster, they would have been broken. It was such a dense forest after all.
(Well, there's nothing I can do even if I think about it?)
If it's useless to think about it, don't think about it.
This was one of Ryo's specialties.
"I can hear something from the front."
Abel whispered to Ryo. Ryo nodded in reply.
After a while, the forest opened up and a wetland seemed to spread far into the distance.
And unlike the wetlands of the Dullahan … there was a lizardman there.
"Lizardman …"
Abel said with a frown.
Lizardmen lived in groups.
That meant that there was likely a lizardmen settlement in the depths of that wetland.
"Lizardman … a monster that lives in clusters in swamps, and when it grows up, its tail molts and is used as a spear. They can't communicate with humans and would attack unconditionally when they see humans. That's because our internal organs are one of their favorite foods."
Abel looked at Ryo in surprise.
"You know about them well. Have you fought Lizardmen before?"
"That was just written in the book 『Monster's Encyclopedia: Beginner's Edition』 that I had at home. I have never fought them."
Ryo shook his head and answered.
"Lizardmen do not use magic but they are pretty annoying opponents in the wetlands. And because they form clusters, there are always a large number of them so I'm reluctant to fight. Let's take a detour."
Of course, Ryo didn't disagree with that.
And so the both of them headed to the west, which was also downwind.
After walking a considerable distance away from the wetlands, they started walking north again.
To be honest, they didn't know how big the wetland was, but they both wanted to stay as far away as possible from the wetland.
But … that wish was soon crushed.
"Abel, it seems that the Lizardmen noticed us."
"Seriously? Will they attack us here?"
It was a dense forest. At least, it was not a wetland, so if it was a lone Lizardman, it shouldn't be too much of a hassle.
"Abel, you can fight without worrying about me."
"Oh, okay. Don't overdo it. Make use of that wall you showed me before."
Abel somehow felt that Ryo would be okay.
(He lived alone in this forest. I just have to beat the monsters in front of me, attract their attention, and prevent them from going past me as much as possible!)
The vanguard of the Lizardmen appeared while they were communicating.
"As long as I don't know the number of enemies, I'll save on using Combat Arts."
He stepped in on his own and mowed it down with his sword in a horizontal line. The lizardman died with that single blow.
Then, he continued with a thrust at the enemy to the right and killed the second one.
Even after that, Abel moved deftly to prevent from being surrounded and defeated the Lizardmen without taking too much risk.
Even without using Combat Arts, Abel was an excellent swordsman.
(Abel is amazing. He's not in danger at all. Those sophisticated movements are definitely not self-taught and he probably received proper training from a young age …)
Ryo was honestly impressed.
That was the figure of a first-class swordsman who had piled on training and effort.
However, even Abel couldn't handle them all, and about two of them headed toward Ryo.
"I'm okay!"
Ryo shouted to Abel.
Abel glanced at Ryo and immediately began dealing with the Lizardmen around him.
"
The two ice spears fired from Ryo's hand pierced the Lizardmen's foreheads without missing their mark.
"It feels like I shot Icicle Lance for the first time in a while."
When he thought that it was about to end, he sensed something different was approaching.
"Abel, something big is coming mixed with Lizardmen."
"What?"
Without a chance to rest his hand used to defeat the Lizardmen, Abel saw the Lizardmen incoming.
The big thing that was coming …
"Lizard King! Why would such a big shot appear? Just laze at the back of the settlement!"
Lizard King … it was the 『Higher position』 of Lizardman, of which only one exists in a settlement.
It does not refer to a change that could be called an evolution of the species such as a 『Higher rank』but was more of a manager. Its equivalent would be the 『King』 and 『Village Chief』 in the human world.
However, the individual who becomes a Lizard King has a larger body and above all, greater fighting power.
Such an individual becomes the king.
"There are four remaining Lizardmen and the King? That's a little troublesome."
"Abel, please kill the King. I will defeat the rest with magic."
"No, but Ryo's staff …"
"
The four ice spears that came out of Ryo's hand pierced the foreheads of the four Lizardmen other than the King, just like the previous two ice spears.
"What?"
Abel was stunned.
"Just now, he shot out four, but … I think I recall Rin saying that there are no spells capable of simultaneous invocation … No, perhaps there are such spells in Water-Attribute Magic? Or it's possible because it is not simultaneous? Hmm?"
"Abel, the Lizard King is coming."
Abel came back to his senses with Ryo's warning.
"I'll think later. First, defeat the King."
-x-X-x-
If it was one-on-one, and if it wasn't a wetland, even the Lizard King wasn't Abel's match.
However, naturally, they couldn't take a break in a place where the corpses of Lizardmen were piled up, so they decided to move a little to the north for the time being.
While moisturizing their throats.
"
Since he felt it was cool, Ryo said chants in front of Abel as he prepared the water.
Abel stared at it happen before drinking the water while walking.
"Hey, Ryo."
"What's wrong, Abel?"
"Wasn't the chant when you prepared the water in the jug last night,
"Eh ..."
Ryo's eyes swam involuntarily.
"Wa-was that so? Perhaps Abel misheard it?"
With Ryo's suspicious behavior, no matter what he said, there was no persuasive power.
"Well, it doesn't matter. And what were those ice spears?"
"Even if you ask me that … it's the Water-Attribute Magic
"Not that, you shot four at the same time?"
"Yes, I shot four. It is such a spell, so even if you asked me what it was … I don't know how to answer?"
Abel pondered on how he should phrase it.
And he decided to convey the facts he knew.
"I have a Wind-Attribute Magician among my companions, but she said that magic is activated once with one chant. But that Icicle Lance you mentioned, you shot out four? I think that's abnormal."
But Ryo confidently answered.
"I don't know about Wind-Attribute Magic, but for Water-Attribute Magic, that just now was normal. No problem."
"I-I see …"
Abel had no choice but to say so to Ryo's overly confident expression.
After they walked about 30 minutes from the place where they defeated the Lizardmen, there was a small clearing in the forest.
From experience, they thought that an Assassin Hawk would be in such a location so they waited for a while, but none appeared, so they decided to camp there tonight.
"For dinner … Lizardmen isn't delicious, right?"
"Yeah, it's really bad. That's why I left all the corpses."
"I knew it … Then, I'll hunt something so Abel please prepare dead branches and start a fire."
Abel, who no longer doubted Ryo's magical abilities, accepted the proposal.
Undoubtedly, a wizard was better suited for this kind of hunting compared to a swordsman.
"All right. Thanks in advance."
With that said, Abel began collecting dead branches.
Ryo entered a small opening into the forest.
(Fu … Let's unify the chant into
On his mind was something that didn't matter at all.
Ryo found a Normal Rabbit without much trouble and killed it with Water Jet.
Moreover, he found a loquat tree at the place where he killed it.
"Ohh, I found some fruits to add as dessert too."
Ryo returned to the camp with the Normal Rabbit and loquat fruits in his hands.
Abel, who was picking up dead branches, had just returned.
"Abel, I have fruits for dessert today."
"Hoho. But that fruit … I've never seen it before …"
"Huh? I guess you can only find it around here. In my hometown, it is called loquat and we eat it."
"That's the first time I heard of the name too. It appears sweet from the scent. I'll look forward to it."
Abel began to set up a bonfire, placing the dead branches he had in his arms.
"
After chanting, Ryo poured water into the cup and handed it to Abel, who was lighting the bonfire.
"Now, Abel. The chant was
"Eh? What are you talking about …"
"The chant is
"Ah, yes ..."
Ryo strongly insisted.
The next day, they were heading north smoothly.
It was before noon that they ran into a difficult problem.
"It's a … wall."
"It's a … wall all right."
A series of rocks that could only be described as a wall, with no gaps from east to west, and a height of 100 meters, blocked their path.
"It seems impossible to climb this."
"Yes, the upper part is a reverse bank, so at the very least, I can't."
A reverse bank is a rock face in which it protrudes more than 90 degrees or beyond the vertical rock face.
It's also called an overhang, but in either case …
Fairly advanced rock climbing skills were needed to climb that bare-handed.
"Ku. It would be so easy for a Wind-Attribute Magician to climb!"
"No, it's impossible even for a Wind-Attribute Magician?"
In Abel's mind, he imagined Rin, the Wind-Attribute Magician, and imagined her climbing this wall.
Yeah, it's impossible.
"I guess we have to go east or west and find a bypath."
"Somehow … I just have a bad feeling no matter which way we choose …"
There was no basis, but Ryo said what he thought.
"Is that so? Then let's decide with a coin."
With that said, Abel took out a bronze coin from his wallet.
"If heads come out, it's east, if tails come out, it's west."
After he said that, he flipped it with his thumb.
Then he caught the coin that fell and opened his hand.
"Heads. East."
"Okay, let's head east."
Ryo nodded, but his gaze remained drawn to the coin on Abel's left hand.
"Ryo, what's wrong with this coin?"
"No, I'm seeing currency for the first time."
Yes, that was the first time Ryo encountered currency since coming to 『Phi』.
Because he was reincarnated and lived alone all the time, he didn't have the opportunity or need to touch money.
"Ah..."
But Abel pitied him because he didn't even get to touch money due to his poverty.
He remembered Ryo's appearance of only a loincloth and sandals when he first met Ryo and misunderstood that he was dressed that way due to poverty.
"Abel, could you show me that coin for a moment?"
The coin that Abel gave Ryo was the lowest-value bronze coin in the kingdom's currency.
The currency unit in the central countries was Florin.
Money was, of course, issued by each country, but the currency unit was the same.
There used to be several currencies, but now one Florin was equivalent to one bronze coin and was used for various transactions and trades.
Abel explained.
(It is similar to a currency unit widely used in medieval to early modern Europe on Earth, the Ducat.)
With that interpretation, Ryo was able to easily accept Abel's explanation.
The bronze coin that Abel gave him had a man's profile on the front and some flower sculpture on the back.
"That is a one Florin bronze coin from the Kingdom of Knightley where I live."
"Knightley! Sounds cool!"
Ryo remembered that there was an actress with that name on Earth. She was an amazing beauty!
Ryo's tension was skyrocketing.
"Ye-yeah. And the profile of the bronze coin is the current King Stafford IV, the lily flower on the back is the royal flower."
"Stafford Knightley … that's definitely the name for a protagonist, isn't it?
"Well, there are various middle names and so on …"
The last of Abel's mutterings never reached Ryo's ears.
A man will have chuunibyou forever.
... It does seem disrespectful to call His Majesty the King's name chuunibyou.
Ryo was excited to hear that the name of the country where Abel lived and the country they were heading to was 『The Kingdom of Knightley』.
Abel was, of course, happy that others had a good feeling for his country, but it was unavoidable that his eyes toward Ryo were the eyes of looking at a slightly pitiful person.
Ryo walked east along the wall while looking at the coin happily. Abel walked next to him.
"By the way, Abel said that this Florin is used in the central countries, but the Kingdom of Knightley is just one of those central countries, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is one of the three great powers."
Abel replied, nodding.
"Three major powers … What are the other two major powers?"
"It is the Debuhi Empire and the Handal Union."
"Fat …" (TLN: Debu = Fat in Japanese)
Ryo muttered, frowning.
"Hmm? Do you have any unpleasant memories of the empire?"
"No, the name is just uncool …"
Ryo replied, frowning even more.
"A-ah … I see that's important when it comes to Ryo's values …"
Abel's look of seeing a pitiful person when he looked at Ryo was even more pronounced now.
"The name of the country is important to the people! I don't want to say that I'm a fat (Debuhi) citizen … Don't tell me … the name of the emperor is something along the lines of fat and has a plump body ...."
Abel shook his head and replied.
"No, the family name of the imperial family is Bornemisza. The Bornemisza family. His Majesty the Emperor Rupert VI of the Bornemisza family of the Debuhi Empire, is over fifty years old but has not a single excess flesh, and has a steel-like body."
"If so, why don't you change the name of the country!?"
Ryo shouted.
He wasn't shouting for something based on his sense of aesthetics.
He shouted for the imperial subjects who carried a sad name.
Debuhi … At least make an anagram … No, 『Hidebu』 was also … there's no other name?
-x-X-x-
The two walked along the wall.
After walking for about two hours, the wall gradually became lower.
"The wall is getting lower little by little but it still seems impossible to climb."
"It's difficult. Perhaps it will work out if we don't rush and keep going like this."
The height of the wall was getting as low as 30 meters, but it still seemed difficult to climb.
(It feels as if the wall was gouged out by a huge laser. Maybe a Light-Attribute Magician can use that kind of magic.)
No one answered the question that was raised in his head.
But even if he did voice it out, no one would be able to answer it either.
After walking for about another hour, the wall suddenly ended.
"Is the wall finally over?"
"So the other side of the wall was not a forest, but grasslands."
As Ryo commented, the grasslands spread out as far as the eye could see, apart from some rock masses that were about a meter high.
It was a significant change, given that they had been walking through a dense forest until they hit the wall.
"The outlook is good, but … well, it doesn't matter either way. We have no choice but to head north anyway."
"Then, let's go."
It was around the time after they set foot in the grasslands and walked for about 30 minutes.
Kakin
Abel, the vanguard, pulled out his sword, swung it, and slashed something that had flown over.
"... Stone?"
Abel murmured.
With that as the trigger, thumb-sized stones flew toward Abel from the front.
He avoided them or knocked them down with a sword and squinted forward.
He saw it firing a rock from about two meters away.
"
A wall of ice created by Ryo formed in front of Abel.
Abel, who no longer had to worry about the stones due to the Ice Wall, looked even more intently.
"Ryo, this is bad. We seemed to have entered a Rock Golem nest."
"Golems have nests?"
Ryo, the rearguard, ran up to Abel.
"Adventurers call the place where golems appear in large numbers, 『Nest』. Apparently, that is the case here. It's my first time experiencing it too."
Even with knowledge of it, there were times when it didn't help.
"That rock-like thing is a Rock Golem?"
"Yeah, that's it."
"I thought that golems would have hands and feet more like humans …"
Ryo's knowledge came from Earth.
Even though there was no historical fact that there were golems on Earth.
A 『golem』 is a moving mud doll that originally appeared in Jewish folklore.
Well, housing a soul in the soil and moving it or making it from a person, they remained in myths and folklore all over the world, so perhaps there used to be golems on Earth …
"Oh, those that are moved via alchemy have that shape. I've heard that there is a country in the west that has a golem squad. But, naturally occurring golems have various shapes … I guess the golems here formed from those rocks."
As soon as Abel said that, he turned around and slashed with his sword.
Kakin.
Golems were firing stones behind too.
"
Ryo created an Ice Wall behind as well.
"Now that I think about it, there were such rocks in the place where we passed by. Did they wake up?"
"A pincer attack after leading us in? Lumps of soil shouldn't use their heads that much."
"Is it possible to defeat golems with a sword?"
Incidentally, Ryo had no knowledge at all on them because the golem-type monsters were not listed in 『Monster's Encyclopedia: Beginner's Edition』.
"I won't know until I try it."
"I guess."
"Well, this may be a good experience. I'm attacking the one nearby. Ryo can stay here."
After saying that, Abel went out from between the front and back Ice Walls and ran towards the Rock Golem which was approaching from the front to the right.
Yes, the Rock Golem had the appearance of a 『rock』, but it was getting closer and closer.
(Since it is a rock, it probably can't be cut with a normal Water Jet. Abrasive Jet likely can cut it … but it doesn't feel like it will cut in an instant … I'll try it later.)
While Ryo was thinking about that, Abel slashed into one of the Rock Golems.
"Combat Art: Perfect Pierce"
As he approached, he activated the combat art and thrust with his sword.
Zaku
Abel's partner, his magic sword, coupled with the effects of the combat art, pierced the Rock Golem's body.
He pierced it and mowed it down sideways.
Ordinary creatures would die from that but … the golem was already repairing the location where it was cut.
"Damn"
Abel kicked the golem that was restoring itself with his foot before heading back to the Ice Wall.
He did so to earn some time before it could fire the stones.
Getting shot from behind while running would be difficult to dodge.
Perhaps the golem couldn't shoot stones while it was toppled over as Abel was able to safely return to the Ice Wall.
"It doesn't work, they can repair themselves."
"Yeah, I saw it. The golems current moving, including the one Abel attacked, are seven in front and five behind."
"Twelve in total huh … the prospect of escaping is a bit slim."
"Yeah, it's impossible to escape. Hmm~ there is an attack I want to try … can I try it?"
Ryo said and looked up at the sky.
"Either way, I am out of means. I'll leave it to you."
"Then.
Upon Ryo's chant, Ice Walls formed 『parallel to the ground』 40 meters above the golems.
And then, they fell.
Accompanied by a roaring sound, the soil and grass were blown up many meters.
Ryo and Abel weren't hurt because they had a defensive ice wall, but the place where the Ice Wall 10 layers fell was terrible.
Of course, the Rock Golems that the walls of ice fell on … there were no fragments of them left.
It seemed to have crushed two golems.
"Weapons that rely on mass are scary."
Yes, what Ryo did was nothing special.
He just created Ice Walls in the sky and dropped them.
He used 10 layers because he imagined that 10 layers would be heavier…
The Icicle Lances from the sky and this new attempt, it seemed that Ryo may have a liking toward dropping things.
Ryo was content with the result but Abel remained stunned and couldn't move.
It took about 5 seconds for him to move once again.
"Ry-Ryo … What was that just now?"
"See, this Ice Wall in front of us, I just created it in the sky and dropped it. It's extremely simple but it worked."
Ryo smiled broadly to reassure Abel.
Even though the weapon utilizing mass produced an effect that was stronger than expected … Ryo thought that it would be cooler to show that everything was as expected.
"It seems that I killed two of them but I guess I can kill the others in the same way too."
After saying that, Ryo generated Ice Wall 10 layers in the sky one after another, dropped them, and pressed them against the ground.
Ryo noticed.
Only the Rock Golem that Abel kicked down had stopped moving since then.
"Abel, I've defeated 11 for the time being."
"11? Hn? But there were 12?"
"Yeah, the one that Abel kicked down first had stopped moving."
Ryo said and pointed to the golem that Abel kicked down.
"Yeah … it certainly isn't moving."
After dispelling the defensive Ice Wall, the two of them approached the toppled golem.
Abel touched the golem with the tip of his sword but there was no reaction at all.
"Why did it stop moving…?"
"Maybe it stopped working due to Abel's terrific kicking technique. Abel should stop being a swordsman and become a grappler!"
"What is a grappler? In any case, it wasn't such a great kick."
Abel's kick was more of a knock-down kick rather than a damaging kick.
It was a push with the sole of his foot … almost like a professional wrestling kick.
Against a human opponent, just kicking the solar plexus would deal damage, but such a kick would not deal any damage to a golem made of stone.
"Perhaps …"
Ryo crouched down and carefully examined the lower part of the Rock Golem, which was originally in contact with the ground.
He was hypothesizing if the golem was supplied with some sort of energy from the ground and could only receive it with the lower part of the golem.
The source of that suspicion was the non-contact smartphone charging technology.
He remembered wondering on Earth if he installed that technology on the floor or the walls of his house, he wouldn't need a power outlet for home appliances … when he saw the golem that turned over and stopped moving, his mind went to that.
On the golem … there was certainly something.
"Abel, look at this."
Ryo showed Abel the spot.
"Is that … a magic stone?"
A small glimpse of a yellow magic stone was visible from the part where the golem was originally in contact with the ground.
"Should we dig it out of the golem?"
"Yeah. But a Rock Golem is tough. My combat art Perfect Pierce could do it but …"
"It's okay, it will take some time but there is a spell that is just right for this in Water-Attribute Magic.
A spell that he thought wouldn't be useful for defeating Rock Golems, but would be just right for dismantling, even if it took some time.
Since he didn't know how big the buried magic stone was, he carefully scraped off the surrounding rock.
After about 10 minutes, he succeeded in retrieving the magic stone.
It was a palm-sized yellow magic stone.
"This is … pretty big."
It was a shocking magic stone even for Abel, who had defeated countless monsters and gathered countless magic stones.
The value of a magic stone was determined by its size, color, and shade.
The larger the size, the greater the value. Generally, stronger monsters have larger magic stones.
The colors had their corresponding magical attribute. Red for fire, blue for water.
And the shade depends, in general, on how long the monster lived since it was born, the duration, and its experience. The more experience it has, the darker it becomes, and the darker it is, the higher the value.
"The size is perfect. The color is yellow, so it has Earth Attribute. Its shade is also surprisingly dark. It probably defeated the monsters that intruded here for a long time."
Abel said while looking at the golem's magic stone.
"Ooo, so this is the loot for this battle. Abel should carry it."
"Me?"
"Yes, since my clothes don't have pockets."
"O-oh."
-x-X-x-
Ryo also looked around at the Rock Golems that he crushed with the Ice Walls but the magic stones were brilliantly crushed.
"This method was a failure."
Ryo's shoulders slumped from disappointment.
"No, we would have been killed if you did not defeat them … for us to survive, you had no choice. In the first place, we didn't know that the magic stones could be harvested."
"You're right. In order to succeed, you must first survive, right?"
Ryo remembered the words of a man who earned more than hundreds of billions of yen a year and crushed the Bank of England.
As one of the world's three largest investors, it was true that he survived.
So Ryo nodded in agreement.
"It seems that there are some that are still stationary a little farther away … what should we do?"
Only the Rock Golems around the area attacked Ryo and Abel and a good number of rock masses could still be seen in the distance to the west.
"Yeah … honestly, I don't want to bring upon unnecessary trouble to ourselves. And it would tough for Abel if your pockets were filled with magic stones like this, right?"
"Well, putting aside that thing about my pocket, I agree with not stirring up a hornet's nest. Let's quickly resume heading north."
He said and they started walking north.
"I wonder if the Rock Golem nest was directly above us when we were walking along the wall."
"That's likely the case given the position. Although I don't know why that was the case."
"Was there any special magical power coming out of the ground … or was it a trap set by someone?"
Ryo commented like a detective.
"Someone … I don't think there's anyone in this place."
"It doesn't have to be a person, right?"
Ryo's eyes shone.
"An Elf or a Dwarf?"
"Sigh …"
Ryo sighed as he looked sideways at Abel and shrugged with his hands up, as though he was feeling disappointed.
"Hey, don't look at me like you're looking at a pitiful person."
"If it's not a person, it should be an Akuma or something like that."
"Akuma … what is that?"
"Eh? What?"
At the end of 『Monster's Encyclopedia: Beginner's Edition』, Michael (pseudonym) intentionally added some entries as a 『Special Edition』.
They were the 『Dragon』 and 『Akuma』.
Since it was written on purpose, Ryo thought it was common knowledge for humans living on 『Phi』.
Abel had a great deal of knowledge when he explained the central nations.
At least, Ryo thought that he was a person who had above-average knowledge among the people living on this 『Phi』 world.
However, Abel said he didn't know about『Akuma』…
"Abel, do you know about dragons?"
"Of course. That said, I have not seen one before, them being legendary creatures, but I know about them."
They were real but Ryo decided not to reveal his encounter.
He felt that it was better not to talk about it…
"Then, haven't you heard of Devils or Daemons?"
"I've heard of Devils. They are adversaries of God and Angels."
(I see. They are known as Devils?)
(TLN: Akuma悪魔 = Devilデビル but the author is making a distinction that they are different in this world. Edited the entry in Chapter 18.)
However, Ryo felt a faint sense of incongruity.
In that case, why did Michael (pseudonym) write 『Akuma』 instead of 『Devil』?
Moreover, the explanation for Akuma was.
『Not … fallen angels. Origins are unknown.』
(Something's off. But there's no point worrying about it now.)
"Then, Ryo, you're suggesting that these Rock Golems were installed by a Devil?"
"You can't say that there isn't a possibility of it, right?"
Of course, he made that claim without any basis.
"By the way, did Abel just say elf or dwarf?"
"Yeah, I did. Although, I was looked at by some Water-Attribute Magician with a look of ridicule."
Abel glared at Ryo.
"Abel, you can't be a good swordsman if you stick to such details."
"I don't want to be told that by you!"
After surviving through several life-and-death struggles, the two had become comrades.
That was a good thing for traveling companions.
"Well, anyway, tell me more about elves and dwarves."
Ryo prioritized his interests without worrying about Abel's yelling.
"Sheesh … Dwarves can commonly be found in cities. After all, many of them are good blacksmiths. About one-third of good blacksmiths are dwarves. Also, they make pretty good adventurers. Because they have strong arms, they are often in the vanguard role."
"I see. That's exactly what I imagined."
"What kind of image do you have … As for elves, there is an extremely small number of them. You will rarely see them even in cities. Even in the City of Rune where I am based, there is only one adventurer, and that is maybe the only elf in the City of Rune. Many form villages in the woods and rarely come out. In the Kingdom of Knightley, they live in a village in the woods west of the kingdom."
"I see. That's exactly what I imagined too."
"Like I asked, what kind of image is it?!"
Abel was feeling half angry and half annoyed.
After passing through the Rock Golem nest, the two had walked for quite a bit.
They wanted to get away from the dangerous nest as soon as possible, and because it was grasslands rather than a forest, they were able to speed up naturally.
When the sun began to set, they reached a river.
"Let's camp around here today."
"Okay. Dinner will be salt-grilled river fish then."
"Ooo, that sounds great. Then, I'll procure the fish."
Usually, Ryo, the Magician, would hunt Lesser Rabbits and such, but today Abel offered to do the hunting.
"Are you sure?"
"Hey, oi, don't look at me with such an intense look of doubt. Mostly, I procured the fish when I was working with my companions."
"Okay, then I'll leave it to Abel. I'll gather the dead branches."
So Ryo left for firewood gathering and Abel headed to the river.
"Sheesh … I'm good at procuring fish."
Grumbling, Abel took off his shoes, rolled up the hem of his pants, and pulled the sword out from his waist.
Then he entered the river until it reached his knees.
He entered the river and waited quietly for something.
A few seconds later.
He stabbed his sword into the river.
A fish was magnificently pierced by the tip of the sword that was pulled up.
"Good."
Abel continued to procure dinner in a similar manner.
Grilled fish for the first time in a long time.
It was basic, seasoned only with salt, but it was delicious.
Both Ryo and Abel loved meat, but …
"Sometimes fish is good. It's delicious."
"That's because Abel succeeded in procuring ingredients properly. I underestimated you."
Ryo said and bowed his head.
"No, well, it's fine as long as you understand."
Abel was a little embarrassed.
"River fish is great after all. Compared to the sea, the sea …"
"Hmm? You were at the beach when you helped me. Do you hate the sea?"
"Yeah, I was almost killed a long time ago …"
"A Water-Attribute Magician of Ryo's caliber was almost killed … by what?"
"The Kraken."
When he said that, Ryo firmly vowed to defeat it someday, the Kraken.
"Huh? Was Ryo also attacked by the Kraken? But there was no ship … Oh, was it destroyed by the Kraken at that time?"
"No, I lost one-on-one with the Kraken in the sea."
"Yeah, I don't really know what you're talking about anymore."
"Of course, I didn't fight because I wanted to, okay? There are some battles that men can't avoid, and that was one of them."
When he said that, Ryo nodded as if he had come up with a good idea.
"I was defeated because I was alone at that time, but now that I have Abel, I should be able to beat the Kraken! When we reach the sea, let's fight the Kraken, underwater! It's a revenge match!"
"Oh, yeah, Ryo, do your best, because I'll be cheering on land! Leave it to me to cheer you on, I'm good at it even though I look like this!"
"You ran away … terrible …"
"That's a given!"
Thus, the night of the Rondo subcontinent drew late.
-x-X-x-
The next day, early morning.
The previous night's lookout was Ryo for the first half and Abel for the second half too.
When Ryo woke up in the morning, Abel wasn't in front of the bonfire.
He was swinging his sword in the distance.
His appearance was so sophisticated that it wouldn't feel strange to called it a 『Sword Dance』.
Slowly, but without a momentary delay, the sword was swung to verify the body's movements.
It was completely different from the basic movements in Ryo's Kendo or Japanese swordsmanship.
However, those movements fascinated Ryo, even as an outsider of the swordsmanship of 『Phi』.
Swordsmanship achieved by carefully pilling on every foundation and basics.
That may be the outcome of a person who has both the natural talent and the fruits of their efforts.
Perhaps Abel himself didn't think that he was working hard.
'This is the norm' 'Just ordinary' … he probably thought that as he swung his sword … even though it would look to others that he was working hard.
Just because you make an effort does not mean that you will get the results you want, when you want them.
Therefore, some people say, 'Even if you make an effort, you will not be rewarded.'
It's saddening.
But to Ryo. He believed that hard work does not betray you.
It was certainly not always possible to get the desired result at the desired timing.
However, the result of the effort will surely come.
That said, it was also true that it wouldn't make sense to some no matter how many times you say it … After all, people may not understand it unless they experience it.
People believe what they want to believe … that's the kind of creatures people are.
Ryo watched Abel's 『Sword Dance』 and thought that if people looked at a person like Abel up close, it might change them a little.
While fascinated and impressed, Ryo unknowingly analyzed and remembered each of Abel's movements.
"Oh, Ryo, you're awake?"
After finishing a series of movements, Abel called out to Ryo.
Of course, Abel had noticed that Ryo had been watching for a long time.
He was watching quietly and he wanted to move his body a little more, so he kept swinging his sword.
He had been used to being watched from a long time ago so it didn't really bother him.
"It's amazing. I thought Abel's sword was nice, but it's really sophisticated and beautiful."
Ryo praised him from the bottom of his heart.
"Stop it. I've been doing it for a long time, so I just remembered with my body. I've sweat a little so I'll go wash up in the river."
(Ah, was he training in the morning because there was a river nearby? If he could bathe in the river, I wouldn't have to use
For breakfast, they baked and ate the fish that Abel caught while bathing.
Breakfast was crucial.
That was an enduring fact from ancient times.
"The river seems to be flowing from the north, so perhaps we can try traveling upstream along the river?"
"Yes, I thought that was a good plan too."
(Maybe …)
Ryo thought to himself and decided to disclose the information to Abel.
"Abel, this land we are in is surrounded by the sea on three sides, east, south, and west."
"Oh, so that's why we're heading north?"
"Yes. However, there is a mountain range in the north. And another mountain range that spans from the east to west that intersects with it. That forms a sort of lid that covers the north. And humans live beyond that mountain range, on the northern side."
Abel had suspicions when he heard that.
"Ryo, I do not doubt you but … where is that information from?"
"It's better not to ask. Just know that it is information from a being that is beyond human comprehension."
With that said, Ryo stared fixedly at Abel.
At times like these, the eyes speak as much as the mouth.
He shouldn't look away.
Looking at how Ryo was acting, Abel nodded.
"Okay, if that's what Ryo says, I believe you. Either way, there's no other information to rely on."
"Thank you, Abel."
Ryo said and bowed his head.
"No, I'm the grateful one. If you're saying this at this timing, do you think that the river may be flowing from the mountain range to the north?"
"That's right. Well, it's just a possibility. For now, keep in mind we'll eventually have to cross the mountains as we head north."
"All right."
The two walked along the river toward the north.
After walking for a while, they encountered a Horn Bison drinking water.
The cow monster Ryo saw a long time ago that pierced a crocodile at a river near his house.
That Horn Bison was mercilessly hunted by Abel for lunch that day.
Ryo remembered when he met the Horn Bison.
It gouged the crocodile but there were piranhas in that river.
However, it seemed that there were no such devilish fish in this river.
Otherwise, Abel would have been eaten by piranhas as of last evening.
Ryo was only aware now that he had asked for something terrifying when he thought about it.
"Hey, Ryo."
"Eh, oh, what's wrong with Abel?"
"Are you hiding something inconvenient for me?"
(Is he an esper!)
In Ryo's heart, his face reflected the expression of the graphic novel-like 『Scream』 portrait.
At times like these, it was best to dodge the question.
At times like these, the eyes speak as much as the mouth.
He shouldn't look away.
"I- I have completely no idea what you're talking about."
"Yeah, your eyes are looking at me straight, but you're sweating, your words are shaking, I can tell even if I try not to, right?"
Abel was staring at Ryo intently.
After that, Ryo desperately tried to dodge the issue, but after a while, he gave up and told Abel about the Horn Bison and Piranha.
"So there are such terrifying fishes …"
"Of course, I didn't intentionally offer Abel as a sacrifice, okay?"
"Obviously … well, there weren't such fishes yesterday or this morning, so perhaps they are not found in this river … Ryo, do you have anything else you should be telling me? Don't hide any other information that could be life-threatening for me. Is that okay?"
"Yes, okay. I will give Abel all the information I know."
Of course, that was a lie.
He didn't tell him anything about the Dragon or Dullahan.
However, those were decided by Ryo as matters that would be better not told, different from the piranha incident that he had completely forgotten about and did not tell him.
Ryo arbitrarily decided it that way.
It goes without saying that Abel entered the river more carefully than yesterday when procuring food in the river that evening.
-x-X-x-
Chapter 0035 Great Monster Battle
-x-X-x-
Ryo and Abel were in a difficult situation.
"Abel, what is that …"
It was quite a distance ahead, but some giant creature was lying along the river.
"That's the first time I'm seeing one, but I think it's a Behemoth …"
Abel answered quietly.
Of course, thinking with common sense, it was not a distance where it could hear them even if they talked normally, but it still made them think that they should talk softly.
If they made a mistake and it attacked …
"Abel, seems like you can hunt it."
"There is no way!"
A huge monster with a total height of well over 100 meters.
And if it truly was a Behemoth, even if it was not a Dragon, they have not been reported to come in contact with people for more than a hundred years.
At least in the Kingdom of Knightley, no such report had been made.
"With such a gigantic body, it seems that it can easily block that free-falling Ice Wall 10 layers that I used against the Rock Golems."
Ryo seemed to be having a little more fun than Abel, who had cold sweats and was keeping his voice down.
To Ryo, It was a sight that he could never see when he was on Earth.
And it was a creature that did not exist on Earth.
Sure, he understood that there was a danger to their lives, but at the same time, he also realized that he was a little excited.
"First of all, it doesn't seem like it will work. Ryo, definitely don't try it, okay?"
"Sheesh, Abel, don't you think I'm such a crazy person?"
"Yeah, I do."
Abel nodded greatly.
Ryo was shocked to see that.
Then, Ryo noticed something.
Something was approaching from the northern sky.
"Abel, something is coming from the sky over there."
Abel looked at the northern sky as he was told.
Even Abel, who had good eyesight, could see something approaching, but he could not tell what it was clearly.
It was not clear but to be able to tell that 『something』 was flying from this distance, it was definitely a bird.
"Dragon …?"
"No, their hands are wings, so they are Wyverns to be exact."
"Oh, the backward compatible version of Dragons!"
What a terrible way of putting it.
"Six Wyverns…"
There were many eyewitness accounts of Wyverns in the central countries.
And there were quite a few cases where caravans and villages had been attacked.
Although incomparable to a Dragon, they were still not something that adventurers and knights could manage with just a few people. Of course, that was against one Wyvern.
Now they were looking at six…
"Those Wyverns … their goal is …"
"Yeah. That Behemoth."
"We get to watch a great monster battle!"
"No … it will be overwhelmingly tough for the Behemoth…"
Abel expressed his view.
Abel had participated in Wyvern subjugations several times before.
Therefore, he knew the strength and troublesomeness of Wyverns.
"I don't think Behi-chan will lose so easily!"
Before he knew it, Ryo had named it Behi-chan.
Well, surely, if you ignore its huge size, it looked like a hippopotamus so you can't… can't…can't say that it's not adorable.
"Attacking with numbers against just one target, they are a disgrace to the Dragon's way."
"Dragon's way … Well, that's true but they have an overwhelmingly advantage to be able to attack from the air. Wyverns can use Wind-Attribute Magic. Especially invisible attack spells like Air Slash and the superior spell Sonic Blade which is a bigger threat."
"Sonic blade! Sonic blade from three body clones and a charging attack at the same time!"
That tactic he calls a breakdown rush was something Ryo was particular about.
"Body clones are definitely impossible … and I have not heard of Sonic Blade accompanied by a charging attack?"
Abel seriously answered Ryo's delusions. He was a good guy.
The Behemoth that was lying down also began getting up to deal with the imminent threat.
Specifically, it just got on to its hands and knees.
The Behemoth on the ground and six Wyverns hovering in the air, the distance between them were about 40 meters.
The Wyverns initiated the fight.
They flapped their wings and seemingly attacked with Air Slashes.
Ryo and Abel could only guess that they were Air Slashes because the slight air distortion caused by the casting of an Air Slash was not visible from that distance.
However, the Behemoth probably could recognize all the Air Slashes, including the number and trajectory of the shots.
Six human-head-sized pebbles instantly formed around the Behemoth.
As soon as they were created, the pebbles were released and accurately intercepted all the Air Slashes.
"Ooo."
"As expected of Behi-chan!"
"The next attack will likely be the ranged attack, Sonic Blade."
Based on his past experience with Wyverns, Abel predicted the next move of the Wyverns.
"The trouble with Sonic Blade is that it splits into multiple blades after launch."
"A saturation attack utilizing the power of numbers? Wind magic is terrible!"
There was nothing more troublesome than a spell that splits before landing.
As Abel envisioned, six Sonic Blades were fired from the six Wyverns.
Unlike Air Slash, Sonic Blade was a visible Wind-Attribute attack magic.
The six wind blades heading for Behemoth split into dozens of smaller blades after crossing half the distance.
But that may have been within the Behemoth's expectations.
The Behemoth did not intercept with pebbles but created a huge stone wall in front of him from the ground.
The stone wall protected against all the Sonic Blades.
"I heard that the Behemoth was a monster of the earth, but I didn't expect it to manipulate Earth-Attribute Magic so well."
"I was expecting a melee battle but it turned out to be a magic battle."
"In any case, it lacks a decisive hit."
The Wyverns, which were gathered in one place when they attacked, began to move and formed a circle to surround the Behemoth.
"It can't possibly defend against attacks from all directions with the stone wall just now, what will it do?"
"Ku … Good luck Behi-chan."
When the Wyverns completed the circle and were about to release the Sonic Blades, Ryo felt a sense of discomfort.
That sense of discomfort was centered on the Behemoth.
Of course, he didn't know the reason or the cause.
He didn't know but it felt strange.
However, he had felt that sense of strangeness before.
That discomfort rapidly spread from around the Behemoth and quickly encompassed the Wyverns.
The moment the Wyverns entered that zone, the Sonic Blades, which were about to be launched, were canceled and the Wyverns crashed to the ground.
From the hovering state, they crashed as if they had lost lift in an instant…
"Paralysis? And in all directions?"
"No … it's not that."
When Abel looked at Ryo, Ryo's face was a little pale.
"That's probably magic nullification."
Yes, the discomfort that Ryo had felt before was the magical nullification that the one-eyed Assassin Hawk seemed to have acquired after evolution.
The Wyverns probably flew using magic.
Otherwise, it would be impossible to hover with such large bodies.
Gliding might be possible but hovering in the air would be impossible.
And that magic was sealed by the Behemoth and they crashed.
Although their magic was sealed so they can't fly or attack with wind magic, they should be able to move if they were not paralyzed.
With that thought in mind, he saw that some of the grounded Wyverns got up and still displayed a fighting stance.
"Magic nullification? Making it impossible to use magic? Such a thing is possible? I've never heard of monsters using that, not to mention human Magicians. That's impossible."
"Look. The fallen Wyverns are up. If they were paralyzed, they shouldn't be able to move after they fall."
"I see, you're right. But magic nullification… that kind of thing … seems more likely to be a dungeon trap …"
"Dungeon!"
Speaking of fantasy, dungeons!
"Is there a dungeon in the Kingdom of Knightley?"
"Oh, there is. The only dungeon in the central countries."
Ryo got excited when he heard it.
"That's wonderful! So there is a dungeon trap with magic nullification."
"I've never heard of such a trap in the dungeon in the kingdom. There apparently is such a trap in a dungeon in the western countries. A room with magic nullification space."
"Hoho. If there are dungeons, it won't be strange to see monsters appear."
"No, I think that's strange enough …"
Abel frowned and shook his head.
"Is Ryo interested in dungeons?"
"Of course. I want to dive into one someday."
"Then, you're in luck. The only dungeon in the central countries is in the City of Rune we are heading to."
That information came as a surprise for Ryo.
"What … Why did Abel keep silent about that until now!"
"Well, even if you say that … I didn't know that Ryo was so interested in dungeons …"
The fight continued on the battlefield while the two were talking.
However, it is more of a one-sided trampling than a battle …
The Wyverns lost their overwhelmingly advantageous position in the air, could not use attack magic, and could not fly.
On the other hand, the Behemoth was a sufficient threat with its huge body alone.
No matter what physical attack the Wyverns made, the Behemoth was not hurt.
What's more, the Wyverns couldn't use magic but the Behemoth could use it without any issues.
While trampling on one of the Wyverns with its foot, it hit a wyvern at the rear with stone to prevent it from escaping.
The one-sided battle was over in less than five minutes.
Six Wyvern corpses were lying there.
"We've seen something scary."
"Yeah, the Behemoth is terrifying."
Before the battle, Abel thought that the Wyvern had an overwhelming advantage, but he never imagined that it would be such a one-sided development.
Abel swore firmly in his heart that he absolutely did not want to fight that.
"Now, the second round is Abel vs. Behi-chan."
"Don't joke around!"
The two intently gave the Behemoth, which was eating the Wyverns, a wide berth.
-x-X-x-
After taking a large detour east to bypass the Behemoth-Wyvern battlefield, the two headed north.
After walking for a while, Abel spoke to Ryo.
"Hey, Ryo, if my eyes are not playing tricks on me, I can see a series of extremely tall mountains in front of us."
"It's strange. I see a series of inconceivably tall mountains too."
It was still quite a distance but they could see the snow-capped mountains rising above the clouds.
In terms of the Earth units, the mountains were about 6,000 meters or 7,000 meters tall?
"So that's the mountain range that acts as the lid …"
"I fear you are correct."
Ryo didn't expect the mountains to be that intimidating.
"Before crossing the mountain … I think it's better to prepare dried meat while we're at the foot of the mountain. It might not be an issue halfway through but after we cross the halfway point, it seems like it will be difficult hunting creatures for the meal of the day."
"Yeah … the ground might be covered in snow."
"Absolutely … If I was a Wind-Attribute Magician, I could leap over a mountain like that with a single jump!"
In Abel's head, he pictured his party member, Rin, a Wind-Attribute Magician, trying to cross the mountain range in one go, and couldn't see it happening at all.
"No, that's impossible."
Abel denied Ryo's delusion.
The two proceeded north and entered a forest.
"Speaking of which, Abel. Have you ever defeated Wyverns?"
"Hn? I've participated in their subjugation several times. Why?"
"Well, didn't the Wyverns who appeared at Behi-chan's location come from the northern mountain range?"
Upon hearing that, Abel, who was walking beside Ryo, slowly turned his head toward Ryo as if a squeaking noise could be heard.
"Don't tell me that there will be Wyverns ahead …?"
"Yes, I'm sure there will be."
In contrast to Abel's stunned expression, Ryo's expression could even be said to be bright.
In fact, Ryo wanted to see the Wyverns a little closer.
The battle with the Behemoth was seen from a great distance.
"Wyverns aren't monsters that can be managed by two or so people. In fact, for Wyvern subjugations, there would be at least 20 people and they would have to be C-class adventurers and above. Even then, there would be victims on the adventurer side. "
To Abel, who had seen adventurers injured and in some cases die during Wyvern subjugations, Wyverns were opponents he would want to avoid if possible.
"How do you fight during subjugations? Since they are in the air, Abel's Combat Arts won't be able to reach, right?"
"When the opponent is a Wyvern, we swordsmen would act as decoys and have the role of dealing the final blow when they fall to the ground. However, for the Wyvern class, the bow and arrow is ineffective against them, so the main method of attack would be reliant on Magicians."
"Ooo, Magicians banzai."
Ryo commented and cheered.
"Well, even with that said, one or two Magicians can't achieve anything. While alive, Wyverns guard their bodies with wind magic so even if they are hit by Fire-Attribute attack magic, they suffer almost no damage."
Abel explained to Ryo as he recalled the memories of the subjugations he participated in and the points to note.
"Those Fire-Attribute Magicians aren't that big a deal."
As a Water-Attribute Magician, Ryo revealed his rivalry toward the Fire attribute.
Even though he had never met a Fire-Attribute Magician since he came to 『Phi』.
Of course, he had never met a Magician other than himself since he was born.
"Still, in terms of attack power, Fire-Attribute Magic is the strongest. In the first place, Wyverns use Wind-Attribute Magic, so the magic from Wind-Attribute Magicians can't deal any damage to them."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Even if they fire Air Slashes at it, it won't hit."
The Bait Ball and Kraken that Ryo met in the sea came to mind.
(I wonder if they are the kind that will snatch magic control. I guess if it's the same magic attribute, snatching control is the main way to go…)
"That's why Fire-Attribute Magicians will solely focus on shooting Fireballs, Fire Lances, etc. And that's how they whittle down the endurance of the Wyvern."
"Somehow … I get the impression that it's not very refined…"
"It can't be helped. There is no established way to hunt Wyverns with certainty. Hit it with Fire Magic, whittle down its endurance, and if you are lucky enough that the magic passes through when the wind defense is weakened, it will fall to the ground. However, when faced with Fire Magic attacks, the Wyverns will be angered and their diving charges would give rise to many casualties."
Abel shrugged and answered.
"Yeah, I think humans shouldn't try to confront Wyverns anymore."
"Even if we don't wish to, it's not good if one appears on the route of caravans and trade becomes stagnant. The feudal lords and kings would request the adventurer's guild to subdue them."
At that point, Abel suddenly got into combat readiness.
(Something is strange.)
Ryo, like Abel, felt uncomfortable.
"Something is strange … with the plants …"
Ryo whispered to Abel.
In other words, it was not an animal-based monster. The plants around them were the cause of the discomfort.
However, there were no incoming attacks.
Nothing was attacking … as far as they could see.
Suddenly Abel knelt on one knee.
"Abel!"
"It's okay, it must be poison or something, but I'll be back to normal soon."
After saying that, Abel stood up as if he had immediately recovered from the poison and then pulled out his sword.
Ryo imagined capturing all the water vapor molecules floating in the air within a radius of 20 meters.
(
Instantaneously, his head was swimming from the overwhelming flow of information into his head.
But he had no other choice now.
The 『Ping』 that he emitted from his body spread like ripples along the surrounding water molecules.
Just like the spreading waves when you drop a stone into the mirror-like surface of still water.
Utilizing that, he caught some floating 『foreign substances』.
(This sensation is a paralytic poison.)
Based on the 『Ping』 that was reflected off the foreign substances, he identified the foreign substance from past experience.
(The direction of higher density is … to the right … I can't see anything … no, it's shaking slightly.)
"
The sudden rain flushed the paralytic poison in the air to the ground.
"
And he completely sealed the source of the paralytic poison in ice.
Previously, he could not control Water Magic within 10cm from the surface of a creature, but perhaps as the result of considerable effort, he could now freeze the air surrounding creatures.
"That lump of ice …"
"That plant was spreading the paralytic poison. So I locked it in ice to prevent the poison from scattering."
"But … what is this …"
Abel was also surprised by the monster he saw for the first time.
Perhaps because it was frozen in ice and its refractive index changed, they could see the plant monster that looked just like the Rafflesia plant.
"Maybe it can reflect like a mirror and could camouflage with the surrounding scenery."
"So that's why we couldn't see it …"
Abel also felt a sense of discomfort from the surroundings but could not identify the cause.
That was a given if it was an invisible monster.
"So what are you doing to do with this lump of ice?"
"Let's leave it as it is and it should thaw when it is far enough away from me. In the case of plants, it should live once it thaws. It has nothing to do with us so let's choose to let it live."
"Then … what happens to creatures apart from plants?"
"They'll die. I tried to allow blood to circulate through the heart when in the ice, or conversely, to put them in a state of suspended animation through cryogenic freezing, but … it still doesn't work well. I'll have to work harder."
"I-I see …"
Abel swallowed his saliva.
Yes, Abel thought about the possibility of being frozen in ice.
Of course, Ryo wouldn't do such a thing, but even if he wouldn't … sometimes the mind would consider the possibility when thinking about 'possible or impossible'.
Ryo's voice pierced into him at that moment.
"Abel … I know what you're thinking!"
"W-what …"
As expected, Abel couldn't hide his unease.
"In the summer, the ice coffin would feel cold and comfortable, isn't it? Sheesh … that would be troublesome."
"Ah … I'm a lot more relieved for many different reasons."
Although disappointed, Abel was a little happy for certain reasons.
-x-X-x-
A time to relax after eating dinner.
Even though they were on a journey, their nerves wouldn't last if they stayed vigilant all the time.
To loosen up when there's the chance to and be vigilant when needed. That was important.
"A plant monster that spits paralytic poison … and it's invisible … that's the first time I've heard of such a monster."
Even Abel, who had considerable experience as an adventurer, did not know such a monster.
"There were no such plant monsters in the area where I lived."
"Plant monsters generally spawn in fairly concentrated areas since they don't move like animal monsters. People usually do not encounter them. But some adventurers hunt only plant monsters."
"Hoho. Do they drop some good materials?"
"Yeah, alchemy materials or materials for magic tools."
"I'm really interested in alchemy!"
Ryo expressed his admiration for alchemy, which he had never seen before, with sparkling eyes.
"It is apparently quite difficult to become a full-fledged alchemist."
"Just as I want it! Three years on a stone will make it warm!" (TLN: Proverb for perseverance will prevail)
Abel didn't understand the meaning of『Three years on a stone will make it warm』but decided to let it pass.
"By the way, how did Ryo defend against the paralyzing poison of that monster?"
Yes, Abel found it strange.
Abel was wearing an item that allowed him to recover from abnormal conditions.
It could detoxify normal poison immediately.
The paralytic poison this time was so powerful that it affected his body, albeit slightly, to the extent that he knelt to one knee.
However, Ryo didn't look like he was affected by the poison.
"No, I didn't do anything in particular."
Yes, Ryo did nothing.
That said, he had never practiced gaining resistance to poison.
In the first place, Ryo couldn't find『Detoxifying Grass』around his house.
(I wonder why nothing happened. The blessing of the Water Fairy King … no, I can't assume that this world has such blessings … maybe …)
"Was it the effect of this robe?"
He somehow came up with it and gave it a try.
There was no way to verify it anyway so for the time being, he just thanked the person who gave it to him.
(Thank you, Master.)
"Oh, that's plausible. At first glance, it looks like a normal robe but it's definitely not normal."
"Abel, the way you phrase it is strange."
"Well, I know, but I can't help it because I can only express it that way."
"I just thanked my master for giving me this in my heart."
"Oh, that's good, because gratitude is important."
The moment he heard that, Ryo's face was full of astonishment.
"Abel said something decent …"
"Hey, oi, the things I say are always decent!"
"It's a pattern that only the person themselves thinks so."
"I don't want to be told that by you!"
The next day onward, they started making dried meat for crossing the mountain.
While in the woods, they wanted to hunt for rabbit and boar meat.
There were many rabbits and boars in forests but they were rarely found in grasslands.
Ryo had never heard of such habits on Earth, but when he asked Abel,
"That's how it is."
He got a dull answer.
In about two days, they were able to hunt five each.
It was more than enough for two people's share of dried meat.
「Salt」was indispensable for making dried meat.
And a decent amount of it was required.
Originally he wanted to soak it in soy sauce, but … he didn't have it on hand.
It couldn't be helped, so he sprinkled salt and black pepper on the sliced meat and dry them for about 3 days.
That was all.
"It's pretty easy, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it's because we made simple dried meat that adventurers make on the go. In the worst case, they would be made only with salt, so even having pepper would be quite lucky."
"I'm glad that there was pepper in the Rondo forest."
Ryo nodded and said.
The two headed north to the mountain range while holding ice rods made by Ryo skewered with dried meat to dry them as they walked.
Incidentally, apart from the meat, the skin were『tanned』by Ryo and were made into a cloak for Abel and as『spare clothes』for Ryo.
That was because Abel commented that it would be painful to cross a mountain covered with snow without a cloak.
Just having a cloak would greatly increase the protection against the cold.
In addition, Ryo made … clothes for himself with the appearance of『Kantogi』. (TLN: 貫頭衣)
It was basically a large tanned Greater Boar leather with a hole in the middle for the head.
If he tied it around the waist with ivy to replace a belt, he would have an exact Yayoi period『Kantogi』garment.
Ryo was wearing the robe given to him by the Dullahan so he didn't need a cloak.
Instead, he made a 『Kantogi』to wear inside the robe, doubling the warmth.
With this, both of them had dramatically improved their ability to protect against the cold.
"Hey, Ryo, those bags you made along with the cloak …"
"Yes, I plan to put the dried meat in them to carry them along with us."
It could be said to be the standard size for a shoulder bag.
"If it's any bigger than this, it will be difficult when Abel is in battle, right?"
"Well, that's right … but even if we put the two bags together, it looks like it won't fit all the dried meat."
"Yeah, it can't be helped. The ones that don't fit …"
"Yeah, it can't be helped."
It was a waste to throw them away but they couldn't avoid doing so. Abel thought so.
"We'll carry those we can't fit by hand."
"...What?"
"We'll be eating it every day, so the further we go, the less we will have, right? We can finish what we have in our hands first."
Abel's eyes became dots.
"But I can't fight if I have my hands full …"
"I will fight in the meantime."
Ryo nodded with grim resolution.
As a matter of fact, when they finished packing the dried meat in the bags, they only had about one day worth to hold it in their hands.
It goes without saying that Abel was relieved that it was only to that extent.
-x-X-x-
A series of huge mountains towered in front of Ryo and Abel.
When Ryo first saw it, he thought of the Himalayas.
The mountain ridge that separates the Indian subcontinent and the Eurasian continent. Home to the world's highest peak, Everest, the summit of the Gods locally called Chomolungma.
If they were on Earth, it would have been extremely difficult to scale the summit without oxygen.
Moreover, they didn't have decent equipment.
But even on Earth, some Nepalese high priests stay at the summit of Everest for 32 hours and spend 11 hours of which without additional oxygen supply.
In that case … it shouldn't be difficult … maybe … for those who trained in 『Phi』to climbing without oxygen.
There was something that Abel found strange.
It was Ryo's physical strength.
Abel was a B-class adventurer and Swordsman.
There was no doubt that his physical strength, including stamina, was top class among all humankind.
Ryo, who was keeping up with him without any problems, was a Magician.
Although it wasn't a rule, fundamentally Magicians had poor physical strength.
If they were adventurers, they would have better physical strength than the average person, but they would still be considerably weaker than a Swordsman.
In fact, Abel's party member, Rin, the Wind Magician, had terrible stamina.
Her low endurance was considerably bad even when compared against the priest in the same party.
And yet.
Since the day he started traveling with Ryo, Ryo had no problems keeping pace with Abel's movements and he didn't even break a sweat. He wouldn't have any problems even if he entered battle directly.
In a sense, it might even be possible to say that he was abnormal as a Magician.
"Hey, Ryo."
"What's wrong, Abel?"
They were still at an altitude that could still be called the 『foothills』. There was no need to cut down on conversations to preserve oxygen.
"Ryo has considerably physical strength for a wizard."
Ryo replied with a bold smile, chuckling 『Fufufu』.
"You've done well to notice, Abel. I gained a lot of endurance while living alone. I shouldn't have a problem fighting continuously for about five hours."
"No, well, you'll run out of magic."
Abel retorted that Ryo was supposed to be a Magician.
"At any rate, I'm confident in my physical strength so Abel doesn't have to worry about me and it is okay to go at your pace."
"Oh wow, that's some confidence."
"Of course. B-class adventurer Swordsman or thereabouts can't beat me in that area."
Ryo provoked for no reason.
"Interestinggg, if you want a fight, I welcome it!"
Abel rode on the provocation.
"Fufu, I'm not scared at all even if you have dried meat in both hands."
"That's the same for you!"
While having foolish bickering, they walked toward the mountain.
As the sun approached the zenith, they felt extraordinary pressure.
"What?"
Abel looked left and right.
However, 『It』 flew down in front of them from the sky.
"Griffon …"
Abel could only say that and stiffened completely.
Ryo couldn't move at all either because of the sense of intimidation or presence coming from the Griffon.
Griffon.
The Champion of the Sky, the God of Death of the Sky, the Ruler of the Sky … it was the governor of the sky with multiple aliases.
If it is the Behemoth that reigns on the ground, then it can be said that the Griffon controls the sky.
A terrifying monster with the upper body and wings of an eagle and the lower body of a lion.
Such a monster flew down in front of them and was staring at them.
After about 20 seconds, Ryo finally regained his senses.
Then, on a whim, he slowly released the dried meat he had in his right hand toward the Griffon.
Paku
The Griffon dexterously caught the dried meat that flew toward it with its beak and ate it.
That was when Abel finally regained his senses too.
Ryo also threw the dried meat in his left hand to the Griffon in a similar fashion.
This time, the Griffon opened and caught the meat directly in its mouth before chewing.
After finishing, the Griffon's gaze clearly turned to the dried meats Abel was holding on to.
"Abel, dried meat."
Ryo whispered in a voice that could barely be heard by Abel.
As prompted by it, Abel threw the dried meat he had in his right and left hands to the Griffon.
When it finished eating the dried meat that Abel threw to it, perhaps it was satisfied as it leaped into the sky with a large flap of its wings and the Griffon went away.
The two were rooted for a while.
It wasn't until well over five minutes after the Gryphon left that they were finally able to speak.
"Abel, I'm glad we're alive."
"I totally agree."
They sat down at the base of a large tree nearby and took a breather.
"That was good thinking, tossing the dried meat."
Abel praised Ryo's decision to toss the dried meat to the Griffon at the start.
"I thought of trying to first appeal that we weren't its enemy and then I remembered the dried meat I had in my hand. I imagined that Griffons won't hate meat."
"Yeah, that was a great decision."
Ryo was shy from Abel's continuous praises.
"Even so, it had a great sense of presence."
"Yeah, that was insane. Behi-chan was amazing too but that was a distance away. The Griffon was right in front of our eyes …"
"I'm glad it didn't become an enemy."
"It's probably impossible to win if that becomes hostile."
Ryo nodded as he replied.
"That's not an opponent that humans can fight …"
"It's better to deal with six Wyverns than to deal with a Griffon."
"No, I would hate dealing with either of them."
For the time being, since it was lunchtime, they decided to take out the dried meat in their bags to eat.
However, it goes without saying that they looked around when taking it out.
It would be a ridiculous turn of events if a Griffon suddenly appeared again …
"Nevertheless, Behi-chan, Griffon and such, there are all kinds of monsters."
After calming down, Ryo muttered.
"Just like the Behemoth, humans have not reported sightings of a Griffon in the last few hundreds of years. I think this land is quite unusual."
"It's rude to call this land unusual. Isn't it because humanity is not putting in enough effort?"
"What effort!?"
It seemed that their mental states had recovered to the point where they could finally make jokes.
"I wonder if that northern mountain range is preventing Behemoths and Griffons from coming to human land."
"Well, they don't have to worry about food here. They probably wouldn't bother making the effort to go over the mountains to the other side."
"It seems it would be difficult even for the Griffon to cross that mountain."
"But there seems to be a Swordsman trying to cross that same mountain …"
Ryo sighed ostentatiously.
"My bad! It can't be helped. I was washed over from the sea but I don't feel like returning through the sea."
After all, there was a Kraken in the sea.
"Behi-chan on land, Kraken in the sea, and Griffon in the sky … Land, sea and air, you've collected them all."
"I would have been happier not collecting them!"