Jun tried to increase his mana output and melt the troll’s corpse with [Flare].
But before he could, something abnormal happened.
A crimson liquid, like a living jelly, began to seep into the troll’s empty twin heads, heart cavity, and various wounds. It started filling the voids and taking their place.
Thump— Thump— Thump—
The adventurers who had already retreated under Jun’s command now stared at the corpse, which pulsed ominously like a demon’s heart.
With each pulse, red mist began to pour out from the parts of the troll’s body that were overtaken by the crimson liquid.
“……!!”
Only then did Hertex grasp the meaning of this phenomenon and shouted.
“It’s an erosion phenomenon!!”
Thump!! Fwoooosh!!!
A huge wave of crimson mist shot out of the troll’s body, far stronger than anything that had come before, and it spread the white fog around it red.
It wasn’t long before their visibility crumbled and the formation began to fall apart.
***
“Ugh… Guys, is anyone nearby?”
“Yes, senior. Are you alright?”
“I’m here too.”
“Same here.”
As the red mist spread in an instant and the ground trembled beneath them, the group members who had lost their vision began to come to their senses one by one and looked around.
“This… is this what an erosion phenomenon is?”
The field, once filled with white mist, had transformed so drastically that it was unrecognizable.
The white fog had vanished, and now the red mist of the eroded area had completely isolated them from the outside.
And then—
“These trees…”
“Don’t touch them. They’re made from monster corpses.”
“Wh-What?!”
Except for the wooden building leading to the [Checkpoint], the once-empty field was now a forest of trees red as blood.
“To be exact, they’re made from monster mana stones… But more importantly, is everyone okay?”
“No issues.”
“Same here.”
“Me too.”
At that, Jun let out a sigh of relief.
Normally, there should’ve been a mental debuff.
For some reason, their minds didn’t seem to show any particular abnormalities.
Did he use it at a much earlier point than in the original story?
Clicking his tongue, Jun recalled the being who had spoken to him earlier.
So we’ve stepped onto the experiment platform that thing prepared.
This phenomenon was an event that occurred just before the Heavenly Church began to fully control erosion phenomena.
That was also why Maya, who could usually predict the appearance of eroders, had failed to do so this time.
Because this erosion phenomenon had been artificially created by that thing.
And yet, its appearance had come at an abnormally early time.
Originally, it wasn’t supposed to happen for a few more years.
Is this a part of the world’s original history that I didn’t know about, or is it a variable caused by my presence?
He had no way of knowing which one it was. Perhaps it was both.
Whatever the case, surviving came first for now.
“It’s a ‘Lord’-type erosion entity. Everyone, stay sharp.”
“…Why is that thing here?”
Eleanor, the only one among them who recognized the Lord-type eroder, broke out into a cold sweat.
Among the several types of eroders, it was one of the more troublesome kinds.
Originally, it only appeared in higher levels. Like the fifth level and above.
But now, it had shown itself unusually in the fourth level field.
“I’ll explain it quickly, so listen closely.”
“Yes.”
Even Aiden who was usually full of curiosity gave only a short reply and raised his sword. He kept watching the surroundings carefully.
“A Lord-type eroder is both a single entity and not. Unlike the army we faced before.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“If there are monster corpses in the area, it absorbs them and transforms them into more suitable forms, like these trees. On top of that, it can summon shadow soldiers outside the barrier.”
As he said this, Jun looked toward Maya.
“Maya. Stay calm and look inward. There’s something different, isn’t there?”
“…How did you know?”
“I’ve got my ways.”
Just as Jun had said.
Maya had noticed for a while now that the ancestral spirits had gone silent.
It was something she had never experienced before, and her eyes wavered with uncertainty.
The usually noisy elders had grown so quiet that it was making her even more uneasy.
“When erosion occurs, there’s usually a barrier called the [Field of Consciousness], but this one’s different. It’s known as the [Field of Severance].”
As the name implied, it possessed the power to cut off everything from the outside. Unless it was a highly advanced technique, breaking through it was nearly impossible.
“I can’t even sense mana.”
As Aiden raised his hand into the air with a grave expression, Jun nodded in agreement.
“That’s what makes it so troublesome. But it doesn’t concern us.”
With those words, Jun opened his dimensional bracelet and pulled out mana fluids before handing them to his teammates.
“If you’re running low on mana, don’t hesitate to use this.”
“Understood.”
Jun also prepared for full power, bringing his fingers to the choker on his neck.
[Deciphering the spell…]
[Deciphering complete.]
[The influence of the spell, ‘Odyssey of the Lazy Pilgrim’, is reduced by 20 percent.]
Jun used three mana fluids in an instant, gathering the condensed energy to ready his spell.
And then—
Ruuuuummmmble…
“There it is.”
Between the crimson trees of the forest, a hulking beast emerged.
The creature which once resembled a troll, now looked nothing like it did before. Its grotesque form was pushing through the woods.
***
“Why is a Lord-type eroder here of all places…?!”
“No time to panic! Kill the damn things, now!”
“The White Whale mercenary corps has disappeared!”
“Damn it! The eroder must’ve taken them!”
It was a sudden development, but those gathered here were not from the lower levels. They were hunters from the fourth level.
Even amidst the chaos, they quickly understood what needed to be done.
They fought back against the shadow monsters charging from all directions.
“Damn it, my sword’s not landing a hit!”
“They have physical resistance! Use the enchantment scrolls!”
“Think of them like ghost-type monsters!”
“But their defense is pathetic! Press the attack!”
The adventurers, now united in the face of survival, charged in as one with fierce determination.
“The White Whale mercenary corps is holding out inside the barrier!”
“If we don’t kill these things now, it’ll be a nightmare later!”
An adventurer who was familiar with this Lord-type erosion shouted sharply.
Just as they said. If the team inside currently engaging the Lord were wiped out, the Lord would absorb their strength, break the barrier, and further empower the summoned monsters throughout the area.
The real problem was that once an erosion of this scale occurred, even the [Checkpoint] could be devoured, which would eliminate the only place of safety left.
“Ah… Look at that. They’re holding out better than I expected. Well, I suppose it can’t be helped; it’s still incomplete, after all…”
From a distance, a man watched the fierce battle unfold and sighed with apparent disappointment.
“The mental erosion of the humans hasn’t progressed, and the risen soldiers are… frankly pathetic. Clearly, there are more than a few areas in need of improvement. Such a shame…”
The man found himself genuinely missing the dead Old Crone and Enverman.
They weren’t the only researchers within his organization studying erosion, but both had consistently produced high-quality results.
This erosion phenomenon was roughly patched together using the data left behind by those two. But as expected, the results were underwhelming.
“If it had been properly constructed, even the sanctuary here could’ve been consumed… Ah, what a shame… such a shame…”
Muttering to himself, the man cast his gaze toward the distant sanctuary… or the [Checkpoint].
“Well, I suppose it’ll be fine. Time is on our side… Or maybe not…? Come to think of it, I did hear that the human king has been acting unusually quickly…? Ugh… the workload never ends…”
Sighing like a man burdened by it all, he pulled a hip flask from his coat and took a swig.
He turned his gaze lazily back towards the inside of the barrier and took a sip of alcohol to relieve the stress of overwork.
“That human’s quite the odd one… What a waste. If I could bring him in now, he’d be useful in all sorts of ways…”
If it weren’t for those pesky “rules”, he would’ve taken action immediately.
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, the man added,
“Well… It’s not like today’s the only chance I’ll get…”
Despite his drowsy expression, his eyes glinted with something unreadable as he cast one last look toward the mage within the barrier.
***
“It’s coming!”
The Lord, having taken over the body of the Twin-Headed Troll, now moved more sluggishly than before.
But no one made the mistake of underestimating it.
They had sensed it. The energy of this crimson forest that was conjured in an instant was steadily gathering around the creature at its center.
“Maya. What about [Spirit Frenzy]?”
“Can’t use it. Without the elders, it takes way too much mana.”
Although Maya had gradually become able to use that power even without the elders, its potency had weakened accordingly.
To kill a foe of that size, she’d have to slash it hundreds of times.
“Still, use it. Just enough to deal it some damage.”
“Understood.”
“Aiden. You…”
“Should I draw its attention?”
“No. Cut down the trees in the area.”
“Huh?”
“I told you. These trees were made from monster corpses.”
“…Ah!”
The “Destroyer’s Leather” that Aiden possessed was an artifact that absorbed the energy of monsters, granting its user even greater strength.
Therefore, the trees in this forest that were created from the life force of monsters were nothing short of a feast for the Destroyer’s Leather.
“And Eleanor, just like we practiced. I’ll be preparing a large-scale spell, so I need you to cover the rest.”
“Got it.”
Against a monster of that size, casting a few minor spells wouldn’t be enough to cause real damage.
I’ll go with the biggest one I’ve got.
The spell he’d only ever prepared in theory.
Leaving the necessary support spells to “Illusia”, Jun immediately moved into casting position.
In the meantime, Maya took the initiative, deciding to draw the creature’s attention first.
[Himnal of Light]
[Life Shield of Light]
Eleanor’s support spells activated, followed by Jun’s Illusia weaving enchantments onto Maya’s gear with enchantment magic.
Then, like a shadow melting into the forest, Maya darted toward the Lord, rapidly closing the distance.
It’s huge.
Perhaps due to the effects of erosion, the Twin-Headed Troll’s body had grown even more bloated than before.
Its size now reached nearly nine meters.
From Maya’s perspective, she had to crane her neck all the way up just to see its heads.
Just like the leader said, there’s no way to handle this thing alone.
Just in case, Maya threw the Vengeance’s Dagger at the cartilage between the creature’s knees…but as expected, it didn’t do much damage.
Though it embedded itself deeply, the wound healed within seconds of retrieval.
At a time like this… there’s only one option.
After calmly assessing the situation, Maya knew there was only one thing she could do.
Make it react to [Spirit Frenzy].
Having made her decision, she darted chaotically through the forest and reached the creature’s feet.
Tatatatatata!
She climbed up its leg, and the weapon imbued with [Spirit Frenzy] slashed across it as she passed.
It didn’t leave a wound, but that didn’t matter.
Something that massive meant there were plenty of places to target.
One of the key advantages of [Spirit Frenzy] was that it didn’t need to strike a vital point.
And the bigger the monster, the more effective that trait became.
Kughrr…!
In just a brief moment, she landed ten cuts. And finally, the creature reacted.
Like swatting away a mosquito, a hand the size of a boulder came swinging toward her.
“Maya, watch out! It’s gathered enough strength!”
Flipping through the air to dodge the palm, Maya caught Jun’s distant warning.
Immediately, she activated [Spirit Dash].
Boom!
The Lord’s massive foot slammed down exactly where Maya had just been.
“…….!”
Its movement which had seemed slow as a turtle just moments ago suddenly became fast enough to be nearly impossible to react to.
“Didn’t know it could do that…”
Maya hid herself among the dust and her eyes gleamed once more.
Normally, she would’ve glared at Jun with a face full of exasperation.
“……”
But now, her eyes glinted with a chill sharper than ever before.
“Isn’t this the perfect training dummy for killing these things…!!”
At that moment, Maya who had absorbed some of the mana fluid clenched Acanthus’ fang and charged again.
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