Chapter 239: Culture of the Dark Elves

“That caught me off guard.”

“Absolutely.”

The two Dark Elves suddenly became very high-spirited and friendly with us. It was fortunate that they did not become hostile, but such a drastic change was confusing.

“My friend, why have you come to such a remote place?”

“More importantly, look at this dragon. It’s a race I’ve never seen before… I wonder what kind of material can be obtained from it?”

Moreover, they called us friends. While this was pleasing, on the other hand, the Dark Elf woman was stroking Karl’s scales as if in a trance… and then she drew a knife from her clothes! Wait, wait, wait! He might be dissected right here!

“Stop, please! This creature is my familiar!”

“Oh? Is that so… what a pity.”

The Dark Elf woman looked genuinely disappointed as she put away the knife and then she took out a mysterious pill. She threw it into Karl’s mouth before Karl stood up, albeit weakly!

Perhaps the substance just administered was an antidote? Normally, I would be worried about whether I could afford the cost, but right now, I was more overjoyed that Karl was becoming energetic again. Even if it meant using up all my wealth to pay for the medicine, I would gladly do so.

“Guoo…?”

“Karl, are you okay? These people helped you.”

“It’s nothing so grand. It’s just the sap of the Ajha tree rolled up with some herbs around here!”

“That turns into a special remedy from the Ajha fruit.”

The Ajha fruit… It must be the fruit that emits this fragrant aroma. Karl had eaten plenty of it and fainted, but the fact that its sap could also be a cure was fascinating. Should I try [Appraisal] on it once?

――――――――――

• Ajha Fruit – Quality: Good, Rarity: S (Special)

This rare tree is found only in the “Dark Forest of Temptation ” in the Timbrica Continent.

The fruit it bears is very sweet and emits a refreshing fragrance.

It causes powerful paralysis only when ingested orally, and it is difficult to cure without a specific antidote.

If you eat a large amount, you will become seriously ill and will not be able to move at all.

――――――――――

Could it be said that delicious fruits carry poison? It’s also disturbing that the antidote is not easily effective unless it’s specially made. On the other hand, it seems to work only when ingested, so it couldn’t be used to poison arrows.

If it were to be of any use, it could be employed to poison the enemy’s food… But wouldn’t that be too difficult? As an item, it is interesting, so I decided to take it back as a souvenir for the two of us.

There seemed to be many trees bearing various fruits in this forest. It seemed like the Dark Elves were well-acquainted with them. Originally, it was intended, but I definitely had to establish a friendly relationship with them.

“Thank you for saving Karl. I am in your debt. I am Isam, a Wanderer from afar. This large one here is Jigoro, and this is Kael, also known as Karnaghtul.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Isam, Jigoro, and Karl, got it! I’m Kirils Inz Farlan! You can just call me Kirils!”

“A Wanderer! I had heard of them in legends, but to think they actually exist! Oh, I am Alana Yash Farlan, one of Kirils’ wives. You can call me Alana.”

The two Dark Elves turned out to be named Kirils and Alana, who were husband and wife. However, did she just say “one of his wives”? Could it be that the Dark Elves practice polygamy or is Kirils an exception? That would be something to ask about later.

“So, Isam and Jigoro. What business do legendary wanderers have in such a forest?”

“Brothers, it seems you guys want to get along with us Dark Elves.”

“If you are recognized by the Nadeus tribe, then all of us Dark Elves are your friends. Isn’t that right, Kirils?”

“Of course! This place is a dangerous hunting ground for monsters, so let us guide you to our village. Come along.”

◆◇◆◇◆◇

We made our way through the forest by following Kirils and Alana’s lead. Kirils, Alana, and Jigoro leaped from branch to branch as footholds, while Karl and I kept up by flying at the same height. During our journey, we were able to learn much about the culture of the Dark Elves.

The race of Dark Elves has a low birthrate of male children, and it seems that the gender ratio in their villages is significantly skewed, with about two males to every eight females. Naturally, this has led to a system of polygamy to continue their lineage.

Hearing of polygamy, one might think of it as a kind of harem. Many players might find this enviable, but I had heard that in reality, it is not as convenient for the men as one might imagine.

A husband must love all his wives equally and adeptly mediate any disputes among them. Just the thought of stepping between two quarreling wives made me shudder. Having multiple spouses is not necessarily better.

But leaving that aside. In their villages, a typical household consists of one man with about four wives and nearly the same ratio of children are born. The women who become wives come from different families, so every household inevitably has relatives from other families. As generations pass, the bonds within the clan grow stronger.

The reason they would all band together to attack if someone was hurt, as I heard from Lady Muno, is likely this. Everyone is closely related so the intensity of their anger becomes heightened.

They relied on foraging for food and rarely ate meat. It was not that they could not eat meat, but they said they disliked the smell of it. Moreover, the abundance of plants in the “Forest of Temptation” where they lived made hunting for meat unnecessary.

By the way, the top of the ecosystem in the Dark Forest of Temptation was dominated by plant-type monsters, and other monsters were usually their prey. Even if strong monsters that were not adapted to the forest arrived, they would end up eating paralyzing fruit like Karl and falling prey while lying down, so there would be no significant changes to the forest’s ecosystem.

“People can really settle down in such a terrifying forest?”

“It’s not that terrifying. The plant-type monsters don’t communicate, but instead, they act on instinct.”

“That means anyone who knows the methods can defeat them, and unnecessary fights can be avoided.”

“I see. It’s the power of knowledge that has been passed down.”

For example, we struggled with the Deadly Poison Predator Vine and the Great Hanging Roper, but there are items remarkably effective against these. Here are the results from having them shown and appraised.

――――――――――

• Weedkiller of the Dark Elves – Quality: Good, Rarity: S (Special)

A powerful weedkiller made by the Dark Elves.

It inflicts physical damage on plant-type monsters and normal plants.

The effect significantly increases against the plant-type monsters living in the “Dark Forest of Temptation”.

――――――――――

The method of its production seemed to be a secret, but they provided me with one bottle in exchange for goods. It appears that when this liquid is directly applied or scattered on the ground where those creatures take root, they can be brought to the brink of death in an instant. With two bottles, it seemed almost certain they could be defeated.

What a handy item… If I were to explore this place, I’d want to buy a large quantity. Shiitake might be curious about the method of production, but I could see a future where she who was a plant-type monster player would die and respawn from an experiment gone wrong with this medicine.

“It should be about time our village comes into view.”

“Look over there. See where the trees are just a bit taller?”

“Oh, now that you mention it, that’s right.”

“It reminds me of the great tree where the Birdians of Birdy Perch was.”

Alana pointed to an area where the trees stood a head taller than the surroundings. Although they were somewhat smaller than the “Mother Tree” of the Birdians, the sight of such large trees standing in such numbers was impressive.

It was a long way from here, but at the rate we were going, it seemed we would reach our destination by the time it was to log out today. Just one more push…

“Wait.”

“What’s up?”

“The god of the forest is approaching. Stay quiet, and don’t move.”

The god of the forest… a field boss, perhaps? It was unusual for a boss not to be confined to a boss area but to roam the field instead. There must have been a reason why the two residents of the forest chose to avoid combat. Following their lead and holding our breath seemed like the wisest course of action.

As we hid, sounds of something dragging and scraping approached us—zuruzuru, gichigichi. It seemed quite large, and I tensed up as I waited for it to reveal itself.

“Hooo…”

“Eh?”

The true form of the forest king turned out to be a gigantic centipede. Each segment alone appeared to be about a meter square. There could be more than two hundred segments? Its carapace was covered with moss, and some segments even had small trees growing on them.

Despite its massive size, the noise it made while moving was surprisingly quiet. Considering its size, it must be extraordinarily strong. If we were to fight, it would require the combined strength of our entire guild… no, even that might not be enough. Let’s use [Appraisal] to find out more.

――――――――――

Name: Experimental Subject 0802

Race: Plant Shell Emperor Centipede Lv100

Job: Land God Lv7

Skills:

• [Super Health Enhancement]
• [Super Strength Enhancement]
• [Super Defense Enhancement]
• [Super Agility Enhancement]
• [Super Intelligence Enhancement]
• [Super Spirit Enhancement]
• [Earthen Magic]
• [Water and Ice Magic]
• [Forest Magic]
• [???]
• [???]
• [???]
• [???]
• [???]
• [???]
• [???]
• [Emperor Poison Paralysis]
• [???]
• [???]
• [???]
• [???]
• [???]
• [???]

――――――――――

As I suspected, it seems to be a monster among monsters. Naturally, its level was at 100, and I could barely glimpse its skills. This could be due to my own skill levels being inadequate, but it also indicated a significant power gap between us.

The skills that were visible were all evolved. Moreover, all the stats-enhancing skills except dexterity were evolved. The base stats seemed to be incomparably higher than those of a player, and the fact that they were enhanced made it impossible to imagine just how strong it was.

What should be noted more than its strength were its name and job. From the word “experimental subject”, it seemed to be a creature created by an ancient civilization’s experiment. It was surprising that it had survived to this day and grown to such an extent.

The job it appeared to have gained through amassing power over a long time was that of a Land God. This position was different from the twelve goddesses, which meant its stats were close to those of Lord Armadelux.

If we provoke it, it could destroy us in less than a second. I have to admit that even my initial assessment was too optimistic. And just like me, when Jigoro and Karl realized that this would not even be a fight, they were careful even with the sound of their breathing. We could only wait helplessly for the real monster to leave.