After a long time, silence settled over the forest.
When Jun quietly opened his eyes and looked around, as expected, there wasn’t a single goblin in sight.
“Phew.”
After shaking off the moss and leaves that covered his body, he approached the direction where Aiden was buried.
“Aiden. Get up.”
“……!”
As soon as he lifted the spell, Aiden who had been sleeping as if dead sprang up to his feet.
“Se-Senior?”
“You’re awake.”
“How did, how did the battle go?”
“Look around you.”
At Jun’s words, Aiden turned his head this way and that.
“Ah.”
Corpses were scattered everywhere.
What stood out was that most of them had only their heads left.
“We lost. The goblins took everything except the heads of the dead. They probably became their daily food.”
“Senior Popkin is dead too.”
“……There’s no time to get lost in sentiment; we’ve got work to do.”
“……Senior?”
“Do you remember where the captain died?”
“Huh? Ah, it was over there.”
“Follow me.”
Though he still looked confused, Aiden soon followed Jun.
“By the way, senior. Was it you who put me to sleep…?”
Remembering the spell that had been cast on him before he lost consciousness, Aiden asked and Jun nodded his head.
“Sorry for using magic without your permission. I had to completely erase any signs of our presence.”
“That’s… understandable. Given the situation. Just please let me know next time.”
“Next time?”
That word puzzled him a bit, but there were more pressing matters at the moment.
“It was around here? Ah, there it is.”
“Hmm…”
Before long, Jun arrived at a tree where the mercenary captain’s head was hung.
“The heads of the bodies…”
“It’s the goblins’ way. They hang the heads of stronger enemies to signify their victory and mark their territory.”
“……”
“I’ll explain more later… Found it!”
“……?”
Jun quickly picked up something that had fallen near the mercenary captain’s body and showed it to Aiden.
“Aiden, do you know how to use a shield?”
“Yes, I have trained in shield techniques.”
“Great, can you use that one over there?”
“This is….”
“That’s about the best the goblins left behind.”
A tower shield that covered the entire body.
Most of the other equipment had been taken by the goblins, but this was too large and heavy, so it was left behind.
Aiden nodded his head.
“I can use it.”
“Good! Let’s head back to the fortress immediately, but it might be dangerous.”
Awooooo—!!
“The beasts that smell blood will start attacking.”
***
Jun recalled the time when he was “Lee Jeong-jun”.
The Black Forest was essentially the starting area of the game <Blackout>.
But that didn’t mean it was kind to newbies.
It was kind enough, I suppose. The game very kindly let newbies know it wasn’t gentle.
After the initial battles with goblins,
The newbies who barely defeated the goblins were greeted by beast-type monsters.
These guys weren’t designed to be beaten.
Of course, if one developed their character along with the NPCs in their party, they could easily hunt those creatures, but a newbie who had just started the game wouldn’t have those conditions.
Most of the newbies, who had just won a battle with goblins and were feeling confident, had to see the words [Game Over] appear on the screen due to the beasts that smelled blood and charged at them.
With overwhelming agility, stamina that couldn’t even be compared to goblins, and a morale-decreasing debuff from their howling,
For newbies, these elements made them want to smack the developers.
So how did one clear this part?
“Shh. Here they come.”
“…….”
Aiden raised the giant shield to cover himself and Jun behind him.
Then beast-type monsters, the “Outer Wolves”, approached from the surroundings while sniffing the ground.
Each one was twice the size of an average wolf.
And there were five of them.
Wherever they passed, they left paw prints about a handspan wide.
In front of those huge paws, the shield Aiden held wouldn’t last long.
Nevertheless, Aiden didn’t waver and held the shield firmly.
Sniff.
Grrrrr…….
Woof!
The creatures approached closely.
Ssss–
And passed by.
The two held their breaths until the creatures completely disappeared from sight, then sighed in relief.
“Phew. We made it through this time, too.”
“Yes… really, it’s all thanks to you, senior.”
They still had more than a day’s journey to the fortress.
This was already the fourth encounter with such creatures.
Aiden imagined what would have happened if they had met them unprepared.
The mere thought made his face pale as he looked at the shield in his hand.
The shield was covered in mushrooms, grass, and rotten wood to the point where he couldn’t remember its original shape.
“I never imagined the camouflage would work this well, senior.”
“Monsters of the Black Forest generally have a weaker sense of smell compared to their other senses. If it’s not the smell of blood, they can’t distinguish other smells well.”
This was due to the nature of the Black Forest.
“It’s true, if you live in a place like this, your sense of smell won’t remain like it was.”
The smell of dead trees, mushrooms, and various herbs growing inside permeated the air.
Even humans found the smell overwhelming, so one could only imagine how much worse it was for animals with sensitive noses.
Of course, they had no choice but to evolve in such a way that their sense of smell was less developed.
In the game too, if we didn’t use this kind of camouflage, there was no way to survive and return.
However, this method wasn’t foolproof.
As mentioned earlier, most monsters had a weak sense of smell.
Conversely, some monsters had a keen sense of smell.
“…Damn it.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Undead.”
“.……!”
Aiden narrowed his eyes in the direction Jun pointed to.
However, he couldn’t see any undead no matter where he looked.
“They’re camouflaged like us. Look closely at the base of the tree.”
“Ah, is that it?”
Something covered in moss and mushrooms protruded slightly.
From its size, it seemed to be a goblin’s corpse. At a glance, it blended in so well that it appeared to be part of the landscape.
“You’re amazing, senior. I didn’t notice at all.”
“You’ll get the hang of it quickly once you’re used to it.”
In Jun’s case, the skill [Keen Eyes] that he selected when creating his character made it easier for him to spot hidden enemies and objects in the game.
Originally, it was a skill designed for hunters, but its versatile effect made it popular even when raising other classes.
“They already know we’re here.”
“…Then why are they just standing there?”
“They’re undead, but not the usual kind.”
They were called Plant Undead.
They were literally undead with plants growing on them; they formed a sort of symbiotic relationship.
The undead acted on their instincts toward the living, while the plants spread their seeds by using the prey hunted by the undead.
However, their fighting power was quite poor. Their movements were sluggish, and their attacks were limited to slowly swinging arms and biting.
“So, these guys don’t move on their own. They prefer not to get their hands dirty. If you get too close or if they sense their life is in danger, they’ll scream.”
That scream would then attract other nearby monsters.
The problem was that this scream wasn’t just an ordinary scream.
“Their scream causes certain monsters to go berserk.”
A prime example was the Outer Wolf they had just passed by.
This made already powerful beast-type monsters even stronger. Although the upside was that their intelligence decreased, which would make their movements easier to predict.
Anyway, it was still too much for a newbie to handle.
“Ah… So those strange sounds from the Black Forest were caused by them?”
“That’s right. Honestly, they’re pretty much a pain in the ass when they move in swarms, and unlike normal undead, they have a certain level of intelligence. They know that attracting attention to themselves against tough opponents will only get them killed. But if you move in small groups like now…”
You can become an easy target.
This was one of the reasons why solo play in the game <Blackout> was difficult.
Every area in the game had such hidden gimmicks, and if you passed through without knowing anything, you were bound to suffer.
The game’s quality was good enough to match the difficulty, which is why it was popular…
Since he experienced it firsthand, the difficulty was no joke.
“What should we do? If we kill them from a distance…”
“That won’t work either. They’re like cockroaches.”
If you found one, you had to assume there were others hiding nearby.
“There, there, and there. Do you see them?”
Aiden’s expression darkened as he easily spotted the hidden undead in the directions Jun pointed out.
“…Yes. But those corpses, are they goblins?”
“That’s right. They are one of the few enemies of the goblins in this Black Forest.”
Usually, beasts did not threaten goblins. Like plant undead, they formed a certain level of symbiotic relationship among themselves.
The remains of the goblins’ hunts would be left behind intact, so there was no need to go through the trouble of fighting the goblins. They could just feast on the leftovers.
But if the beasts went berserk, the story would be different. They literally wouldn’t see anything in their path.
In any case, there was no need to confront those monsters.
Jun and Aiden slowly backed away.
If we just turn around and leave like this…
It should be fine.
“Growl!”
Jun’s expression twisted horribly at the howl of an Outer Wolf coming from right behind them.
Shit. A random encounter event here?
Random encounter events often appeared in the game.
It happened when the scent stack was not properly managed.
Damn it. Did they come here because they smelled our sweat? We’ve been moving a lot that I didn’t pay attention.
This was the difference between the game and reality.
In the game, the character’s smell was displayed on the interface, so it could be managed somehow, but in reality, it was hard to check one’s own body odor properly.
Undead in front, Outer Wolves behind… It’s impossible to get out without a fight.
Jun made up his mind and looked at Aiden.
Aiden understood the situation, gripped his shield handle tightly, and took a stance.
“Alright. Since it’s come to this, let’s fight.”
Jun also touched the choker around his neck and drew up his magical power.
***
Their attention must not be drawn to senior.
Aiden observed the movements of the Outer Wolves who were growling and measuring the distance.
Until Jun could prepare a spell to reduce their numbers in one strike, Aiden had to buy him some time.
Hold out as long as possible, then launch a joint attack with senior’s magic.
Fortunately, the number of Outer Wolves coming their way was not too many.
Only three in total.
This was a manageable number.
The moment Aiden decided and sprang forward, he felt the movement of magic behind him.
Already?
Aiden had previously undertaken missions with Jun back when he was a porter.
Even then, Jun’s magic had never manifested this quickly.
Is this alright?
He wondered if Jun was using a low-level spell out of panic. If so, it would be a big mistake.
If they couldn’t kill them in one shot with solid firepower, they would attract unnecessary attention.
He’s a smart person. He wouldn’t make such a mistake.
Aiden shook off his anxious thoughts and sensed the direction of Jun’s magic.
Now.
With Jun’s current skills, it should be difficult for him to pierce through the Outer Wolf’s hide and bones in one go.
Just as Aiden was about to dive in deep.
“Target the one beside you first!”
At Jun’s sharp-like command, Aiden reflexively turned to the Outer Wolf right next to him.
At the same time, a gale whipped past his head.
The gale that was as sharp as a blade sliced through the Outer Wolf’s neck.
No, was it even correct to say it was sliced?
As if it had been hit by a cannon, nothing remained where its head once was.
What…!!
It was a power that no lower-ranked mage could ever produce.
***
Wind Cutter was one of the second-circle spells famous for its exceptional cutting power. It was a favorite among lower-ranked mages.
Its mana efficiency was excellent in comparison to its power. This made it a simple spell that any aspiring battle mage would learn.
However, as a second-circle spell, it had several limitations, one of which was its range.
If the target was too far away, the cutting power would become significantly duller.
Jun was well aware of this, but since it was a spell he would rely on for a while, he had refined it himself.
Although it involved recklessly pumping in the overflowing magical power from [Mana Body].
Tsk, maybe I overdid it.
Jun clicked his tongue lightly. It had been a while since he used that much magical power, and so he failed to control his strength.
Well, even so, what I just did is something a third-circle mage could manage if they pushed themselves.
There was the condition of being a third-circle mage nearing the end of their limits, but that could easily be explained away.
Out of habit, he brought his fingers to the choker around his neck and felt its familiar texture.
Then, it was as if he heard someone’s voice whispering in his ear.
-This necklace will save your life. For a while, at least.
Damn master.
He thought of the one who had put the choker around his neck.
Fueled by that anger, his magical power once again summoned a fierce wind into reality.
The wind started swirling like water stirred in a fishbowl before it shot toward the enemy with a maddening roar.
Boom—!
Blood and entrails scattered through the air as another Outer Wold fell down.
When he finally turned his gaze to the last remaining Outer Wolf, Aiden’s sword pierced its neck at that very moment.
He’s no ordinary fighter either.
Though Jun had taken care of two, was a lower-ranked mercenary able to kill an Outer Wolf on his own?
If that had been possible, <Blackout> would have been a kinder game for newbies.
“Senior, that just now….”
“No time to explain. We need to run now.”
“Oh.”
There were many questions they wanted to ask each other, but there wasn’t much time.
The metallic smell of blood brushed past their noses.
Soon, more monsters would appear.
Just when Aiden was about to pick up the shield he had momentarily set down.
“…Senior! Behind you!”
“What?”
Kkieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee——!!
The wail of a Plant Undead, which should have been dormant, echoed through the forest.
“Shit.”
Only then did he notice.
Another pack of Outer Wolves was approaching from the opposite side.
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