*Ding!*
[You have defeated an Owlbear.]
[First Clear Reward: 100 Coins]
*Thump!* The massive body collapsed, sending dust swirling into the air.
I lightly channeled mana to dispel the dust, pushing the notification window to the side.
"Hyunwoo, you did a great job."
After roughly collecting the magic stone and hopping off the Owlbear's corpse, Iris rushed over, dabbing my face with a handkerchief.
I wasn't particularly sweaty, but the gesture was nice, so I decided to enjoy Iris's ministrations in silence.
[Remaining Match Time: 42:15:41]
It had been three hours since we started traversing the Great Forest heading southwest. The unchanging scenery and occasional monster encounters had long since demoted my view of the Great Forest from a popular tourist spot to a survival documentary filming location.
Cute animals like rabbits and squirrels did pop out now and then, but most of the time it was monsters like the Owlbear we'd just fought.
The monsters were mostly D-rank, occasionally C-, but the more we fought, the more I wondered what kind of species elves were to live in a forest like this.
Were they some kind of combat tribe?
Iris had the answer.
"The capital's walls have a barrier that repels monsters. Other towns and villages have something similar."
I suppose, no matter how much of a combat tribe they were, they couldn't survive if monsters attacked all the time.
Even if they could handle it, people would eventually get tired of that kind of life and desert, making it impossible for the country to survive.
"By the way, Hyunwoo, you're amazing."
"What about?"
"Reaching the 4th Circle! No one in the entire magic world has ever reached such a level so quickly!"
I was a little embarrassed by the sudden barrage of compliments, but I didn't dislike it. Was this why men smiled like fools when pretty women complimented them?
Even though we were walking through the middle of a monster-infested forest, just having Iris by my side made it feel like we were on a popular date.
Of course, our pace wasn't exactly like a leisurely stroll like normal couples.
"Shall we go again?"
"Yes."
I held Iris in my arms again and cast 'Haste,' sprinting through the forest. I left the direction entirely to Iris, while I used mana detection to avoid as many monsters as possible.
The dense trees made it difficult to run, but we had no choice if we wanted to reach Wavele within the remaining two days.
Tree roots and rocks jutted out, perfect for tripping, and branches were at the perfect height for getting poked in the eye.
Compared to running through a dungeon, it felt like an extreme obstacle course, but I was getting used to it.
The important thing was breathing.
Instead of brute-forcing it with mana, I had to control my breathing from my heart to the tips of my limbs.
Of course, it was easier said than done.
Especially since I had to listen to Iris's magic lessons and directions at the same time, which required more concentration than usual.
That's when I longed for the martial arts Cheon Yeohwa used when running through the forest.
'I should ask her to teach me when I get back.'
Was that called light footwork?
Learning proper martial arts on Earth was as difficult as learning magic. Due to the problem of leaking techniques, even if you had a lot of money, you couldn't learn martial arts unless you were recognized as a member of the sect.
Even if you did learn, it was mostly mediocre stuff.
"Um, Hyunwoo? Are you listening?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry."
I had been lost in thought for a moment and hadn't heard Iris's voice. She shook her head at my brief apology.
"It's okay. You must be tired from carrying me and running."
"I told you, it's nothing."
She had said that several times now.
I told her every time that it felt like I wasn't carrying anything at all, but it seemed to bother her.
"So? What did you say?"
Iris pointed slightly to the right of our path.
"There are people 200 meters ahead."
"People?"
"Yes, elves too."
Mana detection wasn't omnipotent.
It was literally a magic that detected mana, so detecting humans who hadn't awakened mana or plants and animals with very faint mana required a high degree of concentration.
Of course, that didn't apply to Iris, who could control spirits.
"If they're elves, are they like those scouts we met yesterday?"
"No. Rangers usually operate at night. Judging by the bows on their backs, they're probably villagers from nearby hunting."
Surprisingly, the elves in this world eat meat.
When I heard that Iris was a vegetarian, I thought that all elves were vegetarians like in fantasy novels, but she told me that was a characteristic of High Elves only.
"…There are humans with them too. A lot of them."
Her voice was slightly trembling, so I immediately changed direction.
I had a pretty good idea of what she wanted to say.
As we got closer, I could also feel faint signs of people. Shouts, screams, and the clashing of weapons.
"You put up a magic to obstruct detection, right?"
"Of course."
We increased our speed through the dense trees. I drew my sword in case of an unexpected situation.
-Cat…
-This…bitch…?!
-…!!
The sounds grew louder and louder.
Without hesitation, I pushed through the bushes and entered a clearing, where an absurd scene unfolded before my eyes.
Five rough-looking human men and two women who appeared to be elves were facing each other, each holding their weapons.
No, it wasn't really a confrontation. It was obvious that the elves were on the defensive. One of the elf women had an arrow in her shoulder, and the other looked young.
In fact, the only elf who could actually fight was the white-blonde-haired woman who resembled Iris.
"What?!"
"Humans in the Great Forest at this time…?"
"…They don't look like they're from our side."
In contrast, the humans looked fine. The elves had only a flimsy wooden bow and a dagger, while the humans were well-equipped.
The sudden appearance of us caused different reactions from the two sides.
The humans looked confused, while the elves looked almost desperate. They probably thought we were in league with the humans.
'That's too much. I know I put up a magic to obstruct detection, but to be lumped in with those back-alley thugs…'
I couldn't help but sigh.
"Hyunwoo…"
Iris's voice was trembling.
Of course, judging the situation by appearances was very naive and discriminatory, but… in this situation, anyone would say that the humans were the source of all the problems.
I carefully put Iris down, and she ran straight towards the elf women. The two were wary of Iris at first, but when they saw her ears elongate again after she partially deactivated the magic to obstruct detection, they seemed relieved and trusted her.
'…Seeing that arrow suddenly makes me feel dirty.'
It was like the memories of getting hit by arrows in the dungeon were coming back to life.
"Hey!"
While I was lost in memories I didn't want to remember, I heard a gruff voice that sounded like the speaker chewed tobacco for a living.
The voice belonged to the most decent-looking man among the humans, who, unlike the others, had a faint bit of mana.
To be exact, it was even less mana than the dark elf woman I met yesterday. I could see why I didn't detect it with mana detection.
"What."
"…Don't you know that short words shorten your lifespan?"
The man I was facing sent a quick hand signal, and the other men slowly began to move as if to surround me.
"I'll make you an offer."
Did people make offers with a knife to your throat these days?
"If you want to live, get out of here right now. But leave that woman there."
A sly smile appeared on the faces of the man and the others. I had a pretty good idea of what was going on.
"It's been hard to find even one elf all this time, but we're lucky today. To think there'd be three elves with that kind of beauty."
As their gaze turned to Iris, I felt an indescribable feeling of disgust that made me want to vomit.
"Boss, do we really need to offer all three of them? One would be-"
It was instantaneous.
The neck of the man who dared to say words that should never have been spoken hit the ground.
One second passed, two seconds passed, three seconds passed.
Only then did the men realize that one of their comrades had died.
Their comrade's head was rolling on the ground, but no one moved first. No, to be exact, they knew that the same thing would happen to them if they moved, so they couldn't move.
In particular, their boss, Hans, was sweating profusely down his back and his hands and feet were shaking.
He was just a mercenary, but he was a skilled martial artist who had reached the lower ranks of Auror.
Even so, he didn't realize what had happened until a flash of light flashed before his eyes, his comrade's neck flew off, and a fountain of blood erupted. That meant that the other person was far more skilled than he was.
'Damn it…!!!'
Why hadn't he noticed?
A human wandering around the Great Forest at this time could not be an ordinary person.
Normally, he would have recognized that and been as careful as possible. That was the secret to the longevity of mercenaries in this harsh world.
But he had spent more than a week in the Great Forest, being careful not to be discovered by the Peladia Rangers, surviving the attacks of monsters, and surviving in the harsh nature in order to catch the elves.
That was the problem.
He had been blinded by the thought that he could finally catch the elves and hadn't looked at the situation coldly.
'…If this goes on, we'll be wiped out.'
Hans was not an optimistic person enough to think that he could survive by touching someone with such skill.
Rather, he was extremely realistic, pessimistic, and calculating.
"…If you spare me, I'll give you all my possessions…!!"
"Too late."
────Again. Another flash of light.
And an all-too-thick scent of blood pierced my nose.
I looked around.
The bodies of my comrades, their heads severed, were lying scattered around.
And my right arm with them.
"…Kaaaaaaaack!!!"
Before the extreme pain of having his arm cut off, Hans rolled around on the dirt floor like a child in agony. He pressed the wound with his remaining hand to stop the bleeding, but the blood continued to flow.
That much hemostasis was woefully inadequate.
"Drink."
Hans felt a cold, bitter liquid flowing down his throat. Instinctively, Hans realized that it was a potion and moved his throat without resistance.
But it didn't take long for him to realize that this was a misjudgment.
*Slash-*
"Kack?!"
The blade, swung in the blink of an eye, lightly grazed Hans's ankle. Because he had cut only the tendons, unless he was treated by a high priest, he would never be able to walk normally again.
Kang Hyunwoo stared at Hans with cold eyes and then turned towards Iris without a word.
At that moment, Hans could see the situation that would happen to him in the future.
This was the Great Forest, also known as the Land of the Unearthly.
In particular, this place was famous for frequent monster appearances. There were quite a few monsters that he could barely handle with his mercenary band.
An irresistible prey with a strong scent of blood in a forest full of such creatures.
That was his situation.
"P-Please, spare me!! I'll do anything!!"
Kang Hyunwoo ignored Hans's cry and disappeared beyond the bushes with the elves.
"I'll give you as much money as you want!!! PLEAAAASE!!!!"
The hollow cry echoed through the Great Forest, but it wouldn't last long. As he expected, the monsters that lived here would not leave alone an unresisting prey that smelled of blood.
The Black Crow Mercenary Corps, which had once been active in the mid-southern continent and gained fame, was as notorious as it was famous.
They were even wanted in several cities for frequent looting and killing civilians.
It was too insignificant to be seen as their end.
"God damn it, save meeee!!!!"