After seeing Yuri and the others off on their ship, Mana and I used Traveling to return to the Laofen Labyrinth.
Not that there were any particular changes in the Laofen Labyrinth. Besides, with Wise Rainbow, Snow Blossom, and Sacred Bird having arrived, we should be fine even if a Labyrinth Flood were to occur again.
Grand Order’s Master Rex seemed to have reached the same conclusion, so we decided to focus on Valt.
It seems Holy Grave and Falcon’s Beak have been reassigned to Valt. For now, we’ll be cooperating on the Gagun Great Forest survey.
Ten High Beastars are also accompanying us from the Beastar’s Guild, so although our combat power might not be sufficient, it should be enough for the minimum required survey.
The issue here is that Beast Carriages cannot be used within the Gagun Great Forest.
I considered having Alka handle nighttime duties, but since we have no idea how the monsters will move, we’ll set up camp after securing a space where we can park our Multi-functional Beast Carriages.
And for travel, riding our familiars is an option. However, it’s said that Jade and Fluorite, who have grown significantly, and the naturally large Floe would have trouble walking due to the dense trees, so that depends on the situation.
Furthermore, if we split up carelessly, we won’t be able to deal with any potential threats. Therefore, we decided to move as one unit.
After finalizing our general route, we used El’s Traveling, as he had been to the Gagun Labyrinth before, to teleport to the entrance of the Gagun Great Forest, and our Alliance began its survey.
Since High Beastars are participating this time, the Alliance Leader is Mistol, the Beastar’s Master, and the female Ulfy, Mina.
“I’d heard about it, but it really has become troublesome.”
El exclaimed with a tone of exasperation, and I couldn’t agree more.
“Indeed. I never expected Black Jewel Bulls to appear in a pack within an hour of walking.”
Black Jewel Bulls are a lower-tier species of Catoblepas, yet their Monster Rank is still a high P-. Even High Class, let alone Ancient Class, wouldn’t take long to defeat them. However, with a pack of over twenty, and in the middle of a forest, defeating them is far from a trivial matter.
“If they’re coming to the Gagun Great Forest, then Catoblepas is definitely here too.”
“Yes. If we knew where it was, we could hunt it immediately. But the Gagun Great Forest is deep, making it difficult to search even from the sky, and it’s highly likely to provoke Hanuman. We have no choice but to search systematically.”
As Cliff and Mana said, the Gagun Great Forest is deep, and there are tales that flying over it will provoke Hanuman, who might mistake it for an intrusion into his territory, and attack. Therefore, aerial reconnaissance is not an option. However, the Gagun Great Forest is undoubtedly larger than Alka, so just surveying everything would take days, and with the monsters on the move, there’s no guarantee we’ll find it.
“Regardless, let’s press on.”
Following Mina’s command, we moved forward as one, aiming for the Treasure Tree. However, it seems the Gagun Great Forest’s ecosystem is already showing signs of impact, as we occasionally spotted corpses of monsters. Many were Grand Kongs of S-U rank or Shaker Kongs of G-R rank, native to the Gagun Great Forest, and Amazons. But there were also corpses of Battle Horses and Duel Horses, and Jewel Bulls, which are not native.
“I’d heard rumors, but this is really bad.”
“Yeah. For the Kong species, the Gagun Great Forest is their backyard, yet there are too many bodies.”
“We even found the bodies of Quake Kongs.”
While the abundance of Kong species corpses was surprising, what was most astonishing was finding several corpses of P-I rank monsters, the Quake Kongs. P-I rank monsters are considered Anomaly Species and are equivalent to M-rank monsters. To find multiple Quake Kongs dead was unexpected, and it also served as proof that monsters capable of defeating Quake Kongs were roaming the Gagun Great Forest. We are also progressing by defeating monsters, including Anomaly Species, but the existence of previously defeated Anomaly Species is still shocking.
“Let’s make camp here for today…!?”
We found a clearing that could barely accommodate three Multi-functional Beast Carriages and decided to make camp there for the night, when we were suddenly attacked by monsters.
“Tch! Stella Garums?!”
“Why are Garums in a pack?!”
“No, more are coming from deeper inside!”
What appeared were P-rank Stella Garums, but there were nearly ten of them in a pack, and other monsters were approaching from deeper within. Garum species inhabit the Gagun Great Forest, and Stella Garums were supposed to be relatively high-tier monsters. I’ve never heard of them appearing so close to the Gagun Labyrinth. Could they have been driven out of the Gagun Great Forest?
“Ggoaaaaaaaarrrrr!!”
“What!? Mega-Quake!?”
“And three of them!?”
Following the Stella Garums were P-I rank Quake Kongs and M-C rank Mega-Quakes. Both are lower-tier species of Hanuman. It’s understandable that there are a few of them, as Demise Species are said to produce Anomaly Species. However, I never imagined they would end up here. More importantly, Mega-Quakes need to be dealt with quickly!
“Everyone, use Scaffolding! Hurry!”
“W-Why?”
“Karl! Do as Yamato says!”
Though my son Karl, a Harpy Half-Hydragonewt, had only recently evolved to High Class, he was unable to make an immediate decision. There was a significant reason why I ignored proper etiquette and spoke so directly, but we didn’t have time to hesitate. I levitated Karl with Telekinetic Magic and used Scaffolding to lift him off the ground.
“W-Wait, Yamato! What are you doing!”
“Thank you, Yamato!”
Karl didn’t understand the reason behind my use of Telekinetic Magic, but El certainly did. The others also used Scaffolding upon hearing my words, resulting in zero injuries.
“Karl, look down.”
“Faris? Huh? Down? Wh-What!?”
As Faris prompted him, Karl looked down and was struck speechless by a sight he never could have imagined. Mega-Quakes are adept at handling Earth-attribute magic, but their most troublesome ability is the earthquake-inducing power that gives them their name. Helios Orb, perhaps because it’s a planar world, is a world without earthquakes. While volcanic earthquakes do occur and are frequent in Torencia, outside of that, they can only be experienced in places like labyrinths. However, Mega-Quakes reproduce these earthquakes using Earth-attribute magic, making them extremely difficult monsters to deal with. Capable of causing earthquakes on a scale that could devastate an entire town, yet they themselves are unaffected. If you were to fight them head-on, even Ancient Class adventurers would be helpless.
“Stella Garums are all wiped out. It’s no wonder, after taking that attack. If not for Yamato’s instructions, some of us would have been caught in it.”
“They inhabit the Krater Labyrinth, so that experience came in handy just in time.”
In the 8th Level of the Krater Labyrinth, which recently appeared in Torencia, they were present in numbers, not just three but about five in a pack.
“I want to hear more about that later.”
“If we survive this, I’ll tell you all about it.”
Thanks to being able to stand in the air with Scaffolding, we’re able to have this conversation. I’m truly grateful to Mako, who taught me this technique. Otherwise, some of us would have surely lost our lives, and we would have been in dire straits.
“Karl, how long are you going to stand there in a daze?”
“Huh? O-Oh, I-I’m sorry, Mother!”
“You’re apologizing to the wrong person?”
“I-I’m sorry. Yamato, my bad, I was saved.”
Prompted by El, Karl offered an apology, but anyone would react that way seeing such a sight for the first time. In fact, many Beastars are also stunned.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“More importantly, we need to deal with them now.”
I waved gently at Karl, but Prim was right.
“Fortunately, the Stella Garums were wiped out by that earthquake, so it’s just the Quake Kongs and Mega-Quakes left.”
“While we can avoid the earthquake by staying here, it doesn’t mean we can’t attack from the air, you know!”
“Ngh!”
As Faris and El said, while the Mega-Quakes’ earthquake attacks draw attention, they are not incapable of aerial attacks. In reality, even as we speak, colossal roots of the Fusang Tree, uplifted by the earthquake, and splintered pieces of wood are assaulting us, and they even use lightning attribute magic. So, simply escaping to the sky doesn’t guarantee safety.
“We’re lucky it’s just the Gagun Great Forest, otherwise this would be far more than troublesome!”
“You’re telling me! Take this!”
While everyone in High Class is busy defending against the Mega-Quakes’ aerial attacks, those in Ancient Class have the luxury of conversation. However, if things continue like this, it won’t lead to a complete defeat, but it will take time to win. The Gagun Great Forest is also a forest of Fusang trees growing from beneath the sea, so there is no ground; it’s all roots below. Even after the hunt, these roots will likely be in disarray.
“We’ll worry about the aftermath after it’s over! Let’s defeat them quickly!”
“Let’s do that!”
“We’re taking them down this time!”
No sooner had they spoken than Faris, El, and Cliff unleashed their Mana and charged towards the Mega-Quakes.
“They seem determined, so let’s handle the Quake Kongs.”
“Shall we? Oh, Burks and the others, do you want to join in too?”
“It feels like the mood has shifted from that, but we will.”
Well, Faris, Cliff, and El are not only facing the Mega-Quakes individually but also seem to have the upper hand. However, that doesn’t mean we can leave the Quake Kongs unattended, so we’ll deal with them. Burks and the others are also motivated, so for now, we’ll stick to supporting them.
“What about Karl?”
“I want to fight too, but I’d just be a hindrance, right?”
“I’ll support you. Besides, if you want to fight, you’d better hurry, or all the prey will be gone?”
“Huh? Ohh!”
While I was asking Karl what he wanted to do, all three Mega-Quakes had already been defeated. Eight Quake Kongs have also died. Burks, Sarina, and Clarice took down three Quake Kongs without even needing backup from Prim and the others. Holy Grave and Falcon’s Beak each took down two with well-coordinated teamwork. Furthermore, Meena and Ludia seem to have finished off two more with a single blow. That leaves two. No, Holy Grave’s Ryas just knocked one down with a massive hammer.
“I-I need to hurry too!”
Karl frantically charged towards the remaining Quake Kong. While he managed to inflict a blow with his spear, Holly, a female High Fox from Heron’s Beak, delivered a kick with her bladed greaves, similar to Ludia’s, severing its neck. Perhaps it’s because he only recently evolved into a Harpy Half-Hydragonewt, but Karl’s situational judgment is a bit weak.
“Karl, you need to assess the situation a bit faster, or you won’t get away with just painful injuries.”
“Yes…”
As expected, he’s being admonished by Holly. In truth, the current Gagun Great Forest is far more dangerous and difficult than before. If you can’t make quick judgments, you’ll be lucky if you only end up injured. The deeper we go, the more dangerous situations we’ll encounter.
Karl is two years older than me, so I hesitate to say this, but when lives are on the line, I should probably be a bit more straightforward.
