A day and a half after entering the forest.
Gil and his party members stopped abruptly.
“This is our limit.”
If they advanced any further, they would surely be discovered by the monsters inhabiting the area.
This was a limit they knew from months of experience.
To be precise, they *could* defeat the monsters that appeared in this area.
However, that would require using up consumables without considering the future, so it was effectively their limit.
Conversely, it meant that no matter how many times they were attacked by the monsters in this area, they could fend them off.
A skilled adventurer must excel at discerning this limit.
This is because it directly relates to life and death.
However, the members of “Flame Wolf,” who understood this perfectly, looked at Gil and his party with surprise.
Gil, immediately understanding the meaning of their reaction, shrugged his shoulders and continued.
“You think it’s too early?”
“Ah. No, it’s not about your strength or anything. It’s the opposite, really.”
“Yes. From what we’ve experienced walking through the forest together until now, the limit point comes too quickly.”
Kari nodded in agreement with Riku’s words.
In reality, Riku and the others had anticipated being able to go into the depths of the forest for at least two more days.
The fact that they had reached their limit more than half a day earlier meant that the forest’s condition had worsened more than they expected.
As if to confirm this speculation, Gil’s expression turned displeased.
“It’s natural to think so. In fact, before the forest started acting strange, we could advance further. But now, it’s like this.”
“…I see. Angel, I’m counting on you.”
“You got it.”
After Riku briefly tasked Angel, the other members began to unload their luggage one after another.
“Hey?”
Gil and his companions looked at “Flame Wolf’s” sudden actions with questioning expressions.
To Gil and his party, Riku added further explanation.
“We’re making a base here today. First, we’ll secure a safe zone before proceeding deeper for investigation.”
“…I see.”
Gil nodded, looking convinced by Riku’s explanation.
“Besides, Angel is in charge of scouting. He should be able to thoroughly investigate the current situation in the surrounding area. We’re waiting for his report.”
While waiting for the results from their trusted companion, Gil and the others, understanding the basic actions of adventurers – establishing a base they could return to with peace of mind – said nothing further and began to act as well.
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The place Riku and his party chose for their temporary base was about a thirty-minute walk from the water source.
If they were too close to the water source, there was a possibility of being attacked by monsters that used that water source.
Besides, if necessary, they could summon water with magic.
Although they tried to conserve magic power as much as possible, considering the possibility of being attacked by monsters, they would no longer be able to afford to be that cautious if they couldn’t secure water.
Even drawing a single bucket of water is fraught with danger for adventurers.
As Riku and his party steadily proceeded with building their base, Angel returned from his reconnaissance.
“Angel, you’re back quickly.”
“I came back to report first. However, it seems things are worse than I expected.”
Angel’s face showed a hint of anxiety, and Riku looked at him with a serious expression.
“Is it that bad?”
“Yeah. In just this short amount of time, I found three goblin dens. And each of them is medium-sized.”
“That… is bad.”
It wasn’t uncommon for goblins to build dens; in fact, it happened often.
However, if they built medium-sized dens in close proximity, it was a different story.
Goblins build dens to assert their territory, but they generally don’t build them near other dens.
This is because if they compete for prey, disputes will naturally arise.
Disputes between goblins themselves are also not uncommon.
However, if goblins are building medium-sized dens at close range, it implies the existence of a leader-like figure organizing them.
While each den might have its own such figure, that in itself would be problematic.
Whether that problem was occurring was important in this case.
“…Did you see any signs of a King?”
As Riku asked, he knew the gazes of the others were focused on him.
If a Goblin King existed, three medium-sized dens would not be the only result.
In response to Riku’s question, Angel shook his head.
“I couldn’t confirm anything that far in just this amount of time. If necessary, I can go and check, but?”
“No, let’s not. Tomorrow, Angel, I’ll have you work your hardest. Also, we need you to scout potential locations for a base further ahead.”
“Sure, sure.”
Riku said with a grin, and Angel shrugged his shoulders.
While investigating the goblin dens was important, Riku and his party’s original objective was to investigate the anomaly in this forest.
To put it plainly, their true feelings were that they couldn’t be bothered with just goblins.
Furthermore, if it were medium-sized goblin dens without a King, Riku and his party could handle them in half a day.
They needed to act with the future in mind.
Considering that, it was evident Angel would be busy from now on.
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A day later, beyond Gil’s group’s limit.
Gil, advancing through the forest without being noticed by any monsters, muttered.
“…Is this the strength of an A-Rank party?”
It was only by exceeding their limit that he could truly understand the strength of a higher rank.
Riku’s actions could be described as both meticulous and bold.
At times, they moved cautiously to avoid detection by monsters, and at other times, they instantly annihilated attacking monsters.
They didn’t waste time on post-combat cleanup, also to avoid attracting other monsters.
It was clear that each member was demonstrating first-class movement in every action they took.
Moreover, Riku and his party were acting while burdened with Gil and his companions, who were like dead weight.
If only Riku and his group were here, they would surely be able to advance much faster.
Witnessing the skillful work of an A-Rank party up close for the first time provided Gil and his companions with various stimuli.
Knowing this, Riku deliberately gave no instructions to Gil and his party, allowing them to act as they pleased.
In fact, for Riku and his group, having people knowledgeable about the forest was sufficient.
Gil and his party were waiting for Angel’s return from his reconnaissance, while Riku and his party, who had established a base in a place where Gil and his party would never have thought of building one, were heading out for scouting.
Finally, Angel returned with the report that Riku and his party had been waiting for, but in a way, it was a report no one wanted to receive.
“It seems there’s no mistake.”
Upon receiving the report, Riku let out a big sigh.
“Is that so? And? How large do you think it will be?”
“Let’s see. To conclude that, we’d need to infiltrate other locations.”
Riku, taking his words accurately, realized the situation was turning in a direction he hoped it wouldn’t, and let out another big sigh.
What did Angel find!?
…Yes. It’s quite obvious.
Your guesses are probably not wrong lol.
