Chapter 134: Interlude – Revisiting Memorable Places ①
Having become the God of Time and Space, I gained the ability to change into various forms thanks to the effect of the God’s Raiment. So today, to solidify my memories here, I decided to look back on my life in Faluntia while changing into the forms I had evolved into thus far.
“Alright, let’s start with Moss.”
I returned to the rock in the middle of the small pond surrounded by trees, where I first arrived in this world, clinging to it in my Moss form.
“…”
Ah, I remember it like it was yesterday. It was here that I hastily chose my skills. I can say now that the skill selection I made back then wasn’t wrong.
However, I couldn’t see back then. Looking at it again, this is quite a beautiful pond.
(Oh!? Isn’t that my nemesis, Ebi!)
I couldn’t see it back then, but this Ebi had a vivid orange color. It really does look just like an Earth shrimp.
Oh my, this Ebi. Trying to eat me, are you! If that’s how you want to play it, I have an idea too!
Just like that time, I tried to slice it in half with Water Edge, but…
ZAPPAAAAAAN!!
It split. The pond split right in two. It seems I messed up holding back. The beautiful pond of my memories has become like a war-torn battlefield, leaving a scar upon the land…
(Right, next up was Poisonous Grass, I think…)
With the pond, now a giant crevasse with water flowing into it, behind me, I changed into my Poisonous Grass form and sprouted from the ground.
(Ooh, this fluttering feeling is nostalgic.)
I remember those days when I couldn’t move on my own yet, just fluttering helplessly in the wind. And evolving into this Poisonous Grass was the right choice too. Getting Poison Generation, which would later evolve into Miasma, was huge.
Oh, isn’t that a Rabito over there? If I recall, I defeated it with the Poison Edge I had just learned back then. Let’s see, this time, I’ll hold back properly…
Shu!
Alright! It hit just as I aimed… but it got sliced clean in half before the poison could even take effect.
(Next was the Iguana, I believe?)
If my memory serves, the next one I defeated should have been an Iguana, but unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be one nearby. Instead, a C-Rank Blood Bear appeared. A monster a hundred times stronger than an Iguana showed up, but with my current self, it’s no problem.
(Explosion!)
How mysterious. Just by thinking it, a huge explosion centered on the Blood Bear occurred. The bear monster scattered into tiny pieces. Sparks flew everywhere, igniting the forest trees…
(Tidal Wave!)
The first-tier magic I cast to extinguish the flames put out the fire spreading through the trees, but it also turned about 100 meters ahead into barren land.
(Alright! Let’s skip Poison Grass. I’ll transform into Miasma and get out of here quickly!)
Transforming into a body like an upside-down sea anemone, I wriggled away from the scene, leaving the transformed forest behind me.
(Come to think of it, I met everyone from Gale Wind around here. Though I doubt they know I was the Miasma or the Beetle.)
I saved them when they were still fledgling Adventurers being attacked by Forest Wolves.
GAKIIIIIN!
Yeah, yeah, there was a metallic sound just like this back then too.
…………Huh? Is someone fighting again?
Heading towards the sound of battle still in my Miasma form… there they were. A four-person party of Adventurers was being attacked by a pack of Forest Wolves. It was even the same situation, right down to one of them being injured.
“Damn! This might be bad! How are things on your end?!”
“I’m fine. No problem.”
“No, no, there are plenty of problems! You guys aren’t holding them back! Aaah, whatever, Fireball!”
The mage-like girl launched a Fireball at a Forest Wolf that the two boys in the vanguard had missed. They look like a young Party. Ah, this brings back memories. Of that time.
Alright, I don’t care if they get scared! I’ll go help them just like this!
Wriggling my tentacles, I approached them from behind. The first ones to notice were, as expected, the Forest Wolves. The five wolves that were just about to pounce on the two vanguards stopped moving.
“Hey, why aren’t they attacking? Don’t tell me they plan to toy with us before killing us?”
The young Party hasn’t noticed my presence, so they seem confused about why the Forest Wolves aren’t attacking. Then, the Forest Wolves that had been attacking them slowly backed away… and fled. Yep, you’ve been saved.
“A-Are we saved? Us?”
The mage girl plopped down on the spot. The two vanguards turned around in response to the girl’s voice, and our eyes met. Well, only I felt it, right? Miasma don’t have eyes.
“B-B-B-Behind. Behind. Behind.”
The boy who looked like the leader pointed at me, trembling. The boy next to him also seemed shocked, his mouth opening and closing wordlessly.
The mage girl turned around, looking utterly terrified. Her eyes widened fully…
“””Miasma-sama!?”””
The three voices overlapped, shouting as if they’d just met an idol.
(Eh? Miasma… sama?)
I was confused as to why Miasma, which should be universally hated, was being addressed with ‘-sama’. Before me, the three adventurers stared at me with sparkling eyes.
“See! I told you the guardian deity of this forest existed!”
The leader-like boy with the Sword pointed at me, puffing out his chest proudly for some reason. The other two looked embarrassed, perhaps because they hadn’t believed his words.
Anyway, is it okay to just leave that injured girl over there…?
She was bleeding from her head and looked quite pale, so I healed her with Holy Magic. Seeing that, they…
“Ooooh!? Miasma-sama used Holy Magic!?”
“Seriously!? So the guardian deity really existed!?”
“Kyaa, this is seriously amazing!? I want it to breathe its stinky breath on me!”
They were ecstatic. One of them has gotten weirdly excited, but she seems dangerous, so let’s not get involved…
Feeling endangered by their excitement, I confirmed the injured girl was healed and began to shuffle backward towards the forest behind me. While they were checking on the girl, I made a mad dash and escaped.
(I never expected to find believers even out here…)
It was a bit of a terrifying experience, but if I consider that they might have been among those who boosted my stats back then, perhaps I was able to repay them a little. That was my thought for the day.