Chapter 317: Investigation Begins
Our request came to us as a secret designated request for S Rank, without making it public. The Guild has been responding to the increasing reports of monster sightings with a simple, “We are currently investigating.” As for the reward, it was said to be ten million Fron in advance, with an additional fifteen million Fron upon completion of the investigation.
“Over here, over here!”
Waving at us as we exited the Guild’s office was Phonia, who had been quietly seated at a table.
“How did it go?”
“Let’s talk while we walk.”
“That sounds good.”
Ivan seemed intrigued, but since this was a covert request, we decided it was best to keep the details to ourselves as we made our way to the Forest of Enchantment.
“Ivan, did you find any good requests?”
As we walked, Rio asked, but Ivan crossed his arms, looking thoughtful. He had taken on a few D Rank requests, but it seemed he hadn’t scrutinized them too closely.
“It seems like there are monsters that can be found in the shallows, so I’ll just wander around. But what about you guys?”
“Haha, I received a top-secret designated request from the Guild Master.”
“Oh?”
With one eyebrow raised, Ivan listened as I briefly explained the details of our request while heading toward the forest.
“Wait, am I really allowed to enter the forest in such a situation?”
“Well, they said the shallows are fine. I think you’ll be okay.”
“If you send me a message on your smartphone, I can come pick you up right away.”
“Ah… well, I guess that’s true, but…”
He still looked a bit uneasy, but honestly, I believed Ivan would be fine. I had checked the monsters in the shallows, and none posed a significant threat.
“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”
“I hope so…”
Even compared to adventurers of the same rank, Ivan was quite skilled, though he didn’t seem to realize it himself. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing to remain cautious, though.
As we passed through the northern gate of the town, the forest quickly came into view. Despite Ivan’s earlier tension, he seemed to calm down by the time we reached the forest, as there were no immediate threats.
“Alright, let’s go. Shu and the others will be investigating deeper, right?”
“That’s the plan. I was thinking of going from above… Phonia and Nil, what about you? It might not be too exciting just following us around.”
“Hmm. Then I’ll go with Ivan-nii.”
“Woof woof!”
“Alright then.”
“Hehe, please take care of Phonia-chan.”
“Leave it to me.”
“Off we go!”
With Ivan appearing a bit more relaxed, he took Phonia, who was riding on Nil’s back, and stepped into the Forest of Enchantment.
“Shall we head out too?”
Nodding along with Rio, we floated up into the air, heading straight for the depths of the forest. Our investigation was simply to survey the distribution of monsters. Therefore, I planned to utilize my Map Skill, Detection Skills, and Appraisal Skill to finish this quickly. However, the Forest of Enchantment was vast, so I had no idea how long it would take. If we didn’t work efficiently, it could take months just to complete the survey.
To be safe, we proceeded slowly while also checking the shallows. After about five minutes, I began to get used to surveying from the air. Looking at the map, I could see the monsters I had detected marked as red dots scattered throughout. It seemed that this was the norm for the shallows.
The terrain gradually shifted from a gentle incline to rocky surfaces with significant elevation changes, and I could occasionally see pointed peaks resembling spires in the distance.
“I wonder if we’re nearing the end of the shallows.”
After about an hour of picking up speed, Rio spoke up as we felt the pressure of magic power from the forest increasing.
“Maybe?”
The trees around us were growing taller, and I could sense a different atmosphere compared to the shallows, but there were no clear markers indicating the end of that area.
As I pondered this, my Danger Detection Skill gave a faint response. Thinking it might just be my imagination, I was suddenly interrupted as something flew up from the ground.
“Whoa.”
It missed us and flew off in another direction, but it was undoubtedly an attack from a monster below.
“It seems the monsters here have changed.”
“Yeah. Should we go take a look?”
“Definitely. We need to show our gratitude properly.”
Nodding in agreement, we turned back slightly and descended to the ground.
Just then, the monster on the ground turned to face us and unleashed a series of spells. We easily defended against them, but it became annoying, so I surrounded it with a Spatial Isolation Barrier. It thrashed around inside, but that wouldn’t faze us, and we took our time to observe the creature.
“Oh, this is the Rock Dragon mentioned in the B Rank request from the Guild.”
Despite its name, it looked more like a four-legged lizard. It measured about three meters from head to tail, with a tough, rocky skin that looked quite hard. Since it was making it difficult to observe, I decided to quiet it down.
I released the barrier and quickly approached the Rock Dragon, using my Penetration Technique to strike its head. The impact destroyed its brain, and the creature fell still.
“I’ve never seen one like this before.”
“Right? I wonder if it’s edible.”
I used my Appraisal Skill, but it didn’t seem to be poisonous.
“It looks like it’s not inedible.”
“Then let’s give it a try.”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
Thus, filled with excitement at encountering a new monster in the depths of the Forest of Enchantment, we continued our investigation.