Moly Herb ②
Inside the dim forest.
I finished off a three-eyed deer with horns that emitted the Relic [Fire].
A lower-tier Silver-rank monster. A Fire Kerykeion.
Fire Kerykeions are monsters that fight by charging with fire cloaked around their horns.
If you watch out for the horns, dealing with them isn’t too difficult.
The truly troublesome one is the Freyar, also lower-tier Silver-rank. It shoots Fireballs.
Fire is extremely powerful. In the worst-case scenario, a single hit can lead to death.
That hasn’t changed in this world either.
Relic [Attributes] possess the greatest power above all else.
Hit by fire, you burn.
Engulfed by water, you suffocate.
Blown away by wind, you’re torn apart.
Swept away by earth, you’re buried.
Entangled by green, you’re bound.
Struck directly by lightning, you’re electrocuted.
Illuminated by light, you’re purified and erased.
Sunk into darkness, you’re dyed black and cursed.
There are other [Attributes] too, but even these rough examples are terrifying.
Relics possessed by monsters.
Most of them have high lethality.
Incidentally, there probably isn’t a Relic [Magic].
Fire, lightning, and the like are represented as [Attributes]. Therefore, mages are attribute users.
But I can’t say for sure that Relic [Magic] absolutely doesn’t exist.
When it comes to Relics, nothing is truly known.
“…Hmm.”
Looking at the Fire Kerykeion’s horns, I gave up on harvesting them.
The horns were pitch black and completely carbonized.
They’re useless like this.
I must have messed up when I finished it off.
“The horns could have been used as ingredients for medicine, too…”
Meaning they sell for a high price.
I thought I’d sell them to the Witch when I got back, but now they’re ruined.
Depending on how you deal with a monster, sometimes you can’t collect subjugation parts or harvest materials. I’ve heard about that before.
“I’m still so inexperienced.”
I gave a wry smile and moved on. Along the way, I looked at the map.
The map the Witch-san had given me was hand-drawn.
It was probably drawn by the Witch herself.
It was full of a handmade feel, hardly what you’d call a detailed map by any stretch of the imagination.
But, it was very easy to understand.
The Witch is the master of this forest. She knows every nook and cranny.
The paths and landmarks were drawn with distinct features. That’s why it was easy to understand.
“…Is this the Moly Herb…?”
You couldn’t say the Witch has much artistic talent.
Maybe that’s why? She draws things with exaggerated features.
Pointy things are drawn extra pointy, and round things are drawn perfectly round, that sort of thing.
It’s drawn clearly enough to be understandable. Though it’s crude.
That’s why I can somehow recognize the Moly Herb at a glance.
I recognize it, but… is this really it?
“I won’t know until I see it for myself and confirm, but… this looks like…”
It strongly resembles a flower I know from my past life’s memories.
I haven’t seen it in this world yet, so I just assumed it didn’t exist here.
I’ll arrive at the Goblin Nest soon.
“…”
I feel gazes and presences from the surroundings.
I know what those gazes and presences are.
Goblins.
Monsters below Bronze-rank. They’re unranked monsters.
I slowly turn around.
I use the Relic [Danger Detection].
Multiple red points. I can see the killing intent.
I feel the bloodlust on my skin. The moving red dots are enemies.
I drew my knife and manifested the Relic [Vanish].
The bushes rustle, and goblins reveal themselves.
Small green bodies.
About the size of a child, with slightly bulging bellies.
A little smaller than me, or perhaps about the same size.
Scrawny arms and legs. Vile faces. Purple eyes.
Mouths full of black fangs. Clad in tattered rags. Wielding rust-covered swords and spears.
They’re hideous little demons. Their body odor is strong too.
“…I feel like I’ve seen them somewhere before.”
In my past life… no, creatures like this didn’t exist in my past life.
But I’ve seen something similar somewhere. Where was it?
I’ve fought goblins twice up until now.
The first time was in this forest. The second time was in this forest.
And now, the third time is also in this forest.
Each time, I get a sense of déjà vu from the goblins.
The goblins let out low “Gyagya” cries and about four of them quickly approach.
I Vanished them in order, starting from the closest one.
Half of their companion’s body disappears right before their eyes.
Normally, they’d be terrified and flee.
But goblins are different.
They charge forward as if nothing happened.
There’s no guarantee they won’t suffer the same fate.
Do they lack fear?
“…”
I use [Vanish] to erase the first one’s abdomen.
I stab the second one in the face with my knife, and for the third, I Vanish its arm and slice its neck.
I finished off the three of them easily.
“…Do they only possess instinct?”
I think this while cleaning up by erasing the corpses with [Vanish].
Goblin behavior is simple.
If it’s a male, they attack, kill, and eat.
If it’s a female, they attack, violate, and force them to bear offspring.
That’s all there is to it.
That’s how they achieve such vast numbers among monsters.
Even a small Goblin Nest has dozens of them.
Larger ones easily exceed several hundred, and in some Dungeons, thousands swarm.
“Just like rats. Or cockroaches. Or Gaki?”
Ah, that’s it. Right, I remember now.
In my past life’s memories, was it a Jigokudo Hall? A place depicting the journey from the afterlife through hell and back to the living world. There was a pilgrimage hall like that at a temple.
The paintings depicting hell at that time showed Gaki.
Demons living in the Gakido or Gakikai.
They looked exactly like these goblins.
That doesn’t mean I think there’s any connection, though.
I can think about various possibilities, but it’s all just speculation and conjecture.
So, I’ll stop thinking about it here.
Gaki.
I finally remembered what they resembled. I feel relieved.
“Alright, shall I head to the cave?”
I’m getting closer to the nest.
Goblins will probably keep attacking from now on.
I ready my knife.
I proceed cautiously, keeping [Danger Detection] active.
I won’t let my guard down just because they’re goblins.
They’re like large rats or cockroaches. More like vermin than monsters.
I’ll be cautious to the point of cowardice and kill them without mercy.
When the Witch-san asked me, I had already decided.
And the Witch probably asked me with that goal in mind, too.
The annihilation of the goblins. The destruction of the nest. Down to the very last one.
It’s not impossible. I have the power to do it.
However… I have conflicting feelings. This is just my personal theory.
Relying too much on Relics isn’t good.
But using Relics as a way to gain combat experience is an effective method.
The cave that serves as the nest will soon come into view.
I bet goblins are swarming all around the entrance and its vicinity.
“…Eh?”
But what I saw there was an unexpected sight.
A mountain of corpses from over several dozen goblins.
The one who had built it was—a beautiful girl with shimmering, peach-white hair.
Liv.
Why is she here?