“Found it.”
『Fiss!? What are you doing in the cave!?』
I was surprised by the white-haired, red-eyed girl who came from behind.
But I quickly realized. She had followed me.
『Sorry for making you wait. The Trent material slipped away. Don’t worry, I didn’t get hurt or couldn’t climb back up.』
I felt bad for getting caught up in examining my 〖Evolution Path〗 due to curiosity, and conveyed it through 〖Telepathy〗.
But she shook her head as she approached.
“No, I wasn’t worried about that. I know how strong Kouya-kun is.”
『That’s quite a deep trust you have in me.』
I let out a wry smile. The 〖Evolution Path〗 selection would have to wait.
Fiss would be surprised if I suddenly changed my appearance, and it’s not like I’d be inconvenienced if I didn’t become an 〖Calamity Beast〗. I knew I could win even if I was attacked by five 〖Feral Beasts〗.
I had also achieved my goal at the mine. I could continue after I sent her back to town.
I was about to step out of the hole when Fiss passed by my side.
『What’s wrong…? Aren’t you going back?』
“Hmm, I’m curious about this.”
She said that and continued to walk forward. Her steps were unwavering.
I asked her back.
『Curious about what?』
“The reason the ‘Colossus’ was here.”
Hearing that, I remembered. Come to think of it, that 〖Feral Beast〗 was in a place with unusually thin 〖Mana〗.
I hadn’t had time to think about it after the Demon Beast Cult’s attack, but it was different from ordinary Demon Beasts, as it could combine and transform.
And a cave was buried at the feet of such a thing… It wouldn’t be strange if something was there.
“(…But something feels off. Has Fiss always been this proactive? Before, she was more…)”
Well, whatever, it’s not like it’s a bad change.
“Speaking of the ‘Colossus,’ Kouya defeated it, right?”
『I sure did.』
“Then, are you analyzing its materials?”
『I’m working on it. But…』
The reason I answered hesitantly was because the analysis wasn’t progressing at all.
Since falling into the hole, I had been analyzing the “Colossus” in my 〖Weapon Storage〗, but it was progressing very slowly.
Even if analyzing 〖Feral Beast〗 materials takes time, this was abnormally slow.
『It feels like I’m being forced to read the terms of service (contract) from top to bottom. It’s not that the analysis is difficult, but rather that there’s too much information.』
“Is that so…? Was the ‘Colossus’ a special Demon Beast?”
『Maybe. That guy was really weird.』
Then, I told her about my battle with the “Colossus.”
She seemed to be unaware of Demon Beasts that could combine, and was very surprised.
“I didn’t know. Such amazing things were happening.”
『They were happening. The world is a big place, with things like that around.』
“Yeah… Also, I picked this up.”
『Is that… a book?』
“Yes. The one the Demon Beast Cult guy had.”
“(…!)”
In contrast to me, who involuntarily gasped, she replied in a nonchalant tone. She was supposed to be near him when he died, but she didn’t seem too shocked.
Even from afar, my heart was uneasy, but maybe it’s because she grew up in an environment where death is commonplace.
『So, what are you going to do with that book?』
“I can’t read. I’ll give it to Kouya.”
『O-Okay, thank you.』
I stored the book with a hole in the cover in my Space Expansion Bag.
…With this, I don’t need to worry about her. I’ll ask her what I’ve been curious about.
『Hey, that guy died, right…?』
“Yes. I checked before coming here. He was definitely dead.”
『I see…』
It seemed he was killed by the Demon Beast he released, so I thought there might be some trick to it, but it seemed I was worrying for nothing.
『Then, next. Why did that guy commit suicide…? Was he cornered and released a Demon Beast he couldn’t control?』
“I don’t know. I was surrounded by 〖Dire Beasts〗 and didn’t have the luxury to worry about it. …But that man himself seemed surprised that a Chaos Spawn (Root Demon Beast) appeared.”
『Surprised?』
“He seemed like he was about to use other magic, but black roots suddenly shot out as if to interfere, and he looked surprised for a moment.”
…That’s true. Even if it was a Demon Beast he couldn’t control, if he knew that, he could have taken measures.
The fact that he didn’t means that the appearance of the Chaos Spawn wasn’t intentional.
“(The problem is why such an unexpected thing happened, but… I lack the information to judge.)”
At best, I can only think that it was a mistake or the special nature of the Chaos Spawn. It’s not much different from a delusion.
Well, probably the ability to trap and control Demon Beasts in a book was a unique 〖Attribute〗 power of that man. Since he’s dead, there’s little need to continue the investigation.
While thinking about such things, I continued through the dark cave.
The 〖Mana〗 was gradually getting denser, but not a single Demon Beast had appeared.
『Even so, how far does this cave go?』
“It seems like it’s about to end.”
Just as I was getting tired and said that, I got such a reply.
I strained my eyes at her words. In the vision revealed by 〖Clairvoyance〗, I noticed a faint light shining through.
『Oh, finally! …No, isn’t that weird?』
The cave had been a constant downward slope from the point of the fall. There shouldn’t be sunlight this deep underground.
The amount of light itself was quite small, and the source wasn’t the sun.
I started to think about what kind of light source could exist underground, and then I suddenly noticed it. The fluctuation of 〖Mana〗 that seemed to crush and expand space.
『Is this another 〖Feral Beast〗…?』
“It seems so.”
Finally, we reached the end of the cave. It was connected to a long vertical shaft.
The walls of the vertical shaft were covered with colorful, glowing jewels, creating an obviously abnormal atmosphere.
And at the bottom of this vertical shaft. There, looking like a grain of rice, a single Demon Beast was sitting.
The swirling 〖Mana〗 was centered on it, and it was clear that it was the master of this jewel’s 〖Zone Control〗.
“〖Feral Beasts〗 are dangerous… Should we turn back?”
『No, there’s no need to—if it’s just that one, it’ll be over in one hit.』
After telling the worried Fiss that much, I jumped into the vertical shaft.