“This area is said to be the border of the Demon Forest,”
Party leader Raydus said, turning back to address the group.
“It just looks like a normal grassland, though. It’s around here that monsters start to appear occasionally,”
Nadira explained to Salfa—Alpha Salfareas Cosmos—walking beside her.
Salfa surveyed the surroundings and nodded.
“Indeed, the vegetation is denser. Are there any animals?”
“Around here, you might see rabbits, mice, weasels, tanuki, snakes, and dogs. All animals, not monsters. …Do you know the difference between a monster and a non-monster?”
At Gravar’s question, Atro—Alpha Atrosanguineus Cosmos—replied.
“I know. The distinction lies in whether or not they possess a magic stone within their bodies.”
It wasn’t exactly common knowledge, but even in ＜Paraiso＞, they gathered at least the bare minimum of information.
If you asked around in a city where you had to deal with monsters, you could get that much information easily.
“Yeah. The monsters that appear around here… well, I’ve heard there are leopards or hyenas. I’ve never actually seen them, so they probably don’t get close to this road.”
The group was currently walking along a path that stretched from the forward base towards the Demon Forest.
The path was merely a stretch of land where adventurers had trodden so much that grass barely grew anymore.
“Rookies sometimes set up rabbit traps around here, but adventurers like us don’t usually work in this area. There are only small animals, and no monsters appear. The magical energy is too weak for medicinal herbs to grow. That’s why I want to get through this road as quickly as possible.”
“I see. So, the further into the forest you go, the more medicinal herbs grow?”
The six walked on.
Behind them, with a quietness surprising for its massive size, a multi-legged machine (backpacker) followed.
“Basically, yes. It depends on the environment, and there are also special terrains called magic energy hotspots. Either way, the concentration of magical energy is definitely a factor.”
“Salfa-san and the others aren’t familiar with this kind of thing, right? This is a magic energy meter.”
Raydus stopped and showed the device in his hand to Salfa, who was behind him.
“If there’s a lot of magic energy, this needle swings to the right. If there’s little magic energy, like in North End City, the needle is all the way to the left.”
“…Is this also a magic tool?”
“Yeah. The materials for this are the magic stone and whiskers of a Forest Tiger. Well, if you go deep into the forest for about a day, you might encounter one. But it’s impossible this time.”
“Would it be possible to obtain one in North End City?”
“Ah, well, yes. It’s rare, but it’s a necessity for parties going into the depths. If you look for it, you should be able to find one.”
Salfa, Chris, and Atro asked about anything that caught their interest. As he answered them, the group crossed the grassland.
The end of the Demon Forest’s border region was approaching.
Around here, there were many shrubs about 2-3 meters tall, giving it the feel of a forest entrance.
“From here on, deer and boars will appear. They usually don’t get close, but they might charge if they’re in heat or raising their young, so be careful. Well, it’s fine this time of year.”
“What we need to watch out for is the increase in large carnivorous monsters. Around here, young individuals who have lost territorial disputes might suddenly appear. If they’re injured, they become ferocious, so it’s like a trial for adventurers in their third year.”
Raydus was acting as a scout, several hundred meters ahead. Nadira and Gravar were currently explaining things to Salfa and the others.
Nadira held a short spear in her hand, on alert.
The remaining four stayed close together so as not to get in the way.
“The usual way is to be cautious here in case any strays have come out. But it looks like it’s okay today. There are signs of deer here and there.”
As they were chatting, a short whistle sounded.
“That’s Raydus. He’s finished the safety check. Let’s move on.”
Incidentally, because the backpacker was following behind, the wild animals were watching from a much greater distance than usual.
It was no wonder, with such a heavy object lumbering along.
“Be careful near the trees. Snakes sometimes fall from them.”
“Understood.”
At Nadira’s warning, Atro nodded and immediately kicked the trunk of a nearby tree. A cracking sound echoed, and the branches shook violently.
Nadira and Gravar were surprised by the sudden action.
Furthermore, Atro caught something falling from the tree.
“There was a snake.”
The snake, its neck caught, could do nothing but wrap itself around Atro’s arm in a futile attempt to resist.
“…Amazing. No, even I wouldn’t have noticed that.”
“The power of that kick is extraordinary…”
The two adventurers assessed Atro from different perspectives.
The three from ＜Paraiso＞ were wearing assist suits, but they were not using the assist functions at the moment for the purpose of evaluating their abilities.
Atro skillfully used his tail as a third leg to grip the ground, enhancing the power of his kick.
And Nadira’s observational skills, to see through that at a glance, were not to be underestimated.
“Is it a normal snake?”
Walking along, Atro carefully observed the snake.
“That’s a non-venomous grass snake. And it’s an adult, so it’s not edible, and its skin can’t be used. It’s useless for poison or medicine.”
“I see.”
Releasing his grip, Atro lightly shook his arm.
The snake smoothly unwound itself and flew far away with the swing of his arm.
“…Atro-san, but, are you good at fighting?”
“Just Atro is fine. I can say I’m good at using my body. Combat is possible. However, I don’t know if it’s an effective fighting style against so-called monsters.”
Salfa, Chris, Atro, and the backpacker behind them were directly connected in terms of information. The information processing itself also used the processing unit mounted on the backpacker, so its capabilities were far higher than those of a single communicator.
Because it could integrate and process the sensor information from the four units, its spatial awareness was high, and when combined with precise machine control, it could easily crush ordinary hostile entities.
However, the species known as monsters possessed a power that could overturn that expectation.
“This way! There are no traces of monsters. And there’s a small magic energy hotspot ahead, so let’s gather some herbs there. I haven’t been able to do much adventuring lately, so I have high expectations.”
“Raydus, don’t say things like that!”
The reason he hadn’t been able to do much adventuring was because ＜Paraiso＞ had taken over North End City.
Unless there was hostile action, there were no particular restrictions, but even so, very few strong individuals would attack the Demon Forest as usual in a situation where their base was in trouble.
Nadira hurriedly followed up on Raydus, who had blurted out something that sounded like a dig.
“Oops, sorry! I didn’t mean to complain to Salfa-san and the others, I just meant that there are fewer competitors, so I expect to make a profit…”
“Just Salfa is fine. And I understand that it’s not a criticism. Don’t worry about it.”
Raydus and Nadira exhaled deeply. Gravar continued to walk on, seemingly unconcerned.
“Raydus, just for the duration of this request, please keep that loose mouth of yours shut!! Seriously, I can’t believe you!”
“Yeah… I’m really sorry.”
Detouring to avoid dense thickets of trees along the way, they reached their destination.
“This is the easiest hotspot to get to from North End City. Adventurers usually stop by on their way back to gather herbs, so there’s almost nothing left. But today, it’s all ours for the taking.”
“Could you teach me?”
“Of course! Gravar, I’m counting on you!”