The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 160



Only Krnovel

Episode 160 Forest of Dreams (3)

“Um, mercenary… … ? “Excuse me, but if you’re on your way to the Great Forest, could you please join me?”

Benson asked Khadim to accompany him as politely as possible, and received this reply:

“go away. “Before I cut open the belly skin and take out half of the intestines.”

“… … .”

A threat that didn’t sound like a joke at all. The woman behind him gave a cold sneer. His stomach twisted, but there was nothing he could do. Benson slowly stepped back and watched.

With only Illenia joining, the group heading to the Great Forest became three people.

Duncan glanced back and forth between Kadim and Ilenia.

It was really suspicious. How could I have met this woman in a place like this? As I had experienced before, this woman was no ordinary archaeologist. Also, no matter how I looked at her, I was concerned that Kadim seemed to dislike Illenia… … .

‘… … If you didn’t like something, you could have just kicked me out? Why did you insist on allowing me to accompany you and do that? Uh… … Wait? Could this really be… … .’

The pink imagination spread out on its own.

Kadim and Ilenia. The two have become close friends since the last time they met. They made a promise to meet here someday and said tearful goodbyes. But what? When I arrived, I saw that Ilenia was stuck with a top that looked like a toad. We had a deep conversation alone and resolved the big misunderstanding, but if Kadim was doing something like that, he was probably right… … .

“… … What are you thinking about, you punk?”

“Ughhhhhhhhhh!!”

My imagination was shattered. Before I knew it, the person involved was standing right next to me. Duncan waved his hand in frustration.

“Oh, it’s nothing, I’ll be fine. Well, it’s just that I’m surprised that I met that woman again in a place like this… … .”

“… … That woman will be our guide for the time being. She seems to know more about the Great Forest than we do.”

“Is that so? Well, after all, he’s an archaeologist by name… … . Oh, by the way, why did that woman come to the Great Forest?”

“… … “They say it’s because of the dragon.”

“Yes… …? You mean the dragon? Didn’t I have an appointment to meet you in advance, Your Majesty?”

“I decided on my destination after leaving the Magic Tower, but how can I make an appointment with that woman in advance?”

“Ah, no, but… … Isn’t that a bit unexpected? You’re not even an elf, and why are you suddenly going to the forest to look for a dragon… … .”

He tilted his head, and suddenly felt a strange sensation. He looked to the side and saw Kadim looking at him with heavy eyes. Duncan swallowed for no reason.

“Duncan, do you remember yesterday when you promised to name your sword if you succeeded in surprising me three times?”

“yes? Ah, ah, of course, yeah… … .”

“Let’s change the conditions. Even if the surprise attack is successful just once, the same reward will be given. Instead, secretly search that woman’s bag later.”

“……yes?”

“You don’t have to steal it. Just check what’s inside. And if you find anything suspicious, let me know.”

“……yes?!”

Duncan’s mind was filled with question marks.

No, well, it seems like it would be easier than ambushing Nauri… … why? If the contents are suspicious, can’t we just inspect them openly? It’s not like stealing secret information like in the Magic Tower… … There’s a reason why you have to secretly touch someone else’s bag… … uh? Well, I’m trying to find evidence of an affair… … .

The harsh guess didn’t go any further than that, because Kadim kept his mouth shut. Perhaps sensing something suspicious, Ilenia, who was walking ahead, also slowed down and approached.

“Everyone, first of all, we are almost at the Great Forest… … Um, can you see the forest at the end over there?”

Ilenia points to the edge of a distant landscape.

As I followed my fingertips, I saw a forest replacing the horizon.

There was still some distance to the entrance. Nevertheless, its presence surpassed the distance. For a moment, the group forgot all distracting thoughts and were intoxicated by the distant scenery.

The endlessly winding green dragonflies, the deep green outlines that overlay the boundaries that divide the heavens and the earth. All the paths that branched out were blocked by the fortress built by Mother Nature. No matter how much I tried to find a detour, the path would not appear, and it seemed that only the endless wall of vegetation would stretch out to the end of the world.

The warrior’s eyes had already surpassed the level of a bird of prey, scanning the forest with even greater detail. The lush, fluttering leaves, the pillars bearing thousands of rings… … At first glance, it looked like just an ordinary, lush forest.

It was just a shell of a forest.

Beyond a certain boundary, the landscape became distorted and warped. Beyond that, the senses did not advance, but simply lingered in similar places. Looking at that camouflage that was filled with the determination to never allow access, I could not help but keenly feel that the reputation of this forest was not in vain.

The Great Forest, the largest forest on the continent, with strange rumours and mysteries.

A completely unknown territory that even the first Kadim had never been to.

Duncan was simply mesmerized by its grandeur. On the other hand, after looking around once, Kadim realized why Ilenia had ended her speech so ambiguously.

“You shouldn’t just go in there blindly. “It looks like there’s a separate entrance somewhere.”

Ilenia clapped her hands in admiration.

“That’s right, you have good sense as expected! The road at the beginning of the forest is strangely twisted, so if you go in blindly, you could wander for 100 years and still be in the same place! “You must enter only through a designated passage called ‘Root Cave’!”

“Then where is that cave?”

“There are a few places… … The other cave is a bit far away, but the closest one is over there! “I’ll arrive soon, so just trust me and follow me!”

It was a bit of a long time to say it was just a moment. After those words were spoken, it took almost two more hours of walking.

However, the guide’s instructions were not wrong. As they approached the edge of the forest, at the root of an old tree that must have been hundreds of years old, Kadim and his party finally found a gaping hole like a cave.

The problem is that there were some things around that that we were not informed about.

“… … “There are military guests.”

“… … .”

A dozen or so thugs, armed with spears and swords, were loitering around the entrance to the cave. It was a rather grandiose crowd to encounter in this deserted place.

Ilenia’s complexion suddenly darkened. She looked around the cave attentively and then hurried away.

“Well, that won’t work… I guess we’ll have to look for another cave.”

“… … Is it a problem that they blocked the road? “If that’s the case, it can be resolved right here.”

The savage raised his throwing axe, the magic key that could open all paths. The archaeologist denied it with a vague quiver of his lips.

“No, that’s not the problem…” … Those people must have done something wrong, and the root tunnel ‘awakened’. In a situation like that, you can’t pass by normal means. “It would be better to find another oyster right now.”

“… … ?”

Kadim furrowed his brow as if to say, “What nonsense are you talking about?” After looking around the cave once more, he vaguely realized what the words meant. A damp, gloomy atmosphere rose up from beyond the pitch-black darkness.

That wasn’t just any ordinary tunnel.

“… … How absurd. You were trying to lead us to a place like that?”

“Well, if you pass by while you’re asleep, there’s no problem! And anyway, there is no way to properly enter the forest other than there… … .”

“So, what happens when it wakes up?”

“Huh, that’s… … Hmm… … I think it would be better for the peddler not to listen to that… … ?”

“… … Huh? What is it?”

“Well, it would be difficult if I heard it for no reason and then went on a rampage because I was scared and didn’t go… … .”

Duncan put on a brave expression as if he was being wronged. However, Kadim only gave him a cold look. Only after seeing Duncan slowly back away did Illenia feel relieved and tell him the information about the ‘root hole’.

After hearing the whole story, Kadim fell into a long meditation.

Before making a decision, I asked Ilenia one last time.

“… … The other caves are a bit far away?”

“Yes, I have to go a bit far. Maybe four or five days… … ?”

“Then let’s just go to that cave. “It’s not like you can’t pass by just because you wake up, and you can go further.”

“… … yes? But, mercenary, going that far into that cave… … .”

“No, I’m not saying I’m going to use them.”

Kadim stared at the assailants with indifferent eyes. They too had been looking in this direction since earlier when they spotted Kadim and his group. As they kept watching and not coming back, they got so fed up that they even sent one of them out.

“… … Of course, they are the ones who make the first move, but it’s not like I’m going to use it.”

“… … .”

“… … ?”

While Illenia’s eyes were half-knowing and Duncan was bewildered, the messenger sent by the strange men arrived right before their eyes.

A man who looks like a bandit, stained with grass and scum. He hesitated for a moment, surprised by Kadim’s size, but soon spoke to him as if nothing had happened.

“Hmm, nice to meet you. “Have you also come to enter the Great Forest?”

“… … .”

“Ah, there’s no need to be on guard. We’re not suspicious people. We’re… … a sort of patrol of the Great Forest that helps lost travelers. Even though this is a bit of a remote place, people often get lost while searching for elves or something… … .”

“… … .”

“Well, anyway, you guys are very lucky. You met us before we entered the forest. This is also fate, especially… … “I will give you special information for free.”

The man secretly told me that if I entered this forest from anywhere, I would just go around in circles, and that the only way to enter was through that cave.

Unfortunately, it was information that everyone already knew. Illenia and Duncan looked sullen. However, Kadim smiled wryly and expressed his gratitude as if he was hearing it for the first time.

“Thank you for that. “I almost got into big trouble.”

“Huh, there’s no need to be so thankful. Helping travelers is our reward… … .”

The man was flattered and continued speaking.

However, he boasted that the cave was extremely complicated and dangerous, that he needed a skilled guide like them to pass through it safely, and that it was a great fortune to have found the cave where they were. When Kadim continued to listen without saying anything, he felt relieved and got to the main point.

“Ahem, but… … We can’t dig the ground to make a living, so we’re asking for a small donation in return for showing us the way. Ah, don’t worry. I’m not asking for money. Well, if you just give us half of the food you brought, that’ll be enough… … .”

The man’s gaze, which had been carefully scanning the group, was fixed on one side. An off-white woman with bright yellow eyes that cannot be seen in remote areas like this even if you wash your eyes and look for her.

A burning desire was embedded in his clouded eyes.

“… … Hum, hum, actually, but, well, humans don’t just live by eating food… … . Hmm, if the lady over there can make our hard-working patrol members happy just a little… … Well, I could just get away with not getting the food arranged… … .”

Kadim only listened to that point and stopped speaking.

“I guess I should give you something to eat, Duncan.”

“……yes?”

“Isn’t ‘that’ begging for food? “We have to hurry and feed them before it’s too late.”

“… … ?”

Duncan and the man did not realize what he meant.

Duncan didn’t understand why he was giving away his precious food to these rascals, and why the man called them ‘those things’. Even as they took the groceries out of their bags and handed them over, the two men’s faces showed a look of suspicion.

Ilenia, on the other hand, immediately understood what he meant.

The people Kadim wanted to feed were not patrollers. I looked at Kadim meaningfully, then followed him and turned my gaze towards ‘that’.

The rim of the cave, covered with twigs and fine roots, could be seen trembling very faintly.

*

Kadim and his party approached the cave entrance with the man in front.

The self-proclaimed patrolmen smiled broadly. The amount of food the man had taken from the group was quite large. However, after seeing Illenia in the group, their faces became filled with indescribable anxiety.

“Hey, miss… …? Miss, stay here. Let’s go later. This cave is so dangerous, you never know what might happen inside.”

“That’s right. The brave ones over there, please go first, and when you’ve checked that everything is fine, you can go then. We’ll take care of you later, so don’t worry, hahaha… … .”

Although he had put on a layer of kindness, his eyes couldn’t hide his dirty intentions. Illenia smiled fakely and flatly refused.

“sorry. “I think it would be very dishonest of me to send my husband away and stay here alone.”

“… … .”

A glance, the tip of the slender chin pointed at the savage. The patrolmen retreated, feeling regretful but unable to spit out a word. Kadim gave her a cold glare, but Ilenia shrugged her shoulders naturally, as if there was no other excuse.

The guide man gave a stern warning before entering the root cave.

“You must never light a fire inside. There are a lot of roots and dry sediment here, so if you’re not careful, a big fire could spread. “It’s dark so it’s hard to see, but all you have to do is line up, hold hands, and follow me slowly.”

“… … .”

It was an understandable warning. To those who vaguely sensed the reason, it had a completely different meaning.

It wasn’t a particularly special sight until the entrance to the cave. Humus that brings out the scent of old earth, soft moss and mushrooms, fine roots hanging like feet… … . It looked like a wild crypt that had simply been abandoned for a long time.

However, as we reached a place where the sunlight did not reach, the true scenery of the cave began to slowly become apparent.

An unidentifiable, foul stench stung my nose. Something wet and hard repeatedly tripped on my feet, and I felt a faint vibration from the road.

“Wow, uh, the patrolman will be better…” … . My foot keeps tripping on something, what is it? Strangely, it feels like the ground is shaking… … .”

“… … It’s a mixture of animal carcasses and excrement. The trembling is caused by a herd of animals passing over the ground, so don’t worry about it. Oh, and the smoke could gather and cause an explosion, so from here on out, be very careful not to light even the smallest spark… … .”

A warning not to light suspiciously recurring fires. However, the excuse was plausible and the tone was very firm, so it was difficult not to believe it. In fact, Duncan seemed to understand without any doubt even though he was being arrogant.

The other two did not.

A priest of a forgotten god who presides over darkness and chaos and a warrior with superhuman vision were looking clearly into the dark cave. He was able to use his skills and prevent the fire from starting. Yes, if you reveal this scene openly, no one will follow you.

That doesn’t mean the man was lying. The sediment was definitely made up of animal carcasses and excrement.

If I had to say, humans and animals are animals.

““… … .””

Kadim and Ilenia avoided the skeletons strewn about with hardened faces.

The man, oblivious to anything, continued to play the role of guide, pretending to feel his way along the walls, secretly moving large skulls away, parroting the same warnings, and encouraging the group that they were almost out… .

The comical one-man show ended only when it reached the depths of the damp cave.

A loud noise suddenly comes from behind.

Thud, thud, thud… … .

“wait for a sec… … “Everyone stop.”

Patter, patter… … .

“Hmm, what does this mean? I don’t think it’s the sound of animals coming and going… … .”

The man muttered in a serious voice. However, relief appeared on his face buried in the darkness. A sense of relief that the signal he had been waiting for had finally arrived, that he could finally leave this place.

“Well, I guess I should go check what the sound was. Everyone, stay here and wait. I’ll check and come back soon… … .”

“No, there’s no need to go. I’ll handle it.”

Kadim blocked the man with one hand and threw a lightning strike without any time to stop him.

Pararaeraeraeraeraera… … Tsk – tsk!

‘Ugh!’

Hoo – ung, hoo – ung, hoo – hun, hun – chin!

The ax let out a loud scream and returned to its owner’s hand. Kadim threw them one after another. The wave-shaped ax blade spread its wings of destruction repeatedly across the darkness.

Say hello, say hello… … Tsk – Tsk! Say hello… … Tsk – Tsk!

‘What, what!’

‘Crack!’

‘Ugh!’

Hoo – ung, hoo – ung, hoo – hun, hun – chin!

At some point, the screams were no longer heard. Kadim thrust the wet axe into the man’s face.

“Look, I’ve eliminated all the causes of the noise. Don’t worry, just keep going until you reach the ‘stomach.’”

“… … “Uh, huh?”

“Why, weren’t you planning on feeding us to this cave?”

A dreary smile rose from the darkness. The man was completely out of his mind. Warm liquid dripped down his trembling eyes in a line.

Drops of blood from my colleagues who had been signaling me to get out.

Rumbling… … .

The echo of empty stomachs rang out from beyond the gloomy darkness.