The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 23



Only Krnovel

Episode 23. Forest of No Return (3)

The end of the green was not in sight.

At some point, the bushes became thicker than dense. Bushes, weeds, vines, nameless flowers, and insects wandering in the shade were tangled and tangled, scrawling the shady, damp greenery as they pleased. It was as if I had entered a landscape painting painted with lavish paint by an artist suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Even as they slowly cut through the vines with axes and blades, it was not easy to find a place to stand. With every step they took, thorns and thistles would scratch their skins. A handful of goblin grass and cocklebur seeds would cling to the hems of their clothes. The hems of their clothes had been soaked with weed for a long time.

Last night, we barely managed to find a small open space and spend the night there. Up until then, Kadim hadn’t said much. After all, we had come this far and couldn’t go back, so he foolishly believed that the guide had found the right way.

However, the exit from the forest did not appear until the sun set the next day.

At this point, I couldn’t help but ask.

“Hey, peddler.”

“Yes, yes… … . “I’ll get better.”

“Did I come to the right place? We’re still in the forest. Something feels strange.”

“Yeah, uh, that, that’s… … .”

Duncan, who had narrowed his shoulders dejectedly, shrank even lower. His aimless eyes wandered through the blank bushes.

Duncan was in agony all day. I think he came to the wrong place, but he had no idea how to get the word out. He found it harder to get his words out because of what happened yesterday… … .

‘Ugh, I should’ve just stayed still… … . I should’ve been thankful that my balls didn’t fly off right away, why are you bringing that up… … .’

It’s too late to regret, and it’s even too late to say anything. But since he couldn’t drag it out any longer, Duncan hesitated before speaking.

“… … Sorry, Nauri. It seemed like I was definitely on the right track, but I guess I wasn’t. The plains spanning the border should have appeared by now… … .”

“… … .”

The borders of this world are divided by points, not lines. Border posts placed at regular intervals monitor the surrounding area, and other areas are inevitably left empty.

Naturally, in areas of low importance, the spacing between guard posts becomes relatively further apart. The two originally planned to pass through a short forest area and pass through a plain with the loosest gaps between points.

But then, out of nowhere, they entered a strangely large forest and their plan was ruined. Kadim narrowed his eyes and nodded.

“Open the map, peddler. Is there a forest this big around the road we’re on?”

“… … Oh, no. There isn’t any, Your Majesty.”

“… … .”

“The nearest forest is the Two-Seat Wind Forest above here, which is only a day’s walk away… … The only place you can’t get out of even after walking for two days is the ‘Great Forest’ in the south, where the elves live in seclusion… … .”

The distance from the starting point to the main forest was close to a span. Considering the scale of the map, this means that it is at most hundreds of kilometers. Even if the giant got lost and went on for several days, it didn’t seem like he would go that far wrong.

These were the only possibilities left.

You may have lost your sense of direction and are circling in the same spot.

“We probably aren’t hovering in the same place. Everywhere I passed, there were traces of Nauri cutting through the bushes… … .”

There was something wrong with the peddler’s map.

“Oh my, this isn’t a cheap map. I bought it in a big city for two thousand luden. All the caravans that trade with the Empire use this map, Your Majesty!”

In the meantime, a new forest has emerged.

“This map was created only three years ago. “There is no way a new forest like this will be created in the meantime.”

If it’s neither this nor the other, it can’t be… … .

“… … .”

… … Either way, the fact remained that we had to get out of the forest quickly.

I had to look around before it got any darker. Kadim instructed the peddler to go up the tree and look for anything he could see. There was something holding him back, so Duncan climbed the tree without saying a word, holding on to the pillars and branches.

“uh? I can see the smoke, it’s better! “It looks like someone is starting a fire over there!”

“is it. Well then, let’s go there first… … .”

– Shh!

Suddenly something jumped out of the ground, howling angrily.

Kadim reflexively snatched it up and tore it apart without hesitation.

Tzuok!

Scales falling off, skin and flesh sagging. A snake as big as a forearm was split in half as easily as a lamb’s skewer. Fearing that it might struggle and bite his forearm, Kadim threw the upper part of the snake to the ground.

At that moment, something strange happened.

“… … !”

The tail was slowly regenerated with its cross section cut in half. The snake that should have been dead shrunk in size and became more agile. It waved its forked tail and quickly disappeared among the bushes.

“… … .”

Duncan, who came down late, gave a questioning look.

“What is it, Your Majesty? What is it…? Hmph, what is it?”

Kadim watched the section closely for a moment.

Even after a while, the head did not regenerate from the remaining tail. Only after checking, did I throw it on the floor.

“Let’s move on to acting first. “If you happen to find a snake along the way, tell me, peddler.”

“Huh? Was that a snake?”

“… … .”

Kadeem kept his mouth shut and led the way in the direction the peddler had indicated. Duncan, terrified that he might step on the savage’s tail if he went alone, followed closely behind him.

*

They have been lighting bonfires every night, but in fact, lighting a fire in the forest at night is very dangerous.

It wasn’t just because of the risk of forest fires. The flame is so bright in the darkness of the forest without a single star. Light that is too bright attracts many things that travelers do not want. From flying insects fascinated by the light to hungry monsters and thieves.

Of course, Kadim did not start the fire without thinking. The warmth of fire helped him a lot in many ways, and monsters and thieves were not a big threat to him.

However, it was questionable whether it was really a big threat to Lee. Kadim frowned and looked at the man in front of the campfire.

He had a hunched back, hunched arms and legs, and distorted facial features. He was wearing a rag full of holes like a cloak, and his hands and feet were wrapped in tattered rags. His only weapon was a bunch of iron clubs that were either a poker or a cane.

The eyes reflected in the flames were as blurry as the eyes of a young man. The man looked away, revealing teeth that were empty here and there, like worm-eaten corn.

“I’m Nazran.”

“… … what?”

“My Name. My name is Nazran. “What are your names?”

A clear statement that seems to have skipped some of the previous questions and answers. As Kadim just looked at him expressionlessly, Duncan came forward.

“This, this man’s name is Khadim, and I am Duncan. He is a mercenary and I am a peddler. Mr. Nazran… … What are you doing here?”

Nazran burst into laughter in a hoarse voice. He lifted his hands and feet wrapped in cloth and spoke.

“You wouldn’t know it if you looked at it. Where in the world would a hunchbacked leper with all his fingers and toes go? “I ended up here, looking for places with few people, without a set location.”

“… … .”

“It’s a very nice forest. No one throws stones, no one curses, no one spits… … . Oh, it’s a shame there’s no one to sprinkle salt. It’s very hard to get it if you don’t pick it up when that happens, so it’s slippery… … .”

Hearing the story of the leper, Duncan hesitated and stepped back. However, Kadim still stood there, giving him a dry look.

Nazran looked at Khadim with interest.

“Aren’t you afraid of leprosy? Oh, or is it because you’re a savage? I’ve heard that the witches of the wilderness know many magic spells that are effective against diseases.”

“It was like that. “I don’t know if that’s still the case.”

“Kekekekeke, I guess so. It’s been a long time since the savages left the wilderness and settled here… … .”

Duncan tilted his head. He had always thought that this savage came from the wilderness beyond the mountains and was ignorant of the ways of the world. How could he not know the circumstances of the priestesses of the wilderness?

Ignoring the peddler’s questions, Kadim spoke to Nazran.

“If you know anything about this forest, I’d like to hear it. “There was no forest like this on the map.”

“Oh, you’re lost. But why did you come to this area? This is a remote area where there are only monsters and shady people… … .”

“… … .”

“Ahhh! I guess you guys aren’t in a very honorable position either? Have you committed a crime or are you being chased by someone? Hehehe, instead of running away like a scared rabbit, why don’t you just settle down in this forest like me?”

Kadim’s pupils showed a speck of anger. Nazran trembled for a moment, but then burst into laughter again without any hesitation.

“Cluck cluck, it’s just a joke… … . He looked at the poor leper with those ghost-like eyes and said, “He was a very scary friend, right?” Yes, yes. Before you strike, let me give you what I want. Let’s see, it’s about a forest… … .”

“… … .”

“Hmm, but it couldn’t be… … Are you planning to listen with your bare mouth?”

Duncan felt that if things continued like this, the leper would be torn to death by the barbarians. He came between them again.

“Wow, what do you want? If it’s money or food, I can give you a little. I don’t have much, so I can’t give you much… … .”

“Ah, there’s plenty to eat. Where would I spend my money? Paying bugs to bring me honey? Grrrrrrrr… .”

“… … .”

“Hehe, I just… … I’d like to hear your story. Yes, the same story would be appropriate for the story value. There was something I wanted to ask a barbarian when I met him… … .”

Unfocused eyes stared straight at Kadim. Kadim also met his gaze without averting his gaze. Duncan looked between the two of them anxiously.

The question that came out of Nazran’s mouth immediately was something the two had never expected.

“They say barbarian women are so good at working at night… … “Is that really true?”

“… … .”

“Because my body was in such tatters, I have never been able to hug a woman since I was born. Still, if the opportunity arose, I wanted to try it with a fresh-faced barbarian woman. It seems like they will open their crotches to lepers if you give them enough money, haha… … .”

Thick veins popped out on Kadim’s forehead.

Originally, he was a modern man, so he had little sense of kinship with the Atalains. However, because he had experienced countless instances of discrimination in the first round, a hatred for such a slander was deeply rooted in Kadim’s mind. Moreover, those words were an insult to the priestess of Atala, his former colleague…

It wasn’t because Nazran was sick that he didn’t immediately split his head with an axe. Khadim was confident that he could equally smash the skull of anyone who uttered such nonsense, whether they were amputees or those who had been ill for a hundred years.

I just kept it alive because I have something else on my mind right now.

“… … If your fingers and toes fell off, why is that rag so puffy?”

Nazran didn’t panic and just raised the corners of his lips.

“They filled it with straw instead. “I feel empty because everything I have is gone, so I have to be able to hold on.”

“… … .”

Kadim didn’t believe that. He walked forward without saying a word and grabbed the wrist where the skin was all raw.

When Nazran tried to remove the cloth covering him, he twisted his mouth in a bizarre way.

“Kekekekeke… … . Want to check it out yourself?”

“… … .”

“… … “Would you regret it?”

Kadim ignored it and took off the cloth.

What was revealed was a flower of flesh.

Dozens of fingers had taken root in the palm and were growing densely like mushrooms in the shade.

“Huh!”

Phew – Yeah!

Duncan gasped in shock and Kadeem drew his axe and swung it almost simultaneously. The blade, gleaming in the flames, traced a semicircular trajectory.

Seo – Ugh!

With a thud, the severed arm fell. The deformed hand with its clumped fingers also fell to the floor.

But Nazran was not embarrassed. He stood still with a scornful look on his face, feeling that he had done well.

Tsubaki, tsubaki –

Then, slowly, a forked arm began to grow from the severed section.

“Didn’t I tell you that you would regret it?”

His once cloudy eyes were filled with sincere malice.

Nazran took off the rags he was wearing. Behind the rags, instead of a heavily curved back, two pairs of arms and one leg were hidden.

The limbs that were attached were not of a normal form. The legs attached to the tailbone were large and thick like pillars, supporting the body firmly, and the arms had one more joint, making them much longer than normal arms. It looked like a crazy experimenter had attached limbs to the test subject at will.

Despite his bizarre appearance, Nazran’s body moved with incredible agility. Three pairs of arms stretched out at once, grabbed a metal staff, and swung it fiercely at Khadim.

Hook, hook, hook, hook!

Kadim quickly retreats. My cheek was slightly scratched and blood dripped. As Nazran raised his ax and sword to attack again, he sarcastically sneered.

“Are you incapable of learning, savage? You can’t fight me with those blades, claw cluck… … .”

“… … .”

“If you have an unreasonable curiosity, you have to pay a price. Give up any hope that you can escape from here. I am a capable hunter, and you are just helpless prey… … .”

Nazran had no choice but to stop talking.

The savage was putting axe blades and sword blades into the bonfire and heating them up red-hot.

The mouth, which had been high all along, gradually lowered. Kadim cleared his throat and muttered dryly.

“It looks like it has grown on its own without any human intervention, so it looks like it needs to have its branches pruned.”

“… … .”

“If it’s burned in the fire, there’s no need to worry about it growing again.”

The savage raised his red-hot weapon and gave me a cold, cold gaze.

With fire and steel, it was time to prune that twisted mass of flesh.