Chapter 13: Mia’s Forest (4)
Elite monsters in Mia's Forest.
There are many ways to defeat the elite Grey Wolves.
Of course, you must first realize what they are.
The beasts of Inner Lunatic are often inspired by the behavior of real-life animals.
Wolves, for example, work in packs, are intelligent, and have excellent communication skills. In short, they are....'
"It's a lowlife thing to do."
I muttered, exhaling lightly.
"Uh, what do we do?"
Seeing me reach for my sword, Talia drew her dagger as well.
One, I said without even turning around.
"Don't get yourself hurt, put the sword away, conserve your health as much as possible, and run away as soon as they attack. That way, you'll have a better chance of surviving."
In reality, killing an elite Grey Wolf isn't that dangerous.
It's a forest in the beginning of the game, even if the difficulty is high.
Nevertheless, the reason I'm speaking to Talia now is in hopes that she'll be more alert to the situation and stop chasing after me.
Did my intentions work?
Talia swallowed hard and took a step back.
It was a stance that allowed her to take in the movements of her enemies and where they were headed.
It doesn't look like the vassals of Rineharbor House have been wasted… but I'm not sure I trust them.
For now, I use my skills to kill them once and for all.
After all, the best way to deal with a dangerous situation is to deal with the danger itself.
[Activates 'Hour of Genius'].
My vision flickers, just as it did when I fought Knox's twin brothers once more, and I feel a surge of power coursing through my body.
A temporary increase in my health stats, and a change in my perceived time due to the genius's time trigger.
"Whoa."
I took a quick breath and glanced at the status window.
I had five minutes.
I can't guarantee my survival if I don't focus from here on out.
The hidden piece I need to get here.
In order to get it, I must deal with this pack of wolves.
You have to risk your life.
This isn't any other game, this is Inner Lunatic, where you have to risk your life dozens of times. Let me repeat: I'm fucked.
Krrr!
Another pack of wolves followed the elite Gray Wolf. I'm guessing they're his followers....
I can't help but feel cynical.
I wonder if they're the best at fighting?
Clever bastards.
Krrr!
Suddenly, a wolf broke away from the pack and charged at me.
It was dark, and my vision was partially blocked by my torch, but I didn't care.
Skillful movement had become quite familiar to me by now.
Even after the fight with my brothers. I continued to swing my sword, run through the training grounds, and... constantly suffer from muscle aches.
Thanks to this, my stamina has increased a bit.
My current health is 4.3
I've grown by leaps and bounds… not quite, but I've become quite useful.
...I guess I can still compete with Rona now.
I threw the torch as soon as I thought about it. I still have plenty of torches, and this is the easiest way to attack them.
Using the fire that all beasts fear, I scatter their ranks and use it to cut them down one by one.
This is the gold standard for fighting beasts of the night.
Squeak.{2}
The drawn sword catches the moonlight, emitting a white glow and decapitating a wolf. The creature flies over my shoulder, revealing its enormous size.
He must weigh dozens of kilograms at least.
'…By the way, the sword is rather good…?'
Even I am baffled by the accuracy of my movements.
No matter how much I've slowed down, the sharpness of my sword seems to have changed. It seems that my efforts have paid off.
…But why am I still weaker than Rona?
Putting aside my ridiculous thoughts, I focused on killing the wolf.
Flick!
A splash of blood. Meanwhile, I slashed at another wolf and calmly extinguished its lifeblood.
Wolves aren't as strong as I thought. Eight of them surrounded me, but I decided it was worth a shot. If I hadn't had that idea, I wouldn't have come in here in the first place.
"Watch out!"
Ouch!
A small dagger sinks into the floor.
It came from above. Thrown as a deterrent.
I quickly realized who it belonged to.
"Talia… are you trying to help me?
I immediately looked up and glanced up.
Talia had already climbed a tree and was huddled behind it, bracing herself against the wolf's claws.
I let out a breath. My body was beginning to tremble.
[Recoil]
I was beginning to feel the effects of Time of Genius' greatest debuff.
[Duration of 'Time of Genius': 2 minutes, 34 seconds].
[Apply 'Recoil' debuff].
Two minutes and 34 seconds left. There are very few enemies left.
When the creatures scattered, terrified by the flames, I could tell that the battle was all but won.
Two. The largest of the remaining wolves is seasoned and doesn't charge easily, merely directing the rest to attack me.
An elite gray wolf.
As expected of an elite monster, this one had a very good head on its shoulders.
But now that he has only one ally left, he's starting to get antsy.
Two humans, you'd think, would be a good bet, but…
He's just realized he was wrong.
But I can't cut him any slack.
Life is real, asshole.
I smirked. Then I straighten my sword vertically.
I use the recoil at my waist to reduce the load on my body.
After minimizing the aftermath of the [recoil], I slash the last of his weight.
At the same time, he leans down… and jumps at me like a spring.
But why?
It jumped in my direction… but not at me.
He darted into the dark grass behind me, where he concealed himself.
Krrrr!
For a moment, I lost sight of him.
An elite gray wolf leaps out of the blind and charges at me. It leaped from the dark grass, making it difficult to pinpoint its exact location.
I'm in a bit of a quandary.
I'm still a young boy, and I can't take in the wolf's enormous size. Especially not in the pitch-black night.
"Suck!"
I held my sword vertically, ready to parry any attack that might come my way. At any moment, I would parry and strike back.
Just as I was thinking that.
Suddenly, the Elite Grey Wolf stopped dead in its tracks and stood frozen in place.
…Crazy. I didn't expect this.
Boom!
The sword I had swung in defense, only to have it slice through the pitch-black night sky.
Damn.
I stand corrected.
The elite Grey Wolf was even more clever than in the game.
It was waiting for me to swing my sword in a big motion, so that when the backlash limited my movement, it could strike.
"Ha!"
I gritted my teeth, feeling my genius time running out. The recoil pierced my chest, blood rushing through my body.
I only have a few seconds left.
And when it's all over?
His teeth would sink into the nape of my neck.
"You son of a…!"
I wasn't expecting it. Was I excited that the game I'd beaten so many times had become a reality? That I could do anything?
It was a stupid decision.
That's why I'm now dead…
Pot!
At that moment, a second dagger slashed down from somewhere, causing the giant wolf to stumble backward for a moment.
A very short time.
In that brief pause, I saw a miracle.
If he could make a gap, I could make a gap here.
I had forgotten that fact.
Also, if anyone could create that variable…
It wasn't me.
Pisik.
With a smile on my face, I pressed down on my sword.
With a rebound and forceful motion, I manage to straighten my swaying body.
A split second, a split second that someone else had given me.
I grit my teeth, and with all my might, I seize the moment when the elite Grey Wolf's movement stops.
The sword snaps like a chain. It glows, and I plunge it into the behemoth's heart.
Poof!
Crouch...!
And then, the sword stuck, and stuck, and stuck.
I could feel the Grey Wolf's body slowly crumble.
A body that must have weighed hundreds of kilograms.
It slowly leaned towards me.
I had finally succeeded in killing it.
With a whimper.
"Haa...."
"Hey, are you okay?!"
"Yep. There's nothing around now. I'm alive thanks to you…."
I started to say that, but then clamped my mouth shut.
I'm trying to thank a kid I'm supposed to be enemies with in the future now…!
Right now, I was out of my mind from the battle.
That wasn't the biggest problem, though, because what Talia said to me, blushing, as she climbed down the tree, was even more shocking.
"No, not that… I'm asking if you're okay."
"...?"
I frowned, looking at Talia for a moment before standing up.
"Huh… let's go."
I said, unable to help myself. I'm going to have some fun from here on out, so I'd better get the hell out of there.
I realized that even if she wasn't a one-man show, she was a half-man show.
And it's better to reduce the risk factor as much as possible.
"Hmm. So, all that's left is to go get it?
The corner of my mouth twitches.
The artifact I'll get here.
The artifact that will prolong my life for years to come.
The dungeons, fields, and forests of Inner Lunatic are full of magic.
As befits a medieval fantasy, they are home to a myriad of beasts, elixirs, and special artifacts.
However, there are some areas that are notoriously difficult to defeat.
One of them is the Forest of Mia, where Nox and Thalia entered.
Mia's Forest was one of the biggest draws of Reinharbor Street.
And for good reason. Basically, the Reinharber family is the strongest family in the south, and the strongest family in the darkness.
Yet, even they still have unexplored forests within their territory?
It was proof of their incompetence.
Of course, the presence of Theo, the overwhelming champion, hasn't stopped others from looking down on the Rineharbor family, but there's been a lot of negativity about them anyway.
With the disappearance of the lord's children, there are even those who speak of Theo and his family's incompetence.
Rodwell himself first pledged his loyalty to Theo, arriving at the estate over thirty years old. The secrets of this uncharted forest had remained unexplored.
But now.
An unbelievable sight was unfolding before his eyes.
Ji Ying….
The forest's enchantment had slowly begun to dissipate.
"...Mia's forest is being attacked.
Rodwell immediately realized that his suspicions were correct.
Nox von Reinhaber.
The family's numbers had changed, and Theo had not been wrong.
As the knights had reported, Talia's skills were excellent, but she was a prodigy.
Exceptional talent for her age.
And that was that.
But the capture of this forest would require a genius many times greater.
If that's what's happening… it's safe to say that Nox is targeting this place.
"This… I'm not sure, but that's it, right, the… disenchantment....?"
Emma asked, shuffling her feet in a mixture of panic and delight. Rodwell nodded.
"That's right. The enchantment is lifting. Perhaps the forest is being attacked. …The only possibility we thought of is coming true."
"If that's the case, Master Nox will be able to...."
"I'm sure, with that sword you showed me."
Rodwell was certain in that moment.
Nox. That the youngest Master he'd ever known's life had been turned upside down, and his talents would begin to blossom in earnest.
Incidentally, there would be disturbances in the line of succession of the Reinhafer family.
"Huh… I finally found it. I got a good chunk out of Talia."
I continued to search with my rekindled torch, and eventually found the artifact I was looking for.
I ended up with a nodule, but I got her to promise not to tell anyone about it.
I don't have a problem with swordsmanship, as I've already shown my strength in front of others, but I also don't want the artifact to become a rumor.
Thankfully, Talia is waiting outside, not under the wooden beam where I found the artifact.
No worries.
The original design of Mia's Forest was such that once the Elite Grey Wolf was dealt with, there would be no more of them.
There's no particular reason for this, it's just the way the game is set up.
At first, she was scared and tried to follow me in, but after I extolled the virtues of knighthood, she had no choice but to comply.
She looks like she's about to cry, but I still don't share the artifact's information.
I can't show something like that to a person who might kill me…!
I shake off my thoughts, and a familiar message rings in my ears.
[You have acquired a new artifact].
[You have acquired the accessory 'Ring of Black Salt']!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone