A small but peaceful village.
A modest fief without splendor.
These were the expressions that often described Greyrim.
But that’s long been a thing of the past.
Now, knights in ash-colored armor walk the streets of Greyrim.
Even on rainy days, the knights don’t remove their armor. As the heavy knights walk, the paving stones of the roads crack and break.
That’s not all.
Gunter also had mercenaries in addition to the Iron Lion Knights.
These mercenaries patrolled inside the outer walls instead of the existing fief soldiers.
The lord has been sent to the capital under arrest.
The most loyal vassals were imprisoned on various charges, and some even died resisting.
Although ordinary fief residents shouldn’t be affected by such circumstances, the reality was different. A chilling wind blew from top to bottom.
Children who used to run joyfully in the streets were no longer seen.
Rumble.
It was a day of heavy rain.
A child in a robe was walking with small steps.
The man accompanying her stopped her from anxiously looking around.
They arrived at a mill near the castle walls.
On such a rainy day, even the mill usually takes a break.
The child and the man entered the mill together.
It was dim inside with only a few candles lit.
Several people were already gathered inside.
The man and the child took off their robes.
The man was Oliver, Greyrim’s best hunter, and the child was Rania, the lord’s daughter.
“Mother!”
The lord’s wife was also inside the mill.
Rania tightly hugged her mother.
It had been a long time since the mother and daughter met.
“Thank you for your hard work, Oliver.”
Oliver slightly bowed his head to show respect to the lord’s wife.
Everyone gathered here was loyal to the lord.
Although the Viscount of Greyrim wasn’t an outstanding person, he at least had good people around him.
“Everyone, thank you for coming.”
They had secretly gathered at the lord’s wife’s call.
“It’s been a long time since Gunter sent the lord away. We’ve sent letters to the royal palace and the noble council, but there’s still no proper response.”
The lord’s wife looked haggard.
“At this rate, something terrible might happen to the lord. That must not happen.”
The lord’s wife and the vassals had used various means to save the lord.
But the royal palace kept giving the stubborn answer that it was a legitimate procedure, and the noble council only said they would try their best.
This can’t go on. It absolutely can’t.
Finally, the lord’s wife made a difficult decision.
“We need to ask for the Marquis’s help.”
“Ah…”
Someone let out a sigh.
The Marquis, the Tiger Marquis Gerard.
The lord’s wife’s father. One of the Eight Heroes.
The reason for the vassal’s sigh was simple.
The lord’s wife’s father was a fearsome man. Perhaps even more so than Gunter.
It might be like calling out a tiger to catch a wolf.
But what else could they do, when the original owner of the fief, the raccoon, might die?
No one opposed.
It was already expected.
The castle’s butler quietly spoke.
“I’ve arranged for a carriage.”
“Just sending a letter won’t make my father move. That’s the kind of person he is.”
Marquis Gerard must have heard the news through the noble council, but he had remained silent until now.
He’s probably preparing justification or calculating gains and losses.
“Either I or Rania will have to go in person.”
And the lord’s wife was under Gunter’s surveillance.
Even coming here today was a risk.
In the end, she had no choice but to send her young daughter.
The lord’s wife handed a letter she had written herself to Rania.
Rania put the letter in her bosom with a timid posture.
“Oliver will help you.”
“I owe the lord a debt of gratitude.”
Oliver placed his hand on his chest.
The lord’s wife also lightly expressed her gratitude.
After that, the gathered people shared a rough plan.
In the near future, a carriage will leave Greyrim.
With Rania and the letter she carries.
“Then, good luck to all.”
With the lord’s wife’s declaration, people dispersed one by one.
Rania and Oliver were no exception.
However, this time Rania went out alone first.
She was disguised as a maid working in the lord’s castle.
She walked with small steps, holding a basket of flour in her arms.
Rania was walking without properly looking ahead.
“Hey.”
Soldiers stopped her.
Rania carefully raised her head.
They weren’t the fief’s soldiers. They were the ones Gunter had brought.
“What are you carrying?”
“Fl-flour…”
“In this heavy rain?”
The soldier gruffly checked inside the basket.
After confirming there was flour inside, he stared intently at Rania.
“Why are you shaking so much? Are you hiding something?”
“No, no…”
“You’re quite pretty for a maid.”
Although she had deliberately covered herself in dust and dressed shabbily,
the soldiers still showed interest with sly smiles.
Rania, who had been confined inside the inner castle.
It was fortunate that these newly arrived common soldiers couldn’t recognize Rania’s face.
“Let’s do a body search. You look so suspicious, shaking like that.”
Rania trembled in fear.
If the letter is discovered, it’s all over.
Just as the soldier reached out towards Rania, it happened.
Smack!
Someone slapped the back of the soldier’s head.
“What the… Ah, sir!”
It was Knight Zain who appeared.
Rania quickly lowered her head.
“You little bastards, of course the maid is scared when your ugly mugs look so threatening.”
“…Hehe.”
“Let her through.”
“Yes, sir!”
The soldier let Rania pass.
Rania used all her strength to resist the urge to run.
Zain watched her departing figure with a complicated expression.
Zain also disappeared to continue his patrol.
And, a little distance away, behind a tree.
Oliver was hiding in the rain.
Click.
He put the dagger he had drawn back into its holster.
“Hmm…”
He watched Zain patrolling alone in the rain.
==
Festival, Blooming Period, Fruit Week, Purple Banquet.
All these expressions refer to a natural phenomenon in the Great Forest.
Among the numerous scenic wonders of the world, this is a dramatic phenomenon that can only be seen in the Great Forest where the World Tree exists.
It’s already a well-established fact that the World Tree is not an ordinary tree.
The World Tree has qualities of both a plant and a carnivorous animal.
They eat monsters for their own nourishment.
The roots of the World Tree spread throughout the entire Great Forest.
Among them, there are roots that occasionally expose themselves above ground, and these roots, which are no different from a single giant tree, sometimes bear fruit.
This happens when the magical power contained in the World Tree rises above a certain threshold.
The roots bear very fragrant fruits.
These fruits lure monsters.
The fruits, full of the negative magical power possessed by the World Tree, enhance the monsters’ demonic nature.
Thus, the monsters become stronger, and as many monsters gather, they fight each other and become even stronger.
The monsters that die in this process rot and decompose, and are absorbed by the roots of the World Tree.
This series of processes, using bait to absorb nutrients, is a chillingly excellent hunting method.
This process occurs in various areas of the Great Forest.
However, there’s always one area where the term ‘festival’ is used on a smaller scale.
One root that bears particularly bright red fruits appears.
It’s where the most dangerous named monsters gather.
Thus, a demon realm of chaos and survival of the fittest is born.
「From “The Mysterious and Fascinating Monster Encyclopedia of the Great Forest” by Sage Parvian」
==
I told Nanaluk how to make the potion.
Pelerian complained that we should at least charge money, but the goblins don’t have any.
Nanaluk promised to pay back someday, even though I didn’t ask. She’s a kind-hearted child.
However, I set one condition.
Not to leak the recipe.
Not only to other races but also to share it only with the shamans within the Lunga tribe.
Nanaluk swore.
She’s a trustworthy friend, so she’ll handle it well. Besides, the ingredients for this potion are hard to find outside the Great Forest anyway.
The reason I shared the potion recipe wasn’t for anything else.
It was because of the new name I gained, Ouroboros.
The description of this title included this phrase:
‘Currently, only a very small number of goblins worship it. As this faith spreads widely, the owner of the title will gain a fitting status.’
Nanaluk and the Lunga tribe didn’t plan to stay in this Palamu Rainforest forever.
“First, we’ll unite the goblin tribes of the Great Forest. Then we’ll go to the continent.”
I didn’t know Nanaluk was such an ambitious goblin.
Her and the Lunga tribe’s plans were grand.
And as the Lunga tribe expands its influence, my title will spread widely too.
Maybe someday I’ll hear a message like ‘Ding, your faith is spreading widely.’
With the potion, they won’t be pushed around by other goblin tribes.
Nanaluk and the goblins packed a lot of food for me.
The problem was that my subspace was full and there was no room to put it in.
They put it in a big bundle, but there’s no way I, a snake, could drag that around.
But it didn’t matter.
Because I had new companions.
“Keeeeek!”
The centipede mom, running at an surprisingly fast speed.
And three centipede larvae riding on top of her.
Enjoying the cool breeze and their newfound freedom, the children roared with joy.
“Kekeke!”
“Keeeee~”
“Ke!”
“Saaaaak!”
The last one is me.
I was sitting demurely on the centipede mom’s back.
We tied the bundle to the centipede mom’s back like a backpack.
When we were saying our final goodbyes before parting with the goblins, I gave Nanaluk some advice.
‘Never trust the long-eared race! And if you go west, there’s a human city called Greyrim. Make sure to avoid it. There’s a monster-like guy there.’
I warned her about Gunter too. Nanaluk nodded and listened attentively.
“Let’s meet again.”
‘Okay.’
Nanaluk said that and hugged me tightly.
That’s when the centipede mom approached me as I was about to set off to find Deshnan’s dwelling.
She lowered her body.
I thought she was bowing, but that wasn’t it.
She meant to ride on her back.
I wonder if the centipede mom can read my thoughts too.
“Keeeeet!”
Judging by that sound, I guess not.
Anyway, the ride on the centipede mom was fantastic.
Because she has multiple pairs of legs, the up and down movement was minimized.
Moreover, she was so strong that most monsters didn’t even dare to approach.
We advanced deeper and deeper into the forest.
Around noon, when the sun was high in the sky.
The centipede mom stopped.
It meant it was lunchtime.
Ugh, I’m stiff.
It was boring to just sit still.
There was plenty of food left, but I decided to go hunting.
After all, I should pay a riding fee to the centipede mom, right?
Pelerian is sleeping.
Enjoying the rare moment of silence, I entered the bushes.
Even though it hasn’t been long since we parted with the goblins, I felt a bit lonely, but this is good too.
I am a snake crawling in the darkness of the forest, silence is my friend.
Growl.
And there was a foolish beast making noise in the silence.
I covered my scales with dirt.
My new scales were very flashy when they caught light, but in the dark, they were less noticeable than before.
It would be better if I could turn them black with the Black Scales skill, but that’s not easy.
The new skill had a fatal condition – it only activates when I’m very angry.
Crunch, crunch.
I found the culprit making the noise.
It was clearly a carnivore.
Smaller than a leopard, but larger than a cat.
──────────────
[Checkered Wildcat lv21]
[Trait]
[Ferocity]
──────────────
It doesn’t look easy to deal with.
It’s chomping on a monkey that’s even bigger than itself.
I jumped in without hesitation.
I bit its nape and wrapped myself around its body.
The wildcat was so strong that it leaped up even with me clinging to it.
“Queeeeng!”
So wildcats cry ‘queeng’.
I strangled its body. I didn’t use my venomous fangs, just in case the baby centipedes might eat it too.
You have to be especially careful when strangling creatures with claws.
Now I’m skilled enough that the poor wildcat couldn’t bite or scratch me.
Crunch-
Phew. It’s tougher than I thought.
I successfully took it down.
And I waited for the sweet experience points, but…
There was nothing.
I only felt a very small amount of demonic energy.
Could it be that my level has become so high that it’s not efficient anymore?
It seems so.
It’s a carnivore, and its level is 21.
This situation is not easy.
Maybe I should go deeper into the forest and hunt stronger ones.
Anyway, it was a success in terms of ‘hunting’.
I dragged the wildcat to where the centipede mom and the kids were.
They drooled when I brought the wildcat.
‘Wait a moment, kids.’
I didn’t intend to just throw the meat to them carelessly.
I’ve started cooking now too.
The method is very simple.
First, drag the wildcat to an open area where you can see the sky.
Take out a potion from the subspace and place it nearby.
Get on top of the wildcat, then concentrate.
「Using skill Leaping Horn.」
「’Heavenly Thunder Spirit lv0′ temporarily becomes ‘Heavenly Thunder Spirit lv1’.」
The air becomes quiet.
The dead wildcat’s fur stands on end.
「Using Heavenly Thunder Spirit lv1.」
And lightning struck me.
Zzzzzap!
This time I had already put my head into my body to cover my eyes.
But the shocking pain is still there.
「Heat Resistance skill proficiency rises rapidly.」
「Heat Resistance lv8 becomes Heat Resistance lv9.」
「Electric Resistance skill proficiency rises rapidly.」
「Electric Resistance lv3 becomes Electric Resistance lv4.」
Aaaargh! It hurts!
My body feels hot and tingly.
Surprisingly, using Heavenly Thunder Spirit doesn’t mean you don’t get electrocuted at all!
I rolled towards the potion.
I crushed the bamboo container with my mouth and gulped it down.
It wasn’t enough, so I rolled on the spilled potion on the ground.
Whew, I almost died.
I’ve already repeated this several times.
「Skill, Heavenly Thunder Spirit lv0 has been fully learned.」
It was worth it.
Ugh.
“You’re at it again. Haha.”
Pelerian popped out of the ring.
I got up.
It wasn’t just for learning the skill.
The wildcat meat was steaming. It means it’s well cooked.
Electric-grilled wildcat, complete.
Here you go, kids.
The three baby centipedes’ eyes sparkled.
“Kekeke!”
“Keeeee.”
“Ke!”
Look how happy they are. So cute.
You should clap too, kids.
I tapped the ground with my tail to signal.
Then the baby centipedes clacked their poison claws together.
That was the centipedes’ way of clapping.
How clever.
‘Now, let’s line up and eat.’
The centipede mom stayed still.
It seemed as if she was watching her children and me fondly.
I tore the meat myself and distributed it to the centipedes.
The children ate well, gobbling it up.
“They follow you well now.”
They used to seem a bit afraid of me before.
Now they even cling to my back, and we’ve become very close.
Yes, so it was just pure goodwill on my part.
I never expected such a message to appear.
「You have successfully tamed Centipede Larva lv3.」
「Skill ‘Taming lv1’ has been acquired.」
Huh?
I was startled and looked at Pelerian.
“What is it?”
‘No, it says I succeeded in taming.’
I blurted out without thinking.
I shouldn’t have done that.
“Huh?”
Pelerian glared at me with sleepy eyes.
“So, you’re saying that was your purpose all along. Even I couldn’t have imagined that.”
‘No.’
“To think you were planning to use centipede slaves.”
‘That’s not it.’
It’s so unfair.