No, What Is This?

As we neared the Wandering Swamp, neither the representatives nor the corpses of monsters could be seen.

Around the point where the dense trees typical of the Monster Belt began to thin out, the ground we walked on started to get damp.

“Companion.”

I nodded at Hazel’s call.

“Right. Soon.”

The members’ momentum shifted instantly. I pulled Proy Rium, who had been at the front, back and took the lead of the party.

I spread my senses as wide and deep as possible, and one by one presences began to be felt.

They weren’t always signs of life, but I could sense tiny movements like insects rustling and twitching.

“Everyone, sweep your senses. You’ll feel things in spots. Don’t dismiss them because they’re small. Some are terrifying—once they burrow into the body, you drop into a comatose state instantly.”

“Yes.”

Of course, there’s nothing that terrifying that would affect a representative that badly. I was exaggerating a bit to keep everyone alert.

The members’ replies came back full of energy, as if the warning had taken effect.

“If something appears, burn it with magic or infuse it with divine power and burn it. Completely.”

“Yes!”

“Captain! Did you call me?”

Naruan lifted her head… though it didn’t show much, and raised her hand enthusiastically.

I patted Naruan’s head, told her to take care, and we entered the Wandering Swamp.

There was nothing to be done about the terrain effect where swamps repeatedly appeared in a place like the Wandering Swamp.

Since it was a pure geographical feature, not a magical effect, the best approach was to break through as quickly as possible.

We increased our marching speed to the maximum and moved quickly—almost running.

The instant we entered the marsh, the hair-raising rustling began.

A acrid air laced with poisonous gas.

There was even that chilling sensation of something whooshing through your body. The group’s expressions began to contort along with the rapid pace.

Even chatty Naruan fell silent, and we halted our march.

“On guard…?”

Before I finished speaking, Guardian’s Valkyrie Nana’s barrier enveloped the party.

At the moment everyone’s gaze turned to Nana!

Rat-a-tat― rat-a-tat― rat-a-tat― rat-a-tat―

The sound of things flying and hitting echoed from all around—like hail mercilessly pelting a tin roof.

“How did you know?”

“Huh? Ah, the captain told us to spread our senses. Suddenly a murderous intent rose all around…”

“Good job.”

“Huh? Ah, yes!!”

Nana beamed brightly. The ongoing strikes hit her shield, but she showed no sign of strain.

She’s certainly gifted at defense. Her senses are outstanding too. I like that she doesn’t flaunt it. She’s talent.

“Those are beasts called Spicul. They fire poisonous needles from range. Note that melee warriors lacking ranged capability will struggle to deal with them. Since they float freely over the swamp, it’s best for mages or ranged representatives to handle them.”

The Spicul beast has a lizard-like upper body and a lower body resembling a snake.

They glide across the swamp without sinking and shoot venomous needles from afar to catch prey; reports suggest they live in tribal groups.

The reason we suspect they live in tribes is precisely situations like this.

“W-wow! They’re swarming.”

As Arun put it, when they appear they do so in the hundreds.

The non-stop popping like beans frying on a tin roof was due to that enormous quantity.

“Oh, mages should favor piercing spells even at lower circles over AoE. These have high anti-magic resistance.”

The battle was in full swing.

Amazoness Liru, as if familiar with this terrain, showcased her rapid-fire skill and reduced the Spicul numbers.

The mages used fire and lightning spells to hunt Spiculs with ease.

The spirit Soria summoned and the beastly summon Stefan brought also plunged into the center of the Spicul cluster to assert themselves.

These weren’t monsters that should be so easily massacred.

Spicul’s venom needles are so fine they’re hard to block, and they fire many at once.

They move freely over the marsh and are among the top five most annoying monsters to fight; add that massive number to the mix.

The reason we’re handling the Spicul so well is Suho’s Valkyrie Nana, who chats cheerfully while smiling and making it look easy.

I was pleased, thinking we really kidnapped well, and was about to nock an arrow to join the attack when Hazel’s languid voice came.

“Companion, are those things needed for somewhere in particular?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Like… whether they have some need like the Myryans do, or whether you mustn’t mutilate their corpses.”

“No?”

“I see.”

Hazel told the party to step back for a moment after saying she understood. Then, uncharacteristically, she took a long casting time and manifested a power.

“Space… annihilation.”

Woosh― shuuuuu―!

A black dot formed in the air and the space warped around that point.

A region of space contorted, growing as if to devour everything nearby, then shattered with a powerful explosion.

There was no other change—only the swamp, trees, and grass that had existed with the Spicul were gone.

“…What is this?”

Arun was so flabbergasted he blurted in casual speech, and the party was stunned into silence.

A hint of fatigue crept onto Hazel’s face.

“This? It’s nothing. A newly acquired power.”

“Since when did a brutal power that annihilates space itself become ‘nothing’? You’ve been hanging around monsters so much you picked up their mindset? Where do you come up with such nonsense!”

“Arun, Arun. Hey, that monster is the captain, you know?”

“Of course! What are you—!! Ah, no!! I didn’t mean that!”

When Naruan asked brightly, an excited Arun blurted ‘of course’ then hurriedly tried to take it back—only to painfully realize words once spoken can’t be retrieved.

Merus and a few members nodded then flinched in surprise, but we let it pass.

In any case, Hazel’s tremendous power had neatly cleared the surroundings.

There were no remnants of the beasts to be found. If anything, the swamp’s complete disappearance made the air a bit easier to breathe.

“While we’re at it, let’s rest a bit.”

While everyone nibbled or drank and made small talk, Mae Young-ryeong approached—not Lee Hyo-ju or Hazel.

Her face had been unusually stern the whole time since we entered this Wandering Swamp.

“Master… no, Kim Han.”

“Hm? What’s the matter?”

“It’s ominous. Something is happening.”

“…Ominous?”

“Yes. I feel an inexplicable but certain misfortune approaching in the direction where we are.”

When Mae Young-ryeong—of all people—makes a remark related to luck, you can’t ignore it. The moment the word ‘ominous’ left her mouth, I got goosebumps on my arm.

“Where? Which direction?”

“…All directions.”

‘Battlefield of the Gods’ continent, north—an icewall region.

A place where blizzards rage year-round. One side of the cliff in that icewall area slid open like an automatic door, revealing a passage.

“Phew, ‘Battlefield of the Gods’… it’s been a while.”

A man who suddenly appeared muttering with a self-deprecating smile. A man who inexplicably emerged from the cliff.

“I just can’t seem to adapt. Is it because it’s been so long? Or is my performance that poor?”

“Huh? Poor performance? Well, I liked that guy!”

“I know! I was just saying it!”

“Alright, alright! I’ll go. I’ll go!! Ah, what was it called? The Land of Death? Ridiculous. Why did it have to be that filthy land?”

“Ugh! I hope he doesn’t wander. That place is so confusing you can’t tell one spot from another.”

“I know, I know! I saw him smear traces on him the last time we met. I’m not joking! You react like it’s life or death to something said in jest? Were you always like this? I’m not.”

Who was the man talking to? He never stopped talking.

He seemed completely unfazed by the merciless blizzard and bone-tearing cold.

He smiled, then suddenly snapped in anger, and went on like that for a long while.

Time passed, and the man who had been leaning on the icewall muttering to himself finally rose and stomped the ground.

Thud!

He stomped the snow-covered ground and a leather pouch burst—the man’s new form vanished without a trace.

His new form surged forward as if teleporting in a straight line.

Rather than avoiding trees or rocks in his path, he smashed through them, charging in a straight line.

If you plotted his route on a map, it would likely be a straight line from start to finish.

He arrived at the entrance to the Land of Death—the Wandering Swamp.

“All directions?”

“Yes.”

This is serious. What on earth is happening?

The first thought that came to mind was Manus. But I shook my head—he couldn’t intervene directly.

Thinking the trouble started from Manus led to Violentia and Benialis, but that was also absurd.

‘We’re struggling here too…’

As I pondered, my widened senses picked up the movement of beasts surging in from all directions. What is happening all of a sudden?

This place is known for beasts not leaving their territory out of fear of getting lost—yet here they were moving en masse!

“All, be on guard!!”

I shouted, infusing divine power, and the members immediately formed ranks.

Some, like Naruan, still had crumbs at their mouths from eating, but everyone was tense.

“Companion, think calmly. If the leader of the group is tense, those below will be even more tense…”

Her words snapped me back to attention.

Before I knew it, Nana’s shield and Hugo’s defensive barrier had layered around the party. The mages had finished casting.

『Initiating linkage with Argus’s Eye. Complete. Predicting enemy ingress routes.』

Guardian was ready too. A small chuckle escaped me. Could Mae Young-ryeong’s Doomed Witch effect really be this large? My anxious self felt embarrassed.

As the urgency subsided and composure returned, things previously unseen became visible, and what couldn’t be felt now registered.

The beasts that live in this harsh place called the Wandering Swamp were rushing in from all directions…

“They’ve panicked…?”

It looked like animals fleeing a wildfire—fleeing something, all converging toward our direction as if something were sweeping in from every side.

『Beasts are charging from front, back, left, and right.』

“Prepare for battle!!”

Thought could wait. We gave orders suited to each situation, gripped our Posik, and combat began.

From the boar-shaped Saiti to the Ker darting through trees like a monkey, to the smallest beast known as Trefo—the place swarmed with monsters.

The beasts’ paths overlapped so often that many were trampled to death by others.

They were desperately fleeing, and in due time they all came into our view in staggered waves.

“Long time no see, war of numbers.”

“Yeah. Reminds me of a Monster Wave.”

“Hng, chocolate cake! Let’s finish this fast and eat!”

Most fought as usual. As if by agreement, we split into eight directions to block the beasts.

Notably, no member followed the direction I assigned nor the direction Hazel took.

Hazel literally split the space vertically, and the instinctively charging beasts began to divide at the waist on their own.

Naruan and the members put on an enthusiastic fire show, and those who followed Arun created tidal waves in the marsh.

Proi and Winex crushed beasts like lawnmowers, while Meo and Michel, following Lee Hyo-ju, used monster corpses—pierced by Lee Hyo-ju’s strikes—to build barricades.

We moved in concert and reduced their numbers quickly, but everyone was definitely overexerting themselves.

Even Hazel, glanced at briefly, had sweat on her brow, and Lee Hyo-ju and Proy Rium were breathing heavily.

They spoke calmly, but because they fought tense, their stamina seemed to deplete faster.

After the ups and downs, when we finished off the beasts that had surged in and breathed a sigh, an oddly genteel applause rang out.

“As expected! As I heard, amazing!”