That’s Really The Only Option, Though

“W-what is this…?”

“It’s my first time seeing it in person too, but it’s amazing.”

“So this is the spatial distortion…”

Yes—when morning came, it became unmistakably clear.

The scenery was distorted. There was no other way to describe it.

The “landscape” beyond twisted and rippled, as if covered in a mosaic.

What in the world could cause something like this?

“It’s strange, right? Apparently this is why the Contaminated Region is called that… and also why humanity hasn’t been wiped out by monsters.”

“You mean…”

“Haven’t you ever thought about it, Kikori? Monsters clearly have hostility toward us, yet except for some cases, they never come to annihilate us.”

Until recently Kikori had never thought much about monster behavior, but even he had wondered.

For example, if the monsters said to live in the mountain behind them attacked, the Fortress City would probably fall.

Even short of that, a single army of orcs stronger than goblins could change everything.

That was why Kikori thought, “That makes sense.”

“You’re saying this is the reason?”

“That’s just what people say.”

A spatial distortion. Or something called a gate.

The land beyond here was supposedly torn apart for some reason and became a place connected by countless gates…

“Truthfully, nobody knows. We just perceive it that way—monsters might see it differently.”

“That aside… where does this connect to if we pass through?”

“Orcs. It supposedly leads to their territory.”

Orcs. Kikori realized that the reason he had only encountered one so far was probably because of both this gate and the tunnel.

“There’s no more Adventurers’ Route beyond this point. It’s their domain.”

“A bit late to worry now.”

“…Right. Let’s steel ourselves.”

Kikori and Eil nodded to Kuon, and Kuon smiled back at the two of them.

“Well, yeah. It’s our only choice.”

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

When Kikori touched the gate, ripples spread through space… and he charged in like a tackle.

Holding his Magic Axe ready, Kikori felt a brief sensation of floating.

The moment the strange feeling ended, the scenery had already changed—before him spread a rich plain with a flowing river, completely unlike before.

Kikori stood on what seemed to be a hill, and below he could see something resembling a settlement.

“H-haha… I see. This really is, literally, orc territory.”