Chapter 28
If there's one big change since spring arrived.
First, the weather has become incredibly warm.
No, beyond warm - it's honestly hot. I suppose as time passes, summer is slowly approaching.
Thinking about summer, I couldn't help but furrow my brow.
Perhaps because winter is so short here, the summers are incredibly long.
Fortunately it's cooler than Earth's murderous heat from global warming, but sadly my cave doesn't have anything like air conditioning.
You can imagine what a big deal that is.
That's why in summer I usually stay in the cave shirtless, or just lounging around in my underwear.
Why not be comfortable at home, right? My cave is my home after all.
But this year that seemed like it would be difficult. I never knew when unwanted visitors might show up at my home.
Though I did some camouflage work on the cave recently, you could still notice the differences if you looked carefully.
I couldn't help feeling worried already.
'Well, I'll deal with that when the time comes.'
Right now I had work to do, so I pushed those worries aside.
One of the downsides of spring is that it's not just plants that get energized.
As food starts growing and the weather becomes good for activity, monsters also start running rampant.
Sometimes monsters from the Deep Layer even expand their territory and come down to the Middle Layer. Though that only happens once every few years.
Still, it's worth being cautious about.
In the worst case, something like a Mountain Lord might come down. Though not everything is that dangerous, there's no reason to deal with such annoyances.
So today's task is reconnaissance.
Walking around the forest to see if anything has changed. If nothing's changed that's good, and if something has, I check whether it's dangerous or not.
So I walked around the forest for a while. Since the forest is so vast, I only checked the areas of the Middle Layer where I usually operate.
After walking around for a bit, I finally discovered traces of a person.
Some footprints, and a monster's corpse that looked like it had been cut by something sharp.
In other words, signs of human activity.
*
Swoosh-!
"Kriririk!"
Following the sword's arc, a bright red line appears on the Goblin's body. The Goblin's fragile flesh couldn't withstand even one strike from the assailant's blade.
Not that the assailant's furrowed expression changed at all.
Splat-!
Watching the Goblin collapse to the ground, the assailant cursed.
"Damn it, why are there endless monsters..."
Perhaps this forest really is different.
As if proving it's unmanaged land, enemies fill every direction.
But heading to the Outside Layer isn't an option either, since pursuers might be investigating there.
"Sigh..."
The situation was rough in many ways. Hungry, tired. Wanted to eat something but couldn't even tell what was edible.
And... maybe from all the stress, sexual desire was rising too.
"Damn..."
Still, she pushed through her fatigue and pressed forward. She needed somewhere to hide at minimum. She'd need a base to survive long-term.
She planned to stay there for a while and try contacting the Sect.
That's when it happened.
"Hm?"
Suddenly a man entered her field of vision. The assailant couldn't help but be surprised.
'Wow...'
Because the man's appearance was incredibly striking.
Well-defined features, a toned physique visible even through his clothes, and great proportions. Though his aura was a bit sharp, that only added to his appeal.
The kind of man you'd rarely see even walking through a busy street had suddenly appeared in the forest.
Questions arose in the assailant's mind.
What's this? Why is someone here?
Could he be living here? From his appearance he doesn't seem like he's from the city...
After pondering these questions briefly, she thought.
'Either way, this is a good opportunity.'
If she played it right, she could attack him and get food. And if he really lived here, she could take over his base.
So she concealed her presence and prepared to strike.
She didn't let her guard down though. The fact that he was here meant he must have some skill. She'd wait patiently for the perfect chance to ambush.
But the situation she hoped for didn't materialize.
Because he noticed her first.
"Think you can hide with that blood scent?"
The man says with a relaxed smile, looking right at her position.
She couldn't help but be shocked.
'What?'
No way he spotted me from this distance?
Though she was skilled, she particularly prided herself on assassination and disguise.
After all, she was the one who took out the guard Knight when they attacked the carriage.
She was that confident in concealing her presence, yet he spotted her already.
'Damn it.'
Tsk-!
She bit her lip and charged at him.
Getting spotted didn't mean retreat. If surprise didn't work, she'd overwhelm him with skill.
Her blade rushed toward the man, Yor.
Unfortunately that strike was blocked by the Dagger he drew.
Clang-!
Sparks fly as her sword is deflected high.
She analyzed her opponent in shock.
'He's extremely skilled.'
The sword she wielded was a cheap iron blade stolen from a nearby Blacksmith. But even accounting for that, it was still steel - yet he blocked it so easily.
She made a quick assessment.
This wasn't someone she could handle right now. Especially not in her exhausted state.
But that didn't mean she planned to retreat.
Despite appearances, she was a veteran who had faced countless strong opponents.
She'd encountered plenty who were stronger than her.
And she'd always emerged victorious against them.
'Wait for an opening.'
She just needed one clean hit.
Even he wouldn't move easily with a piece of his body cut off.
Clang-! Kang-!
Their blades clashed for a while. Sharp metallic sounds echoed through the quiet forest.
She was mostly being pushed back. Despite it being just a Dagger, it felt like facing a greatsword.
Even when she aimed for gaps, he blocked everything.
He was definitely formidable. At least at half strength.
On the other hand, she was deliberately letting herself be pushed back.
Exaggerating her grimaces, acting overwhelmed - that way she could draw out his carelessness. As an assassin by trade, she wasn't great at direct combat. Her strengths were creating variables and surprise attacks.
That's when an opportunity suddenly appeared.
Yor put too much force into a strike, sending her body flying back.
"Kugh...!"
Though she grimaced, inside she was rejoicing.
This created one chance.
She immediately pulled back her sword and prepared a thrust.
Even if she thrust, the distance was far too short to reach him.
But she wasn't worried. Just like when she stole the jailer's key, she had the ability to extend her arms.
Shwaaak!
Her blade rushed toward Yor.
At first Yor didn't react much. The distance was simply too great.
But the assailant had overlooked something.
Before being skilled, Yor was a survivor who had lived here. Like her, he had faced countless strong opponents and survived.
If he was already aware, he could definitely react.
Changes started occurring in the assailant's body. The sword's trajectory that seemed finished accelerated once more.
Yor's eyes widened briefly. Then he immediately reacted, raising his Dagger in a defensive stance. The assailant's blade arrived.
Kang-!
Sparks flew as they entered a brief contest of strength. As expected of a prepared strike, the assailant's blow was incomparably heavier than her previous attacks.
Even pushing Yor's blade back momentarily.
But that was all - if her trump card had landed cleanly it might have been different.
Once blocked, she couldn't break through his defense.
Pit-
As Yor's arm got slightly cut, her sword was deflected away.
The blade that flew high stuck deep into the ground.
"Wow, that last one was good. Most would've fallen for that."
The assailant was dumbfounded. She'd poured all her remaining Mana into that strike.
Though she couldn't create Sword Energy yet, she could produce power close to it.
She couldn't believe he blocked it so casually.
As she stared at him blankly for a moment.
She noticed the wound on Yor's arm regenerating rapidly. An abnormal healing speed.
And the faint dark energy emanating from it.
Seeing that, she couldn't help but be shocked.
Without thinking, she muttered:
"...A Manifestor?"
"Hm?"
At those words, Yor's gaze turned toward her.