Chapter 240
"This is throwing me off."
"Seriously."
The two Dark Elves suddenly became incredibly energetic and friendly. It was fortunate that they had not become hostile, but their complete change in attitude left me utterly bewildered.
"Friend, what brings you to such a remote place?"
"More importantly, this Dragon here. I've never seen a Race like it... I wonder what materials I could obtain from it?"
Not only that, they were calling us friends. That made me happy, but the female Dark Elf was gazing dreamily as she stroked Cal's scales... and then she drew a knife from inside her clothing! This is bad, this is bad, this is bad! At this rate, Cal would be dissected!
"S-stop! That child is my tamed monster!"
"Oh? Is that so... What a shame."
The female Dark Elf put away her knife with an expression of genuine disappointment, then produced a mysterious pill. When she tossed it into Cal's mouth, Cal soon stood up, albeit weakly!
Could that have been an antidote? Normally, I would have worried about whether I could afford the price, but right now, I was far more overjoyed that Cal had recovered. Even if the medicine cost me my entire fortune, I would gladly hand it over.
"Grrr...?"
"Cal, are you all right? These people saved you."
"It's nothing special. I just soaked some grass in sap from an Aja tree and rolled it up!"
"It makes a potent antidote for Aja fruit."
Aja fruit... Was that the fruit giving off this delightful fragrance? Cal had eaten his fill of it and collapsed, yet its sap could also be used as a potent antidote... How interesting. I should try 【Appraisal】 on it.
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Aja Fruit Quality: Good Rarity: S (Special Grade)
A rare tree found only in the 'Tempting Dark Forest' on the continent of Tembrika.
Its fruit is very sweet and gives off a refreshing fragrance.
Only when ingested does it inflict a powerful paralysis status, which is difficult to remove without its dedicated antidote.
Eating a large quantity will cause the symptoms to worsen, leaving the victim unable to move even a finger.
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So delicious fruit really could be poisonous. And the fact that it was difficult to cure except with a dedicated antidote made it especially troublesome. Still, since its poison apparently only takes effect when ingested, it probably could not be used for poison arrows or the like.
If I wanted to put it to practical use, I would have to slip it into an enemy's food... but wouldn't that be far too difficult? It was an interesting item, so I would bring some back as a gift for the two of them.
There also seemed to be many trees bearing various kinds of fruit throughout this forest. The Dark Elves presumably knew all about them. I had intended to do so from the beginning, but now I absolutely had to establish friendly relations with them.
Thank you for saving this child. I am in your debt. I am Izam, the wanderer. This big one is Jigoro, and this child is Cal, or Karnagtool."
"Nice to meet you."
"Izam, Jigoro, and Cal, huh! I'm Kirils Inns Farran! Kirils is fine!"
"A wanderer! I'd heard of them in legends, but they really exist! Ah, I'm Arana Yash Farran. I'm one of Kirils's wives. You can call me Arana too."
The two Dark Elves were apparently named Kirils and Arana. They were married, but Arana had said she was one of his wives, hadn't she? Did that mean the Dark Elves practiced polygamy? Or was Kirils somehow special? I would ask about it in due time.
"So, Izam and Jigoro. What brings legendary wanderers like you to a forest like this?"
"This brother here wants to be friends with you Dark Elves."
"If the Nadeus Clan recognizes you, then all of us Dark Elves are your friends. Isn't that right, Kirils?"
"Of course! This is a dangerous hunting ground for monsters, so we'll guide you to our settlement! Follow us."
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Following Kirils and Arana's lead, we proceeded through the forest. The two Dark Elves and Jigoro leaped from branch to branch, using the branches as footholds, while Cal and I flew along at the same altitude as them. Along the way, they taught us various things about Dark Elf culture.
The Dark Elf Race apparently had a low birth rate for male children, resulting in a heavily skewed gender ratio of two men to eight women across the settlement. As a result, they had naturally adopted polygamy in order to continue their bloodlines.
When you hear about polygamy, you might imagine a harem. Many players would probably envy it, but I had heard that in reality, it was not the male-friendly system people imagined it to be.
A husband had to love all his wives equally and skillfully mediate disputes between them. Just imagining myself stepping between two wives at each other's throats was enough to make me shudder. More spouses were not necessarily better.
In an average household in their settlement, one man had around four wives, and children were born in roughly the same proportion. Every woman who became a wife married into the household from a different family, so every family inevitably had relatives from other families. As the generations passed, the bonds between members of the clan grew ever stronger.
That must have been the reason Lord Muno told me they would all launch a raid if anyone injured a member of their clan. Since everyone was a close relative, their anger burned all the hotter.
They supported themselves through gathering and apparently ate very little meat. It was not that they could not eat it; they simply did not like the smell. Besides, the 'Tempting Dark Forest' where they lived was rich in plants, so they had no need for game meat that could only be obtained by going out of their way to hunt.
Incidentally, plant-type monsters apparently occupied the top of the ecosystem in the 'Tempting Dark Forest,' with most of the other monsters becoming their prey. Even when a powerful monster that was not adapted to the forest wandered in, it would eat fruit and collapse like Cal, then be devoured, so it did not cause any major changes to the forest's ecosystem.
"You can actually settle in a forest this terrifying?"
"It isn't all that terrifying, you know? Plant-type monsters can't be reasoned with, but they act according to their instincts."
"So as long as you know how to deal with them, anyone can defeat them, and you can avoid pointless battles."
"I see. So it is the power of knowledge passed down through the generations."
For example, there were items that were exceptionally effective against the Deadly Predator Vine and Great Hanging Roper we had struggled against. I was shown one and used 【Appraisal】 on it. This was the result.
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Dark Elf Herbicide Quality: Good Rarity: S (Special Grade)
A powerful herbicide created by the Dark Elves.
Deals physical damage to plant-type monsters and ordinary plants.
Its effectiveness increases dramatically against plant-type monsters living in the 'Tempting Dark Forest.'
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The method of making it was apparently a secret, but they provided me with one bottle through barter. If it was poured directly on them, or sprinkled on the ground where they took root, it could apparently bring them to the brink of death in an instant. Two bottles would almost certainly be enough to kill them.
What a useful item... If I planned to explore this place, I would want to purchase a large supply. Shiitake would probably be interested in the formula, but I could already picture myself dying and respawning in an accident while experimenting with a medicine that worked even on me, a plant-type monster.
"Our village should be coming into view soon."
"There, see? Where the trees are just a little taller?"
"Oh, now that you mention it, they are."
"That's a huge tree. It reminds me of the tree where the Birdian city, Birdy Perch, was located."
Where Arana pointed, dense clusters of trees rose a head above their surroundings. They were somewhat smaller than the Birdians' 'Mother Tree,' but seeing so many enormous trees of that size lined up together was an overwhelming sight.
We were still some distance away, but at the pace we had been traveling, it seemed we would reach the village before it was time to log out for the day. All right, one more push...
"Hold up."
"What is it?"
"The Forest God is approaching. Be quiet and don't move."
The Forest God... Did that mean a field boss? It was unusual for one to roam the field instead of staying in a boss area. There had to be a reason these two forest dwellers were avoiding combat. It would be best to follow their instructions and hold our breath.
While we hid, we heard something approaching with a scraping, grinding sound as it dragged something along. It seemed to be enormous, and I waited tensely for it to reveal itself.
"Huh..."
"Oh?"
The Forest King's true form was a gigantic centipede. Even a single segment looked to be a meter on a side. Did it have more than two hundred segments? Moss grew thickly across its carapace, and some of the segments even had small trees growing on them.
Despite its enormous size, it made surprisingly little noise when it moved. Judging by its size alone, it had to be abnormally strong. If we were to fight it, we would need to gather the strength of the entire clan... No, even that might not be enough. I decided to try using 【Appraisal】.
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Name: Experimental Subject No. 0802
Race: Planshell Emperor Centipede Lv. 100
Job: Land God Lv. 7
Skill: 【Super-Enhanced Vitality】
【Super-Enhanced Strength】
【Super-Enhanced Defense】
【Super-Enhanced Agility】
【Super-Enhanced Intelligence】
【Super-Enhanced Mind】
【Earth Magic】
【Water-Ice Magic】
【Wood Magic】
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【Emperor's Paralysis Venom】
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Just as I had thought, it was a monster among monsters. Naturally, its level was 100, and I could barely make out most of its Skills. That was partly because my own Skill levels were insufficient, but it also showed that the difference in our abilities was overwhelming.
Moreover, every Skill I could see had already evolved. Of its stat-enhancing Skills, all but Agility had evolved. Its base stats were probably far higher than a player's to begin with, and imagining how strong it was after being enhanced was impossible.
More noteworthy than its strength were its Name and Job. Judging by the words 'Experimental Subject,' it must have been a monster created through an experiment by an ancient civilization. It was astonishing that it had survived to the present day and grown to such an extent.
Then there was the Job it had presumably gained by accumulating power over the ages: Land God. This was proof that it was a god distinct from the twelve goddesses—in other words, an existence close in status to Almadelux-sama.
If we picked a fight with it, it seemed as though it could erase us in less than a second. I had to admit that even my initial estimate had been far too optimistic. Perhaps because they understood that this would not even qualify as a battle, Jigoro and Cal were also taking care not to make so much as a sound with their breathing. All we could do was wait for the real monster to leave.