112 – Butcher (1)
The outskirts of the Forest of Chaos are places that have not been cleared by the Academy, that is, places where monsters and beasts appear.
The forest for exams and practice is managed by the academy, and dangerous entities rarely appear.
That’s why the academy went out on a large scale to clean up the outskirts. If it affects the test site, there will be quite a few problems.
More than anything, the Forest of Chaos boasts an enormous size, even just on the outskirts. The size of the academy itself is large, and the forest is also large.
Then you may ask whether it is difficult to manage. The academy is also aware of this and has deployed various facilities.
Starting with walls that most monsters can’t break through, there are methods of magic and machines. And patrolling guards, etc.
These are enough, but most living things tend to gravitate towards the inner part where the magic is strong. The Academy is not interested at all.
However, the number of entities pushed out to the outskirts was so numerous and diverse that the Academy had no choice but to be cautious.
“Isn’t that an ogre?”
“I guess so? But why is the color blue?”
Among the teams scattered throughout the outskirts, Luna’s team. They were able to find traces of a dead blue-skinned ogre.
The overall appearance is that of an ordinary ogre. However, ogres generally have a skin color similar to that of humans.
When everyone was questioning the object they saw for the first time, only one person figured out its identity.
“It’s an entity from the northern region. How did it end up here?”
Only Sarah, who came from the North, famous for its cold weather all year round, was able to identify the type of ogre.
She did not have her typical cold expression, but rather one full of puzzlement.
In response to that reaction, Luna, who was investigating alongside her, carefully asked a question.
“Do the colors of ogres change depending on the region?”
“This is true not only for ogres, but for all living creatures. Moreover, most of them have resistance suited to the weather of the area. This ogre is very resistant to cold, but is vulnerable to fire.”
Perhaps because he was from the North, he had a close understanding of the weaknesses of ogres. Luna became even more suspicious after hearing the explanation.
She knew that the North was far from the Academy. However, this ogre reached the outskirts.
“Isn’t the North far from the Academy?”
“It’s far. But it’s a different story if you pass through the Forest of Chaos. The Forest of Chaos faces all climate environments except desert.”
“Is that possible?”
“Even scholars don’t know, so it’s a forest of chaos.”
Why on earth did the hero establish an academy here? Luna didn’t understand.
As time passed and civilization developed, it ended up like this. In the early days, there would have been numerous accidents.
Aren’t there often reports of people going missing after entering the forest? There is no change in the fact that it is a dangerous forest in many ways.
“It looks like we found the beginning of the forest by chance. But we were pushed to the outskirts and split in half…”
“··· ···”
Luna listened to Sarah in silence. Currently, the ogre has been cleanly cut off near its waist.
This means that the upper and lower bodies are separated and the internal organs are spilling out. It’s enough to make the viewer frown.
Fortunately, Luna had witnessed many monsters and animal corpses even before entering the academy, so she was fine.
The same goes for other students. Even though he looked upset, he didn’t vomit or anything like that.
“Could it be that the monster that killed the ogre entered the interior?”
“It’s enough to just look at the time. But you also have to consider the possibility that the monster will run out to the outskirts again.”
As the name Chaos suggests, it is not surprising that all kinds of monsters appear. Sarah began writing down her findings in her notebook.
Meanwhile, Luna looked around her. Maybe it’s because it’s on the outskirts, but the forest itself is quite ordinary.
The same goes for the inside. She had only entered once so far, but the inside was no different from an ordinary forest.
Nevertheless, the influence of the ogres living in the north is so high that they come all the way here. This part struck Luna as her question.
‘The environment itself is different. Can you adapt?’
This is what I thought after listening to Sarah’s explanation. Monsters and animals have their own unique habits.
Some individuals like moist places, while others like dry places.
In these cases, most people do not try to escape from there. I tend to live almost my entire life in the place where I was born.
The same goes for migratory birds. Although they travel to various regions depending on the season, they do not deviate from their habits.
“Professor. Can I ask you one question?”
“Questions are always welcome. What is it?”
“Why are monsters and beasts flocking to the Forest of Chaos? It’s normal for them to be reluctant because the environment itself is different.”
“That’s a good question.”
Sarah closed the notebook and smiled calmly. It looks like he quite likes it.
Then she called her students together and announced that she would be leaving the scene. If you stay too long, other monsters may get involved.
“As you said, most animals do not escape the environment in which they were born and raised. This is where habits are bound to develop.”
Luna’s team begins to move away from the ogre. The ogre will be dealt with by the beast sooner or later.
“But the Forest of Chaos is different. An abundance of magic power means an abundance of food. All animals will do anything to fill their stomachs.”
“It’s just a matter of getting caught up in food…”
“Luna student.”
“Yes?”
Sara called out to her in her serious voice when Luna responded that she did not understand her.
Afterwards, she told us the cold reality in a tone that told us to keep it in mind.
“We humans also fight wars to get food. Food is absolutely necessary to sustain life.”
“··· ···”
“Currently, the king who was monopolizing the food in the Forest of Chaos has disappeared. If you become king, you won’t have to worry about food for the rest of your life. Do students know how scary hunger is?”
“······A little bit.”
Luna remembered the village where she lived. A village that was self-sufficient in farming and other tasks.
However, if there is a famine, food becomes infinitely scarce. Although she buys food from outside, the table inevitably becomes stale.
What must it be like in the North, which boasts severe cold all year round? As if she had read his thoughts, Sarah told him about the history of her own country, Frozen.
“Frozen was so short of food that he went around plundering. Fortunately, a lot of rare ores were discovered and he was able to establish a nation. If there had been enough food, he wouldn’t have plundered.”
“Like a Tatar.”
“Yes. It is no exaggeration to say that all conflicts, not only between humans but also between living creatures, arise from food. Fortunately, humans can solve the food shortage to some extent through farming, but this is not the case in the wild.”
Farming is the alpha and omega of civilization. Without farming, humans would have lived a life no different from other animals.
Animals, including humans, can only function properly when their stomachs are full, and when they are hungry, they become infinitely vicious.
Therefore, it is natural that they are attracted to chaotic forests with abundant food.
“This is why individuals belonging to the predator group are gathering one after another. Predators need a sufficient amount of food, and the Forest of Chaos can satisfy that. I guess it goes beyond sufficiency and is at the level of abundance.”
“Then…”
Luna thought for a moment. It is not strange for predators that were strong to begin with to become stronger.
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However, the prey, especially weak animals like squirrels, is questionable. How did Ratatosk become strong?
At least Sivar was a human, so there’s a reason he has high growth potential, but I’m not sure about Ratatosk.
“Can preys also become strong?”
“It is possible even if it is not a forest of chaos. Forests of chaos are just frequent. I heard in the old days that a squirrel beat a bear.”
That’s not a rumor, it’s the truth. The story is so unbelievable that it seems to be treated as a rumor.
“The wild is not a place where the strong survive, but those who survive are strong. Just as people become stronger when they overcome a crisis, animals are the same. The energy needed to overcome a crisis is more than enough in a forest of chaos. If this is repeated, the prey will also become stronger. “They can become predators.”
“I see. In the end, food is the most important thing.”
“You make a good point. I guess Sivar also went through this process and became an apex predator.”
As expected, the professors also seemed to point out that the reason why the Forest of Chaos became strange was Shivar’s absence. In reality, Sivar and Porori are absent.
Not one, but two entities have disappeared and are dividing the territory. The absence of these two had a huge butterfly effect.
“But I’m a little surprised. I don’t think they would go this crazy just because one predator disappeared. The competition in the food chain is strangely intense.”
“Are you saying it wasn’t to this extent in the first place?”
“Monsters being pushed back to the outskirts was a frequent occurrence. Although it has been quiet in recent years, it happened frequently in the past. However, according to records, it was not pushed back in such large numbers.”
The traces discovered by Luna’s team are easily exceeding 10. Various monsters and animals, including ogres.
It is so bad that it is found about once every five minutes. There are too many monsters pushed out to the outskirts.
‘I guess it’s really because of those two.’
The territory, which was originally split into two, was unified into one as the kings disappeared. And then came the opportunity to monopolize that integrated territory.
Who can tolerate this? Is this a golden opportunity to occupy that vast territory?
“Perhaps we should consider the possibility that the predator below was killed before Sivar arrived. I’ll have to ask separately later.”
“··· ···”
There was a squirrel that was not a predator but a rival. Currently, that squirrel is working with us as a spirit creature.
Luna barely managed to get the words out of her throat. If this report goes in, Rod will probably notice right away.
For the time being, it seemed difficult to even enter the Forest of Chaos. Deep down, it is nonsense.
“Huh? What is this?”
“I see. This is the first animal you’ve seen?”
It was around this time that Luna was smiling bitterly inside her. The students following behind seemed to have discovered something.
At this, Luna and Sarah turned their heads and looked that way. Three people are huddled together and watching something.
“Kuuu…!”
“Does anyone know who this guy is?”
“I don’t know. It looks really hard.”
“Just in case, let’s stay a little further away.”
It was the size of a calf and its outer surface was surrounded by a hard shell, showing off its hardness.
The four legs are thick and strong like pillars to firmly support the heavy body.
Lastly, there were two blades that protruded like arms in the area connecting the face and torso.
The appearance of a beast is reminiscent of a giant monster that appears in some space war.
“Get away quickly! It’s a baby Usk!”
“Yes?”
When the students were hesitant to step back due to the unfamiliar appearance in many ways, Sara, who discovered it late, urgently shouted.
This was before the students heard the shout and could react.
“Quaaa!”
Unfortunately, it seems that the beast called Usk had already become too irritable.
The baby Usk did not rush right away but roared towards the sky. Very loud and loud, as if calling someone.
When Sarah heard the roar, her complexion turned pale. A quite unusual reaction for her as she does not change her usual facial expression.
Afterwards, she quickly gathered herself and gave instructions to her students.
“Everyone returns to the academy! Don’t look back and go…”
It was before Sarah had even finished giving her instructions.
-Kooooo!!
As if responding to the cries of the cub, a roar so loud that the entire forest rang out.
A loud roar that made the birds in the forest startle and fly high into the sky. It is similar to the sound of a boat horn.
Boom! Thud! Thud! Boom!
Following the roar, the ground began to shake as if there had been an earthquake. As soon as Luna felt the vibration, she was quite embarrassed.
The entire ground shakes just by someone approaching. Is it like this because of how big and heavy it is?
But now is not the time for criticism. Since you heard Sarah’s instructions, it’s best to run away.
Kwasik! Kwazijic! Wood-duk!
The problem is that the mother of the cub runs faster. As soon as Sarah heard the sound of wood breaking, she wasted no time in drawing her sword.
Meanwhile, the cub ran away in the direction where its mother was running. Despite its heavy appearance, it appears to be quite agile.
Quad!
Eventually, when Sarah gathered her students together, the cub’s mother appeared, breaking the trees in the forest.
“Um, what is that…?”
“Can a knife go in?”
“Umm…”
A blade that is much larger and longer than the cub. Above all, unlike the cute-looking cub, he has a rough appearance.
It looks closer to a monster than a beast. If you were to fall under that thick bridge, you would be crushed to death.
“Coo! Coo!”
“Krrr…!”
The good news is that the mother who found the cub did not hastily attack it. She seemed to prioritize the safety of her cubs.
Sarah swallowed her saliva with a nervous look on her face. He also seems to say that Usk cannot be resolved easily.
Then she whispered so that only the students could hear.
“Usk doesn’t attack unless you touch it first. It backs away slowly.”
“Is subjugation impossible?”
This is Luna’s question. Even though the outer surface, which I can’t tell if it’s leather or armor, looks hard, it doesn’t seem like it will be completely impossible to defeat.
But that was a big mistake. In a rare rebuke, Sarah explained the reason for her retreat.
“If you want to become like the ogre that was cut in half earlier, then do so. Besides, it is almost impossible to cut that outer shell without breaking it. You would have to be at the level of the chancellor to be able to do it.”
“··· ···”
“So, it’s up to me to step back before I get hurt for no reason…”
It was before Sarah finished speaking. Mother Usk also slowly let down her guard when Luna’s team seemed to be retreating.
However, a situation has arisen in which the vigilance has become extremely heightened…
Kwasik!
An ax flew quickly and got stuck near the mother Usk’s head.
It is also an ax imbued with red lightning. It is obvious who the owner of the ax is.
“Such a crazy bird…!”
At that sight, a curse came out of Sarah’s mouth.