210 – Omen (3)
After returning to the forest, Porori, or rather Ratatosk, has a very simple day.
Collect acorns for the sky or drive out intruders from the forest.
Out of all of these, the only thing I’m working hard on is finding a partner.
Oestrus hasn’t arrived yet, but it will come again soon.
Furthermore, I was worried because a terrible accident occurred last time. I’m afraid the same accident will happen again this time.
‘Even if you get excited, you have to try not to get struck by lightning.’
Otherwise, reproduction, which is most important as a living organism, would not be possible.
Not being able to reproduce means not being able to have children. It loses its meaning as a living thing.
In order to do so, Ratatosk continued to work hard at his efforts. Even if you get emotional, don’t let lightning strike you.
Just as Sivar suppressed his berserk through tenacity, Ratatosk followed a similar path.
‘Anyway, be careful of the colorless guy?’
While collecting acorns, Ratatosk remembered a piece of advice.
These words were spoken seriously by Rod, an old man, not Sivar. I couldn’t listen to it easily.
If Sivar had done that, he might have skipped it. But he couldn’t be ignored once he got to the road.
As for Sivar, while he can target even Donggwijin, he cannot. No matter what he does, he cannot win.
‘It will take a long time to become like that person, right?’
Probably so. It is presumed to have lived longer than any other human.
Ratatosk returned home, picking up acorns that had fallen on the ground.
It is closer to a place to store acorns than a house. Even now, there are a lot of acorns piled up.
As it is summer, the environment inevitably produces a lot of acorns. That’s as much as it fell on the floor.
Growl-
‘I’m hungry. ‘I need to eat something.’
With the sudden hunger, Ratatosk felt the need to hunt.
There was a pile of acorns and various seeds right in front of me, but I immediately turned my back.
This is storage and emergency food for the winter, not something to eat in one day.
In addition, since it includes something that needs to be offered to heaven, it is better to hunt it yourself if possible.
‘What kind of guy should I hunt today?’
Ratatosk came down from the tree and went hunting.
As big as he is, he needs to hunt some pretty big guys.
Especially after receiving the blessing from heaven, I often felt hungry. This can’t be helped.
Is that why? They used to fill their stomachs with fruits whenever possible, but recently hunting has become a necessity.
Of course, he did not hunt indiscriminately. He is restrained in his own way as the manager of the forest.
Of course, predators introduced from outside were excluded. It’s your job to stop that.
‘I have to go around first.’
Ratatosk began to hang around him for his hunt.
“··· ···”
You have no idea that someone is secretly following you behind you.
No matter how careless Ratatosk is, he is sensitive to signs.
Nevertheless, he leisurely wandered around as if he didn’t feel anything at all.
Bah!
“Keeng!”
Not long after, Ratatosk hunted a stray wild dog.
I don’t know where the bone came from, but it was openly marking its territory, so I lightly subdued it with a tail strike.
The exact spot where the tail strike hit was the skull. There is no way a weak wild dog could withstand such an attack.
“Now. Let’s go…”
Ratatosk drooled as he looked at the cleanly dead wild dog. Meat is always delicious.
Because it was born as an animal, I did not think about roasting it in the fire. The sense of taste is not developed in the first place.
Didn’t you originally avoid eating meat? That’s a thing of the past now.
Of course, this only limited to animals, and they did not eat anything that walked on two legs.
Soon, Ratatosk was about to eat the wild dog’s strong abdomen.
Sweet-
‘Huh? What?’
Suddenly the surroundings became dark. Ratatosk, sensing something strange, blinked his eyes.
No. It’s not that the surroundings got dark, it’s that there was a shadow. It means that someone approached you from behind.
Ratatosk looked back, startled by the shadow covering his entire body.
I was just about to eat, so I let my guard down.
Sigh!
What followed Ratatosk’s gaze was the sharpened tip of a dagger.
“What…!”
The body was covered in black and white.
******
After being attacked by Rod, swordsmanship training continued.
I wondered if there was any point in learning swordsmanship since it had all become weapon skills, but I learned it anyway.
This is a technique taught by someone who is a swordsman or something. Every word you say will become bone and flesh.
“I’ll end here for today. My skills are improving as the days go by.”
“Thank you. It’s thanks to Rod.”
“hehehe. Now you know how to give unfamiliar compliments.”
Rod smiled happily at my sincerity. I am not just saying this empty words, I am 100% sincere.
The skills you learn from Rod are all full of information.
Starting with basic gripping techniques and ending with foot techniques. He taught me in detail one by one.
‘Weapon skill proficiency is steadily increasing.’
When I first acquired a weapon skill, my proficiency level was D.
But now it has risen to B. This is thanks to Rod passing on various know-how.
‘Anyway, why are you being so kind to me?’
This is a question that suddenly occurred to me. Rod tends to be particularly soft on me.
Sometimes, if I have an accident or play a prank, I get severely scolded, but that doesn’t stop there.
Just considering all the accidents I have done so far, it would be normal for me to be expelled from school.
Nevertheless, Rod supported me until the end. He himself served as a shield.
“Load.”
“Hmm? Why did you call me?”
“Um…”
I wanted to ask, but the words didn’t come out.
It could be my mistake, but I’m more embarrassed than anything. Speaking from my own mouth, it may be a bit different.
Still, it was true that they were giving me convenience, so I wanted to do something.
“Do you need anything?”
“What do you need?”
“Yes. It’s something I want to eat or something I want to have.”
I didn’t want to ask the reason directly, so I decided to grant the wish instead.
But from the road’s perspective, it’s all the same. Rod asked with a puzzled expression.
“Suddenly? Why?”
“I feel like I’m just receiving.”
“Just take it? hehehehe!”
When I spoke honestly, Rod started laughing heartily.
This is a reaction that I cannot understand at all. I don’t know which part is the point.
“Really… It’s the same thing that I can’t understand. Still, I like it because it’s positive growth.”
“··· ···”
“You don’t need me, so take care of others first.”
“Really?”
“If you’re really sorry, you should call me grandfather.”
Is that okay? I blinked at the title ‘grandfather.’
Even in Soul World, no one called Rod a grandfather. This also applies to players.
He is one of those people who is almost impossible to like because his authority and reputation are so high.
Moreover, it is nearly impossible to become close to those who have been harmed in any way by the Academy collapse.
“Isn’t it true that you always call me by my name? Grandfather is better.”
“······Grandfather?”
“Yes. Yes.”
“Grandpa. I’m hungry. Please give me food.”
“This guy is real. Go out and eat!”
Rod gets scolded harshly for naturally playing around.
The horse is scolding, but it seems like he is just taking it as a joke.
I also laughed at his yelling and walked away. He was going to go back into the forest anyway.
Quarring…!
At that moment, a faint roar was heard in my ears. It’s the sound of thunder.
I heard it from far away, but I was able to distinguish this much because I was struck by thunder.
And thunder rarely strikes in a clear sky. Unless you used the power of the Gulag.
“······Thunder coming from the forest? Is it Ratatosk?”
“··· ···”
Porori is right. Not only is the direction a forest, but there are only a few believers in the gulag.
So this is the problem. There are few people strong enough to use thunder in Porori.
Even before training, I was warned about the devil. Is this really a coincidence?
I felt very ominous. I told Rod right away.
From Noble mtl dot com
“I’ll go.”
“Okay. Be careful.”
After Lord’s permission, my body rushed out like lightning.
If Porori is really true, there is a high possibility that a dangerous predator has invaded the forest.
You should check it at least once just in case. There are already signs of the devil, so we need to prepare.
‘Rod won’t come.’
Rod would also know this. So, he probably didn’t come forward himself.
If it is true that the devil attacked, it is like exposing the Lord’s health. Then the difficulty level will double.
I ran quickly in the direction I heard the sound. I hope it’s rain, but if it’s not, it’s going to be a headache.
‘It doesn’t look like we were ambushed.’
If I had been ambushed, I would have died silently. Even if this is Porori, there is nothing we can do about it.
As I said before, it is almost impossible to detect a demon by its presence. Unless you have special skills.
Even so, only those who are at least indigo or stronger can use that technique. It is the ability to detect existence itself, not just a presence.
Ordinary people can look ahead with their eyes, but those with a dark blue color or higher can get closer to the feeling of looking down from the sky.
Tuck!
While running, Ragnarok was called. For reference, Ragnarok was placed on the window so that it can be easily called anytime, anywhere.
Grace probably felt something strange by now. I moved my legs while holding a weapon in each hand.
How far did he run like that? I arrived at the place where the sound was heard.
And…
“Ugh! Ugh!”
“The cub…Is using an annoying ability.”
You could see someone in black and white grabbing Porori’s neck. It appears that he was subdued by grabbing his neck and pinning him to the floor.
Also, when I saw it sucking the blue energy from Porori, it seems to be absorbing life force.
As soon as I saw that scene, I threw Ragnarok without delay.
Paang!
“Hmm?”
The black-and-white demon seemed to have heard the sound and took a step back in surprise. Naturally, Porori also became free.
I approached Porori to prevent him from running towards me. Fortunately, it wasn’t too late and the exterior was fine.
“Are you okay?”
“No… I don’t have any strength in my body…”
It is natural since the life force has been absorbed. Moreover, there are large scars engraved on the body.
It seemed like they had been taken by surprise and allowed the attack. It must have been some kind of struggle that caused the lightning to be released.
Porori’s regenerative ability would not be life-threatening, but it would be useless in battle. It wasn’t magic power, but life force was absorbed.
“You bastard…”
At that time, I heard a man’s voice in my ear. I turned my head and faced my attacker.
He holds a dagger in one hand, his face is covered with a mask, and he wears a necklace made of bones around his neck.
Even the bone necklace was black and white, but the blue shining eyes were vivid.
The same color as the devil I met last time in Unity Village. But in terms of strength, it will be much stronger than that guy.
‘Why is he messing around in the forest?’
Originally, this guy is a ‘hunter’ who is dispatched for reconnaissance. And that too at the very end.
Until then, it was standard practice to only send out odd jobs, and to send this guy when things seem to be going nowhere.
But the fact that he was dispatched from the beginning means something went wrong.
‘Or has the scouting party already gone into hiding? I don’t think that’s the case again.’
Apart from the confusion in my head, my body had already moved.
No matter what, it is best to deal with the hunter in advance. He’s annoying because he specializes in assassinations.
The hunter also got into a fighting stance as I launched a decisive attack. Since he is weak in head-to-head combat, his opponent will be quite easy.
[Into the darkness…]
The problem is that damn hiding. It was my first time hearing this language, but I can understand it clearly.
At the same time, the hunter’s body slowly began to disappear. It seems to have assimilated into its surroundings like a chameleon.
Excellent hiding ability along with the innate characteristics of an elusive devil. When those two things are combined, it becomes quite difficult.
‘I wish I had some paint…’
Since I don’t have it right now, I’m planning to use a plan as I wish.
I placed the bloody greatsword on the ground just before the hunter disappeared.
Afterwards, he cut off his wrist using the blade of Ragnarok. The deep cuts made his blood gush out like a fountain.
You will recover quickly through regeneration anyway, but what I was targeting was the devil. I swung my arm at the devil, using the blood gushing out like a fountain.
Crash!
Sticky, bright red blood splattered in the air. It is not empty space, but the body of a hidden devil.
The guy’s body is black and white, but he can’t make my blood black and white as well. This is exactly what I was aiming for.
“He’s a smart guy.”
Did the hunter also expect this? It’s a voice that conveys embarrassment even though it’s not a compliment.
This must be the first time I’ve seen a crazy person cut his wrists to get blood on him. I rushed in before my wrist even healed.
There is a significant amount of blood on it, so hiding is useless. Now all that’s left is to cut off the head and dispose of it.
‘It’ll be hard to kill.’
But it doesn’t matter. As long as the hunter is driven out, the desired goal has been achieved.
The hunter also made a quick decision, probably thinking that further riots were unnecessary.
[Bloom.]
Boom!
With those words, a black smoke screen bloomed. It is a very spicy smoke screen, like tear gas.
I frowned and threw the ax somewhere. I wish it had hit me, but unfortunately it got stuck in a tree.
‘Are you running away too fast?’
It may be bland, but I had doubts before that. The situation ended without a single proper fight.
I looked around to see if anything, but there was nothing different. The guy obviously ran away.
In Soul World, you tend to run away only after losing a certain amount of stamina.
‘Did you get hurt while fighting Porori?’
That is highly likely. Otherwise it wouldn’t have ended like this.
When the situation was over, I turned my attention to Porori who was lying on the floor. It looks like his life force has been sucked out and his mind is wandering.
“It’s over. Wake up.”
“Ugh… Why am I so dizzy? This is my first time like this.”
Porori shook his head. This is my first time experiencing my life force being absorbed, so it will be quite painful.
It will be okay over time, but it will take a long time. For reference, in Soul World, maximum stamina is reduced.
So, even if you suck the potion, it will not have much effect as your absolute stamina will decrease. Stability is best.
“What on earth is that bastard? You’re damned you told me, or he would have been screwed.”
“Why did you lose?”
“Because of that damned hiding. It’s driving me crazy because I can’t see anything or feel anything.”
He must have had a hard time because Porori couldn’t bury his blood like I did.
However, the magic consumption is too great to emit lightning. Hunters are annoying people in many ways.
So, there were various strategies. Just like I did, you can smear the color somehow, tie your feet, etc.
Furthermore, since he is an assassin, he is weak in head-to-head combat. You have to somehow bring it into a head-on battle to be able to attack it.
“Let’s go back first. Eat some herbs there.”
“Okay, but what if he comes back? He won’t be able to sleep well.”
“Um…”
That’s another problem. Porori’s concerns make perfect sense.
Originally, we would have stayed deep in the Forest of Chaos and wouldn’t have had to worry about this.
This is a variable that arose when Porori moved to the outskirts of the Forest of Chaos. If you are not careful, the hunter’s abilities may increase significantly.
“Let’s think about it slowly. Grandpa will help us.”
“Ugh. Okay.”
Though the situation was resolved like that.
‘It’s so different from what I knew…’
I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.
*****
“Sorry, you failed to achieve your goal.”
The black and white assassin, the hunter, bent down on one knee and asked for his forgiveness.
The voice and gently closed eyes seem to show sincere remorse.
“Well, it’s okay. So why did it fail?”
And in front of the hunter, another devil was sitting on a chair. I am even reading a book leisurely.
Hair swept back and eyes sharply slit like snakes. Overall, he was a man of good looks.
However, like a hunter, his entire body is covered in black and white. Above all, the most noticeable thing is definitely the eyes.
Because he had navy blue eyes, much darker than the hunter’s blue eyes.
“The surprise attack was successful, but a completely unexpected human invaded.”
“Human?”
“Yes.”
“I was unlucky. If I had just a little bit of luck, I would have been able to absorb that spirit. At the same time, I blocked the variables.”
The dark blue devil spoke in a truly regretful voice. The sincerity was evident in the words.
The hunter also bowed his head as if he was sorry.
“So, have you done any further research? Do you know why that spirit that should be inside is on the outskirts?”
“It looks like someone brought it. They were calling the spirit with a whistle.”
“Wow. You tamed that nasty squirrel? I don’t know who it is, but that’s amazing.”
The dark blue devil giggled. It’s an absurd laugh.
Then he closed the book and turned to face the hunter. The hunter was still down on one knee.
“I guess I just increased my vigilance for no reason. I need to deal with that guy before I can bring out the monster inside.”
“If you give me a chance, I will do it again.”
“No. It’s okay. Unless he’s an idiot, he’ll raise the alert to the maximum. You didn’t check the status of the magic circle and the Sword Saint, right?”
“Yes.”
“I guess I’ll have to cancel that too. Since I said I was caught by a human, a report would have been posted to the academy as well.”
“That human…”
The hunter blurted out his words and expressed his opinion. The dark blue devil also showed curiosity.
Normally, hunters rarely express their opinions. He is nothing more than a dog faithful to his duties.
Next, the hunter opened his mouth, remembering the human he met today, Shivar.
“It was a little strange.”
“Strange? In what sense?”
“It felt foreign.”
“Are you of the same race?”
The dark blue devil revealed a question. The only answer to the feeling of being foreign was to my own people.
But the hunter shook his head and continued his words.
“It was closer to chaos than a kindred spirit. Like a saint.”
“······Is there something else like that?”
The dark blue devil frowned. Displeasure was written all over his face.
When I saw him refer to Rize as ‘something like that’ rather than something else, I could tell how much he cared.
Because he was a natural enemy to the devil. It is famous even among devils for its infamy.
“Yes. But strangely, I couldn’t feel any presence. Should I say it felt lifeless like us…”
“··· ···”
“And yet it had color. It was chaotic yet lifeless, and heterogeneous in another sense.”
“What does he look like?”
The devil’s voice was low. It’s a voice that seems to understand something serious.
The hunter seemed to realize the seriousness of the situation and began to explain about Sivar, the human he had just met.
“First of all, his skin was pale and white, and his eyes also glowed red. He looked like an ordinary human male.”
“Again?”
“Its regenerative power was fast enough to be comparable to ours.”
“What is the basis for the absence of life?”
“The sword he had. That sword was clearly a sword that sucked life out.”
As the hunter revealed each thing one by one, the dark blue devil’s expression gradually hardened. It feels like he knows something.
Afterwards, the indigo-colored devil began to keep quiet for a while. The hunter waited until he had finished thinking.
“······What is the color of magic power? What color was the color of magic power?”
“We haven’t been able to confirm that far.”
“When you’re ready, go investigate him again. Find out what color the magic is.”
“Yes.”
“Go away.”
At the command of the indigo-colored devil, the hunter bowed his head and disappeared. The indigo-colored demon was left alone as the hunter retreated.
He seemed to think about something for a while and then turned his head. To the side where he turned his head, there was a crystal ball.
Wow-
After knocking a few times, the crystal ball started to shine. Then a voice came out from the crystal ball.
[What’s going on, honey?]
A voice that will tempt you just by hearing it. Sweetness and color are mixed together.
The indigo-colored devil spoke without paying attention to the voice.
“I think we need to change our plan a bit. We may need your help.”
[Hmm? I don’t mind helping, but changing plans? With what?]
“I will also report to my superiors. First of all, the foundation itself is the same. The collapse of the academy.”
[So what changes?]
“It’s not a change, it’s an addition. The added operation…”
The indigo-colored devil laid out a plan in a stern voice.
“Recapture.”