Chapter 48
Even after the meal, the hunting continued.
One might expect to feel sluggish after such strenuous activity right after eating, but perhaps because everyone was in top shape, no one seemed particularly uncomfortable.
“Now level 22. Wow, leveling up is insanely fast.”
This was the first time since arriving in this world that he had leveled up this quickly in a single day.
Even during the tutorial, his levels hadn’t increased this fast.
As they fought against monsters resembling all sorts of plants, trees, and animals, evening gradually approached.
“…We’re almost there, I think. How about we grab dinner after we get out? Once everything’s settled, I’ll take you to this amazing restaurant.”
Even Ferdia showed clear signs of fatigue.
Though she hadn’t participated in the battles, guiding them through the darkness all this time hadn’t been an easy task either.
“Hmm, sounds good. Let’s do that. Honestly, I’m still full from lunch anyway.”
Adrian nodded.
That was part of it, but more importantly, if they took the time to sit down for a full dinner like they had at lunch, they might not finish the dungeon today.
Spending the night here while everyone was exhausted would be too dangerous.
They had to wrap this up today no matter what.
“Just a bit further now. Let’s go.”
Ferdia encouraged everyone as she led the way again.
And so, another two hours passed.
“Isn’t it weird? No more monsters are showing up.”
There hadn’t been any monsters for a while now.
A bad sign.
“…It is strange. I feel this overwhelming pressure.”
Rena frowned as she spoke.
He, too, felt an odd unease swelling in his chest.
As if something terrifying was nearby.
“Whew… There, behind that big evergreen tree, there’s a clearing. That’s where the darkness began.”
Ferdia pointed toward the area.
There was definitely something there.
And it wasn’t just him feeling the ominous presence—Darren, too, spoke in a slightly subdued voice.
“Yeah, it’s obviously there.”
“I agree. Also… Ferdia and Adrian, I think you two should wait somewhere safe.”
Leo began with a worried expression.
Everyone instinctively seemed to know that something dangerous was waiting for them.
It was best to keep those not skilled in combat away from the fight.
“Yes, I agree. It’d be better for us to stay back. I’d only get in the way during battle.”
Adrian nodded in agreement.
“Then follow me. There’s a good spot nearby.”
Ferdia pointed toward a direction.
There stood a large tree with steps spiraling around it.
At the top, there was a broad wooden platform with a bench long enough to seat two or three people comfortably, along with some simple equipment.
“Herbalists use this as a rest stop. And look, you can see the clearing clearly from here.”
Looking in the direction she pointed, they saw the clearing where the darkness had begun.
A wide open space, oddly out of place in the forest.
Despite being outside the range of his secret technique, he could still see into it—though it was covered by a semi-transparent dark dome.
“Hmm… we’re pretty far and high up, so it should be safe… but just in case, I’ll cast a protection spell.”
Leo inspected the area and then cast a spell on the two.
It was a stealth-type spell—if they didn’t attack first, monsters wouldn’t detect them.
“Being apart from me might make your bodies feel a bit heavier. Are you okay with that?”
He asked with concern.
Being separated from him meant losing the effects of his secret art, and they’d likely be affected by the dungeon’s darkness debuff.
In the original game, they hadn’t used this technique, so his companions had always stayed in the rest area, grumbling about how heavy their bodies felt.
Now that he had access to such a powerful ability, it felt wrong to leave his friends behind to suffer its absence.
“It’s fine. Better than being near the battlefield. And from here, I can still observe and record everything for my work as an archivist.”
“Yeah, I’d rather stay safe here than get caught in some stray attack.”
Adrian and Ferdia responded one after the other.
Honestly, even he thought being in a slightly sluggish state was still better than being in danger.
“Alright then, wait here for a bit. I’ll go finish things quickly.”
He spun his gun around and struck a cool pose.
Maybe a little over the top.
But hey, even a hero chosen by a goddess gets to be dramatic now and then.
Adrian let out a faint chuckle at the sight.
From someone who rarely smiled, it was surprising.
Was he really that funny-looking?
He felt a tiny twinge of embarrassment.
“Well then, shall we go?”
Darren re-tightened the bandages wrapped around his axe handle.
“Yeah! Let’s do it! Let’s wipe out this darkness!”
Rena clenched her fist in agreement.
The two of them, oddly close, stayed behind as the team moved on.
It was boss fight time.
* * *
“What the… what is this…?”
Leo muttered in disbelief as he looked around.
Once they stepped into the clearing and passed through the black dome, the ground beneath them was covered in thick, muddy darkness. It was hard to even move a step.
And at the center—
“That’s… massive.”
A towering tree giant stood before them, dwarfing every tree monster they had fought so far.
A thousand years old, maybe?
Of course, it wasn’t a real tree.
Two red eyes stared out from its trunk, and beneath them was a grotesquely wide mouth.
It had a twisted grin.
If you imagined a jack-o’-lantern face during Halloween, you’d have a rough idea—except this one was far more terrifying.
“So, um… we’re supposed to beat that, right?”
Leo’s voice trembled slightly.
The monster, shaped like a massive tree, was easily dozens of times bigger than a person.
It was clear this would be a tough battle.
“Watch the ground carefully. If it ripples, that means roots are about to burst out and attack.”
He swallowed hard and explained the boss’s tactics.
This particular boss was notorious for its root attacks.
Back when he first faced it, he had died multiple times from being struck by them.
Even his healer friend Sohyun had laughed at him for it.
Ah, the pain of a newbie.
‘Right… the suffering of sprouts is the joy of veterans.’
He understood the sentiment too well to argue.
But did they really have to go through this in real life too?
If it could be avoided, it should be.
When he shouted this, the others looked at him in surprise.
“How do you know that?”
Rena stared at him with disbelief.
“…I just do. Please, trust me.”
He hoped they’d chalk it up to some divine blessing from the goddess.
“You didn’t need to say that. We already trust you.”
“Well said, Rena.”
“Exactly! If I don’t trust Elaine, who would I trust?”
They all chimed in, one after the other.
Their unwavering belief in him made his chest feel tight.
‘Ugh… so embarrassing.’
He kind of wanted to sink into the sticky mud and disappear.
“Uh, uh, th-thanks?”
His words came out broken and awkward, and Darren gave him a solid pat on the back.
“What’s with the droopy shoulders? Come on, let’s go. I think it’s already noticed us.”
Snapping back to his senses, he turned to look at the tree giant standing in the center of the clearing.
It grinned with its grotesquely wide mouth, its red eyes locked onto them.
Like a predator spotting its prey.
“The ground! Look at the ground!”
He shouted as he quickly activated an evasive skill.
The muddy floor beneath them rippled.
Just as they leapt back, a massive root, coated in black slime, shot out.
They had barely avoided being hit.
“Ugh… looks like it uses the same kind of poison.”
Darren gritted his teeth, gripping his axe tighter.
The dark liquid looked similar to what they had seen before—but somehow more potent.
“Yeah. The difference is, this poison slows your movement speed. Which makes it harder to dodge follow-up attacks.”
That was why, even with Sohyun’s support in the game, he had kept dying.
No matter how many shields he had, once the poison hit and slowed him, he kept taking more hits until he dropped.
“Sneaky bastard. We’re not even fully ready and it’s already attacking.”
In the game, the boss wouldn’t attack until you got within a certain distance.
He sighed and pulled several antidotes from his inventory, handing them out.
“If you get hit by a root attack, use this immediately. It’s the only way to dodge the next hit.”
That was why he had stocked up on antidotes.
After explaining, he drank another mana potion.
He was probably nearing his hundredth potion today.
Good thing he came well-prepared.
“Alright, let’s go. Darren, you lead!”
“Aye aye, Captain.”
…Captain?
Since when was he the captain?
He was flustered, but the others didn’t seem to mind.
Even Rena.
His prideful roommate was now accepting him as the leader without question.
How had it come to this?
He had no idea.
