Chapter 38
Chapter 38: Finally Useful
As we left Palor’s territory, the hellish battle resumed.
The mercenaries grew increasingly weary, besieged by relentless monsters.
Ghislaine also felt the compelling urge to just quit and head back to rest.
‘Indeed, the Forest of Monsters. But I can’t give up now.’
The reason no one dares to explore this place is simple.
There’s no need to risk their lives when they don’t even know what’s out there.
If I hadn’t had a clear purpose, I wouldn’t have come to this dangerous forest either.
But he knew precisely what awaited him in the Forest of Monsters, which is why he was willing to take the risk.
Surprisingly, the mercenaries were quieter than expected.
Although they looked ready to collapse from exhaustion, their eyes still shone with determination.
‘Looks like I underestimated them.’
It was certainly tough on the march, and normally, he would have begun discussing extra rewards to soothe them by now.
However, looking at the mercenaries’ eyes, Ghislaine realized that wasn’t necessary.
They were genuinely fulfilling their duty.
Only Manus among them was anxiously pacing with a deathly pallor.
Every day was agonizing, yet everyone gritted their teeth and persevered.
Amazingly, as the battles continued, the damage slowly decreased.
In just a little over ten days, through extreme daily combat, most had surprisingly pushed beyond their limits.
By the time a fortnight had passed, Ghislaine had some encouraging news for everyone.
“We’re almost at our destination. We’re nearly there.”
At those words, the mercenaries freshened up again and pressed forward.
How far had they gone? The group began to sense something was off.
“What is it?”
“It should be time for them to swarm us again.”
“Isn’t it strange that it’s so quiet?”
The monsters, which had come in waves, were dwindling.
When they were harassed by monsters, it was painful and exhausting, but suddenly not encountering any felt unsettling.
Ghislaine felt the oddness too, much like the mercenaries.
It seemed too fortunate considering how fierce the battles had been so far.
It was puzzling that monsters weren’t appearing all of a sudden.
‘It’s too quiet.’
The forest was already quiet enough that you could hardly hear a bug chirping.
But now, aside from the sounds the group made, it felt suffocatingly heavy, as if even the wind was muted.
He sent Gillian and Kaor to scout around, but nothing was found.
‘Is it luck? Or is there some other reason? There’s no record of any special danger here…’
After pondering for a while, Ghislaine decided to take advantage of the opportunity.
“Everyone, stop working and take a break. After restoring our stamina, we’ll head straight to our destination tomorrow and finish up.”
The mercenaries, faces brightening, plopped down and took a breather.
They hadn’t had a proper rest since entering the forest, and fatigue hit them hard.
Strangely, not a single monster showed up the next day.
“Oh man, my back. Waking up makes my body ache even more.”
“I feel like I might actually survive now.”
“We’ll reach our destination today!”
With their stamina restored and the hope of the end in sight, they progressed much faster than usual.
The unfamiliar situation made everyone feel a little anxious, but making noise while clearing the path didn’t lead to any problems.
Before long, Ghislaine checked the map he had created and their current location several times, then declared with a beaming face:
“There’s really not much left. Just a little more, and we can reach our destination.”
At his words, the mercenaries devoted themselves to clearing the path without resting.
Little by little, expressions of relief began to appear on their faces.
They had endured great hardship for such a short stretch of road.
Thinking that this struggle was finally coming to an end, it was only natural to feel exhilarated.
But Ghislaine was the happiest and most excited of all.
‘We’re almost there.’
Despite everyone telling him he was crazy, he pressed on with confidence.
He thought the result would soon be visible before his eyes, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit thrilled.
Then it happened.
Kaboom.
A rumbling vibration echoed from deep in the forest.
Suddenly, everyone froze. The mercenaries tensed up and cautiously scanned their surroundings.
The good feelings sank like a stone, and a foreboding sense began to spread.
“Gillian, scout ahead and return. Everyone, prepare for combat.”
Gillian nodded and set out on his reconnaissance.
The mercenaries dropped their work and grabbed their weapons.
They were already accustomed to battles in the forest over the past few days.
The issue was what they were facing; the combat itself posed no problem.
As they waited nervously, slicing through the heavy air, Gillian came rushing back with all his might, shouting.
“Get down!”
“What?”
At Ghislaine’s question, trees began to topple in the distance.
Boom! Thud!
Something was smashing through the trees, racing toward them.
Emerging from the forest, it let out a high-pitched wail as soon as it spotted the group.
Kaaaaaaa!
At the sight before him, Ghislaine’s face turned rigid.
That monster should have been deep in the forest.
It wasn’t a creature that should be roaming around on the outskirts like this.
The mercenaries, too, began to gasp in shock as they saw the monster.
“H-huh?! C-could that be real?”
“It wasn’t that there weren’t any monsters. Everyone was avoiding that guy!”
They all stared at the monster with stunned expressions.
It was a snake.
A colossal snake big enough to swallow a person whole.
The giant serpent’s crimson scales shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight.
Its gaping maw was filled with fangs that would easily tear apart steel.
“Blood Python…”
One mercenary murmured the name.
The giant serpent monster known as the Python is named for its scale color.
The Blood Python, covered in crimson scales, is notorious as the most ferocious and terrifying of all Pytons.
Its fangs exude potent venom, and its scales are as tough as steel, making weapons ineffective.
“It’s much bigger than an ordinary Python.”
The mercenaries were horrified by its overwhelming size.
The Python species was already classified as a risky monster due to its size.
Yet the blood python before them was far larger than the typical Python.
This situation was something Ghislaine had not anticipated at all.
Documents from his previous life stated that Blood Python inhabited much deeper parts of this place.
‘Why now? The timing couldn’t be worse.’
The destination wasn’t that far from the edge of the forest.
It was simply that clearing the path and dealing with the monsters occupying the area had taken time.
From the moment he made the plan to clear the forest, Ghislaine had repeatedly confirmed that monsters deemed unmanageable were all residing deep within the forest.
Yet a monster of a far superior grade had appeared before them.
Ssss.
The Blood Python, with its haughty gaze, flicked its tongue and surveyed the group.
As if eyeing a delicious meal in front of it.
The mercenaries found themselves paralyzed under its aura.
They looked like frogs facing a snake, unable to move.
Ghislaine shouted loudly to rouse them.
“Snap out of it! If you stay still, we’ll all die!”
At his words, the mercenaries came to their senses and quickly formed a combat formation.
They couldn’t just stand there and get killed; they had to launch some form of counterattack.
“Fire!”
As Ghislaine yelled, the mercenaries wielding shields stepped forward while bowmen started shooting arrows.
Bang! Thwap! Thud!
Countless arrows flew, but they couldn’t pierce the Blood Python’s red scales.
The serpent batted the arrows aside and slithered closer to them.
“Fall back!”
As the mercenaries adjusted their formation and started to back away, the Blood Python surged forward with alarming speed.
To have such quickness befitting its massive size was unsettling.
Kaaaaaa!
In an instant, the approached Blood Python opened its jaws and swallowed the nearest mercenary whole.
“Aaaaaah!”
The mercenary, unable to put up a fight, was swallowed entirely.
Gulp, gulp.
Within the Blood Python, something seemed to roll slowly down toward the center of its body, then stopped moving.
Seeing a person being devoured alive by a monster was an unprecedented shock for everyone.
Ssss!
The Blood Python narrowed its eyes in apparent satisfaction and glanced around as if choosing its next meal.
Despair settled in the eyes of the mercenaries.
The monsters they had faced so far, aside from Palor, though strong and fast, had been manageable.
Regardless of whatever happened, with strategy and tactics, they could inflict damage and secure a victory.
Even Palor, who seemed invincible in the dark, could be struck if there was light.
But the scales of the Blood Python were strong enough to deflect all arrows.
How on earth could they catch a monster against which their attacks were ineffective?
“Back! Just retreat for now!”
The group hastily fell back, creating space.
Sss….
Even as they distanced themselves, the Blood Python did not immediately pursue.
It seemed to be watching whether its prey would flee or engage.
Having just satisfied its hunger with the mercenary, it showed no signs of launching an immediate attack…
Yet by not taking its eyes off the group, it seemed poised to ensure they weren’t allowed to escape unscathed.
“Milord! What do we do now?”
“There’s got to be a way to deal with that thing!”
Without anyone instructing them, all the mercenaries turned their eyes to Ghislaine.
However.
Ghislaine remained silent, stiffly staring at the Blood Python.
‘Why is he saying nothing?’
‘Is it possible that the employer has no solution…?’
The employer, who would take charge with instructions and leap into battle faster than anyone else whenever a monster appeared, was standing there quietly without a word.
Despair began to engulf them all.
The mercenaries sensed the inevitable approach of death.
Belinda approached Ghislaine and whispered softly.
“Milord, you must flee immediately. With our current strength, we can’t possibly defeat that creature.”
“If I run now, what will happen to the mercenaries?”
“Those mercenaries are nothing. Saving you, Milord, is my priority.”
Gillian also stepped in front of Ghislaine, speaking quietly.
“Milord, please return with Belinda. I will hold off the creature with the mercenaries here. Your safety must also be included in the contract, so don’t concern yourself with them.”
“Gillian.”
“Please take care of my daughter.”
Though it was a soft voice, Kaor, who stood nearby, heard the conversation clearly.
He paused momentarily with his arms crossed in thought before speaking to Ghislaine.
“Let’s retreat. If you command everyone to withdraw, they’ll manage to escape. A few may fall, but that can’t be helped. Such is the fate of mercenaries who stake their lives for a reward.”
With Kaor backing him up, Ghislaine lowered his gaze, caught in deep thought.
Even if they ran now, the majority would be overtaken by that snake and die.
A few might survive, but if they strayed off course, they would ultimately get lost in the forest and be doomed.
‘Success was right within reach. Am I really going to fail like this?’
Ghislaine squeezed his eyes shut.
