69 - wild and wild

The waves swell and red droplets leap high into the sky.

The surface of the water bobbed horribly up and down as the huge body kicked the bottom of the river and moved forward.

As if as a harbinger, the red water rushes over the riverbank and overflows into the riverbed.

The water drenched their feet, and at last the stunned adventurers began to speak out.

"......Hey, what's that?"

"Don't tell me you let them turn into a swarm?

"What the hell were they thinking, the guys at the sub-branch?"

Each monster's territory has its own size.

But when the territory becomes too large to maintain, the monster acquires a new form.

This is called the gregarious phase.

Some of the more ferocious monsters have the habit of running amok in order to expand their territory.

"d*mn!　Hey, let's get out of here."　

"What's the rush?　The river horses are just a little bit stronger."

"Don't be stupid--"

The men's conversation was abruptly cut short.

It was because it suddenly became dark.　

The two men look upward in a panic.

Their eyes widen to their fullest and their mouths gape open.

A gigantic river horse was flying in the sky.

The adventurers stop moving as if their nerves have been severed by this unbelievable sight.

Then a huge body descends.

With a tremendous earth tremor, the crushed stones scattered around them, turning them into deadly weapons.

Screams and cries erupted everywhere.

Then, two river horses landed on the ground, mixed in with the raindrops.

Again there were screams, and the people who had lost their composure were quickly swallowed up in a whirlpool of chaos.

The adventurers, who had been hunting monsters by sheer force of numbers, were easily outnumbered and outgunned.

But not all of them, and there were those who stood their ground and tried to fight back.

A man in red iron armor with a large shield stands in front of the monsters to stop them from rushing forward.

He floated lightly in the air.

Those who attacked from the sides were pushed away by something hard that spread unexpectedly and rolled on the ground.

The deformed rampaging river horse let out a wild yell as it crushed them mercilessly.

The roar of the beast's roar caused the people to lose control of themselves, and they ran for cover, ranting and raving, trying to get as far away from the beast as possible.

They shooed away anyone who stood in their way, and headed for safety, hoping to survive as long as possible.

Then two more animals were added to the group, and the scene became even more chaotic.

Bettina and Godin, who had been standing at a distance from the scene, were calmly watching the terrible situation on the riverbank.

This is the worst, Godin.

"Yes, I see that you are not used to this kind of situation.

"I don't think it's a good excuse for adventurers to be attacked by monsters because they're not used to it."

Perhaps it is because the hunting grounds here are less prone to sudden accidents?

"Hmm, I'll have to report that to your father, too."

The two men continue their conversation as they watch the adventurers being overrun as if they were talking about something else.

"By the way, what's going on with that river horse?　In the nose next to that belly?"

That looks like a fin. And there are also membranes and fins on the sides of the front legs and on the hind legs.

"Yes, a paddle. I see, they use them to jump up by slapping the water."

The characteristics of the herpetofauna of the rampant river horses were feather-like lateral fins that could be folded over the abdomen, a membrane stretched between the forelegs and flanks, and tail-fin-like projections extending from the hind legs.

These features greatly increased the monster's ability to wade in the water, and with its increased speed, it was able to leap out of the water and pounce on the creature.

The monster's unexpected way of landing must have caused a great deal of confusion, as we were used to the impression that it was coming up to the river bank quietly.

The reddish skin also seems to have gained more strength, and the martial and magical techniques that were used on them as if they were scratching their feet seem to have little effect.

The five raging, misshapen river horses kicked the adventurers to the ground, and also vigorously devoured their fellow river horses that were still alive.

The monsters, which had been running around on the riverbanks at their own whim, changed direction and headed back to the river again, perhaps realizing that nothing was moving.

They run downstream at a furious pace.

"Come on, Godin!"

"Oh, where are you going?"

Thor and the others should be downstream. If we don't--"

Bettina, realizing her mistake, clears her throat and restates.

"Let's see how our humble hero handles it, shall we?"

"It's too late for that, miss."

"Shut up, let's go!"

As the master turns on his heel, the faithful butler glances around and then asks, "What is it that you are doing here?

"Are you sure you want to leave it here?"

Several motionless adventurers lay motionless on the riverbank, and the banks were filled with the groans of many wounded who had fled.

The red-haired woman who has been stopped slows her steps and turns her eyes slightly toward them.

She replied in a tone of utter disinterest.

An adventurer is only an adventurer if he survives on his own. I'm sure you can handle that much on your own.

His reddish, ruthless gaze reminded me of someone else.

Some time after the commotion at the quarry.

Thor and his men are resting in their tent after the hunt for the river slime.

"The rain won't stop..."

"...... will continue for a while yet."

"The bridge is almost finished, but I don't think it's the right time."

"I think it's time for a new slime to spring up.　What do you think, Brother Thor?"

"Yes, I think so. And the frogs should be springing up. Moo, please.

"Tor-chan, Moo is very sleepy right now, he can't move."

"Oh, Moo-chan. I told you not to eat too much.

"......Sleep well, little one. Even my can catch something in motion. Will you forgive him for that?"

"Muah muah muah, let Moo take care of it, To-chan!"

The child, about to have his job taken away from him, leaps up from Yuril's lap and gathers magic power in an instant.

The released purple snake vanishes into thin air, and Moe proudly points to the river.

They're not over there. ...... but there are lots of big ones over here."

"Big?　The only big ones in this river are river horses and crabs. Did you eat too many snacks?　Hey, little guy."

"Mnh-mnh, you're so rude!"

"......Young children's words are right, Roloff. Five huge signs are approaching from upstream."

The three brothers exchange glances at Tali's words, then leave their tent and run along the riverbank.

Gugtaf, the third brother, is the first to reach the curve and looks proudly at his brothers who are lagging behind, then turns his eyes forward.

Then he let out a startled cry.

Look, brother! There's a huge wave coming in!"