186 - - a wild welcome

Something had somehow become entangled in the black mud, and had tangled itself around my leg.

Thor feels a sudden pull into the swamp, and in an instant he pulls out his sword and thrusts it into the mud.

But what he felt was a touch of cotton.

Next, a large hollow suddenly appears in the swamp just beside him.

Thor's body was pulled with tremendous force, and he was instantly carried into the hole.

Waiting for him at the bottom of the hole were several prongs extending out like sickles.

Before he had time to regain his position, Thor's lower body was easily engulfed by the prongs.

The pain from the penetration of his thighs easily exceeded the effects of the "pain relief.

Thor, however, calmly looks deep into the hole, trying to figure out what is trying to eat him.

Wrapped around his leather boots was a bundle of something white.

The white hard copper blade could not cut through it, but it seemed to be threads.

The ends of the threads entangled in the legs lead straight to the back of the prongs that had bitten Thor.

And, though obscured by the mud, what appear to be several eyeballs can be seen at the tops of the four prongs.

Thor, catching the inorganic gaze of the eyeballs, activates his magic technique.

--

The result of being dragged into the swamp is erased.

Thor stands on the narrow path as if nothing had happened, and Sora and the others, who had been standing apart from him, let out a relieved breath.

"Are you all right, Thor?

"Don't go into the road. There are strings attached."

With a warning, Thor pulls out the machete from his waist in one motion and slashes at his feet.

As might be expected from a sword made from the fangs of a rotting dragon, this time he easily cut off something.

"Thread means ......."

"Yes, it appears to be the infamous swamp spider."

In answer to Yuril's question, Thor readied his sword and machete.　

The group was now on its way to the second encampment.

The short stakes marked by buried trees make it easy to find their way.

However, as we proceeded deeper into the swamp, it seemed to become more and more difficult to find a safe route.

About five minutes after passing near the encampment of the Thundering Clan.

Moe's electric search has caught the response of the monster.

Thor, thinking it was a blue-striped serpent, approached to check it out, and was suddenly pulled into a swamp.

"Can you see into the hole from there?

No, I don't think so.

"We'll just have to pull him out somehow. Moe, the usual.

"Rai-rah!"　

Without being able to see the monsters, it is impossible to activate Sora's and , or Yuril's and systems.

The is also useless unless it is used at the bottom of the hole where the monster is hiding, but it cannot be used in places where the monster cannot be seen as well.

After three steps, he is suddenly buried in mud up to the middle of his thighs.

At the same time, something jumped out in front of him without a sound.

It was a thick insect's leg.

It was as big as a log, covered with black mud, and was closing in on Thor's body.

But before they collide, the tips tear apart like a flower blooming, and their bodily fluids gush out in a single gush.

It seems that Thor could not withstand the load that was suddenly thrown back by Thora's .

As Thor moves sideways through the mud, a new foot strikes him from behind.

This time Thor did not explode, but when he came to a sudden stop in mid-air, the black blade sliced him in two.

Thor moves to lure it out further, but the next moment, he is dragged deep into the hole again.

The boots with white threads wrapped around them produced a crisp, purple electric charge.

No wonder, it seemed that the swamp was also covered with strings.

Thor again counteracts the result and returns to his original position.

As he was stuck in the depths, he moved around in the shallows and dodged the legs that were popping out.

Several times, he cut off the tip of the foot, but it regenerated and there was no way to get rid of it.

On his third invitation to the bottom of the swamp, Thor decides to change his approach.

--

However, it is not the result of being dragged down, but the bite that cancels it out.

Confronting the giant spider at close range, unharmed, Thor swung his machete at once.

He slices off the monster's eyeballs and jaws with precision.

Finally, the spider's head is smashed open, and it sinks limply into the mud.

At the same time, Thor's body sinks to the bottom of the mire.

The hole that the spider had made collapses, and the black mass flows in all at once from directly above.

Looking up at the narrowing sky covered with black clouds, Thor's eyes pick up the action that took place just eleven seconds ago.

--

This time, it erases the consequences of being dragged in.

Thor, back in the swamp up to his thighs, exhaled deeply.

He knows that it is impossible to retrieve the spider's body from the bottom of the hole where it has been buried.

Picking up a piece of the monster's leg that had drifted away as a proof at least, Thor starts to walk towards the shore, pushing away the mud.

He used five times, three times, and twice.

He used too many techniques for a single fish, and he had not been able to retrieve his prey.

Although he was unharmed, it was not a good result.

Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Thor.

"Oh, Thor, this is great!"

Sola receives the tip of the spider's foot and shouts excitedly.

The monster's legs were covered with short hairs, perhaps to make it easier for the spider to move in the mud.

Seeing the girl enjoying the prickling sensation, Moo comes up to her and starts to touch the monster's feet, too.

Then he looked up at Thor, who was covered in mud, and said simply

"You're looking like my father's shin guards!"

"Is that so?"

"No, I'm thinner than you are."

"I'm the one who secretly touches them while they sleep, I assure you. This is ......, if it's about comfort, Thor wins hands down!"

"To-chan wins, huh?"

"Not a very happy victory at all. What are you going to do with that?"

Thor asks in a dumbfounded voice to the girl who is happily putting away her feet in a leather bag.

"Of course," she says, "I was wondering if I could eat it.

"You're covered in hair. Are you okay?"

"Yes, it's surprisingly tasty with a light flavor."

Suddenly, the question was answered by a man who had been standing at the end of the pathway for some time.

Behind the black-robed figure stood several men in armor.

"We are here to welcome you, Mr. Thor.

The one smiling at us was Balconia, the captain of the "Bearers of the Burning Flame".