CH 248

Chapter 248 : Evil Fungus

After I made up my mind, I turned to Norwell-san and looked at him with a serious face.

「Norwell-san, I will kill that fungus for you.」(Mark)

「N, No, no. Your recovery magic was indeed amazing and I heard from Deel that you have a talent for magic, but even so, I don’t think you can beat it. I don’t want a child to die for me.」(Norwell)

As he said Deel’s name, Celine wrinkled her eyebrows, feeling a bit annoyed.

Leaving her aside, I understand Norwell-san’s feelings. He might have heard that I’m good at magic from Deel, but in reality, he only knows me as the Cucumber Boy, a nine-year-old child who grows cucumbers in his field.

『Onii-chan, it’s coming! Brace yourself!』(Nicola)

『A, Alright.』(Mark)

It seems that I don’t have time to keep arguing with Norwell-san.

I glanced at Celine and nodded, asking her to tell Norwell-san to stand back.

「Norwell-san, you can leave it to Mark. He’s no ordinary child. I can guarantee that he will defeat it.」(Celine)

Celine who read my intention stepped between me and Norwell-san and gently pushed his shoulder.

「It looks like the fungus is coming. I can feel it. Norwell-san, let’s stay away and watch Mark do his thing.」(Celine)

「Are you sure he will be fine?」(Norwell)

「He’s stronger than he looks, you know?」(Celine)

「…You seem to have a lot of faith in him. Alright… Cucumber Boy, be careful!」(Norwell)

I looked back at Norwell-san and nodded at him.

Soon afterー

ーZaazaa… zaazaa…

I heard the sound of something being dragged. I turned my gaze in the direction where the sound came from and saw a gigantic silhouette engulfing the surrounding trees and grasses as it moved closer to me.

When it passed through the trees and entered an open area, its figure was lit by the sunlight, and I could see it more clearly.

That mushroom-type monster was as big as the biggest trees in this forest. Rather than a mushroom, it looked like a dead tree without a single leaf, and its roots were wriggling like living creatures while moving forward.

Uhh… Is that really a mushroom-type monster…?

『Just like ordinary Forest Fungi sticking their bodies with tree barks, Special Forest Fungus is trying to become one with the environment by mimicking a tree.』(Nicola)

『I see… I didn’t expect it to be this big, though…』(Mark)

『Need a hand?』(Nicola)

『Yes, please.』(Mark)

『Can’t be helped. This genius little sister of yours is willing to spend her energy to help you, so be grateful. First of all, we should call that monster “Evil Fungus”. Sounds good, right? If you think it’s lame, I won’t help you.』(Nicola)

『Alright, alright. I think it sounds strong and cool.』(Mark)

I actually don’t agree with the name. I feel a bit worried if the enemy has a cool name.

Nicola should have named it ‘Trashroom’ or something.

『So? You have any advice?』(Mark)

『As Celine said, Forest Fungi are weak against fire, so I think the Special Forest Fungusー I mean, the Evil Fungus is weak against fire too.』(Nicola)

『Fire, huh…? You know that I’m not that good at using fire magic, right? Moreover, I may end up burning the forest.』(Mark)

It’s not that I can’t use fire magic, but I don’t have the confidence to control it well.

Even Celine, who is good at fire magic, doesn’t want to use her Fire Arrows in the middle of the forest like this.

『Then you have no choice but to work the hard way by attacking it with other attributes unless you find a way where you can attack it with fire magic without burning the surrounding trees. Ah, one more thing. You have to watch out for its dark magic if you don’t want to get hurt like Norwell-san.』(Nicola)

『Dark magic that can absorb your mana, huh…?』(Mark)

『You see those wriggling roots? I think that fungus attacked Norwell-san’s leg with its roots. At the same time, it cast dark magic on him and planted mycelium in his wound. Also, I think the spores that are scattered around its body contain mycelium as well, so don’t inhale them. 』(Nicola)

『Alright. Then the best strategy to use here is…』(Mark)

『Attack it continuously from a distance until it dies.』(Nicola)

『Exactly.』(Mark)

It’s the best strategy for someone who doesn’t want to get close to the enemy like me.

「Mark~ We’ll be cheering on you~ Do your best~!」(Celine)

Celine blew a kiss to me and winked, while Ester put her fist on her chest and moved one step closer to me.

「Mark, umm… Please don’t get hurt…」(Ester)

「Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Thank you, Ester.」(Mark)

「I know you’re worried about him, but let’s stand back.」(Celine)

When Ester looked at me with teary eyes, Celine grabbed her hand and gently pulled her back.

At that moment, the Evil Fungus slowly moved toward me and entered my attack range.

I moved a bit to the side to find the best spot where my line of sight was not obstructed by trees.

I stretched my hand forward and began to concentrate on my earth-attributed mana.

「Lance Bulletsー!」(Mark)

I made a spear about two meters long and thirty centimeters in diameter with earth magic.

This is the offensive spell that has the highest penetration power that I have. I hope it will be enough to kill the Evil Fungus in one shot.

I swung my hand lightly and sent the earthen spear to fly straight toward the Evil Fungus.

The spear then hit the Evil Fungus right in its torso. Or… trunk?

Anyway, it penetrated the Evil Fungus’ body and kept flying straight then disappeared into the depths of the forest, leaving a big hole in the Evil Fungus’ body.

『Did you kill it!?』(Nicola)

『Oi! Don’t say that line! You know what usually happens in anime after a character says that line, right!?』(Mark)

『Woops…』(Nicola)

….Bo… Bobo… Bobobobbobo…!!

I knew it!

Even though there was a big hole in its body, the Evil Fungus was still alive.

There were millions of wriggling white things that looked like strings growing from its wound and filling the hole.

Even though it looks like a tree, it’s still a mushroom-type monster. It seemed that my Lance Bullet didn’t do much damage.

A wound like that was nothing to it. It could easily heal itself by covering the wound with mycelium.

After receiving my Lance Bullet, the Evil Fungus seemed to have recognized me as an enemy.

It didn’t have eyes, but I could somehow feel that it was glaring at me.