Chapter 65 Field Boss (1)

Chapter 65 Field Boss (1)

Field Boss (1)

Field Boss (1)

I slept soundly for a whopping 12 hours.

And when I woke up...

For some reason, Misha was sleeping on my stomach, drooling, just like before.

“.......”

Anyway, since there’s still some time left, I organize the loot.

I check what’s in the backpacks and strip the remaining three of their equipment.

And I put everything into the expandable backpack.

It’s a good thing Misha also has an expandable backpack.

I stuffed so much equipment in that it’s quite heavy even with the weight reduction enchantment.

‘Is this enough compensation for all the hardships we went through?’

I ignore Misha, who is still asleep, and take out some jerky to chew on.

Well, she’ll eat when she wakes up and gets hungry.

Whooooosh!

After finishing my meal, I dampen a cloth with water and give myself a quick wash.

Ah, I also shaved for the first time in a while.

‘Now I look somewhat human.’

After burning all the remaining firewood in the fireplace, there’s nothing left to do.

So I go outside and sit in the rocking chair.

A faint smell of blood lingers in the peaceful meadow.

As I’m lost in thought, basking in the sunlight, my eyes slowly close.

The religious fanatic whose head I smashed while he was sleeping briefly comes to mind, but...

‘The entrance would have closed by now, so I don’t have to worry about that.’

It’s peaceful.

At least I’m safe as long as I’m here.

Yeah, that’s enough.

“Bjorn, wake up. You need to eat something after sleeping, or you’ll get an upset stomach!”

When I open my eyes, Misha is shaking my shoulder.

I check the watch, and 14 hours have passed since I last checked.

“Here, eat this even if you don’t have an appetite, quickly!”

Misha tears off some jerky and bread and feeds me.

Although I woke up in the middle and ate, I’m hungry again, so I accept it readily.

“Are you going to sleep more?”

“No.”

“Hmm, I see. Ah, right! But how did you know that we could stay here longer if we put people in?”

“I read it in a book.”

“...Do you like smart women?”

“I do.”

I answer her questions roughly while finishing my meal and then check the fireplace.

Judging by the fire’s strength, it seems like there’s less than an hour left...

Click.

I close my watch and carefully store it in my pocket.

And I stretch my body that has been asleep for a long time, preparing to leave.

Although it’s too early to celebrate, my chest swells with emotion.

‘This day has finally come.’

Day 15 is about to begin.

In other words, if we can just endure today, we can escape this damn forest and return to the city.

So...

「The Witch’s Cabin is closed.」

「Character is being transported to the Witch’s Forest.」

Let’s focus until the very end.

As always.

“Bjo, Bjorn! What the hell is this?!”

“Damn it...”

It’s not over until it’s over.UppTodated from nô/v/e/lb(i)n.c(o)/m

_______________________________________

「The fifth offering has been made to the cabin.」

「The sixth offering has been made to the cabin.」

「The seventh offering has been made to the ca... 」

「Special conditions met – seven offerings.」

「Lord of Chaos Riakis begins to roam the floor.」

_______________________________________

The moment we step out of the cabin...

The change in the forest is felt through every sense in my body.

「Field effect – Witch’s Forest is deactivated.」

I can see clearly.

The auditory and visual hallucinations are gone.

And the surroundings are so bright that I can see far into the distance even without a torch.

“Bjo, Bjorn...?”

The ceiling emits an ominous red light.

And the incorporeal monsters that were everywhere in the forest have all disappeared.

“.......”

The silence that greets us for the first time since entering the Witch’s Forest.

I bend down and touch the ground.

Drrdrd.

I feel a faint tremor through my fingertips.

Therefore, there’s no need to confirm any further or try to deny the current situation.

“Bjorn! Something’s following us from behind!”

“Chaos Spirits.”

For reference, they’re unranked.

They don’t drop magic stones, and they don’t have essences.

But...

“We’ll have to deal with them.”

Chaos Spirits are aggressive monsters, and once they aggro onto you, they follow you relentlessly.

“...Can we catch them on our own?”

Misha seems anxious since it’s a monster she’s never encountered before.

Well, ignorance is like death in this place.

I also learned that through countless deaths in the game.

“Their attack power is high, but that’s all. I think they’ll disappear with one elemental attack, so don’t worry.”

“...Is that information reliable?”

“Yes, I read it in a book.”

“Alright.”

Misha seems relieved after I explain their characteristics and readjusts her spear that’s enchanted with holy water.

And she thrusts it towards the Chaos Spirit that was slowly following us.

Boom!

The Chaos Spirit explodes with a single spear strike.

Something like mucus splatters on the ground, staining it black.

「Chaos Spirit has been destroyed.」

「The location is eroded.」

If we step on that ground now, we’ll take continuous chaos damage, but there’s no need to worry about it.

It’s not like we’re hunting the Floor Master here.

It hasn’t even been a day since it was summoned.

‘Since the labyrinth will close after today, we can just ignore the erosion rate.’

It’s a positive factor, at least.

Although the Floor Master was suddenly summoned...

[00:01]

Day 15 has begun.

If we can just hold out for 24 hours, we can leave for the ci—

“Pl, please! He, help me!!”

Just as we’re about to leave...

An explorer runs towards us from afar.

I don’t see any companions.

However, I’m not curious about why he’s alone.

The dozens of Chaos Spirits following him explain his situation.

“Bjo, Bjorn...?”

“What are you hesitating for? Run.”

I grab Misha’s wrist and run in the opposite direction of the man who is asking for help.

We’ll have to take a detour because of this, but...

What else can we do?

It’s better than having those things aggro onto us.

“Ack, aak!”

His stamina must have reached its limit.

I hear a short scream and look back to see the explorer collapsed on the ground.

“Sa, save me—!”

Damn it, we made eye contact.

“Bjo, Bjorn...?”

“Don’t look back.”

I pull Misha’s wrist and continue running, looking straight ahead.

“No! Don’t, don’t go!”

His desperate scream is drowned out by the wind whistling past my ears.

I mutter briefly, as if reminding myself,

“Harden your heart. Do you think that guy would have helped us if we were in the opposite situation?”

“But...! It’s not like it’s our fault that the 3rd floor turned out like this!”

Hmm, she has a point.

‘Damn it...’

I feel shitty.

It’s like every aspect of my character has been exposed.

But even this is just a fleeting emotion that I’ll look back on someday.

...Let’s do what needs to be done.

‘This should be enough.’

We were heading south for a while, but then we change direction and head east. I see eroded ground and explorers’ corpses scattered throughout the forest.

The more I see, the more I just look ahead and run.

Boom!

As we’re blowing up the Chaos Spirits that are following us, after about an hour of moving...

The forest ends.

And a wide-open plain comes into view.

‘I thought it would take at least 7 hours...’

Was the place we were at the eastern outskirts of the forest?

We left the forest much earlier than expected.

‘We were lucky.’

We quickly cross the plain and enter the Orc Encampment.

And after some time...

“Everyone, please calm down and cooperate with the control efforts!”

As expected, the place is swarming with people.