The Mysterious Ruin in the Depths of the Forest
* * *
After finishing off most of the shark, I was once again wandering aimlessly through the foggy forest.
It seems the shark I just ate was quite feared around here.
Because after its death, the number of flying fish hiding in the forest visibly decreased.
Even now, a school of small fish passed in front of me.
An eel-like fish peeked out from the hollow of a giant tree.
At the edge of my vision, a few fist-sized jellyfish were dancing in the air.
Looking up, I saw the silhouette of a giant ray swimming leisurely.
They all look happy.
They flew out from their hiding places and swam around joyfully.
RAAAAAAAAAAAH!!
Towards those flying fish, I unleashed my Intimidation with all my might!
From the gaps in my Black Armor, jet-black mana gushed out like a dark mist, and the surrounding space creaked under the pressure of my mana!
!?
The fish, unable to withstand my intense Intimidation, fainted and began to fall to the ground one after another.
It seems that only the giant ray was unharmed, and as it frantically tried to escape, I shot out Black Tentacles.
Piercing its body, I slammed it to the ground, killing it.
Guuuuuuuuuuu
My stomach growled.
I picked up the fish, still twitching occasionally, threw them into my mouth, and munched them down.
Since the ray is big, I tore off pieces and ate them.
I even ate the poisonous barb without a care.
I ate everything.
Ahh, Im so hungry
Is there anything else to eat?
I looked around restlessly.
But theres nothing.
All there is is the deep blue fog.
The silhouettes of giant trees.
A world of silence.
The creatures have hidden themselves again.
Why?
Ah.
Ah!
<Emi, suppress your killing intent. The fish will run away. Come on, take a deep breath!>
Extra-samas words brought me back to my senses.
I suppressed the appetite, killing intent, and irritation deep inside my heart.
Deep breath, deep breath.
I took a deep breath.
Taking in the blue fog, rich in mana.
<Are you calmer now?>
Somehow.
Thank you, Extra-sama.
<Youre welcome Take a deep breath when you want to calm down. Especially the air in this forest, its effective.>
Because its full of mana.
Its really a good thing I stumbled upon this forest.
Being able to replenish mana just by breathing is an incredible advantage for me now, with my appetite my mana absorption desire, out of control.
<If an ordinary person breathed this air, theyd vomit blood and die in about half a day.>
Ehhh, thats scary
Then, back then, the pink-haired Sara
Said there was a forest in the west where fish flew in the sky, and Baron Martz adventured in that forest.
<Did she say that?>
Yeah, yeah.
That forest is obviously this one, and that Barons adventure was quite dangerous, wasnt it?
Since youd die from just breathing this air for a long time.
<Well, I guess it would be manageable if you just wandered around the outer perimeter? The fog was thin there.>
Really?
<Yes. And this forest is quite vast, so because of the time limit imposed by the fog, ordinary people cant go deep into the forest. So Emi, youre probably the first human to explore this deep into the forest!>
Wow amazing!
The first in human history!?
<However well, theres room for discussion on whether its appropriate to categorize you as a human>
Theres no room for discussion.
* * *
Well, after that, things continued in the same way.
Extra-sama and I, killing every fish we saw, continued deeper into the forest.
During that time, all that spread before our eyes was the same fog and silhouettes of giant trees, but
Then, a few days later
Hey, Extra-sama
I was surprised by something I found by chance, and I involuntarily spoke.
<Th-This is!>
Extra-sama was surprised too.
I guess even in the videos Extra-sama has watched, there was no mention of something like this existing in the depths of this forest.
What we found
Is a ruin.
It seems quite old, with parts of it collapsed, and giant trees growing from the inside, breaking through the ceiling
But it was definitely an artificial structure.
It was rectilinear somehow, its shape reminded me of the hospitals in Japan from when I was alive.
Its walls are white, with no visible joints between the stones.
<Emi! This is a ruin from the super ancient magical civilization!>
Extra-sama shouted excitedly.
<Its protected by this high-concentration mana fog, suppressing weathering. Amazing, this is a major discovery!>
Hmm.
I agreed, while munching on the flying horse mackerel I was carrying, skewered on a Black Tentacle.
I stretched my Mana Sensing Threads inside the ruin and detected quite a few fish.
It seems to be a good hiding place.
My mouth watered.
Should we go inside?
<By all means, by all means! Lets go in, lets go in!>
Calming down Extra-sama, who was excited about the unknown ancient ruin, I stepped over the frame of the entrance door, which probably once had glass in it, and entered.
* * *
And then, there was a giant shadow, staring intently at Emis retreating figure as she entered the ruin.
Its Presence Concealment is exceptionally good, and coupled with the thick fog obstructing the view, and her attention completely focused on the ruin Emi didnt notice it.
That presence she
Followed Emi and slowly, quietly started approaching the ruin.
The hunt has begun.
This forest was actually mentioned in Arc 5.
TL Note: Chapter 59 to be exact.