After traveling about twenty minutes from the forest, they arrived at a vast grassland. Set touched down near a cluster of large rocks, and Rei finally let out a long sigh of relief.
"We’re safe for now, at least."
"Gruu."
Rei sat down on the grassy earth, leaning his back against one of the boulders. Set let out a low rumble from the back of its throat and rubbed its head affectionately against him.
Rei smiled, giving the Gryphon’s head a satisfying scratch.
"Thanks to you, Set, we actually made it out of that forest."
"Gururuu," Set purred, as if telling him not to mention it.
"We'll stay the night here. Tomorrow morning, we search for a town or a village—anywhere with people. Though, according to Zephyle’s knowledge, there shouldn't be any settlements in this area. We'll see how that goes."
Rei couldn't shake the doubt growing in his heart. The information on Water Bears and Blade Flying Squirrels had been completely absent from Zephyle’s knowledge.
A gap of several hundred years might explain some inconsistencies, but it seemed unlikely that the records would omit two major species of monster living right on the doorstep of their hideout. Ordinary beasts like wolves were accounted for, so the knowledge wasn't entirely useless, but the scale of the forest was another discrepancy. According to Zephyle, the woods should have been much smaller; it shouldn't have taken over ten hours on Set’s back to reach the edge.
"Gruu?"
"Yeah. No use worrying about it now. Let's get some food in us and prepare for tomorrow. Set, bring that fallen tree over there."
He pointed to a decent-sized log in the distance. While Set went to fetch it, Rei pulled a portion of the Water Bear Meat—specifically one of the arms—from the Misty Ring. He had a vague memory from his past life that bear paw was a delicacy.
Using his Mithril Knife, he chopped the right arm of the Water Bear into thick chunks and began skewering them onto dry branches he’d gathered.
"Gururururuu."
Just as he finished preparing about ten skewers, Set returned, rolling the log forward with its forepaws. Impressed by the creature’s strength, Rei drew the Death Scythe from the Misty Ring.
"I wonder what Zephyle would say if he knew the first thing I cut with this great scythe was kindling," he muttered with a wry smile.
He channeled magic power into the weapon. With a few rapid flashes of the blade, the log was reduced to perfectly sized firewood. Once he had a pile ready, he set up the fire and began his chant.
"O Flame, gather at my fingertip. Small Flame."
The spark caught, and the fire roared to life. He planted the skewers in the ground at a distance where they could roast slowly, completing his camp preparations. The Misty Ring didn't contain luxuries like tents or sleeping bags, so the campfire would be his only companion for the night.
"Gururuu."
As the meat began to sizzle, releasing a mouth-watering aroma, Set edged closer. Rei laughed at the impatient Gryphon and sliced off some raw meat he hadn't skewered yet.
"Here, eat this until the rest is done."
"Gruu."
Set caught the raw morsels in its beak, swallowed them after a few chews, and stared at Rei with its blue eyes, begging for more.
Humans need to chew properly, but I guess a Gryphon is fine, Rei thought as he continued feeding his partner.
Five minutes later, the skewers were finished. Rei pulled one from the earth and bit into the dripping meat. It was incredibly rich. Back in Japan, a neighbor who was a hunter had once shared bear meat with him, and Rei's only thought at the time was that it was "edible." This Water Bear Meat was on an entirely different level. Perhaps it was because he’d bled it properly while extracting the magic stone, but there was almost no gaminess. The slight wild flavor that remained only enhanced the richness of the meat.
His only regret was the lack of seasoning. Even just a bit of salt would have made it perfect. Unknown to Rei, monster meat generally tasted better if the creature possessed high magic power. While there were exceptions, he was lucky that his first taste of this world's cuisine was a Water Bear.
"Gururuu."
Set nudged him, asking for its share, so Rei held out a skewer. The Gryphon skillfully plucked the meat off with its beak. After finishing his own meal, Rei pulled a Clara Fruit from storage and bit into it for dessert.
After finishing the sweet and sour fruit, Rei left Set to finish gnawing on the remaining raw meat. He picked up the Death Scythe and stood up.
"Gruu?" Set looked up, but sensing no danger, it went back to its meal.
Rei walked a short distance away, leaned the scythe against a rock, and began to stretch. The body of the original Reiji had been reasonably athletic, but this new form was unnervingly supple. He could press his palms flat against the ground with ease and still feel like he could fold further. After a few minutes of warm-ups, he grabbed the Death Scythe and took a stance.
"Haah!"
He swung. The blade hissed through the air. He frowned, adjusted his grip, and tried again.
"Haah!"
This time, he put his hips into it. The rotation was smoother, the force more concentrated.
"Okay, getting the hang of it."
He spent the next thirty minutes in a flurry of movement—horizontal sweeps, upward slashes, and experimental strikes. To any observer, the speed at which he mastered the massive weapon would have been terrifying. He practiced a sequence: a diagonal downward slash stopped inches from the ground, transitioning into an upward flick that turned into a horizontal decapitation strike.
He mixed in the tricks he’d used against the Water Bear, using the handle as a spear or staff. The awkwardness vanished, replaced by a deadly, fluid dance. The blade carved the air with razor precision, while the handle's thrusts packed enough power to puncture steel.
He lost himself in the rhythm.
"Haaaaaah!"
With a final, thunderous horizontal sweep, he came to a halt.
"Phew. That feels about right."
He had been training for hours. Despite the intensity and the weight of the great scythe, he wasn't even winded.
"A body made by the world's greatest mages... it really is something else. I'm not even slightly out of breath."
Only a light sheen of sweat on his brow betrayed his exertion. He returned to the fire to find Set tossing more wood into the flames with its beak. The bear bones were picked clean.
"Gururuu," Set rumbled—Welcome back.
Being born from Rei’s massive magic power, Set was far more intelligent than a typical beast. It had understood that Rei needed to train and had waited patiently despite its clingy nature.
"Set, can I get some water?"
"Gruu!"
Set happily cast Water Ball. The sphere of water hovered before Rei, and he cupped his hands to wash his face. He realized a moment too late that he didn't have a towel, so he simply shook his hands dry and let the rest air-dry.
"Gururuu."
He sat down, leaning his back against Set’s side. The Gryphon purred and rubbed its head against him.
Tomorrow, we head for civilization. But which way?
They hadn't seen a single road since leaving the forest. This was the deep frontier.
If my hunch is right, most of Zephyle’s knowledge might be obsolete.
The missing monsters and the forest’s expansion suggested that much more than "several hundred years" had passed.
"Well, we’ll find out when we hit a town."
"Gruu?"
"It’s nothing," Rei said, scratching Set behind the ears. "Let’s head out in the morning. Can you take the watch?"
"Gruu!"
Ensured by the confidence in Set’s voice, Rei drifted off to sleep, comforted by the Gryphon’s silky fur and steady warmth.