Having finished the lunchtime soup — and of course, that alone was not enough, so he had eaten various other dishes as well — Rei left the hideout together with Set.
To Rei and Set, this hideout was the place where they were born... somewhere like a childhood home. Even so, since Rei was currently in the middle of his Promotion Exam, he could not afford to laze about in the hideout.
Well, he had taken a nap for about an hour, so even he had to admit that claiming he had not been relaxing was a bit much.
Be that as it may, Rei only had two nights and three days to spend in the Forest of Magic.
In that time, he needed to defeat at least two A-Rank Monsters.
Moreover, as a practitioner of Beast Magic, Rei needed to defeat as many High-Rank Monsters as possible to strengthen Set and Death Scythe.
Given that, no matter how nice it was to return to the hideout, he could not simply keep on relaxing.
Above all, the interior of the building was simply too comfortable. Staying inside indefinitely would be problematic considering the Promotion Exam — that was the judgment behind his decision to leave.
And so, he had intended to spend the afternoon exploring the Forest of Magic in search of A-Rank Monsters and had stepped outside the Barrier, but...
"Not here, huh."
"Guru."
Set purred as if in agreement with Rei's words.
What they were searching for was the Black Snake.
A monster whose strength rivaled not just A-Rank, but S-Rank.
Rei had a feeling — truly just a feeling — that the Black Snake might be a monster created by someone in the Zephyle Clan using Beast Magic.
Of course, he had no evidence of any kind.
It was purely based on Rei's intuition.
If that were the case, then the fact that despite its massive bulk it had suddenly appeared without Rei sensing its presence at all became understandable.
(I think it's probably something similar to Set's Optical Camouflage skill... but in this case, I wonder. If the level reaches ten, would its performance change fundamentally?)
Optical Camouflage had been dramatically strengthened upon reaching level five.
Specifically, the activation duration had become incomparably longer than it had been up to level four.
Thinking about it that way, it would not be so strange if the skill changed into an entirely higher tier upon reaching level ten.
"Gururu?"
Set must have noticed Rei looking at him. What's wrong? Set directed a puzzled gaze his way.
"I was just thinking that maybe that Black Snake is your senior, Set."
"Guru!?"
Rei's words must have been unexpected.
Set purred in surprise.
If, as Rei speculated, the Black Snake was a being born through Beast Magic, then it could indeed be called Set's senior, just as Rei said.
However, considering the era in which the Black Snake was born versus the era in which Set was born, there was also the question of whether the gap between them could even be called a senior-junior relationship.
(True. When I contact Grimm to hear his report about the Dragonias corpses, I'll ask him whether that Black Snake is a being created by someone in the Zephyle Clan through Beast Magic.)
As long as he had the GPS-like Magic Item that revealed his location, if Rei were to leave the Forest of Magic before the two nights and three days were up, he would without fail fail the Promotion Exam.
However, Rei had the Paired Orbs.
...The problem was whether Grimm, prone to becoming too absorbed in his research, would notice the incoming call — though Rei was not sure if that expression was accurate — on the Paired Orbs.
Still, once he was able to make contact through the Paired Orbs, he could definitely obtain the information.
Grimm held extraordinary respect for Zephyle... and for the Zephyle Clan, and for that reason, he should be well-informed about the monsters created by the members of the Zephyle Clan through Beast Magic.
(Zephyle's own monster was a wolf-type, so at the very least, that one is ruled out.)
While thinking about such things, Rei took a deep breath as if to shift his mindset.
The strong scent of grass drifting through the Forest of Magic.
A fragrance that could only be called the scent of nature entered Rei's nose.
Even when he was in Japan, Rei's house had been right next to the mountains, and he had frequently gone into them.
At those times, when summer came, a similar scent would drift through the air — but the smell drifting toward him now was an overwhelmingly dense forest scent even compared to those mountain surroundings.
(Come to think of it, I remember being surprised by the intense green scent when I first stepped out of the Barrier, too. I was surprised today as well, of course, but not as much as back then.)
While fondly recalling the moment he had taken his first step, he reminded himself once more that he was here to search for monsters for the Promotion Exam.
The first thing Rei did was concentrate his awareness.
The monsters of the Forest of Magic were all strong.
There was a vast difference between inside and outside the Forest of Magic.
"If possible, I'd like to defeat that Dragonfly monster, though."
Fast — so fast that even Rei could only manage to dodge on reflex and could not counterattack. He recalled the Dragonfly monster that flew through the sky at such speed and muttered to himself.
Perhaps because it was an individual specialized in hit-and-run tactics, once Rei evaded its initial strike, it never approached again.
Since he had defeated every other monster aside from the Black Snake, it was only natural that Rei would want to defeat the Dragonfly monster as well if possible.
Moreover, against an opponent that fast, what kind of skill would be acquired?
If possible, he wanted to encounter such a powerful — no, "powerful" would refer to an existence like the Black Snake, so perhaps "troublesome" was a more fitting expression in this case — but regardless, he wanted to encounter such a monster, defeat it, and obtain its Magic Stone.
Especially if that monster was A-Rank or higher, it would be ideal.
There was no option in Rei's mind to borrow the power of the Black Snake that had been friendly toward him.
Or rather, if the Black Snake were to become Rei's Tamed Monster, he might have made such a choice.
However, Rei had no intention of making the Black Snake his Tamed Monster.
Given that, his actions in the Forest of Magic had to be carried out by himself alone... no, Set was here too, so it would be the two of them — one person and one creature.
"Alright, Set. Let's go. I want to find other monsters as quickly as possible."
"Guru!"
Set cried out at Rei's words, and the two of them pressed onward through the Forest of Magic.
Since they were near the Barrier, there were inevitably no monsters nearby.
To encounter High-Rank Monsters, they would need to distance themselves from it.
(On that point as well, the likelihood that the Black Snake is a being created by someone in the Zephyle Clan through Beast Magic... is high.)
Recalling the figure of the Black Snake that had casually approached the vicinity of the Barrier, Rei checked his surroundings.
Were there any monsters targeting them nearby?
As he was thinking that, Set suddenly purred.
"Gururu?"
For a moment — truly just a moment — hearing Set's cry, Rei thought a monster had attacked.
But Set's cry was not one urging caution; it was a sound that conveyed puzzlement.
At the very least, it was not the kind of cry that signaled an enemy was about to attack them at any second.
"What is it? What's wrong?"
He called out to Set, but Set kept his gaze directed toward some bushes a short distance away.
Rei followed Set's line of sight and looked toward the bushes as well.
Rustle.
As if waiting for the exact moment Rei turned his gaze, the unnatural sound of the bushes rustling reached his ears.
Maybe it's a monster? Rei thought, but if so, Set showed no signs of caution whatsoever.
Rei did consider his own five senses and things like his Sixth Sense to be sharp, but he understood that Set was still above him in that regard.
Judging from Set's demeanor, whatever was on the other side of the bushes was probably not an enemy.
As he was thinking that, the bushes moved violently once more...
"Kon!"
Along with that cry, a Fox appeared.
And a visibly small one at that — a Fox Cub.
Of course, it was a Fox, but given that it was in the Forest of Magic, it was not an ordinary animal.
As proof, the Fox Cub had two tails.
Even from Rei's perspective, there was no doubt it was a monster.
That said, the Fox Cub showed no sign of fleeing even upon seeing Set.
On the contrary, its eyes shining with curiosity, it trotted right up to Set's feet.
(Ordinary monsters usually run away the moment they sense Set's presence. There are some like Goblins that can't gauge an opponent's strength and approach anyway, but... no, thinking about that in the Forest of Magic is pointless.)
In fact, the monsters of the Forest of Magic almost never ran away upon sensing Set's presence.
Considering those circumstances, since this Fox Cub was a monster inhabiting the Forest of Magic, it was only natural that it would not be afraid of Set — or so Rei thought.
"Ah... Set, don't spoil it too much."
"Guru."
From Set's perspective, this was someone who had taken an interest in him and approached.
Since it was not an opponent that had attacked indiscriminately like other monsters, Set could not carelessly attack it either.
Or rather, if the ones here had been the type to kill monsters on sight instead of Rei and Set, perhaps they would have killed even a Fox Cub like this the moment it showed itself.
Then again, whether the Fox Cub would have shown its face in front of such individuals was another question entirely, and Rei could not have honestly nodded in agreement.
Be that as it may, Rei had come to this Forest of Magic solely for the Promotion Exam — to defeat at least two A-Rank Monsters.
What's more, he had already consumed the morning hours by taking a nap and eating lunch.
Of course, in terms of relieving Rei's fatigue, satisfying his hunger, and above all, allowing Rei and Set to truly feel that they had returned to their birthplace, it was by no means meaningless.
But still, given that he could only spend two nights and three days in the Forest of Magic, the fact remained that time had been consumed.
"Kon?"
The Fox Cub, having come right up to Set, let out a cry with a puzzled air.
Its appearance was unmistakably adorable.
(I've read somewhere that baby animals display cuteness as a means of self-defense, but... seeing it like this, the destructive power is incredible.)
Rei had seen puppies, kittens, and chicks when he was in Japan, too.
All of them were exceedingly adorable, and it was only natural to feel the urge to dote on them.
"Gurururu?"
Facing the Fox Cub that was sniffing his scent, Set let out a bewildered cry and turned his gaze toward Rei.
What should I do? — that was what Set's expression seemed to say, but Rei was equally at a loss when faced with such a look.
Of course, Rei had no intention of killing this Fox Cub, either. No, "could not bring himself to" was more accurate.
If this Fox Cub were to launch an attack, that would be a different story, but from what he could see, there was not a trace of hostility toward them in the Fox Cub.
Given that, Rei could not bring himself to attack it here.
"A Fox... and a Fox Cub at that. What do Fox Cubs eat, anyway?"
The ecology of foxes — moreover, since it had two tails, it was not an ordinary wild animal but a monster, so its ecology was unknown to Rei.
Would it be all right to give it some of the meat stored in his Misty Ring?
Or would it be too early to feed it meat yet?
"For now, we have to get going. You can't just keep wandering around the Forest of Magic forever, right?"
"Kon?"
At Rei's words, the Fox Cub tilted its head with a puzzled look.
Perhaps recognizing that Rei was not a hostile opponent, there was no trace of fear in its expression.
On the contrary, not understanding the meaning of his words, it even directed a gaze at him that seemed to say: Play together? Play? Let's play?
Having a friendly monster was not a bad thing for Rei, either.
If anything, the Fox Cub was adorable enough that he even found himself thinking it might be nice to bring it along as a healing companion.
(If I Tame this Fox Cub or something and bring it to Gilm, it would definitely become popular.)
Set had also become popular for being adorable, but he now exceeded three meters in length.
There were still many who found him adorable, but there was no doubt that some were frightened by his size. Though, even such people would quickly understand there was nothing to fear once they interacted with Set.
Even those who were frightened the first time they saw Set would, Rei was certain, have no problem doting on a Fox Cub this small.