About thirty minutes away from where they had fought the Crystal Dragon, Rei was resting with Set.
Naturally, the Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor had already been released, and he only had Death Scythe and the Twilight Spear on hand in case of emergency.
Though it was a place called the Forest of Magic, it was not merely an area where trees grew. Within the forest, there were also small springs and rivers.
Leaning against a rock right next to one such river, Rei took a breather.
"For now, we should be safe having come this far."
Rei had stored the entirety of the Crystal Dragon's corpse—the severed head, right arm, and tail—in his Misty Ring and departed. But immediately after leaving, he could hear what sounded like monsters fighting one another behind him.
He had fully expected to have more time to spare, but he must have misjudged the ferocity of the monsters inhabiting the Forest of Magic.
Still, having come this far, there was no need to worry about being caught up in that battle. It was not thirty minutes of walking, but thirty minutes of Set running, so the distance between them and the battlefield was considerable.
(Since unknown monsters gathered on their own, in that sense it might have been the perfect time to hunt. Though I'm really not in the mood for that right now.)
Leaning against the rock and stroking Set, who lay beside him resting and recovering from exhaustion, Rei thought to himself.
If this had been after fighting an enemy on the level of a Worm, he would still have had the energy to keep fighting.
But taking on ferocious monsters—and multiple ones at that—right after battling the S-Rank Monster Crystal Dragon was the last thing he wanted.
What reached his ears were the sound of the flowing river, the rustling of the surrounding trees' leaves in the wind, and... death throes.
"It is the Forest of Magic, after all."
If this were a forest in a safer location, Rei would have grimaced at the sound of death throes. But as long as he was in the Forest of Magic, it was not strange to hear the sounds of monsters fighting each other.
Since he was taking a post-battle rest, he would have preferred not to hear such things, but...
"Ow!"
The word slipped from Rei's mouth as he shifted his body.
During the battle and the flight here, he hadn't felt the pain as much. But now that he was able to rest, he realized that his entire body ached.
He naturally knew what that pain was. The attack of countless crystal shards unleashed from the Crystal Dragon's back. It was the damage caused by that barrage.
The wounds on areas not covered by the Dragon Robe had been healed with potions, and the pain was already gone.
However, the Crystal Dragon's attack had broken through the Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor's defense, and the Dragon Robe could not completely absorb the impact. The bruises covering his body were not so easily treated.
(Apparently potions can heal bruises, but taking off the Dragon Robe here is a bit... Still, I can't stay like this forever.)
Thanks to the Flame Emperor's Crimson Armor and the Dragon Robe, he hadn't suffered any major damage. Still, with his entire body aching from bruises, it was best to recover as quickly as possible considering what lay ahead.
That said, this was the Forest of Magic. Being near a river also meant it was a water source, and there was a high possibility of monsters appearing.
He couldn't help but feel it might be better to recover in a different location, but given the current situation, recovering as quickly as possible was an undeniable priority.
"Set, can you move yet?"
"Gruu..."
In response to Rei's words, Set stood up, though he looked somewhat tired.
In the battle with the Crystal Dragon, Set had also sustained injuries all over his body from the same attack. Rei had healed those wounds with potions, but after such an intense battle, there was no doubt that Set was thoroughly exhausted.
Even so, upon hearing Rei's words, Set must have judged that he needed to be ready to move immediately.
"Sorry. I'm going to use a potion to heal my bruises. I'll need to take off the Dragon Robe, so keep an eye on our surroundings."
"Grurru"
At Rei's words, Set purred in agreement. He likely understood that Rei needed treatment as well.
Rei expressed his gratitude and rubbed Set's head, then moved away from the spot to a place hidden from view.
Since Elena and the others were not here, there was no need to hide when taking off the Dragon Robe. But this was not out of any sense of modesty. He was removing the Dragon Robe, his greatest armor, and he needed to make sure no monsters spotted him while he was vulnerable.
Even with Set keeping watch, it was better to be safe than sorry.
After finishing his recovery, the pain in his body faded away.
If these had been low-quality potions, they could heal slash wounds, but healing bruises would have been difficult. It was not that they had no effect at all, but potions were inherently better at healing slash-type wounds.
The fact that they could heal the bruises covering Rei's body was proof of just how high-quality the potions he used were.
After confirming that there were no more painful spots anywhere on his body, Rei got ready and approached Set.
"Set, thanks. I'm fine now. ...Looks like no monsters showed up."
"Grurru"
At Rei's words, Set purred happily. Not because he was glad no monsters had come, but because he could tell Rei's injuries had healed.
"Now then... the question is what we do from here."
"Grurru"
Set purred as if in agreement.
According to the original plan, they were supposed to head deep into the Forest of Magic during the day and defeat as many monsters as possible.
But the Crystal Dragon appearing, drawn by the Worm's stench, was completely unexpected for both Rei and Set, and his initially planned course of action had been completely thrown off.
The battle with the Crystal Dragon had been intense. Compared to when he fought the Dragonias Queen, he still had considerable mana to spare. But even so, the battle had been mentally exhausting.
Fighting the Vampire had also been taxing, but since the Crystal Dragon he had just fought was clearly a being of higher rank than the Vampire, the exhaustion was only natural.
"Then again, I'd only just gotten deeper into the Forest of Magic when I encountered the Crystal Dragon. Thinking about it, does that mean there are monsters even stronger than the Crystal Dragon further in? ...I'd really prefer it if the Crystal Dragon had just happened to wander close to this area by coincidence."
If it turned out that the Crystal Dragon was actually not that strong of a monster within the Forest of Magic, that would be no laughing matter for Rei.
It was appealing in terms of magic stones, but that didn't mean he had the luxury of venturing into such a place at this point.
If they weren't currently in the middle of a Promotion Exam, Rei could have taken a leisurely rest at the Hidden Base before heading deeper into the forest.
But Rei and Set needed to leave the Forest of Magic before midnight tonight.
As such, heading back into the depths to fight a monster on par with the Crystal Dragon—or even stronger—was something he wanted to refuse with all his might.
"That said, leaving the Forest of Magic right now would be a bit of a waste."
Considering only the Promotion Exam, today was already the third day. Given that, riding Set out of the forest was a viable option... but to Rei, that felt like a waste.
After all, this was the Forest of Magic, a place they fundamentally could not visit freely. There was no telling when Rei and Set would next be able to come here.
That was precisely why he wanted to defeat as many of the monsters inhabiting the Forest of Magic as possible while they were here now.
...Though it was supposed to be off-limits to approach the Forest of Magic, it wasn't as though some kind of barrier had been erected. If one wanted to break the rules and enter on their own, it was not particularly difficult.
However, the majority of those who did such a thing would become food for the monsters inhabiting the forest.
For Daskar and the Guild as well, since those kinds of people would deliberately head to a place they were told not to approach, they were highly likely to cause trouble even if they stayed in Gilm. The prevailing thought was probably that it was better for them to die.
If by some miracle they managed to survive in the Forest of Magic, they could be confirmed as skilled adventurers, making them valuable personnel for Gilm.
In that sense, since Rei and Set had already firmly memorized the location of this forest, it would not be difficult for them to return.
(Yeah, that's right. Next time, let's bring Elena and the others too. Especially Vihera—if she could fight the monsters of the Forest of Magic, she would definitely be thrilled. Though, the question is where we'd stay then.)
Among Rei's companions, there were those who did not know what kind of beings Rei and Set truly were. With such people present, they wouldn't be able to use the Hidden Base.
...In the first place, whether Elena and the others would even be able to pass through the Hidden Base's barrier was currently unknown.
If they couldn't, they would have no choice but to camp outdoors, but Rei really did not want to camp inside the Forest of Magic if he could help it.
If this were a normal forest, it wouldn't be a problem, but...
"Grurru!"
As Rei was lost in thought while listening to the sound of the flowing river, Set's warning cry brought him back to his senses.
Gripping Death Scythe and the Twilight Spear, he scanned the surroundings and noticed something in the water.
"It's a monster... fine, but what kind of monster is it?"
"Grururu"
He could see that something was in the water, but due to the flow of the river, he couldn't get a clear look at its form.
He prepared to counterattack if it struck... and eventually, the water's surface exploded.
No, to be precise, something had leapt out of the water, and the impact made the surface look as though it had exploded.
What came flying out was a fish.
Naturally, it was not an ordinary fish, but a fish with wings.
The sharp fangs growing from its mouth undoubtedly had enough power to crush an opponent.
"So this is what a real flying fish looks like!?"
Even as he shouted, Rei quickly leapt away from the spot.
The fish was about one meter in total length. Rei hadn't paid attention to the depth of the river, but considering such a fish had been lurking there, it must have been sufficiently deep.
"But still!"
Leaping back, the moment his feet touched the ground, he surged forward.
The flying fish's speed was fast. On top of that, its tactic of suddenly leapt out from the water was more than enough to catch an opponent off guard.
But... that was all it was.
For Rei, who had been fighting the Crystal Dragon just moments ago, the speed of a flying fish was something he could easily track and respond to. If anything, the fish's movements could even be called slow.
Slash!
With a single swing of Death Scythe, the fish was bisected vertically and fell to the ground.
"For it to show up in a situation like this, I figured it would be a much more powerful monster. ...Well, it's an unknown monster, so I guess I should be glad I got a magic stone."
For Rei, an enemy of this caliber was not even worth considering. At C-Rank level, it would have been a monster of considerable strength outside the Forest of Magic, but...
"Grurururu!"
Seeing the fish's corpse, Set purred happily. Set fundamentally loved meat, but naturally he did not dislike fish either. As such, he was probably happy that he could eat fish for a meal.
"For now, the magic stone. ...Set, do you want it?"
"Gruu? Grurururu"
Set purred to indicate that he was fine and Rei should use it.
Rei expressed his gratitude, then tossed the magic stone and sliced it with Death Scythe.
[Death Scythe has acquired the skill "Penetrate Lv.4"]
Such an announcement message echoed in his mind.
[Death Scythe]
"Corrosion Lv.6" "Flying Slash Lv.5" "Magic Shield Lv.1" "Power Slash Lv.4" "Wind Hand Lv.4" "Terrain Manipulation Lv.5" "Pain Burst Lv.4" "Penetrate Lv.4" new "Multi Slash Lv.4" "Blizzard Slash Lv.3" "Flying Needle Lv.1"
Penetrate: Wraps Death Scythe in wind, increasing thrust power. However, to activate this effect, one must attack with the spike end.