I had been traveling through the Great Forest for several hours. The journey was going perfectly smooth, and a location that appeared to be an adventurer's base had already come into view in the distance. The dense, overgrown vegetation surrounding it had been cleared away, and the massive trees had been felled to create a clear line of sight, making the outpost stand out against the greenery.
Perhaps it was the work of magic? The base was quite large and impressive, surrounded by thick, heavy walls that looked as if they had been plastered over with concrete, obscuring the interior from view. In contrast, the gate at the entrance felt remarkably small compared to the scale of the walls. It was roughly the same size as the double doors of a medium-sized shop.
In the vicinity of the base, I spotted a few adventurers scattered about, seemingly occupied with clearing the surrounding area.
"Time to get ready, I suppose..."
The influence of my curse wasn't a major issue, but I was traveling alone. To avoid any unnecessary friction, I decided to take precautions before coming into contact with others. It wasn't much of a hassle; I simply deactivated the "Hide" spell I used to mask my presence and deployed "Holy Space" around my body instead.
Normally, a curse would be removed using the Light Magic spell "Dispel," but my particular affliction was impossible for human hands to break. Since its influence on others radiated outward with me as the source, the experts suggested that blocking or mitigating the effect was far more effective than trying to purge the curse itself.
"Wait!? What is a kid doing... a kid?"
"Hey, look over there."
"Why is a child out here in a place like this?"
"Did he walk through this forest alone?"
"Maybe he's a Dwarf or an Elf? Some of them are short or just look young."
"Even if that's the case, coming here alone is crazy."
"You don't think he's some new species of monster, do you?"
Since I had deactivated Hide before approaching, it was only natural that they noticed me. However, I wondered if my curse countermeasures were actually working. They seemed incredibly wary. They were whispering and watching me from a distance without directing any open hostility my way, but the atmosphere was still uncomfortable.
I decided to quicken my pace and head straight for the gate to avoid provoking them further.
Just as I accelerated, a pack of Raptors emerged from the forest behind me.
"Raptors!"
"Another pack! Heads up!"
"Damn it! How many times does this make today?!"
"What the hell is wrong with this forest?!"
"Stop complaining and get ready to intercept!"
The adventurers were scrambling to prepare, but they seemed a bit unreliable. I decided to handle the situation with Dark Magic. I pinpointed the locations of the approaching Raptors and fixed them with a sharp, intimidating glare.
The monsters shrieked in terror.
Success. I must have grown accustomed to the spell during my trek, as I was now able to trigger it through chantless casting without any issues. Almost all the Raptors skidded to a halt and turned back in unison. A few tripped over themselves in their haste, but they quickly scrambled up to follow their retreating pack-mates.
"...They ran away."
"Did that kid do that?"
"There's no other explanation. The monsters are gone, so get back to work!"
A man who appeared to be the leader—someone far more composed than the rest—glanced at me briefly before ordering the other adventurers back to their duties.
I considered offering a greeting, but since they seemed content to mind their own business and I didn't want to get overly involved, I decided against it. I walked past the laborers, making sure not to obstruct their work, and headed for the entrance. Just as I came within a few steps of the door, it swung open to receive me.
"New face, huh? Get inside, quick."
A rugged soldier appeared from within the inward-opening door, holding one side open just a crack. He was clearly wary of monsters; the opening was only just wide enough for a single person to squeeze through. As soon as I slipped inside, he slammed the gate shut.
In the same instant, I felt the weight of countless gazes piercing through me. The interior of the gate, which had been hidden from the outside, turned out to be a vast room.
The space was filled with tables made from thick, expensive-looking planks of what was likely Heat-Radiating Tree wood. They were laden with food and drink. Dozens of people in adventurer gear sat at the tables, falling silent as they sized me up. It was obvious they had been enjoying themselves until the moment I arrived. Rather than a city gate or a defensive outpost, the place felt more like a bustling tavern.
"Go take a seat in that corner. First-timers have to show their ID and go through the registration procedures. It's a hassle, but it's the rule."
"Understood."
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. I followed the soldier's instructions and headed for the designated seat. A man wearing the same armor as the guard who let me in was sitting there. He beckoned me over the moment he saw me, though his other hand was wrapped around a wooden mug. Between the mug and his flushed face, the contents were almost certainly alcoholic.
"Sit down over there."
"If you'll excuse me."
"Now then, time for the paperwork. Not that it's much of a chore—I've just got a few questions, so make yourself at home. Once we've chatted for a bit, I'll let you through. Don't mind this, by the way," he added with a thin smile, gesturing to his drink. "I'm off-duty."
He must have noticed me eyeing the mug. Was he really handling work while off-duty?
"I'm sorry to trouble you during your time off."
"Nothing to apologize for. This place is a city entrance, a tavern, and a standby station where anyone who can fight gathers in case of an emergency. Guards and adventurers alike spend their time here whether they're on the clock or not. Because of that, these... well, let's call them 'formalities,' are usually handled by whoever's off-duty and happens to be around. It's not like we get many new faces anyway.
Hey, you want something to eat? I'm not paying, but as long as you've got the coin, you can get meat, booze, or just about anything else here. You can even get your gear repaired or buy new supplies."
Whatever the local work culture was, his words seemed true. Despite being deep within the dangerous Great Forest, there was no sign of a supply shortage. If anything, the quality of the food looked slightly better than what you would find in a typical city tavern.
"Surprised?"
"A bit, yes. I assumed it would be difficult to procure supplies here."
"The deeper you go, the more it's like what you're imagining, but this base serves as a trading hub. Since we're the closest point to civilization, the Commerce Guild and the Dragoon Guild send regular shipments here to get their hands on the forest materials the adventurers collect. We stock up when they arrive, so no one goes hungry. Prices are a bit higher because of the transport costs, of course... but a kid like you probably doesn't need to worry about pocket change."
He grinned at me and took a long swig from his mug. He didn't act much like a professional guard, but he was certainly observant.
"If you don't mind me asking, how did you come to that conclusion?"
"Your vibe, your attitude—a lot of things. But the biggest giveaway is how clean your clothes are."
Even though this was the closest point to the forest's edge, it was still quite a walk to get here. One had to trek through rain and fight off monster ambushes the whole way. Usually, adventurers arrived here looking like they'd been dragged through the mud.
"You've got a tiny bit of mud and a few specks of blood, but other than that, you aren't even damp. That tells me you've got the strength to repel anything that attacks you, but you likely avoided combat altogether on the way here. I'm betting you walked the path steadily without having to run for your life or dive into the brush to hide. Am I right?"
"Spot on."
"Stay here long enough, and you start picking up on those things instinctively."
As he spoke, several adventurers drinking nearby laughed and raised their mugs toward me. It felt like a strange sort of welcome, so I gave them a polite nod in return.
"Normally, exploring the forest means being covered in blood and filth. Even with careful prep, something always goes sideways. The veterans here know that better than anyone. That's why someone who makes it through looking as clean as you do catches everyone's eye. We know you're promising, and promising people are welcome here.
On the flip side... you saw the group outside, right? They're newcomers just like you, but they're a lost cause. Their combat skills aren't terrible if they made it this far, but they just can't adapt to the forest environment."
According to the guard, that group had barely reached the base and were now unable to make the trip back on their own. They were waiting for a supply caravan to take them home.
However, the transporters were here on business. They had limited storage space and couldn't afford to lose profit by hauling stranded adventurers for free. To earn enough to cover their passage and compensate for the lost cargo space, those rookies were currently performing manual labor—mowing grass and felling trees—under the supervision of forest veterans.
"It's common enough for new faces to end up like that. We need the labor to maintain the base, but the pay is miserable. In the city, the daily wage would be enough for a family of four to live on for a week, but here, with the cost of living, it's barely pocket change.
If you've got the strength to move around freely, I'd suggest plant gathering. Even around here, you can find rare medicinal herbs, and even common plants fetch high prices from botanists because they're considered exotic.
Aside from that... it's not worth much, but Heat-Radiating Tree seeds make for an easy souvenir. You can find them on the ground pretty often, and you'll find plenty inside the monsters' stomachs once you gut them."
The alcohol was making him talkative, but his mention of the seeds gave me pause.
"Is something wrong?"
"I heard that the Heat-Radiating Trees erode their surroundings, so I wondered if it was really alright to take the seeds out."
My research at the Adventurer Guild hadn't mentioned any bans on transporting them, so I assumed it was fine, but my memories of Earth made me cautious. I knew there were strict laws and penalties for moving invasive species, so I felt the need to double-check.
"Ah, you've got it a bit backwards. The Heat-Radiating Trees only 'erode' things within this forest and the areas immediately around it. Those trees apparently only grow in warm land that's rich in mana. They won't even sprout if you take them far from the forest.
Even if one did manage to grow, it wouldn't get very big, and it certainly wouldn't start attacking people like a Trent. At that point, it's just a regular tree. The wood is hard, but it's easy enough to chop down. And outside the forest, you won't have Raptors or other monsters swarming you just because the tree is there."
It made sense. Most plants have specific requirements for temperature and mana. The combination of the tree, the environment it created, and the monsters made the Great Forest a nightmare, but the tree alone was likely deemed manageable.
"The government and the guilds have all reached the same conclusion. For the last ten years, we've kept the forest from expanding just by clearing out the saplings every so often. As long as we don't try to forcibly develop the forest and just stick to maintaining the status quo, it's fine.
There's no regulation against it. In fact, merchants hired by nobles come by occasionally just to scoop up as many seeds as they can carry."
Whether they were eccentric collectors or just nobles who wanted something rare, some people spent fortunes trying to cultivate them. Since the trees were unique to this region, I could see why they were in demand.
Of course, those nobles usually ended up quitting when they realized it wasn't profitable, or they sank even more money into it trying to cut their losses. The guard mentioned that the biggest expense was the magic medicine used to force the trees to grow. Hearing that, it occurred to me that I might actually be able to cultivate them beyond the forest's borders.
Thanks to the waste processing plant, my Scavenger Slime fertilizer production was currently in a massive surplus. We were using it for our own crops and letting the slimes process it, but we still couldn't keep up with the volume.
I was storing the excess in the tunnels of the abandoned mine for now, so it wasn't an emergency, but if there were no legal hurdles, I could use the fertilizer to grow Heat-Radiating Trees. It would be a productive way to dispose of the waste, provided I was careful about their reproduction.
"Anyway, don't overthink it. If you can make money here, make as much as you can.
Alright, let's get this registered. Hand over your guild card. I also need to know your purpose for being here."
The man set his mug down and picked up a small notepad that had been lying on the table. I wasn't sure if this data was actually used for anything, but I complied.
"Here is my card. My goal is to reach Kormi Village."
"Got it. Ryoma Takebayashi. Destination: Kormi Village... Where the hell is that? I assume it's one of the places swallowed by the trees, but I've never heard of it."
"The specific location is—"
"Did you say Kormi Village? Now that is a nostalgic name."
Before I could explain, a voice called out from behind me. I turned to see an elderly man standing there, balancing three mugs in each hand.