GalaxyTL
* * *
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, I’m so hungry…
Is there anything else to eat?
I looked around restlessly.
But there’s 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-sama’s 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.
<You’re welcome… Take a deep breath when you want to calm down. Especially the air in this forest, it’s effective.>
Because it’s full of mana.
It’s 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, they’d vomit blood and die in about half a day.>
Ehhh, that’s 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 Baron’s adventure… was quite dangerous, wasn’t it?
Since you’d 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 can’t go deep into the forest. So Emi, you’re probably the first human to explore this deep into the forest!>
Wow… amazing!
The first in human history!?
<However… well, there’s room for discussion on whether it’s appropriate to categorize you as a human…>
There’s 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.
<It’s 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! Let’s go in, let’s 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 Emi’s 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 didn’t 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.