25. Why Are You There?
I had heard a lot about the center of the forest.
People talked about what it was like, what happened there, and what kind of place it was.
But since I had never actually experienced it myself, everything about it was still nothing more than something I could only imagine.
Me, Pai, the Raging Badgers, the surviving goblins, and most of the others had all become stronger through evolution.
But that didn’t mean we were guaranteed safety here.
“Great Warrior. From this point onward, we are entering the area known as the center of the forest. Are you prepared?”
“What about you guys?”
“Hmm! We are already fully prepared! We are ready to tear everything apart and kill everything in our path!!!”
Unlike the goblins, whose bodies had become bigger and more muscular after evolving, the Raging Badgers had actually become a little smaller.
They used to be around my eye level, but now they only came up to about my waist.
It was hard to get used to.
Before, they clearly looked like badgers, but their appearance had been made so realistic that they were actually a little scary.
Now, even when I glanced at them from the side, they looked cute.
Personally, I preferred their old, intimidating appearance, so I was a little disappointed.
Now they looked like some generic small beast-kin race from a light novel.
They didn’t look very reliable.
Of course, they seemed stronger than before.
Their madness had also become even worse.
Sometimes, when one of them gave a creepy grin, even the goblins who had joined us later would freeze in fear.
Still, I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed.
“Yeah… let’s go in.”
I walked toward the hazy wall of mist that seemed to mark the entrance to the Demon Realm.
My followers immediately followed behind me.
From the center of the forest onward, the rules and structure of the Maze Forest were completely different.
Because of that, Pai couldn’t lead the way anymore.
Splash.
Splash.
In the silent space, where I couldn’t even hear the wind, the only sound was the countless footsteps stepping into the muddy ground of the swamp.
Normally, I would have said something to lighten the mood.
But since I couldn’t see anything, it was hard to act relaxed.
In a normal game, this kind of place would probably have a cutscene or some kind of hint.
But this damn game…
“Great Warrior! There is something ahead!”
“Ahead? I’ve been looking forward this whole time, so what are you—”
The creature was at least twice as big as me.
It walked through the muddy swamp on four horse-like hooves without making much noise.
Its huge upper body was covered in beautifully developed muscles.
Honestly, they were so perfectly formed that I could even call them artistic.
It carried a long, black, shiny club that looked like a pillar.
And on its head was a single horn.
A chilling aura surrounded it.
“?!!!!!!”
“W-Why?!”
The moment the One-Horned appeared, Pai and I screamed almost at the same time.
We were both ready to run away immediately.
“What a coincidence.”
“Why?! Why?!”
The One-Horned calmly greeted us like an old friend he hadn’t seen in a while.
Seeing me panic in front of the One-Horned, my followers looked confused.
The goblins, however, seemed to know who he was.
Their expressions weren’t very good either.
“I am traveling to restore my honor.”
“Huh? Oh… um… that’s good.”
“We need to run! Hurry! He’s an opponent we can’t beat!”
Since our first battle, I had definitely become much stronger.
But the guy standing in front of me seemed to have become several times stronger than I had.
“…You seem to have grown a little stronger.”
“Well, you know… if you came looking for me again and I was weaker than before, you’d be disappointed, right?”
“I am already disappointed enough. What are those things behind you? What are you trying to accomplish by leading even weaker creatures around when you are already weak?”
“What did you say?! Great Warrior! Let’s kill this guy!”
The Raging Badgers became furious and prepared to attack.
I gritted my teeth and spoke to them.
“Just… shut up… please…”
The One-Horned had apparently also gone to the Fairy Lake.
His appearance had changed from before.
He looked a little more human now.
Almost like a centaur.
Unlike my followers, who needed to evolve and equip protective gear before they could enter this place, he was casually walking around without any special equipment.
The difference between us was obvious.
And there was one more thing that made it certain.
[Field Boss ‘Honorable One-Horned Warrior’ has appeared!]
[This opponent is impossible to defeat! Run without looking back!]
[You have encountered a monster so overwhelmingly powerful that you have never experienced anything like it before!]
[The condition for the title ‘I’m Not Scared at All’ has been unlocked!]
[Don’t Be Afraid! -1/50]
That counter was painfully accurate.
I had been so scared the moment I saw him that my legs had practically given out.
It was exactly the kind of message I deserved.
Honestly, the previous battle only worked because I had basically given up.
I had thought, Screw it! Just enjoy it! Hehehe!
I definitely didn’t want to fight this guy while completely sane.
More importantly—
Why was this guy playing an entirely different game from everyone else?!
What the hell was he?
How had he already reached the level of a field boss?
“You have also come here to find the artifact at the center, haven’t you?”
“You too? Then you also—”
Damn it.
He had basically become a raid boss.
How were we supposed to defeat him and crawl our way to the center?
This really was the Demon Realm.
We hadn’t even been inside for long, and we’d already encountered a field boss.
Fortunately, the One-Horned didn’t seem particularly interested in fighting me.
That was extremely fortunate because I couldn’t think of a single way to get rid of him through words.
“Well… I don’t even know what I am trying to accomplish anymore.”
“…What the hell are you talking about?”
Perhaps he had been practicing meditation since we last met.
He was staring at the pale, hazy sky with an extremely serious and troubled expression.
“After being captivated by your nonsense and admitting my own defeat…”
Oh.
So he did know about it?
If he’d realized that a little earlier, I would have turned from 3D into 2D like a mosquito getting smacked by a fly swatter.
“I left my tribe and wandered through this forest while thinking about what the honor I spoke of truly meant.”
“The honor I valued so much that I admitted defeat to you.”
“What exactly is this honor?”
“Why is he suddenly acting like a philosopher…?”
“Is your tongue that of a poisonous snake?”
“Every word you speak seems determined to tear apart the heart of whoever hears it.”
“…Why is he suddenly acting like a philosopher…?”
“…”
Perhaps my unchanged attitude had finally exhausted him.
The One-Horned shook his head and gave up trying to explain himself.
