Chapter 100 (1/2)

Chapter 100 – Great Forest (2)

It was rare to find sunlight in the Great Forest due to the thickness of the trees. The flash of light in the middle of the night damaged the eyes of some of the running creatures, while even the creatures with bad eyesight frowned.

The ogre, the king of creatures in an ordinary forest or mountain, roared to express its discomfort.

Kuweeeeeoh!

Despite the number of kilometers still remaining between the creatures and the camp, the camp was still shaken by the roar. Along with the flash magic which Vince used before, the loud yelling of the ogre immediately awakened the party. As veterans, their reaction was fast and cold.

“What, a raid?”

“The sound on the far side…”

“The loudest one is an ogre.”

There were no signs of drowsiness in their eyes, and each of them had a strong grip on their staffs. Someone was looking at the inventory, while another gazed into the distance to identify the enemy. Their magic power started fluctuating as they prepared for the battlefield.

The White Tower Master, wearing a white mask as always, left his tent and approached Theo who had given the warning.

“How interesting. That ward wouldn’t be able to detect presences a few kilometers away.”

It was as Orta said. The creatures Theo had discovered were almost twice as far away as the range of the alert magic Theo had laid around the camp. It was a distance which could be detected with large-scale detection magic, however, a lot of mana would be required for that, and no one in the camp had sensed it.

This meant that Theodore had become aware of the creatures approaching from a few kilometers away by using a secret means.

“Yes, it is difficult to explain, but…”

“There is no need to explain. As a result, we have time to prepare for their attack. Since you have proven yourself, you can play an active role.” The White Tower Master stopped talking and stared at the Great Forest.

The trees were shaking from afar as shadows ran out. Although they couldn’t be seen clearly, their momentum was fearsome. Their distance to the camp was around one kilometer.

“Count it down.”

As Orta raised a hand, several magicians who prepared their magic looked at Theo. Theodore and Sylvia had no experience with war, so they were unaware that the destructive power of a magic corps was maximized when working in conjunction with each other. In order to construct the net properly, the timing of their shooting was the most important thing. Yet the White Tower Master had given the most important role to Theodore.

“…Mitra.”

[Wuong?]

There was no room for explanations. Theo looked down at the girl in his arms. Her bud was still shining with a green light. Perhaps that bud was the source of her ability to show things. He had been swept away by the strange sensation a while ago, but it might be possible to control it if he prepared his mind firmly.

No, this was a moment when he needed complete control.

“Can you show it to me one more time?”

At his cautious request…

[Ye!] Mitra laughed and plastered herself to Theo’s forehead.

‘Ugh!’ It was the same as before. All his senses wriggled the moment Mitra’s bud came in contact with him. Theo’s fingers seemed to become branches with leaves on them, and he could feel the ants coming and going between his toes which extended underground. It was the sensation that his body had turned into a tree!

Theo felt like he would drown and suffocate from the flood of sensory information. However, he managed to concentrate calmly.

‘I have been training my mental power steadily.’

Theo had become repeatedly ill in order to deal with the tremendous national treasure, Umbra. Thanks to that, his firm mind searched the vegetation of this area for what he wanted. He saw the ground which was being trampled on, the branches which were passed, and then the ogre with two heads running in the lead…

As soon as Theo found them, he opened his mouth to speak, “10.”

The creature was fairly fast. Rocks were kicked, and trees and bushes torn to pieces.

The twin-headed ogre… Their intelligence and physical abilities were usually double that of a normal ogre. As they grew older and gained more experience, they would grow more arms and eventually evolve into a monster which could fight a cyclops, a well-known senior monster. Furthermore, if the distinctive magic resistance of senior monsters were added, the twin-headed ogre would be a challenging opponent.

“5, 4.”

Now, their appearances began to be revealed. A massive creature popped out of the bushes with others following behind it like dogs.

“3, 2.”

The twin-headed ogre and ordinary ogres were at the front, followed by trolls carrying heavy clubs.

“1.”

‘Now.’