Eps 179
Infinite Mage
Eps 179 Forest of Profane (4)
Rian pointed out a flaw, and Shirone snapped his fingers in realization.
"Right, let's think about this. The presence of life forms implies they feed, and if we consider that, the food chain in an ecosystem is pyramid-shaped. Extracting just the distribution of predators from that, wouldn't the statistics form a picture somewhat like this?"
Shirone drew a pyramid with curves as pronounced as a woman's body.
It depicted lower-level predators, mid-level predators, and apex predators with a few mutant predators interspersed among them.
Due to only carnivores being marked, the lowest and middle tiers showed an equal distribution.
“What is this mutant predator here?”
“Among predators, there are many species that do not hunt for food. Some use traps, or, based on intellectual abilities, consume their prey. Kind of like monkeys in our world.”
"Right. Then where is the giant fit in?"
"Given similar gravity and the presence of air, biological traits wouldn't deviate too much. Assuming that, they might be here? Between mid-level predators and apex predators."
"Hoo, giants as mutant predators? Even though they're so strong?"
"Hm, they could also be apex predators. That would give us some hope, but their method of combat is too primitive, don't you think? Even in the case of cats, the hunting method itself is sophisticated. But uprooting trees to swing around doesn't seem very helpful for hunting. That's why I classified them as mutant predators."
Tess asked, tilting her head.
"Couldn't the giant be a mutant between lower and mid-level predators? Wouldn't that be problematic? It means that most of the predators in this forest are stronger than giants.”
"That seems unlikely. Because it seemed to use language. If it have any intelligence at all, it couldn't be below mid-level predators."
Canis added.
"Right. So, we can say that the first giant we met was in the top 30 percent. Of course, there is no possibility that it belongs to a different distribution.”
"Statistically, yes. Anyway, it's unlikely there are many of them. Sensibly calculated, I think we're going to have less than a 10 percent chance of encountering an enemy stronger than a giant."
After summarizing the situation, Amy came to a conclusion.
"So, there's no problem, right? If the six of us fight, it's not an opponent we can't handle. No one was hurt.”
Shirone carefully analyzed the situation.
On a positive note, Amy is right. However, it was also true that probability was nothing more than a mirage in life-threatening matters.
The fact that they hadn't even been in Heaven for an hour yet seemed to prevent them from turning back. It was just an illusion without any probability, but everyone would know that much anyway.
In the end, they don't want to go back yet. Even if there is a greater danger.
"Alright, let's at least make it to the city walls. I don't want to give up here either."
As they was preparing to leave with their backpack on the back, they heard a loud noise coming from the forest.
Tess' hearing picked up a woman's voice.
The anxiety that it might be a situation more dangerous than a giant's attack flashed through their minds. But if it really was a woman, it meant encountering a being with intelligence. The information she could provide was potentially limitless.
After looking at each other and exchanging thoughts, Shirone and the others jumped into the forest as if they had made a promise.
@
Kiiing! Kik! Kik!
The six-legged steed, Thornback (독각귀(獨脚鬼)), let out a rough cry.
The Thornback, which belongs to crustaceans, was a creature that moved by planting its six pointed legs like triangular pyramids into the ground. Its body, wrapped in a carapace, was a pale purple hue, and it had a single large eye centered on its face. The long external horn protruding from its forehead appeared longer and more robust than a unicorn's horn.
“Lena! Drive this way!”
"Got it! Be careful, sis!"
Canya and Lena had the Thornback cornered from front and back.
The woman with black hair down to her waist was Canya, and and the girl with large, beautiful eyes was her younger sister, Lena.
They belonged to the Mecca race, citizens of Heaven, known for their slender jawlines, small noses, and thin lips shaped like crescent moons, boasting a youthful appearance compared to other races.
Though they were seventeen and fourteen years old, their faces were so youthful that it was hard to tell who was younger.
Lena, who had suppressed the tail of the Thornback, swung her sword aiming for a blind spot. The blade, complicatedly assembled in a way that many lines intersected at right angles, proved to be highly effective..
Striking the Thornback's carapace, a pang sounded as an impact wave burst forth, sending shards of the shell flying.
The Thornback, which had already been attacked for the third time, let out a characteristic roar and moved to the side. In response, Lena also threw her body accordingly.
The Thornback's single eye had a wide field of vision of 330 degrees, but Lena exploited the only blind spot of 30 degrees and struck again.
As the excited Thornback turned and charged, she extended a shield in the form of a Kite Shield strapped to her wrist.
Though the shield appeared toy-like in size, when the horn collided, an illusion of a much larger shield sprang forth, pushing the Thornback back.
The Thornback, flipped onto its back, flailed its legs like a beetle. It barely managed to right itself but kept staggering to the right, still dazed from the impact.
Canya aimed her Arc.
It was similar in shape to a bow, but was made of iron and had no bowstring. Instead, there was a handle that could be pulled, and when pulled, red light shot out from the ends of the Arc, targeting the Thornback.
It was a weapon capable of triangulation targeting.
As long as the zero point is set, the projectile will not miss. Canya aimed the converging red dot at the Thornback's face.
Sensing danger, the Thornback moved left and right, even in its dizziness. Canya twisted her waist to match the Thornback's movements.
As Lena disappeared into the blind spot again, the terrified Thornback charged at Canya.
Canya targeted the Thornback's single eye and released the handle. As the wire quickly retracted, a small orb shot out from the center of the Arc.
The orb burrowed into the Thornback's eye and exploded inside. The Thornback's body shook violently before collapsing to the ground.
Although its insides must have melted, it was still letting out a bloodcurdling scream.
Lena held her sword in reverse grip and stabbed into the gaps of the carapace. With a popping sound, the Thornback's body rose up like fried salt. And it never moved again.
Having ended the battle, Canya lowered her Arc and wiped away her sweat.
"Phew, that was tough. This one was quite resilient, wasn't it?"
"Yeah. Are you okay, sis?"
"As you can see, I'm fine. But it's strange. Why did a Thornback appear here? It's far from its habitat."
"Could we have lost our way?”
"No way. The drone is pointing us in the right direction. Maybe the laws of the forest have changed. Let's get out of here quickly."
“Still, we need to collect the elixir. It might be inside."
Lena climbed onto the Thornback's body. As she reached into the carapace, her hand felt the warm, melted innards, similar to hot porridge.
Despite the gruesome sensation, Lena bravely stirred around with her tongue out until she grabbed something.
As she searched for a while, pleasure filled her eyes.
"Huh? There it is! Sis, I found it!"
A bead emitting a red light emerged from the Thornback's body.
"Yay! It's red elixir. Thank you, Thornback."
Canya smiled fondly at her sister hopping around excitedly.
Most creatures of Purgatory grow elixirs within their bodies. Although it was not particularly necessary for subjects under God's protection, it was the most important material in Purgatory.
"We're lucky. Now, let's hurry on."
The moment Canya turned back into her stern sisterly role, urging her sister forward, she looked back at a strange energy that sent shivers down her spine.
Eyes embedded in the forest glinted with malice.
Shortly after, creatures with sharp legs tapped on the rocky ground, revealing themselves.
It was Thornbacks. As many as seven.
“Lena! Come here!"
Pulling her sister close, Canya took a defensive stance. Yet, she couldn't shake off the nagging question in her mind.
It was impossible for Thornback to appear in a group in a place far from their native habitat.
‘Tch. I let my guard down. I should have kept checking the drone.'
Although Purgatory is called hell outside of heaven, God's will was also present here. Of course, since it is a monster without reason, the law acts like instinct. In the end, something nearby must have triggered a change in their instincts.
"At a time like this...!"
Changes in the forest's laws were rare. And the divine citizens leaving Heaven to venture into Purgatory was almost unheard of.
The fact that two low-probability events happened at the same time was making her even more anxious.
"Sis, what do we do? There are too many Thornbacks..."
One Thornback could be handled by a single Meca. But for two, more than five Meca were needed.
According to the laws, the Meca's strength lay in technology-based group combat.
Although their physical abilities were the weakest among the subjects, when they formed a group, they were something that even Kerugos and Nors could not ignore.
This was why Canya was terrified. Even with the Arc, defeating seven Thornbacks was impossible.
What on earth was happening in the forest?
Despite checking their route for a year to avoid beasts, everything seemed in vain now.
Kiiing! Kik! Kik!
As the Thornbacks threatened with their horns, the sisters stood back to back, protecting each other.
A Thornback that was approaching as if looking at the liver jumped at Lena. (간을 보듯 접근하던 독각귀 한 마리가 레나에게 뛰어들었다.)
When he held out Xed, Meca’s shield, the strong rebound force bounced off the Thornback.
Switching places with Lena, Canya fired the Arc. With precise aiming impossible, the projectile struck the Thornback's carapace and exploded..
As the Thornback rolled on the ground from the impact, the remaining ones attacked.
"Sis! Hide behind me!”
Lena changed her position again and held out her Exud. Every time a Thornback's horn touched the shield, it thundered.
She even wielded Signa, a shock wave weapon, but Thornback was a difficult monster to hit unless she attacked from a blind spot.
The time she could endure with Exud was gradually decreasing. Once the repulsion force exceeded its limit, the shield's function stopped, turning it into a common toy.
As the seven Thornbacks launched a combined attack from all sides, Canya and Lena embraced each other and closed their eyes.
They were more afraid of the pain of dying than the fear of death.
Thornbacks are known to bore their snouts into the bellies of living humans to suck out their intestines. Canya pondered whether she should now take Lena's Signa to cut her sister's throat.
Just as the seven Thornbacks were about to pierce the sisters' bodies with their horns, a flash of light streaked down from the sky, and a bright flash followed.
Canya and Lena saw the back of a boy. He had blond hair and was dressed in strange attire unseen in this world.
Shirone cast Photon Explosion as soon as he landed.
A curtain of light oscillated between a radius of 3 to 5 meters, repelling all the Thornbacks.
As the ground caved in a circular depression, the two women collapsed, their gaze fixed on Shirone. They have never heard of people living in the forest of Profane.
"Are you okay?"
Shirone smiled and turned his head.
Meeting someone in a world from which you can't return home even if you run for the rest of your life was a joy that couldn't be compared to nostalgia. Regardless of who the two women were, the grotesque monsters felt like enemies, and humans felt like allies.
Canya heightened her vigilance at the boy's appearance. Conversely, her adolescent counterpart, Lena, had flushed cheeks.
'He's handsome. Is he Nors?'
While the two women harbored different dreams, Shirone and his companions were fiercely battling the Thornbacks.
Lian and Tess each took charge of one beast.
Rian, who had completed a series of exchanging blows, was quite relieved. It was not an easy opponent, but this level of strength was something he had encountered quite a few times in the original world as a monster.
Grabbing a Thornback's horn and using his strength to bend it, the creature's precarious six legs flipped over.
Rian then stabbed his straight sword into the beast's abdomen, pinning it to the ground.
|Note
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