Chapter 57 - The Mysterious Ecology of the Great Forest
“Kyaooooo────!”
“Gah!”
“Kiiing…!”
Is Lumi’s fighting level for real? It really looks like a battle between the strongest in the world… Is this the same Lumi who was a weakling? Lumi is truly legendary… My heart is pounding and whatnot…
The sight of all the wolf-kin soldiers kneeling at once.
Watching it really did make my heart pound.
Fortunately, it seemed to only affect the beast-kin, so I didn’t particularly, well.
Her voice is loud, our kid is full of energy.
That was about the extent of my impression.
The other heroes were just looking around like, what’s this? What’s happening?
Even when I looked at Lumi’s information on the smartphone again.
The Beast King’s Roar only had changes like increased range and extended taunt duration.
This must be what they call hi─dden, right?
Since she’s the king (true) of the beast-kin.
A conqueror’s haki that only activates against beast-kin, something like that.
Then later, if she throws a punch while roaring, would that be a haki-infused punch?
“Cough, cough, hack, ack──.”
“Oh no! Enya! Don’t die! Spit it out, spit!”
While I was lost in thought.
A sound like someone about to die and Ari making a fuss rang out loudly behind me.
“Hm?”
When I turned around.
There was the queen, on the verge of death from choking, with a potion bottle stuck in her mouth.
She must have been caught by the roar while drinking…
“Bleurgh──”
I removed the potion bottle stuck in her mouth and patted her back.
Is this really the same queen who tied me up with a whip and kidnapped me?
My heart feels petty…
The one who caught a bear at 10 years old.
The one who made the wolf-kin submit with a single roar.
The legendary Lumi Lumi, who is updating her achievement list in real-time even today, is proudly barking meong meong!
Unbelievably, the one who let out that conqueror-like roar earlier.
Was now Lumi, who kept grabbing my hand and using it to pat her own head.
“Sob… don’t do this…”
But still, I’m sad.
I’m so sad that a sigh escapes me.
“The blindfold, isn’t it about time to take it off…”
“Not yet. You’re unexpectedly perverted, aren’t you?”
“Grrrr…. No woof!”
We’ve captured over a hundred wolf-kin soldiers.
Since we don’t have a separate place to transport them, for now, we need to remove their hypnotic brainwashing.
Tinya kept pattering around, rip, tear, rip!
“Kyahaha, it’s a complete jungle?”
“Ooh… so smooth…”
“Hmm, this one’s color is completely, kya…!”
She was removing the talismans while taking advantage of my sealed vision.
It seems like she’s saying it on purpose for me to hear.
You demon of temptation, you’re quite something…!
Riiip!
“Ping! It’s wild-grown!”
Tinya Tinya?
What does that mean?
“Argh! Me too! Me tooooo!”
“Woof!”
My hand, which was moving at the speed of light towards the blindfold, was restrained by Lumi.
And then it was used to pat Lumi’s head again, whoosh, whoosh.
It ended up being used to stroke her soft and warm fur…
Tying me up so I can’t see the spectacular view right in front of me, such a cruel and inhumane act, a horrific torture of human-faced beast-hearted people!
Anyone would become twisted if subjected to such torture.
I stubbornly ignored Lumi continuously wagging her tail and licking my cheek, expressing with my whole body that I was sulking.
I vented my twisted anger in another direction.
“Nyaaaak! Y-you mutts! Get awaaaay!”
I took in the pitiful sight of the cat-kin beast-kin enduring the anger of the wolf-kin who had broken free from brainwashing.
“Wang!”
“Nyaaak!”
“Nyam!”
“Nyaaaak!”
The wolf-kin came forward one by one in order and bit the cat-kin’s nape.
At first, I thought it was a bit timid for revenge, but.
Seeing the satisfaction blooming on the faces of the wolf-kin as they went “ang nyang nyang” and pulled away.
I thought, isn’t that enough if they’re satisfied?
“…Enya?”
Seeing even the current wolf-kin queen, who almost died drinking the potion, step forward and bite the nape.
Hmm.
I’m not sure if this is right.
After going through a full round of over a hundred wolf-kin.
The cat-kin, with a reddened nape and letting out strangely excited moans, collapsed on their back.
The wolf-kin, seemingly satisfied, were patting off foreign substances on each other’s clothes or fur.
Now it’s our turn.
Looking down at the cat-kin lying spread-eagled and going “nya nyak nya nyak”.
“Speak! Who were you thinking of…”
Hmm, this isn’t right.
As I was about to interrogate.
For some reason, a line that had been stuck in my mind for ten thousand years came out.
Brushing off the strange looks from the heroes as if I didn’t see them.
“How did you bewitch people with the talismans?”
The cat-kin turned their head away sharply.
It was a very clear expression of not wanting to answer.
But now I am Sura Nachala.
The avatar of anger who couldn’t see Schrödinger’s pink.
“Enya?”
I redeployed the queen, who had been smacking her lips as if still unsatisfied.
“Nyaaaak!”
Bite, chomp, nibble.
Oh, she even left a kiss mark.
Perhaps she was finally getting revenge for being brainwashed and going around singing praises to the God Cat.
Such an uninhibited, wild, oh.
Rip!
“Nyaak!”
The queen even showed the boldness to mercilessly spank the buttocks.
“Nyaaa…”
Enya, who had mercilessly toyed with the cat-kin’s nape, raised her head and looked at me.
A clear look of waiting for instructions.
Hmm, she’s loyal even without a contract.
“That’s enough.”
So, smoothly.
She retreated, already wagging her tail.
My leadership has shown its power!
…Or so I’d like to say.
“Meong.”
It seems like she’s looking at Lumi nodding behind me.
Anyway, she listened to me, Lumi’s master, so I’m happy!
Looking down at the saliva-covered cat.
“If you peacefully hand over the location of the totem, there will be no bloodshed.”
With the heart of a peace-loving monk.
I gave a very stern warning.
At the same time.
“Grrrr…!”
My servant behind me added a real threat.
The cat’s eyes rolled around.
“Arrrr──!”
“Slurp.”
As Lumi’s threat intensified, and Enya, who still seemed to have a grudge, added a featuring with the sound of licking her lips.
“I-I’ll talk meow…!”
Finally, they obediently confessed.
After that, there were several more battles as we entered the streets of Red Hood and advanced towards the queen’s castle.
Slightly twisting the expression “I came, I saw, I conquered”.
I won, I didn’t see, I tore.
Adding to that, Lumitus, even you…!
In the process of subduing the brainwashed wolf-kin, undressing them, removing the talismans, and dressing them again.
With a little exaggeration, I spent more than half the time wearing a blindfold.
Moreover, as the blindfold duty naturally passed from Yohena to Lumi.
I ended up being pampered by the Beast King (candidate) all day long.
Do I really qualify as a master?
Doesn’t this make me more like a pet…?
Well, thanks to the hi-dden that Lumi unlocked, she was performing at least at a human rights character level limited to the Great Forest, so there was no reason not to revere her.
With such regret, we finally reached Zone 10.
After promising permanent peace to the wolf-kin who had been freed from the cat bastards’ hypnotic brainwashing.
We arrived to destroy the source of the curse, the ‘Cat Mom Totem’.
“Definitely, I can smell a strong demon scent! It’s definitely Neb!”
Tinya sniffed for the first time in a while.
She declared that the mastermind behind the catnip corruption training was the 20th floor boss, Neb.
No one here doesn’t know that.
“I’ll burn it.”
Saha, whose presence had rapidly diminished since entering the Great Forest, finally stepped forward with a hammer instead of a non-lethal weapon.
And then, she ignited a grand flame, blazing.
Fortunately, the location of the totem was in an isolated cave on the outskirts of Red Hood.
It was a place where there was no risk of the fire spreading even if we set it ablaze to our heart’s content.
“Haaaaah!”
With maximum output, a magnificent swing!
Kwaaaang──!
It’s a bit sorry to say to Lumi, but.
A crisp sound and impact that couldn’t normally be produced by fists shook the entire cave.
And the totem burning magnificently!
The echo of “nyaaak” from somewhere could be the evil spirit of the cat dwelling in the totem.
Or it could be the sound of the cat-kin we threw to them earlier to enjoy as they please, having their nape bitten.
“Is it over now?”
“Oh, if you say that…”
Our Saint carelessly uttered the taboo words.
And of all places, in Zone 10!
Where the boss appears!
The spell of “Is it done?”──
“Chubboo─────!!!”
From deeper inside the cave than where the totem was located.
A bear’s cry so huge it shook the entire cave reverberated.
“Meong?”
“Huh?”
Lumi and I tilted our heads at the same time.
This sound is a bit familiar.
“An enemy…! Everyone, prepare for battle!”
Along with the footsteps shaking the earth, thump, thump, Saha shouted gravely, but.
Strangely, I didn’t feel particularly tense.
Eventually.
“Chubboo choo──… bboo…?”
The giant bear that appeared roaring mightily.
‘Nightmare of the Great Forest’ Scylla.
As soon as it made eye contact with Lumi, it rapidly lowered its volume.
I didn’t know a bear’s pupils could shake.
That’s the first time I’ve seen that.
“Poot.”
And then, as if it had seen something it shouldn’t have, it turned its head away sharply.
And nonchalantly, it started to put in reverse gear, slowly backing away the way it came.
I didn’t know bears could walk backwards too.
That’s the first time I’ve seen that.
“Lumi, that’s the bear, right?”
“Woof!”
A little while later.
[Tower of Wishes 17th Floor – Great Forest: Red Hood Zone 10 Cleared!]
“Raise your hands properly woof.”
“Chubboo…”
I didn’t know bears could kneel and raise their hands too.
This is really the first time I’ve seen that…