NOVEL NEXT Chapter 72
The flames that engulfed the Giant Forest transformed much of this land. Monsters that lived in the forest began to be pushed outward, leading to ongoing territorial disputes among the monsters.
The defeated monsters had no choice but to move in search of new homes. This meant that an unprecedented mass migration of monsters had begun.
The movement of these monsters stirred the mana of this land. The mana emitted by the huge creatures soared into the sky, forming a massive storm that enveloped the land.
Initially, we estimated the return time to our base camp to be around a month, but we found that time could only increase due to the frequent mana storms that raged on.
Today, as dark clouds gathered in the sky, our party had no choice but to search for a cave to escape the storm.
At a timely moment, just as we found a suitable cave to hide in, the fierce storm began to roar as if waiting for us.
“Wow, it’s really coming down, huh?”
“At least the fire is out, so that’s a relief.”
Celyon and Noel exchanged short words while looking outside. Just as Noel said, the storms that came so frequently played a crucial role in extinguishing the flames that devoured the forest.
Of course, the Giant Forest had completely vanished, leaving only black ash.
The survivors who received my recovery magic, including Noel and Dorvan, quickly regained their strength over time. Although my recovery magic was merely a hasty first-aid level, their already transformed bodies far exceeded human recovery abilities.
The survivors checked their physical conditions, tilting their heads in curiosity, but they didn’t appear overly concerned.
After some time, as the fierce storm raged on and the dark clouds began to recede, we exited the cave and started walking.
The air was humid due to the rain that had poured along with the storm.
By the time we arrived at the base camp, it was over a month and a week later.
I frowned as I confirmed the sight of the base camp in the distance. A part of the high gate that had been built was shattered as if it had been hit by a bomb.
“Looks like there was a monster attack.”
It seemed Celyon noticed the scene as well, frowning.
As we approached the base camp, many people were bustling about, working to repair the collapsed outer wall. They paused their repairs and waved at us with light smiles upon noticing our party.
Just as we were about to enter the base, a man working up high paused, tilting his head as he asked.
“Has a collective return order been issued from the base?”
“What are you talking about?”
Celyon questioned back at the seemingly strange inquiry, stopping in her tracks.
“No, it’s just odd. Most of the teams out on exploration have suddenly returned.”
“Are there other team members besides us?”
“Uh-huh. You’ll know once you go inside.”
As the man said, when we headed into the base, it was bustling with a crowd. Most of the people were ones who weren’t present before we left with Celyon.
“Let’s head to the lodging first.”
Following Celyon’s suggestion, we went back to our lodging and unpacked our belongings.
Due to the long journey, most of the team members immediately collapsed onto their beds, but Celyon didn’t rest. She quickly organized her belongings and grabbed some documents before heading outside.
*
Celyon returned to the lodging a day later. As I was sitting and eating, I welcomed the tired-looking Celyon.
“Welcome back.”
“Yeah…”
“What have you been up to?”
“I had various discussions with each team leader.”
Celyon yawned loudly and snatched the soft bread from my plate. Biting into it, she looked at me with a peculiar smile.
As if trying to tease me.
I just stared at her blankly. It seemed she was in a pretty bad state since she was joking around, which she usually didn’t do. I took a new piece of bread from the basket nearby and shoved it into my mouth.
“Mmm…”
An awkward silence descended between Celyon and me. She seemed uncomfortable with the silence, clearing her throat and retreating into her room.
Celyon didn’t reappear until midnight when the sun had set. She summoned everyone, saying she had something important to tell her team.
Only twenty people assembled at the meeting. Just a month ago, there had been thirty members in Celyon’s team, but due to the King’s attack incident, ten team members had vanished.
“I’m sorry for calling you so late… what I have to say is…”
Celyon began to speak slowly about how the forest we had been investigating had completely burned down, leading to the phenomenon of mass migration among the monsters.
The return of the members who were exploring other areas was related to this situation. With the monsters losing their habitats, numerous base camps faced attacks from these monsters.
“Can’t we just reorganize and head out for exploration again?”
That was Noel’s question. Upon hearing it, Celyon shook her head.
“I wanted to, but… the woods have opened.”
“The woods opened?”
“The forest we were investigating, a massive forest blocking the center of this land, has burned down, right? It’s opened a path there.”
“If that’s the case…”
“Exactly. We can now access areas we’ve never been able to reach before. Plus, there are currently no monsters nearby. They all fled from the fire and moved down.”
“So that place…?”
“Yes. The other team leaders also agreed. Every team member will be moving there together.”
Celyon’s gaze turned to Dorvan, Noel, and the other two remaining members. All of them were survivors of the King’s attack.
“Those who wish to go together can stay here, while those who want to leave on the next ship should return to their rooms.”
At Celyon’s words, around ten people stood up from their seats. Half the group had dispersed.
Dorvan and Noel remained seated, but the other two survivors mingled with those ten and returned to their rooms.
Celyon then briefly explained what the remaining ten members would need to do moving forward. I diligently took notes in my supply notebook as she spoke.
“We’ll set off in three days, so prepare well.”
“Understood!”
*
Time passed quickly, and the promised departure date approached. Over the last three days, the people inside the base camp were bustling with activity. They prepared large carts and gathered food and essential supplies for exploration, venturing out to procure any missing items from nearby.
“Wow, there’s so much…”
I exclaimed from atop the Nightmare, admiring the scene. A total of five teams had gathered at the entrance to depart together. They had left only a minimal number of personnel to protect the base camp.
Over a hundred adventurers capable of fighting monsters had gathered. Adding the scholars for exploration, the total number swelled to an astonishing one hundred twenty individuals.
“Let’s go!”
After checking the personnel and supplies, the gate of the base camp opened. As the massive door gradually creaked open, the leading team members began to step outside.
Our team was assigned the role of guarding the cart, so we had to walk slowly beside it. It was quite a comfortable position since we didn’t have to remain on guard against monsters.
The path to the burned forest was not smooth. Hungry monsters, stripped of their habitats, darted at us frequently, while occasionally raging storms of mana shook the land.
Nonetheless, the pioneering team pressed on, slowly but steadily.
The cart filled with supplies was the main obstacle in our path. Where there was no road, we had to cut down trees to build bridges, and when steep cliffs appeared, we had to pull up from above.
After about two months, we finally reached the charred remains of the forest.
I gazed at the scorched path of ash. Even though the fire had been extinguished, hot heat still rose from beneath the black ashes.
Seeing that no new sprouts had emerged even after a significant amount of time passed since the fire, it appeared that Kalbain’s Mana still lingered here, incinerating all life.
The burnt forest had transformed into mere paths. The towering vines that used to rise high were nowhere to be seen. The charred corpses of monsters blocking the way crumbled at a touch, while the occasional gentle breeze blew, toppling the giant charcoal remains.
I thought that given the clear pathways, we could zip right through, but it was far from the case. The presence of scholars who rummaged and examined various spots delayed our movement.
The scholars closely inspected the burned corpses of monsters and traces of plants, but their main focus was elsewhere.
“What kind of fire could possibly burn monsters to a point where not even bones remain…?”
“Monsters that spew flames… I wonder about their internal structures.”
“If it was able to ignite an entire forest, it must be a colossal creature that usually carries gas within itself.”
“Given that there are no footprints nearby, it seems likely to be a flying monster…”
“A colossal monster that flies and breathes fire? Reminds me of the tales of Kalbain, said to have scorched everything in the world.”
I quietly patted the back of my hand as I listened to the scholars’ discussion.
It took a week to exit the path of the scorched forest.
As the darkened ash path faded, life began to emerge around us. The unsettling black ash that distorted our vision vanished, revealing a barren land adorned with splendid minerals.
The crystals poking through the ground sparkled beautifully, but the road beneath them looked desolate.
I began to doubt how any creatures could survive in this place where not a single blade of grass was visible.
“Oh, this is…”
Adventurers and scholars began to scatter, inspecting the crystals.
It was at that moment. While glancing around, I detected a strange movement from the far sky. Emerging through the clouds, it appeared to be swimming through the sky like an ocean.
A massive body with fins fluttering on either side emerged from the white clouds. The remaining parts hidden among the clouds were out of sight, but it certainly seemed like a long tail fin extended from its back.
“A whale…?”
“That’s…”
It wasn’t just me who spotted the giant whale flying in the sky. The adventurers, previously mesmerized by the minerals, began to lift their gazes toward the sky one by one.
In that moment, the colossal whale vanished into the clouds.