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Chapter 134

The landscape beyond the river felt oddly distant and faint. His senses were subtly disturbed and misaligned. It was the influence of the pervasive corrupted magic. Ordinary people wouldn’t last more than a few minutes here before they’d be unable to find their way out.

“Could corrupted beings be hiding here?” Mev asked, picking up her helmet.

Ian shook his head. “I don’t sense any magical circuits or spells. It’s just corrupted magic.”

“...Then it must be influenced by the madness of the Black Wall.”

“Probably. From what I can see, it’s beyond just being influenced....” Ian glanced at Charlotte, who was sitting upright.

“...It’s almost like a demonic realm is about to be completed.”

“A... demonic realm...? But for that to happen, this entire area would have to be completely overtaken by madness,” Philip stammered, his eyes wide.

“It’s nearly impossible for a demonic realm to form without someone deliberately creating it before word spreads....”

“It seems madness is spreading that quickly. Have you forgotten that the frontier is currently at war,” Ian replied flatly, looking down at Philip.

“It means that this place is filled with death and madness everywhere.”

“Th, that’s....”

Screech—

Philip\'s voice faded as a distant screech erupted. It sounded like the scream of a child who hadn\'t yet gone through puberty. As Philip\'s shoulders twitched, the scream echoed far and wide. The cries, which had been continuing as if signaling each other, abruptly ceased. An ominous silence followed.

“...Whatever it is, it won’t let us pass peacefully.”

“Indeed,” Ian nodded.

Philip promptly halted the carriage, and Ian drew his horse closer.

“Take this,” Philip quickly tossed him the reins to secure the horses.

Charlotte, on the other side, did the same, tethering her horse. They quickly formed a makeshift four-horse carriage. Ensuring the horses and carriage were securely connected, Ian looked at Charlotte.

“Guard the horses. If you can’t protect all, at least save two.”

“I’ll try to guard them all if possible.” Charlotte drew her fang sword. She was the only one, aside from Ian, who could fight while maneuvering atop the horses.

“You assist Charlotte in guarding the carriage, Philip,” Mev added as she dismounted, fastening her helmet and watching Ian dismount as well.

“Was that a wraith’s scream?”

“To me, it sounded like a human voice.”

“That’s a relief,” Mev said, lowering her faceguard and heading to the other side of the carriage.

Ian easily caught her implication. Mev could no longer use her divine power against those who weren’t her targets for vengeance. Thus, she was now just a skilled combat knight, helpless against enemies immune to physical attacks.

Those types will all be my responsibility...

As he thought this, the sound of rustling branches spread. No one mistook it for the wind. Something was approaching from the mountainside, a lot of them.

The sound, like the earlier scream, quickly died down. But Ian didn’t miss the reddish glows that began to flicker through the mist.

“Scouting parties....” he murmured, his eyes glimmering with gray magic. He nodded slightly to Charlotte before darting forward without warning.

Woosh.

His figure shot through the forest like an arrow. The stagnant mist swirled as it was displaced by his swift movement, and the glowing eyes drew closer in an instant.

“Screech—?!”

The creature shrieked in surprise. Despite its girlish voice, it was a disgustingly hideous monster. Its skin was a deep green, its eyes were like buttonholes with bloodshot red pupils, its nose looked like a lump of clay, and its long, frothy lips revealed teeth like broken glass.

The creature looked very much like a goblin commonly found in the frontier. However, its stature was much larger, with a grotesquely developed upper body and long arms disproportionate to its short legs. Ian’s brow furrowed slightly as he recalled a similar creature from the game.

These things... could they be...?

Even as he speculated, his body acted with precision.

Crack!

His sword buried itself deep in the goblin’s neck as it raised its arm reflexively. The creature’s blood was a dark crimson, different from that of a typical goblin.

“Krr... Aaaagh!” It gurgled, reaching out its arm.

Ian\'s eyes glowed with gray magic.

Boom—

The Vacuum Explosion silently tore through the creature\'s neck and part of its chest.

“Grrrk— grrrk!” The goblin was flung to the ground, wheezing.

Ian pounced on it and drove his sword down again. Only after several strikes to its head did it finally stop moving. The stench was as foul as any goblin’s. The red fluid and resilient vitality were the same.

Are these really half goblins...? But they shouldn’t be appearing yet.

As the thought crossed his mind, Ian suddenly rolled to the ground.

Boom!

A fireball exploded where he had been standing. Even if it had hit, it would have only been a bit hot, not fatal.

It seems they can use magic... but why is the magic so sloppy?

Ian, rolling on the ground, saw another goblin under a tree, extending its hand. This one had an enormous head with limbs much shorter than the one he had just killed. It was still larger than a regular goblin but looked unbalanced due to its head size.

Why do they look so haphazard?

Crack!

Ian’s kick smashed into the goblin’s head, toppling it. Before it could even scream, Ian drove his knee into its chest.

“Screech!”

It shrieked with a child-like voice before being silenced by a sword strike to its head. Ian continued to strike until brain matter and fluid spurted out.

Screech! Screech—

The shrieks from all around indicated that the other goblins had realized they were under attack.

These seem more like mutants than halves now.

Ian dashed toward another goblin with a disproportionately large right arm. Memories from the game flashed through his mind. Hybrid goblins and mutant kobolds were the most common monsters in the frontier regions of the game’s third chapter, where the entire area had become a demonic realm. Common didn’t mean weak, especially in the demonic realm.

The creatures were aggressive and moved in groups. Some could even use magic. Attacking one would quickly bring dozens, often resulting in a game over. The quest to kill their leader in the demonic realm was something he never cleared. At best, he would lure them out of the demonic realm to kill them.

Boom!

However, these hybrid goblins were much weaker than they were back then. Even considering that he had become stronger since then, it was still true. Moreover, they were a complete mess in appearance as well.

Ian easily dodged the hybrid goblin\'s swinging fist and observed its movements for a moment. The goblin, with only its right half grotesquely overdeveloped, was raising its fist unsteadily, struggling to maintain balance. Its punching stance was also very sloppy.

Is it because they haven\'t been fully consumed by the madness of the void yet...? If so, this might be the starting point for these creatures.

Given that the demonic realm wasn’t fully formed yet, it was possible. With that thought, Ian finally swung his sword. The blade cleaved into the goblin’s face.

Boom—

A following Vacuum Explosion blew off its head, leaving only part of its lower jaw intact. Ian didn’t even look at the collapsing creature as he turned back toward the carriage.

...As more people join, it does feel reassuring to have support.

Mev, like him, didn’t seem to have charged at the goblins. The few screaming and charging at the carriage were being dealt with by Charlotte. Philip was busy as well, driving his sword into a goblin’s shoulder and smashing its head with his shield. It seemed Ian didn’t need to worry about the carriage for now.

Tap, tap—

Ian’s movements shifted as he sprinted again. Instead of ensuring each kill, he delivered powerful blows as he ran past, continuing his forward momentum.

These are still goblins after all...

His gaze swept over the hybrid goblins still creeping toward the carriage, their basic instincts not entirely lost.

...There must be a leader.

As Ian dashed through the twisted forest, his gaze darted in all directions until it finally settled on a goblin near the mountainside, surrounded by several large goblins. This one, however, was remarkably well-proportioned. Long, robust limbs, a face that, although hideous, was symmetrical, and most notably, it wielded a rather decent sword and shield.

...Not the chieftain. A tribe leader, perhaps.

Feeling a bit disappointed, Ian came to a sliding stop. The tribe leader turned to look at him as if sensing his gaze. Its eyes twisted, the red pupils bleeding into a purplish hue. A quest window popped up in front of Ian’s eyes.

[Altar of the Twisted Hybrids.]

Altar...?

Ian’s brow furrowed slightly as the goblin pointed its sword at him.

***

With a thunderous roar unlike anything before, a shockwave strong enough to ripple the mist erupted from the forest.

“...?!”

Philip, who was locked in combat with a goblin, stabbing it in the side, widened his eyes. The goblin\'s pained and angry groan abruptly ceased, and the pressure on his shield vanished. Philip looked up at the goblin, who was staring in the direction of the shockwave. Its red eyes were bleeding into a purplish hue.

“Screech!”

With a shriek, the goblin shoved Philip away. Philip’s sword tore through its side as it ran, fluid gushing out.

Tap, tap, tap—

But the goblin didn’t seem to care as it ran off. Philip barely regained his footing.

“What the...?” Philip gasped, looking at the goblins dashing through the mist like ghosts.

“Ian must have... done something,” Philip said as he approached Charlotte, who was standing nearby, drenched in red fluid.

Charlotte nodded without surprise and flicked the blood off her sword. Philip took in the scene around the carriage, littered with goblin corpses. While he had just managed to take down his third goblin, Charlotte had downed more than twice that number. But what caught Philip’s attention wasn’t the number of goblins.

“They look like goblins in skin and face... Could they be mutated by the madness of the Black Wall?”

“Perhaps. I’m not sure,” Charlotte added, spitting out some fluid that had gotten into her mouth.

“They smell like goblins. But the taste of their blood....”

The moment that Philip asked, “What about the taste of the blood?”

Boom—

A bright yellow pillar of fire suddenly erupted through the mist, not far from where the shockwave had originated. The goblins’ screams pierced the air for a moment.

“...?!”

Flames surged like waves, the heat reaching them despite the distance. Philip, watching in a daze, sighed in awe.

"Truly... remarkable...."

It was clearly Ian’s magic.

An obvious thought crossed Philip\'s mind: if Ian had such talent, why live as a mercenary? Even in an era of declining magic, securing a high position somewhere would be easy for him. Ian was also a skilled swordsman, a rare magic swordsman from tales of old.

Excelling in both fields was extremely difficult. Despite his abilities, Ian chose to live battling monsters in the wilderness. Philip felt a renewed sense of awe for Ian’s choice.

“Ian must have found a way to lure the monsters....” Mev’s voice followed.

Philip turned to see her, covered in blood, approaching the carriage.“My lord, are you injured?”

“No. It’s not my blood, so don’t worry,” Mev replied, lifting her faceguard and looking beyond the fading flames.

The goblins\' screams had ceased entirely. The forest hadn’t caught fire, only thick smoke billowing up. The mist quickly filled in again, mixed with the smoke, tinting the surroundings gray.

Philip muttered. “Is it over?”

“I doubt it. Knowing Ian, he’s likely headed to find the monsters\' den.”

“Then we should prepare to follow him,” Philip said, looking at Mev and Charlotte.

Mev nodded, but Charlotte hesitated as she began to nod.

“...Ian tasked me with guarding the carriage. I’ll stay here. You two go.”

“If you say so–-”

Mev’s words were cut off by a calm voice.

“A commendable sense of responsibility, but—”

The group simultaneously turned toward the gray mist.

Ian emerged, coughing lightly. "It seems it would be best if we all go together."

“...?”