Chapter 8

Mad Swordsman of the Shadow World (8)

Thick fog and the musty smell of earth.

And as the humid air rushed into their noses, tension weighed down on their shoulders.

The Shadow Forest.

A place where not even sunlight could squeeze its way in. Just as its name suggested, it was as dark as night even during the day.

The Section 5 trainees standing at its entrance could not hide their frightened expressions at the sight of the forest.

“Everyone, enter the forest!”

At that moment, Bengle's voice erupted from behind them.

His sharply edged command forcibly drove the hesitant trainees into the forest.

But not a single person moved first.

Because they felt that if they went inside, they might never come back out.

But at that moment.

Step, step.

A boy standing on the left side of the group walked toward the Shadow Forest without hesitation.

“Th-Theron!”

Renil, standing right beside him, called out, but Theron did not even answer as he entered the Shadow Forest.

After him.

“Let's go too.”

“Yeah.”

Perka and Tioren followed.

“W-Wait for me!”

Renil hurriedly ran after them.

Only then did the other trainees, who had merely been watching each other, begin hesitantly stepping into the Shadow Forest.

Whoooooosh!

A fierce wind swept through the darkness.

Theron entered the forest and looked around.

Because of the darkness, the farther they went in, the more naturally the trainees would end up separating from one another.

A forest where not a single ray of light entered.

Their visibility was extremely limited, so the first thing they needed was a torch.

“Perka. Stay within a distance where we can still see you and find a thick branch. We're going to make a torch.”

“A torch?”

At Perka's question, Tioren spoke to Theron.

“Branches are one thing, but how are you going to make fire? And you can't use a torch just by setting a branch on fire.”

“I'll handle the rest, so just get that.”

“...All right.”

“I'll look too.”

Tioren carefully moved in the opposite direction from Perka.

Seeing that, Renil cautiously asked.

“Wh-What should I do...?”

“Stay right here. If you wander around clumsily and get bitten by a venomous insect, you're finished.”

“R-Right...?”

Renil swallowed hard, his complexion already pale.

Theron looked behind him.

‘...The groups have already split up.’

Most of them were probably moving together with their roommates or forming alliances with trainees from other rooms.

There were fifty people, but even among them, there were large and small factions.

But...

‘The more people there are, the worse the conflict will become once they find a Moltir Flower.’

Of course, that was none of Theron's concern.

Theron soon peeled the outer bark from a nearby tree.

When he peeled off the inner layer, which was dry but retained a little moisture, into thin strips, its texture resembled very thin leather.

‘It should be around here.’

Theron looked down at the ground near a thick tree and searched the area.

He was looking for oil mold that grew on wet, mud-like surfaces.

It would have been easier to find with firelight, but for now, he had no choice but to rely on his memories.

Had about ten minutes passed?

“Found it.”

Beside a gray stone embedded in the ground was some dark-purple oil mold.

Theron lightly tapped the inner bark he had carefully peeled from a Shadow Forest tree against it.

As he repeatedly tapped it, the inner bark quickly absorbed the oil coating the surface of the mold.

“Theron.”

“Will this do?”

Perka and Tioren approached, having already brought branches for the torch.

Theron nodded.

“That'll be enough.”

Theron immediately wrapped the oil-soaked bark around the thick branch.

Then he used the flint he had found along the way to light it.

Click! Click! Click! Fwoosh.

A small spark caught the oil and flared up in an instant.

Since it was an improvised torch, it would not last long, but they still had extra oil-soaked bark.

“We'll only use one torch. Let's conserve it as much as possible.”

“...Okay.”

“Yeah.”

“But Theron... you're seriously amazing. How did you make a torch so easily...?”

The day Theron had helped him during the run.

Since then, Renil's way of looking at Theron had completely changed.

Before that, he had always tended to look down on Theron, but now his gaze had become so dependent, almost worshipful, that it was burdensome.

Theron ignored Renil's words and took the lead.

In any case, Moltir Flowers were easier to find than one might expect.

The problem was that once someone had gathered one, they usually could not bring themselves to attempt it a second time.

Because they realized just how dangerous and frightening it was to gather a single flower.

‘At that point...’

Most groups of trainees would begin to fracture.

All for the sake of taking possession of the single flower that had already been gathered.

Theron continued deeper inside, using the torch to illuminate their path.

Fortunately, the light from the torch kept the venomous insects nearby from approaching easily.

“Be careful. There are quite a few venomous insects around here with paralytic poison.”

“Venomous insects? Will we die if they bite us?”

“You'll just be mildly paralyzed. It doesn't last very long, so it won't threaten your life.”

The dangerous part was the beasts that appeared after you collapsed.

Theron headed deeper into the Shadow Forest with the others.

There were Moltir Flowers on the outskirts as well, but he wanted to avoid unnecessary conflict with the others.

‘Besides, they're easier to find deeper inside.’

Theron slowly moved deeper into the Shadow Forest without rushing.

How much time had passed?

The darkness made it impossible to move quickly, and whenever they heard the cries of beasts along the way, they lowered themselves and focused as much as possible on staying safe.

Thanks to that, it took quite a while.

Squish.

Along with the squelching sensation beneath their feet, the swamp they had been searching for appeared.

Because Moltir Flowers often bloomed in places like this.

But then.

“...”

Theron subtly turned his head toward the rear.

Renil tilted his head and asked.

“What's wrong?”

“...Nothing.”

He had expected it, but he had not thought they would move this quickly.

Cunning bastards, as always.

But Theron pretended not to notice and turned his attention back to the group.

“From here on, watch the ground. If you don't keep switching your feet quickly as you walk, you'll sink up to your ankles.”

“Huh?!”

“Renil, keep it down.”

Renil jumped in surprise at the muddy ground, and Tioren spoke quietly.

Though he was just as flustered himself.

The three, excluding Theron, moved while rapidly alternating their feet.

Naturally, rapid splashing sounds rang in their ears.

And on one side of the swamp, Moltir Flowers were blooming.

Fortunately, there were three flowers blooming together.

At that moment, Theron turned toward his three roommates and shouted.

“Everyone, gather over here! There are Moltir Flowers here! ”

“...?”

“Theron?”

It felt completely different from how quietly Theron had been speaking until now.

Perka looked puzzled for a moment, but soon approached Theron.

Theron pointed to the Moltir Flowers blooming on the ground.

“That's them.”

Not just one flower, but three.

Around the blooming Moltir Flowers, several reddish caterpillars about the size of an index finger crawled around.

“Those are Silen Narks?”

Theron nodded.

As expected, Perka was by far the calmest of his roommates.

Anyone would have been excited after finding the Moltir Flowers, but he had immediately noticed the danger first.

Theron unconsciously gave a slight smile at Perka's behavior.

But then he drew the knife at his waist.

The atmosphere instantly turned cold from that single dagger.

Perka, Tioren, and Renil also drew their blades.

They had received plenty of training, but this was their first time using them in actual combat.

“Be careful when a Silen Nark curls its body. That's the preparatory motion before it jumps. It's faster than you'd expect, so you need to react quickly.”

There was no answer, but all of them were tense and ready.

And as Theron and the others moved closer to the Moltir Flowers.

Fwit!

A Silen Nark curled its body and launched itself toward Theron at considerable speed.

But...

Thwack!

Theron smashed the Silen Nark with the flat of his blade and continued toward the Moltir Flowers without hesitation.

Then he rubbed the oil mold he had brought all over his hands.

Doing this prevented the Moltir Flower's poison from directly touching his skin.

Theron used the knife in his hand to scrape the ground around the Moltir Flower.

Then, with his hands coated heavily in oil, he carefully gathered the Moltir Flower.

“...Done.”

After plucking one Moltir Flower, Theron carefully placed it into the pouch he had brought.

“I'll keep this. If any Silen Narks come at us, you guys deal with them.”

“Got it.”

“Okay.”

Perka and Tioren stood on either side of Theron as if guarding him.

As Renil tried to move toward the rear.

Whoosh!

“Agh!”

Renil suddenly ducked toward the ground and screamed.

But...

“...!”

Renil's eyes widened when they met Theron's.

Because Theron had pulled at his own face and whispered something quietly.

“Th-Theron.”

Nod.

Renil called his name in confusion, but Theron merely nodded and helped Renil back to his feet.

“Now we only need to gather one more flower and we're done?”

“This is... easier than I thought. Is the exam really this easy?”

Tioren asked with a puzzled expression.

Judging from the instructors' words, it had sounded as though half the trainees might die.

And yet, what was this?

Who would have imagined they could gather them this easily?

But there was something the three did not know.

They had already passed through several major dangers on their way here.

Theron had merely used his wits to overcome those dangers smoothly.

Of course, since they did not know that, it was only natural for the three of them to feel that the exam was far too easy.

Theron soon placed all three Moltir Flowers he had gathered into the pouch.

“I'll keep these.”

Theron deliberately raised the pouch as he spoke. But then.

“Hey.”

“...!”

At the sudden voice from behind, Perka, Tioren, and Renil jumped and turned around.

The blades already in their hands pointed toward the source of the voice.

And with that, a group emerged from the darkness.

“Palcote?”

“Don't tell me... you followed us?”

Tioren frowned as he spoke.

Because standing before them were twelve trainees, including Palcote.

And all of them ranked among the stronger trainees in Section 5.

Palcote stepped forward and spoke.

“I was watching from behind earlier... and it looked like you were picking these fucking flowers pretty easily. Looks like you'll have to help us out.”

“...”

Judging by their appearance, they had apparently already suffered badly while trying to gather a single flower.

But Theron had already known they were following them.

No, to be more precise...

‘I made them follow us.’

Because Theron's objective from the beginning had not been merely to gather Moltir Flowers.

Theron subtly hid the pouch containing the Moltir Flowers behind his waist.

“What if I refuse?”

“Then you die here.”

Palcote spoke while glaring at Theron with a vicious look.

He could not accept it.

The fact that Theron had knocked him unconscious in a single blow that day.

He probably thought it had merely been bad luck.

Sometimes things like that happened.

When something ended in an instant, people claimed they had only lost by coincidence.

‘Thanks to that, things should go smoothly...’

Theron forced himself to look calmly at Palcote.

And...

“If you can take them, then try.”

Tap!

“...!”

Theron turned around and ran.

Palcote and his group looked bewildered at the sight, but.

“C-Catch him!”

Before long, they began running after Theron.