Chapter 76 – Forest of Black Trees (2)

The Forest of Black Trees.

Just as Mutai had called it a swamp, the forest located near the Levi Earldom was a place where a strange energy lingered.

On the outside, it was ordinary.

That is, before stepping into the forest, that was.

“Once you set foot inside the forest, it changes completely. Actually, it is the biggest reason we missed the bandits so far. Though there is also the fact that those guys know the geography inside out.”

“Are there any risk factors?”

“None. Because it is an ordinary forest without even a single monster.”

“So the path is the problem.”

“It is to the point of feeling dizzy. Sir Knight… Captain, once you enter, you will be able to feel it too.”

As Mutai said so, he wore an expression of being nearly fed up.

The twelve accompanying soldiers were the same.

This was because they had visited this forest multiple times, and each time, they felt completely exhausted.

“Did the bandits not attack?”

“Not even once. Because they are ones who wander around without weapons. We call them bandits, but in fact, it is just like petty thieves gathered in a crowd.”

Henry felt he generally understood the situation.

Since it was information he had already verified in the [Information] category of the Sponsorship Shop.

[In any situation, what is scarier than anything is the enemy within. Especially if it is a person who has earned the trust of the boss!]

[Hunger and cold help humans make decisions. Because the thought of ‘if I stay like this, I might die’ comes to mind.]

The information Henry had purchased was twofold.

While the former referred to the ‘enemy within’, the latter contained the ‘purpose of the bandits.’

It meant they became bandits because they were cold and hungry.

In the end.

“If the cold and hunger are resolved, there is no need to steal anything. It might be resolved surprisingly easily.”

Saying so, Henry looked beyond the forest.

Even though the sun was clearly shining brightly, the atmosphere was gloomy.

“That is, if we catch them first.”

[You can see everything right now, can’t you?]

[Lol, as soon as you arrived earlier, you said something significant lol]

[Since it is such a place, they had no choice but to keep missing them lol]

[Oop Oop is going to get 200 neatly ripped off again lol]

The viewers were speaking as if the conclusion had already been reached.

In fact, it was not wrong.

Because Henry was seeing a scene different from others right now.

‘They clearly said there are no mana users. Was this place originally like this?’

Originally, forests have a high and pure density of mana.

It was a natural phenomenon.

After all, mana was the energy of nature.

However, the mana filling the forest before his eyes right now was definitely unnatural in some way.

‘There is something.’

Unnatural mana meant it had been artificially created.

Of course, the existence that intervened in this forest might not be a ‘human’, but at any rate, the fact that there was something was clear.

“Mutai.”

“Yes.”

“Lead the soldiers and search. Taking the spot we are standing on right now as the starting point, take the right side.”

“How many people should I take with me?”

“All of them. If you discover the enemy, send three soldiers here. You must never move alone.”

Henry pointed to a spot on the map.

It was roughly in the middle of the zone they had just divided, a location where trees were relatively less dense.

“Are you going alone?”

“Alone is enough.”

“Understood. Let’s move.”

Mutai led the soldiers without saying anything more.

It was a situation where he had already verified Henry’s ability with his own eyes.

Since Henry spoke with confidence, Mutai thought there must surely be some hidden card.

After Mutai and the soldiers disappeared,

Henry folded the map, tucked it away, and took a step into the forest.

“I do not know what might be waiting for me. While the fact that something is there is clear… they do not seem to be ordinary bandits.”

[Cutting the tension is too much lol]

[Ah, let him build up lol. Ready to be surprised!! lol]

“I am not forcing these words, aren’t you, the viewers, also seeing this right now? This flow of mana is artificial and…”

[Artificial (was)]

[???: Fortunately, I succeeded in the mission…]

[It was really hard lol (succeeded in one day)]

The viewers began to run wild. The atmosphere had absolutely no tension, as if there was no way Henry would fail.

Henry also knew that at this point, no matter how much he tried to set the mood, it would be difficult to turn back.

“…Well.”

Injecting an interjection, Henry flipped his attitude 180 degrees.

“Then I will start off joyfully. I do not know what is waiting, but since I, Henry Camilton, said I will do it, I must achieve it, right? In fact, even if it is an artificial flow of mana, skills are divided according to its degree…”

It was an attitude of throwing away the tension from just a moment ago to somewhere.

His voice and expression made it look as if he were just going out for a walk nearby.

At Henry’s response, which became relaxed all at once, the viewers burst into laughter again.

‘This is better.’

In fact, the viewers’ words were correct.

It was so when he faced the forest, and even more so the moment he stepped in.

‘Because I had thought it would be simpler than expected.’

If it were an empty forest, that would be one thing, but from the moment someone put a trick on it, Henry was in a position equivalent to having obtained a signpost to follow.

Why?

Because mana was visible to his eyes.

It was a structure where, as long as he calmly followed the flow, he could eventually reach the end.

“Honestly, I regretted it a bit. It feels like I brought Captain Mutai for no reason. If I had known it would be this simple, coming alone would have been enough. Now, like this.”

*Slash!*

Henry cut away the twigs blocking the path with his sword.

“Just by breaking a twig that became part of the spell formula—can you see it? The mana is fluctuating, right? It means the level of the person who set up this installation is not that high.”

[No, why did this hyung achieve enlightenment lol]

[Hyung! I will fall for it! Snap out of it!]

[Ah lol, so funny lol]

“No. I was thinking wrong. I should have said easy things are easy and difficult things are difficult! This mission is really easy! Oop Oop Mage, if you are watching, perhaps you should lower the amount even now…”

“Earlier, I thought it would be difficult. I did not mean to deceive you from the start, and more than that, let me show you something interesting.”

[Appearing right away lol]

[Lol]

[Is his change of stance insane, seriously lol]

Henry swung his sword again.

It was to leave a trace on a large tree before his eyes.

“Now, you must remember this trace. I will go forward from now on. Right in front, can you see it now? That rock is my target. Let’s go.”

*Stride. Stride.*

Henry moved his steps confidently as if he had nothing to hold him back.

The rock gradually drew closer.

And when he arrived,

“Oh my god.”

Henry put on a surprised face and pointed ahead.

“How could such a thing happen? It is clearly the same shape as the trace I just left. Even though I walked straight ahead.”

It was the tree where he had carved a pattern with his sword just a moment ago.

Henry thought he was walking straight ahead, but in fact, he had circled around the same spot.

[Lol, is there a magic circle or something?]

[Oh shit lol, what is this lol]

[Ah! It is a truly difficult mission!]

“Using the expression magic circle is ambiguous. In fact, as I am not a mage, it is something I cannot distinguish. But what I can be certain of is the fact that the flow of mana created this situation.”

The abnormally twisted flow of mana was shaking human cognitive functions. If one did not handle it properly, they would surely face a situation where they could not trust their own sensory organs.

But Henry was different.

“There are several devices. Here, can you see? Just by slightly changing the arrangement of the bushes and stones…”

*Tap, tap.*

Henry cleared the bushes and kicked away a few small stones.

At that moment,

*Whoosh!*

Along with a feeling as if his vision was expanding, the unpleasantness that had bound Henry until just a moment ago vanished.

“I can open the path. I do not know the principle either. But now I understand the structure. It is definitely not a case of installing a magic circle or using an artifact.”

Honestly, Henry was greatly surprised.

If he could not see mana, he would have been busy constantly groaning, but now, it was simply fascinating.

Because such a bizarre forest was born merely by slightly changing the natural arrangements.

Twisting the angles of the twigs, changing the layout of the stones, and moderately rummaging through the bushes was all that ‘someone’ had done.

“Moreover, to prevent it from being accidentally broken, they set up the devices in positions that one has almost no reason to touch. For starters, even this place where I am is not a normal path.”

Few people would leave a clearly visible path and take a detour.

Even more so in such a gloomy forest.

The soldiers knew there were enemies here, and several experiences had bound them so they could not take rash actions.

[Do you just have to keep going like this?]

[Cheat key “500 times”]

[Seeing mana is seriously a cheat code lol]

[But what are you going to do after finding the base? Subjugate them right away?]

“Grasping the situation is the priority. In the first place, I visited this place not to wipe out the bandits, but to verify why they became bandits.”

An ordinary person, even if a hundred of them attacked, could not match a single knight.

Once the base was found, wiping them out would be a piece of cake.

There would be a way to wrap up the request moderately, but there were too many details lingering in his mind to finish it like that.

“For now, I will proceed…”

*Rustle.*

At that moment, a sound was heard. Henry closed his mouth and calmly turned his gaze.

*Rustle. Rustle.*

The sound continued. It was even gradually drawing closer.

Very carefully, Henry moved a couple of steps to the side.

It was a position where he could hide behind a thick tree.

In that state, Henry checked the moving mana on the other side of the tree.

“There are two of them. Judging by the movement of the mana, they possess no special martial power. It seems they are the petty thieves the soldiers spoke of.”

Mutai had said as much.

That the bandits wandered around without weapons.

That they were at a level insufficient to even be called bandits in the first place.

The only problem was the fact that they were not caught, and Henry had the ability to resolve the issue.

“Somehow their movement is blatant. They continue to approach. As if they know I am here.”

This was absolutely not a coincidence.

The reason Henry was so certain was that their direction of progress was pointing precisely toward Henry himself.

“Also, both of them are extremely tense. The movement of their mana is similar to when one lies. They know someone is here, and they are worried that things might go wrong.”

[What is the reason they are coming even while knowing that?]

[Can’t you just catch them?]

[I think it was similar for the other soldiers. They probably lured them and shook them off like this.]

“I think the same. Until now, the soldiers probably thought they ‘found’ the bandits, but they did not. The bandits showed themselves on their own.”

The situation was grasped, and what had to be done was clear.

“I will give chase first. I need to experience what the soldiers went through.”

*Rustle.*

Henry deliberately made a sound as he moved.

As if he knew nothing, he intentionally looked in another direction and revealed himself.

In particular, he did not forget to take a posture so they could see the sword at his waist.

At that moment,

“Eek!”

One of the bandits gasped. They also had eyes to see. They realized that Henry Camilton was not an ordinary soldier, but a knight.

Since the opponent judged it so, Henry’s role became even simpler.

“You bandit bastards!”

“R-Run!”

“It’s a knight!”

“Stop right there!”

*Bam!* Henry kicked off the ground.

Or rather, he tried to make it look like he kicked off.

The mana loaded in his feet was exactly at a level that could maintain the distance from the bandits.

At that moment,

“You go first!”

One of the bandits stopped and turned toward Henry.

“Mac! What do you mean by…”

“Both of us cannot escape! I will buy time, so run! Go and tell them! A knight has come!”

“This is troublesome.”

Henry was flustered. In the first place, he intended to let them escape. However, it seemed the bandit had gotten scared by the fact that Henry was a knight and decided that one of them should stay behind.

After a brief but fierce contemplation, Henry made a decision.

[Why is he suddenly running to the right lol]

Henry turned the direction he was running. At the same time, he shouted in a voice that sounded as if he were dying of frustration,

“The path is strange! What on earth did you do! Why is it getting further and further away! I’m going to lose you at this rate!”

BJ Swordmaster