Chapter 194: Intrusion
The massive body trembled violently.
Willow Lace, who had been trying to sneak away, turning its back to flee.
I didn’t let it go so easily.
Since we finally met, I had to tame it first.
【Pururu】─ㅋㅋ Did you really think you could just leave so easily?!
【Mysticism】─🤭
Willow Lace obediently followed my words.
Stop. Stay still. I will begin the taming process now, so do not move.
It did not resist a single command.
It seemed well aware of the vast difference in our levels.
【Hwang Mir】─It’s completely terrified.
【Bubble Bubble】─That is the normal reaction.
【Luna-chan】─The dignity of an SS-rank has completely hit rock bottom.
【Mysticism】─🤔 But didn’t the elephant guy earlier say that this species had an aggressive nature?
【Yumi】─Looks like this individual wasn’t aggressive and survived by being a coward.
【Pururu】─The aggressive ones are all dead, killed by Solorb.
【Rizenova】─So in the end, this Willow Lace is also a mutation.
I found the mark on its body.
One of the trees sprouting from its back had the mark engraved on it.
I attached the severed arm to that spot.
If I kept direct contact, it would restrict my movements.
Unlike S-ranks, SS-ranks took quite a long time to tame.
Even if they weren’t hostile.
“By any chance, you don’t hate being tamed, do you?”
［······.］
“If you do, just say so. Then I won’t tame you.”
［N-No, I don’t hate it··· F-From the moment I saw you, I was filled with the desire to be tamed···.］
I was actually considering not taming it if it said it hated it, but since it said it was fine, I left the severed arm attached.
【Yumi】─This kind of feels like forced taming.
【Hwang Mir】─ㅋㅋㅋ It is forced taming.
【Luna-chan】─The dignity of an SS-rank··· ㅜㅠ
【Rizenova】─So in front of an SSS-rank, both SS-ranks and S-ranks are basically the same.
【Pururu】─ㅇㅇ The gap between SS-rank and SSS-rank is way bigger than the gap between S-rank and SS-rank.
After attaching the severed arm to Willow Lace.
I said we should take another break, and while sitting on Willow Lace’s back, I leisurely started working on the Monster Encyclopedia.
As I continued drawing.
─［Ah, um··· oh, whew···.］
【Yumi】─?
Through the crystal, I heard Artpega Unibicorn sighing.
It seemed like her hands were itching to do the Encyclopedia work herself.
I considered ignoring it.
─［Ugh, ooh··· ee···!］
“······”
─［Uuu, huh··· haa···.］
【Pururu】─Shut up.
【Mysticism】─😡
【Hwang Mir】─Are those withdrawal symptoms?
The constant moaning made it impossible to ignore even if I tried.
In the end, I sighed and spoke.
“Artpega, if you want to draw, then go ahead.”
─［Y-Yes? I can draw?!］
“Yeah. From now on, whenever I do the Encyclopedia work, we’ll just make two copies. One for you, one for me. But the one that goes into the Encyclopedia will be mine.”
And when I’m not working on the Encyclopedia, I’ll upload your drawings instead.
As I added that, a voice filled with emotion burst from the crystal.
─［Thank you!!!］
【Pururu】─ㅋㅋ She’s so happy.
【Rizenova】─So the goal wasn’t to be in the Encyclopedia, she just had a strong urge to draw new creatures.
I should have done this from the start.
There was no problem in making two drawings of newly discovered monsters.
When I worked on the Encyclopedia.
Artpega’s drawings would remain as a hobby.
And I would upload my drawings to the Encyclopedia.
Anyway.
I quickly finished the Encyclopedia work.
Thanks to all the seals being released, and perhaps because I was motivated by Artpega Unibicorn, my drawing speed had significantly increased.
***
A considerable amount of time had passed.
Willow Lace had still not been tamed.
Nevertheless, it followed our words as if obeying the orders of a superior.
［L-Leave the Great Forest guidance··· t-to me! R-Right now, the entire Great Forest is synchronized with me, so guiding is nothing···!］
【Pururu】─Is it still scared? Why does it keep stuttering?
【Yumi】─I guess it hasn’t relaxed yet.
【Mysticism】─🤭 Willow Lace is cute.
【Bubble Bubble】─Not cute.
Without us having to move, the ground itself started shifting, guiding us through the various parts of the Great Forest.
It felt as if we were standing on a moving walkway at an airport.
“Thanks, it’s making our travel a lot easier. But did you just say you’re synchronized with the entire Great Forest?”
［Y-Yes!］
That was different from what the Elephant Merchant had told me.
He had said they could only synchronize with parts of the Great Forest.
Hearing Willow Lace’s answer, I shifted my gaze to look at the Elephant Merchant.
［I think I may have relayed the information without thinking deeply. If this individual is the only Willow Lace left in the Great Forest, then controlling the entire forest wouldn’t be entirely impossible.］
“So you’re saying it monopolized the Great Forest because there were no competitors?”
［That’s correct.］
“What about the limitation on the range of its ability? You said in the Ancient Labyrinth, it couldn’t synchronize with the entire Great Forest because of restrictions.”
［That was true a long time ago. The Willow Laces of the past couldn’t control the entire Great Forest even if they were the only ones left. But a lot of time has passed since then, and this sole surviving Willow Lace must have grown over the years. Naturally, the range of its ability would have expanded as well.］
The Elephant lightly tapped the ground with its foot as it finished speaking.
It seemed to be checking if its guess was correct by asking Willow Lace.
Willow Lace quickly responded.
［T-That’s right! Originally, I controlled the smallest portion of the Great Forest among all the Willow Laces. B-But my kin foolishly attacked Solorb and were all killed, so from then on, I slowly grew my power until I finally became able to synchronize with the entire Great Forest today···!］
The Elephant’s prediction was spot on.
Even though it had lost its memories and only had limited information, it showed remarkable insight, as expected from someone with a background in intelligence.
“But Willow Lace, what were you doing when your kin challenged Solorb?”
［I-I was hiding. I-I’m not a suicide candidate.］
【Pururu】─Coward.
【Mysticism】─🤭
【Yumi】─That’s not cowardice, that’s just having a strong sense of reality.
【Hwang Mir】─True. It’s not like they were moths to a flame—those Willow Laces that charged into a fight they were bound to lose were the real idiots.
It seemed a little timid.
But as Ha Yumi said, it had an exceptionally strong sense of reality.
For an SS-rank to challenge an SSS-rank wasn’t bravery—it was just reckless stupidity.
［I-I don’t mind being called a coward···.］
“What coward? You’re not the coward. The ones who challenged Solorb were the idiots.”
【Hwang Mir】─So true.
【Bubble Bubble】─Even aside from the difference in rank, they were at a natural disadvantage. What made them think they had a chance?
【Mysticism】─Sun vs Tree!
【Pururu】─Even if Solorb was only SS-rank, it still would’ve been a massacre.
［T-To be honest, I thought the same. The ones who fought Solorb were idiots. They didn’t know their place.］
Willow Lace’s voice rose slightly.
It must have been happy that I understood its choice.
I sat down on the moving ground and asked Willow Lace another question.
“Oh yeah. This is a bit late to ask, but is there an SSS-rank monster in the Great Forest?”
［···SSS-rank monster?］
“A creature much stronger than you and on a similar level to us.”
［A-Ah, ahhh···! N-No such creature exists! S-Solorb died a long time ago···!］
That was a relief.
Even though we had three SSS-ranks on our side, encountering an SSS-rank monster meant we could never let our guard down.
Even if it was just one.
“The exploration of the Great Forest will be easy, then.”
Honestly, calling it an exploration felt like an overstatement.
With Willow Lace, we could grasp the entire layout of the Great Forest easily and travel without lifting a finger.
At this point, it wasn’t exploration—it was hunting.
There was no need to manually map the area.
We were just going to move around, find the monsters inhabiting the Great Forest, capture them, and tame them.
Of course.
We didn’t even need to look for the monsters ourselves.
Willow Lace was leading us directly to them.
［J-Just a little further, and you’ll see a creature called Exocid···.］
Thanks to that, we were spared the trouble.
【Pururu】─In a way, this guy is kind of like Poae.
【Hwang Mir】─At least it didn’t betray its own kind, so it’s better than Poae.
【Mysticism】─😐 It’s not Poae anymore, it’s Bana now.
And so, the ground kept moving.
Just as I was keeping my eyes forward in case of an encounter with a monster.
『Intruder detected!』
Instead of a monster, a message appeared before my eyes.
It was the same thick, bright red text I had seen before.
『An uninvited mortal has entered the Ancient Labyrinth!』
『Number of intruders: 3』
【Pururu】─ㅇ? Intruders?
【Bubble Bubble】─What the heck?
【Mysticism】─😮
“···Huh? Can you guys see this text too?”
【Hwang Mir】─We can. Very clearly.
【Yumi】─What’s going on? We couldn’t see it before.
【Rizenova】─Perhaps the Ancient Labyrinth has started accommodating Assistants as well. That way, Sir Gauntlet doesn’t have to explain everything himself.
【Bubble Bubble】─Did this change just start today?
【Luna-chan】─If Rize-chan’s guess is right, this is proof that the Ancient Labyrinth is recognizing Gauntlet more and more as time goes on.
【Rizenova】─It’s also evidence that he is getting closer to being its true ruler.
A sudden intruder alert appeared.
And shortly after, from the crystal orb of Iris, which had been floating around me, came the voice of Kinogine Arachne.
─［Father, strange people suddenly appeared before us.］
─“Hoeeeng···.”