The Extra Wants To Live

As they entered the forest, visibility naturally became poor, and each unit could not see the other. But the forest was strangely quiet, so they could faintly hear each other's voices.

Carl adjusted his pace, listening to the sounds coming from the other side to gain the upper hand and fight the monster as planned.

Chunk. Chunk.

As they entered the swampy area where the water was slowly receding and the bottom was beginning to reveal itself, they felt the mud catching their ankles.

But if they went in a little further, the water increased, making it somewhat easier to navigate.

"You have to come here. If the ground recedes over there, you'll be in big trouble."

A hired guide skillfully showed the way.

They had lived in this forest, following the knowledge passed down from their ancestors for generations, so there was almost nothing they did not know.

"Is it always this quiet?"

Carl asked the guide in a low voice. The forest, which should have been full of life, was devoid of any sound except for the occasional chirping of birds and the croaking of insects.

"No way. It's usually chaos around this time of year." The guide denied it, sweating profusely and looking very nervous.

"There were a lot of fish that came into the swamp by the river, and there were also animals and monsters that gathered to prey on them. And since the forest was crossed by a river from the beginning, there was never a day of peace."

There's even a river in the forest, so there's no way Carl could just pass up this wonderful place. A place where people can live is also a place where animals and monsters can live.

This forest is like the mother of all life around it. But now, the forest seemed completely dead, only occasionally groaning with cold breath.

Carl, who had been listening and moving forward silently, recalled the map he had memorized and compared it with the surrounding scenery, realizing exactly how deep he had entered.

"Step back."

"Yes."

The guide, who had been walking ahead of Carl's horse, stepped back without saying a word. A deep pool would appear soon.

From the sound, Carl could sense they were getting close to Billford's 3rd division, which was advancing from his left, according to Carl's plan and arrangement.

After the 3rd unit searched the monster-free pool and secured safety, they took a detour and naturally shortened the distance. In order to match the search time of the 3rd Unit, Carl adjusted his speed.

"Is there anywhere around here that I should be careful of?"

"There is a place marked with a rope next to the pond. At first glance, it looks ordinary, but if you step on it, it can easily swallow three or four people."

"Is that what you mean?"

"Yes."

"Thank you for your hard work. Stay behind."

"Yes, please."

The guide bowed his head to Carl and asked politely. Without this forest, the nearby villages would have no way to survive. Carl reassured his guide by silently nodding his head.

"Get in line." Carl prepared for battle before the search. He already knew there was a monster through Camelia, and most importantly, some of the ropes hanging around the pool seemed to have snapped roughly.

It would be annoying if there was a rope hanging down while that huge thing was moving around. Carl looked around, slung the spear he had brought over his shoulder.

There were four swords, large and small, hanging from his waist, and soldiers were even carrying extra spears. In any case, the battle between monsters and swords was solely Carl's responsibility.

All the soldiers had to do was throw nets to impede their movements.

Even though Billford used all his mana, the sword's teeth were completely blown out after only two attacks.

Since they had to use their weapons once and then throw them away, they had no choice but to bring a lot of spare weapons. Still, Carl was glad he now had enough mana to load his weapons with it. Without that, they wouldn't have been able to fight properly.

"… … ."

In a strange tension, Carl looked beyond the puddle.

"Right, step back."

At Carl's words, the soldiers carrying the nets carefully reorganized their ranks. Carl felt eyes on him from across the pool, between the bushes and trees that grew over the swamp.

Well, it's not like it's an aquatic monster that stays in the water all day. The moment Carl's green eyes and the bright yellow reptilian eyes met, a huge shadow suddenly rose on the other side.

Boom! Boom! Kookung!

The body of the monster lying flat on the floor was revealed.

A monster that ran at incredible speed despite its large and heavy body.

It walked on all fours, with its feet on the ground, but it also touched the ground with its hands to avoid trees or to slightly change direction while observing Carl's reaction. Its long, thick tail followed its movements, scraping the ground violently and digging into the swamp bottom.

Slap.

Carl stepped forward with a light step, his spear tucked under his arm. The soldiers naturally formed ranks following him. The monster couldn't take its eyes off Carl, even though it had soldiers around, as if it felt no other human existed besides Carl.

In fact, the moment its eyes met Carl's, it followed the wild cry and looked only at him. Even while changing direction here and there to take advantage of Carl's opening, its face was turned straight toward him. Because the monster was moving so fast, the distance between them closed in an instant.

"Kuruk."

Instead of roaring, the monster simply puffed out its neck and let out a short howl. Immediately afterwards, its mouth opened wide and terrifying teeth were revealed.

Kwaaaaang! Choaaaah!

It bared its teeth and looked as if it was going to bite, then suddenly turned its body around and swung its tail. The tip of its long, heavy tail ripped the air like a whip, making an eerie sound, and a loud noise echoed as it smashed the ground, burying it. The water splashed up due to the tremendous impact and fell as rain mixed with mud.

Carl dodged the tail by lightly lunging at it, then stopping and stepping back.

He could have avoided it by a hair's breadth, but he took a bigger step back because he was shocked by the incredible force coming from the tail.

Squinting his eyes at the splashing water and mud, Carl turned around and looked at the monster's posture with its massive arms pulled tightly together.

"Throw it."

For a split second, a voice rang out clearly amidst the loud noise, and then Carl's form became blurry.

The monster swung its right hand powerfully, and instead of backing down, Carl dove into the creature's right side.

Even with the eerie wind blowing overhead, Carl's body remained unshaken as if it were anchored to the ground, and at the same time, he was light and agile as if he had become the wind itself.

With his overwhelming physical abilities, Carl was able to wield power comparable to that of a mana user without mana.

Now that he could fully utilize mana, it was no exaggeration to say that his physical abilities had reached the level of the Master's chin.

Carl, who had been running to the right of the monster and to his left, was now carrying a spear on his right shoulder. He pulled his right shoulder back with all his might, then delivered the force precisely the moment he stepped forward, twisted his body, and swung his spear.

Wedge!

He spread his arms wide and put all his strength into the tip of the long spear. A sound like a meteor was heard, and a mana-filled spear blade struck the monster's right knee as it stepped forward. The blade dug into the monster's knee, shattering it, but it did not come out again, and even though it was charged with mana, the wooden shaft snapped.

"Shhh!"

A harsh wind noise burst from the monster's gaping mouth. It wasn't a scream of pain.

The monster exploded with fierce aggression, its eyes turned upside down by Carl's presence. Its knees were broken and its balance lost, but unlike humans, it had a tail. All it did was stumble once. It supported itself with its tail and immediately turned around to chase Carl, who was passing by.

Chomp! Crunch.

Then, at just the right moment, the net flew in, following Carl's command.

The monster, trying to turn to the right with its right knee broken, had no choice but to stop. Since it supported its body with its tail, it could not swing its tail. The net's hooks scraped the scales roughly, slid down, and got caught.

"Pull

"Pull to the right, release to the left!"

"Eww!"

The moment the monster stops, Carl shouts loudly.

The soldiers move in unison following his orders.

The monster that was trying to chase Carl was caught from behind and its feet were lifted up, unable to touch the ground, and it stood there unsteadily.

However, the upward-pointing nostrils at the end of its long snout were flaring and blowing out strong wind, showing that it could not be caught with a net like this.

With one stroke of a foot, even the human being who caught the net will run away, dragging them all.

The moment his bright yellow eyes flash and his face contorts, Carl's voice rings out like thunder.

"on the other way!"

"Understood!"

The moment the order is given, the soldiers move.

On the right, those pulling the net behind the monster let go of it.

On the left, those in front of the monster pull the net with all their might.