Magic Stones & Magical Beasts

This guy just slipped away to eat berries while I wasn't looking; who knows what dangerous things he might do next...

"Alright, hmm... From now on, let's just keep walking along this mountain path. Following Serie's instructions, those patterns should appear in those places..."

Looking at the parchment in his hand, he saw not only a picture of the Magic Stone but also a simple map showing the area around the teleportation anchor point and the route they needed to take.

"Hmm... but Galan's drawing is really awful. I think I could draw it much better!"

Lia leaned closer to Galan, glanced at the parchment, and couldn't help but comment.

Although she wasn't very meticulous about her drawing skills, she could easily surpass the map on this paper.

"To be honest, I don't deny that. I think I could draw even better than this. But if you try to deny Serie's hard work, I'm not sure if she'll beat you to death."

Although the disciple didn't say it, Galan could tell from the sloppy state of the drawing that it must be Serie's own work.

After all, how could her disciples possibly handle the tasks she entrusted to them so carelessly? Besides, in this era, apart from some Demons, she was the only one who could come here.

After much thought, this picture must have been drawn by Serie herself.

"Wow, is it that scary?"

"Of course, so I think you should show more respect for this piece of paper."

Galan reminded him.

Now that I think about it, did Serie overhear what I just said?

Honestly, that guy has probably planted a lot of terrifying magic on himself. Who knows, if he finds out I'm talking bad about her behind her back, he might just slap me to death.

"Hiss... But then again, why didn't Serie just set up the Teleportation Array there when she clearly knew where the Magic Stone would likely appear? Why did she make us walk this extra distance instead?"

As Galan walked, he thought about this problem, and the more he thought about it, the more something seemed off.

This doesn't seem like Serie's style at all.

If she knew the approximate location of the Magic Stone but still insisted on finding it herself, then it could only be said that she was too lazy.

But what's the point of deliberately setting up the Teleportation Array at a considerable distance from the Magic Stone, making me walk that extra distance?

Is it simply a matter of wanting to exercise?

Or was she trying to mess with herself, deliberately making herself uncomfortable?

No matter how you look at it, it doesn't seem quite right.

Could it be...

Galan suddenly drew a long sword from his waist and looked around warily.

After descending from the initial hill, they arrived at the forest they had seen earlier.

The location of the Magic Stone marked on the map is somewhere in this forest. At our current speed, we should be able to reach it after walking a little further.

But the closer Galan got to that place, the more uneasy he felt.

It seems one of my guesses is about to be confirmed! "Wow!"

Suddenly, Lia, who had been following beside him, cried out and threw herself at him.

A gigantic, terrifying creature, its entire body wrapped in vines, suddenly emerged from behind a nearby tree and pounced on her.

Because this guy was too fast, even though Lia's spellcasting speed had improved considerably compared to the past, the magic she released still couldn't touch a hair on his head.

Fortunately, Galan had been on guard since the beginning. After Lia hid behind him, he immediately pulled her behind him and swung his sword horizontally, cutting the attacking vine creature in half at the waist.

"Whoa! What kind of monster is that?!"

Lia, caught off guard by the sudden attack, was quite frightened when she saw the two severed bodies lying on the ground, still writhing.

Even with all her experience, this was the first time she had ever seen such a bizarre creature.

"It's a monster? It's still alive even after I've hacked it to pieces."

Galan was also astonished by the incredible vitality of this creature.

If it were any creature I knew, there simply wouldn't be one that could survive being cut in half at the waist.

But the creature wriggling incessantly on the ground had truly opened up a new world for him.

"There must be something dangerous here, otherwise Serie wouldn't have set up the teleportation point so far away."

After this strange creature jumped out, Galan's suspicions were basically confirmed.

The reason Serie would do such a thankless task is probably because if the teleportation point were set in this forest, the two of them might be attacked before they even understood the situation.

Moreover, Galan knew that there couldn't possibly be only one strange creature in this forest; it was most likely that they appeared in groups.

He stepped forward and thoughtfully cleaved the vine monster into several more sections with his longsword. Seeing that it could still survive even under these circumstances, he abandoned physical attacks.

"Perhaps Fire Element magic could burn them down? But Lia doesn't seem to know how to manipulate Fire Element, so there's really nothing we can do."

After considering their current situation, Galan made a quick decision, grabbed Lia's hand, and left the area, running swiftly towards the location marked on the map.

"Hey! Does Galan really have to run this fast?"

Suddenly pulled by Galan and forced to accelerate, Lia was caught off guard and couldn't adapt.

"If you don't leave now, more than one will jump out later!"

Galan did not turn around, because in his perception, many other auras had appeared in the place where they had just been.

Presumably, this guy's companions have appeared.

If I stay there any longer, I might get stuck and unable to move.

The monster's regenerative ability was terrifying. If I hadn't slashed it a few more times, it probably would have reattached its two body parts in that short time.

"Phew, looks like this trip is ruined again... I'll be lucky to get the Magic Stone and get back safely to report..."

The thought of the troubles he might encounter on the way back gave Galan a headache.

"That Serie, she always gets herself into trouble..."