The plan worked perfectly.
The next morning, Cain and the others reached the forest where the creature known as the Scarlet Snake King lived.
Cain frowned at the gloomy, miasma-filled surroundings. The terrain was unmistakably the Swamp Forest, so Nokopara, who had led them here, hadn't played any tricks.
But the Magic Power here felt unusually dense...
The quest was public, of course, and plenty of other adventuring parties were in the forest. Strangely, though, not one of them ranked above B-rank...
"Hey! What are you kids doing wandering around a forest this dangerous? Do you have a death wish?"
A pair of Demon Race adventurers approached from the other side of the forest. The one in front was a burly pig-faced man.
Cain glanced at him, said nothing, and kept walking with Eris and the others.
"Hey, did you hear me?"
The pig-faced man refused to let it go and reached for Cain's shoulder. Suddenly, boom! A white snake more than ten meters long came slithering through the forest ahead. Roaring, it smashed through dead trees and charged across the muddy ground!
Cold sweat broke out on the pig-faced man's forehead. He hurriedly raised his great shield. That was a B-rank White-Scale Giant Snake, a terrifying monster that could swallow a novice adventurer whole.
Then came the sharp clang of a sword. The pig-faced man clapped his hands over his aching ears and stared, dumbfounded, as the White-Phosphorus Giant Snake's body split cleanly in two and crashed to the ground.
He watched the black-haired boy slowly sheath his sword and swallowed hard.
"S-so strong... Was that the Sword God Style's ultimate technique, the Blade of Light...?"
Cain gave the pig-faced man a cool glance.
"This place is dangerous. You're not strong enough. Get out before you throw your life