Chapter 52
"This is it."
I said that while spreading out a copy of the old maps, checking the compass and the crumbling stone signpost that looked like it might fall apart at any moment.
A deep, dark forest stretched out before us.
This was the edge of the forest known as the middle layer of the Demonlands.
"According to the map and the signpost, if we head north from here, we should reach the Church."
The two I spoke to reacted with completely opposite expressions.
Erika looked like a mountaineer staring up at a challenging peak, while Shara still wore a face that couldn't decide if this was a joke or a nightmare.
Too bad—it's reality.
Just like Erika declared, we were actually standing here after only a single day of preparation.
It was an insane timeframe, but since the grasslands of the Demonlands were still part of the outer layer, we managed to cross them easily.
During the day, the grasslands are full of adventurers, which means it's a place where many can earn quick cash—so with Erika around, it was no surprise we made it through.
But from here on, it's the middle layer.
Considering the forest in the Demonlands hasn't been cleared out, even in Hekatai—the so-called adventurer town—there are few adventurers who can operate in the middle layer.
They say the forest in the Demonlands withers as the number of monsters around it decreases.
In other words, the adventurers in Hekatai are able to hunt enough monsters to keep the middle layer's forest from expanding, but not enough to push it back.
And now, we're heading into that very forest, teeming with such monsters.
Honestly, I want to say we should turn back even now... but yeah, that's not happening.
I gave up after seeing Erika's face, completely fired up and ready to go.
*
The middle layer of the Demonlands—the forest welcomed us with a greeting perfectly befitting its name.
Less than an hour after entering, monsters attacked us from every direction.
There were so many of them—this really is the Demonlands.
I cut down three monsters that lunged at me from the front. I can't let my guard down.
"I wonder if I should say it?"
Don't let your guard down...
"The middle layer of the Demonlands is surprisingly boring, Shin."
Don't let your guard down!
I scolded myself not to get careless as I watched monsters, whether attacking or not, burst into flames the moment they entered Erika's range—whether in midair, on the ground, underground, up in the trees, or hidden in the shadows.
Meanwhile, Shara was looking at Erika like, "What the hell is this girl saying?"
I figured she was starting to hold back less and less too.
"Well... to be honest, I can't say I didn't expect this much—it is the Demonlands, after all."
I replied to Erika, still debating whether it was okay to admit that.
Because honestly, I felt the same way she did.
Shara gave me the same kind of look too.
I mean, come on, I really do think that, so what can I do?
We stepped into the famous middle layer of the Demonlands all fired up, only to find it full of nothing but hordes of weaklings.
It's not that Erika and I are abnormal—if we brought along some rank 4 adventurers from the Faltarl Kingdom, they'd be thrilled to go monster hunting.
Even a well-coordinated rank 3 party could probably handle this.
In short, that's the level we're dealing with—so far, anyway.
Though I'll admit, the reason it's been this easy is largely thanks to Erika.
After all, the moment a monster enters her range, it's instantly set ablaze.
Honestly, I don't even get it.
More than the Demonlands, it's Erika herself that makes no sense.
Right after we stepped into the forest, she said this—
"Oh my, it seems I've gained a new skill." That was her impression. "I wonder if this is presence detection?" she said. As for me, if this is what presence detection is supposed to be, then I'd really like to know what the hell my version of it is. Erika's so-called presence detection was absurdly accurate. Not only was the precision insane, it even worked underground. There's no way that's just presence detection. While its range was modest, the fact that it detected enemies even when they were hiding their presence made it a completely different beast from mine. And the most outrageous part? Erika had only had the skill for less than an hour. Yet here we are. I watched—and felt—as her magic turned more monsters than I could detect with my own presence detection into blazing fireballs in an instant, and I almost sighed. It's hard when the girl you like is just too much of a genius. Being able to use a skill and mastering it are not the same. Just like how the presence detection used by a veteran scout is nothing like mine, there's a huge gap between being able to use a skill and truly mastering it. And yet Erika—that once-in-a-generation genius—was already using a brand-new skill like she'd had it for years. As she walked arrogantly through the dim forest, lighting it up with golden magic, her steps overflowed with a confidence that bordered on arrogance.