Chapter 99

"It's terrible! A huge monster is approaching!"

Ricardo and the others hurried outside the container house. Under the dim moonlight, something massive stood there. Ricardo squinted to confirm. It was a rhinoceros-like magical beast, about six meters long and weighing around five tons. Although it was the first time he had seen this magical beast, he knew of its existence in his knowledge.

"Crash Rhino..."

It was a giant beast known to rival the Underworld Wolf.

"Pu-kya-kyu-kyu, weird hair"

Monta laughed. Upon closer inspection, there was hair growing on the head of the Crash Rhino, long hair like the protagonist of '3rd Year Class Gold Teacher' he had seen over twenty years ago.

Remembering this, Ricardo chuckled. Tania glared at him.

Feeling the heavy footsteps of the giant beast, Ricardo and the others braced themselves. The Crash Rhino started running towards the container house.

Greta and the two guards screamed in terror.

"Run!"

Ricardo shouted, judging that there was no time to cast a spell. The guards carried Greta and fled, and Ricardo also ran with all his might. Monta immediately climbed a large tree.

The Crash Rhino charged straight into the container house, ramming its horn into the steel plates and throwing them up.

"Oh, the container house!"

Ricardo couldn't help but cry out. His favorite camping equipment flew through the air and hit the ground with a loud crash.

The Crash Rhino continued to stomp on the container house, attacking until it was unrecognizable. It seemed to have mistaken the container house for an enemy.

During this time, Ricardo and the others finished preparing their spells. Tania was the first to cast the "Thunder Vortex Steel Bullet." In the dim light, the vortex of steel bullets wrapped in crackling lightning struck the giant beast's body. However, the Crash Rhino's skin, though not as hard as the Flame Turtle's, was tough and resilient, deflecting the Thunder Vortex Steel Bullet.

"No good, the Thunder Vortex Steel Bullet isn't effective!"

Tania shouted.

The Crash Rhino, having been attacked, now recognized Ricardo and the others as enemies. It seemed that the giant beast had not considered such small humans as threats before.

Tania desperately jumped back to avoid the charging beast, rolling on the ground. She quickly stood up, but her face had lost all color.

The giant beast stopped when it realized Tania had dodged, stomping its feet and turning its body. Mid-turn, the beast's eyes met Ricardo's. The beast, snorting like a trumpet, charged at Ricardo.

"Damn!"

Ricardo was almost done preparing his spell but abandoned the controlled magic and jumped back. Just in time, the Crash Rhino passed by, grazing Ricardo and throwing him to the ground as if he had been hit by a truck. Ricardo endured the pain and got up.

The giant beast slowed down and tried to turn around. At that moment, the beast showed a weakness.

Seeing this as an opportunity, Patrick cast the "True Thunder Vortex Steel Bullet" with his bare hands. He didn't have a magic rod capable of handling advanced spells, so he couldn't control the magic efficiently, reducing the spell's power. Still, the True Thunder Vortex Steel Bullet was an advanced spell. It pierced the Crash Rhino's skin, dealing significant damage to its back.

Instantly, the giant beast let out a terrifying roar. It was a cry of anger. Monta, who had taken refuge in a tree, trembled, and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Greta and the guards also turned pale and stiffened.

Enduring the roar, Ricardo got up, took out a catalyst, and prepared the "True Thunder Vortex Steel Bullet." The giant beast was stomping the ground, trying to turn around. Its target was Patrick.

Patrick, having just cast an advanced spell, seemed to have relaxed. The beast's roar had frozen him in place.

"Patrick!"

Ricardo shouted his friend's name and circled around to the beast's side, aiming for its neck. The controlled magic transformed into a True Thunder Vortex Steel Bullet, which cut through the air with a loud sound and struck the Crash Rhino's neck. The impact stripped away the skin and minced the flesh, and a large blood vessel seemed to have been damaged, causing a massive amount of blood to spurt out.

The Crash Rhino staggered, its front legs buckling as it struggled to breathe. Tania circled around to the opposite side and cast the "True Thunder Vortex Steel Bullet," which also struck the Crash Rhino's neck, dealing significant damage.

Ultimately, Tania's final blow was fatal, and the Crash Rhino's breathing stopped.

Tania sat on the ground, staring blankly at the giant beast's corpse.

"Are you okay?"

Patrick asked Tania. She nodded slightly, but her body was covered in blood from the scratches she had received while dodging the Crash Rhino's charge.

"Greta, can you treat Tania's wounds?"

"Y-Yes. Is Ricardo-sama okay?"

Ricardo tapped his armor made from the steel scorpion's shell.

"Thanks to this armor, I'm fine."

Ricardo took the first aid kit from his storage amethyst, and Greta began treating Tania's wounds.

Ricardo and Patrick examined the Crash Rhino's corpse. It seemed that only the horn could be used as a catalyst. However, the horn was large, high-quality, and could yield a significant amount of catalyst. Additionally, the Crash Rhino's long hair could be woven into a cut-resistant, magic-resistant garment.

"I wonder if its meat is tasty?"

"Who knows, we'll have to try it to find out."

A large amount of blood flowed from the giant beast's neck. It seemed to have died in a position that drained the blood.

Ricardo walked to the remains of the container house and sighed. It was destroyed beyond repair. As he stared at it, Patrick patted his shoulder.

"It was a disaster, but that happens."

"Indeed, it does."

"But, something's off. This is supposed to be the Eastern Valley, right?"

Even without Patrick saying it, Ricardo had his doubts. They had been attacked by a magical beast that rivaled the Underworld Wolf, which should not have been in the Eastern Valley. The village chief had led them to the Western Valley.

"Let's confirm when the village chief comes to pick us up tomorrow."

Patrick nodded.

After the blood had drained, they cut open the Crash Rhino's corpse, removing and discarding only the digestive organs. The remaining organs were stored in the freezing storage amethyst, and the meat was stored in the storage amethyst.

That night, they took turns keeping watch and slept by the fire, wrapped in blankets. Greta and Tania, unable to sleep on the hard ground, fidgeted for a long time.

"Ugh, my body hurts everywhere."

Tania's voice echoed in the morning. Her voice woke Ricardo and the others, who also got up. Ricardo, who hadn't slept on the ground in a long time, had a sore back.

"I now realize how comfortable the container house was."

Patrick's words were echoed by the others, except for Monta, who tilted his head in confusion.

After breakfast, they headed towards the cliff where the cave was. They arrived by mid-morning and waited for the village chief to lower the rope ladder.

However, the village chief did not appear even after noon.

"He's late."

"Indeed, that village chief is suspicious."

Patrick and Tania said, looking up at the cave.

Greta looked worried.

"Could we not be able to return?"

Ricardo looked up at the cave, about twenty meters above.

"No, I think we can climb it."

Tania also looked up.

"How? I can't do it."

Greta also said it was impossible.

Ricardo and the others considered the possibility that the village chief was just late and decided to wait a bit longer. After waiting for two or three hours, the village chief still did not appear.

"The village chief isn't coming. How do we climb?"

There were a few ways to climb the cliff. They could ask Monta to climb a tall tree and fly to the cave, lowering a rope. This was possible for Monta, who had a storage amethyst, but the success rate would vary depending on the wind direction and the position of the tree.

Another way was to cut down a tree over twenty meters tall and use it as a ladder. Ricardo suggested the more reliable method.

"Cutting down a tree. The tall trees are only by the river."

"Should we go back?"

In response to Greta's question, Ricardo looked around at the nearby trees but found none that were tall enough.

"There's no choice. Let's go back."

Patrick said with a scowl.

"Tch, that village chief. I'll teach him a lesson when I see him."

Ricardo and the others started to head back the way they came.

When they returned to the river, Monta returned to Ricardo's shoulder from a tree.

"Over there, there are many scary demon trees."

He pointed with a small finger.

"Let's check it out."

Tania was the first to suggest checking.

"But it's dangerous."

Ricardo was hesitant, but Tania pleaded.

"To handle advanced spells, I think we need a second-grade magic rod. Please help me earn the funds for it."

Patrick also felt the same way and, after being pleaded with by the two, Ricardo agreed.

They pushed through the underbrush and headed in the direction Monta had indicated. They heard the sound of something fighting.

When they reached a visible position, Ricardo and the others discovered a battle between a group of demon trees Tamiel, a group of demon trees Elbir, and two shadow-chasing lizards. There were four demon trees Tamiel, three demon trees Elbir, and two shadow-chasing lizards. Moreover, the demon trees Tamiel were larger than usual and were special individuals called elders, known for their extra-large magic vines.

Ricardo thought that the four being elders might be due to the environment of this valley when a shock wave from the extra-large magic vine of a demon tree Tamiel hit a shadow-chasing lizard, killing it with the intense impact.

The battle then became one between the demon trees. The shock wave from the extra-large magic vine hit the trunk of a demon tree Elbir, causing the bark to fly off and dealing some damage, but it was not a decisive blow.

A demon tree Tamiel, struck by the powerful branch of a demon tree Elbir, was thrown to the ground. The battle between the demon trees, each about three to four meters long, was impressive.

Especially the impact sound when the demon tree Elbir's branch hit the demon tree Tamiel and the shock sound when it fell were incredibly powerful, and Ricardo and the others watched in awe.

When one of the demon trees Tamiel was struck in the tree liver and fell, the situation became overwhelmingly favorable for the demon trees Elbir.

When only one demon tree Tamiel remained standing, by chance, a shock wave from the extra-large magic vine hit the tree liver of a demon tree Elbir, causing it to ooze tree liver oil. The demon tree Elbir staggered and withdrew from the battle.

The remaining two demon trees Elbir fiercely attacked their enemies, quickly finishing them off.

Ricardo and the others simultaneously cast "Thunder Vortex Steel Bullet" at the remaining two demon trees Elbir. The attack was a complete surprise, and the Thunder Vortex Steel Bullet pierced the tree liver, dealing a fatal blow.

"What about the other Elbir?"

Ricardo asked, and Greta replied.

"It fell further ahead."

It seemed that the wounds inflicted by the demon tree Tamiel were fatal.

"Wow, we haven't hunted this many demon trees since the Death Op swarm."

"What are you talking about? We only hunted two demon trees Elbir."

Tania's rebuttal made Patrick, who had been celebrating, drop his shoulders.

Ricardo and the others cut the branches and extra-large magic vines from the demon trees and stored the bodies in the storage amethyst. Finally, Ricardo collected the corpses of the shadow-chasing lizards, and a question came to mind.

"Why didn't the shadow-chasing lizards escape to another dimension?"

Greta also tilted her head, and Tania and Patrick couldn't answer.

"Monta, I understand."

Ricardo and the others were surprised.

"Monta, can you tell us?"

Greta asked, and Monta, puffing out his chest, pointed to the roots of a nearby large tree. Ricardo examined the spot and found about twenty small eggs.

"Are these shadow-chasing lizard eggs?"

"I see, they were protecting the eggs."

"Good job, Monta."

Monta, praised, climbed onto Ricardo's body and hugged his neck, looking happy.

Ricardo collected the eggs. Tania, watching, asked.

"What are you going to do with those?"

"I thought I'd take them back and raise them."

Everyone except Greta looked bewildered, especially Tania.

"Next, after demon trees, shadow-chasing lizards?"

Ricardo smiled slyly.

"Raising demon trees is profitable, you know."

While Ricardo and the others were discussing the shadow-chasing lizard eggs, Raji pointed out that they didn't need to make a ladder.

"Right."

Ricardo and the others hurried to find a suitable tree and cut it down. By the time they had cut off the branches, it was dark, so they started preparing for camping.

The next morning, they dragged the tree they had cut down to the bottom of the cave. It was too long to fit in the storage amethyst.

They struggled to set the tree against the cliff, just reaching the cave. Monta was the first to start climbing and jumped into the cave. Next, Patrick, confident in his strength, climbed the tree and entered the cave.

Ricardo and the others pushed over the tree they no longer needed. Then, Patrick tied one end of the rope from Monta's storage amethyst to his body and lowered the other end to the bottom of the cliff.

Ricardo and the others grabbed the rope and climbed to the cave.

They left the cave and went outside.

"What do we do now?"

"Of course, we go to Fedor Village and confront the village chief."

Patrick was enthusiastic. Tania, watching calmly, asked.

"If the village chief intentionally led us to the Western Valley instead of the Eastern Valley, why?"

"Well... why?"

Ricardo had been thinking about the reason but couldn't think of any reason to