“Volcano Expedition”

"Boss, I've been waiting for you."

I targeted Hakuma and [Summoned] myself to the volcano. Although it was described as a volcano, the surroundings were a forest. The temperature was indeed high, but it didn't quite fit the image of a volcanic area.

Comparing the simplified map on social media and the maps from the Hiers Kingdom and Aural Kingdom, the latitude of this area would be slightly south of the Aural Capital.

"It's hot in this forest. Hakuma might not be used to it. [Summon]."

I called out to Kerry and the others, reassuring them. Hakuma smiled and shook his head.

The resistance to heat obtained when reincarnating into a Sköll seems quite high. The Sköll is a mythical creature said to chase the sun across the sky. It's likely due to not being suitable for heat.

A similar resistance was also obtained by Ginka after reincarnating into a Hati. So, in this game world, Hati may be interpreted as one who runs before the sun, not as one who chases the moon. Then it is possible that Maṇagarm exists separately as an entity that specifically chases the moon.

Usually, young people with few friends are knowledgeable about Norse mythology. Rare is no exception.

"Well then, shall we go? Though I'm not sure which way to go."

"Was Yoroizaka-san alright, Boss?"

"I was wondering what to do. I had Yoroizaka sitting on its haunches in the royal capital as the first form of the 'calamity'. Besides, I thought it wouldn't be a problem if you guys were here. I'm counting on you, Kerry."

Kerry nodded with a composed expression. However, her ears twitched, and her tail swayed. It's cute, but perhaps Rare's wings appear the same way to others. This is a clear case of learning from others' actions. Rare silently thanked Kerry.

"Boss, for now, the volcano is that way."

Ginka indicated the direction with her nose. All that can be seen are trees, but if Ginka says so, it must be true.

Ginka led the way, followed by Kerry and Riley. In the middle were Rare, then Remy and Marion, and at the rear was Hakuma.

However, in the forest, Ginka and Hakuma were too large. It's quite convenient that this formation can pass through the path. When thinking about it, there were traces of trees being knocked down. This means that, like the shallow layer of the Liebe Great Forest, Hakuma forcibly created a beast path. Since they have already leveled this path and are walking leisurely, there seems to be little need for caution in the surroundings.

"There were monsters attacking us. We not only defeated them but also found their leader's lair and killed them. There's the leader's den just ahead from that side path."

There is definitely a branch road that is rougher than the animal trail we are walking on now, and that looks like it has only been traveled a few times.

Ginka stopped and asked with the eyes what to do.

"…The original goal is to control the area around this volcano. If the monsters that Hakuma has already defeated are the bosses of this area, then the job is already done. However…"

"No, that's not the case. It was the undead that ate that one up. I'm sure it's a setup for the "Event", as they call it."

Is it safe to eat the undead? Well, it might have been a skeleton. Rare knows that dogs like to chew on bones. So, it might be a good idea to bring wolf-type creatures to Blanc's territory. Since Hakuma is an adult, it should be fine, but if you bring the little ones, they might use the Spartoi as toys.

"In that case, the new undead boss in this area and the original boss didn't clash. I wonder why."

A similar case would be the Teur Forest.

That forest also didn't have the Elder Camphor Treant and Sieg fighting each other. The reason might be the difference in their activity times or the incompatible nature of their conflict. This forest might have similar problems.

Or it could be that Hakuma found the undead before the boss of this territory, and when they came here, they died before clashing.

"Anyway, we won't know until we see. For now, we're heading towards the volcano. But is the original boss of this territory in the volcano?"

"We've been to the volcano, but we haven't gotten that close, so I don't know."

"Hakuma wanted to go, but I stopped him. Doing things recklessly might spoil the Boss' mood, so…"

I wouldn't get upset about something like that, but Ginka seemed to want praise, so I gently stroked her chin. Ideally, I would have liked to pat her head, but she's too large, requiring a stretch even to reach her chin.

However, if the boss isn't in the forest, it would be reasonable to assume they're in the volcano. Without changing our policy to head towards the volcano, the group resumed their journey.

Upon further thought, considering that there's always a boss in a monster's territory might be Rare's bias. As far as cases known to Rare, it's only the Liebe Great Forest and the Teur Forest. Both had two raid boss candidates, but those forests might be special cases.

Another example could be the Abuon Mercat Highlands, and the boss residing there is a vampire count. Going from what I've heard, it's probably on a different level. It must be a place that is normally inaccessible.

Maybe the adjustments to the initial spawn locations during the official service launch were influenced by Blanc's situation.

Eventually, the trees became sparse, and the volcano came into view. At this point, it was quite hot. Marion had been using magic to cool the surroundings, but without it, everyone would probably be drenched in sweat. Canines, not sweating much, regulate their body temperature by sticking out their tongues to breathe. Without heat resistance skills, both Hakuma and Ginka would likely be panting.

"Assuming there's a boss in the volcano…"

Just looking up at the mountain with only rocks.

"Where could it be…"

There doesn't seem to be any decent creature.

But there's no use standing here. Changing the formation to have Kerry and the others at the front, the group began to climb the volcano.

If it were a straight climb, it would be quick, but there were steep rocks, so they zigzagged, avoiding rocks and occasionally moving sideways, gradually ascending.

Although it's called climbing, thanks to their high stats, it's no different from walking on flat ground.

Normally, it might take several days to conquer such a mountain, but for Rare and the others, such time was unnecessary. In fact, if it were just Rare, flying would be enough, and there would be no need to walk.

Suddenly inspired, Rare checked the skills of Hakuma and Ginka.

When they were reincarnated before, there wasn't much time, and the main goal was to become stronger in the environment. Therefore, Rare didn't thoroughly check them.

But upon re-examining, there it was. A skill in the flying category.

Named [Sky Drive], it is precisely the skill that allows one to run through the sky. While [Flight] has no specific conditions after acquisition, allowing one to fly even with their wings folded, [Sky Drive] has the effect of being able to run through the sky, thus requiring legs to fly.

I wondered for a moment what the meaning of this was in separating them, but in other words, this would also have the effect of allowing one to stand on one's feet in the air. If Rare wanted to attack directly in the air, she would have to use [Flight] to generate speed and turn that momentum into attack power, or use her altitude to do so, or else she would not be able to do any real damage. If she were to strike normally, her body would spin around.

In the future, when you have your subordinates acquire flying skills, you will need to be very careful in this area. More and more other players will acquire such skills, and in terms of NPCs, there are already confirmed flying enemies called angels. Aerial combat is inevitable.

"Boss! This is amazing!"

"Getting used to stepping on nothing in the air might take some time, but this is a wonderful power!"

"I'm glad you like it."

Sköll and Hati are wolves said to run behind and in front of the sun. If they can't run through the sky, they wouldn't fit the legendary wolves. Thinking so, Rare promptly had them acquire the skill.

At first, it was intimidating, but whether it was the wild instinct or some kind of ability values, they quickly got used to it and began running through the air.

Since Rare can fly on her own, she decided to have Kerry and Riley in front of her, Hakuma with Remy and Marion in the back, and conduct aerial exploration.

Hati, said to run behind the sun, and Sköll, said to chase the sun. Whether Hakuma is consciously forming a formation with this in mind is unknown, but if so, it means Rare is being likened to the sun. A solar eclipse is said to occur when Sköll catches up with the sun and bites it. In other words.

"There are only rocks in the volcano. No moving creatures."

Interrupting the trivial thoughts with a report from the sharp-eyed Riley.

"Maybe it's a type of monster that can't be confirmed from above. There doesn't seem to be any flying monsters around here, so it doesn't seem necessary to camouflage against an aerial viewpoint, but…"

"Just to be sure, let's occasionally descend and explore. It's a hassle, but it should be faster than walking all the way."

T/N: Sky Drive can be interpreted as Sky Walk or Sky Dash