Dispel (1)

I'm perched high up on an elevated area. It's probably one of the highest points you can find on a mountain.

I'm atop a tree, a beautiful Arum tree that pierces through the fog. Sitting on one of its branches, I'm observing the harsh terrain with my SZX-9500.

"...It was mushrooms."

The most prominent element here is 'mushrooms'.

Mushrooms were abundant in various parts of this fog mountain. They formed clusters in all sorts of places: between tree roots, under vines, in the shade of rock formations, on the slopes of cliffs.

\[◆ Mushrooms

The terrain is rugged, the trees grow tall casting deep shadows. The air is dense with mana, which easily accumulates underground, and a consistently cool temperature is maintained. These are optimal conditions for fungi to thrive....\]

The term 'spirit' refers to the human soul, but it's not exclusive to humans. Animals have it, plants have it, even fungi have it.

The dense mana made these spirits' wills more distinct.

[Therefore, this fog is not a phenomenon composed of moisture. It's a product of mana mixed with spores exuded by the spirit-infused mushrooms.]

Mushrooms are fascinating creatures. They seem like independent entities, but a 'mycelium' connects all mushrooms in the ground. Countless fungi operate with a single will.

The source is the Explorer's Dictionary, noted in my 「Notepad」.

[◆ Ecosystem

The ecosystem appears diverse at first glance. Monkeys, wild boars, tigers, bears, deer, squirrels, as well as monsters like hellflies, fire lizards, and golems have been observed...]

The ecosystem of the fog mountain 'appears' like a typical food chain.

In reality, it's not.

[However, all the beasts and monsters of the fog mountain feed on mushrooms.]

In this place, only 'mushrooms' form the basis of life. All the numerous beasts and monsters on the surface eat only mushrooms, and plants live off the nutrients from the mycelium. As a result, there is no carnivory or herbivory, predation or prey.

Ooo-! Oooe-!

Just then, monkeys from a tree on the opposite side pointed at me.

Seemingly intrigued by my presence at the top of the tree, they looked my way and waved their hands oddly.

Anyway, all of them, including those monkeys, eat mushrooms. Regardless of being carnivorous or herbivorous, predator or prey, they all consume only mushrooms.

[They might already be infected by the mushroom spores.]

Infection. It's a grand word, but it doesn't mean that the mountain's fungi control all the flora and fauna like zombies. The very situation of carnivorous animals eating mushrooms as their main food can be said to be due to infection.

[Bears ignore fish jumping in the river, and tigers don't even notice deer. It's an unnatural phenomenon. The entire ecosystem might be addicted to mushrooms, possibly intensifying the animals' aggression.]

That's it for now.

I put the report into my duffle bag. I muttered as I looked at the ground.

"...It's about to break."

Fungi accustomed to the ultra-high concentration of mana reaching 9,000ppm cannot survive in any other mana concentration.

The dispelling that will occur at 7 PM will completely collapse this ecosystem.

Then, all the beasts and monsters freed from the mountain's 'mushrooms' will likely run amok.

Oooe-!

Suddenly, a monkey came near me. It was a baby monkey.

"What the hell."

Oooe- Oooe-!

It was quite cute, waving its arms around with a mushroom in one hand. It looked cute too.

Ooo- Oooe-

The little one pointed at my chest with its finger.

"What is it?"

I also looked in that direction.

"...Huh?"

Something flickered very faintly.

It was a thread of magic power. Attached near the collarbone, it seemed to be connected to somewhere far away.

"That guy."

I immediately thought of Kielli. That bastard's Spectrum was probably the thread.

"Aren't you talented?"

I gave the monkey a thumbs up.

I can see it because I'm an 「SZX-9500」, but what about this guy? A monkey version of Gerkhen Kal Doon?

Ooh- ooh-ooh-

The baby monkey laughed innocently. I ripped the thread from my body. I was about to burn it, but suddenly the little guy reached out his hand.

Ooh- ooh-ooh-

It was a gesture asking for it. Seems like a curious little fellow.

"Alright. Thanks."

I handed the thin thread to the little guy. He smiled brightly and handed me a mushroom.

"Why are you so smart?"

Perhaps because it lives in a place with a high concentration of mana, it's much smarter than an ordinary monkey.

Boom——!

At that moment, the tree trunk shook violently.

"Ah shit, what now."

I looked at the ground.

—Hey. Just destroy everything for now. Let's see what's there.

—Okey-dokey.

—Are we setting a fire? If it's damp, it won't catch well.

—Wait and see. Let's cut down some trees first.

It was another exploration team. They weren't the guys I saw at Endex. Looking closely at their uniforms, they seemed to be from Ritten.

They were wreaking havoc, hitting here and there in the forest and setting fires.

"...They were raised well."

Ooh-! Ooh-! Ooh-ooh-!

Thanks to them, the monkeys living here faced a disaster. A mother monkey swooped down and snatched the baby monkey next to me. Then, very skillfully, she began to evacuate by climbing the tree branches.

"Oh...."

I watched them with a slightly dazed expression.

Using their long arms and legs to grip the branches, they leaped up with the momentum of a swing to reach the branches on the opposite side. There wan't a hint of hesitation or gap in their movements. They twisted their flexible bodies greatly, even making leaps that seemed impossible to humans.

It was an amazingly smooth and natural skill. A movement they've had since birth, ingrained in their instincts, honed in their bodies, and imprinted in their genes.

Watching them, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

Maybe I could learn it too.

Observe and Memorize it.

Fortunately, my arms are long. They're quite long compared to my height.

A natural-born warrior, as my old master praised.

Creak——!

The leaning tree. I closed my eyes for a moment on top of it. I recalled the movements of the monkey I had just seen in my mind. I replayed the 'Memory' that seemed to fly through the bushes.

I loaded it.

"...Hup!"

I jumped off the tree branch.

Thud-! I planted my feet on the surface of the opposite tree. In that state, I stretched out my arm and grabbed the branch. I pulled my body up and jumped to grab the branch on the other side.

However, I shouldn't move too forcefully. The key is a movement that doesn't 'overload the weight'. Twisting the muscles and joints of the whole body flexibly to go from one tree to another, from another tree to yet another, flowing naturally like water...

As I was engrossed in tree climbing, I looked back. I had already crossed dozens of trees.

"It's working."

Today, I learned from the beasts.

"Hey. The magic formula is complete. Shall we light the fire?"

"Just wait a bit. I want to take some pictures."

But the people of the surface lack consideration in their actions. They have no manners. No thought. They seem like brats who have been raised without discipline.

I tore off a reasonably thin branch. I roughly sharpened it with a knife. I held it between three fingers and threw it as is.

Screeeech—!

It flew with a piercing sound and stuck in some brat's shoulder.

"Aaaah!"

The guy screamed, clutching his shoulder.

"Shit, fuck! Hey, I'm under attack! Help!"

"Where are you?"

"Here, you idiot!"

"No, where's the enemy?"

"Right here."

I threw another one.

Screeeech—!

This time, I deliberately stuck it in the ground.

"Ah, fuck! Hey, there must be a goblin! This must be a poison dart, it fucking hurts!"

"Idiot, I knew this would happen. Let's get out of here..."

They ran away in a hurry. They were more beast-like than the beasts themselves.

Wooee-!

Then the baby monkey from before appeared again. I gave him a thumbs up.

"I avenged you."

Wooee-! Wookeekee-!

He bared his teeth in a smile and soon ran off to a distant place with his family.

______________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, Kielli had sufficiently explored Fog Mountain. He took pictures of the peculiar vegetation he saw at the foot of the mountain with the camera he had brought, took pictures of beasts like bears and tigers, monsters like moss golems and fire lizards, and even took commemorative photos with other magic high students he happened to meet.

"Shall we go find it now~"

Around 3 PM, he stretched and prepared.

It's not that it's not, but the thread is tense. It means that Shion Ascal is running around frantically.

"That bastard. He seems to be working hard."

At this rate, there might be an unexpected harvest.

Do you know? The guy who analyzes is a decent guy, so he might have written a good report.

"Thank you. I'll go get it~"

Kielli ran down the mountain trail with a bright smile.

The direction was north, where the thread led.

...30 minutes later

Midway up the Fog Mountain. Among the dense trees, Kielli fanned himself and sighed.

"Where the hell is this bastard trying to go?"

It feels like I've been running at full speed for 30 minutes, but it's only getting further away.

Well, if you're last, you should at least try hard… He's an overly passionate guy.

I don't know what he'll achieve by working hard.

"He's gone really deep."

Not just deep, but really deep. Is he trying to reach the mountain peak or what?

I should have waited for him to come down and then caught him.

No, then I can't steal the report and pretend it's mine. I need time to plagiarize.

Right now, Soliette's favorability score is more important than grades.

"Sigh... You're screwed if you get caught."

Kielli moved his legs again.

...90 minutes later

"Heh, heh, heh."

Kielli is panting, hands on his knees.

I don't know how many minutes I've been running, or how far I've come. There's no way to know.

Without a break, I crossed four rivers, climbed up a mountain slope that was nearly 90 degrees, and even leaped over a cliff-like path.

"Ah, okay. Okay. I admit, he's got stamina."

I mumbled, wiping my sweat.

Even a worm squirms. This half-wit has one thing going for him: his stamina. The fact that he ventured this deep is somewhat appealing.

He must have written a good report. He must have been able to write a good one, that's why he came this far.

"If the content is shit, I swear I'll kill him."

Wiiing-

At that moment, his paper cup vibrated.

"Huh. Why?"

—Kielli, we're gathered now, where are you?

Kielli looked at his wristwatch. It was 4 PM. There were still 8 hours left until the deadline.

"I'm investigating right now. Is Soliette there too?"

—No. We're just resting, gathered together.

"...Call me when she comes."

He ended the call.

"Damn, they're so annoying, useless bastards."

If they're not Soliette, they're meaningless.

Kielli raised his finger. The thread was still taut. It meant the distance between them hadn't decreased.

"Is he riding a tree or what? Ah."

Grumbling, Kielli ran towards that place.

...180 minutes later.

"...."

Kielli was lying down. Somewhere on the mountain ground, he was sprawled out, staring up at the sky.

Thanks to the fog clearing up a bit, the moon was visible. Stars were scattered chaotically.

The view is nice.

Chijijik-

The paper cup vibrated just then. Kielli placed it on his forehead.

He didn't even have the energy to put it to his ear.

—Kielli. Are you listening?

"...Yeah. What."

He didn't even have the energy to speak.

He didn't care anymore that he couldn't find that guy, or that he couldn't catch him.

He was just fucking pissed.

—When are you coming?

"I'm about to go now."

He was exhausted. After practically sprinting while climbing for 3 hours, his energy was completely drained.

—Where are you?

Kielli propped up his upper body.

"...Exactly."

He didn't even know where he was.

He seemed to have ventured deep into the mountain. He was surrounded by trees on all sides, there was a cave not far away, a cliff, and beyond the cliff was obscured by fog.

"Where am I?"

—Huh? Anyway, hurry up. Shion Ascal is here.

"...What?"

At first, he thought he had misheard.

—The guy who cheated is here.

"What the hell are you talking about."

How could Shion Ascal be there? He had been chasing him all this time and had come this far.

"How could that bastard be there-"

Kielli raised his finger. The blue line connected to Shion Ascal. It had stretched out, indicating that he was nearby.

"!"

Kielli's eyes widened as he followed the thread. It led to a tree not far away, no, right in front of his nose.

A look of joy spread across Kielli's face.

"You're done for...?"

Wooe- wooe- kiki-!

A baby monkey appeared where the thread touched. The creature seemed to be mocking him, pointing at him.

Kielli stared blankly at the monkey's hand.

Wooe-!

There was a thread there.

"...This fucking crazy bastard!"

He yelled out in anger. The baby monkey trembled.

"Fuck, come here. I'll make monkey soup out of you!"

The creature looked somewhere with frightened eyes.

"I'll eat your brain!"

Kiki-! It cried out, quickly let go of the thread, and ran away.

"That crazy monkey bastard...?"

Kielli closed his mouth a little late.

Sssss——

There was a chilling sensation creeping up from behind him.

His heart pounded. His spine felt cold. A stiff chill ran up the back of his neck.

"...."

As he slowly turned around, a grotesque figure took shape in his eyes.

"...gulp-"

Swallowing, he lifted the paper cup with trembling hands. But his voice wouldn't come out, as if he had swallowed sand.

"Guys, guys."

—What?

"That...."

There was darkness on the other side. Barely taking the form of a human, but not looking human at all.... A monster.

"Save me-"

Rustle——!

The moment he tried to speak, the creature charged.

"Ah, ahhhh!"

A scream echoed, and Kielli's thread was cut off.