Kiruruk, Kek, Chwiet Questa

Calling the Great Forest a single forest is like saying humans, elves, and dwarves are all people. It's not wrong, but it's not accurate, and it's a meaningless statement.

The Great Forest's area surpasses that of a typical country, so it contains numerous hidden realms within.

Caves of unfathomable depth.

Lakes large enough to swallow mountains.

And mountain peaks where thunderstorms rage daily.

The Palamu Rainforest is one of these hidden realms within the Great Forest.

True to its name as a rainforest, it rains for more than half the year in this area.

It's extremely humid, making it unsuitable for human habitation.

Even elves avoid approaching it, reportedly tired of the oppressive climate.

The Medeira River crosses the Palamu Rainforest, and mangrove forests have developed along its banks.

The Palamu Rainforest, with its particularly high biodiversity even within the Great Forest, which is already a treasure trove of life, is not suitable for intelligent beings to live in.

Nevertheless, there are stories of a civilization existing there.

The goblins that were once eradicated by the kingdom.

Now that the goblins, once considered a nuisance in the mountains, have almost disappeared, there have been occasional sightings of numerous goblins settling in the Palamu basin.

Some even claim they've formed a civilization.

However, this author is convinced that such claims are delusions of paranoid individuals.

Some scholars occasionally argue that goblins should be classified as "people."

But can that primitive race be considered on par with us humans or fairies?

Academically, it would be correct to classify goblins, who eat insects and even evolve, as intelligent monsters.

They may have formed a few colonies in the Palamu basin, but that cannot be called a civilization.

To list the characteristics that distinguish these "monster" goblins from people...

「Excerpt from "The Wise Parvian's Mysterious and Fascinating Monster Encyclopedia: Great Forest Edition, Palamu Rainforest"」

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[Venom Pangolin lv16]

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A pangolin refers to a mammal covered in large, hard scales all over its body.

And the monster 'Venom Pangolin' can be described as a very dangerous version of that animal.

Originally the animal with the hardest carapace among mammals, this one's glossy scales are particularly tough.

They're strong enough to easily deflect arrows, making them impenetrable to animal teeth.

Moreover, as the modifier 'Venom' suggests, its saliva is a potent poison.

Excellent defensive capabilities and equally impressive offensive power.

Though smaller than a human, it acts as a predator even here in the Palamu Rainforest.

The Venom Pangolin had just succeeded in hunting.

A monkey was under its claws.

The Venom Pangolin tore at the monkey's arm with its sharp teeth.

Crunch, crunch.

Its powerful jaws even chewed through bones.

The brutal sound echoed through the forest.

At that moment, a splash of water fell on the head of the pangolin as it was feeding.

Splash!

The pangolin startled and convulsed.

What was this sudden shower from a clear sky?

Naturally, the pangolin looked up.

Due to its body structure, it had to stand up abruptly to look up.

Chirp, chirp.

There was nothing there.

Only the sound of insects could be heard.

Just as the pangolin's raised scales were settling down and it was about to resume its meal, something cold and smooth wrapped around its body.

Yes, that smooth thing is me.

I had stealthily approached and instantly coiled around the standing pangolin's body.

Now my body is as thick as an adult's forearm, and probably over 2m long.

I was able to coil around the pangolin's body.

Wrapping around its legs from the inside, passing by its sides, and burrowing into its armpits.

In an instant, I coiled up to its neck.

I used acceleration here too, so it happened in the blink of an eye.

And then, the constriction.

「Using Constriction lv2.」

This isn't just mimicking constriction, but a proper skill. I just acquired it.

In fact, a snake's combat method isn't just about venomous fangs.

The reason I hadn't used the constriction method until now was because I was too small and weak.

Now that I've evolved into a robust python, I can constrict monsters like this pangolin.

No, I can do more than just constrict.

Crackle-

A gruesome sound rang out as the pangolin's scales twisted.

I wonder if I'm much stronger now than in my previous life, even though I probably weighed much more then.

My venomous fangs couldn't pierce the pangolin's scales.

And constriction was the best option rather than wielding a sword and performing dangerous sword dances.

I constricted its neck.

The Venom Pangolin had sharp claws, but its legs were short and its joints weren't well-developed.

It struggled to scratch my body, but only managed to inflict a few minor scratches.

It's tougher than I thought.

I put more strength into my body.

Actually, this was my second attempt at hunting a pangolin.

The first time, I approached clumsily and almost got killed when it bit me.

It's fortunate that I have high poison resistance.

Kuung!

I almost lost my grip.

It had body-slammed into a tree.

If I let go, it's over.

I exerted superhuman concentration.

I used earth magic to grab the legs of the creature as it tried to ram into the tree again.

It fell flat on its face.

Ugh.

That impact hurt just the same.

I constricted even more as it struggled to get up again.

Crackle!

The pangolin's hard scales dug into my much tougher skin.

Wounds opened and blood started to flow.

But I can't stop now.

"Guik, gwek."

The pangolin, its throat constricted, couldn't even roar.

That was its death rattle.

Crack!

A satisfying sound came from the pangolin's neck bones.

My victory!

「You have killed the Venom Pangolin.」

「Level up!」

Ah, that voice always sounds good, no matter when I hear it.

I hadn't heard this sound for a long time before evolving into a python.

And after completing the evolution, I couldn't gain experience from weak monsters as much as I had become stronger.

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[White Double Horn Python lv3]

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My level has already reached 3.

This was the result of a week spent with Pelerian.

Well, in fact, Pelerian didn't help at all with leveling up.

That's because, whether he was a reversal magician or whatever, he couldn't use a single spell.

When I asked how he had used emergency escape and brainwashing magic, he said it was the last of his magical power.

All he could do was float around like a fairy in a ring, chattering away.

While I was struggling to catch the Venom Pangolin, what was Pelerian doing?

He just sat on a nearby rock and watched my hunt from the front row.

He's invisible to monsters, you see.

I sternly scolded the leisurely Pelerian.

'Teacher, isn't this enough to pass?'

"Pass? Paass?"

Teacher Pelerian snorted.

"Can that be considered an application of magic?"

'No, I used elemental water magic to divert the enemy's attention and ambushed it in the meantime. Isn't this an application of magic?'

It really was.

The combination of magic and physical attacks flowed like water.

I could claim to be a magic swordsman if I just had a sword.

But it seems it's not enough in Pelerian's eyes.

"You can still only make a trickle of water fall with water magic? It would have been better to throw a stone to attract attention. It's painfully slow."

'...What are you saying? My magical talent should be excellent.'

Pelerian's words irritated me.

"Talent? Puhah."

He laughed freely.

"Let me declare this. Your magical talent is terrible!"

'...'

He must be lying.

As expected of a fairy supremacist traitor who was trying to backstab me.

...Come to think of it, didn't he swear to answer all my questions honestly?

It must be one of two things. Either he broke his oath, or my talent really is poor.

Since the latter is impossible, I pondered what kind of animal dung I should turn Pelerian into this time.

"Anyway, you've now learned all the basic magic of the four elements. We can move on to the next step."

'Next?'

It was a moment when Pelerian's lifespan was slightly extended.

He's already in a soul state, so he's as good as a dead fairy anyway.

"You said you wanted to use a sword, right?"

'That's right.'

"From what I saw last time when you wrapped your tail around it and held it in your mouth to dance with the sword, it was quite terrible. It wasn't swordsmanship, it just looked like a mad snake."

That mad snake killed your chimera, though.

"To use a sword, you need hands."

'Is it magic that makes arms grow?'

"That would be quite a hideous sight. That's not bad either, but this is magic called 'Invisible Hands'."

The name was extremely intuitive.

"At first, you might only be able to lift small fruits, but as your level increases, you might be able to hold and wield a sword."

Snakes don't have arms or legs.

In that regard, having hands would be an enormous help.

Finally, I'm learning proper magic.

"Now, there's a separate reason why we learned the four elemental magics in advance. It's because the four elements are the basic components that make up this world."

Pelerian explained in detail how to implement invisible hands.

"Do you remember the definition of magic?"

'Reproduction of phenomena.'

"Yes, that's why the simpler and less intuitive it is, the more basic the magic is. The reason we developed magic to create invisible hands rather than telekinesis is because of that. It's easier to imagine invisible hands than to move objects with an invisible force."

It was a problem that he couldn't demonstrate directly, but Pelerian's teaching ability was better than expected.

He seems to have taught a few times before. Has he raised disciples?

I was able to try the Invisible Hand magic in various ways.

Honestly, I didn't seem to have an enormous talent for magic.

I kept failing.

It seemed that having a potential of 20 wasn't directly linked to the talent for learning things.

'Enough. I'll stop here.'

"Giving up already?"

'I'm out of magical power.'

"Hmm, your magical capacity itself is certainly small. It's probably because you evolved twice in too short a period."

That's how Pelerian assessed it.

That old man was extremely impressed by the fact that I evolved twice in just over a month.

But the problem was my magic container.

Although I could use basic elemental magic several times, it wasn't enough to use larger skills.

Billy's Horn or Leaping Horn would deplete my magic after just one or two uses.

The 'Heavenly Thunder Spirit' skill was especially problematic.

That skill I borrowed from Gunter consumed an enormous amount of magic even though it was marked as level 0.

I fainted right away without even being able to use the skill.

It's obvious what would happen if this occurred during an actual battle with a monster.

"There are four ways to increase magic capacity."

Pelerian repeated the explanation he had already given.

"Evolving." "Hunting numerous monsters to imbue yourself with magical nature." "Eating things like magic stones, inner dan, or elixirs." "And, wearing magical tools that increase magical power."

The first and second methods take time, no matter what.

The process of evolving into a python was also very difficult.

In the end, there were the third and fourth methods, and right beside me was a treasure goblin-like existence.

"If we can just find dungeon 123... we could increase your magic."

Pelerian's dungeon 123

That's the destination I'm aiming for here in the Palamu Rainforest.

Pelerian's dungeon is hidden somewhere here in the Palamu Rainforest.

Moreover, it wasn't an abomination facility like a chimera factory.

"Since it was a place where I researched magic stones, there should be several high-grade magic stones left. I treated them so they wouldn't naturally decompose."

Ever since I ate the inner dan, my eyes go crazy whenever I see something good for my body.

"I'll give them to you, but keep your promise. You need to transmit my research data to my main body."

'If you don't harm me.'

"I swore, didn't I? You're taking a magician's oath lightly. I explained the principle to you."

Pelerian got annoyed.

They say people get more irritable as they age.

Indeed, it would be difficult for Pelerian to harm me or set a trap.

Unless he's thinking of committing suicide with me, he probably can't break his oath.

'No, so why can't you find the way?'

"Hmm... This way should be right."

'That's the third time you've said that.'

The problem was that Pelerian couldn't find the way at all.

He made excuses that he wasn't used to finding his way because he originally flew around and used teleportation.

"Just need to find the river, the Medeira River."

We still hadn't found that damn river.

For now, we headed north.

It would be nice if we could find the river this time.

But what we encountered this time wasn't the river either.

The next day, when the pangolin had been digested and I was starting to feel hungry again.

I encountered a goblin being eaten alive by a pelican.

==

Pelerian and the snake were watching secretly.

'Wow, that's intense.'

Pelerian glanced at the snake who was making frivolous exclamations.

It was indeed an astonishing sight.

A giant pelican trying to swallow a goblin.

'Doesn't it choke?'

Isn't the snake itself the typical monster that swallows its prey alive?

This guy often acted as if he didn't know he was a snake.

"Stupid fool."

'You mean that goblin?'

Although he had snapped at the snake that it had no talent for magic, that wasn't actually true.

The snake's magical talent was terrifying.

Not in its speed of acquisition, but in that its aptitude seemed to have no limits.

Magicians who can handle all four elements are actually very rare.

There are usually differences in learning speed, but this snake learned them all at the same pace.

How is that possible?

Nevertheless, the reason he snapped that it had no magical talent was simple.

He didn't like seeing it get cocky.

He didn't break his oath. He had promised to answer honestly to the questions it asked.

Exceptions were made for things he said first.

He was worried that he might run out of tricks and look foolish to that snake.

At that moment, the goblin screamed something.

"Kiruruk, kek, chwiet questa. Tingit kit!"

It was a parade of affricates and plosives.

Looking to the side, the snake had a puzzled expression.

Right, of course it wouldn't understand.

Goblin languages differ by region and have unique pronunciations, so almost no one understands them.

But Pelerian, who had mastered all kinds of monsters, knew the meaning.

"Shall I interpret for you?"

'Huh?'

"It's saying, 'Oh god of the river, please save me. My mother is waiting!'"

The snake's expression became strange.

Pelerian felt smug.

Be amazed, snake.

But the snake said something impertinent.

'What are you talking about? That's not what it means.'

"What did you say?"

'It's saying, "I have to return to the river! Let me go! Sister, help me!" That's what it's saying.'

How dare it act as if it understands goblin speech.

Ridiculous.

Pelerian frowned deeply.