WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: HidingTurtle

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◈ I Became the Ophidian of the Apocalypse ◈

Chapter 16: Pfft, Rumble Rumble

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016.

Iris Selena.

That was the elf's name.

The Selena surname belonged to a prestigious elven family. Even though the entire elven race was now racing toward extinction, many would still recognize the name Iris Selena.

By human standards, she would have been a noble, but Iris lived far from luxury.

She was an ascetic of the Great Forest.

She lived alone, far from the World Tree, the homeland of all elves. Every day, she trained with her sword and honed her skill with a bow.

If not for the news that traces of Pelerian had been found, she would never have returned this far.

Iris kept running.

Ever since she had heard Pelerian's name, her left eye had been throbbing. Yet the pain in her eye was nothing compared to the hole in her heart.

She had once had a younger sister.

A sister who had been sacrificed to that mage while she was still far too young.

Iris came to an abrupt stop as she raced toward the World Tree.

The deeper one went into the Great Forest, the closer one came to the World Tree, the more enormous the trees became. Every tree where she stood now rose over a hundred meters high.

Within the dim shade cast by all that life, she sensed bloodlust.

Iris swung her sword.

Titing!

Sparks burst repeatedly in the air before her.

Something had flown at her, and she had struck it away with her sword. The entire exchange was so fast that the only visible thing was the spray of sparks.

Iris identified her attackers.

They were a flock of parrots.

Spiky, thorn-like protrusions grew in place of feathers, making it clear that they were dangerous monsters.

They were Thornbone Parrots, extremely dangerous creatures that traveled in flocks. A brightly colored one beat its wings and charged at her.

To Iris's surprise, several spikes shot from it.

Rather than dodge, Iris rushed forward.

There were five Thornbone Parrots in total. Even high-ranking monsters avoided groups that size.

The parrots cawed as they lunged at Iris. The thorn-feathers they scattered were coated in paralytic venom, making them deadly.

Then the Broadsword forged with elven techniques carved a trail of light.

Spikes flew aside. Sparks burst again and again.

At last, the blade passed through the Thornbone Parrots.

It looked as though Iris had simply walked through the flock.

The result, however, was dramatic.

Thududud!

The parrots fell in dozens of pieces before their blood could even burst forth.

There had not even been the sound of cutting.

The two parrots behind the others were startled and fled. Normally, Iris would have pursued them and wiped them out, but she simply shook the blood from her blade.

Hundred Flash.

It was one of Iris's many unique skills, a supreme sword technique that tore an opponent to pieces in an instant.

“Monsters have come this close to the World Tree...”

The elven city lay just ahead.

Normally, monsters would never dare roam here. This was proof of decline. Even monsters on the level of Thornbone Parrots no longer feared the elves.

“...”

Iris clicked her tongue and began running again.

A city stood in the central region of the Great Forest, where the World Tree could be seen. Iris did not come here often, but she knew where she needed to go.

The elder's residence.

It was a temple-like home, cleanly built of white stone. The elder was there when she entered.

Though nearly a thousand years old, the elder was not wrinkled like an elderly human. Still, their color seemed strangely faded, making them look like a plant.

“You've come, Iris.”

“Have you found Pelerian?”

The question came out immediately.

The elder gave a bitter smile. It was the question they had expected.

“No. This time as well, we only caught a signal from one of the dungeons he built across the land.”

A crystal ball-like object sat before the elder.

It was one of Pelerian's inventions, an object that vile mage had left behind before being banished. It was now being used to find traces of Pelerian.

“...There is still a chance he might be there.”

“Yes, there is a chance.”

They had gone through similar situations several times already.

Pelerian had built his dungeons throughout the continent, where he seemed to have conducted all manner of suspicious research. The research data appeared to be transmitted to wherever he was hiding, and whenever that happened, the crystal ball here received a signal as well.

“Will you go investigate?”

“I will.”

Whenever a signal was caught, Iris volunteered to visit the relevant location.

Unfortunately, she had never encountered Pelerian himself even once.

“Very well. I grant you the authority of an investigator.”

The elder handed Iris a brooch. It was crafted from gold in the shape of a World Tree leaf.

“Iris Selena, from this moment on, you are Elvenwood's envoy and a formally appointed Golden Leaf Investigator. Do not forget the dignity of the elves. I trust you know the rest well enough.”

“Yes.”

This was not the first time, so the elder skipped the minor formalities. Iris fastened the brooch over her chest as if used to it.

“When do you plan to leave?”

“Now.”

With that, Iris leaped out the door.

The elder's residence had been built halfway up a tall tree, but the elder did not worry about Iris. They sighed and muttered.

“That girl is in quite a hurry.”

It would be nice if she could cast away the hatred piled within her heart.

Humans eventually met death, so their hatred lasted only decades at most. Elven hatred, however, tended to endure for centuries.

Hatred that had aged for hundreds of years eventually became something beyond hatred.

The elder sank into thought for a moment.

‘Why only now?’

The newly found dungeon was located on the outskirts of the Great Forest.

It had been over twenty years since Pelerian's last dungeon was discovered. Before then, they had rooted out every dungeon within the Great Forest and burned them all.

Yet a dungeon had remained until now.

‘Did he hide it because it was especially important?’

The thought crossed the elder's mind.

Still, there was no use dwelling on it.

None other than Iris Selena had set out.

Whatever Pelerian had left behind, she would burn it all cleanly away.

* * *

The day an elf wearing a golden brooch set out.

The previous evening.

A dinner gathering had been prepared at Greylim's lord's castle.

The lord's face was red, perhaps because he had already had a fair amount to drink. He rose with a pleased expression and tapped his glass with a silver spoon.

Ting, ting.

When everyone's attention turned toward him, the lord spoke happily.

“To Knight Zain.”

The lord raised his glass.

Everyone at the table raised their glasses of wine as well. Even Rania, the lord's daughter, held up a glass of orange juice.

“And to the hero Gunter.”

Everyone drank their wine.

The guests chatted cheerfully.

The Greylim Territory had not developed much because it bordered the Great Forest so closely. Still, compared to territories adjoining one of the continent's five great danger zones, it was a pleasant place to live.

At the Mountain Range, wyvern flocks ran rampant. On the Grasslands, orc tribes emerged to raid.

Yet monsters rarely came out of the Forest.

Of course, many powerful Named Monsters lived there, but that did not matter as long as one did not venture deep into the woods. The lord only had to investigate when a problem arose from time to time.

“This time, you have truly been a great help. To subjugate a Medusa Serpent so easily...”

That had been the case when the Medusa Serpent appeared recently.

The territories bordering the other danger zones were ruled by marquises, who maintained their own armies. The Greylim Territory was different, which was why the hero Gunter had come from the capital to assist them.

“What did we do? It was all Lord Gunter's accomplishment.”

Knight Zain spoke modestly. It was also the truth.

After drinking a glass of wine, Zain's face had turned bright red.

“Haha, how modest.”

The lord patted Zain's shoulder. He seemed to like the young and somewhat naïve knight.

“When will Lord Gunter return?”

“Ah, that... I don't know exactly either.”

Zain looked troubled by the lord's question.

Gunter had left his attendants, including Zain, behind here. He had only said that he had something to take care of for a while.

Gunter often acted that way.

“He will probably return soon.”

“Good. I hope he stays a little longer this time.”

The lord seemed pleasantly drunk.

When people drank, they often spoke of things they normally would not.

“What do you think of the Greylim Territory?”

“I think it is a good place. It is safer than I expected.”

“Yes, it is a good place... But you see.”

The lord paused.

“The kingdom underestimates the Great Forest too much.”

“...”

“There is a saying passed down in my family for generations. Do you know what it is?”

“What is it?”

“Fear the forest.”

“Ah.”

“The Great Forest is deep. It has more monsters than any other danger zone. There must be many we know by name, and many whose names we do not know.”

“That is true.”

“Our ancestors warned us. They said that the Monster of the Apocalypse would one day be born from the Great Forest.”

The lord spoke as if explaining a terrifying old tale.

Zain listened with the most serious expression he could manage.

This was not the first time he had heard such stories. Everyone who lived near a danger zone feared monsters.

The Monster of the Apocalypse, said to devour every other monster and eventually destroy the world, was a story spread not only in Greylim but across the entire continent.

“...You don't believe it. I can see it on your face.”

“No! The Great Forest is also the danger zone Lord Gunter is most wary of.”

“Hahaha. Enough, enough. I have spoiled the mood on such a happy day with this talk. More importantly...”

Flustered, Zain waited for the lord to continue.

For some reason, the lord did not speak again.

Had he offended him?

Just as Zain raised his head to apologize once more...

“...That.”

The lord was not looking at Zain.

He was staring blankly out the window.

Beyond the balcony lay the territory, and beyond it stretched the Great Forest.

“Th-that's...”

Someone let out a gasp.

Blue light was rising from the Great Forest.

The thin line stood out clearly against the night sky.

“...An anomaly has been observed.”

The lord's face went pale.

As though the alcohol had instantly left his system, he muttered with a grave expression.

“Investigating strange phenomena observed in a danger zone is mandatory.”

Everyone rushed to the window and looked toward the source of the light.

“It looks like it's beyond Lion's Mane Forest. Damn it, where is Oliver?”

Oliver was Greylim's finest hunter and an expert on the Great Forest, trusted even by the lord.

The butler awkwardly informed him that Oliver was not in the territory.

“Call the guard captain for now, and... Hmm.”

Zain raised a hand.

“I will join the investigation party.”

“Will you? That would be appreciated.”

As Gunter's attendant knight, it was also Zain's duty to investigate danger zones.

The lord watched the fading light and muttered.

“It's ominous. Very ominous...”

You're making it even more ominous.

Zain thought so, but did not show it.

* * *

And in the basin.

The day after I escaped Pelerian's dungeon.

I began hunting in earnest.

An alligator covered head to toe in rotten-smelling water plants was crawling out of the swamp.

──────────────

【Swamp Alligator Lv. 16】

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That guy was strong.

He seemed to be around the same level as the Cockatrice.

A small and adorable snake like me could never face him head-on.

That was probably why he underestimated me and crawled out of the swamp.

The sharp, slit pupils unique to reptiles were fixed on me.

Sorry, but I'm a reptile too, so I wasn't scared.

When I stayed still, he began creeping closer.

He looked slow as he waddled along, but only an idiot underestimated a monster.

Sure enough.

He opened his jaws wide and accelerated.

He was faster than when I used Leap.

But I could use magic now.

And Magic Snakes were invincible.

*「You use Elementary Elemental Magic: Earth Lv. 3.」

My earth magic had already leveled up.

All it could do was raise walls of earth from bare ground, but it was effective if used well.

An earthen wall shot up beneath the charging alligator's jaw.

Sir Newton's law of inertia applied even here.

The alligator was incredibly fast, and something running that fast got uppercut by the earthen wall.

Thwack!

The alligator spun once in midair like an action car doing a stunt and flipped over.

Its white belly was exposed.

Into that soft belly skin, I planted a pfft, no, Poison Fang Lv. 8.

As I steadily pumped venom into it, the thing thrashed like mad.

Rumble rumble! Peekaboo.

Every time it tried to roll over, I stopped it with earth magic.

Before long, it kicked the bucket.

Hehe, easy.

Too easy.

That was right.

I had gotten stronger.

Bwahaha.

Footnotes:

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