Awaiting Us at the Western Forest was…
"Walking on a spider's web is something you don't do every day.”
"Of course not. Normally, you'd get caught in a spider's web, not leisurely stroll on top of it,"
"Indeed. Stay vigilant. An Ice Wolf might break through this web and jump out at any moment."
Before we reached the Western Forest, Talat had been defeating the Ice Woves as they appeared.
However, once inside the forest, that approach was no longer feasible.
Instead, we started using his spider webs strung between the trees to walk above the ground.
This way, the Ice Woves couldn't break through the web and attack us, allowing us to progress safely.
"Still, it's surprising that the Ice Woves' weakness is water."
"I was surprised, too. While testing which magic would work on them, I found that they froze and became immobile with water magic."
"I've never heard of ice being weak to water. This suggests that these creatures aren't typical monsters."
"I'd love to investigate more, but time is of the essence. Let's keep moving deeper into the forest."
We consumed our meals with portable rations and continued advancing at a steady pace.
Soon, we started to notice frozen trees along the way.
This can only mean one thing...
"Dribs Golems..."
"Indeed. They seem to have been drained of their magic and frozen solid."
"Does this mean we're in a Dribs Golem habitat?"
"We'd need to investigate further to be sure, but I don't think this is their habitat. Their true habitat should be further in."
"Further in..."
"These golems likely didn't escape in time."
"To think that even Dribs Golems, which can self-destruct, were defeated without a fight."
"That shows just how troublesome these Ice Woves are. If we had conducted a proper survey, it would have taken days to reach this point. We are fortunate to have you, Lily."
"No, it's more thanks to Talat than me."
"Ah, I see. Well done, Talat. Let's move forward."
As Rumaja said, the further we went, the more Dribs Golem remains we encountered, while the number of Ice Woves wriggling beneath Talat's web increased.
Rumaja seemed convinced that the leader of these creatures was ahead, so she had us slow our pace a bit.
This was to ensure we didn't run out of stamina when a battle inevitably ensued.
As long as we stayed on Talat's web, the Ice Woves couldn't reach us.
After advancing for another two hours into the forest, we finally found our objective.
A large red orb, taller than any of us, stood before us.
It was clearly a magic stone, but its size was extraordinary.
"... So there was a cursed orb after all.”
"A cursed orb?"
"I'll explain later. We need to destroy it quickly..."
Before we could approach the magic stone, it turned completely white and began to freeze.
The ice grew larger and larger, eventually transforming into a wolf.
Its head alone was larger than my height.
What are we supposed to do now?
What do you think about this chapter?
