By the Grace of the Gods (LN) - Volume 14 - Chapter 17

Chapter 9, Episode 9: Into the Sea of Trees

“The Sea of Trees of Syrus...” I said to myself.

After parting with Reinhart and the others in the Forest of Gana, it had taken another ten days’ trek to the southeast to reach the entrance into the Sea of Trees. Even though I’d researched as much as I could about the place, seeing Syrus in person was like standing on the brink of another world altogether. Ahead of me, spreading as far as the eye could see in either direction, were trees with trunks so massive that ten of me could have barely formed a circle around it with arms stretched as wide as possible. Each of them seemed like a tower, which I judged to be roughly 40 meters tall. As enormous as they were, these were still merely the saplings that encircled the rim of Syrus. Trees grew taller and wider as they approached the center until they reached nearly 150 meters high and 40 meters in diameter. These trees were so gargantuan that it messed with my sense of perspective when I first saw Syrus in the distance. I doubted that I’d even be able to see the top of the trees that towered near the center of the Sea of Trees.

Tropical vines and flowers coiled around the trunks of the trees, and the hot, humid air in Syrus clung to my skin. Behind me, though, a breezy plateau was backdropped by mountains. In just a few steps after passing the perimeter of the outermost trees, all of my senses experienced changes: the tropical air, the shift in vegetation, the smell of the wind, the chirping of beetles... It was as if I’d stepped into a whole new world.

Fernobelia said this place was like a lab... Maybe there’s a boundary that contains the Sea of Trees like a greenhouse or sandbox. 

“Let’s go.” There was no sense in standing at Syrus’s front door any longer. Keeping one eye on my surroundings, I walked into the vast jungle.

A path, somewhat cleared and stomped flat by the occasional adventurers who came to forage for resources, offered an easier walk at first. Still, the dense curtain of leaves and vines veiling most of the forest from view made me keep my guard up. The trees were spread apart enough that it should be easier to wield a weapon than if I was in most buildings, if it came to that.

Before even five minutes had passed, I heard a faint rustling. “Detection.” Without missing a beat, I sent a ripple of magical energy to search my surroundings. It told me that a swarm of creatures—I counted ten—were darting through the underbrush, trying to surround me. “That was quick.”

Talons swiped out of the bush to my left with a gargled screech. Dodging the talons, I countered with my blade. Blood and a metallic stench filled the air as something the size of a small horse tumbled to the ground—a raptor. It was a monster that resembled a carnivorous dinosaur by the same name.

Immediately the rest of the pack came after me, screeching furiously. While raptors were small among monsters, they were highly intelligent. While the first attempted its ambush, the others had been lying in wait. Once it had failed, they immediately switched strategies. Now, they had me surrounded, using their advantage of numbers to unleash a barrage of sharp scratches and crushing bites. It was a simple tactic that would take some finesse to deal with.

Growling and hissing, the raptor pack encircled me, their green hides camouflaged in the foliage. The trick was to stay calm, and dispatch one attacker at a time instead of charging into the pack. A raptor would attack from a random direction, then I would dodge or parry, and decapitate it in one swift movement. A pile of their packmates’ carcasses must have inspired fear in the surviving raptors, because they suddenly turned on their heels after a certain point, and scattered to the wind.

“Five down, and they run,” I noted. They seemed quick to retreat. Even though taking out half of them sent the pack running, too many battles like this would drain my stamina quickly. I’d need to fight smarter, not harder.

First things first, I decided to collect the ones I did take out. “Dimension Home.” Keeping one eye on my surroundings, I summoned a team of grave slimes to collect the carcasses.

Generally speaking, hunting and adventuring etiquette demanded that the unwanted parts of any kill be buried or burned. Carcasses left in the open could bring disease or other dangerous creatures. However, my research had told me that there was no problem in leaving anything behind in the Sea of Trees. The place was already crawling with dangerous predators without the help of any leftover bodies. It wasn’t uncommon for adventurers to stumble across a monster carcass that was the aftermath of a deadly territorial battle. Spending the time and effort to clean up those carcasses would only make the still-living adventurers more vulnerable...but I still felt bad about leaving my game behind.

“Here they come again.”

Presumably drawn to the smell of blood, the raptor pack returned, having doubled their size to twenty. I couldn’t afford to take on endless waves like this.

“Fear,” I chanted, and it was visibly effective. The Dark spell that had once knocked out the test administrator of the Adventurer’s Guild—and even made him lose control of his bladder—sent the monsters running. As long as the dread-inspiring spell was effective on them, I would be happy to chase them away with it if I couldn’t avoid a confrontation.

“Oh... I should have signed a contract with one of them.”

I could have made my way through the forest on the back of a raptor... On second thought, raptors were lighter and weaker than they looked to maximize their speed. It couldn’t have run as fast with me on its back, and I haven’t even learned to ride on a horse without a saddle, much less a reptilian predator with slippery scales. It’s not worth the trouble. 

“Thanks for picking them up,” I said to the grave slimes. “You guys are so handy.”

When I studied the abilities of the grave slimes during the weeks I spent preparing for this journey, I found out that, on top of storing carcasses, the Lay to Rest skill slowed the decomposition of the meat.

The grave slimes would hand over the carcasses to the goblins waiting within the Dimension Home, who would take the game apart into materials and store them away. It was extremely convenient that they handled the lengthy process from start to finish without me having to instruct them.

“See you soon.” With gratitude, I sent the grave slimes back into the Dimension Home and set out on the path again. As soon as I took a step, a sudden downpour broke out of nowhere. “There were really no warning signs at all... The environment’s the worst threat.”

The Valleys of Trell were dangerous in their own way, but the heat, humidity, and sudden deluges were going to wear me down. I’d set up a barrier when I first walked in to keep me dry, but the rain limited my field of vision and drowned out any sounds. That meant that I would be less likely to spot a predator coming my way.

“If this hadn’t been the third time, I might not have noticed.” With another burst of Dark magic, I chased away the raptors that had sneaked up on me in the rain.

It was only easy for me to sense their approach because of magical energy detection and the steel slime serving as my weapon keeping its guard up. If I had nothing but my eyes and ears to rely on, the task would have been a lot more taxing. Good thing Sever and the others had given me a lot of tips in the City of Lost Souls.

Just as I gave my silent thanks to them, the rain rapidly slowed, then let up. Now that the ground had turned to spongy mud, every step had become more difficult. If I hadn’t prepared for rain beforehand, my clothes would have been drenched and draining me of warmth. There were venomous insects and leeches in the underbrush—because of course there were—that were likely to attack anyone not coated in bug repellent, which would be quickly washed away in a few of those downpours. This really was a brutal environment that threatened to trip me up, drain my stamina, give me heat stroke or hypothermia...

“It’s incredible how much they affect the climate.” I remarked about the towering trees all around me.

These heatwood trees—the closest comparison to them on Earth being the giant sequoias—emitted heat along with oxygen during photosynthesis, creating the tropical climate of Syrus. Each tree didn’t produce too much heat on its own, but given how dense and vast this forest was, it explained why it was so hot.

Soon, the air would feel like a sauna again, which would turn into a vertical draft and form a thundercloud that would produce another downpour...rinse and repeat. Furthermore, heatwood trees acted as an invasive species, rapidly expanding their habitat beyond the borders of the Sea of Trees under certain conditions.

“Fear,” I chanted again, keeping the raptors at bay. “They never stop, do they? And to think it’s recommended to travel in small parties here. It’s got to be tough for most people...”

Most monsters in the Sea of Trees were aggressive enough that they wouldn’t fear a large group due to numbers alone. In fact, a large crowd was only more likely to be discovered and attacked by more monsters. That was dangerous enough for those venturing into Syrus, but merely traveling in a large group in the vicinity of the Sea of Trees came with its own risks. For one, that could draw out monsters beyond the border of the Sea of Trees. In turn, that could lead to Syrus expanding its territory and creeping into the surrounding lands.

As harsh as this might sound, if someone undertrained were to enter the Sea of Trees and never return alive, that was their problem and no one else’s. But, if they were to draw monsters out in the process of trying to flee from them, innocent lives could be threatened. Monsters of the forest were acclimated to the Sea of Trees and preferred to stay in their territory...unless they were chasing prey. Furthermore, heatwood seeds traveled through the food chain and ended up in the digestive tract of these monsters, sprouting into more trees outside the current threshold. When too many monsters left the forest, the Sea of Trees grew in size. Plants and monsters combined, the Sea of Trees defended itself when humans tried to conquer or cultivate the forest. In fact, it occasionally fought back, encroaching closer to civilization. This characteristic had earned the Sea of Trees of Syrus a moniker—the Vengeful Woods.

The Adventurer’s Guild gatekeeping anyone below C rank from entering the woods was an indication of how the guild—and by extension, the kingdom—feared the Sea of Trees’ expansion, exactly as Fernobelia intended. Yet, there was a steady stream of adventurers and explorers ready to dare the Vengeful Woods. Perhaps we were all slaves to curiosity and greed...

“Hide.” I concealed myself with the spell I’d learned from Remily, and proceeded through the woods without slowing down. I’d find out whether the spell would keep me hidden from the raptors for long.

My destination, for the time being, was one of the bases of operation set up in the forest by adventurers who came before me. Several bases dotted the woods, and they grew more sparse towards the center. Where I was ultimately headed, the ruins of Korumi village, lay closer to the center of the woods than the innermost base, but the journey of a thousand miles began with a single step. The closest base to where I was would supposedly take only a few hours to reach, accounting for the delays caused by fighting off monsters along the way. The trek would make for a nice warm-up.

Step-by-step, I plunged farther into the Sea of Trees, every bone in my body warning me of unknown threats that waited ahead. Anticipation swelled within me, leaving no room for fear. My stride remained unburdened by nerves, rhythmically carrying me into the woods.