Chapter 70: Arrival on the Mainland

"..." Two blades collide in a quick strike, producing a loud metallic ring. A monster with a physique like mud in a humanoid form holds a crude sword as it tries to finish off the man facing it, copying his sword attacks.

"Heh, is that all you’ve got? I expected more from a monster that was said to be so strong. I think it’s time to end this!!" the man taunts.

Claus, who faces the monster, is a man with black hair, deep blue eyes, and a strong, muscular build.

Dodging the monster’s magical strike, his hair gets slightly disheveled while his shirt flutters to the side, subtly revealing a long scar on his collarbone hidden beneath the almost casual clothes he wears, with only a metal plate suspended by a leather strap under his chest to protect his heart.

"..." The monster approaches with its sword, trying to fight this man who easily blocks the sword strike.

’Even though he copies my fighting style somewhat decently, he’s kind of slow, falls for any feint I make, and doesn’t even know how to actually use a sword. Only an amateur loses to a cheap imitation like this.’

"Tsk, what a disappointment. At this rate, I’m not gonna get past level 43." He takes his stance and then thrusts, imbuing his sword with runes. The runes generate an attack that completely explodes the monster’s body, preventing its reconstitution.

"You’ve been pretty arrogant, Claus," someone speaks to Claus through magic.

"Oh, come on, it was a weak monster. He didn’t land a single hit on me. Besides, I’m just trying to get a little stronger! I’ll reach what I’m after soon!" he says arrogantly, leaning against a tree while spinning his sword, showing no care for his weapon at all.

"You should come back. I sense something dangerous near you, but I’m too far away. My radar magic can’t detect it properly."

"Ohohoho?! Now that’s interesting. Stronger than what I just beat?"

"You’re a fool, a complete fool. You should retreat when I tell you to retreat."

"Oh, come on, it can’t be that—" Claus freezes, his eyes immediately darting around. He looks all around, searching for the being that’s causing such an awful feeling.

"..." He uses runes to amplify his vision, and with that he sees a terribly massive aura. A sensation of fear invades his body, making his hair stand on end.

"...What is it?" The voice asks, confused, since it can’t actually see or feel what Claus is feeling.

"..." Claus steps back, but when he does, he bumps into something. His body won’t move as the aura envelops him, having reached him without him even noticing or hearing it, even with runes for that.

"A human, level 43, not bad I suppose. Above the last humans I encountered." Claus doesn’t have the courage to move as the being in question passes beside him. Claus observes the girl who looks beautiful, yet disturbing.

’A-A monster?’ He looks at her antler-like horns and her tail. He takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

"H-Hahaha, you’re a pretty strong monster, huh?! But you’re in the wrong place." He points his sword at her, letting his boldness speak far too loudly as, like an experienced warrior, he quickly recovers from the pure panic he felt moments ago.

"The wrong place? And what would the wrong place be from the perspective of a fragile human?" Despite the question, Claus is at least glad to be very far from any kingdom. He set out on a journey far away just to fight a monster that was supposedly very good with swords, and despite the disappointment that monster was, the being that just appeared really grabs his attention.

’What’s her strength? I can’t gauge it just by looking at her. I’d need her to at least throw out an attack...’

"You’re in front of me, and that’s the wrong place. Looks like you’ve got some bad luck. I have one of the best swordsmanship techniques in the world, to the point where I can easily match people at level 60," he says all proudly, boasting, having what was considered the second-best swordsmanship, a combat style capable of rivaling people much stronger than him.

"I’ll soon be number one in swordsmanship, so having a monster like you to debut my future rank is great. I bet you’d be worth a lot if I sold your horns or something like that." His speech is filled with a confidence that clouds his initial fear.

"Hmmmm... Claus, right?"

"That’s right, and who might you be? How about introducing yourself? Also, at least try to follow human culture. Give your full name, doesn’t that sound good?" His request is extremely overbearing and arrogant.

"Typhon, Typhon Apsu Jörmungandr Ouroboros," she introduces herself in an extremely formal tone to the human before her.

"What a weird name. Expected from a monster, I guess."

"You really seem to believe you have the strength to challenge me. Before that, tell me, where is the most populous human kingdom?"

"...What do you wanna know for?"

"..."

"...Silence, huh? Sorry, but I’m not into monster girls, so I can’t give you my address." He prepares all his enhancement runes and charges forward, but to his complete surprise, his sword is easily caught by her.

"Hun?" His blade cracks completely, beginning to shatter into pieces under her grip. This shocks Claus more than the strength he felt before.

"I-Impossible! That’s a Tiridion sword!! It’s a weapon from one of the gods of the theocracy." His complaint is almost stupid because of his desperate tone upon seeing his weapon break, something so "rare" and "expensive" that accompanied him for many years.

"Hahaha, how amusing. I never expected a human to make me laugh. You call that low-level weapon a Tiridion? That thing doesn’t even have 1% of the real ore in its composition. But it’s great to see that humans can be this funny." She grabs his face while he grabs her hand, trying to hurt her without success. He’s lifted into the air as Typhon truly has no grasp of the current human level, since she’s barely come across any place as large as a capital.

"I asked where the most populous human kingdom is. It’s truly unpleasant that you want to keep information to yourself, but you’re in luck. I’m very interested in that information. I can tear you apart piece by piece until you tell me. Consider it payment for your actions and for the—" Before she finishes, Claus activates an escape rune, fleeing the place without caring about honor, since he lost his sword he considers the fight already lost.

"..." This catches even Typhon off guard. She doesn’t react with anger at the escape, since it wasn’t any form of spatial movement or even real magic. She’s more interested and confused than irritated and frustrated.

"Oh... that certainly wasn’t magic..." She looks at her hand and lets out a small sigh.

"I guess I shouldn’t have threatened him before making sure he couldn’t flee. How unfortunate. I couldn’t sense the location of the largest source of living humans in one place because they’re too weak, and now that I had the chance I let it slip away." She looks at the sword on the ground, picking up one of the fragments.

"Find your owner for me. Show me where he is and return to inform me." The small piece turns into a bird—simple, discreet, and reinforced with magic so it doesn’t need food and won’t be devoured by predators.

"All I can do is wait." Typhon has currently left the ocean, arriving on the same continent where Nio is. Now she searches for sources of mass population to have a chance of finding her, even though she doesn’t really know where she is.

"Don’t worry, Nio! I have a good feeling about this continent. I’ll find you soon. I hope you’re ready to see me again."