Chapter 329

In the early morning, when the sky was just beginning to lighten, Tatsuro and Ai, after some activities in their room, took a short nap to refresh both mind and body. They prepared themselves and enjoyed a breakfast prepared by Cardina.

During this time, the conversation shifted not to their upcoming mission at Wind Mountain but to the Strengthened Modification Ranch from the previous day. Leah asked what kind of Magical Beasts they had tamed.

“Oh, for that, I put in a pet dog—er, I mean, a Wolf, and an Ant-Bee Queen that produces Honey”

“It’s super cute! Its name is Mame!”

“Keeping Magical Beasts as pets, huh? That’s quite something, considering beekeeping with Magical Beasts is a real practice. By the way, could I see Mame-chan?”

“Sure thing”

Tatsuro summoned Mame from the Strengthened Modification Ranch, and as instructed, the Wolf Cub emerged while maintaining Body Shrinkage.

“What the—!?”

“Did you see something!?”

“Is there something wrong with it!?”

Both feared that infusing Divine Power or Dragon Force might have caused some invisible Anomaly. However, that wasn’t the case.

“It’s—adorable!”

Tatsuro and Ai nearly fell off their chairs in relief.

While this was happening, Mame was being cuddled by Leah, looking up with an expression that seemed to say, “What’s up?” Both Tatsuro and Ai were utterly charmed by its endearing appearance. Suddenly, Mame leaped out of Leah’s arms.

“Oh!”

Leah exclaimed, watching with a hint of disappointment.

Mame bounded into an open space and, perhaps feeling cramped, reverted to its original size.

“This is… acceptable!”

“Acceptable!?”

“It’s okay!?”

Though they thought they might have startled Leah, she instantly accepted the situation and enthusiastically hugged Mame’s large right Foreleg, indulging in its Fluffiness.

Mame, sensing Leah’s affection, lowered its head and licked her face playfully, clearly not intending to eat her.

“By the way, even though it was just born yesterday, it’s already at level 8”

“Huh? We haven’t made it fight, have we? Why’s its level going up?”

“Oh, that’s because I thought just lounging around in the ranch would lead to a lack of exercise, so I had it train”

“Train? It’s starting to feel like Digi○n…”

“Don’t say that! Joking aside, the training here is all about Actual Combat”

“Are there enemies in the ranch? Wait—don’t tell me you made it fight the precious Honey makers…?”

“Nope, not at all. Though, once the Honey production stabilizes, that could be an option. Actually—”

With an Ant-Bee Queen, they could produce as many worker bees—Honey makers—as needed. As Ai suggested, they could also pit Magical Beasts from different sections of the ranch against each other. However, Tatsuro explained that the Strengthened Modification Ranch allowed them to gain Actual Combat experience in another way.

“It works like this: I can use the Magical Power or Dragon Force I’ve got to create virtual Magical Beasts within the ranch, based on ones I’ve defeated before. When my Magical Beasts defeat these virtual ones, they gain 80% of the experience points they’d get from defeating the real thing, which helps level them up”

“Wow, that’s a handy feature”

“It’s convenient, but there’s a catch. Even though they’re virtual, they’re treated as real within the ranch. If my Magical Beasts lose, they could die. So, I have to pick safe opponents they can definitely beat”

“Even virtual Magical Beasts can cause death… So, what did Mame fight?”

“I set it up to fight Imomu, one every thirty minutes. They’re cheap to summon as virtual Magical Beasts, don’t have any notable skills, and are perfect for light exercise. Plus, virtual Magical Beasts don’t bleed or leave a body, so Mame stays clean”

“That’s nice. But if there’s a chance of dying in battles with virtual Magical Beasts, there’s also a risk of injury, right?”

“Yeah, that’s true. But Mame’s only fighting one Imomu at a time, so it’s not likely likely to get overwhelmed. It’s got plenty of power to take down an Imomu one-on-one”

“Woof woof!” Mame barked innocently, either understanding the gist or simply happy to be acknowledged by Tatsuro.

After this moment, they returned Mame to the ranch, packed up their Mobile Home, and double-checked their equipment and Black Fungus Countermeasures for any issues before launching their final assault.

Their mission was to head to the Wind Mountain region within Banramonte Mountain to eradicate the source of the Black Fungus and rescue Aurikki, a male Pixie. They stopped by to inform familiar Guild Staff about the situation, warning them of a potential large-scale battle that could affect even this distant location.

After about ten minutes of discussion, they parted ways with the staff and entered the Banramonte Forest. With Cardina’s help, they conducted Probing to ensure no Shubelg Fungus or strange incidents remained, advancing halfway before preparing for immediate combat.

“Alright, let’s fly up the mountain in one go. Stay sharp, everyone, no matter what happens,” Tatsuro said, addressing the group to eliminate any gaps in their readiness, as much for himself as for them.

Ai and the others nodded with serious expressions, reassuring Tatsuro as they took to the air. Cardina swiftly dealt with any airborne Magical Beasts with Swift Wind-like speed, and soon the full view of Wind Mountain came into sight.

The terrain sloped gently, dotted with trees and rocks formed of green wind Magical Power, and a few weak wind-powered Magical Beasts roamed about. Most striking was a massive black Beast’s Vortex swirling chaotically above the force field that was Wind Mountain, its shape constantly shifting as if obstructed.

“There! Isn’t that little person Aurikki?”

Ai pointed out, using Far Sight to spot a winged male Pixie, about fifty centimeters tall, in the distance, where Dispel Magic was hindered by the vortex’s energy.

“How’s he looking? Is he okay?”

“Hmm, he’s sitting cross-legged on the ground, barely moving, but he doesn’t seem dead or blackened anywhere”

“I am curious how he’s been under the source for months and is still fine”

“From the looks of the vortex, it doesn’t seem like a Magical Beast will emerge anytime soon”

Leah said, analyzing it with her All-Seeing Eye.

“Indeed, it’s aptly called a Catastrophic Beast. I sensed immense power—possibly stronger than a level 10 dungeon boss”

“If such a Magical Beast went on a rampage in the country, the damage would be catastrophic”

“But at our current level, we might just manage it, depending on its skills. It could be tough”

“Well, it’s not decided we’ll have to fight yet. Let’s land and meet up with Aurikki first”

Holding a Fairy Blaze Crystal from the Pixies of Flame Mountain to show no hostility, they landed at a distance. Aurikki noticed them but seemed too focused to look their way.

Careful not to provoke him, they approached slowly, stopping about three meters away. Tatsuro called out;

“Are you Aurikki?”

“Who are you, and why are you here?” Aurikki replied sharply, his gaze fixed on the black vortex.

Unfazed, Tatsuro explained;

“My name is Tatsuro. We’re here on a request from the Adventurer’s Guild to eradicate the Black Fungus, a substance coming from that vortex. We were also asked by the Pixies of Flame Mountain to check on you, as you haven’t returned, and by Henrikki, a tree humanoid from Banramonte Forest, to rescue you.”

“The substance from the vortex? Black Fungus? I don’t know about that, but it seems you’re trusted by my brethren and Henrikki”

Aurikki said, glancing at the Fairy Blaze Crystal and sensing its Magical Power, his Wariness easing slightly.

“You said Henrikki sent you. Is he still guarding the forest?”

“From what you just said, it sounds like you really don’t know about the Black Fungus”

Aurikki’s brow furrowed at the question, but he answered honestly, “I don’t know.”

Tatsuro, using Spirit Eye, quickly understood why Aurikki was unaffected and unaware of the Black Fungus.

“It seems what you’re doing to stop the Magical Beast from forming is absorbing Wind Mountain’s energy, converting it into Magical Power, and controlling it around you.”

“Exactly. You’ve got a good eye. So, this Black Fungus—it’s harmful unless you’re cloaked in Magical Power?”

“Yes. It attaches to human skin, forcibly mutates cells, blackens the body, and leads to certain death as a Mysterious Illness”

“You mentioned human skin. What about Magical Beasts?”

Aurikki asked, his voice trembling as he suspected something about Henrikki.

“The Black Fungus is the Remnant of failed Magical Beasts from the vortex. It tries to turn humans into Magical Beasts, but since it can’t, it causes Cellular Destruction. For Magical Beasts, who are already such, it has little effect and may even enhance them slightly”

“Then, is Henrikki safe?” Aurikki asked, clinging to faint hope despite Tatsuro’s grim expression.

Tatsuro hesitated, then decided to summon the Rafflesia-like Magical Beast Henrikki had entrusted to him;

“Before I explain, listen to his words.”

“Listen to his words?”

Aurikki asked, confused, unaware that Henrikki’s Strengthened Modification Ranch had been passed to Tatsuro, which could store a Magical Beast capable of recording speech.

“You’ll understand when you see”

He summoned the Rafflesia within a Dragon Barrier set by Tsukuyomi. When instructed, it replayed Henrikki’s final words exactly as spoken to Tatsuro’s group.

Aurikki’s eyes widened at the sight of the Strengthened Modification Ranch, but as he listened, he learned that Henrikki had entrusted the system to Tatsuro and passed from this world. Though he continued suppressing the Magical Beasts, tears streamed down his face.

“Because he had the body of a Magical Beast, he didn’t die. But the Black Fungus’s attempt to make him more beast-like left him barely able to speak at the end”

“…I see,” Aurikki murmured, wiping his tears, overwhelmed by guilt for causing his friend’s demise and indirectly harming others.

Tatsuro returned the Rafflesia to the ranch and offered what comfort he could.

“It’s a tragic outcome, no doubt, but thanks to you, that Catastrophic Beast hasn’t been born. If it had, the damage would’ve been unimaginable.”

A level 10 dungeon boss-level Magical Beast acting on instinct would cause devastation far beyond the current scope.

“So, we want to help you get out of here”

“We’ve already been paid a hefty reward upfront”

“Do you have a way to destroy that beast?” Aurikki asked, eyeing the unusual party—humans, a Celestial Demon, Beastfolk, a four-legged bird, and talking Golems—hoping they could solve this crisis.