An Uninvited Guest at Dawn
Drool dripped from my mouth.
Oops, excuse me.
But what can I do if it makes my mouth water?
Like a proper gentleman, I wiped the drool from my mouth with my tail.
Among the web novels I used to read, there were plenty of martial arts stories.
When the protagonist consumed an Inner Core, they would usually undergo rebirth and transformation, reshaping their body and bones through its effects.
If I ate that, wouldn't I become stronger too?
Even if I couldn't become human again, maybe I could evolve into a Great White Super Serpent or something.
When I started drooling, the newlywed centipede husband flicked his antennae warily.
Did he think I was going to steal the Inner Core?
That was a rather hurtful misunderstanding.
I would never commit robbery against good neighbors.
Instead, I proposed a fair trade.
I tapped the Galloper Hawk—which looked delicious even at a glance—then pointed at the Inner Core with my tail.
A one-for-one exchange.
I'll give you this chicken, so how about you give me that Inner Core?
Originally, I had intended to give it as a gift, but since the situation had changed, I improvised.
Clack! Clack!
But the centipede couple snapped their mandibles angrily.
They looked like they were saying absolutely not.
Well, even I had to admit the values didn't exactly match.
So I left the Galloper Hawk's corpse there and backed away.
Go ahead and eat it.
Just kidding.
Then the centipede wife cautiously picked up the Galloper Hawk's body in her jaws.
Just then—
Cock-a-doodle-doo.
Another rooster crow echoed.
Do the chickens around here have no manners?
They crow whenever they want—dawn or night, it doesn't matter.
It didn't seem that far away either.
Someday I should go find it and get a taste of real chicken.
I greeted the centipede couple.
Have a good night~
And please refrain from public displays of affection outside.
The centipede couple slightly bowed their heads in response.
It almost felt like they actually understood my greeting.
I slipped into the knot hole.
I had definitely widened the entrance this morning, but after only half a day, it had already become a little difficult to get inside.
It would be nice if I could find a bigger home somewhere…
Despite that small regret, I was so tired that I quickly fell asleep.
***
Among the Five Great Demonic Realms of the Continent, the Great Forest possesses a distinctive characteristic.
Its abundance of vegetation.
Setting aside the barren Desert, the richness of the Great Forest surpasses even that of the Mountain Range and the Grasslands.
The Great Forest's area ranks third among the Five Demonic Realms, after the Desert and the Frozen Wastes.
However, if one calculates the number of monsters inhabiting it, even if the monsters of the Desert and the Frozen Wastes were combined, the Great Forest would likely contain more than ten times their number.
This is likely due to its warm and humid climate, which produces dense greenery.
Yet one peculiar point remains: the latitude of the Great Forest is not particularly low.
In fact, the Grayrim Territory, located at the easternmost edge of the kingdom bordering the forest, enjoys cool weather even in midsummer.
However, once one passes through the Apprentice Forest attached to the territory and travels east toward the Great Forest, the temperature rises dramatically.
Many scholars have studied this phenomenon to uncover its cause, but no definitive answer has been found.
The most widely accepted theory attributes it to ancient fairy magic.
It is said that the Fairy race, now heading toward extinction, settled in the Far East since ancient times.
Ruins occasionally discovered within the Great Forest contain traces of that era, and there is a hypothesis that the fairies performed large-scale magical modifications to create a climate suitable for their habitation.
However, even the fairies that still remain today possess no surviving ancient records, leaving the truth unknown.
In this volume—The Great Forest Edition—of this work, I aim to explain the many monsters of the Great Forest, including those already discovered and those yet to be found.
— From the Preface ofThe Mysterious and Fascinating Monster Compendium of Sage Parvian: Great Forest Edition
***
Zain, the squire of the hero Gunter, wore a troubled expression.
The reason was the girl standing before him.
She was Rania Grayrim, the only daughter of the lord of this territory.
After defeating the Medusa Serpent, Gunter had immediately returned to the capital.
However, he had left several of his attendants behind in the Grayrim Territory, including Zain.
Life here had been peaceful, but Zain often found himself in awkward situations.
And it was all because of that mischievous young lady.
She had apparently been very sickly as a child and had nearly died several times.
Perhaps because of that, instead of the things girls her age usually liked, Rania had a deep fascination with heroes and monsters.
"What is it, my lady?" Zain asked.
Of course, a lady was still a lady.
As a knight, Zain had no choice but to maintain proper etiquette.
Rania gave a small curtsey and spoke.
"I have something to ask you, Sir Zain."
Of course you do…
Zain couldn't help but sigh.
"That book again? The Sage's Monster Compendium?"
"Yes! I have more questions about the Medusa Serpent. And the Horn Jaguar too."
"A proper lady should not take interest in such hideous creatures as monsters."
"But I want to become a hero someday!"
Rania declared confidently.
Then she glanced at the man sitting beside Zain and added,
"Or maybe a hunter."
"Hahaha!"
The man who had been puffing smoke from his pipe burst into loud laughter.
He was a hunter who lived in Grayrim.
Most monster hunters were essentially wanderers, but some among them were the real deal.
This man was one of those genuine ones, which was why even Zain treated him with respect.
"Why would a young lady become a hunter?" the man said. "Miss Rania should become a hero."
"Really? You think so?"
"Leave dirty jobs like hunting to rascals like Oliver here."
Saying that, Oliver puffed out another cloud of smoke.
"So," Zain said, eager to end this conversation quickly, "what was it you wanted to ask?"
"I heard you say that some Medusa Serpent hatchlings escaped. What if they grow up into Medusa Serpents and come back?"
"…Haha. There's no need to worry about that."
"Why not?"
"Medusa Serpents lay thousands of offspring at once. If even half of those hatchlings grew into Medusa Serpents, the kingdom would have already fallen."
"Then…"
"Among monsters, there are certain species whose evolutionary process is particularly long. Unlike dragons, which are powerful from birth, Serpents are barely different from insects when they're first born. The Medusa Serpent is both a mutant and a higher species, but still…"
Zain had followed Gunter for a long time.
His knowledge of monsters was no less than that of most monster hunters.
"Out of a thousand hatchlings, only one or two at most might evolve to the level of a serpent."
"Ah, I see."
Oliver cut in at that moment.
"Sir Knight, that may be true for the Mountain Range, but the Great Forest is different."
"…Is that so?"
Even though he had been corrected, Zain didn't seem particularly offended.
"In the Great Forest, monsters evolve in all sorts of different ways. My lady already knows that the offspring of a Medusa Serpent don't all evolve into Medusa Serpents, right?"
Rania nodded.
Zain did as well.
"The Great Forest has abundant vegetation, so it also has the greatest species diversity among monsters. And since there's plenty of prey, many powerful creatures are born there. Out of a thousand hatchlings, more than five might evolve to the level of a serpent."
"That's terrifying."
"Some might even evolve in completely unexpected directions. Maybe even into something beyond a serpent."
"Like a Leviathan?"
Rania's eyes sparkled.
Leviathan was a legendary monster written about in the book she was holding.
A serpent said to lie beneath the sea—so enormous and powerful that if it raised its body, the world's sea level would drop.
Oliver smirked.
"Yes, perhaps something like a Leviathan. Though the Serpent of the End probably doesn't really exist."
"But… it's written in the book."
"Just because something's written in a book doesn't mean it's true. Oh, right—now that I think about it, the captain of the guard mentioned something. He said one of the hatchlings was white."
"Did he?"
The captain of the guard had been punished for letting several hatchlings escape.
But the lord knew he was competent. The punishment would likely be lifted soon.
According to his report, one of the hatchling Serpents had been entirely white.
"He said it looked small and weak—but those are the dangerous ones."
"Why?"
"They're often mutants. And mutants always lead to unexpected results."
"If it was small and weak, wouldn't it just die out there?"
"If it survives—and evolves—it'll be a different story. The problem with monsters is that they can keep growing stronger. The ones that start out weak can evolve the most, which means they can end up becoming the most dangerous."
The hunter, who had been joking around until now, suddenly grew serious.
He took a drag from his pipe and asked,
"My lady, you seem very interested in Medusa Serpents."
"My favorite monsters are Serpent-type creatures."
"Wow, you've got excellent taste."
Listening to them, Zain felt a headache coming on.
Was this really the sort of conversation a noble lady should be having?
"Oh, right—I have another question. Is this one also a Serpent-type monster?"
Rania opened the book and showed them a specific page.
There was an illustration and description of a monster.
"That's a Cockatrice."
"Yeah, I wasn't sure if it counts as a Serpent-type."
"It's not really a Serpent-type. If anything, it belongs to the chimera category. It's extremely rare. People say that if you encounter one of these, there are only two possible outcomes."
"What are they?"
"You either get killed and eaten… or you become filthy rich overnight."
"Filthy rich…?"
Oliver was just about to explain—
"My lady!"
A maid came running up to Rania, out of breath.
"It's the day for your tea etiquette lesson. You can't just run away."
"I—I forgot."
"Then you must come immediately."
"Just give me a little more time—"
"No!"
Rania left with a tearful expression.
Watching her go, Oliver burst into loud laughter.
Once she disappeared, the place grew quiet again.
And in that silence, Zain thought to himself:
So what did he mean by becoming filthy rich?!
The story had been getting interesting when it was suddenly interrupted.
But the young knight's pride wouldn't allow him to ask again.
So Zain could only stew over it by himself.
***
Cock-a-doodle-doo.
I tucked my head between my coils.
A Serpent's ears are different from other animals—they're located near the skull.
Maybe that's why.
That crazy chicken's crowing was so damn loud.
Why does it keep crowing?
It's not even far away.
It sounds like it's right nearby.
Cock-a-doodle-dooooo!
Now it was really close.
In an instant, my sleep vanished, and every scale on my body trembled.
I raised my head sharply.
My survival instinct was screaming a warning.
Something is out there.
Something dangerous.
Stick your head into a hole and play dead—
—or run.
Survival instincts warn of danger in a very unfriendly way.
I could go out and identify the threat.
Or I could pretend I knew nothing and hide here in this knot hole.
There was no way to know which choice would truly keep me alive.
Crash!
Something slammed into a tree.
It wasn't the dead tree I was in, but another one nearby had just snapped and collapsed with a loud crack.
I decided not to hide.
Carefully, I slipped out of the knot hole.
It was still before dawn.
Pitch dark—but thanks to my night vision, I could see clearly.
And right nearby was the centipede wife.
Hello there, do you happen to know what's going on?
I wanted to greet her like that—
but I froze.
The wife was completely rigid.
Not figuratively.
Literally.
She had been turned to stone.
A sense of dread welled up inside me.
There was only one monster I knew that could turn an entire creature to stone like that.
Mom—
No.
Could it be… Dad?
Had the father I'd never even seen returned to meet his child?
"Kiiiik!"
A roar echoed.
The centipede husband was fighting a monster.
And that monster's appearance was truly grotesque.
A chicken's head,
a reptilian body,
and a Serpent's tail.
It looked like a horrifying hybrid.
[Cockatrice Lv.12]
That was the name of the midnight intruder.