"Kirrrk, kek, chweet, kwesta."
To call the Great Forest a single forest is no different from saying humans, elves, and dwarves are all just "people."
It's not wrong—but it's not precise either, and ultimately a meaningless statement.
The Great Forest is larger than many nations, and within it lie countless hidden regions.
Caverns of unfathomable depth.
Lakes vast enough to swallow mountains.
And peaks where thunderstorms rage every single day.
The Palamu Rainforest is one such hidden region.
True to its name, it rains there for more than half the year.
The extreme humidity makes it unsuitable for human habitation.
Even elves are said to avoid it, repelled by the oppressive climate.
The Medeira River runs through Palamu, and along its banks spreads a dense mangrove forest.
Even within the Great Forest—already a treasure trove of life—Palamu boasts especially high biodiversity.
It is not a place suited for intelligent beings to live.
And yet, there are rumors of a two-legged race that has built a civilization there.
The goblins once purged by the kingdom.
Now that they have mostly disappeared from the mountains where they were once a nuisance, there have been occasional sightings of goblins settling in the Palamu basin.
Some even claim they have formed a civilization.
However, the author of this work is convinced that such claims are nothing more than delusions of the overimaginative.
There are scholars who insist goblins should be classified as "people."
But can such a primitive race truly stand alongside humans and elves?
Goblins, who eat insects and even evolve, are more accurately classified as intelligent monsters.
They may have formed a few colonies in the Palamu region, but to call that a civilization would be an exaggeration.
To list the traits that distinguish goblin "monsters" from people…
「From Sage Parvian's Mysterious and Captivating Bestiary: The Great Forest Edition – Palamu Rainforest」
***
Entry:
[Venom Pangolin Lv.16]
A pangolin is a mammal covered in large, hard scales across its entire body.
The monster known as the "Venom Pangolin" is, simply put, an extremely dangerous version of that animal.
Already possessing the toughest armor among mammals, its glossy scales are especially resilient.
They can easily deflect arrows, and even the fangs of beasts cannot penetrate them.
As its name suggests, its saliva is a potent venom.
With both outstanding defense and formidable offense,
despite being smaller than a human, it acts as a predator even within the Palamu Rainforest.
***
The Venom Pangolin had just finished a hunt.
A monkey lay beneath its claws.
It sank its sharp teeth into the monkey's arm.
Crunch, crack.
Its powerful jaws crushed even bone.
The grisly sound echoed through the forest.
And then—
A sudden downpour splashed over the pangolin's head.
Shhhhhh!
Startled, the pangolin flinched violently.
A sudden splash from a clear sky?
Naturally, it looked upward.
Given its body structure, it had to rear up to do so.
Chirr, chirr.
There was nothing.
Only the sound of insects.
Its raised scales settled, and just as it was about to resume eating—
Something cold and smooth wrapped around its body.
Yes. That smooth thing was me.
Slipping in silently, I coiled around the upright pangolin in an instant.
My body was now as thick as an adult's forearm, and likely over two meters long.
Wrapping around something like a pangolin was no problem.
I coiled from inside its legs, around its torso, past its side, and up into its armpit.
Then I wrapped around its neck.
All of it happened in the blink of an eye, thanks to acceleration.
And then—
Constriction.
[Using Constriction Lv.2]
This wasn't just pretending to squeeze—it was a proper skill I had newly acquired.
A Serpent's method of combat isn't limited to venom.
Until now, I hadn't been able to use constriction because I was too small and weak.
But now, having evolved into a robust python,
a monster like this pangolin—
I could crush it.
No—not just crush it.
Crack—!
Its scales twisted with a horrifying sound.
Compared to my past life, I might have weighed less now, but I was far stronger.
My fangs couldn't pierce its scales anyway.
And swinging a sword was far more dangerous.
Constriction was the best option.
I tightened around its neck.
The Venom Pangolin had sharp claws, but its legs were short and its joints weren't flexible.
It struggled to scratch me, managing only shallow wounds.
More persistent than I expected.
I tightened further.
This was my second attempt at hunting a pangolin.
The first time, I had rushed in recklessly and nearly died from its bite.
Good thing I had high poison resistance.
Boom!
My strength nearly gave out.
The creature had slammed its body into a tree.
If I fell off, it was over.
I focused with everything I had.
Just as it tried to slam into another tree, I used earth magic to bind its legs.
It toppled over.
The impact hurt me too.
But as it struggled to get up, I tightened even more.
Crack—!
Its hard scales dug into my now-toughened skin.
Wounds opened, and blood began to flow.
But I couldn't stop now.
"Ghk… ghk…"
With its throat constricted, the pangolin couldn't even roar.
That was its final sound.
Snap!
A satisfying crack echoed from its neck.
My victory.
[You have defeated the Venom Pangolin.]
[Level Up!]
Ah… no matter how many times I hear it, that voice feels good.
Before evolving into a python, I hadn't heard it for a long time.
And now that I'd grown stronger, weaker monsters no longer gave me experience.
[White Double-Horn Python Lv.3]
My level had reached 3 before I knew it.
That was the result of a week spent with Pelerian.
Though honestly, Pelerian hadn't helped with leveling at all.
For all his talk of being a great mage, he couldn't use a single spell.
When I asked about the emergency escape and mind-control magic he used,
he said that had been his last remaining mana.
All he could do now was float around like some kind of ring-bound spirit and chatter.
While I fought tooth and nail to kill the Venom Pangolin,
what had Pelerian been doing?
Sitting on a nearby rock, watching from the front row.
Apparently, monsters couldn't even see him.
I sternly reprimanded him.
"Teacher, doesn't this count as a pass?"
—A pass? A paaaass?
Pelerian snorted.
—Can you even call that proper use of magic?
"What do you mean? I used water magic to distract it, then ambushed it. That's exactly using magic, isn't it?"
And it truly was.
The coordination between magic and physical attack had flowed naturally.
If I had a sword, I could've called myself a magic swordsman.
But apparently, it still didn't satisfy him.
—You're still only managing to dribble a bit of water with your water magic? Throwing a rock would've been better for distraction. It's painfully slow.
…What is he talking about? My magic talent should be excellent.
His words irritated me.
—Talent? Pfft.
He burst out laughing.
—I'll say it clearly. Your talent for magic is terrible!
That had to be a lie.
Just like a traitorous, elf-supremacist backstabber would say.
…Come to think of it, hadn't he sworn to answer everything I asked honestly?
Then there were only two possibilities.
Either he broke the oath—or my talent really was terrible.
Since the latter couldn't possibly be true, I started wondering which animal's dung I should turn Pelerian into this time.
—Anyway, you've now learned the basic magic of the four elements. We can move on to the next stage.
"Next?"
It was a moment that extended Pelerian's lifespan—
though, being a soul, he was basically already a dead elf.
—You said you wanted to use a sword, right?
"Yeah."
—From what I saw last time—wrapping it with your tail and biting it while flailing around—it wasn't swordsmanship. You just looked like a mad Serpent.
That "mad Serpent" killed your chimera, you know.
—To use a sword, you need hands.
"Then is there magic that makes arms grow?"
—That would be quite grotesque. Not a bad idea, but this is a spell called "Invisible Hand."
The name was extremely straightforward.
—At first, you'll only be able to lift something like a fruit. But as your level improves, you might even be able to wield a sword.
Serpents don't have limbs.
So gaining "hands" would be a tremendous advantage.
Finally, I was learning proper magic.
—There's a reason you learned the four elemental magics first. They are the fundamental components of this world.
Pelerian carefully explained how to manifest the Invisible Hand.
—Do you remember the definition of magic?
"Recreation of phenomena."
—Correct. That's why beginner magic is simpler and requires less intuition. The reason I developed a spell for a "transparent hand" instead of telekinesis is because it's easier to imagine a hand than an invisible force moving objects.
The problem was he couldn't demonstrate it himself.
But surprisingly, Pelerian was a good teacher.
It felt like he had taught others before. Had he once taken disciples?
Somehow, I managed to attempt the Invisible Hand spell.
Honestly, I didn't feel like I had exceptional talent for magic.
I kept failing.
It seemed that having "Potential 20" didn't necessarily mean learning ability.
"Enough. I'm stopping here."
—Giving up already?
"I'm out of mana."
—Hmm. Your mana capacity is definitely low. Probably because you evolved twice in such a short time.
That was Pelerian's assessment.
The old man had been amazed that I evolved twice in just over a month.
But the real issue was my mana pool.
I could use beginner elemental magic several times,
but anything larger drained me quickly.
Skills like Borrowed Horn or Surpassing Horn would empty my mana after just one or two uses.
Especially the skill "Heavenly Thunder Spirit."
That skill I borrowed from Gunter consumed an absurd amount of mana, even though it was listed as Level 0.
I passed out before I could even use it.
If that happened in real combat, the outcome would be obvious.
—There are four ways to increase your mana capacity.
Pelerian repeated what he had explained before.
—Evolve.
—Hunt many monsters and accumulate demonic energy.
—Consume things like magic stones, cores, or elixirs.
—Or equip magic items that increase mana.
The first two would take time.
Even evolving into a python had been extremely difficult.
That left the third and fourth methods.
And conveniently, I had something like a treasure goblin right beside me.
—If we can just find Dungeon 123… you'll be able to increase your mana.
Pelerian's Dungeon 123.
That was my destination in the Palamu Rainforest.
He claimed his dungeon was hidden somewhere in this region.
And it wasn't some disgusting place like a chimera factory.
—I used it to research magic stones. There should still be several high-grade ones left. I treated them so they wouldn't naturally degrade.
Ever since eating a core, I'd started going crazy over anything beneficial to the body.
—I'll give them to you. But keep your promise. You'll transmit my research data to my original body.
"As long as you don't harm me."
—I already swore. You really don't understand a mage's oath, even after I explained its principles.
Pelerian clicked his tongue irritably.
So they really do get grumpier with age.
Still, it would be difficult for him to harm me or set traps.
Unless he intended mutual destruction, he couldn't break the oath.
"No, seriously—why can't you find the way?"
—Hmm… I'm sure it's this direction.
"You've said that three times already."
The problem was, Pelerian was terrible at navigation.
He made excuses about being used to flying or teleporting instead of finding paths normally.
—We just need to find the river. The Medeira River.
And yet, we still hadn't found it.
For now, we headed north.
Hopefully, we'd find the river this time.
But what we encountered wasn't a river.
The next day, just as the pangolin had fully digested and I was starting to feel hungry again—
I came across a goblin being eaten alive by a pelican.
Pelerian and I watched from hiding.
"Wow… that's crazy."
Pelerian glanced at the Serpent, who was marveling casually.
It was indeed a shocking sight.
A massive pelican swallowing a goblin whole.
"Doesn't it choke on that?"
Aren't Serpents the ones famous for swallowing prey alive?
This one sometimes acted like it didn't even realize it was a Serpent.
—What a fool.
"You mean the goblin?"
Although he had claimed the Serpent lacked magical talent, that wasn't actually true.
The Serpent's magical aptitude was terrifying.
Not in how fast it learned—but in how limitless it seemed.
Mages capable of using all four elements are extremely rare.
Even then, they usually learn each element at different speeds.
But this Serpent learned them all at the same rate.
How was that even possible?
Even so, Pelerian had called it talentless for one reason:
He couldn't stand how smug it was.
He hadn't broken his oath.
He only promised to answer questions honestly.
Anything he said on his own didn't count.
Still, he worried that if this kept up, the Serpent might start looking down on him.
At that moment, the goblin screamed something.
"Kirrok, kek, chweet, kwesta! Tinggit kit!"
A chaotic mix of harsh and broken sounds.
The Serpent looked confused.
Of course—it couldn't understand.
Goblin language varies by region and has strange pronunciation.
Very few can comprehend it.
But Pelerian, who had studied countless monsters, understood it.
—Want me to translate?
"Huh?"
—It's saying, "O god of the river, please save me. My mother is waiting for me!"
The Serpent's expression turned strange.
Pelerian felt a surge of pride.
Be impressed, Serpent.
But instead, the Serpent said something insolent.
"That's not what it means."
—What?
"It's saying, 'I have to get back to the river! Let me go! Sister, save me!'"
He spoke with complete confidence, as if he truly understood goblin speech.
Ridiculous.
Pelerian frowned deeply.