kscans

Chapter 324 - Green Connect

From the annihilation site of the 'Red Circle,' we headed northwest.

Across fields and over mountains, we arrived at our second destination, where—Sora and I both froze, struck by a shock that far surpassed even the sight of the sea of 'Red.'

"—………………"

"…………Um…………What is… that?"

In place of my partner, who was wide-eyed and speechless, I dazedly questioned the trio who were calmly gazing at the 'scenery.' My own voice was terribly hoarse. But my question seemed to have gotten through, as Tiger Lucky, Maru II, and Rinne each grunted, "Hmm," before—

"A hippo."

"A turtle."

"Isn't it a dragon?"

—offering their completely different opinions on the appearance of the 'scenery.'

Our current location was almost due west of the [Safe Area]. If you were to connect the 'Red' annihilation site, the city's Great Bell Tower, and this place, you'd form a perfect isosceles triangle… which meant it was obvious what lay here. In the land where the 'Western Kingdom Vestol' once stood was the third divine scar—that is, a massive crater several kilometers in diameter. And filling that massive hole was an entity beyond all reason.

"The 'Green'—[Green Connect, Jehatreglie]…"

Big, huge, gigantic—no matter how many words I used, it felt inadequate to describe the abnormal, vertigo-inducing immensity of its body.

What first caught my eye was the torso with a shell on its back, which made Maru II's description of 'turtle' understandable. At a glance, the overall form could indeed be described as a 'turtle with a mountain covered in lush trees on its back.' However, its head, tail, and limbs were not those of a 'turtle.'

Tiger Lucky's 'hippo' was probably referring to its head. With its large mouth and squarish shape, it did bear a resemblance, if you had to say. Though I'm quite certain the 'Mr. Hippo' I know doesn't have such a ferocious face. And its neck stretched out like a turtle's, and it even had goat-like horns.

As for the limbs and tail, Rinne's 'dragon' was spot on. Though they were somewhat short, like a turtle's, the four legs extending from the shell were those of a thick-legged dragon. The tail was shaped much like an Eastern dragon's, long enough to encircle its entire colossal body. A swing of that thing could easily reshape the surrounding terrain.

—Good grief, I'm speechless.

But if I had to force myself to say one thing…

"How the hell are we supposed to beat that thing???"

"Well, it's a sure thing you can't beat it just by smackin' it."

"If we had a hundred of Iris-sama… would that be enough?"

"Probably not even then. I heard she struck its eyeball with that 'sword' and it didn't even leave a scratch."

"Ehh…"

Sora shivered as if repulsed by their replies, and I couldn't blame her. No matter how many times I rubbed my eyes and looked again, it didn't even seem like an enemy, let alone a living creature. Or rather, my brain was refusing to accept that it was a living creature—

"Alright… you two, go give it a quick touch."

""Huh???""

My voice and Sora's harmonized perfectly in response to Tiger Lucky's incomprehensible statement. Not just the sound, but the meaning behind it was also a perfect match. What, a touch? Uh? Are you telling us to approach that thing and touch it???

"Uh, um… eh, eh…? Get close… die…—"

My hoarse voice trailed off, but there was no need to say it out loud. Just like with the [White Throne] before, I could only see a future where we were turned to dust the moment we got close. Even though I've grown incomparably stronger since then, what's impossible is impossible. In fact, if I were to challenge the 'White' one again now, it would only be a 'repeat' performance.

With that in mind, I was about to ask if this was a 'die and return to town' prerequisite when—

"Ah, it's okay."

Maru II must have noticed that not just me, but Sora too, was in the dark. Waving his hand as if to say he wasn't making an unreasonable demand, he added a note.

"That thing's basically non-aggressive. It won't even notice you if you enter its field, and it won't react even if you kick its outer tail." It's just a set piece that won't move until you pull the 'trigger'—or so he said. Well, it's true that despite its biological appearance, it doesn't even seem to be breathing right now…

"That's how it is. There's only one condition for it to 'wake up,' and that's when pests get on its shell. So go get your points already."

"I see…"

I kind of get it. It's probably not a direct combat type, but a gimmick-clearing type. There must be some kind of mechanism on its back. I'm curious… but yeah, for now, let's just say our 'greetings.'

"Alright—well then, Sora-san, shall we go give its tail a kick?"

"Wha… a kick, n-no, you can't! Just because it won't react, you can't do something so scary on purp—Haru!? Wait, please, stop!"

If it's not even going to acknowledge our presence, then there's no need for us to hold back either. Shaking off my fear and kicking off the ground towards the crater, driven by curiosity, I heard a cute and lively voice chasing after me from behind.

—Ah, I like this. It feels a bit nostalgic.

Consciously acting the fool to lighten the awkward atmosphere, and before I knew it, I was unconsciously acting the fool and charging ahead, only to get scolded by Sora…

…Ah, wait a sec, this is no good.

"Honestly, Haru—ah, hey, why are you speeding up!?"

Well, that would be to prevent you from seeing the goofy grin on my face as I reminisce about the past. Now then, it's time for a long-overdue game of tag—Sora-san, you've grown a lot since then. Can you keep up with me now!?

Afterwards, Sora, who ruthlessly activated [Scareless], captured me in a cage of magic swords in less than ten seconds. Our greetings to the 'Green' one were carried out extremely peacefully, under the direction of my disgruntled partner.

◇You have had an encounter with [Green Connect, Jehatreglie]◇

---

――――――――――――――――――
◇Status◇
Title：Acrobat
Name：Haru　 Lv：100
STR(Strength)：200⇒250
AGI(Agility)：250⇒300
DEX(Dexterity)：0
VIT(Vitality)：0(+150)
MID(Mind)：300(+350)
LUC(Luck)：300
――――――――――――――――――
◇Status◇
Name：Sora Lv：100
STR(Strength)：100
AGI(Agility)：200
DEX(Dexterity)：100
VIT(Vitality)：100
MID(Mind)：500⇒550(+200)
LUC(Luck)：50⇒100
――――――――――――――――――

+50 from contact with the 'Memorial Stele of the Red Circle'
+50 from the encounter with [Green Connect, Jehatreglie]