*tap tap tap!*

Ean, Miika and I are currently running inside the forest to check the Topologic Mana Denser, the magic device that is supposed to fill the lake with mana.

All we had to do is to follow along the river to eventually reach our destination... unfortunately, it's not that easy for me.

Ean is running in front of us while Miika is running besides me.

*pant... pant...!*

I can't help but to breathe heavily as I'm about to reach the limit of my stamina.

"E- Ean! Aren't you running a bit too fast?"

Looks like Miika notices my fatigue and starts talking to Ean while running at the same time.

I wish I have the energy to do that too, but keeping up with both of them is already the best I can do.

"If we take our time, the adventurers will be in danger!"

After saying that, Ean starts running even faster leaving us behind.

"Wait! Ean!"

Miika shouts at Ean but she quickly disappear from our sights.

Then I stops at nearby tree. I use my right hand to lean on the tree while catching my breath.

"Pant... pant...!"

"A- are you okay?"

I can't reply right away to Miika who approached.

The magic cross that I am wearing is still reducing my stamina usage but I am still this tired in the end.

Should I use Graize Elixir to restore my stamina...?

... no. It's too wasteful to use it just for that purpose.

After finally catching my breath, I immediately talk to Miika.

"You... follow her... hurry..."

I'm still tired so I can't speak properly.

"Eh? B- but what about you?"

"I'll catch up with both of you soon. Now hurry and go!"

I point at the direction where Ean went.

"... understood!"

Miika seems reluctant at first, but he immediately run at the speed way faster compared to when he ran besides me.

Yeah, that guy definitely matched up with my speed previously.

_________________________________________

*Interlude*

Ean realizes that she is currently running alone but she never stop regardless.

(This is fine. I just need to make more achievement in this battle so that people in the town can see our race in a better light!)

That's what she think to herself while running.

"!?"

However, she stops as she notices that there are many fallen fruits on the ground in front of her.

As she looks at the surrounding, she sees an blackened area on the forest as if it just got hit by magic attack.

Then she focus her eyes on the area where there are many fallen trees indicating that it is the center of the impact.

"... Clairvoyance."

She whispers the magic name to increase the magic output from her eyes.

Ean's Clairvoyance is a light-based magic that enables her eyes to see far.

"... !"

She immediately see a big orange monkey holding a blue crystal while sitting on the ground.

From that description of the creature, Ean thinks that it is most likely a monster called Gaboon.

The Gaboon looks at the blue crystal ball as if it is examining it. That blue crystal matches the description of Topologic Mana Denser that she heard today.

(.... alright, first, I'll take that crystal away from that monster.)

As she thinks that, she slowly approaches the Gaboon while hiding behind one tree to another trees.

However, before Ean moves to another tree. A plant with a closed bud suddenly stretches towards Gaboon at high speed.

*crunch!*

"!?"

Much to Ean's surprise, the bud opens up revealing many fangs inside it. It bites the entire Gaboon's right arm together with the blue crystal in the span of 1 second.

Gaboon suddenly get pulled by the vine so hard that it get tossed midair towards the monster who pulled it.

The monster who pulled the Gaboon is a giant venus gly trap with the height similar to the trees surrounding it but has wide and bulgy trunk below its only mouth which resembles a stomach.

The Gaboon gets thrown into the giant venus fly trap's jaw. Its fangs stab the Gaboon's stomach.

(That's... Manterlant...!)

She recognised the monster as she has seen it before. From Ean's angle, she can only see the Gaboon's legs struggling only for the Mantelant to deepen its jaws and brings out fresh red blood from Gaboon's body until the Gaboon stop its movement. Then the Manterlant slightly open its jaw to swallow the Gaboon's whole body.

(!? Oh no... the crystal also got swallowed as well...)

The distance between Manterlant and Ean is still quite far. So the Manterlant does not notice her yet.

(Manterlant... the whole village once ran away from it. It's simply too dangerous for me to fight it...)

Ean thinks more as she sees the Manterlant walking away by using its moving roots.

(But... it ends up swallowing the Topologic Mana Denser. I can't just let it get away...)

While the Manterlant is walking away, Ean finally realized something.

(! Wait... if I can defeat it alone... it would add to my achievements in this raid battle. Normally, it would be impossible for me. But...)

As she thinks that, she remembers a flashback about a short man covered in black hood standing in front adult goblins' grave that Ean and other goblins made together.

Then she grabbed something from her pocket and takes it out.

On Ean's right hand, there is a plastic syringe with pink liquid inside it. There is a small plastic tube covering the needle. It is very similar to the Sweet World that Panthos used before.

Ean slowly removes the plastic tube from the needle and drops it to the ground.

Then Ean points the syringe towards her left arm.

"STOP!!!"

"!?"

Ean suddenly hears a boy's voice and looks at her right side.

*grab!*

However, the moment Ean looks at her right side, Miika grabs her right hand which holds the Sweet World.

"W- what are you doing!? Let go!"

Ean says that while trying to pull her right arm away from Miika by strongly grabbing Miika's right arm.

"That thing is dangerous! Master lost his mind because he used that thing!"

"...! I said... LET GO!!!!"

Ean says that as she gets irritated by Miika not letting her use the Sweet World.

Thus she brings her right arm towards Miika's face and casts Floating Orbs of Light spell.

*flash!*

"!?"

A small white magic circle appears on Ean's right hand and it produce a small ball of light. Miika's vision is blinded by the sudden light and he let go of Ean's right hand as a result.

Seizing the opportunity, Ean quickly prepares to stab her left hand with the syringe.

"DON'T!!!"

However, Miika rushes straight forward even though his vision is not restored yet.

*thud!*

"Kyaa!"

As Miika tackes Ean's body, both of them falls to the ground. The Sweet World is dropped away from Ean's body.

Miika's vision is finally restored. He quickly grabs the Sweet World and runs away!

"!? Wait! GIVE THAT BACK!!!"

Ean quickly stands up and chases Miika.

Meanwhile, at the lake, Fiend Kraken get attacked by lightning and wind magic attacks at the same time. It got hurt but it quickly regenerate by absorbing lake's water from bottom half of its body that is still under water.

Then a cyclop adventurer is about to get captured by a giant tentacle.

"W- whoa!?"

Then Rimikia uses her magic rope to pull that cyclop away from the attack.

"Team White Comet! Fall back and regroup! Team Red Devil! Advance!"

After giving orders, Stephanie the Guild Master takes a glance at a group of adventurers who is drinking the potions that was made by the goblin kids.

Then he quickly resumes command once again.

And then, at other part of the forest, Shion is hiding behind a tree to take a look at a big plant monster not too far from the river. She arrived there after trying to catch up with Ean and Miika.

(That's... If I remember correctly, its name is Manterplant...)

Shion remembers the monster's name as it is one of subjugation monster target in B-rank quest lists.

Normally she would rather stay away from that dangerous monster. But she sensed a similar mana flow within Manterlant's stomach.

(That's... most likely Topologic Mana Denser. Even though Griselda placed monster-repelling talismans already...)

Shion's right hand is already holding the Emeraldian, the weapon that can brings out a saber of light. But she chooses to not confront it alone as it is too dangerous for her to do so.

(Thankfully, even though that monster analyse its surrounding from sound, it is not that sensitive to sound. I should be fine as long as I don't make loud noises.)

As she thinks that, she looks carefully on the ground so that she don't accidentally step on anything... especially the fallen fruits on the ground.

(I better find Ean and Miika quickly. And then report this to the Guild Master.)

However, as she is too focused on the ground, she does not notice the hanging orange-like fruit above her that is about to fall from the branch.

As the fruit falls, it lands directly on Shion's head.

*thud!*

"GAKH!?"

Shion lets out a voice after suddenly getting her head hit by a falling fruit.

"Ow..."

Shion looks at the fruit who just happened to fall on top of her head with painful expression.

"!?"

Then she suddenly sense an incoming Astral body from behind. She quickly jumps to the left.

However, the incoming Astral Body is one of Manterlant's closed bud. The bud quickly opens and try to bite Shion. However, as Shion already moved before the closed bud manages to bite her, it bites her hair instead.

"Ngh!!??"

After having her hair pulled by one of Manterlan's bud, Shion quickly use Emeraldian to slash the bud away from its vine.

"Dammit!"

She shouts that as the biting bud does not let go of her hair. Then before she can pull the bud away from her hair, she noticed that a brown magic circle appears on Manterlant's slashed vine.

(Earth-based Regeneration...)

As she recognises that magic circle, Manterlant launches another attack with other three buds.

With no time to fix her hair, Shion decides to overtake Manterlant's Regeneration spell with other earth-based spell.

The magic circle on Manterlant's slashed vine quickly changes, and then three big hands formed by the grounded emerges to grab three other attacking buds by their vines.

(Earthcraft: Ground Hand...)

It is one of spells that Shion learnt from the library in her mansion. As long as there is mana, the user can formed countless hands made of ground. In this case, Shion is using Manterlant's mana to use that magic.

Then another ground hand emerges and grabs Manterlant's slashed vine.

Shion then uses this chance to pulls biting bud away from her hair.

However, six more vines with closed buds emerges from the Manterlant's back.

Manterlant then launches all other six vines towards Shion.

Shion quickly takes a battle stance as she is ready to face against the Manterlant.

*End of Interlude*

_________________________________________