"Everyone, got your lumber axe ready?" - Announcer

"YEAAAAAAH!!"

An ear-shattering roar came from the adventurers in response to the Adventurers' Union's representative's question? The morale is high. And so are their voices. I think I went deaf there for a second.

"Alright, let's move." - Garami

"Alright~." - Mira

"*Yawn*, better do so." - Alf

The tension is so different between these two.

Nobody had an idea as to where the wood monsters would spawn, so the Adventure Union is having us adventurers fan out throughout the island and keep an eye on different sections of the island. The monsters, the "Devitrees", tend to spawn close to the coast, so most of the workforce is sent there. Us included. Why the coast? Maybe they think "the coast is clearer" there than anywhere else? ...Yeah, that pun was lame. Shame on me.

Anyway, we're not working alone this time around. Some other parties are also investigating this area, so we're dividing our roles here.

"The plants often appear closer to the waters than not, so we're sending most of the people here to the beach. And don't break out your swimsuits just yet. Wait until this infestation is taken care of." - Announcer

Some people got a chuckle from the representative's joke before they headed out. Our area is a long beach that has been quite popular with the Devitrees. I opened the map of the area to see where we should start the examination.

"Where are we heading?" - Mira

"...Here." - Garami

"That's not the beach." - Mira

"It looks like a cave." - Alf

"Specifically, a sea cave. Look, it's written here." - Garami

"Yeah, but is there a point for checking that out? The plants suddenly grow from the ground, which makes them already pretty weird, but even so, plants need sunlight. Why are we checking the most gloomy place on the beach?" - Mira

"A little hunch I have." - Garami

After going through the data the Union had gathered until now, I'd formulated a little hypothesis of mine. That the sudden outbreaks of plant monsters are artificially created by someone. One of my reasons for believing this is that the plants only appeared in unpopulated places, which could be the perfect scenes of the sudden-growth crime.

The Union had similar ideas, so they took several tests of the area that had been affected, as well as keeping an eye on the most affected areas. But they turned out with nothing. There are not even signs that the ground's been weakened due to the rapid growth of the plants, nor has there been anyone suspicious appearing in the areas where the sudden growth of the plants appeared.

"But what if the culprit worked from the sea?" - Garami

"...Are you referring to the 'fishing spot' on Little Wasteland?" - Alf

"Yup. What if someone using a Water skill or whatever managed to lead a bunch of 'hyper fertilizer to the ground at the coast using hiding places close by that normal adventurers wouldn't think of looking into?" - Garami

"That would be a perfect crime! Long-range Devitree spawning!" - Mira

"It is not a foolproof theory, but it has a good chance to be right." - Alf

Yup~. Besides, we're working as a team here with the other adventurers. We can continue to weed out the stupid ideas until we find the right one. "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth". That's a famous quote by a famous detective. I loved reading about that guy...

"Come. Let's go and eliminate some impossibilities." - Garami

"Where did that come from? Not that I mind eliminating stuff~." - Mira

"You, you will end up being imprisoned if you don't start watching your mouth..." - Alf

"Heh, as if. Garami would bust me out." - Mira

"You two..." - Alf

"Don't look at me. And if you want the jailbird pass, you better start helping. Get that cow of yours here. I need some transportation assistance." - Garami

"Oh, I've sold that one." - Mira

...Wow, she works fast. It seems I can't take the super-heavy explosives I saw them selling at the dock then.

Blast me and my desire to keep all my possessions stored in my Storage skill so I never have enough space for anything big and explosive! Ah, but I didn't mean that you could blast me with the TNT. I won't escape with just an "ouch" from those beasts.

---

We entered the biggest cave on the beach (the only one, but it's still big) and started to look for clues. Alf is forced to use a lantern, so Mira is keeping him company while I sneakily scout the field ahead of them. This is making me remember the time I spent back in the Water-Knot. Ah, how terrible those days were...

Not good. This is not good. I think we've hit the jackpot. And it is more horrible than I could ever imagine! Horribly CUTE, I mean!

"Mole people?" - Garami

"No, they are specifically a breed of mole monsters. Tame ones, when compared to the wild that drags you into their mole holes, sedate you to a half-coma state, then nibble each limb off you slowly, yet surely, as they keep you as a preserved food." - Bloom

Yuk. Moles can be vicious.

"And you are sure these little fellows won't do the same?" - Garami

I continued the whisper meeting between me and Bloom as I looked at the little (potentially evil) moles. They're about as big as a goat, got brown fur, and have some yellow star-shaped marks on their foreheads. Kinda cute. But I'm not taking any chances. Not after hearing what their big bad brothers do to the unlucky stranger in the tunnels.

"Those are Stella Moles. They are on the top 10 list for 'monsters I want as a pet'. They are quite kind, and hard workers, so farmers would love to have them in their workforce." - Bloom

"Uhu. And what's the reason why they are pushing crates marked with crossbones and skulls, not to mention some wicked-looking hazard marks?" - Garami

"Hey, there is stuff even a fairy-looking avatar connected to one of the world's most valuable sources of information doesn't know." - Bloom

...That is not comforting.

"Okay, Bloom. Give me some options." - Garami

"The moles are not the strongest of the monsters we have encountered, quite the opposite. So they are most likely to run if we engage in combat." - Bloom

"Bad. We need to catch these underground crooks, not let them run free." - Garami

"And potentially also blow up this place to hide the evidence. I saw some of them mess with some dynamite." - Bloom

"Even worse!" - Garami

Wait, how did they... Nevermind.

"One good thing is that this bedrock is too solid for them to dig through. If we block their escape paths..." - Bloom

That's a plan I can live with.

I sent Bloom to warn the other two while I started sneaking around the moles and webbed, blocked, or poisoned the various escape tunnels. Wow, those vials of poison I bought on sale sure work better for this than my ideas of using them to train my Poison attribute. In hindsight, I shouldn't have bought them on impulse like that. What good is normal poison for training Poison skills anyway?

The moles...haven't noticed me. They're cute, and they're hard workers, but vigilant? Not so much. I gotta deduct some points from them there.

Just as I finished the last exit, something was going on at the entrance. Some of the moles are...looking at something there and...talking with the wall? Huh? Now one of them is going to a control panel with a big red-

*ALAAAARM!!*

...Of course, it had to be the alarm button and not the self-destruct button. And why do they even have an alarm? They're moles, for Pete's sake!

"Mira, Alf, get busy!" - Garami

I shouted over the alarm towards the entrance as I jumped out of the shadows and started to web every mole I could find. The already-panicking moles got even crazier and started to run for the hills, aka the exists, only to do an about-face toward my webby arms... That sounds just disgusting.

I got another good 10 moles before the last dozen or so went for the big entrance. Unfortunately for them, a wall of ice and another wall of glowing swords came to greet them. Wow, I didn't expect Airgetlám to be that cost-easy to make a whole wall made outta blades. Impressive.

"S-s-stop...r-right...th-there...you under-under-un-underground...*collapse*." - Mira

I take it back. Mira just got mana-broke due to her greed and the price for a sword wall!

After a quick 11 webbings done, I left it to Alf to keep an eye on our cuddly prisoners while I gave Mira a shoulder to lean on... This is quite the gifting shoulder-lending I've ever done. Note to self: never let anyone else have this honor.

"Wow. I didn't believe it when your little fairy assistant came and told us about it, but the culprits really are moles! Who'd guessed? And you got them all, just like that?" - Alf

"Yup. A good round of 30-or-so moles-" - Garami

"Master, there are only 29 of them here." - Bloom

Wha-, say what now? That can't be right. I caught 8-ish when the brawl began, then another 10 when they tried to flee to the entrance, then the last dozen..., dozen? As in 12-ish? Didn't I only get 11?

*Crash!*

AHA! There you are! Stupid, cuddly mole. Trying to flee by climbing the tower of wooden boxes... Why is he climbing those things? They can't have a spare tunnel in the ceiling, can they?

"It seems like...it's going to fall!" - Mira

Snap! The whole tower is gonna do a failed Leaning Tower in Pisa-event! The poor mole is gonna get smooched underneath danger-labeled boxes! Even a diabolical gardener doesn't deserve that fate! And yes, I'm ignoring how cuddly and cute he is. Honestly! And then there are those skull-and-bones boxes. Those markings are way more efficient than plastering a "fragile" on your moving containers.

As the tower was collapsing, I threw webs on webs to catch the dangerous packages before they hit the ground. And I made sure the mole landed in an extra soft web. Go me!

*Crash!*

...I forgot one crate. It landed on top of another one marked "plants". Now I'm starting to see how cuteness can be a weapon. Stupid, cuddly, attention-grabbing mole...

Enough self-reflection. What is going on with the box? Some sort of grey goo is sipping out from its cracks and into the plant container.

"Uh-oh." - ???

Wait, who said that? Why is this an "uh-oh"-scenario? And why is the plant box kicking and shaking as if something big is... I hate my life.

And just as I suspected, a gigantic tree burst out of the plant box. Maybe I should say it "outgrew it", but who cares for the details? Especially due to these numbers!

Name: --- | [---] Race: Devitree Gender: Male Level: 1/25 Traits: 2 Karma Value: 0 Main Class: Warrior Lv.1 Skills: 8 Titles: 0 Blessings: 0 Aether Points: 1.0 Condition: Rage [100] (Physical stats increased, mental capabilities decreased) HP: 2.000/2.000 MP: 10/10 SP: 500/500 STR: 800 VIT: 600 MAG: 10 RES: 50 SPD: 150 DEX: 10 INT: 60 LUC: 88 LP: 10

"Strategic retreat!" - Garami

"*ROAAAARR*!!" - Monster Devitree

The gigantic (and still-growing) tree stretched its branch arms toward us in a fit of rage. Alf created an ice wall to protect us, but it lasted for...one-and-a-half seconds. That's a whole second longer than I expected. Time for the good old weed killer.

I threw a Poison Ball into what looked like the eyehole of the giant wooden monstrosity, and it seems to work. The Devitree is clutching onto its poisoned eyesocket(?) in what I'd assume is pain. I'm not sure. Tree body language is not my strongest suit-

*Donk*

Ouch! Who was it that pushed me? Come out...actually, go out of the cave. I wanna take the fight somewhere else than close to this gigantic tree of doom.

"Garami, let's get moving!" - Mira

"What about the mole... Where are the moles!?" - Alf

They are...escaping!? When did they have the chance to cut themselves free from the web? Even Fally Mc Faller is still...was still trapped the last time I saw him. This is too fast! And they are leaving through one of the tunnels? I am sure I made that thing inaccessible!

Grr, this is so not my day!