Chapter 21: A Different Development from the Anime

"We've climbed quite a bit, but we still can't see the end." 

"Yes, we're probably around the mid-stream level."

We continued deeper into the forest, reaching the mid-stream area of the river. Despite having fought many monsters on the way here, Lilina’s smooth acquisition of the "Stealth" skill made our progress easier. 

Lilina had leveled up significantly, and everything was going quite smoothly.

"By the way, there seem to be quite a number of monsters in this forest. It must have been tough to come this far alone, right?"

Thinking back on our battles, I commented on the number of monsters we'd encountered. I had assumed that there wouldn't be many due to the proximity to the town, but it turned out I was wrong. 

It occurred to me that Lilina had come this far before meeting me, without the "Stealth" skill. Isn't that impressive?

"I'm surprised too. It was tough, but there weren’t as many monsters as there are now." 

"Really? I wouldn't think the number of monsters would change so much in just a few days..."

Was the forest becoming more active while Lilina was staying there? If the forest was becoming more active, it could mean something significant was happening. Given the situation, it didn't seem like a good sign. 

Should I consider going back and reporting to the Adventurers' Guild? But if the forest were closed off, we wouldn't be able to get the secret medicine to cure Lilina’s mother.

It might be safer to press on, even if it’s risky.

"Lilina, it's getting dark, so let's rest here for the night. It's better to avoid encountering strong nocturnal monsters, and we’re also tired from continuous battles."

We should avoid wandering in the night and increasing the chances of running into nocturnal monsters.

As I was speaking to Lilina, a brown object suddenly filled my field of vision.

"Huh?"

Before I could react, I realized someone was about to strike me. 

Oh no, this is bad!

"‘Jump’!"

I quickly activated the "Jump" skill that Lloyd had stolen from someone, leaping backward into the air.

"Damn it!"

Not knowing how to properly take a fall, I ended up rolling on the ground, covered in dust, and looked up to see my attacker.

When I saw the creature, I was left speechless.

Wait, why is that thing here?

"Lloyd-san!!"

"I’m fine! Lilina, get behind me quickly! ‘Lightning Slash’!"

To buy Lilina some time to get behind me, I drew my longsword and unleashed a lightning-charged slash.

"Gyii!!"

However, the monster aiming to strike me didn’t dodge the attack. Instead, it forcefully struck my slash away, showing its raw strength.

Really, how strong is this thing?

"Lloyd-san! Are you really okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I haven’t taken any hits."

I hid Lilina behind me, who had rushed over anxiously, and glared fiercely at the monster that had ambushed us.

It was a gorilla-like monster, covered in brown fur, about twice my size, with unusually well-developed arm muscles. I had seen this monster in the anime.

"…You’re the boss character for the event where we find the secret medicine, right? Why are you here?"

Yes, this was the forest boss monster that appeared when Kane and Lilina found the secret medicine in the anime.

So why is this monster here, in the middle of the river?

Something was definitely different from the anime.

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