Kays Translations

Chapter 208: Serious Worm Hunting

Rest soared through the air, arriving at the marshlands in the eastern part of the Sabnock Plains.

The cold night wind brushed against his body, but thanks to the heat simmering inside him, he didn’t feel the slightest chill.

“Well then… let’s do this.”

Looking down at the ground from above, Rest realized how unusually exhilarated he felt.

Even though it was the middle of the night, he was wide awake, his body burning with intensity as if a fire had been lit within him.

(This is what they mean by “blood boiling and flesh dancing,” huh… I never thought I had this kind of fighting spirit hidden inside me!)

Though it felt more like another emotion entirely, he brushed that thought aside.

Enhancing his vision with magic, Rest scanned the marshlands below.

“Tch…”

Even with his vision enhanced for night use, he couldn’t see the monsters buried in the mud. To hunt the worms, he’d have to lure them out from the depths of the swamp.

“No problem. This’ll be easy.”

With adrenaline coursing through him, Rest activated a spell—a method he wouldn’t have dared to use if Yuri or Urla were present.

“[Monster Lure].”

A streak of light appeared above his head, forming geometric patterns. The spell’s circular magic pattern wasn’t for warding off monsters but for attracting them.

Long ago, a man derisively known as the Foolish Prince—Rodel Iwood—had used a similar magic item to trigger a monster stampede in the Sabnock Plains.

Ironically, Rest, who had defeated Rodel, now employed the very same method.

“Metis-sama did say monster-attracting magic was forbidden… something about not using it unless absolutely necessary, right?”

If abused, such magic could bring destruction to villages, towns, or even small countries.

For this reason, using or teaching it without authorization was strictly prohibited. Yet, it was Jarrana Metis, an elderly court magician, who had taught Rest the forbidden spell.

Her words, “use it only when necessary,” held little weight for a Rest teetering on the edge of rationality. He shrugged and cast the spell anyway.

“Oh, they’re coming.”

It didn’t take long after the spell was cast for changes to occur. The magic 【Sense Presence】 detected multiple approaching signatures.

“GYAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

The first emerged—a juvenile worm, just as expected.

The worm lunged at Rest with unrestrained excitement.

“[Star Devourer].”

Rest manipulated the wind to evade the worm’s attack and hurled a pitch-black sphere at its body.

In an instant, part of the worm was gouged out and consumed by the dark sphere—a miniature black hole capable of swallowing any target.

“GYAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

“Too noisy.”

Rest curtly dismissed the monster’s cries as he continued to move through the air.

With each move, he tore away more of the worm’s body, feeding it into the black hole.

“GYA…OOO…”

Its massive frame thoroughly consumed, the worm collapsed into the swamp, sinking into the mud, never to surface again.

“Hahaha! Another worm down—guess I ate it, huh?”

First at dinner, now as a midnight snack—Rest couldn’t deny that worms were becoming an unexpected staple in his diet.

“GYAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
“GYAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
“GYAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

Then came the second, third, and fourth worms, emerging one after another.

Whether they were aware of their fallen comrade or not, they immediately identified Rest as an enemy and attacked.

Even for Rest, facing three worms at once was a daunting task.

“[Flash Burst]!”

But he didn’t hesitate, casting another spell.

Having just used a dark magic spell moments ago, he now employed the opposite attribute—light magic.

A blinding flash illuminated the night, scorching the worms’ eyes.

“GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!?”

Worms were subterranean monsters, akin to dragons of the swamp. Though their eyes were vestigial, they weren’t completely useless.

The sudden burst of light in the dark night was enough to paralyze them.

“[Wind Manipulation].”

Naturally, Rest kept his eyes shut.

Relying on his 【Sense Presence】 magic, he maneuvered through the air and hurled dark spheres at the worms.

“That’s the second one.”

“GYAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

“Third and fourth, done.”

“GYAAA…!”

Rest skillfully used his magic to evade the enemies’ attacks while methodically taking down the worms one after another.

Thanks to his experience battling them earlier in the day, he knew exactly how to kill them.

Though he wouldn’t call Yuri and the others burdens, it was liberating to fight without needing to worry about them. In fact, it felt easier and more enjoyable this way.

“This is bad… I’m actually starting to have fun…!”

Rest realized he didn’t hate fighting as much as he thought.

Even when he fought Rodel, amidst the intense battle, there had been a strange sense of connection between them.

While he never considered himself a battle maniac, the thrill he felt tonight—likely fueled by his earlier meal—was undeniable.

“I feel like I can keep going… take down more and more…!”

“GYAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed from deep within the earth, reverberating in layers.

At the same time, Rest’s Sense Presence magic picked up on something massive—far larger than anything he had encountered so far.

“Finally making your appearance, huh… kept me waiting long enough.”

With a strange sense of anticipation, almost like yearning, Rest waited for it to emerge.

“GYAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

The ground erupted as mud exploded in all directions, heralding the arrival of it.

From beneath the earth emerged a massive worm—far larger than the juvenile ones Rest had been fighting.

Its gaping maw and closed, atrophied eyes were an imposing sight. This colossal worm looked capable of swallowing an entire town whole, now looming before Rest.

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