## Chapter 297 – Lingering Scent of Flowers
ㅡBuzzing, murmuring.
As always, the Adventurer’s Guild in the morning was as noisy as a pig slaughterhouse with the killing machine running. Or perhaps, it was more like an abandoned nest full of baby birds on the verge of starvation. In any case, they were the same in that they were screaming for life.
“So, Copson. Any new news?”
“Hmm… I think there’s a rumor going around.”
As usual, I came to look for work and ran into Copson.
I think it’s the first time I’ve seen him since we fought off the Winter Spirit. He looked well, so I decided not to ask how he’s been.
“What’s the story?”
I always feel bad for getting information from him, so I decided to treat him to beer and snacks, and we’re already drinking from the morning. ㅡThunk. Copson downed his beer in one go, burped, and said.
“Isn’t it about time for spring to really kick in?”
“It’s almost summer.”
As the weather warmed up, it felt like time was flowing faster.
Life awakens, devouring the rotten earth. The Green Forest, already rapidly restored, was incredibly lush. The monsters that woke up from hibernation were also particularly rampant, craving blood.
As the commercial districts that had been blocked all winter began to open up in earnest, merchant groups began to move, and there were frequent attacks by hungry monsters.
As a result, escort quests increased.
Well, that’s the structure.
I figured that more than half of the adventurers squawking now were aiming for such requests and appealing to others.
ㅡChew, chew.
I chewed on a piece of jerky and waited for Copson to speak. Winter had passed roughly, and spring was also passing smoothly.
I think summer will be here soon.
“There’s a place where the forest is becoming abnormally lush.”
“It’s that time of year. The plants must be happy.”
“No, it doesn’t seem to be just that.”
“What?”
Copson’s face changed rapidly.
“It’s… a jungle is appearing.”
He had a somewhat eerie face.
He created an atmosphere as if he were telling a spooky story that didn’t fit the season, and then stuffed jerky into his mouth irrationally.
“Jungle?”
“Yes. A jungle.”
“What jungle?”
Judging from the way he was talking, it seemed like there was an area where the plants were growing a bit faster… but it didn’t seem like a story worth creating an atmosphere for.
What the hell is it?
“Normally, there’s no jungle right near this city. You know, that time we went to the dungeon with Sister Elise?”
“Ah, come to think of it, we had to cut through a jungle back then.”
“That’s it.”
The Orkota Catacombs in the Necropolis.
It was about a day’s ride by carriage. I remembered cutting through the jungle and finding the dungeon as soon as we arrived back then.
It was about last spring, almost a year ago.
Time flies so fast.
“The closest jungle area from here is around there. There isn’t one right near here.”
“So, what’s the conclusion?”
“Well, I think we need to investigate further… but it seems that a natural anomaly is presumed to have occurred.”
Anomaly?
“The jungle is getting bigger.”
His eyesight seemed to be better than that of a poaching monitor.
If the plants are happy, can’t they just grow more? Plants are a crazy bunch that grow better even if you just play classical music for them.
Well, I don’t think it’s a big deal considering he told the story so seriously. But since he changed his attitude as if it were so serious, I became interested in it.
“So, a jungle area is appearing. This doesn’t make sense. It’s abnormal. Is that what you want to say?”
“That’s right. You finally understand.”
Copson, who naturally ordered more snacks, changed his posture. He looked somewhat arrogant, so I decided to follow suit.
We toasted each other arrogantly.
“Hmm… honestly, I don’t get that suspicious feeling.”
“I’m almost the same. It just feels a little strange… it seems like there are a lot of stories like that going around among adventurers these days.”
“You have good information.”
“Hehehe, isn’t knowledge power?”
Still, a jungle.
If a jungle has formed, there will definitely be several things that can make money. I think it’s a good thing rather than an anomaly.
“Still, I don’t think it’s a big deal.”
He took a swig of beer and continued as if to explain further.
“Well, everything has a cause, doesn’t it? If you sow seeds and it rains, the grains grow. The farmer harvests it and continues his life, and sows again in later years. If you see a strange result, I think there must be a strange cause.”
Copson, who was completely drunk, began to rattle off something cool, but honestly, it didn’t really sink into my head. That’s because drunk men usually brag while saying strange things.
“So, what I mean is… hiccup! If something strange happened, there must be a strange cause. Hehehe. A strange cause, doesn’t it smell like money?”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re right. Drink some water, water.”
I handed Copson, who was hiccuping from the morning, a glass of water. He gulped it down fiercely and muttered while banging his forehead on the table.
“This is my prediction… hiccup! If a real anomaly has occurred, wizards will start to take an interest… then that will be the time to make money… hiccup…! That’s it… Ugh, Barbarian, what are you doing…!”
He’s completely wasted.
I helped Copson and moved him to the inn where he was staying. What a damn bastard… but let’s remember the jungle story.
Anyway, on this day, I drank with Copson while talking about such things and returned to my lodgings.
After that, I spent my days rummaging around with Winia and Claudia to collect magical plants that only grow in the spring.
Thanks to bringing a wizard, it was quite lucrative.
Winia didn’t just rely on experience like me, but knew the habitat and habits accurately, and added experience to find the best points.
“Hmm… what is this?”
Claudia, wearing gloves, asked Winia as she picked up a vile-looking mushroom and a brutally-looking orange orchid.
“Kwangcheoldae mushroom. If you process the poison properly, you can use it as an ingredient to make mana potions.”
“Then this?”
“Jasacheonjukcho? Maybe an aphrodisiac? Ah, Sister. Let’s stock up on a lot of that.”
“Hehe. Let’s do that.”
It’s like an otherworld nature exploration time.
Claudia, who shows an inquisitive attitude towards anything outside the desert, stuck close to Winia and acquired knowledge about spring plants.
I also listened to the explanations next to her and studied poisonous and medicinal herbs. I don’t remember everything, but it was a good time to make money and gain knowledge.
“More than that, why are you so interested in aphrodisiacs?”
“Academic curiosity.”
“I want to see Katt’s fierce side.”
You don’t necessarily need an aphrodisiac to see that. If you just ask, I can show you the Bed-Conquering Demon Kim Katt’s appearance anytime. We rummaged through the mountains in that way, collecting materials that could make money, and smashing the heads of the monsters we encountered.
ㅡTechyaaaaaat!!!!
Spring is a cruel season.
The monsters in this period are fearless. Seeing the goblin family attacking first without knowing the subject, an unbelievable anger soared in my chest.
ㅡPapat!
I immediately used Taekwondo to the extreme and grabbed the largest goblin with both hands. The goblin made its unique cry of ‘Techyaaaaaat!!’ and shook its arms and legs wildly.
“I won’t forgive you!”
I immediately lifted the goblin above my head and slammed it down with all my might.
ㅡGujaak!
The goblin, which collided with the ground, died with a bizarre death cry. Claudia laughed at the sight, and Winia sighed.
We enjoyed collecting and destroying, and also grilled and ate the beast-like monsters we hunted appropriately, spending time and returning.
One day, while spending such extremely peaceful days.
ㅡCopson’s words came true.
“Barbarian. Look at this.”
“It’s a fucking jungle.”
“It’s a fucking jungle.”
At this point, the story naturally began to flow into my ears. Spring wasn’t even over yet, but abnormally grown plants were forming a jungle.
It’s a great sight.
“Do you understand what I said back then now?”
“I think so.”
Early in the morning, I headed to the guild alone and met Copson, and we decided to explore on the spur of the moment and came outside the city gates.
I didn’t go to this gate often, so I didn’t know, but looking at it like this, it definitely looked like a ‘forest’ rather than a ‘jungle’.
Even in the middle of summer when the mountains are the most lush, the Green Forest doesn’t grow to this extent. I could feel a clear abnormality in the grotesquely grown vines and huge bushes.
ㅡSwarming.
The armed adventurer gangs around us were also planning to explore, and they were cutting down the bushes that had grown taller than their height and entering the jungle area one by one.
There were also wizards who came out to investigate, and there were also those who appeared to be soldiers of the lord. As Copson said, it seems that they came out to investigate because an anomaly had occurred.
“Hmm, let’s go in for now.”
“It’s fucking uneasy when I see it in front of me like this. Can we do this with just the two of us?”
I came with him to take a look, but the scale is bigger than I thought. And I keep hearing bizarre sounds, and it feels like the jungle is growing even at this moment.
“It seems like we can just take a quick look and come out. We have to do at least a minimal exploration to find out if there’s anything that can make money, right? Let’s take a look today, and if we get a feeling, we can properly form a party then.”
“That’s true. Then let’s go. Can’t be scared, can we?”
His words weren’t wrong, so I drew my sword and entered the jungle area.
Of course, I don’t intend to go in too deep.
Let’s just take a quick look at the entrance and go back.
“Barbarian. Do you remember what I said last time? There is a cause for the phenomenon.”
“Yeah. You did. It was a pretty cool thing to say for a drunken rant.”
“No, a drunken rant! That’s my philosophy!”
ㅡRustle.
An unknown green upright vine has grown to above my head. Rather than using a long sword, I used a knife. I cut it down appropriately with a knife and made a path myself.
“Hehehe. Talking about philosophy. Did you start a religion or something?”
“Actually, it’s something I came up with to try to pick up girls.”
Copson was also busy cutting down bushes and vines to make a path. The floor feels a little muddy, which is quite unpleasant… it’s a real jungle.
“Hey, Copson, but this mountain range wasn’t originally this much of a jungle, was it?”
“That’s why I’m saying it’s strange.”
“Hmm… it definitely doesn’t make sense for it to grow like this in such a short period of time.”
No, come to think of it, it seems like it could.
When I was in the military, it was worse than this.
Even after just one day, the valiant plants of Gangwon-do would cover the base. If you let your guard down for a moment, they would sprout from here and there, and I thought I was going to die from weeding.
Recalling those memories, I felt so hateful about the work of cutting down bushes that I put strength into my hands.
ㅡRustle! Rustle!
“…That’s amazing.”
“Hey, hurry up. It’s a combined attack.”
“Nice!”
As Copson and I joined forces to make a path, we were able to pass through the bush area. It took about 30 minutes of craziness to make a path.
It looks like the scale is going to be enormous.
“This is…”
“…Hmm.”
After passing through the bush area, what greeted us was literally the heart of a lush jungle filled with fantastic mystery. Grotesquely grown plants and irrationally large trees. And appropriate humidity and… flying bugs.
It’s such an exotic atmosphere.
To exaggerate a little, the mountain that felt like a neighborhood back mountain had turned into the Amazon. Somehow, the bushes in the back felt like a fortress.
“Hey, Copson. Since we came in, let’s collect some mana herbs or something.”
“That would be good.”
We agreed to do a little exploration and farming and went into the jungle.
Let’s just not go in too far.
