## Chapter 303 – Lingering Scent of Flowers
ㅡThud, thud, thud, thud!!!
An unexpected chase unfolds in the heart of a lush jungle.
Copson and I persistently ran, maintaining our pace. Whatever the case, if we didn’t shake off the Dryads’ pursuit, something extremely unpleasant was bound to happen.
ㅡHeh heh heh.
ㅡHee hee hee hee.
ㅡHeh heh heh heh.
“Those bitchy she-devils!”
“Goddamn it!”
Those Dryad bastards relentlessly mocked and chased us.
No, the expression ‘chased’ isn’t quite right. They were merely surrounding us, matching their speed to our movements, running at a moderate pace.
ㅡHeh heh heh.
Even if nothing else, that damn mocking laughter was driving me crazy. Those insane flower-people, who had probably lived only in the jungle, were unparalleled in their ability to grate on one’s nerves.
“Damn it! Which way should we go!”
Copson shouted as he ran.
Actually, it would be the same no matter where we went.
Because the jungle looks the same in every direction.
But there’s no other way than to run.
We couldn’t just stand still and be completely surrounded. Giving up mobility is the same as giving up the fight. We had no choice but to run.
ㅡHeh heh.
The Dryads slowed down when we slowed down, sped up when we sped up, and openly revealed themselves when we went to places with few hiding spots, mocking us.
If we suddenly changed direction to try and cut down a few of them, they would run away at such a fast speed that we could do nothing but run a marathon.
They were too fast, so even if we tried to cut them down and break through with a desperate will, we couldn’t.
And… these bastards.
They’re increasing in number.
It seems they keep calling their friends from somewhere.
“Kuh…!”
Even though he was adjusting his speed enough, Copson’s pace was getting slower and slower. I was still okay, but he was gradually reaching his limit.
“Hey. Let’s run slower.”
“I’m so damn tired…!”
ㅡHaa! Haa!
His breathing is rough. I gradually slowed down my running speed to run with him.
“Heh heh heh, this bastard only knew how to gamble, he neglected his physical training, huh?”
I feigned a smile and showed a relaxed appearance. If one guy starts to collapse here, there’s a chance that a panic interaction will completely screw us over.
“Damn it! If I return alive, I’m going to quit this damn gambling and immerse myself in self-discipline!”
“Yeah, to do that, we have to run away alive. Let’s run slowly.”
“Hoo. I understand. It seems they’re matching their pursuit to our speed.”
ㅡGlance.
Copson glanced left and right, adjusting his pace. I don’t know for sure, but the naked women he occasionally saw must have given him strength.
The tiresome chase continued endlessly.
The jungle was endless, and we didn’t even know which direction we were running. We were just enduring the laughter while passing through the same scenery.
ㅡHee hee hee hee!
ㅡHeh heh heh heh!
ㅡHeh heh heh!
“…”
When I tried lowering my running speed to a brisk walk as an experiment, the Dryads immediately reacted, making ferocious cries and narrowing the encirclement to the extreme.
These bitches… Could it be.
They’re pressuring us to ‘maintain a running speed above a certain level.’ It seemed like they were planning to drain all of our stamina.
How terrible.
We’re being played according to their intentions.
Don’t these bastards ever get tired?
Were they originally monsters with such good stamina? Originally, mankind, the leader of all things, can be said to be at the peak of endurance, but it was not thought that such power would exist in the weak bodies of these flower-people.
Let’s just go with it since this is another world.
“Kuh…”
I’m getting tired too. Even if I’m Cheonma Kim Kat, this isn’t the Central Plains, so my strength isn’t infinite… Damn it!
ㅡCough!
Copson was already sweating profusely and half-dead. His glossy hair, which had shone brilliantly even in hardship, had now turned into something like golden seaweed.
I immediately supported him.
“Go first, Barbarian!”
“What nonsense are you spouting, you bastard.”
Copson, who had been exhaling, suddenly started babbling nonsense.
“Heh heh heh, if we stay like this, we’ll both die. As expected, you’re a barbarian, so your stamina is good…! Haa, haa… I should have been born a barbarian.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, you pockmarked bastard. Stop talking and breathe.”
“Kuh… Who are you calling pockmarked!”
When we stopped for a moment, the Dryads, who had grown to nearly dozens, showed signs of rushing at us all at once, so we started the marathon again.
What is their purpose?
Are they simply aiming to exhaust our stamina?
Or is it luring…?
I don’t know.
ㅡThud, thud, thud, thud.
I was just running busily, lost in a daze, when it happened.
ㅡHwaa!
In an instant, we arrived at a fairly wide and open space.
It’s not a place densely filled with large trees and plants, but literally a space like a plain in the middle of the jungle.
“Where is this…?”
“This place is?”
A space that seems to be separated from the jungle.
A clearing and a jungle. Trees grow like walls along the boundary line.
It looks like something artificially created… Does a place like this exist? The grass trampled on the ground was short enough to only grow below the calf, and all sorts of colorful flowers and mysterious vines grew around it.
It’s not a cruel jungle, but a kind of paradise.
“The Dryads?”
The Dryads, who had been chasing us fiercely, had disappeared, scattered somewhere. Not only their vile laughter, but even the sound of rustling through the bushes could not be heard.
“…Are they not chasing us anymore? Let’s catch our breath for now.”
“Good.”
ㅡHoo! Haa! Hoo! Haa!
We breathed frantically to supply the lacking oxygen and calmed our bursting hearts. At the same time, we drank water from our canteens and chewed and swallowed jerky to recover energy.
The series of processes consumed about 5 minutes, but as expected, the Dryads did not appear.
“Hmm, that’s… strange. Of course, it’s a good thing, but those guys who were chasing us so hard aren’t chasing us anymore?”
“I know, right? Could it be that they can’t come in here?”
“It’s possible that this is a space that’s taboo for them… They seem intelligent, so it wouldn’t be strange if they had such a culture.”
Taboo, huh.
For something like that, the scenery is quite beautiful.
It’s a scenery that the Dryads, who are nature-type monsters, would like, not dislike. The beautiful flowers blooming all over the place made it seem like this was some noble lady’s garden.
In the center of the garden, there was a very thick vine pillar about 4 meters in size, covered with mysterious and bizarre leaves.
Green vines gathered together to form a kind of altar… Something’s fishy. A structure in the middle of a garden that appeared in such a random place?
I felt a kind of ominousness.
“Hey, Barbarian. That thing…”
“Yeah… I’m looking at it too.”
Should we just run away as it is?
However, I had a feeling that if we left this place, the Dryads’ pursuit would start again.
“It’s probably best not to get too close.”
“I agree, damn it.”
Originally, you should never go near such suspicious things. Honestly, I want to get out of this eerie garden right away, but… let’s compromise a little.
Copson and I sat down in a place mainly made of grass, without any dangerous-looking flowers, to rest and slowly recover our stamina, which was hitting the bottom.
“Hoo, it feels like I’m going to live now that I’m resting… I’m so glad it’s still daytime. If it becomes night, there’s no answer.”
“Yeah. We have to do something before night comes…”
In the worst case, we may have to use the fire starter and oil that we always keep in our pouches to start a fire and break through.
Of course, if that happens, we will also be in extreme danger. If a fire breaks out in this jungle, the damage will be irreversible.
Starting a forest fire is a last resort.
Maybe we can threaten them with this fire.
If the Dryads understand fire.
That’s how I rested with Copson, enjoying jokes about death. Once I decided to just say fuck it and rest, my mind and body became quite stable.
Since we’re already screwed, what could be more screwed up?
If the Dryads had any brains, they would be careful with fire.
Of course, if that really happens, we’ll be roasted too.
“Heh heh heh, so I beat the shit out of all those guys.”
“Were the martial artists that weak?”
“I’m strong, you bastard.”
“I was thinking of joining the martial artist guild… But after hearing the Barbarian’s story, it’s all disappearing. Heh heh heh.”
If there was even alcohol here, the atmosphere would be quite good. Copson also told stories about working far away, and he used a way of adding lessons to them to boost his own morale.
By recalling past experiences, he is casting a self-buff on his confidence. As I was having a pleasant conversation, my dark thoughts turned into positive ones.
It was then.
ㅡRustle.
“Hmm? A sound…”
ㅡRustle.
At the sudden sound, we jumped up and formed a battle line back to back. “What’s that sound?” “Wait and see.” We shared our opinions and looked around.
The source of the sound was the huge vine in the center of the garden.
The large leaves that were wrapped around the vine slowly began to open, making the sound.
“The leaves… are moving on their own?”
“Barbarian. Shouldn’t we run away first? I’m so uneasy.”
As I was thinking about whether to run or not, the leaves opened completely, revealing the secret inside. An altar. As I thought at first, the vine was some kind of altar.
ㅡRustle.
From the inside, something that looked like a person walked out.
“Huh, huh?”
“…A beauty?”
Slowly from inside it. Stretching out her long legs, stepping down the stairs of the created vines, it was… a beauty, as Copson said.
A Dryad?
…No.
First of all, her skin color was not green, but a flesh color like that of a human… Could it be a person? Maybe a forest witch?
Her crimson hair, as if melted with roses, was long and gorgeous enough to drag on the floor, and her full breasts were not as good as Winia’s, but everything except her nipples was exposed due to her flimsy plant-based clothing.
ㅡShe’s tall.
She seems to be about a head taller than me, who is close to 180 centimeters. Roughly estimating, she was a towering figure close to 2 meters… She finally stepped on the floor of the garden.
ㅡRustle.
Then flowers bloomed from the ground.
Is this bitch a deer god…?
ㅡ…?
She, who had been walking slowly, stopped when she found us.
She wasn’t as good as Claudia, but she was a truly fatal beauty.
She felt full of sex appeal, and she was wearing long green boots and long gloves, which seemed to be made of plants.
And her lower body is completely exposed.
She covered her nipples… but didn’t wear panties? And there are long boots and long gloves? Looking at her maniacal attire, she was 100% not human.
“…Barbarian. There’s a story going around, would you like to hear it?”
Copson, who was looking at her as if he was drunk, said that. I was going to slap him on the back of the head because I thought he was bewitched again, but I decided not to because I didn’t smell the scent of flowers yet.
“Is that important?”
“Right now, damn it, there’s no more important story in this world than this.”
ㅡTremble, tremble.
No.
He was trembling.
He was not fascinated, but terrified.
“Somewhere in the deep forest… there is said to be a monster called the Queen of Flowers.”
“…”
“It is said that the monster takes the form of a beauty with a fatal beauty that does not seem to be of this world. To briefly describe her appearance, she has long red hair… is tall, and has a body that would captivate the hearts of men.”
It’s a low-level story that only a cheap bard would tell.
“The queen’s name is Alraune.”
“Al… Raune?”
“I thinkㅡ”
It was when Copson was about to add an explanation.
ㅡHuman children.
ㅡCome closer.
A warm voice like a spring breeze was heard.
It was Alraune’s voice.
