Chapter 11: Red Walker

“I was just being serious, really. Those guys finally stopped messing around and we were on our way to our usual area…”

The party ‘Steel Soul’, two years into their adventuring careers, was walking through the Forest. Their plan was to explore the dungeon for four days and earn 200,000 for the three of them. It was supposed to be an ordinary exploration.

It was a familiar Forest. Angry Monkeys no longer targeted them. Monsters, after all, don’t challenge clearly superior opponents.

So, they were surprised when something approached them.

Still, it was just the [Sacrificial Forest]. There were only a few types of monsters, and only Angry Monkeys actively attacked. Even that one species wasn’t scary once you got used to them.

Trees creaked and groaned.
The entire forest seemed to be quietly stirring.

“There’s no cry… What is that?”

It was silent.
It should have come with an unpleasant gah gah cry, but this monster made no sound at all.

Beyond the trees, a shadow was visible.
It was far away, yet it had a very large outline.

The trees swayed, and light illuminated the monster.
It was—the color of fresh blood.

Red.

Red.

Red.

Before they knew it, it was right in front of them.

“Run!”

A shout was heard. The next moment, there was a squelching sound of something being crushed.

Red.
What appeared in the corner of his eye was a comrade.

“I don’t remember much after that… I just ran, desperately… that’s all.”

◇

Three days had passed since the three members of “Monthly” were assigned to exterminate the unique specimen.
With no smartphone or landline, all I could do was show up and assess the situation. I was getting tired of just bathing and lazing around—it was about time I got back to work. But well…

I entered the building with the dungeon gate and walked further in. Almost no adventurers were around. Guess it wasn’t resolved yet. Fine. Maybe I’ll just take another bath.

As I trudged along, shoulders slumped, I spotted a familiar face approaching.

A refreshingly handsome young man, slightly taller than me. But behind that facade lay a devout follower of an obscure cult.

“Greetings, comrade.”
“That distorted second-person pronoun—Toda-san.”

“Your way of calling me feels quite distant. Shige is fine.”
“I’ll do my best.”

“Hmm.”

I could call him Shigeatsu-san when he wasn’t around, but in this situation, I wanted to maintain distance. I respected him. The eldest son doesn’t lie.

Toda-san stared at me.

“Actually, I have a special favor to ask.”
“What is it?”

A favor at this timing—what is it?
Toda-san is the leader of ‘Monthly’. They are currently tasked with subjugating a unique individual. Surely, it’s not related to that…

I’m still a novice. At most, he’d ask me something about the [Sacrificial Forest].

“The unique species—’Red Walker’. I want to borrow your strength for its subjugation.”
“…Me, for subjugation?”

Toda-san nodded quietly, his expression unchanged.
I thought it was some kind of mistake, but Toda-san was completely serious. It didn’t seem like a joke.

“We’ll do the fighting. I want you to lure the Red Walker.”
“A decoy?”

“Yes. The Red Walker doesn’t show itself to us. It’s probably avoiding us.”
“And I’m okay?”

“Probably. If its goal is revenge for the killing of its comrades, you should also meet the conditions. You’ve killed a lot of Angry Monkeys recently, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”

“If comrade enters the Forest, it will definitely show itself. That’s where we’ll finish it off.”
“……”

“Of course, I’m not forcing you. It’s definitely dangerous.”
“How much will I be compensated?”

“200,000 out of a total of 800,000. This has already been agreed upon among us.”
“—! 200,000!?”

That’s enough income to make up for the period I couldn’t do anything.

200,000. With that much money, I could buy new clothes… I might even be able to buy home appliances. If I put it towards food, I could feed my family until they were full for a whole month.

“What do you want to do?”
“I’ll do it.”

Toda-san chose me. He must have judged that the probability of success was higher.
A reward of 200,000. It’s enough to take a gamble.

Toda-san smiled.

“When is the best time to act?”
“Anytime.”

“Then let’s depart immediately. We need to clear the dungeon quickly, or promising newcomers will be in trouble.”
“Yes. I’ll get ready.”

I went to the changing room and put down my bag. I didn’t need it. I’d leave my knife too. As light as possible, just enough to fight.

Toda-san stared at me for a moment, then tilted his head.

“What about your equipment?”
“I always wear a tracksuit.”

“Shall I lend you some of my old gear? The quality is low, but it’s better than nothing.”

I hesitated. Should I accept Toda-san’s offer and wear minimum protection?

“…I’ll pass. I don’t want to do anything different than usual in situations like this.”
“Right. Then let’s just go.”

“I look forward to working with you.”
“Likewise.”

I stepped through the gate.
The sound of my heart echoed heavily.

◆

At the entrance to the Forest, I met up with the remaining two members of ‘Monthly’.
Mitsui-san, slender and wearing glasses, and Genzo-san, burly and stern-faced.

After a brief self-introduction, I also asked about the origin of their party name.

“Our party has monthly contracts. At the end of each month, we confirm if we’ll continue the party next month, and if everyone agrees, we continue. It’s a monthly contract party, so ‘Monthly’.”
“I thought I’d quit immediately, but I never imagined it would last five years.”
“It truly is a strange fate, isn’t it?”

The three of them chuckled in the same way.

It was something I, who operated solo, could never obtain. They were connected by something much heavier than mere friendship.

Yes.
I can entrust this to these people.

“Now, let’s have a strategy meeting.”

Toda-san’s words tightened the atmosphere.

It was called a strategy meeting, but most of it was information sharing for me. For me, who only knew information via Shiraishi-san, everything was new.

The species called Red Walker has blood-red fur all over its body. Its physique is more than two sizes larger than other individuals, and its movement speed is on a completely different level. It doesn’t make the characteristic gah gah cry.

The conditions for being targeted seem to be either ‘having killed a large number of Angry Monkeys’ or ‘being clearly identifiable as a beginner’.

Mid-level adventurers are only targeted if they killed Angry Monkeys for fun.
Beginners are wiped out entirely, party and all.

When listed like that, there’s a sense of incongruity, but that’s how the situation plays out, so it can’t be helped.

My job is to draw the Red Walker out. As soon as I spot it, I’m to run immediately and tag out with ‘Monthly’. After that, I run straight to the gate and return first.

“Any questions?”
“Just one. How many seconds do I need to survive?”

The time from when the Red Walker spots me until I tag out. I wanted to ask just that.

Toda-san answered clearly.

“From the moment the Red Walker lands on the ground, a maximum of 10 seconds. I swear to the Goddess, we won’t make you wait any longer than that.”
“Understood.”

If he swore to the Goddess, Toda-san would absolutely not break it.

“Then, let’s begin the operation.”

◆

My fingertips are cold. Even though the Forest is almost hot, they’ve been like this for a while.

Am I nervous?
No. Well, no, but it’s not unusual to be nervous.

Unique specimen.

The weight of those words is making me waver.

It’s okay. I’m not alone. If I endure for 10 seconds, three people will come to help me. Those people are strong. Much stronger than me. So, it’s okay.

I continued deeper into the Forest.
It was quiet. The usual cries of the Angry Monkeys were absent.

The air was taut.
The silence grew denser.

The trees swayed unnaturally, and a shadow was visible between them.
Blood-red fur. A body so massive it was incomparable.

“[Flexible Enhancement Mimicry]”

I immediately enhanced my body. I lowered my center of gravity so I could run immediately when the opponent started moving.
But the shadow showed no sign of descending.

That’s when it happened.
Something fell from above the trees.

Plop. Plop. Plop.

Making dull thuds, what scattered on the ground was—

“Ears…!”

And all of them were right ears. Human right ears.
Just as we adventurers do.

The Red Walker. That specimen understood what was being done to them. It knew it and it was doing the same thing.

Grudge, hatred, fear—the red entity roared as if swallowing it all.

“Uruooooooh!”

The next moment, a cry was heard.

Gah
The forest swayed.

Gah Gah
Overlapping cries unpleasantly churned the air.

Gah Gah Gah
A chorus so loud the ground shook. They were gathering from all directions.

A horde of monsters filling the gaps between the trees.
The Red Walker leaped down from the branch.