Akane Archer Chun Lan

The sound of footsteps stepping on the snow, accompanied by the sound of repeatedly kicking the snow, and despite the silent restraint, the heart and lungs are still audible to breathe under a heavy load.

The girl who made these noises looked out of tune with this snowy mountain road. Perhaps this is also one of the factors that makes her body about to be overwhelmed. The thin attire with slightly tanned skin can be seen everywhere, indicating that she is from a distance; on the other hand, her light eyes that contrast with her skin tone and dark gray hair that resembles the color of the sky when it’s snowing are also impressive. Feeling that she was attracted by this place to come, as if she had been destined for a long time.

"...There are enough to surround me. From the wind direction, this mountain road is still very long..."

The number of wolves following the girl was almost three times the average. These wild wolves with bloodshot eyes galloped on the path the girl walked on without looking back. The girl stopped from time to time and shot at the wolves with the crossbow in her hand, but the wolves' momentum did not seem to weaken at all.

After launching the crossbow, the girl briskly jumped behind her, twisted in the air and turned back to the original direction of travel, and continued to move forward without slowing down. The strong and brisk figure that is unique to those who wander in the mountains and begging for life makes her calm temperament more beautiful.

The wolves chased the girl intently, and indifferently leaped over the corpses of the same kind that was shot by the arrow.

Seeing their appearance made the girl feel a little compassionate. They are also chasing prey like this because they are driven away. That kind of driving tactics aroused their survival instinct.

"...Each one is desperate, right? But even so, I still..."

The girl clasped the iron tube hung around her neck and the book that was tucked around her waist. That's right, just because each other is desperate, she can't lose. After all-defeating the person who drove away the wolves is also her mission.

However, the increasing wind and snow, as well as the lowering of the temperature as the altitude rises, ruthlessly deprived her of the physical strength supported by her beliefs. Although the feet and waist can still move, the upper body that supplies blood to these parts is already frozen and unable to maintain normal functioning.

Before she knew it, she had been forced to the front of the mountain wall and was surrounded by wolves.

"...It's really ironic...After escaping, it ended up as expected."

The girl squinted her eyes a little, and looked at the iron barrel in her hand, as if she was holding the object in question. From that look, it was not so much that the iron barrel was a very important thing to her, as she seemed to place some kind of trust in it.

"...Sure enough, is this bet too big..."

Several options emerged in the girl's mind. The wolves didn't know this, and gradually approached her. Although the girl still did not show the slightest expression of giving up, the wolves had already surrounded her. It is almost impossible to break through with a crossbow alone.

However, compared to the wolves' desire to survive, after all, it seems that the girl's unyielding heart has won the favor of the goddess. In the next moment, a crisp explosion made the snow flying in the air shake. At the same time, blood blossoms bloomed on the two wolves next to each other almost at the same time, lying on the ground.

"...!"

The attention of the wolves turned from the girl to her partner, and the direction of the explosion that caused all this. In this short moment, the crisp voice sounded again. This time it was the wolf that seemed to find the source of the sound and fell down.

And this second sound made the wolves and the girl understand the meaning of that direction.

"The formation is disrupted! Get out!"

From the sound of the explosion, the sound of a young man behind the rock from the gunfire. As he said, a gap appeared in the encircling net of wolves. In this way, even the crossbow can break through... the girl nodded reflexively, then silently shot an arrow and rushed towards the wolves. At the same time, bullets shot at the wolves every few seconds, protecting the girl from a distance.

Every time it is fired, more smoke of gunpowder is blended into the snowy wind. Obviously, what the youth used was not a force gun, but an old gunpowder rifle, but the firing distance was much shorter than that of the general style.

"Come on to me! There is a shortcut here."

After confirming that the girl had successfully broken through, the shooting youth immediately leaned out from behind the rock and waved to her.

The girl traveled everywhere and met all kinds of people. She immediately understood that this young man was the most reliable fighter in this environment. The color of this handsome young man's silver hair is slightly different from that of a young girl, it is the kind of silvery white like a snow-covered ridge. He has fair skin, deep contours, sharp eyes, and a slender, moderately forged figure. Various elements harmonize with each other in him, as if to embody the beauty and environment of this place in a anthropomorphic way. He was wearing a fur coat and holding an old rifle in his hand-from this point of view, he used a gun to shoot the quick shot just now. Young girls seem to have seen people dressed like young people before.

The girl slipped behind the rock. Perhaps because of unexpected big movements, the books in the waist pocket popped out. The young girl with a crossbow in one hand has nothing to do with just grasping the iron barrel.

"Oh."

The silver-haired youth is loading a bullet. He blocked the book with the butt and let it fall on the spot. Fortunately, the young man’s luggage happened to be on the ground, so that the book would not get wet from the snow on the ground.

"...Thank you. The long-lost miscalculation, fortunately the result is good..."

The girl immediately picked up the book and said quietly.

"You are really polite. However, only the book is saved at the moment."

Take a closer look, the wolves are ready to make a comeback, and it seems that there is another group coming to meet.

Seeing this scene through the sight, the young man moved his body a little.

He pointed to a narrow beast path on his left, and after confirming that the girl nodded, he rushed towards the path. However, in the face of so many wolves, whether they can escape by simply taking shortcuts is a bet in itself.

"...I can't help it, then I'll take a gamble."

Perhaps it was because she realized that the youth might be difficult to make a decision due to the situation. After saying this, the girl lifted the iron tube hanging around her neck with both hands, toward the back of the youth-that is, the direction of the wolf pack. Run away.

"What are you doing! If you don't leave here quickly—"

The young man was planning to stop her loudly, but was interrupted by what happened next.

The lines carved on the surface of the iron cylinder that the girl raised began to glow slightly. Then, in a blink of an eye, there was a thick fog that made people invisible on the path of the wolves. Even more amazing is that when he turned his head to look at the road in front of the two of them, the wind and snow had weakened a lot for some reason.

"...Well. Let's go. Go through here, right?"

"Ah, uh... turn right ahead."

The young man logically said that he was quite familiar with this place, but faced with the unbelievable situation, he couldn't help but feel a little confused. In turn, he was led by the nose by a girl from a foreign land.

"...What's wrong?"

"It's nothing... I just think it's just foggy, so lucky."

"...Good luck, this kind of thing is brought on by oneself."

Soon, under the guidance of the youth, the two of them marched along the road where there was no snow and came to an open flat ground. There are sparse trees here, and you can see mountains shrouded in snow and steep cliffs in the distance. After the two confirmed that the crisis behind them had been resolved, they sat down as if limp on the ground.

"How can I finish that shortcut so quickly..."

"...It's just because of the good vision, so let's go faster."

In the face of the bewildered youth, the girl still maintained a faint tone. Having seen the skills shown by the young man, coupled with the fact that the two met "here", she was convinced of something.

"...Well, thank you for your help in advance. And... can I ask a question?"

"Ah, uh..."

Compared with the image of "that kind of person" in the girl's mind, the young man with a confused look looks a little ordinary, or it should be said that he is mediocre. However, now she has long understood that "that person" is a special case. What's more, even if these are not mentioned, the skills demonstrated by the youth just now are not inferior to the rumored ones.

"You...couldn't be "Ghost" again?"

Therefore, the girl decided to ask questions directly.

The young man took a slow shot--no, it was two beats slowly before he nodded silently.

"Ghost Again"-What do the young people think about this title?

to be continued

The northeastern part of the Semlya Continent has been slightly affected by the desolation, and it is also a place where a very special cultural community tribe lives even in the East.

Shirakabadake-The harsh environment here has nurtured a diverse ecology, and it is a mountainous area called Lingfeng. People who coexist with the environment here have also developed unique technology and spiritual philosophy.

Legend has it that there is a hunting nation that can even succeed with giant dragons, and their last descendant is this hunting group called "Ghost". However, they used to be famous in all directions, and now they are scattered all over the eastern part of the mainland, becoming one of the cultural groups that have gradually met and forgotten. Now even the "Ghost Township" has a large number of people exodus, and there are almost only elderly residents left. To deal with beasts in the same way, young people prefer to choose higher-income guerrillas or commercial hunters as their subsistence occupations, and leave the mountains one after another, making the inheritance of technology and culture seem to be interrupted.

There are two symbols on the central square of the ghost town. One is the center of the annual festival, a wooden statue in the shape of "Mountain Spirit"; the other is a newly built stone stele in recent years, on which the legendary "Ghost" Keen Orkis's name and home are inscribed emblem.

After noon on that day, a young man who was rare in the village stood alone in front of these two symbols. The bright silver hair color and the straight and slender face made him still quite eye-catching among the gray-haired elders in the village. He put the hunting equipment on the ground and leaned on the base of the statue, but he didn't mean to look up at the statue in the slightest. He just stared at the gloomy sky in a daze and warmed up with the sweet wine in the gourd.

"Oh, Chunlan. Is today's hunting over? I'm still so neat."

This is what an old man who seems to be old and strong, quite majestic, said to the youth. He is the "Leader", the status is equivalent to the head of the ghost town, and he also serves as the commander when the group hunts.

"...You have worked hard, "Boss." Let's say you have reached the goal. And now the income is very stable, please don't worry. Thanks to those Republic merchants."

The young man named Chun Lan hung the empty gourd back around his waist and replied.

Chunlan Airan can be said to be the last "young man" to stay in Yougui Township. For "The Chief," who is responsible for the continuity of the village, in a sense, he is a more precious resource than any outstanding prey.

"Really, it's amazing. Then your dad will be very happy too."

"...Sorry, no matter how much you praise me, my answer to the previous incident is still the same."

Hearing "The Chief" began to praise herself, Chun Lan looked like a reflex action, carrying the equipment on the ground, and looking towards the mountainside outside the village. That is the direction of his home.

"Well, I didn't mean that. I just want to say that you are now able to discuss life firmly and down-to-earth, so you can rest assured—"

It stands to reason that "The Chief," who holds power in this township, pays careful attention to his words and deeds for fear of offending the young man. In a sense, this may be a rare sight. However, this cannot be blamed on him. After all, this "leader" did not voluntarily get the title now. Even if he was thinking of someone more suitable than himself, those so-called "more suitable candidates" left one after another, allowing him to inherit his current position. To this end, he must do his best to protect candidates who are suitable for the next "chief".

"I hope so."

"I really think so."

"Well, if it is what you said, maybe my answer will be different."

Chun Lan maintained an indifferent attitude from beginning to end. Naturally, he knew the idea of "The Chief" well-but because of his understanding, he couldn't accept it casually.

"...Do you still take the words your dad said to heart? I don't think there is any need to think too much. Let's look at other people in the village."

Chun Lan looked around at the daily lives of other people in the village even though she was not very interested when she heard the words of "The Chief." What caught his eye was the dried fur, the old man with the weapon, and the scars on his body while drinking wine as a man who revisited the topic of the past... These he has long been used to. It stands to reason that it has long been commonplace.

"They are not ignorant of the current situation. But they still do it every day--"

"I'll refer to it carefully. Let's leave first."

Chun Lan quickly walked towards the exit of the village. Of course he knew he was running away. However, before he can answer the question left to him, he can't just take over the heavy task.

Chunlan's home is a wooden house with a Western atmosphere, which overlooks the ghost town. Although it will take a while to walk from the village, Chun Lan has no intention of abandoning the house left to him by his parents.

In addition, it takes some time to go home, which also means that he can have different encounters or discoveries on the way, such as detecting signs of the coming spring, or discovering the traces of the less common beasts. These discoveries have their own meanings-they are what Chun Lan's father once said, and he also feels quite reasonable.

However, what Chunlan encountered on this day were not the phenomena that he was accustomed to. On the other side of the road that stretched out from the other side of the house, there was a breath of unusual wild animals. As "Ghost", of course, he immediately noticed that the situation was different. At the same time, the situation must be confirmed and reported to the "Boss" as the case may be. So Chun Lan raised the shotgun transformed from the old rifle of the Republic and ran.

"...!"

The sight of Chun Lan's eyes made him immediately understand that the situation brooks no delay. An unusually large number of wolves rushed desperately-this alone was an unprecedented sight before Shiragata. What's more, there is a young girl in front of the wolves, and a stranger in rare clothes.

(...Listen well, Chunlan. In addition to hunting, the duty of "Ghost Again" has to protect the mountain. The mountain's favor is the goddess's favor. So --)

A word left by his father passed through Chun Lan's mind. He was hiding behind the rock, and then murmured.

"——So, we must clean up the filth."

He squeezed the trigger hard. As the flame bursts out, the hot lead block evaporates all the snowflake crystals it touches in the air, and it flies quickly along a straight orbit. Then, the lead hit the target Chun Lan was aiming at, piercing a wolf in the group as if being sucked into his body, and hit the other wolf on the ray.

The wolves were in chaos. However, the flaws exposed by the herd of animals that have been inspired by their survival instincts are far shorter than most people imagine. Naturally, Chun Lan knew this.

"The formation is disrupted! Get out!"

While shooting the second bullet, Chun Lan shouted.

The girl suddenly ran over, allowing Chun Lan to see her face.

Although the other party is obviously from a different culture, from the girl's eyes, she not only understands Chun Lan's meaning, but also has a sense of crisis about her own situation, but there is no panic or hesitation at all.

—— "Something" happened in this mountain, and the girl must know the details.

Chun Lan blocked the book that fell out when the girl rushed over, and at the same time was so sure in her heart.

"...Is it still used? It's worthy of praise for being able to survive this time."

At first, the reddish sunlight fell on a certain street leading to Shirakabadake, and saw a whole pack of wolves rushing in the same direction desperately. It seemed that several wolves were driven in the same direction, and they naturally gathered into a large group.

The culprit who made the wolves feel terrified and had to choose to escape was just behind them, surrounded by the corpses of several wolves, bears and boars.

"...The beasts here are not as powerful as they were passed down."

The man murmured as he watched the corpses of the beasts that were gradually becoming cold around him.

He doesn't look like an ordinary person. The red coat that envelops the strong body and the black hair that has been pushed up in a special way are certainly eye-catching, but his "skin" is even more eye-catching. Whether it's the face, neck, back of hands or palms...any skin that can't be covered by clothes and hair is almost covered with weird tattoos like spells. If he took off his clothes and shaved his hair, maybe even the remaining parts would be covered by the same pattern. The only two ears on his body that do not have any tattoos, on the contrary, look a little strange.

"...Shirakakadake, isn't it? Oh, it doesn't matter what it is."

The man glanced at the white mountain, looked at the corpse on the sole of his feet, and smiled contemptuously.

"Since there is no prey worth hunting, let's finish it quickly... Oh?"

The man seemed to feel something and looked at Shirakadatake again. This time it was not just a short glance, but stared at the mountain that was sitting in the distance across Shirayuki, and then the corners of his mouth rose slightly.

"...That's it, that's how it is."

The man gave the final blow to a wild wolf who was dying but still got up and wanted to avenge him, and then speeded up his pace to start again. It was a rock spear that nailed the wolf's body to the ground.

"...Perhaps it's worth looking forward to."

The tattoos all over the man's body began to emit red gleams. In his silent smile, there was a brutality that could not be concealed-and the distorted hatred and desire beyond human beings.

to be continued

"You...couldn't be "Ghost" again?"

Chun Lan had a certain premonition in her heart, thinking that something was about to happen in her hometown Shirakada - and the girl from a foreign land he met seemed to see through his thoughts about this problem.

However, this question puzzled Chun Lan. First of all, the girl seems to be from afar, but why can she tell at a glance that he is "Ghost"? Now the popularity of "You Ghost" is not as good as before, and even his outfit is similar to that of other residents living near the mountain. What's more, he did not reveal the unique hunting methods of "Ghost".

Another reason comes from Chunlan itself. He wondered whether he was qualified to call himself "Ghost" to outsiders.

The girl tilted her head slightly, waiting for Chun Lan's reply. Regardless of her status, for the two of them, there is undoubtedly an extraordinary situation. That being the case, it is natural to dispel each other's doubts. After a little thought, Chun Lan gave her a positive answer without saying a word.

"...Sure enough."

The girl seemed to be convinced of this in her heart. After Chun Lan took the initiative to confirm, her expression that didn't change much even in this situation, she smiled slightly.

"You can see it..."

"...Because I once met a traveling "Ghost" before."

Chun Lan found it strange to hear her say this. If it is the heyday of the family, it is another matter. However, the modern "Ghost" is mostly settled, and there are few examples of traveling out of home. In addition, the community is quite small. If there is another "Ghost" traveling around, Chunlan will surely have heard of it. Perhaps it is to abandon the identity of the mountain and the "Ghost" in the hometown, and change to be a tribe of commercial hunters or hunters, and continue to claim to the outside world in the name of the organization to which you belonged in the past.

Regardless of the truth, now is not the time to think about this issue.

"...In short, the aura of the wolves is far away from here. It seems that I'm getting rid of it for the time being. But--"

Judging from the current situation, the problem is by no means as simple as the abnormal behavior of the wolves. It's too early to rest assured. Chun Lan was about to open the door and tell the girl that she was going to the village, but the girl had already got up and was ready.

"Hey, wait, you..."

"...Thank you just now. However, since I have used this, I have to speed up. The other party may have found out, and I have to meet people..."

As the girl stepped forward, she held the iron tube hanging in front of her chest with her hands. The surface of the iron tube is engraved with peculiar patterns, the size of which is the same as that of a flute. Seeing this, Chun Lan suddenly remembered the thick fog separating the two from the wolves.

"Let me take a moment, the fog just now shouldn't be--"

"...Don't worry about that, would you like to come with me? If there is "Ghost" help, I will be more relieved."

Hearing what the girl said, Chun Lan realized that she had already got up and started walking in the same direction as her. This is considered his bad habit, and occasionally other people remind him to pay more attention.

"...It depends on the situation."

Chun Lan sighed and replied, but still followed the girl to continue walking. Although she was quite calm, she did give people a feeling of tension. Since Chun Lan was watching it all, naturally he couldn't sit idly by. What's more, something seems to be happening in this mountain now.

"Ah~ let me think about how much I should say."

The girl looked down at the iron barrel and scratched her head. Chun Lan has already seen the incredible thick fog in the iron cylinder - that is, the so-called "bet" in her slogan. Now that she wants to get through the blunder, it must be of no avail.

"Anyway, can you tell me who you are? My name is Chunlan. Chunlan Airan. As you said, it's from this land... "Ghost". It should be considered."

Chun Lan said these words and didn't mean to intersect the girl's eyes at all times, and looked down at the shotgun in her hand.

"... Zaoxue. My name is Zaoxue."

This girl, Zaoxue, paused for a while, just as if she contrasted with Chunlan's behavior just now, she stared at him and said her name without any hesitation.

"As for who I am... Regarding this question, my answer is "Tourist in the Forest""

""Tourist in the Forest"...is the name of your tribe...? This name is very unfamiliar. You come from a far away place?"

When asked about her identity, the "answer" spoken by the girl who claimed to be Zao Xue was an unfamiliar word to Chun Lan, but in contrast to her dress, it made people more sure that she was from a foreign land.

"...It should be said that we always walk in the mountains and forests. If you insist, the journey is our hometown."

"The so-called wandering people... the people are not with you?"

"...Now we are splitting up for some reason. I originally planned to meet one of them in this mountain, but that person overprotected me, and he was always arguing with others. I was still worried."

When Zaoxue said this, she closed her mouth and stopped and looked back at Chun Lan silently. Before she knew it, Chun Lan had followed Zaoxue for a long time. If you want to know more inside information...you have to be relatively aware first. Zao Xue's eyes seemed to hint like this.

"……I……"

Chun Lan stopped unconsciously. To say that this is his bad habit, he naturally cannot refute it. But to put it bluntly, what can he do? He hasn't found a clear answer to the matter of himself as "Ghost", so he can't help at all. After all, why did he commit such a bad habit with this kind of thing?

Just when Chun Lan hesitated, Zaoxue, who was on the road, stopped.

When she was silent, Chun Lan could hear the changes in the wind. Wind and snow...It should be said that a storm with snow is approaching.

"From my standpoint--"

However, he failed to finish the second half of the sentence. This is because Chun Lan and Zaoxue noticed the storm—the breath of the monster is approaching. The heavy roar that continued to echo around made the situation even more unusual.

"...!"

Chun Lan knew who this breath belonged to. He can't forget. That kind of roar contained a certain kind of unique brutality, and he would never admit his mistake. The kind of agitation that hadn't been seen for several years came to Chun Lan's ears by the wind.

On the other hand, after hearing the roar, Zao Xue noticed that the iron tube hanging around his neck flashed intermittently like a pulsation.

"...It resonates. As expected, it's in this mountain..."

There is no need to talk to know that each other is looking for the same thing. The two glanced at each other, and then immediately began tracking the invisible storm and rushing up the slope. I saw that the closer to the target, the stronger the light emitted by the iron tube.

(Just now, a mist was created out of thin air... What is the iron barrel... and, is this... a reaction to "that guy"...?)

What is the relationship between the incredible iron barrel on Zaoxue's body, this thing brought by a stranger, and the opponent who has a deep bond with Chun Lan?

(...I didn't expect to meet again in this form. Is this also the guide of the goddess...)

After the two galloped for a while, "that" came into their eyes.

Even if they were separated by dozens of sub-moments, they were still awed by that strong wild domineering. The top of the mountain with the back of Shirakabadake stands like a big rock overlooking the surroundings, just like the king of the mountain.

The huge brown bear wearing thunder and lightning...This is the true face of what the two are looking for. The pale fur covers its sturdy body, which is larger than ordinary monsters, and occasionally bursts out sparks, as if to boast of the mighty power contained in the body. That kind of light is like a halo, making the outline of its body more conspicuous.

"...Sure enough, is it you...I haven't seen you in five years..."Thunder Beast"!"

For the young man named Chunlan Airan...this is the opponent who has changed everything about him and forged an indissoluble bond with him.

to be continued

Fate is sometimes wonderful and cruel, and often unpredictable.

Under the guidance of a girl from a foreign land, what the youth has seen for a long time is a painful past that cannot be parted from, and a symbol of taboo.

"Thunder Beast"-This is a household name among the residents of the Shirakabadake area.

Since it appeared more than ten years ago, it has killed a large number of animals and humans by manipulating lightning strikes, destroying the balance of power between the mountains and the wild. Many "Ghosts" have tried to challenge it, but most of them have come back. Now, even the location of the nest where the false king of the mountain lives has not been ascertained. Today it is the embodiment of destruction and greed, and at the same time it can be said to be a symbol of all disasters at Mount Shirakasa.

Such a guy now appeared in front of Chun Lan. Chun Lan felt a sense of excitement that had never emerged in her body for a long time, a kind of the strongest self-contradiction so far. After returning to his senses, he found that his hand holding the shotgun was trembling, eager to continue the previous battle.

""Thunder Beast"...?"

Facing the iron tube with a stronger light, Zao Xue seemed a little confused. That kind of trying to restrain her eyes from being confused and fluttering was the first flaw that she had exposed before calmly maintaining her own pace.

"Yeah...so you didn't come here because you knew it was there?"

"No...I know there is a "other half" here... but I didn't expect it to be a monster..."

"The other half... is it related to your iron tube?"

The iron tube in Zaoxue's hand exudes light like the appearance of "Thunder Beast", and as the two get closer and closer to "Thunder Beast", the light becomes stronger and stronger.

There is obviously a certain connection between the two. However, the so-called "other half" indicates that the two should be indispensable in pairs. It would be unbelievable to say that there is such a relationship between the brown bear-like monster and this small iron cylinder.

``What exactly is that iron tube--''

"Thunder Beast" roared again. Chun Lan knew that it was a roar that was intimidating a powerful enemy, so before finishing the second half of the sentence, he pointed the weapon in his hand at "Thunder Beast".

"...Do you want to make a break here too!"

"Thunder Beast" jumped up from the rock, sparks burst out from the whole body, and began to run wildly.

"...No, the target that the monster was trying to intimidate was...!"

Unexpectedly, in the next moment, a stone gun with a length similar to a person's height, accompanied by an uncomfortable sound, flew from nowhere. Judging from the arc of the spear flying, it turned out to be towards "Thunder Beast".

Although "Thunder Beast" jumped to the side in an instant to try to dodge, but even if it was only slightly brushed, the power of the stone gun was enough to tear a layer of "Thunder Beast" skin.

Crimson blood began to appear on the pale fur of "Lei Beast". It stopped the pace of sprinting, and slowly backed away while staring at a certain place...Finally, under the cover of a flash of light, it disappeared into the mountains.

"Damn it, wait! I finally ran into you...what the hell happened!?"

Chun Lan understands that the action of "Thunder Beast" is to retreat strategically in order to survive. But because of this, he felt unacceptable that "Thunder Beast" was threatened from outside and left in front of his eyes again.

"...Chun Lan, it's dangerous!"

"what……!"

The threat of retreating "Thunder Beast" immediately hit the two men mercilessly. Chun Lan suddenly fell down and saw a stone spear flying over his head, shattering the trees in front of him.

"What is this? A gun made of rock...it doesn't seem to be magic either..."

"...That guy is coming..."

"That rascal……?"

The two hid behind the rock. Zao Xue said that while holding the iron barrel whose light gradually weakened due to the departure of "Thunder Beast". In order to grasp the true face of the threat, Chun Lan raised his binoculars and looked in the direction where the stone spear was flying.

"...The berserker who repeatedly destroys and kills in order to rob us of the ancient relics that we are responsible for carrying in the "Tourist in the Forest"..."

A weird man appeared in the telescope. Except for the ears, the tall man's body is carved with lines up and down, and the hair on both sides of his head has unique patterns. On his face that hides the cruel personality in his heart, there is a cheerful look.

"...No, these are just superficial descriptions for that guy. That guy intends to kill us, and we don't even know who he is. We can only temporarily..."

The tall man at the other end of the telescope responded to Chun Lan's gaze with heavy eyes that were several times sharper than Chun Lan. Even through the lens, I can still feel the murderous intent penetrated deeply in my heart-just as Chun Lan was thinking about it, the man's figure disappeared from the telescope's field of vision in the next instant.

"...Call him "Evil Ghost"."

——Chun Lan put down the binoculars, and saw the "Evil Ghost" standing a few minutes away in front of him.

"...Let the brown bear escape? Well, let's finish the work first..."

The huge rock shattered in a blink of an eye. However, "Evil Ghost" only smiled after confirming that there was no blood in the wreckage. Even if gunshots rang out afterwards, he remained unmoved.

"...I found a very interesting helper, mountain monkeys."

Knowing that someone fired at him, "Ghost" still looked like nothing had happened, still exuding a certain desire between gestures. Before the bullet reached his body, it was blocked by the sudden appearance of the rock wall.

"...If it's interesting, it can't be compared to your kind of tricks. How sacred are you guys...! What are you doing here in this mountain!?"

Chun Lan and Zaoxue evaded the blow that smashed the rock that they were hiding in at the moment of their death. He raised his shotgun in the withered grass and responded. Although it was unexpected that the bullet was blocked by the opponent, Chun Lan still tried hard not to let the trembling of her body affect the direction of the gun's aim, and put on a tough attitude. The more fierce opponents you face, the less you can turn around and escape, revealing flaws... This is the iron rule followed by "Ghosts".

"I'm "Rock Warlock"...now you just need to know this. Anyway, just don't call me a ghost."

""Rock Wall Warlock"...Why did you do it on Zao Xue? Why did you stare at "Thunder Beast"?"

When Chun Lan was on the move, he was also loading ammunition one after another, while slowly moving to the side to ensure that he was in a position where he could take action at any time.

"It's very simple. I want to kill the mountain monkeys in order to pay tribute to the tribe. Therefore, I must gain power... The power of this "Rockman" only exists for this."

According to Chun Lan's intuition, half of this person is lying. When attacking "Thunder Beast", his face was full of joy. Paying tribute to the tribe, gaining strength... these are just surface excuses. He himself did not discover the real desire hidden behind him.

Since the reason he came here is full of deceit and selfish desire...

"...Is it for this reason...then, please go back!"

While firing the shotgun, Chun Lan rushed out of the grass and pounced on "Evil Ghost".

"Goblin" smashed his right fist to the ground, and saw the rock bulging from the surface, and in a blink of an eye a wall formed to protect him from gunshots.

However, while using the wall to defend himself, it also blocked his vision.

"There is a flaw!"

Chun Lan deliberately let "Evil Ghost" create a rock wall, hiding behind the wall and preparing for melee. He held Nagasha in his hand, a special mountain knife passed down from "Again".

"Ha! So naive! Kid!"

"……hateful!"

As soon as Chun Lan swung the knife, he felt a heavy pain spread throughout his body, and his consciousness was also interrupted. It was after his back hit the ground a few moments away from the back that he noticed that the rock wrapped around the left hand of "Goblin" formed a thick handguard.

"...Did the blade itself cut through? It's been a long time since I was injured."

The rock wall collapsed, and "Ghost" appeared from it with a distorted expression. His hands were stained with the lukewarm liquid flowing from the cut on his side, and he spoke happily and excitedly.

"...Although it's just a trick, but the courage is worthy of praise. Before that brown bear, let's use you to warm up."

"...Yes, "Ghost Again" is the most trivial trick. Sometimes, it even uses itself as a bait!"

"...!"

Many arrows fell over the head of "Evil Ghost" near Chunlan. He blocked them with the remaining rocks in his left hand. However, when the sight of "Evil Ghost" returned to the ground, Chunlan was no longer seen.

"...Is it blocked? But thank you for saving me, Zao Xue."

"I just want to thank you... Thanks to you, maybe I have some clues. Just to prove that the defense of the rock wall is not dripping, it is a great reward."

After Zaoxue's archery further created the flaws in "Evil Ghost", she helped Chun Lan and hid in the grass together.

Zaoxue has recovered her calm. There is no need for Chun Lan to remind, she will not miss the best time to rescue him.

"...Moreover, it seems that my reliable family members have seen what happened just now."

Zao Xue pointed to the top of the cliff standing behind "Goblin". The "reliable family" she called it stood there.

to be continued

"Reliable family...?"

Zao Xue pointed to the cliff standing behind "Goblin". The figure of that person is standing on the edge of the cliff.

"... I will keep you waiting, early snow! Your reliable brother is here!"

"The sound that makes people feel so loud is...!"

The figure attracted the attention of "Evil Ghost" with a loud young voice, and at the same time stepped up the cliff.

The sun about to sink illuminates the figure leaping down from the cliff. That was a young man dressed in beast fur and taller than Chun Lan. As the hood-like fur covers his head, and the sky has gradually darkened, it is impossible to see his face clearly. However, just from his ability to jump to the head of "Devil", it is not difficult to see that he is quite capable.

"Is it that annoying young mountain monkey? It's more annoying than usual...!"

Faced with the falling kick that it used, "Ghost" used a small disc-shaped shield made of rocks to resist it. Unexpectedly, the young man used the rock shield as a stepping point and jumped into the air again.

"There are flaws behind it, tacky tattooed bastard!"

The young man turned over in the air, landed behind "Evil Ghost", and punched the red back that stood in front of him like a rock wall. The fist was split, and a storm of boxing was set off.

"It's fine... but it's still too naive!"

Even though the "Goblin", which encountered continuous boxing in the back, shook a bit sharply, it immediately kicked the ground, creating a rock wall behind it. The youth also stopped punching, stepping back and pulling away.

"... Brother Dao, are you deliberately waiting for the opportunity?"

"Why? It's just a coincidence. I finally found you...Oh!"

The young man who Zao Xue asked him to do with Brother Dao quickly dodges the counterattack of "Evil Ghost", showing a relaxed expression.

"However, I arrived at the right time. The offense and defense just now was quite interesting."

Chun Lan immediately realized what he meant by "seeing his head". Deliberately let him make a rock protection, and then attack from the blind spot. This is the same way that Chun Lan uses the mountain sword to launch an attack. As Zao Xue said, "The defense of the rock wall does not mean that water is not dripping...

"...Not only does his rock wall still have dead ends, but it doesn't seem to be automatically formed depending on the situation."

"Yes. This must be an opportunity for victory...!"

Zaoxue immediately got up, circled his fingers and used the flute to call the young man to turn his head, and signaled him with a brief gesture.

The young man nodded his head vigorously, and immediately launched sporadic attacks on him in order to attract the attention of "Devil".

"It's almost like the same mind. It's really reliable."

"...After all, Brother Dao used to accompany me through many difficulties. Okay, Chun Lan, let's leave too."

Zaoxue took Chun Lan to a certain place. It is a high platform covered with snow, which overlooks the entire slope. On the slope stood a piece of ice that seemed to be crumbling. Presumably, the higher snow blocks were transported here with the avalanche and formed after they had absorbed enough water. And the young man is trying to lure "Evil Ghost" onto that slope.

"So, I probably understand. It's just—"

"You want to say, he won't be led over so easily, right...?"

Chun Lan nodded, making Zaoxue smile a little smugly at what he saw with each other. She raised the iron cylinder in her hand to the front, as if she wanted Chun Lan to look carefully.

"Is that the iron tube again...?"

"Well, I think it doesn't make sense to keep hiding from you. I'm going to start'preparation'. Chunlan asks to cooperate with my secret signal and fire on'that'."

"Is that "that"...I believe you for the time being."

Through the binoculars, Chun Lan confirmed what Zaoxue was talking about. Although she muttered to herself that it was a wicked way, she still put the scope on her love gun.

On the other hand, the young man named Dao repeatedly attacked and defended "Evil Ghost" and gradually lured "Evil Ghost" to the bottom of the slope.

"...If you surrender earlier, you can die easier. These mountain monkeys can only talk about it if they don't know how to give up."

"Evil Ghost" waved its rock-wrapped fist as if to proclaim its own victory, without realizing that the opponent was retreating deliberately.

"I'm a little tired of playing. Let's stop here...Drink!"

However, "Evil Ghost" also seemed a little impatient. He put his hand in a layer of particularly heavy rock guards, and cast a blow full of extraordinary killing intent. Once hit directly, the power must be too strong for the human body to bear.

However, his tattooed face showed a distorted expression because of the unexpected result. On the fist of "Evil Ghost", there is no corpse of a young man...just a piece of fur.

"This is the so-called "Escape of the Golden Cicada". Even I can do this little trick. Are you scared? Weird sideburn bastard!"

Dao took off his fur and jumped into the air—with a defiant smile on the finally exposed face. He wore a dark blue neat and flat head, and his slender face was both straight and slightly wild, which added a bit of persuasive power to his skill and bravery.

"That's it. Even though it's a mountain monkey, it's a little clever enough for me to have some fun, isn't it? Then, I will play with you and kill you again!"

"Evil Ghost" hits the next blow to the ground, manipulates the rock fragments flying into the air, and shoots it mercilessly toward the road. Although Tao used his whole body to endure the attack, he also retreated at the same time to reduce the damage he received, and further distanced himself from "Ghost".

And this is also the secret sign that the "Evil Ghost" has been brought to its destination.

At this time, the attention of "Evil Ghost" was on the Tao that suddenly changed his tactics, and there was no time to think about the meaning of the three arrows flying over his head.

"...Chun Lan!"

"Everything is ready...!"

The center of the sight of the sight is equivalent to the base part that supports the ice block, and contains small-scale ice blocks including icicles. The projectile fired by the flame of the shotgun fired into the most fragile side part of the ice structure. After the weak point of the ice cube was accurately penetrated, it began to be unable to support the weight of the huge ice cube above and was completely shattered.

The huge ice block could not maintain its balance after losing its base, and collapsed while rolling down the slope. Part of the snow covering the slope was caught in it as if following it, sliding down together.

Originally, such a little snow would not pose a threat to "Ghost" at all. However, the entire snow-capped mountain was about to turn into a monster out of control.

On the snow-covered slope, there are a few places that emit light and mist. The origin of these phenomena is exactly where the three arrows shot by Zaoxue just hit.

"...Slide down!"

When the light from the arrow and the mist ceased, the earth began to vibrate, as if a dragon under the ground suddenly woke up. However, what actually awakened was an avalanche, one of the most representative threats in this mountain.

The original small-scale snow slide phenomenon on the mountain wall suddenly developed into an avalanche that caused all the snow on the slope to roll down together.

"Um... there is such a sneak attack trick! But..."

"Evil Ghost" finally noticed the true face of Avalanche, but it was too late. His feet have fallen into the torrent of snow. In the deeper and deeper white rush, even "Evil Ghost" can hardly make a rock wall. The relentless icy violence completely swallowed "Evil Ghost", and his unlucky tattoos were all covered by white silver snow, falling into a state of complete isolation from the outside world.

"……Did you make it?"

"It's not enough to kill him. But it should be enough to keep him immobile for a while..."

"In other words, he may start to act again...In other words, that thing is really amazing. What is the mechanism?"

Chun Lan was naturally involved in the catastrophe in the mountains, but he still couldn't believe that his own blow would cause such a large-scale disaster. It is precisely because of his familiarity with this mountain that he is even more unable to understand the gap between cause and effect.

"...I adjusted the moisture content of the snow to create the most slippery state."

Zaoxue hung the iron cylinder in the groove of the crossbow in her hand back to her neck, and said so. The three arrows she fired on the snowy ground... had obtained some energy from the iron barrel before launching, and after leaving the archer, it could continue to interact with the iron barrel through an intangible wire.

"Is the iron cylinder really the key... That seems to be one of that guy's goals. But no matter what, it would be too much to be able to adjust the water content on the mountain wall... Fortunately, you can do such an incredible thing casually. "

Chunlan finally couldn't pretend to turn a blind eye to the secret behind the incident. If there is some kind of extraordinary phenomenon operating behind this series of things, maybe something related to "Thunder Beast" can also be found under the roots.

"Success, Zaoxue! Win strategically! You are not injured, are you?"

The "Brother Dao" in Zaoxue's mouth ran towards the two, allowing Chun Lan to see his appearance more clearly. Although the hair color and Zao Xue are almost in contrast to each other, they appear to be dressed in the same style as Zao Xue, and their skin is a little dark. The special thing about this young man is that he has painted on his skin and a leaf in his mouth.

"...I don't care. I'm still more worried about you, Brother Dao."

"Sorry, I just stopped by to a nearby village while gathering information. In short, we all got rid of the wolves and "Devil" each other, that's fine. In other words..."

The young man grasped Zaoxue's shoulders, as if confirming whether she was really in front of him, and at the same time moved his gaze to look at Chunlan.

"Are you from here? It looks like a hunter... But since I saved Zao Xue, let me thank you."

"Well, I just want to thank you for your help. My name is Chunlan. Uh...you cried, right? Is it Zaoxue's brother?"

"Yes. It's true. It's under the name of Feiye. I and Zaoxue are cousins correctly, but they are essentially the same as brothers and sisters. Let's not mention this, let's get along well in the future. Chun Lan."

"Well, I also want to ask you for your advice. Although I haven't heard of your name."

Dao held Chun Lan's outstretched hand. However, the seemingly inadvertent movements when shaking hands were like pulling Zaoxue away from Chunlan with another hand.

"...In short, although there are a lot of things to think about you, let's change the place first? The wind and snow will be stronger tonight..."

Chun Lan raised her head and looked at the sky, watching the strong wind blowing the snow and clouds in the dim sky, like a mountain elf making a temper.

to be continued

Located in the northeastern corner of the Semuria mainland, the Shirakabadake area has nurtured a unique regional culture and ecological system. Even for local residents, the natural environment here is unpredictable. This has also led them to develop a philosophy of giving up and tolerance, and many mysteries and legends affected by this are scattered everywhere. Some people believe it from the bottom of their hearts; others treat it as absurd fairy tales and scoff at it. Nowadays, some people even plan to make sure that the mysterious disappearance of Keen Orkis, the strongest "Ghost", has something to do with these rural anecdotes.

On this day, under the dictation of envoys from the outside world, what the young man witnessed with his own eyes was not only one of the many mysteries, but also a new threat—and at the same time, it was more related to the truth behind the things that had a deep relationship with him.

""The Tube of Condensation"...Is this the name of that magical thing? Ancient relic...Although I have heard of it in the rumors, it is really..."

When the sun had completely sunk down to the horizon, Shirakabadake started to blow snow as if to prevent outsiders from approaching. A small cave on the mountainside is faintly illuminated. It turned out that Chunlan, Zaoxue, and Dao hid in the cave to make a fire in order to avoid the wind and snow. Dao lost the fur he was wearing, and diligently added firewood to the fire.

"Condensed Hole"-According to the two, this is the true face of "Iron Can". This is an ancient relic that can arbitrarily interfere with the condensation of moisture in the air, and then locally control the weather. Indeed, this can explain why the fog is produced, and why the wind and snow suddenly weaken.

"In this case, the reason why avalanches happen so easily is also because...?"

"Yes. I used arrows as a medium to adjust the humidity of the snow and the ground. After getting used to it, this can also be used with weapons, which is quite convenient."

"I said something terrible again..."

What surprised Chun Lan was not only the ability of the ancient relics in front of him. The people wandering around with ancient relics, the people who watched this people, and the girls who exerted their wisdom alone. These are all things that can't be known at all by staying at Shirakabadake.

What kind of experience do those childhood playmates from hometown background have in their respective places? Facing the vast world beyond this mountain, he began to realize how ignorant he was.

"Hahaha! Our sister is amazing, right? She can easily come up with a different usage every time!"

"... Brother Dao, don't let me say the same thing over and over again, okay?"

Dao seemed to hug Zao Xue's shoulders proudly, and Zao Xue tried to move his hand away.

The same drama has been performed several times between these two people, but even such a scene, in the eyes of Chun Lan, is a habit they developed when they wandered in an unfamiliar world.

Thinking about it this way, Chun Lan felt that she was even smaller than when she compared with Shan. Such an insignificant self is now able to stand against the jaw-dropping phenomena of the outside world as "Ghost". This heavy burden not only made Chun Lan feel out of breath, it also kept irritating him.

"This is going to be a big mess... Do you want to get the other half of "Thunder Beast" too?"

In order to hide the contradiction in her heart and find a new goal, Chun Lan urged the two to continue. How should I face the reality in front of me, and what action should I take? He is eager to know the answer to the question.

"Well, since it is to be enshrined in "The Ancestral Hall", it should be in a complete state. And if it is restored to its integrity, it should also be the key to defeating "Evil Ghost"."

Having said that, when she came to Shirakabadake where the other half of the relic was said to be located, she found that the thing had merged with the monsters that inhabited the place, and it evolved into the current situation.

"..."

Chun Lan began to feel that none of this was true. After a long time ran into an opponent with a deep bondage, but learned the true face of the opponent from the travellers from a foreign land. It feels like something that I have forgotten in the past, turned into a human form in a certain way to come to the door, so that he will not forget it.

"By the way, you call that guy "Ghost", right?"

The existence of "Evil Ghost" destroys the relationship between the two and makes everything meaningless.

"You can't be preempted..."

Chun Lan picked up the shotgun and walked away from the fire quietly. From the only entrance of the cave, one can only vaguely glimpse the whirlpool of white snow and dark night.

"Hey, what happened to you suddenly?"

Dao grabbed Chun Lan's shoulder. Turning his head to look, Dao and Zao Xue looked at him with a completely different expression from what he had imagined.

"...How can "Thunder Beast" be preempted by that kind of guy. If he will start to act again later, he can only do it first. I won't shoot the other half of the relic you are looking for. Wait for me."

Unexpectedly, the two smiled at Chun Lan. It's not a smile for those who want to go to the dead alone. However, Chun Lan couldn't find the slightest contradiction in that smile.

"Oh? Since we are going to compete with "Devil" and whoever hunts "Thunder Beast" first, isn't it exactly the same as what we plan to do? We are quite confident about the pace. If you are in a hurry, look for it. We won’t suffer together?”

"And the other party also has ancient relics. If we have the other half of the relics and related knowledge in our hands, we will follow, and there will be no loss."

What the two said is a matter of course. Since it doesn't make sense for Chunlan to monopolize prey, it is a natural choice to cooperate with two people who have a common purpose.

"But... "Thunder Beast" must come from me..."

In order to make a break with "Thunder Beast", Chun Lan had no reason to refuse the assistance of others. Furthermore, group hunting was originally the tradition of "Ghosts". However, he was originally driven by an inexplicable anxiety, and planned to take action alone. Now, he is even confused by the reaction that they take for granted.

"...Why do you plan to go alone?"

"...Why can you not be confused at all like that?"

Therefore, Chun Lan asked this question back, as if she wanted to find hints for the subject that was constantly torturing her in her answer.

"Although it is the first time that I have explained to others...everything we have done is not meaningless. At least, after I am convinced that, all actions are no longer just for the people, but also for my own goals."

Zaoxue's answer was not at all confused. However, she is indeed burdened with a difficult subject.

"...That's it."

Regarding the correct answer to her subject, Chun Lan has no clue. However, at least he can clearly feel that the answer must contain something invisible to his own eyes - or something that he has never seen before.

"Don't think about it too complicated. Zaoxue is also very special among our people. To be honest, I don't understand her. Anyway, we and you are partners. At least this is enough for now?"

Tao is ready to start unconsciously. He patted Chun Lan on the shoulder and stepped forward again in the wind and snow.

"...Well, that's right. At least now..."

Chun Lan didn't notice it, and the things that had been bewildering herself were gradually changing even in this short period of time.

to be continued

Even the moon is obscured by snow clouds at night, making it difficult for pedestrians to even see the back of those walking ahead. No matter how perfect the cold-proof equipment is, it is difficult to withstand a storm of ice and snow fragments and cold air that can not miss any gap at high speed. The snow is as deep as the knees, and it continues to take away body temperature and strength as if to absorb the soul.

The wind and snow blowing on Mount Shirakabake in February made it inaccessible to strangers, like a barrier guarding a sanctuary. In recent years, the wind and snow have gradually increased. In "Again", some people also argued that the mountain elves were angered by human beings indiscriminately wasting the grace of the goddess. It is not difficult to laugh at this, and think it is ridiculous superstition—at least until the experience of being suffocated by the roaring wind and snow. The sound of the wind and snow was even enough to completely overwhelm the victims' cry for help if they seized the opportunity.

However, in the dark night and wind and snow of Mount Shirakaba, there was a lone lamp that kept advancing.

"Asshole, I still feel so cold! It's too bad to throw away the fur...Haha...Hachu!"

"Brother Dao, would you like to lend you a coat?"

"Don't be stupid, Zaoxue. If you let your stomach catch a cold, that would be terrible! I think I will take this opportunity to make a dry cloth and rub it to warm up my body..."

Chun Lan walked in the forefront, leaning on the light of the carrying oil lamp. However, the attire of the three of them is not suitable for the current environment.

Chun Lan lent her coat to Zaoxue, and only the sweater she was wearing was left on her body. Although Zaoxue wears an extra coat, it still doesn't keep warm enough. As for Tao, it is almost like a sack with holes everywhere.

"It's almost here to "Ghost Cabin" again. You two are working hard...!"

Even if the equipment is not complete, the three of them can still survive this moment, all thanks to not spending much time on the road. Although Zao Xue He Road does not have cold protection measures, it is "Tourist in the Forest" after all, and it can walk at a speed like a flat ground even in bad road conditions. Therefore, we can rush to the destination before the two lose temperature.

In the middle of the night, the three arrived in "Ghost House". This is the supply base used by "Ghost" as a stronghold when preparing for an expedition to high altitudes on the mountain.

"It's finally here...you two, it seems that there is still some time to rest. Although it may not be too comfortable."

In this old wooden warehouse, the building materials creaked just by opening the door, and the vibration caused by friction was felt even through the gloves. However, the strong appearance of this hut standing in the wind and snow shows that even though it looks dilapidated, it is still regularly maintained.

Judging from the retreat position of "Thunder Beast" against "Ghost", it may be lurking near the top of the mountain. If this is the case, it explains why the nest of "Thunder Beast" can not be found in the ordinary brown bear beast habitat, and the damage caused by thunder mostly occurs on the top of the mountain.

Because of this, the group decided to reach the top of the mountain before dawn to carry out supplies and preparations.

"...There is more left than expected. Take as much as you can."

"That's it...Put the hilt of this short sword on a long rod and it becomes a long spear..."

"It's called "Bag Long Narrow", it's a subspecies of the mountain sword I use."

Chun Lan was busy examining the spare supplies that he could take away, but Zaoxue's attention was focused on the hunting gear and crafts in the house. This kind of inquiry into knowledge and rationality and innocent curiosity reconcile each other, which is exactly her personal style.

"Hmm! Blankets! And fur! I have a hard time looking for you! Asshole!"

On the other hand, once before, Dao collapsed to the ground one step ahead of Chun Lan, grabbed the blanket in front of him, wrapped it around his body, and shrank into the deep corner of the cabin.

"There are also furnaces here. I'll make a fire. Chunlan, you don't need to be busy with this, concentrate on preparing."

"Ah, good... But Zaoxue, you actually know the surrounding furnace. So, you seem to have heard of "Again"..."

"...Because this book also mentions the irori. The traveler who gave it to me is also a "Ghost", so I will know."

Zaoxue took out a book from the backpack around her waist. Her baby, she once saw it when Chun Lan met her. Although the binding of the book seems to be quite old, it hasn't become tattered because of the wind and rain during the journey for many years. Chun Lan took the book in her hand and flipped through it quickly.

""The cultural groups and spirits of the native tribal areas" is it...From this point of view, the information in the book is very old...Uh, this was issued 25 years ago."

However, the records that seem outdated at first glance vividly describe the style that has not changed across the distant time and space. The content uses objective insights and analysis to record the names, lifestyles, and spiritual nature of various cultural groups and nations that Chunlan does not know. The brush strokes are logical, but they also retain the essence of the content. Among them, it also contains the name of "The Tourist in the Forest" to which Zao Xue belongs.

"There are also projects about your people... I feel like the content is very ordinary."

"Tourists of the Forest"-Why do they have rare ancient relics, and why should they protect them? Chunlan heard about their mission on the road. It is said that in the past, their tribesmen had signed a covenant with the envoys sent by the Qiyao Church to collect ancient relics in areas beyond the reach of the church, and allowed them to freely use the ancient relics in transportation within a certain range. As a result, their tribes have tried to find ancient relics on their journeys for generations, and while receiving their favor, they managed to bring the relics to the "Ancestral Hall".

However, this book only hints at this kind of responsibilities. On the contrary, it pays more attention to woodcarving, working as a subsidy for traveling merchants and other ordinary livelihoods, exchanges with other ethnic groups, and decoration culture.

"Regarding your people, nothing special is mentioned here... But this book should be important to you, right?"

"Yeah. Thanks to this book and the person who gave it to me, I am the one I am now. For me...it should be some kind of "opportunity"."

"Opportunity..."

Chunlan has been trying to find something that belongs only to her in the tradition of the people. And the girl believed in something he couldn't find. For her, this is her starting point. That being the case, what is the opportunity for myself—? Even though Chun Lan closed his eyes and pondered over and over, only the passage of the empty situation that had trapped him in front of him appeared in his mind.

"Forget it, don't worry so much."

Maybe Chun Lan thought about it longer than he thought. When he heard the Tao lying on the straw saying this to him and raised his head again, Zaoxue was already nestled in front of the fireplace.

"A person who likes to read like Zaoxue is quite rare in our family. In addition to reading, she is also good at integrating the knowledge she has absorbed. However, she didn't say anything unreasonable."

"and……"

Dao continued to stand up and put his hand on Chun Lan's shoulder.

"...Thanks to Zaoxue, I was able to let go of my knots and understand your feelings to some extent. In short, let's move in the right direction that I feel is right now. Sometimes this is how I can see something."

"Dao...Yes...Anyway, let's move forward now."

Chun Lan still didn't know where the end of the subject that bound her heart and made him struggle in confusion. However, he clearly knew that after the subject was "flipped", it was pointed straight at the two people in front of him. If they were their own signpost...

"——What should be done is still the same, isn’t it...it’s really ironic."

As long as the conversation inside the house is interrupted slightly, the sound caused by the strong wind and snow sweeping outside the house will immediately fill the entire space. However, when the sound of firewood burning in the fire reached his ears, Chun Lan even began to feel that even breaking through the wind and snow that shook the hut was a clear path for him. .

to be continued

"Chun Lan, before challenging "Thunder Beast", I have to remind you one more thing. We "Ghost" must respect the wild beasts and protect the mountains and forests. For this, we must also abide by the rules of the clan. Do this What's the meaning?"

On this day, the boy heard from his father beside him a question that had been repeated many times, but he was a little surprised. After all, they are about to challenge the legendary predecessor, "Boss" Keane Orkis, who failed to conquer "Thunder Beast".

"The favor of the mountain is the favor of the goddess. This is to protect the favor and express gratitude? For this, we must follow the ancestors..."

The boy didn't ask why this happened so suddenly, but he repeated the answer that had been repeated many times. The words spoken from the father who inherited the missing living legend and became the "Leader" always have their meaning.

"Yes. Everyone thinks so, and it's correct. However, I think there is something more important than this. I hope you can think about it when you challenge Thunder Beast."

"What's more important? Dad, so have you been selling it all the time?"

"Haha, sorry. I wanted to wait for you to be alone before mentioning it. Unexpectedly, I was ready to challenge "Thunder Beast" with you unknowingly. And... I think this hunting should be just right for this theme."

The two continued to walk along the mountain road while talking. This is the halfway point of Mount Shirakaba, a little bit away from the area where the brown bears inhabit. If you want to hunt down the "Thunder Beast" whose nest has not been found yet, there is no other way than to go to the sighting site to trace the traces.

"Listen well, Chunlan. Our livelihood is maintained by depriving wild beasts of their lives. This is the same for wild beasts. They will resist for survival and sometimes hunt humans. They threaten the peace in the mountains. "Thunder Beast" is no exception."

"Ok……"

"So, don't you think that when we are in the mountains, we are equal to the beast? But, of course, human beings cannot be equal to the beast at any time. So we have always faced life itself. This is me. After hunting with Mr. Keene for 20 years, I realized the truth.”

"Facing life itself...?"

It is neither "thanks" nor "deprivation", but "face". This statement is too abstract, and at the same time it contains too broad meaning. To be honest, teenagers are not good at thinking about these kinds of problems.

"meaning is?"

The personality of the teenager prefers to walk on the road that leads straight to the answer. However, this does not mean that his mind is simple. He just always imagined the situation of getting lost on the way, and felt cautious about it.

"There is no single correct answer to this question. What is important is the process of finding the answer. This is to prevent life from losing its meaning."

"In order not to let life lose its meaning..."

"Yes, continue to face and accept life. This paradoxical process will be a signpost that only I can see."

The young man remembered the heavy burden on his own way of survival. At the same time, I also think of people who have chosen other paths. How do they view this subject? Did you choose to escape this commandment, or a decision you made after finding a new value in life? …At least, it is hard to imagine that people who illegally engage in private hunting and aristocrats who regard hunting as a sport, it is hard to imagine that they will take hunting this behavior so seriously.

"...This is too difficult for me."

"If you are self-conscious, that's enough. Those who lose themselves are those who are arrogant and arrogant."

Father's expression is quite soft. Occasionally, he showed a serious expression, but he used the most gentle attitude when asking questions that made his son feel distressed.

"Speaking of which... why did you mention this when you challenged "Thunder Monster"?"

"The challenge of "Thunder Beast" is extremely dangerous even for us-it shouldn't be necessary for me to explain it?"

The footsteps on the snow stopped. For some reason, it took the boy some time to notice that his father had stopped.

"In other words, we might be the one who was hunted down the other way...We must bet on life in a more equal-no, more unfavorable state than usual. Do you understand what this means, Chunlan?"

The young man nodded silently. For this question, he dared not open his mouth to answer.

"When fighting for survival, even if the final result is not as expected... But the more at that time, the more you have to pay attention to the essence. I am thinking, this may be the last chance to tell you this truth."

So far, the teenagers have been working hard with the same dream as the goal. Hunting "Thunder Beast" with his father, protecting the mountains and forests, and surpassing Keen, to prove that he did not make the same choice as the Majesty of the same generation, after all, it is meaningful. To this end, he worked hard to exercise.

However, now his father has given him another subject. Is this to give the teenager a new goal? Or are there other intentions?

Regardless of the truth, the teenager still tasted the loss. Lost goals, dreams, and fathers.

The reason why Chunlan Airan can regroup is because he realizes that he can't just face the reality with resentment.

Asahi dyed the snow on the top of Mount Shirakaba golden yellow. A "Ghost" and two "Tourists in the Forest" carried a large amount of materials from the hut on their backs and climbed up the mountain road shining with golden light. Although the violent blizzard has stopped, the unique falling wind on the mountain is quite strong, bringing the sparkling new snow on the slope into the air. In the eyes of the climber, the scene is like luminous particles flying in front of his own eyes.

The current situation is almost exactly according to the original plan, arriving near the top of the mountain at dawn. Even with so many equipment on his back, he can still maintain the climbing speed, which shows that the foot power of "Tourist in the Forest" is indeed good. Now that they are wearing cold-proof clothing, they may even have a better way to conquer the mountain than "Ghost".

However, apart from the "Thunder Beast" lair they were looking for, they still had no clue about it, except for the location near the top of the mountain. Should there be more investigations or a surprise attack as soon as the target is found? Zaoxue and Chunlan have deduced different situations for the time being. However, Chun Lan's heart was still not at peace. This is not because he lacks self-confidence, nor is it because he doesn't believe in Zaoxue. No matter how the strategy is drawn up, the opponent is still unpredictable-this is the so-called "Thunder Beast".

"It's finally this moment... it took a long time to find the other half of the relic."

"Yeah. If it goes well, you can get rid of that stalker from now on. Then you will have the face to face the killed guys of the tribe."

"Besides, I am also looking forward to seeing the complete ancient relics. "Sky Shaking Thunder Sword"... This name seems to have a deep meaning. What kind of power is there..."

"That's why you want to experiment with that bastard with weird ears. Haha, it's kind of ironic."

Zaoxue and Dao are just the opposite of Chunlan. The two of them didn't hold any suspicion about just moving forward. In terms of Zaoxue's personality, she would not be so purely optimistic. In short, the two of them had already foreseen the coming threat at this time and the situation afterwards.

And what supports them to do this is the driving force created by the firm values in their hearts.

"..."The Tourist in the Forest"..."

"Tourists in the Forest" is a nation that follows the mission given by the covenant with the Qiyao Church and wanders the eastern part of the mainland. They must also have the precepts and way of life that have been passed down and protected to this day. However, Zao Xue and Dao are not bound by those traditions, but instead combine with their own experience.

"... value... value is it..."

Looking at the two of them, Chun Lan reminded of the days when she hunted with her father. At that time, I not only had goals, but also simple. Therefore, there is no confusion or dissatisfaction with being "Ghost".

"Then what I have is..."

However, Chunlan's goal has left unsolved issues and disappeared. Today's Chunlan can only rely on inertia and inertia.

But-if you meet two people who have things you don't have, and reunion with one of the goals you have already given up, is a kind of guidance to yourself-

"Danger! You two!"

Dao's cry pulled Chunlan back to reality, and at the same time he felt a slight pain and shock.

"... Brother Dao!"

Chunlan and Zaoxue were knocked into flight by Dao together. When it was said that it was too late, then it was fast, and a beam of thunder struck Tao beside him.

"Woo...it hurts! What is that!"

Dao fell to the ground as if hitting a transparent wall. His body surface was still faintly smoking, convulsing ceaselessly.

Too careless. Chun Lan was immersed in the past that bound her, and let go of her vigilance. Even let "Thunder Beast" preemptively. This is his mistake.

"Brother Dao, it doesn't matter, right?"

"Well... it's great that you are fine, Zaoxue. Although my whole body is numb, the effectiveness of Granny Bai's amulet is really not to be underestimated. It seems that I can barely stand up..."

"Ah... the painting turned out to be a lightning protection curse. The paint is insulated, and it doesn't feel like it is meaningless."

Dao saved his life and made Chun Lan a little relieved, and then immediately raised the binoculars.

"Sorry... it's all my absent-minded relationship."

"Don't worry about it... Even if you find out first, you won't be able to hide it. Let's find the enemy now...!"

Can't make the same mistake. Now that guy is looking at here, that is to say, we can also see that guy.

"found it……!"

Chun Lan soon spotted the figure of her old enemy.

That is the most suitable place for the beast to manipulate thunder and the throne of the king of the wild.

"Thunder Beast" is looking down at the top of Shirakabadake.

to be continued

"...That's where the avalanche happened, it's really serious..."

"Why does an avalanche happen suddenly so locally?"

After the blizzard, the morning light fell on the new snow of Shirakabadake. Two men, one tall and the other slightly fat, walked in the mountains with serious expressions. They wore a fur coat and hats, and each carried a shotgun and a spear, which is a typical "Ghost".

The avalanche itself is not uncommon, because of this, once there is an unexplainable situation, people who live here and know what the disaster is will immediately notice something wrong. They set out to find out the filth that threatened the mountain.

After the signs of the collapse came into view, the two accelerated their pace. As far as the situation is concerned, the avalanche that has occurred unnaturally, has deepened their worries.

"Speaking of the guy Chun Lan just talked to "The Chief" yesterday, shouldn't he come here? Although I heard that he occasionally uses this as a hunting ground."

The fatter "Ghost" said so. It is said that Chun Lan, who usually never hunts out so late, never returned home, and an ominous premonition began to flow in his heart.

"Well, that guy is a student of Keen-sama. It should be fine... but he is still worried. After all, he is quite horny, if he can't think about it for a while..."

"He seems to have declined the invitation from "The Chief" again. Thinking about his father, it's not that he can't understand his feelings... The recent young people are really hard to understand..."

For the two "Ghosts", Chunlan's condition is not completely unrelated to her. The situation of young people running away is quite serious. Generally speaking, they are confused about being "Ghosts" and eventually lead to the current situation. .

"Some people say that I saw a weird thunder light last night. Could it be that Chunlan was trying to take revenge on "Thunder Beast"..."

The two chatted, and soon arrived at the collapse site.

"This is not a natural avalanche... but who is it and how did it cause it?"

"Couldn't "Thunder Beast" do it? That guy is Thunder's beast, so he can't predict what he will do.

"In this way, that boy Chunlan is even more worrying..."

While investigating on the spot, the two people speculated on the worst possible possibility they could think of from the perspective of local people. But they failed to notice the fact that threats from the outside world, far beyond their imagination, were gradually awakening from the snowy ground.

(Chun Lan... Thunder Beast... the name of the one who trapped me here... the name of the food...)

Under the ice and snow, "Evil Ghost" repeats the name from the outside in the ears without tattoos. The power contained in the body recovers heat with each retelling. Thunder's volatility and hatefulness, yet evokes the name of desire, is the most suitable concept for "Ghost" to become active again.

"Huh? Look, something is shining under this snow!"

"Oh, and the snow melts! What the hell is...?"

The body of "Evil Ghost" contains the heat of hatred. The wave of desire surged upwards, and the lines on the whole body gradually showed ominous light again.

(——Chun Lan——Mountain Monkey——"Thunder Beast"——Chun Lan——Mountain Monkey——"Thunder Beast"——!)

At the same time that passion and impulse reached a critical value, "Ghost" regained consciousness. In the steam like a fountain, the whole body surrounded by magical light was exposed.

"Hey! Yes, something is coming out of the snow!"

"What's weird...! Isn't it a monster!?"

The weird conditions of water vapor and ice flakes spurting out of the snow made the men in the mountains who have experienced many battles fall to the ground, making embarrassing noises.

"Evil Ghost" felt the fearful sight cast on it, and glanced at them.

"Chun Lan...Mountain Monkey, where is "Thunder Beast"...?"

"Wh, what! Do you know Chunlan and "Thunder Beast"!?"

Hearing the strange monster appearing in front of him spit out familiar words, Gao Yan's "Ghost" recovered, and immediately raised his shotgun and pointed at "Evil Ghost".

""Thunder Beast"... Chun Lan... food that matches me.... Hmph, it seems that you can serve as a starter..."

"Listen, I don't understand what you are talking about, but if it will harm the people in the village... You are the filth in the mountain! Leave our mountain!"

After Gao Yan's "You Ghost" shot, the slightly fat "You Ghost" who got up with him also raised his spear again.

However, the bullet was obstructed by the rock wall and turned into a flame of nothingness.

"What about this rock!? It blocked my shotgun!"

"This guy... is really a monster, right?"

"There is such a terrifying thing near the village...!"

The rock wall cracked in front of the trembling again, and collapsed fragilely.

Although it was not intentionally released, it was more than enough to withstand a shot.

"...The state hasn't fully recovered yet, but forget it. Just have food, warm up and set off..."

"Evil Ghost" turned the immediate adversity into a desire for strength, and used violent power at the two poor mountain men in front of them to make a rock spear.

"Ah, this must be the mountain at work... Bless the mountain god, bless the mountain god...!"

"Don't, don't be afraid! We have to stand up and fight, otherwise the village will be in danger..."

"Goblin" was swaying with a frantic red light, and it approached with a gun that showed blood-thirsty desire even though it was just a rock.

That is the figure of the demon from purgatory.

In the early morning, Bai Lidake resounded with void gunshots and heroic wailing before death. But the mountain wind blew away mercilessly and took away the screams.

"--this is……!"

Chunlan was hiding in a cave near the top of Mount Shirakaba in the dead corner of "Thunder Beast", and suddenly felt the signs of disaster. This is another crisis that we are facing now-the tremor of a certain existence that violates the mountain.

"The mountain spirit is clamoring...this breath is obviously different from "Thunder Beast"."

"...I feel it too, I am very familiar with this evil spirit and can tell immediately."

"That guy...has been awakened...!"

The group of people figured out where "Thunder Beast" sheltered, but on the other hand, they fell into a dilemma that most of the original plans could not be implemented. Then came bad news again.

"In other words, there is almost no time..."

"Hmm... Even so, we still have to hunt "Thunder Beast" before him...How can "Thunder Beast" be surrendered to that madman... "Ghost"...!"

How long it will take for the newly unfrozen "Evil Ghost" to climb up the steep upper layer of Mount Shirakaba is still unknown. In other words, a group of people not only need to compete against time, but also fight against Thunder Monster in the state of unknown time limit. "Goblin" may arrive soon, but it may also arrive tomorrow.

"...I move faster, I don't have time to go anywhere else."

"Returning to the hut for a long-term plan or a combat meeting will not work..."

Chun Lan looked around and brought out the many spare parts, although the number was limited, each item was selected for the ability to deal with "Thunder Beast". Can you make use of these spare parts to survive...

As "Ghost Again", Chunlan's wisdom that has left him confused for a long time does not know how to connect with his own way of survival is blooming at this moment.

"...I have a proposal."

However, Chun Lan has been doing this proposal for several years-since the last hunting with his father, it has not been implemented.

Unexpectedly, it would be the only way to make a decision, which is really ironic.

"——"The Hunting"."

"Encirclement Hunting"-the group hunting that the "Ghost" tradition has always attached great importance to. Basically, several "Shizi" are responsible for chasing and surrounding the prey, so that the prey has nowhere to go back, and at the same time conduct threatening or containment attacks, etc., to guide the prey to a designated location. Then the sniper "Gunner" who is ambushing there really hunts down.

"The Hunting" was supposed to be carried out by people who grew up in the same town and accumulated practice experience together. Therefore, it is deeply influenced by the high degree of cooperation, trust relationship, and the guiding ability of the "leader" when hunting. It is not easy to guide other cultural circles with different hunting styles to join and successfully hunt.

Even so, Chunlan still ventured to propose this method.

"What are you talking about hunting?"

"It's our group hunting method...I used to use "Thunder Beast" with my father. At that time, "Thunder Beast" was forced to a certain extent... Now the equipment and the number of people are more advantageous. If it goes well, maybe..."

Having said that, Chunlan actually couldn't think of other ways. Especially in terms of cooperation, everyone present grew up in different environments and had their own hunting styles. Even if they trust each other, the technical aspects are still extremely difficult to run-in.

"...A good suggestion, Chun Lan. I agree with "The Hunt"."

However, Zaoxue spoke out in agreement earlier than expected.

"...Use the traditional hunting method of "Ghost" with the power of ancient relics and the equipment to deal with "Thunder Beast"."

Chun Lan originally thought that Zaoxue's thinking and originality that emphasized rationality would reject the proposal of "Encirclement Hunting" and put forward other proposals, so it seemed that she couldn't help showing a look of surprise.

"...This matter is not that difficult. The influence of each other's "habits" on the cooperation will be made up for by the countermeasures formulated for "Thunder Beast". This point is the same for both parties."

Zaoxue smiled and encouraged Chun Lan, as if she was the one who believed in "The Hunt" the most.

Indeed, what you are facing is a special opponent whose frontal attack is invalid. Generally speaking, there are no rules that must be strictly followed in "Siege Hunter". And if you can make full use of the unique skills of "Tourist in the Forest" and "Condensing Tube", you can greatly make up for the shortcomings.

"... "Unexpectedly, use the unexpected to deal with it." This is what the traveler "Ghost" said."

"Well, Zaoxue has endorsed it for you, so I have confidence in the proposal of "The Hunting". If the proposer is so upset, those who could have succeeded will fail."

It seems that not only the surprise is revealed, but the hesitation is written on his face. Dao saw through Chun Lan and forced him to make a choice. Although it gives the impression of well-developed limbs, he and Zaoxue are still connected by blood after all.

"...Yes, you are right. After all, both of you are involved. Now how can I not believe you and show my energy.-Okay, let's implement "Our" "Hunting"."

In this way, the unprecedented common front of "Again" and "Tourist in the Forest" is about to shake Shirakabadake.

to be continued

The swirling black thundercloud on the head of "Thunder Beast" resembles its crown. In fact, the town is located on the top of a mountain, and the environment that can constantly interfere with the cloud flow above is also a major factor in its ability to stay at the top of the food chain. When you feel hungry, just transform the cloud on your head into a thundercloud, strike the animal with lightning, and then bring it back to the throne for food.

However, it still doesn't know that the terrain, which is close to the clouds and convenient for its own use, is difficult to overcome, but as long as it is handled by people with different knowledge, it will become a huge trap to round up itself.

There are two roads leading to the top of the mountain, one is a spiral road leading to the top of the mountain, and the other is a straight but rather steep uphill.

The first messenger who wanted to take the life of "Thunder Beast" appeared from the spiral mountain road with a shout.

"Hey! Hey--! Is your bear sleeping stupid! I'm still alive! Hey--!"

Dao made the unique cry of hunting in "Tourist in the Forest," while lightly stepping on the rocks and leaping to the top of the mountain. The bamboo basket on the back contains several pieces of single-shot muskets, which were previously prepared in the "Ghost" hut, and are quite old in terms of the "Ghost" objects. The relics of the now-dead country-single-shot muskets.

"Tsk, it's different from dealing with foxes and rabbits, but now you can only use this!"

Since the target is not a small animal that Dao usually deals with, the roar is not enough to pose a threat. But this is also expected. Dao drew a smaller single-shot musket from the bamboo basket and fired a shot while standing on the rock.

"Thunder Beast" seemed to stop its action instantly, and then erected all the fur and roared. The gunshots that sounded at close range made it aware of the explicit threat—perhaps it was due to the memory of the ordinary brown bear being chased and killed by the monster. In any case, it has indeed become the hunted party at this moment.

"Haha, no matter how hard your bear is struggling! Then this one!"

Dao uses the physical skills passed down from generation to generation in "The Tourist in the Forest" to move quickly among the rocks, avoiding lightning strikes. He inserted the used single-shot musket into the ground, quickly pulled out the second one and fired.

The second shot was no longer a threat, and "Thunder Beast" made a painful sound. Although only a dozen moments apart, the spherical bullet still cannot penetrate the thick fur.

"Thunder Beast" used a counterattack lightning strike at Dao, but this counterattack failed to turn Dao's body into coke.

"...It's really going well! Zaoxue is really a genius! I can't think of such a lightning rod!"

It turned out that two single-shot muskets inserted in the ground protected Dao. The body of the used single-shot musket was used as a lightning rod, so as to be able to fight "Thunder Beast" at close range.

"That's not bad! There are as many lightning rods as there are bullets! Hey, let's see the true nature of "The Tourist in the Forest"! Hey!"

Putting the gun on the ground also made Dao lighter, and his footsteps fooled "Thunder Beast" more briskly. He moved flexibly around "Thunder Beast" like a circle, and finally drove it to another mountain road surrounded by high walls.

"Zao Xue, go over there! This guy is a beast after all!"

"...Be prepared, Brother Dao, just push it in!"

"Thunder Beast" stored electricity in preparation for a counterattack while running wildly on a narrow and straight road. Suddenly, it was blocked by the barrier, and a large amount of sparks and white smoke surrounded it.

"Take the bait...!"

What blocked the way of "Thunder Beast" was a few arrows shot into the two sides of the mountain road. The linear force field formed by the arrow as the fulcrum is intertwined into a net, and the moisture in the air condenses along the net.

"...For the first time to control so many at the same time...but I will succeed!"

The thing created with the power of "Ning Kong Barrel" and Zaoxue can be called a "fog cage" to be precise. The more you want to break through the "fog cage", the more highly concentrated water vapor will force "Thunder Beast" to leak more aggressively, making it suffer from a short circuit.

"This is the only way to retreat...!"

Zaoxue continued to shoot more arrows behind "Thunder Beast" and launched "Condensed Sky Tube". Even if it was struggling painfully to retreat due to its own lightning strike, it would have no way to retreat.

"Okay, it was successfully blocked! As expected, Zaoxue, can you continue to implement the battle plan next!?"

"It won't last long... but it should be able to last until Chunlan sends out a signal...!"

Whether you advance or retreat, it is a "fog cage." However, "Thunder Beast" is still a wild beast, no matter how much power it acquires from ancient relics. There is no concept of surrender, only the survival instinct above all things.

Even if he was almost scorched by his own power, "Thunder Beast" still chose the possibility of living. It exposed its body to the continuous eruption of fire, making a chaotic roar, and at the same time resolutely began to crash into the "fog cage".

"Damn it, that guy started to give up on himself!"

"Chun Lan hasn't sent a signal... I don't know if I can hold on...!"

The "Cylinder of Ning Kong" mounted on the Zaoxue crossbow seems to be synchronized with the leakage of "Thunder Beast", losing the regularity of flashing, and occasionally shooting blue light. That is the guiding force that leaks due to the load. If you continue to inject force into the "fog cage", the explosion may hurt early snow.

"...Okay, leave it to elder brother if you mess around!"

"Tao, Brother Dao!?"

Zaoxue might get hurt-this gave Dao no reason not to act. Around his waist is a leather "insulator rope" prepared in "Againus House", which is mixed with glass powder and coated with the same resin as his own paint. After putting it on his head and wearing gloves made of the same material, he jumped into the "fog cage" and approached "Thunder Beast". Although the scattered flashes scorched the ropes, Tao was still in the same place as "Thunder Beast".

"Brother Dao, this is really...!"

"This is a cage made by Zaoxue, there is nothing to be afraid of! Come, let me see your trump card, "Thunder Beast"!"

Road leap "Ultralisk" beat it by an insulator glove punch. "Thunder Beast" ate an insulator fist on its body surface. This blow itself could not cause fatal injuries to it, but it was no longer able to maintain its calmness due to successive attacks that caused more short-circuit effects.

"Haha, this is better for me than guns. Okay, I won't be merciful! Hey..."

Dao stepped on the ground firmly while "Thunder Beast" showed his timidity, turning his whole body into a spring and leaping like a spring. Then he used that trick when he was about to reach the limit of the breathing method that was about to assimilate the gas circulation that overflowed in the mountains and forests.

""Shaking Heart"!"

Dao pushed hard to the ground, and the snow visualized the trembling air around him. In an instant, a punch hit "Thunder Beast", and it greatly shook the center of gravity of that huge body.

"Shaking the Heart" is one of the quintessence of physical skills developed in "The Tourist in the Forest". This profound meaning carries the plural meanings of "heart" and "core", as well as "tremor" and "god", which can concentrate the blows of the lower body and upper body in one place. It is the wisdom of the ancestors who have not returned home, and passed on in order to survive on the long journey.

"Brother Dao is too powerful...! "Shaking Heart" is getting more and more stylish...!"

Zao Xue immediately shot a few arrows at the violently shaking "Thunder Beast" from above the barrier. "Thunder Beast", which was shot by an arrow, failed to re-stabilize his body, and Dao's throat was chased. "Thunder Beast" retreated in shock and had no time to take care of the "fog cage" behind it, and once again fell into a trap burned by its own power.

"Although it does not constitute a fatal injury, I will contain it for the time being...! Can Brother Dao still survive?"

"I really want to give a positive response, but the gloves are no longer usable. Sorry, I can't fight for too long!"

"...I see, you continue to lure the enemy, and then I will attack."

Having said that, Zaoxue has now fully implemented "Ningkong Cylinder". In the unsound "Shaking Heart" situation, just how far shooting can contain "Thunder Beast"... Zaoxue has no confidence in this.

Fortunately, it didn't take long for the two of them to actually feel that this series of persistence had a price. The heavy bass that resounded over the high ground, deep but very powerfully transmitted everywhere, was the proof of the two people's accomplishment of a mission.

"The sound of conch... Chunlan is also ready!"

"Ha, that guy made us wait too long! But thanks to this, we also made a contribution! Zaoxue, show our backbone, let that guy wailing!"

"……of course!"

Zaoxue lifted the "fog cage" on the top side of the mountain at the same time as she got down from the barrier. After the two met, they turned their backs to the "cage" on the side of the mountain road, and launched a further containment attack on the back of "Thunder Beast".

Zaoxue, who lowered his load after lifting a "cage", even condensed the water directly to the arrow with a fierce attack, and shot it into the body of "Thunder Beast" to attack. That's right, the next stage of the battle is to drive it back to the top of the mountain where Chunlan is ready to wait.

This is exactly "The Hunting".

The two ran desperately for the moment the throne turned into a tombstone.

Convinced that after driving the prey to the destination, the partner waiting there can grasp the future.

to be continued

Those two people will definitely bring "Thunder Beast" here-the unexplainable trust in their new partner suppresses the trembling when holding the shotgun, and allows Chun Lan to face fate calmly.

When the conch sounded, he thought of Zao Xue and Dao's reliable smile.

He certainly knows that blowing conch in the territory of "Thunder Beast" is no different from suicide. But he still blew vigorously, allowing the sound of conch to overwhelm the roar of "Thunder Beast" and resound through the mountain.

Those two people will definitely contain "Thunder Beast" and come here smoothly. The reason why this young "Ghost" can deliberately let the prey know where he is is because of this wholehearted trust.

And the conch of trust calls for hope. The roar and footsteps of the enemy who wanted to hunt, as well as the shouts of the two following closely, approached Chun Lan at the same time.

The reason why Zao Xue and Dao are responsible for enticing the enemy is to set up a trap and indeed bring "Thunder Beast" into their range. At the connecting point of the spiral mountain road that the road passes, there are traps that will sprinkle water and metal pieces when stepping on it. Although it is made of ready-made materials based on the parts of the animal trap, it is expected to play a certain effect in disrupting the ability and containment of "Thunder Beast".

In addition, "Thunder Beast", which has no way to retreat and was chased to the edge of the mountain top cliff, will be forced to choose whether to jump to the spiral mountain road winding down below—Chun Lan has prepared many traps and weapons below it, ready to go. .

(...At this moment... I didn't expect it to come like this.)

Several hot emotions boiled and rolled in Chun Lan's heart. He has no room to think about how these emotions should be called, and even so, there is still some part that can be said for sure.

(...Even now, I still don't hate "Thunder Beast".... Having said that, I definitely want to hunt for it.)

After losing her father, Chun Lan never hated "Thunder Beast". The sense of loss and grief of losing the only blood relative... all of these do exist. But at the same time, his father died when he was fighting against the creatures in the mountains as "Ghost". He devoted himself to the laws of nature that guarded the mountains, and finally failed to beat his opponent's survival instinct. How can it be turned into a mere private grievance?

What drives Chunlan now is only the desire to challenge the unfinished goal again. That's right, that's enough.

"...I...can "continue"...!"

Chun Lan, who has lost the person she has always set as her target, and the common goal of each other, is actually very afraid that she will be trapped in the resentment of "Thunder Beast" and will lose the subject left by her father.

(...Dad, I won't avenge you...but I will do it for you.)

Fight head-on with life and fight as a "Ghost". The subject left by his father has not yet been completed, but this matter is still alive in Chun Lan's heart. For him now, this is enough. Proof of self-existence. Affected by inertia, he still spends many days as "Ghost" until now. The messenger from the outside world has brought him hope that was not meaningless in the past.

"...Coming!"

Chunlan, lurking in the shadow of the rock on the spiral mountain road, heard an explosive lightning strike from the top of the mountain above his head, and the sound of Zaoxue and the others chasing further. That is the signal paired with the sound of his conch.

After hearing the sound, Chun Lan waited for a few more shots-at the moment when the breath of "Thunder Beast" was very close to the top, he placed the weight of his whole body on the rope in his hand, and used the knack of shoulder fall to pull hard.

A corner of the upper cliff collapsed. On the top of the cliff-a rock that was originally on its edge was torn off. Lack of stability, once the protruding part of the mountain top that is similar to the terrace loses any support, a little irritation can become the cause of the collapse. Ironically, the cause is the weight of the occupant of the throne.

"Zao Xue's strategy of burying "Evil Ghost" in the snow... the timing that I saw was so coincidental...!"

The reason why Chun Lan had spent so much time preparing beforehand was not to set up traps to block mountain roads, but to make the terrain itself a trap. Tying a rope is said to be easy, but in fact it is not easy to use this principle to insert a stick under the rock and connect it to the mountain road under the cliff. Chun Lan completed this in the short period of early snow and road to lure the enemy.

"... "Thunder Beast"!"

The "Thunder Beast", which was forced to a dead end, rolled down the mountain road along with the rock fragments and snow. The height is about fifteen minutes...not to let "Thunder Beast" fall to death. Chunlan also set up traps such as triangle spikes at the expected fall location in advance. In addition to stopping her movements definitely, she was also prepared to continue to attack.

However, not everything in this world will proceed according to plan. "Thunder Beast" hit the bulge of the wall during the fall, changed its rolling route and fell to a place where there were no traps-and it was in front of Chunlan's eyes.

"...It turned out to be like this, but I am no longer confused!"

This actually made Chun Lan excited. Everything seemed to be for him to end this life with his own hands and make the final break.

"The False King "Thunder Beast"! As "Again", this time I will be the winner!"

Chun Lan is very excited, this is a battle directly related to the first battle five years ago.

Chunlan and "Thunder Beast" faced each other without any interference on the spiral mountain road leading to the top of Mount Shirakada. He turned his back to the cliff that connected the mountain road further down, and "Thunder Beast" stood with his back to the wall against the top of the mountain. The brown bear and "Ghost" face each other, casting hunger and murderous gazes at each other, as if forming a line between the two.

"...I want to end everything!"

It was Chunlan who started the action first. You have to attack continuously while the heavily consumed "Thunder Beast" is leaning on the mountain wall. He threw the arrow and other small sharp weapons and metal pieces in the burlap bag to strengthen the charged "Thunder Beast".

There is also "Thunder Beast" who wants to distinguish the winner with one blow. The lightning strikes exploded as the metal flakes were scattered, but it was a fatal blow to it.

"Success!"

The countless sharp weapons pierced into the ground and the metal pieces flying in the air absorbed the lightning strikes, and the explosion intertwined a curtain of flashes, fire and steam. Chun Lan traverses these and approaches "Thunder Beast". The sparks scorched the tips of the hair, and the residue of the lightning strike fell on him.

"It's the first time I was forced to be like this, Thunder Monster! It should be correct, but...!"

Seeing that the eyes of the monsters in "Thunder Beast" appeared astonished, Chun Lan immediately understood the situation. It was anxious because it was stuffed into the cavity by a human who had been smoked with a gun.

"...No matter how hard the skin is, as long as it's at the close range...!"

Chun Lan's shotgun fired in the mouth of "Thunder Beast".

Blood that was scarier than the sparks of a gun spouted from its mouth as if to cover everything, dyeing Chunlan's white skin and "Thunder Beast"'s own fur with blood red.

However, I do not know whether it is the persistence to life or the vitality of wild animals.

"Lei Beast" did not breathe, its eyeballs and front feet were still moving!

"Too big...!"

Chun Lan retracted the gun and prepared to evacuate. However, "Thunder Beast" uses the jaw that is so free to counterattack at a speed that surpasses Chun Lan's retreat.

"……it hurts……!"

How long hasn't been bitten by a beast? Chun Lan thought to herself when she felt severe pain in her shoulder as she was bitten by "Thunder Beast". When did it happen, almost forgot this kind of pain?

-Won't let you escape. There seemed to be such a sound in my ears. This is so close that I can understand the obsession of the mutant brown bear who is still trying to fight back with his blood-filled jaw even if the bullet is shot into the body.

"I didn't plan to let you go...!"

Chun Lan didn't pull away "Thunder Beast", but instead hugged its body to fix it, stabs the back of "Thunder Beast" several times with a mountain knife in his hand. The lightning blasted along the blade countercurrently. The desire of both parties to live was rolled together, and fell to the ground together, entangled in each other's teeth and blades attacking each other.

——Soon, the two finally maintained a entangled position lying on the ground and there was no movement.

After a moment of silence-Chun Lan stood up first. The bright red stained on his fair skin and coat has long been unable to distinguish himself or the enemy. It is also mixed with mud under the snow, as if human beings have been baptized by the wild.

But even so he stood up. Although he staggered, the blood from his forehead almost obscured his vision, and his shoulders bitten by the teeth of the beast could not move freely, he still survived and continued to fight.

He picked up the gun. In front of him, the sight that moved as he raised the gun again said everything-"Thunder Beast" has not yet died. It squinted at the culprit who had seriously injured itself, and moved its limbs convulsively. Each breath made it almost vomit blood, but it still prompted the heart to continue beating. As long as there is a breath, it has the will to stand up again.

Chun Lan filled the shotgun with the bullet that he picked up, and reached between the eyebrows of "Thunder Beast".

The sound of killing a life sounded again.

to be continued

On that day, one of the threats that disturbed the order of Shirakabake disappeared.

"Thunder Beast"-the uninvited false king. Although he was born under a curse, he still confronted a young man under the guidance of mysterious fate, and was finally cut off by him.

"Successful... Chun Lan."

"...Congratulations. A goal was successfully completed."

The voice of congratulations from the new partner who hunted the "Thunder Beast" together came to her ears, and Chun Lan noticed her appearance.

After confirming that "Thunder Beast" had no breath, Chun Lan unconsciously leaned on that body to rest. It was only after regaining consciousness that he was leaning on his long-standing enemies and goals, and gradually returning to reality. The clouds and clear sky on the top of the mountain shone on them. I don't know if it was because of bleeding, Chun Lan, who felt his body quickly turned cold due to the fierce fighting, sat blindly leaning on "Thunder Beast" and looked up at the sky.

"...Well, I always feel that the stagnant time is flowing slightly. But this is definitely not a victory for me alone. Without you, I can only..."

Even if this battle has the meaning of allowing one's time to circulate again, one cannot ignore the point of obtaining partners and cooperating with each other.

"...Then we have to thank you too. We... there is no way to obtain that ancient relic."

"...Speaking of this, well, wait a minute, I will get it out."

Chun Lan picked up Nagasa (shanknife) and turned around again to face the unmoving enemy.

——Chun Lan and "Tourist in the Forest", this can't be done without either party. To make up for each other's goals, this is the value that Chunlan has forgotten for a long time.

"...It's really hard."

Chun Lan opened the abdomen of "Thunder Beast" with a long narrow. A goal he achieved, in order to keep time moving, is now about to change the future of the people who helped him.

...This is the value. Contrary to the action of cutting open the belly of the beast, a burst of embarrassment came to my heart. The splash of blood just concealed the flushed cheeks.

"If it takes a lot of time, let me help?"

"No, it's okay, Dao. I'm starting to catch the trick. Watch your surroundings...not far from the next battle."

"...I see, this is your father-killing enemy anyway, right? Now you have to settle your mind."

"It doesn't feel right to say that the enemy is... Dad doesn't want me to look at it in such a simple light."

"Oh, you would also say something that resembles what Zao Xue would say. If it's not an enemy, what is that?"

"It's still not clear...maybe because of this, it makes sense to look for...Oh."

Chun Lan pondered carefully how to move forward to the subject she found, and at the same time pulled out a piece of metal from the body of "Thunder Beast".

"...Then it's my turn to help you."

It is the blade of a short sword that merges with the surroundings of the stomach of "Thunder Beast" to form a unique biological organ. No, although the blade is so short that it should be called a short sword, it is thick and heavy compared to the long narrow. Perhaps it is similar to the "Gladiator Shortsword" from the West.

"...This thing is to turn the brown bear beast into an ancient relic fragment of "Thunder Beast",...right?"

"Well, it's the same as it was written on the scroll in "The Ancestral Hall." This must be "Blade of Lightning."

"Blade... So that's what happened."

Chun Lan wiped off the "Thunder Beast" body fluid that had been contaminated on her head, and handed "Lightning Blade" to Zaoxue. The sharp blade was firmly embedded in Zaoxue's "Cylinder of Ning Kong". "Cylinder of Condensation" is the knife handle that exists for the assembly of "Blade of Lightning".

"At first, I thought it was a flute, but it turned out to be an ancient sword..."

"Yes, this is the ancient relic we have been looking for-"Sky Shaking Thunder Sword"..."

When the two ancient relics were merged into one, "Sky Shaking Thunder Sword" exudes dazzling light and steam. After the light and steam dissipated, the thing in Zao Xue's hands shone with a strong golden luster, and made people feel a kind of wise beauty. It is completely unimaginable that it was the rusty iron barrel and the flesh and blood of beasts. The sharp edge of the stain turned into.

"Speaking of which, the ancient relics in charge of thunder and water...it is said to be able to defeat "Evil Ghost"...but the combination is really amazing. Do you know what this means?"

"...The scroll is not written in that detail... But now I have a rough guess."

"The original power hidden in the ancient relics...enough to defeat "Evil Ghost" in turn, what is it like..."

Chunlan and "Tourist in the Forest", who pursued "Thunder Beast" and "Sky Shocking Thunder Sword", the two peculiar things that existed in Mount Shirakaba, worked together and finally reached a result that satisfied each other.

——However, there is an existence that shatters such hope and fetters. Even if a group of people hunted "Thunder Beast" earlier than him, he is still alive.

"...Zao Xue, Chun Lan, it's a bit hard to tell...but the time we can immerse ourselves in the aftermath of victory is shorter than we thought..."

"Um... I didn't forget."

"...We have to defeat him to end our battle..."

The three of them all looked in the same direction.

The noise of the mountain...From such a distance, I can clearly feel the existence that is full of killing intent and desire.

"...Climbed to the summit earlier than expected. What should I do next..."

"Evil Ghost" once again appeared in the center of the three people's vision, looking at them. If he only counts killing intent and fighting spirit, his eyes carry even more heat than the sum of the three.

to be continued

The "Thunder Beast" that threatened Bai Lidake finally encountered the crusade, and "The Tourist in the Forest" got the long-awaited "Sky-shaking Thunder Sword".

However, the final threat step by step approached them, who had finally fulfilled their long-cherished wish, trying to make their future vanish. At this moment, the threat caught up with the mountain braves.

"I found... the thing is done. It really saved me a lot of effort. Now I just need to let you who defeated "Thunder Beast" be my food."

"Damn red jacket, aren't you a citizen of the plains!? To climb to the top of the mountain so quickly is really a guy who doesn't play according to the card!"

No wonder it was so surprised. After all, no matter how fast you walk, from the moment when "Evil Ghost" exudes the breath of resurrection, there is simply not enough time to reach the top of the mountain.

Chun Lan found that there was an extra road behind "Evil Ghost", it was a terrain that had never been seen before, and it should be the trace left by him.

"That's it, it's worthy of "Rockman"..."

"You guessed it right... don't think I can only make rock walls."

"Evil Ghost" shows its fangs and smiles triumphantly. "Evil Ghost" uses the ability to generate rock walls to create pathways such as stairs, even the miracle of breaking through terrain obstacles.

"...In short, I want to hunt you. As for "Again"... I am also very interested in you who have won "Thunder Beast". Become my food."

"When you open your mouth and close your mouth, it's food, it's annoying...!"

The reason why "Evil Ghost" went into battle was obviously not just to snatch ancient relics from the beginning. It is simply to pursue power and eat food for the sake of fighting and killing. But-what is it that hastened this desire?

"...We don't want to be food, and there is no need to bear your hatred. We have to fight to the end for our goals, so we will never change the answer."

Zaoxue bravely looked directly at the existence that threatened them for a long time, and spoke so without fear. She upholds the faith of being one and the last, without a trace of wavering. After getting the "Thunder Sword", her eyes are not only clear and bright, but also more dazzling and firm determination.

"Hahaha, do you think you have a chance to win when you get the ancient relic? It's sad, that thing will eventually fall into the hands of my employer."

"What I get is not only "Sky Shaking Thunder Sword"... but also new value, new wisdom, new partners... So, this time I will definitely win...!"

Zaoxue raised the crossbow that set up "Sky Shaking Thunder Sword" and aimed at "Evil Ghost". The side that Chun Lan wanted to find had already emerged in a clear outline on Zaoxue at this moment.

"... New values, new wisdom, and new partners? That's right, I also got these things today. I must never live up to these hard-won treasures."

The badly injured Chun Lan also cheered up and aimed her shotgun at "Evil Ghost". They are partners in hunting "Thunder Beast" together. How can the damage caused by "Thunder Beast" not stand up for them? Experiencing the fight with "Thunder Beast", and standing here with his wounds in exchange for victory is the proof of the bond between him and the two.

"Chun Lan-"Ghost" that killed "Thunder Beast". I will take you apart and eat as you wish. Now that you have taken my prey... don't let me down."

There is nothing to be afraid of. The current Chunlan has overcome the difficulty of "Thunder Beast" and has a partner who was born and died. The "Evil Ghost" in front of him is not to be feared at all-he must solve this threat and live with the gains from the two. Go down.

"I'll help too! Since Zaoxue is serious, of course I have to follow suit!"

"Evil Ghost" has not yet launched a move, Dao has taken the lead in launching an offensive. By jumping agilely and using the flexible movement of the cliff wall, he started a hand-to-hand battle with "Ghost". Chunlan and Zaoxue also took this opportunity to distance themselves and raise their weapons.

"Tao-kick!"

On the road running fast on the cliff, he made a whirling kick in the air and kicked hard towards the cervical vertebra of "Ghost", but it was not unexpectedly blocked by the rock shield.

"Stupid, do you think you can hurt me with the same method?"

"You're stupid! What a means, it's the "foot" stage!"

"...!"

Dao still looked like he was able to do well, pushing on the rock shield to open the distance. At the same time, the mist-wound arrows shot towards the side of "Ghost".

"Ghost" quickly changed the Rock Shield from the right hand to the left hand, barely blocking the blow. But the moment the arrow was inserted into the shield, the bullet hit it. Although the small shield made in a hurry on this side did not disintegrate, it left a crack deep to the core.

"Haha, I'm just a feint! You were deceived by the same trick! You, a stone man, don't even have your brain made of stone!"

"...Dare to fool me...I'm the "Rockman"...!"

"Zao Xue, blow him up!"

Suddenly, thunder-like flashes and heat waves exploded centered on the arrow stuck on the rock shield. The shock wave blasted the rock shield along the cracks, and the hot wind roasted the skin of "Goblin".

"...Although it was the first test shot, it succeeded. It seems that the trick is easier to grasp than imagined."

This is Zaoxue's blow after getting "Lightning Blade". As usual, she uses the arrow as a fulcrum to condense water, and uses the generated mist to form a non-physical wire. In this way, a lightning strike that can control the direction from a long distance can be created-but apart from the early snow, no one noticed the possibility of surpassing the lightning strike in that explosion.

"It is indeed a very reliable weapon...The power is amazing. This thing has been in the belly of "Thunder Beast"."

"...However, the real power of "Sky Shaking Thunder Sword" should be more than that. The water and lightning strikes formed the "explosion" just now. The original purpose may be--"

Zaoxue was about to continue, but was interrupted by the fast approaching "Evil Ghost".

"Let me solve you first--"

Zaoxue's and Chunlan's long-range attacks made "Evil Ghost" furious. He stomped on the rock wall formed behind him, and with this force he made a "horizontal jump", shortening the distance in one breath.

"Well, early snow, dangerous!"

Chun Lan blocked the rock sword swung by "Evil Ghost", but a fierce blow completely shattered the hunting knife that had accompanied Chun Lan for many years from the blade to the hilt.

"Want to use that kind of knife to resist my attack, it's really laughable!"

"Even without it, I have more options!"

The scraps of the love knife float in the air like beautiful fine snow. As Chun Lan jumped high to the rear, she took the opportunity to grab a handful of it, and then threw the sharp iron piece that was turned into scraps but was still like a knife and threw it at the face of "Evil Ghost".

"Hmm, my eyes...! They are actually overcast..."

"Just say I'm good at being smart! Okay, it's now!"

Chunlan and Zaoxue stepped back again, away from the shooting range of "Evil Ghost". At the same time, Tao launched an offensive from behind "Evil Ghost"!

"Take my trick!"

Dao punched "Evil Ghost" hard in the back. However, his fist failed to smash "Evil Ghost" as expected, and stopped abruptly.

"Woo...big, careless...!"

"Brother Dao! How could this be..."

The sharp rock tip penetrated deeply into the flanks of the road. That is the rock wall that "Evil Ghost" was half made in desperation. Dao's quick melee attack ironically caused himself to be injured by the enemy's indefensible defense.

"It's still naive. Just go to death with remorse."

"Damn it, it's this moment...! At least you must protect Zaoxue..."

Dao knelt down in pain. Although the blow did not hit the point, the loss of blood made him lose strength, and it was equivalent to a fatal injury to him who was right in front of the enemy.

Dao rolled on the ground, desperately avoiding the pursuit of "Evil Ghost", Chun Lan also hurriedly shot, trying to seal the offensive of "Evil Ghost". When the two gradually realized that this was just a dying struggle, Zaoxue suddenly opened her mouth.

"Ah... Does this mountain have a tunnel or well that goes straight to the end? It's better if it's a bit deep."

At this juncture of life and death, Zaoxue's problem is a bit abrupt. However, would the question that emerged in her mind be meaningless?

"...At the point below, there is a cave that meets the requirements. The length is about 10 sub-moments, and it goes straight to the end."

Therefore, Chunlan answered Zaoxue's question honestly while playing "Evil Ghost" like playing with prey. "Evil Ghost" is focusing on pursuing Tao. If you miss this opportunity, I don't know when I can quietly discuss countermeasures next time without being heard by "Devil".

"Do you have an idea?"

"...It's a pretty big bet."

"It doesn't matter, we have gambled so many times to have this moment. This time I will also believe your idea."

"Chun Lan...Thank you-if the real power of "Sky Shaking Thunder Sword" is the same as I thought, its power will be even greater in enclosed spaces..."

"...! That's it, that's it!"

The possibility that Zaoxue thought of, Chun Lan also had an impression. That's a phenomenon I learned in the natural science class of Sunday school before. If the possibility proposed by Zaoxue is the same as the concept of that phenomenon...

"--Let's gamble. Go straight down the mountain road that lured "Thunder Beast". After a short walk, you will see the cave. You two will go there first."

"Where is Chunlan...?"

"Do you need time to prepare? Leave it to me who is familiar with this place to lead him."

Not only to repay the favor, Chunlan also gave a deeper trust to Zaoxue at this moment.

to be continued

There is no reason to be confused. Chun Lan, who was freed from the evil fate, decided to contribute that strength to the new partner.

Chun Lan urged her partner to leave as soon as possible while shooting assault on "Evil Ghost". Perhaps he had guessed Chun Lan's intentions. As soon as Zaoxue called out the name, Dao immediately jumped up with all his strength, and escaped without a trace when "Evil Ghost" was not paying attention.

"Hmph, the mountain monkey still slips fast."

""Goblin"! Next, I will fight you who killed "Thunder Beast"!"

"Evil Ghost" looked back at the direction of the sound and bullets, and looked at the fading road from the corner of his eye, and then showed Chunlan a tyrannical smile.

"...Interesting, do you want to be singled out, "Ghost" kid!"

"Yes, since you are determined to protect this mountain, of course you have to take the lead yourself!"

"Hahaha, it's funny. I don't hate you who are not afraid of death. Let me take a good look at the power that defeated the "Thunder Beast"!"

"Evil Ghost" once again caught Chun Lan's provocation. However, this man was so naive and so deceitful that Chun Lan felt an ominous feeling of strangeness in her heart.

(...This guy wants to seize ancient relics and eager to fight—even to expel "Tourist in the Forest" and strengthen his own strength. It is completely unclear which is his priority...)

While Chun Lan kept running madly to lure "Evil Ghost" to catch up, she also deeply felt the strangeness hidden in this enemy.

This man has a complicated purpose. It seems that he is helping an organization to fight for ancient relics, but in fact he is hunting "The Tourist in the Forest" to obtain food that can strengthen his own strength. The priority of these goals is always changing and fluctuating.

(...Since you can't guess what this guy will take action with, you can't ignore it...)

Chunlan knew that he would defeat "Evil Ghost" anyway. However, the enemy in front of him seemed to have extremely unstable hatred, struggle, desire and sense of mission, but he was constantly driven by these emotions, making Chunlan feel more and more pity for him.

After a while, Chunlan successfully led "The Devil" to a slope with a flat surface and sparse trees by means of containment and shooting. Due to the terrain, the thick snow is always quite smooth in this area, which can be said to be a very suitable place for skiing. But this snowy field has never been developed, and it has remained intact to this day.

"Hmph, according to the despicable personality of "Again", I thought you were going to turn me into the maze. It seems that I was really undermined."

"...Is that not necessarily?"

Chun Lan turned and shot, and the fist of "Evil Ghost" hit the ground hard. The bullet quickly slid through the uncovered space and turned into a vain spark the moment it hit the rock wall—it should have been like this.

"...How could it be, why would my rock face...!?"

The rock wall created by "Evil Ghost" is so low that it can't completely block the body. The bullet grazed the upper edge of the rock wall and deviated from the track, digging a bleeding hole in the shoulder of "Goblin".

"My rock wall is incomplete...what did you move!"

"I didn't do anything. Take a closer look around yourself!"

The new battlefield where the two of them are located is a plane with deep snow remaining. Chun Lan deliberately brought "Evil Ghost" here, so that the interference of "Evil Ghost" on the ground was hindered by the snow.

The expression in "Evil Ghost" became distorted, as if even the effect of the spell engraved on the face would change accordingly. Even so, the current situation couldn't make Chunlan show the expression of ease.

"...I'll call you again. Who are you? I don't even know the limit of my own power, and I want to pursue greater power. The capture of ancient relics is just by the way, the real purpose is to kill all of the "Tourists in the Forest". I know you are a lunatic, but leave this aside..."

Chun Lan's heart was full of pity and anger towards the enemy. It was precisely because he met a girl who was once confused about the goal and then found out the true value of the goal, he understood the twisted nature of the lunatic in front of him.

"...Whether it's your reason or purpose...it seems to be "inherited" for some reason, right?"

These words made the face of "Evil Ghost" even more distorted. Even though the two of them were separated by some distance, and the body of "Evil Ghost" was covered with tattoos, Chun Lan could still see him turning pale and beginning to sweat.

"So, you said that that ability is like a gift, right? The purpose of your battle and the meaning of living are all "given by others". No, it's not an exaggeration to say that it is "borrowed"?"

"...Shut up! Shut up, shut up!"

The tattoo covering the body of "Evil Ghost" emits a much stronger and ominous crimson light and heat than in the past. There was only his dark figure in the center of the glare, as if to burn himself together.

"Is it right..."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up! What do you know!? My hometown and everything I'should' have been taken away by those people! What's wrong with my pursuit of strength and food!"

""The Tourist in the Forest" took your hometown? I don't think they are that kind of person... Is this also the memory of that thing? And, I knew you were a pathetic person a long time ago."

"Evil Ghost" even began to groan like a beast, unlike human words. The thing that agitated him, the skinned skeleton lost control, speeding up his unruly action.

"...I want to kill, I want to hunt! In order to hunt "The Tourist of the Forest"... In order to get food, I will hunt you for everything...! Since you are both hunters, don't you understand this hunger ......!"

"What kind of hunting is this! You are totally wrong! I would never agree with what you did as hunting!"

The two entered and retreated into an offensive and defensive battle. Although "Evil Ghost" lost his superiority and reason, his painful impulse did not disappear. Even if he couldn't shoot the rock blade, he still forced himself to sprint forward while creating a rock wall with all his strength. Chun Lan fired several shots at the approaching rock wall, staring at the enemy in front of him and retreating step by step.

"Evil Ghost" is actually an empty existence. The reason for fighting to eat food is a desire fabricated by something that can never be satisfied, and it is also driven by that thing.

"We are "hunting" to survive, to achieve something... to fight with life! It is not the same as your empty impulse! Don't confuse your selfish and empty violence with us!"

Chun Lan was even more certain that she would never lose. To seek something, to protect, to inherit... How can people who fight for value lose to the destroyer of emptiness!

"Then my battle...what is the thing I have destroyed so far! You say, brat!"

"Evil Ghost" was wrapped in a defensive rock wall, and the body began to sprint along the slope along the weight, trying to vent all the turbulent emotions of self-deception on Chun Lan.

"What's my business! You can't even fight to get that answer, so you will lose! Lost in this mountain!"

Chun Lan would not be crushed by something so empty. Chunlan now understands the things that support people and keep them from losing themselves in battle. Moreover, he is working hand in hand with people who know this truth better than himself.

The empty rock strike of "Evil Ghost" was affected by the hard and heavy words, and did not hit the young and middle-aged people, but only disturbed the snow and the air in vain.

"...Did off!? Where did you go!?"

"You still don't look ahead!"

Chun Lan stepped onto the wooden plank—the wreckage left over from the time when there used to be houses in this remote country—and glided on the snow.

The furious "Ghost" rampaged along with the rock wall covering his eyes, without even seeing through the preparatory action.

Chun Lan kept turning back and shooting while sliding fast on the snow, gradually leading "Evil Ghost" to other places.

"...As long as there is less snow, the situation can be reversed!"

As the two moved down the mountain, "Ghost" found more and more exposed surfaces, and once again bluffed. He only wanted to kill this young man, he only wanted to kill people who touched his self-deception beliefs——

But "Evil Ghost" didn't know why Chun Lan did not hesitate to rush to the rock that is more favorable to him.

"...The cave...!"

The answer is simple, the partner who is fighting with Chunlan is in front of that. Because there is a trustworthy meaning and value.

As soon as she saw the mark, Chun Lan dropped the plank and moved forward on her legs with the remaining strength.

"...?"

However, Chun Lan saw the strangeness from the hope in front of her.

"The white mist... isn't it yet--"

It was filled with mist that shouldn't be there.

Chun Lan looked back and found that "Evil Ghost" didn't know whether he saw Chun Lan's embarrassment or was stimulated by environmental changes. He didn't say a word, and the light of the tattoo pulsating like a living creature even overshadowed the brilliance in his own eyes.

to be continued

"Zao Xue, I saw that guy Chun Lan, and "Devil" followed. The next step is the key."

This is the place where Chunlan and his brothers and sisters from "The Tourist in the Forest" chose to fight the "Evil Ghost" to the death. Dao climbed to the cave that went straight to the end and watched the direction of the mountain. His confidant partner and the old enemy who would cut off Nie Yuan today appeared in his sight.

Although the side abdomen that had stopped bleeding still made his whole body aching, Dao still shouted his sister excitedly. It's finally this moment... As long as the man who has caused countless traumas and nightmares to himself and his compatriots so far can be solved, the pain at this time is not worth mentioning.

"...I'm sorry, Brother Dao...I seem to think too simple..."

However, Zaoxue replied uncharacteristically, struggling to say this.

Zaoxue looked at the arrows inserted in the inner wall of the cave, sometimes pulling out and sometimes inserting a few more. She ran back and forth in the thick fog with "Sky Shaking Thunder Sword" in her arms, cold sweat broke out under her calm eyes.

"What's wrong, Zaoxue? It's not like you. It's my responsibility to accompany you to face all problems."

Dao staying on it couldn't see Zao Xue's expression, and didn't know what she was going to do. Nevertheless, Tao believed that they would be able to overcome her anxiety together.

""The Thunder Sword"...It took more time to "decompose" than I thought. Although its nature seems to be the same as my guess... But after being used by "Thunder Beast" for so long, it has a little bit of deterioration. Its power seems to be adjusted to the most suitable lightning intensity for "Thunder Beast"."

"So, I don't quite understand the truth. It means that your guess is not wrong?"

"Yes... Just give me time, there should be a way..."

As Zao Xue replied, she speeded up her actions to manipulate the fog and electricity through arrows and ancient relics. Although knowing that anxiety would reduce the accuracy, she couldn't slow down the sweaty hands.

"It's easy, I'll go to Chunlan to delay time together. Then just push that guy into the cave!"

Dao jumped down from the top of the cave and ran towards Chun Lan, who was close enough to hear the sound, while waving his hand.

"Brother Dao, your injury...!"

"The blood has stopped, it is not a problem to deal with another battle! To bravely fight for Zao Xue's dream is my way of survival!"

Dao bent his arm and patted his firm biceps. Zaoxue knows very well that he has undergone the practice of "Shaking Heart" and is very good at controlling muscles. Perhaps the action at this time is that he wants to use his own way to wipe out the uneasiness of the injury. In fact, his ability to run now is not due to the bandages or herbs, but to tighten his body to restrain bleeding and open wounds when he was injured.

"And this time Chunlan is here! You are responsible for making predictions and conceiving countermeasures. Don't be discouraged! Follow your way to the last minute, do it calmly, quickly and accurately!"

Dao pressed against the wound and rushed towards Chun Lan and "Evil Ghost" who spotted him. No matter how persuaded, he will choose it.

"Brother Dao...really...think about people who want to cover up your reckless behavior."

Zaoxue complained, but did not slow down the homework at hand. She has to believe in her own wisdom and execute it correctly-just as Tao said.

Tao is always reckless, but this is how they have supported each other until now. Therefore, Zaoxue can entrust himself to him and watch the path he should take firmly.

"Road, can you move around!?"

"Chun Lan, you are not getting better! We seem to have to fight him again!"

"……I knew it."

The appearance of Tao confirmed the ominous premonition in Chun Lan's heart. The two had to join hands again to fight "Ghost", plus the thick fog in the cave. These conditions are enough for Chun Lan to understand what she should do.

"The mountain monkeys are here too... That's right... I want to kill you... Kill me all of you... I want to destroy everything...!"

The "Evil Ghost" approaching Chunlan from behind has long eyes dull, and his killing intent and fighting heart turned into a crimson vindictiveness visible to the naked eye, erupting from the tattoo that pulsated all over his body and drove his body.

"Hey, that guy has become more like a ghost. Does he love our nickname very much now?"

"That guy is irrational! The power may be out of control, too, be careful!"

"Won't it be easier for him to get caught!?"

"……I hope so!"

With no idea whether it was the roar from the vocal cords or the resonance of the whole body tattoo vibrating the air, the right hand of "Goblin" began to form a huge rock sword. The thing three times larger than his body had apparently eaten and eroded his own flesh.

The rock sword that smashed towards Chun Lan and Dao was uneven on its surface, producing a weird sound of splitting the air. The next second they jumped to the left and right, the nearby tree exploded like a lightning strike.

"What kind of weird power is this! Did he even hide a hand!?"

"It should be a load that needs to be suppressed... but I am afraid there is no way to wait for him to die suddenly...!"

Struggling and killing intent drove "Evil Ghost"...Although his eyes had long lost his vitality, his fighting spirit was still burning, forcing him to continue to act. The heat seems to never stop before it destroys everything, and it is impossible to judge when the limit beyond the limit will come.

"Well, and I'm very impatient, I can't wait for him to die suddenly! Chun Lan, let's do it together now!"

"You don't need to say it!"

Chun Lan took the lead and fired at the right shoulder of "Evil Ghost", but was blocked by the defense wall formed by the opponent's left hand and failed to disintegrate the rock sword.

"The defense of the rock wall is still impeccable...!"

"Huh, this guy is very persistent in strange places...!"

"In this case, we will use his sharp sword swing in turn!"

"Yes!"

The right hand of "Evil Ghost" was stained with a lot of blood, and even his breathing seemed to have to be aided by engraving, but he once again swung the rock sword with the entire arm in a large arc.

"Get down!"

The second blow swept past. The airflow over their heads became turbulent, and they couldn't help making their scalp numb.

"Look at me taking the opportunity to attack his defenseless flanks!"

"Wait, Dao! I didn't mean that..."

Before Chun Lan had time to stop, Dao had launched an assault on the "Evil Ghost" that had exposed the flaw. He turned the pain into anger and hit the flanks of "Devil" fiercely.

"Take me another blow!"

After successfully hitting a punch, Dao then made a roundabout kick at the calf of "Ghost". Unfortunately, this blow has no chance to come true.

The person who was beaten into the air in embarrassment and fell to the ground was not "Evil Ghost", but Tao. Even though "Evil Ghost" swung its sword vigorously, the left hand still had the power to resort to a small counterattack.

"Woo...Obviously becoming so violent, I didn't forget to fight back!"

"He also remembered to block bullets... I said that I would use a sharp swing of the sword, which meant to seduce him! Look at that."

The feet of "Goblin" formed unnatural footprints like cut through the ground. With his uncontrollable power, he waved a huge rock that was far heavier than himself. Every time he waved his body, he would be thrown out and unconsciously dragged away.

"Evil Ghost" strikes for the third time. Chunlan and Dao jumped away in opposite directions, moving towards the cave where Zaoxue was, where the fog had gradually faded.

"We have bought time, and it should be done in no time!"

"That's it, the trick we have to sacrifice is still the same! Okay, it's much simpler now!"

After understanding what Chun Lan meant, he quickly jumped in front of "Evil Ghost". Put on a stance ready to attack from the front-but this is just a blindfold.

"As long as you know the enemy's movements beforehand!"

The rock sword of "Goblin" slashed into the void. He swung a fourth blow towards Doo, which was in an assault stand, but when the tip of the sword hit the target, Doo had already jumped back.

"Hey, are you degraded to the point where you will be deceived by this simple feint! Although it is an enemy, it is really sad!"

"If you get beaten up, you will definitely be dead, don't be careless!"

Chun Lan continued to shoot to contain the action of "Evil Ghost", "Evil Ghost" reflexively shifted the target to Chun Lan, but the two sides were separated by a certain distance, so Chun Lan easily avoided the attack.

The two took turns to lure "Evil Ghost" to counterattack, and slowly led him towards the cave. This is a strategy that can disperse the danger and buy time to induce the enemy. After going back and forth like this, it is indeed getting closer and closer to the cave.

Soon, the heavy bass that was still clear and loud in the fierce battle announced to the two that the end of the battle was coming.

"It's the sound of conch! Early snow has been arranged!"

The fog is no longer visible in the cave, and the sound of conch just now also means that Zaoxue has evacuated.

"...Come on, "Rockman"! This is your grave!"

Chun Lan stood still in front of the cave, tempting "Evil Ghost" to make the final blow - unexpectedly, the rock sword that had assimilated with his right hand suddenly collapsed. "Goblin" turned into a small rock shield and jumped hard, intending to catch Chun Lan directly!

"...Let's survive from the dead!"

In the face of sudden changes, Chun Lan did not retreat in the slightest. For some reason, Zao Xue said that "unexpectedly deal with unexpectedly" appeared in his mind, as if it was naturally brought back to a long-term memory.

Chun Lan took advantage of the inertia when "Evil Ghost" pounced, holding her breath and rolled into the cave with "Evil Ghost".

"Road!"

"I'm coming!"

Dao immediately jumped in, took the hand of Chun Lan who was suppressed by "Evil Ghost", and used "Shaking Heart" at the same time.

"Farewell, idiot. Goodbye now!"

The powerful force of "Shaking Heart" made "Evil Ghost" loose Chunlan and fell to the ground. Dao also took advantage of the reaction force generated by this fist to lift Chun Lan and jump outside the cave.

"Your sin karma is here to put an end!"

Chun Lan, who was carried by Dao and jumped into the air, shot the last bullet into the cave.

Although the shot was fired while dangling, the bullets fired with full force flew towards the head of "Devil" standing in the cave as if guided by the master's mind.

The bullet that pierced the cold wind, Chun Lan was thrown to the ground, the "Evil Ghost" holding the rock shield high, and the sparks that burst out-flashes that shrouded all around like sunlight in an instant.

The bullet fired by Chun Lan turned into a fierce fireball, smashing "Evil Ghost" and the entire space in one breath.

to be continued

The cursed evil fate is cut here.

A bullet turned into a fireball, and drove the evil into the raging fire in a closed environment. Not only that, the expansive flames and shock waves shook the entire cave and shattered the fragile rock formations.

"It's so painful...Hey, what, what is this!?"

Dao's back slammed into the ground, but the surprise quickly overwhelmed the pain. In the next second, a scene that made him even more surprised appeared in front of him. I thought that the cave would slowly collapse under the influence of the explosion, but the rocks inside and outside suddenly began to deform in a very unnatural way. The weight balance of the cave was instantly disrupted, and the entire terrain collapsed completely with an astonishing force.

"...Hey, what the hell is going on?"

"That's the dying struggle of "Evil Ghost". The rock wall can't stop the explosion from all directions. In the end, it can only stop a little bit."

"Unexpectedly, it caused a counter-effect. As a stone controller, he was buried alive in the rock? It is not incomprehensible... But why did it explode? Is that the power of "Sky Shaking Thunder Sword"?

"...For this part, your relatives are the best teachers, right?"

Zaoxue didn't know when she sat beside them. Except for not a hint of surprise, it looks no different from Chun Lan and Dao.

"...This is a hydrogen explosion. The principle is simple. The real power of "Sky Shaking Thunder Sword" is to gather water molecules and then decompose them. It will become like that when the decomposed water molecules are accumulated in the cave and ignited."

"Zao Xue, it's great that you are safe! You are not injured! Although you don't understand, as long as you are all right!"

"...For this kind of thing, the left ear goes in and the right ear goes out. By the way, Brother Dao is okay? If you use "Shaking Heart"..."

"Ah... it hurts me! Damn it, it hurts when you relax!"

Dao looked at his flanks, showing a painful expression as if only now remembering the wounds here, and the snow around him was also stained red with blood.

"Road!"

"Damn it, this wound is...it hurts...it's embarrassing..."

"...Don't worry, luckily it's just cracked...but it's better not to move. I will bandage you urgently, you lie down first."

"Well, sorry to trouble you..."

Zaoxue took out the bandages and herbs from the sacks. Chun Lan felt that she had to help. She tried to stand up from the ground but her feet were weak. After several shots, she realized that she had fallen on her back.

"...Chun Lan!"

"I'm okay... It's just a continuous fight, and my body is tired and painful... Not so badly injured..."

Probably because of Chunlan's physical movements and bleeding, he was not lied. Although Zaoxue still looked at Chunlan with worry, he also hurriedly helped deal with the injury.

"...However, since there is no medicine to keep you awake, let me take a break... Fortunately, I lie down here... It should be... and won't die--"

Chun Lan's vision gradually blurred, and he vaguely felt that behind Zaoxue, who turned her back to the sun, there seemed to be two nostalgic breaths of two old people behind her. He clearly lay on the snow, but fell asleep in the incredible warmth.

"...In the end, who is that guy?"

"I don't know... but in the end it feels a bit sad. It seems that I am caught by something and can't look back..."

"...Do you think so too? However, these have nothing to do with us. All we have to do is protect ourselves from unreasonable violence."

A few hours later, Chun Lan and Zaoxue, who woke up, sat in the shade of the trees, looking at the sky that was gradually clearing. I always feel that at this moment, looking at the sky together can better understand each other's feelings than looking at each other.

Dao lay on a pile of straw found nearby, Zaoxue said that his condition was stable. The two looked down on the hillside slightly, and there was a cavern underneath. "Evil Ghost" shows no sign of resurrection, only Shirakadatake who has restored peace.

"Zao Xue, I finally understand a bit why you can move forward without confusion."

"Really... Does that answer help you?"

"Well, of course there is."

Chun Lan met his father in a short dream. The two did not say anything, nor did they express the complex emotions in their hearts. Father just touched Chunlan's head and said, "Well done, then go find yourself." It was just such a dream.

Even so, this sentence is enough to make Chun Lan look back at why she was so restrained by her father's words in the past, and think about what she has now.

"I have always hoped that what I do is "valuable." I will confront life as "A Ghost" and find the value that matches it..."

The empty years of losing his goal robbed him of his will to find value and the courage to explore its meaning.

"...But becoming your partner, standing up to guard your mission... After guarding your way of life, I finally understand. What I want is the value that will make me look up and hold my chest up in the future. Now. Of course, I can assert that being a "Ghost" is very meaningful."

So, the girl took this opportunity to examine her own path. The road Chun Lan has traveled so far has blossomed because of the young girl.

"...Hehe, then I seem to be "reversed" with you."

Facing such a Chun Lan, Zaoxue showed the most moving and hearty smile he had ever seen. When Chun Lan retracted his gaze from the sky, and inadvertently wondered how she could naturally show such a beautiful smile, he was also surprised. The self reflected in Zaoxue's eyes unexpectedly showed a brighter and brighter expression than her, not at all like herself.

Chun Lan immediately lowered her head, her face flushed from the originally cheerful appearance.

"...The order is reversed?"

"I... what I want to say is to find meaning first. It's just because I can determine that every step I take is not meaningless... I can believe that there will be value ahead that only I can create."

"...That's it, it's really upside-down."

"Tourist in the Forest" responsible for transporting ancient relics-this behavior is by no means meaningless to the order of the mainland. However, Zaoxue did not rely on the meaning created by her own group, but clarified that meaning and found new value.

"I only know the outcome theory is not mature enough..."

"...Nothing like that."

Zaoxue pointed to "Sky Shaking Thunder Sword" to Chun Lan.

"...We can't win this victory by ourselves. In my opinion, it is thanks to Chunlan who cares more about the meaning of things in front of us than the value of certainty."

The two sides overcome difficulties by cutting each other's strengths and making up for their shortcomings with the technologies bred from their lives. This is by no means easy to achieve.

"The things we are looking for and the meaning of living are also complementary. That's why we can fight together. So I get the same value, and you get the meaning."

Then while facing each other and moving forward together, slowly draw closer.

"...That's why you found an answer, didn't you?"

"An answer..."

This answer is just one of countless answers. However, that answer must be enough for Chunlan to continue to pursue the value of life.

"...From now on...Can I go on like you..."

"It's definitely possible. Whether it's "Ghost" that let me understand the direction of my life now, or me at the time...all have similarities with Chunlan."

The traveler of "Ghost" who has guided Zaoxue in the past doesn't know what kind of person he is, or why he embarked on the journey. However, what he gave Zaoxue, how things changed in Zaoxue's heart, Chun Lan, who was said to have similarities, always felt that she could understand now.

"What did that person find during the journey, and where did he go..."

If you feel it carefully, Chunlan seems to be in the feeling of the end of a journey. Overcome difficulties with a partner who has known each other for just two days and cut the precepts. These are strong and novel experiences that have never been seen before in the trajectory of Chunlan.

If this is to find meaning and get value-

"Maybe it will be a bet... but it may be a good choice to embark on a broader road. Just like you..."

Therefore, Chunlan chose a path. It is a journey without a set route, because it is unknown and meaningful.

to be continued

One month has passed since "Thunder Beast" disappeared from Mount Shirakasa. March is the season when spring arrives, but Shirakabadake is still snowing, and to the outsiders, it may not be possible to feel the existence of spring at all.

However, for the residents of Shirakabadake, they feel that spring is much earlier and more stable than in previous years. The blizzard that was unable to walk in the mountains decreased, and the little new buds also poked their heads out. Most of the residents of "Yougui Township" still remember that such tranquility is what spring should be like.

It was in this season that Chun Lan hung her bag on the stick and left home. The road from home to the village, let him inadvertently understand that small discoveries are not meaningless. This year I must have more experience, especially he is about to embark on a road far more ambitious than Shirakada’s hunting ground...

"Go according to the plan, you still have the same stern look."

Before sunrise, he heard the voice of "The Chief" coming from behind him through Chunlan in the village, as if he had already been waiting for him here. I originally chose to set off at this time because I wanted to leave while everyone in my hometown was still asleep, so as not to say goodbye to each other like the previous night.

"The Chief, did you come here to see you off specially? I was afraid of causing you trouble, so I said goodbye to you early last night."

"Hmph, don't think of me too much as an old man. I don't want to think that I have been hunting for so many years and always camping outside. How can I reluctant to get up early at such an important moment?"

"...Thank you. Although it is different from what you expected... But I plan to practice in my own way."

Chun Lan is very rare and hasn't thanked "The Leader" from the heart for a long time. Fortunately, it was dim all around, and he lowered his head again, so that he would not be able to see his expression.

The old people in his hometown always seemed to be very cautious about his attitude. He is the only young man who stayed in the village and the grandson of the legendary hero who lost the father of the former "Boss." However, he himself maintains an ambiguous attitude towards his position and leads a lazy life. Other people naturally don't know how to treat him.

However, when Chun Lan said that he wanted to travel, everyone headed by "The Chief" immediately persuaded him to stay. He tried to explain his motives and tried to persuade them. In the end, he finally made everyone feel that "he will definitely become It's more suitable to be the next "chief" person" and agreed to let him go. It is simply a settlement of "children do not know their parents."

"You don’t have to be greedy until now. It’s a good thing that you can treat yourself as a "Ghost" positively, otherwise I would have no face to face your dad and Lord Keane. You just need to think carefully based on your answers. ."

"..."The Chief"...Well, you are right. I will use my own way to find answers that are meaningful to my hometown..."

"Ghost Township" should be brave to try a new atmosphere. That is not only the position that "The Chief" considers inappropriate, but also the conclusion he reached. When the value found by Chunlan can reach agreement with it, a new era will come.

"... In the previous event, I fulfilled my wish and eradicated the threat... I saved people and kept people's lives because of being "Ghost". If such values spread across the vast world..."

"...You really haven't changed at all, this is complimenting you."

"is it?"

Hearing these words, Chun Lan was stunned for a moment. He thought the other party would say that he was reborn. In his opinion, this experience expanded his own vision to an unprecedented depth.

"You, should you say that you have been nosy for a long time, or have the problem of helping others with the trend? In short, I don't think your nature has changed."

Chun Lan thinks this is really a bad habit. Thinking about it carefully, the encounter with that girl also started like this. If the impulse to help others unconsciously resonates with the obsession to find the value of one's own existence... Then, fighting side by side with those two people, the answer that emerges may already exist in your heart.

"……correct."

"The Chief" looked at Chun Lan, who was still hanging his head in the dark, and suddenly changed his tone.

"The specimen of "Thunder Beast" has been prepared, do you really want it? This is not you, it is the wish of your father and son. You have the right to keep it."

"Oh, that..."

After that, after confirming that the threat of "Evil Ghost" also disappeared, the "Ghosts" reclaimed the "Thunder Beast" killed by Chun Lan for processing. For the people of this land, it is not only a representative of threatening to go away, but also a symbol of human beings to protect this mountain from filth. At the same time, the "Ghosts" are not confused about who the pride belongs to, and they all show respect for it.

"Is it really okay to just put it in the village assembly hall like this?"

"Well, it doesn't matter. Anyway, there is no place to put it in the house. And it was originally a prey hunted to cut off the past."

"So... you are right. I understand. We will take good care of it. That is the proof of your protection of your hometown. It must be passed on."

"Thank you, then I'm leaving..."

Chunlan now has no worries. If there is any worry, it is probably the faint uneasiness of seeing "them" again if it has the corresponding value and how meaningful and valuable things can be obtained in the wide world.

However, Chun Lan still embarked on the journey without hesitation. If you encounter obstacles, there are ways to overcome them. After all, he is "Ghost", a man who goes over mountains and ridges and confronts life head-on to hunt for value.

"Well, take care, Chunlan. I'll wait for you to come back."

"The Chief" stood there and watched Chun Lan's departure until he could no longer see it. When the figure of the young man completely disappeared from the village-he looked at the tombstone beside him. The current "Leader" took out a wine bottle from his arms and spilled it on the tombstone engraved with the name of the former "Leader" Keane Orkis, and then sat down aside.

"Brother Keene, you may have no memory of your appearance...your disciple and grandson said the same thing and embarked on a journey."

The smile on "The Chief"'s face is completely different from the smile on Chunlan's encouragement. It's not right to say that it seems to be younger, it's like returning to a certain period of time, taking out the cheerfulness of the time.

"You have also said that if you treat the entire continent as a mountain, you have to find out the meaning of living on that mountain and explore the goal you really want to hunt. I can't understand such a big thing...more importantly Yes, I do not reject guarding the current village..."

The tombstone bathed in the sun was shining.

"The "Thunder Beast" hunter plus the "Ghost Killer"... If the current Chun Lan, it would not be surprising to reach such a realm..."

Chun Lan bid farewell to Zao Xue He Dao two days after defeating "Evil Ghost".

Although the two felt reluctant, as the injuries healed, they had to go back to meet with their fellow clan members, tell them that the threat of "Evil Ghost" had disappeared, and set off again for "The Ancestral Hall".

During the two days she stayed at home, Chun Lan gained a lot of insights during her time with them. It's strange to think about it. Although it was a partner who survived that wonderful together, understood each other’s characteristics, and established a trusting relationship, when sitting peacefully around the table, whether as a partner or a friend, he had a lot of The first experience. Regarding "The Tourist in the Forest", regarding the two men themselves... the reverse is also the same.

Chun Lan will make up his mind to embark on the journey, it is inspired by these things.

One of the main reasons Zaoxue chose to pursue future value from meaning is the objectivity brought to her by that "You Ghost" together with the book. Just learning to be objective can change everything. What kind of "positioning" does her identity have in the world? This question aroused Zaoxue's curiosity and made her want to find her own position among the clan, and then give the clan a more different existence value.

If I, who is the same as the traveler in "Again", can figure out what is the thing that can change Zaoxue...

When Chun Lan sees Zaoxue again, she will be able to personally possess the meaning and value for her to reach a higher level.

Chun Lan swears when sending them away, saying that he will catch up one day. Whether it is on the level of travel, or on the level of finding and creating value.

Because of this, Chunlan decided to travel far and pursue further value. In just a few days, I visited familiar lands with "Tourist in the Forest" and got countless gains. So, isn't it interesting to try to "see the world as a magnificent mountain" like the traveler in Zaoxue's mouth, and drive recklessly and greedily. Isn't it interesting?

Pursuing invisible prey, galloping through the vast mountains and forests. Isn't that what "Ghost" should look like?

In that case, swear it. He swears to run in the vast mountain forest called the mainland, and when he sees Zaoxue again, he must show new value and become the second "Ghost".

Without "Ghost", I can still fall asleep peacefully without hearing the roar of Warcraft.

The traveling "Ghost" Chunlan Airan sits in a light-duty truck driving on a pristine road. As the car sways, the sound of a rumbling engine is heard in his ears. In his dream, he reviewed his mental journey until he decided to embark on the journey.

He lifted his spirits, quickly picked up his good partner's shotgun, and stood up from the body of the light truck. Chun Lan took refuge in a caravan made up of light trucks. At this time, every car braked urgently. The passengers except him were woken up vigorously with the inertia of the emergency stop. Some vehicles even crashed into the car in front.

Is that the one—Chun Lan stared at the scene in front of him, and saw that the caravan leader driving in front was surrounded by a group of unfamiliar mutant brown bear beasts.

Chun Lan jumped out of the car without hesitation while holding the shotgun. If you look to the rear of the convoy, you can see Shirakabatake that has become small because of the distance. However, at this moment, he did not look at the distant hometown, but stared at the strange herd and the besieged merchants struggling forward.

Chun Lan is as eager to help others as always, and can't get rid of the bad habit of being nosy. But for Chunlan now, the actions summarized in such a stale description also have meaning and value worth exploring.

He wants to live and fight naturally as "Ghosts" in this world and on this continent, hunting for value and finding meaning with his own hands.

Chunlan is about to face infinite possibilities.

Whether it's when we meet again with important friends who are brave in the mountains, or after we meet again.

Finish