Chapter 189. Fuck You!
[The hardworking woodcutter kept moving forward diligently.]
Crunch!
The sound of a monster’s bones breaking beneath my foot rang in my ears.
I caught my ragged breath and looked around.
Corpses of monsters I had killed were scattered everywhere.
Because of all the violent movement during the fighting, the Eye doll that had been riding on my shoulder was now dangling there miserably.
I put her properly back on my shoulder.
Then, as calmly as possible, I said—
“Yeah. Diligently!”
“Diligence is great! Hahahaha!”
Then I snapped.
“Aaaaaagh! Fuck diligence! Die! Diiiiiie!”
It had been a full day since we jumped from the cliff.
And now that I was following an even harsher schedule than usual, I could feel my mental stamina finally reaching the bottom.
Physical exhaustion wasn’t really a problem.
I could erase all of that using Flow and keep my body in perfect condition.
But my brain had been running at full capacity for twenty-four straight hours and was screaming at me to please let it rest.
“Phew.... This place is almost like the Demonic Realm itself.”
Eye spoke apologetically.
“I’m sorry. If only I had been able to locate the path more quickly....”
“Enough.”
I pointed at the Village Chief and Eye.
“If either of you starts saying weak stuff too, I’m flicking you on the forehead.”
I looked forward.
“Focus for now!”
Fight.
Fight.
Fight.
There were occasional breaks, but most of the woodcutter fairy tale was about fighting monsters anyway.
We probably still had a long way to go.
[Hayangi: And they’ve even been upgraded by the power of Misfortune.]
I was just sooo excited to find out what event awaited us next.
This damn fairy-tale book refused to open until the proper moment, so I couldn’t even read ahead.
That made it even better.
[Hayangi: The next part is probably another fight anyway. What else would there be?]
The farther in we went, the more we encountered monsters twisted beyond recognition by vines.
Meanwhile, Hayangi, who seemed slightly excited now that she had started working on the Middle Finger, kept talking without pause.
And as I continued responding to her...
My sanity slowly drifted away.
I felt like I was occasionally stepping into and out of that mysterious state of becoming one with everything.
[Hayangi: I decided the Middle Finger will be a Domain skill! You create a swirling domain made from Spiral Power where only you are truly free... Let’s replace the old Domain skill with this!]
[Domain skill ‘World of Madness and Fire’ will be used as material for a new skill!]
[The power of the Ancient Witch of Madness engraved into the Adventurer’s spine reacts to this act and fills it with powerful magical energy!]
Somehow...
I was getting stronger and stronger while chasing Happy.
Maybe this was exactly what Chaos wanted.
It seemed like he planned on strengthening me and then using me.
Fine.
That worked for me too.
If things went well, I might even be able to split his skull open.
ROAAAAAR!
I had no idea how long we had walked.
After moving forward...
And forward again...
We finally reached the bank of a river whose waterfall roared refreshingly nearby.
A bridge crossed the river.
And an old woman stood guarding the bridge.
Another event.
[The hardworking woodcutter continued through the forest until he reached a wiiiide river.]
[That river was feared by everyone, for it was absolutely crawling with the ruler of the sea, Leviathan! And the eternal nightmare, Kraken...!]
...
Then that isn’t a river.
Why are sea creatures here?
Why?
“Hohoho. It has been a very long time since visitors came this frequently....”
[Before the only bridge capable of crossing that river stood a terrifying witch... the Witch of the Scales, waiting for the hardworking woodcutter...!]
The old woman looked at us.
“To cross this bridge, you must pay an appropriate price.”
“....”
She smiled.
“Of course, if you wish to cross without paying, you may simply do so.”
Her smile widened.
“If you can.”
A tiny sparrow attempted to fly over the river.
A Kraken tentacle shot out of the water in an instant.
It grabbed the bird and dragged it straight into the raging current.
So if we tried to bypass the bridge, whether by air or anything else...
That would happen.
“Phew....”
The Village Chief looked at me.
“What will you do?”
“...Village Chief, wait here for a little while.”
I paused.
“Actually, come slightly farther away with me.”
If we wanted to cross the bridge, we had to pay.
The spider was like this.
This witch was like this.
People who had no reason to even use money sure demanded a lot of things.
I had been enduring all of this because I was wary of that future Aien saw through Pastien.
The version of me who went completely insane.
I had been holding everything in.
Holding it in.
And these fucking bastards kept screwing around with me like I was some kind of toy.
We moved far enough away from the cliff where the bridge stood that the witch would no longer notice us.
Once she had completely lost interest...
I summoned Modak.
“Modak!”
“Yeeees!! Modak appears!”
Inside the massive forest we had seen from the cliff...
A forest overflowing with monsters...
Modak appeared in his wolf form.
In other words...
The strongest burst-damage dealer in our party had appeared in the same form he had once used to burn down something called the Mother’s Forest or whatever.
If the witch noticed him, things could become troublesome.
But the Village Chief was still in front of her.
He’d handle it somehow.
“Hehehe! I’m going! Going, going!”
Modak seemed to already understand what I wanted without me saying anything.
He excitedly ran off somewhere.
Each step scattered huge sparks.
The flames grew larger and larger.
Matching Modak’s excitement, they rose until they formed enormous walls of fire.
“Awoooooooo~!”
Modak released a long howl.
As if responding to the sound, creatures throughout the forest began fleeing in panic.
Modak chased behind them like a sheepdog, guiding their route.
They couldn’t escape toward the cliff because it was a dead end.
Both sides were blocked by walls of fire created by Modak running excitedly back and forth.
Unfortunately for them...
There was only one place those terrified monsters could reach.
The river leading toward the tree.
The bridge.
And the witch guarding it.
The river and cliff already blocked them from the front and back.
A wolf made of fire the size of a mountain was rampaging through the place they lived.
If anyone could think of another option, I’d love to hear it.
RUMBLEEEEE!
Wild beasts.
Flying creatures.
Monsters warped and strengthened by the power of Misfortune.
An enormous horde rushed toward me.
Toward the bridge.
[Hayangi: Using the Spiral without Modak is a little worrying....]
“We have to test-drive it sometime.”
I filled myself with everything I was currently feeling.
Then raised my middle finger high.
[Domain skill ‘Middle Finger’ has been activated!]
[The hardworking woodcutter told the Witch of the Scales, ‘All I can offer you is the firewood I obtain from cutting trees. I am merely a woodcutter.’]
The bridge had collapsed after being attacked by the crazed monsters.
Their bodies now filled the river and blocked the current.
The water was far too violent for the blockage to last long.
Among the corpses forming the bridge, the body of a Leviathan was blatantly visible.
A fragment of my trauma.
Just looking at it made me a little nervous.
Hmm.
Leviathans still scare me....
Whether I can beat one or not isn’t really the problem.
They just do.
[The Witch of the Scales said, ‘Then bring me wood! Enough wood to build a house where I can live! I built this bridge myself, so if you wish to cross it, you must pay at least that much!’]
“Cough, cough!”
The Village Chief walked over.
“Mm. You’ve returned.”
He brushed dust from himself.
“I nearly died because of those monsters.”
Then he looked at me curiously.
