Day 551-560/Day 559

Still needs editing/proofreading. ~Miraclegrass
Day 559 / 89th day
The ≪Red Eclipse Mountain Range≫, which is the last one of the 4 difficult sections before heading to the ≪City of Time & History - Historinor≫, is composed of 18 mountains. Overall, it is probably the largest mountain range in the world, but each of the mountains that make up the mountain range is not that big. In terms of elevation alone, the erupting ≪Lightning Cremation Mountain≫ is probably higher.
However, there was no vegetation, just a series of rocky mountains covered with red rust, a scene that was striking even from a distance. We started climbing early in the morning, but while we were running up the steep red rock wall, we heard an unpleasant banging sound.
Then the closeness between the silver-gray wolf and the saddle golem dropped significantly, almost coming off. If I hadn't been holding the reins, I might have fallen off. The reins were securely fastened and showed no signs of breaking no matter how hard I moved along the way, but this was less than 30 minutes into the climb. At any rate, I climbed up the rock wall and investigated the cause, which I soon found out.
It seemed that some of the metal fittings that held the silver-gray wolf and the saddle golem in place had developed red rust and had broken from there. When I pinched the rusted metal, I found that it was so brittle that it would shatter without any effort. I had a bad feeling about this, so I looked around to see if there were any others, but most of the bare metal products were ruined by the red rust.
The only things that were safe were the vermillion spear, the mechanical arm, and the items equipped by the silver-gray wolf, while the saddle golem's clasp, the【Blood-Draining Spear】, and the spare knife were all ruined. My impression is that magic items of high rank are safe.
Then I took out knives, metal rods and other items that could be broken to find out how this happened, although the ones I had put in storage magic items seemed to be safe. I played around with the saddle golem a bit to fix it without using metal, but it's less stable. We would need to proceed with caution.
As I regained my composure and proceeded, the knives and metal rods I had taken out were being eroded by red rust at a visible rate. If you think that some of the red rust has occurred, it will soon spread to the entire area, which can only be described as abnormal.
The erosion seems to be much slower for items made of magic metal such as the【Blood-Draining Spear】, but within an hour, the whole thing has been eroded. At any rate, I decided to try to eat the knives and metal rods that had become useless due to the erosion. The texture was brittle and dry, and the taste was slightly fishy and sour.
【Ability learned: Red Rust Curse】
I was able to learn an ability, but I also learned something else. There is a possibility that the Red Eclipse Mountains are filled with the curse of red rust. This may be the reason why no plants grow in the area, and why the surrounding area looks so red.
What we know now is that it is only metals that are affected by the red rust, but will it be applied to living things as well? As for living things, they need time, and it may be that they cannot cross the ≪Red Eclipse Mountains≫ because of the time limit.
The reason why we were able to gather the least information on the ≪Red Eclipse Mountain Range≫ was probably because few people were able to return home due to this invisible curse.
For the time being, assuming that the curse exists in the atmosphere, silver-gray wolf and I equipped ourselves with a magic item for supplying clean air, which was also used in the volcano, and a silver rosary obtained from the balance tower, to prevent the【Red Rust Curse】from being taken in by breathing.
The silver rosary is a magic item called the【Saint's Rosary】and it has 2 effects:【Magic】and【Curse】.
*【Magic】prevent debuffs from magic-related effects and nullify it if it is below a certain level.
*【Curse】prevents debuffs from curses and nullify it if it is below a certain level.
It was easy to use because it was effective just by equipping it, and it gave me a sense of security that I was being protected from something invisible. I'm not sure if it actually works, but I guess it's better than nothing.
After we had taken the necessary preparations, we went forward again, but a monster inhabiting the ≪Red Eclipse Mountains≫ appeared in front of us. It was a monster that looked like a large tiger. It had a large head, sharp eyes, sharp and thick fangs. Its limbs were thick and strong, and its body was tight and firm. It had a long, thick tail that swayed and swayed. The only thing that makes it different from a tiger is that its entire body is covered with thick red rust-like armor, as if it has been eroded by the curse that fills the ≪Red Eclipse Mountains≫.
Let's call it the "Red Rust Tiger" for now. Just as a knife eroded by red rust becomes brittle, the Red Rust Tiger is not brittle at all. Its armor is much harder than you might think, and a half-hearted attack will barely scratch it. In addition, the tiger seems to be heavier than it looks, and each strike from its agile movements is strangely heavy. One swing of its forelimbs shattered the red rocks, and the ground caved in as it leapt.
The high evasion ability of the silver-gray wolf prevents it from being fatally injured, but now that the stability of the saddle golem is declining, it may take unexpected damage if it is on the receiving end. It was too much trouble, so I skewered its head with a vermillion spear to finish it off, but the corpse of the Red Rust Tiger quickly collapsed and turned into a pile of red rust.
It was as if the red rust had been transformed into the shape of a tiger. I collected the red rust from the tiger and tried to eat it, but it tasted like a knife that had been eaten by red rust. I couldn't learn any abilities, so it was all for nothing. I regained my composure and moved on, but monsters that looked like they were covered in red rust attacked me again and again.
The monsters were of different shapes, and there was no sense of unity. There was a human type that was less than 2 meters tall, a giant type that was over 5 meters tall, a small beast type, a large beast type, a bird type that could not fly because it was too heavy, and an irregular type. All of them were covered with red rust, and after killing them, they all lost their shape and became a pile of red rust.
I guess we can't expect to get any kind of food in the Red Eclipse Mountains. We still have enough food, but it's a pity that there are no delicious foods that can only be found in the Red Eclipse Mountains. We had no choice but to try to eat the red rust pile, but it was neither tasty nor could I learn anything from it.
Even if I wanted to use it as a material, it was very fragile except for the red rust, which is a monster, and I couldn't think of any particular use for it. I'll just collect it, but I don't want to take any harmful home with me, so I put it in a special bottle, sealed it, and then threw it in a storage magic item.
In spite of all this, the push through the ≪Red Eclipse Mountains≫ proceeded smoothly. After climbing one of the mountains, I used the light wings of the silver-gray wolf to glide. This way, we could safely gain distance and save a lot of time. We crossed the red rust stained river that flowed between the mountains and climbed the next mountain. The red rust monsters that got in the way were defeated and turned into red rust mountains.
In the evening, I found a part of the mountain that was not red. It was black. There was a small black area that had not been eroded by the surrounding red. Attracted by the alien black zone, I approached it and found an artificial object in the center of the black.
It was a small building made of black building materials. It looked like a mountain lodge, but it had windows through which I could see that there was light inside.
The lights were very conspicuous in the surrounding evening darkness. Having seen reddish rocks and monsters all day, the black hut that seemed to blend in with the night had a certain charm that drew me in.
I was curious, so I approached it and was greeted by a man who said, 『What do you want?』 It was the voice of a rather old man, and it sounded strange, as if it was coming from all around.
I looked for the owner of the voice, but could not see him. I was wary that it might be some kind of auditory hallucination, but as I followed the flow of magic, I felt something strange in the shadows of the lodge. As I strained my eyes and sharpened my senses, I could perceive an old man wearing a black triangular hat in what seemed to be an empty space.
The fact that he was able to hide his presence to such an extent made it clear that he was a man of ability, but in his hand was a well-worn black bow and arrow. The old man's magic power was condensed in the arrowhead of the black arrow aimed at my heart, and no part of it leaked out. The magic power that has been compressed to the extreme has a unique power, and just by pointing it at me, I can feel the tingling and intense pressure. In addition, the golden eyes that look at you sharply will surely give you a tremendous blow even if you try to do something now.
This is a dangerous area called the ≪Red Eclipse Mountains≫ and it's almost nighttime. If a stranger comes to us, it will most likely be an enemy. In a way, it was natural for the old hunter to be wary of us. It would do no good to lie to him. The old hunter let his guard down, lowered his bow and arrow, and agreed to let us stay with him tonight.
It's a place like this. I thought it was natural for him to be cautious, but he was unexpectedly welcoming. I wondered if he was a recluse or if he just missed other people since he was living alone in such a place. Anyway, I provided all the ingredients for dinner, and the old hunter cooked it for me.
The old hunter was used to living in a place like this, and he finished cooking in a short time. The food was unexpectedly delicious and we finished eating it in no time. It was simple, but tasted nostalgic. As a thank you for the overnight stay, I offered him more food, and after the meal, we talked over a cup of labyrinthine wine.
According to him, the old hunter was a hunter and researcher. According to him, the old hunter is both a hunter and a researcher. He has been wandering around and researching his interests for many years, and his current research is on the ≪Red Eclipse Mountains≫.
At first, he built a base at the foot of the mountain to conduct his research, but after the development of a special black rust that suppresses the erosion of red rust, he built his current lodge and has been living there for several years.
The hut and the surrounding land covered with black rust have the effect of keeping the red rust monsters - collectively known as "red-eroded illegitimate cliffhangers" - away, so this place has become a safe zone that has never been attacked.
When I told him that we were going to the ≪City of Time & History - Historinor≫, they laughed at us and said that I was crazy to go all the way through here. Well, the old hunter who laughed at us said that he had tried it when he was young and had gotten hurt, but his experience was very useful. After all, it is always nice to have the wisdom of the experienced. The old hunter, who was in a good mood and was drinking a lot of sake, talked about many other things.
The old hunter, who was in a good mood, told us about many other things. He said that the "red-eroded illegitimate cliffhanger" was the result of a creature whose body had been eroded by red rust.
According to him, there is a possibility that the fragments of the fallen gods that once existed are buried underneath the ≪Red Eclipse Mountain Range≫. According to him, there is a red rust cave in the middle of a mountain that leads to the underground, from which you can go underground.
It is said that in ≪City of Time & History - Historinor≫ you can sometimes meet a【Hero】of the past. I'm not sure what to make of it. I honestly wondered if it was okay for him to tell me so much, but he said that for the old hunter, the results of his own research did not need to be spread, nor did it matter if they were.
He only does research because he wants to, and he doesn't care if someone else uses it or if it is forgotten by anyone. The old hunter's way of life is free, I thought, and thankfully he told me the results of his research. After a rather long talk, I slept using the silver-gray wolf as a pillow.
----
RAWS
“八十九日目　／　五■五■九■目”
≪時刻歴在都市ヒストリノア≫に向かうまでにある四つの難所の最後の一つである≪赤蝕山脈≫は、十八の山々によって構成されている。
全体的に見れば規模はこれまでで最大になるだろうが、山脈を構成する山の一つ一つはさほど大きくない。標高だけでみれば噴火した≪燈蟲火葬山≫の方が高いだろう。
しかし植物の類いは生えておらず、ただただ赤錆で覆われたような岩山が連続して存在する光景は、遠目で見てもその異様さは際立っていた。
早朝から登山を開始したが、急勾配の赤い岩壁を駆け登っている最中、バキンと嫌な音がした。
そして灰銀狼と鞍ゴーレムの密着度が大きく低下し、外れそうになる。背凭れに身を委ねていた事もあって、手綱を持っていなければそのまま転げ落ちていた可能性もあっただろう。
確りと固定され、これまでの道中ではどんなに激しく動いても壊れる気配が無かったのに、登山を始めて三十分もしない間の事である。
とりあえず岩壁を登り切り、原因を調べてみるとすぐに分かった。
灰銀狼と鞍ゴーレムを固定していた金具の一部に赤錆が発生し、そこから壊れてしまったらしい。
赤錆が浮いた金具を摘まんでみると、力を入れていなくても呆気なく砕けてしまうほどに脆くなっている。
嫌な予感がしたので他にもないか見てみたが、剥き出しの金属製品の大半に赤錆が発生し、駄目になっていた。
無事だったのは朱槍と機械腕、灰銀狼が装備している品々くらいのもので、鞍ゴーレムの留め具や【血抜き槍】や予備のナイフなどが全て駄目になっている。
印象としては、ランクが高いマジックアイテムなどは無事なようだ。
それから収納系マジックアイテムに入れていた分は無事なようだが、どうしてこうなったのか調べる為、壊れてもいいナイフや金属棒などを取り出した。
鞍ゴーレムは少し弄って金属を使わないで固定するが、安定性は落ちている。慎重に進む必要があるだろう。
気を取り直して進んで行くと、取り出したナイフや金属棒が目に見える速度で赤錆に侵食されていく。
一部に赤錆が発生したかと思えば、それはすぐに全体に広がっていく様は異常としか言えないだろう。
【血抜き槍】など魔法金属を使用した物はそれと比べて侵食はかなり遅いようだが、一時間もすれば全体が侵食されてしまった。
とりあえず、全体が侵食されて使い物にならなくなったナイフと金属棒は喰ってみる事にした。
食感は脆く、パサパサとしたもので、味は少し生臭さと酸っぱさがあった。
【能力名【赤錆の呪詛】のラーニング完了】
するとアビリティをラーニング出来たが、それで分かった事もある。
どうやら≪赤蝕山脈≫には【赤錆の呪詛】とやらで満ちている可能性がある。
植物が生えず、赤く染まった周囲の異様な光景もこれが原因なのかもしれない。
今分かっているのは赤錆に侵食されているのは金属だけだが、生物にも適用されてしまうのだろうか。
生物に関しては時間が必要で、その時間制限のせいで≪赤蝕山脈≫を超える事が出来ない、という事もあるかもしれない。
集める事が出来た情報は≪赤蝕山脈≫が一番少ないのも、この目に見えない呪詛が原因で帰還できる者が少ないからだろうか。
とりあえず大気中に存在すると仮定して、呼吸によって【赤錆の呪詛】を取り込まないように火山でも活躍した清浄な空気供給用のマジックアイテムと、天秤塔で手に入れた銀のロザリオを俺と灰銀狼は装備した。
銀のロザリオは【聖者のロザリオ】というマジックアイテムで、効果は【退魔】と【呪剋】の二つある。
【退魔】は魔法に関する効果を防ぎ、一定以下の場合は無効化する効果がある。
【呪剋】は呪詛に関する干渉を防ぎ、一定以下の場合は無効化する効果がある。
装備しているだけで効果があるので使い易く、目に見えない何かから守られている安心感を得る事が出来た。
実際に効果があるかどうかは不安ではあるものの、何もないよりかはましだろう。
対策してから再度進んで行くが、そんな俺達の前に≪赤蝕山脈≫に生息するモンスター達が現れた。
それはまるで大型の虎のようなモンスターだった。
大きな頭部、鋭い双眸、鋭利で太い牙。太く強靭な四肢に、引き締まった胴体。太く長い尻尾がユラユラと揺れている。
ただ虎とは決定的に違うのが、まるで≪赤蝕山脈≫に満ちる呪詛に侵食されたように、全身が分厚い赤錆のような装甲で覆われている事だろうか。
一先ず“赤錆虎”と呼称しよう。
赤錆に侵食されたナイフが脆くなったように、赤錆虎も脆い、なんて事は無い。
装甲は想像以上に硬く、半端な攻撃では傷をつけるのが精一杯だ。それに見た目以上に重量もあるらしく、俊敏な動きから繰り出される一撃一撃が妙に重い。
前肢の一振りで赤い岩石が砕け、跳躍した時に地面が陥没している。
灰銀狼の回避能力の高さから致命傷を受ける事は無いが、鞍ゴーレムの安定性が低下している今、受けに回ると思わぬダメージを負いかねない。
面倒だったので朱槍で頭部を串刺しにして仕留めたが、赤錆虎の死体はすぐに崩れて赤錆の山に変わってしまった。
まるで赤錆が虎の形状に変化していたような光景である。
一応赤錆虎だった赤錆を回収して喰ってみたが、赤錆に侵食されたナイフと似たような味しかしない。
アビリティもラーニングは出来ず、無駄に終わってしまった。
気を取り直して先に進むが、その後も幾度となく赤錆に覆われたようなモンスター達が襲ってきた。
モンスターの形状はバラバラで、統一感はない。
二メートルにも満たないヒト型、五メートル以上はある巨人型、小型の獣型や大型の獣型、重いからか飛行できない鳥型もいたし、不定形という変わり種もいた。
共通して赤錆に覆われ、そのどれもがやはり仕留めた後に形が崩れて赤錆の山になる。
食料の類は≪赤蝕山脈≫では得られないと見た方がよさそうだ。食料にはまだ余裕はあるが、≪赤蝕山脈≫だけでしか採れない美味しい食材が無いのは残念である。
仕方ないので赤錆の山を喰ってはみるものの、美味くも無いし、ラーニングも出来なかった。
素材にしようにもモンスターとなっている赤錆以外は非常に脆く、使い道は特に思いつかなかった。
一応採取だけはしておくが、下手に害を持ち帰りたくないので専用の瓶に入れて密閉してから収納系マジックアイテムに放り込んだ。
そうこう色々ありつつも、≪赤蝕山脈≫の攻略は順調に進んで行った。
一つの山を登った後は、灰銀狼の光翼を使って滑空する。これで安全に距離を稼ぐ事が出来るし、時間も大幅に短縮できた。
山と山の間を流れる赤錆で染まる川を越え、次の山を登っていく。邪魔な赤錆のモンスターは討伐して赤錆の山に変える。
それを繰り返していると夕方頃、とある山の頂に赤ではない部分を見つけた。
それは黒だ。周囲の赤に侵食される事なく、黒い地帯が小さいながらも広がっていた。
異質な黒地帯に惹かれて近づくと、黒の中心に人工物を見つける事が出来た。
それは黒色の建材で作られた小さな建物だ。山小屋のようにも見えるそこには窓があり、そこから中に明かりが灯っている事が確認できる。
周囲には夕闇が広がっている事もあって、その明かりはとても目立っていた。
一日中赤く染まった岩石やらモンスターなどを見ていただけに、夜に溶け込んでしまいそうな黒い山小屋には吸い寄せられてしまう魅力がある。
気になったので近づいてみると、赤と黒の境界で『何の用だ』と誰何された。
やや年老いた男性の声で、全周囲から聞こえてくるような不思議な響きだった。
声の主を探すが、姿は視認できない。幻聴の類かとも警戒したが、しかし魔力の流れを追うと山小屋の影に違和感がある。
目を凝らし、感覚を研ぎ澄ませると一見何もないようなそこに、黒い三角帽子を被った老人がいるのを知覚できるようになる。
ここまで気配を隠せる事から実力者である事は間違いないが、そんな老人の手には使い込まれた黒い弓矢が構えられていた。
俺の心臓を狙っている黒矢の鏃には老人の魔力が凝縮され、一部も外に漏れ出ていない。極限まで圧縮された魔力は独特の迫力を宿し、向けられるだけでピリピリと強烈な圧力を感じる。
そして鋭くこちらを見据える金の双眸から、今から何かしようとしても、凄まじい一矢が来るのは間違いない。
≪赤蝕山脈≫という危険地帯で、夜も近い時間帯。
見知らぬ誰かがやってくれば、それは大抵の場合敵だろう。
老狩人が俺達を警戒するのはある意味当然だった。
下手に嘘をついても良い事はない。
そう判断しありのまま言ってみると、老狩人は警戒を解いて弓矢を下ろし、ついでに今夜泊めてくれる事になった。
こんな場所だ。警戒心を持っていて当然だとは思うのだが、思いの外歓迎されてしまった。
世捨て人かと思えば、こんな場所で一人暮らしているだけに他人が恋しいのだろうか。
ともあれ、晩飯の食材は全て俺が提供し、それを使って老狩人が作ってくれた。
老狩人はこんな場所で暮らしているだけあって、手慣れているらしく、短時間で調理し終えた。
喰ってみたが思いの外美味しく、あっという間に食べ終わる。
質素ながらもどこか懐かしい味がした。
一泊の礼にと追加で食材を多めに提供し、食後は迷宮酒を飲みながらなんだかんだと話をした。
それによれば、老狩人は狩人兼研究者だそうだ。
各地を放浪しながら長年興味がある事を研究し続けているらしく、現在研究しているのは≪赤蝕山脈≫についてである。
最初は麓に拠点を作って調べていたそうだが、赤錆の侵食を抑える特殊な黒錆の開発を切っ掛けに、現在の山小屋を作ってすでに数年暮らしているそうだ。
黒錆に覆われた山小屋と周囲の土地は赤錆のモンスター達――【赤蝕の落胤クリフィスタ】と総称して呼ばれるらしい――を遠ざける効果がある為、ここが襲撃される事は一度もない安全地帯となっているという。
それからここで暮らし始めて誰かが来たのは俺達が初めてらしく、≪時刻歴在都市ヒストリノア≫を目指していると言えば、わざわざここを通るとは酔狂な奴だと笑われた。
まあ、そう言って笑う老狩人も若い時には挑戦して痛い目にあったそうだが、その体験談は非常に有用なモノだった。
やはり経験豊富な先人の知恵は有りがたいものである。
そして大量にある酒を呑みつつなので口はどんどん軽くなり、機嫌もいい老狩人はその他にも色々と語ってくれた。
曰く、【赤蝕の落胤クリフィスタ】は赤錆に肉体を侵食された生物の成れの果て。
曰く、≪赤蝕山脈≫の地下にはかつて存在した【堕神】の欠片が埋まっている可能性がある。
曰く、地下に続く赤錆洞窟がとある山の中腹に空いていて、そこから地下へと潜れる。
曰く、≪時刻歴在都市ヒストリノア≫では過去の【英勇】に出会う事もあるらしい。
などなど。
大量の情報を惜しげもなく教えてくれた。
ここまで教えてくれていいのかと正直思うほどだったが、老狩人にとって自身が研究した結果は広がらなくてもいいし、広がっても問題ないそうだ。
ただ自分が調べたいから調べるだけで、それを誰かが使おうが、誰にも知られず忘れ去られようが興味はないそうだ。
老狩人の生き方は自由だなと思いつつ、有難く研究結果を教えてもらった。
結構長く語った後は、灰銀狼ベッドで寝た。
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Category:Novel
Category:Re:Monster ~ The Dark Continent ~ Vol. 3