I’m an Appraiser, But What the Heck is a [Divine Eye]? ~I Want to Live Freely as the World’s Best Beginner Class~ - Episode 41: The Super Common Hero Summoning 37

Episode 41: The Super Common Hero Summoning 37

Looking at the forest again, I couldn’t help but think how eerie and heavy the atmosphere was. 

The others seemed to feel the same way, as beads of sweat were now visible on their foreheads, more than earlier. It was understandable, considering this was a forest filled with out-of-the-ordinary magical beasts. I reassured myself and continued to follow the path.

“Damn it! Why were they near the entrance just a moment ago, but now they’re heading deeper and deeper into the forest?!”

“Are they moving further into the forest?” 

“Yes. But something’s strange. They’re not going straight in, they’re zigzagging.”

“Zigzagging, you say?”

Hearing this, Vil-san furrowed his brow in thought for a moment before offering the worst possible scenario.

“…Perhaps the Captain and Ricott are being chased by a magical beast.”

“So, they’ve already been spotted?”

“Yes, and depending on where they run, they might run into more magical beasts.”

If there were only one magical beast, we might be able to manage by revealing my ability and working together. But if they got surrounded by multiple magical beasts, there would be nothing we could do.

(A one-on-one fight is out of the question. The level gap is too large, and no strategy will let us win!)

No matter what tactics we used, we couldn’t win against certain opponents. The magical beasts in this forest are overwhelmingly powerful. And the Queen Dragon we encountered earlier was proof of that.

“Maki, how about the surrounding magical beasts?”

“They don’t seem to have noticed us yet. Maybe the Captain is being cautious of them while fleeing.”

“Given the Captain’s skills, he could probably sense them. But I’m not sure.”

From the way Vil-san said it, it didn’t seem likely that they were fleeing while keeping an eye on the magical beasts. So why haven’t the beasts noticed them yet? Wait… maybe it’s not that they haven’t been noticed—they’ve been noticed but aren’t being approached?

“A-Appraise: Magical Beasts Near Ryan-san and Ricott-san!”

I realized a troubling possibility and immediately used Appraisal. Even though Vil-san was right next to me, I didn’t care. Time was of the essence.

“What’s wrong, Maki-sama?”

“…I knew it!”

“Did you figure something out, Maki-san?”

My fears had come true. Of course, in a forest where magical beasts run rampant, there’s no way humans wouldn’t be noticed. So why was it that none of the magical beasts, except for one, were approaching? It’s because—that one magical beast is so overwhelmingly powerful!

“The beast chasing them is called an Orc Lord. Its level is… 70.”

“Wha—70!?”

“And an Orc Lord means it’s a higher-ranked version of an Orc!”

Judging from their shocked reactions, it was clear that this wasn’t an ordinary opponent. But why hasn’t the Orc Lord killed Ricott-san and the others yet? If they were injured, they’d be slower at escaping. Or could it be that the Orc Lord is a slow-moving beast?

“Either way, we need to hurry.”

“…However, if we proceed, we’ll be putting Alicia-sama in danger. Even with the Captain and me fighting at full strength, I doubt we could defeat a level 70 Orc Lord.”

“But you’re not going to tell me to turn back now, are you?”

…Seriously, this lord is quite the daredevil.

“Vil-san, I’ll explain my ability to you as we go.”

“Are you sure?”

“If I don’t, it’s unlikely all of us will make it back to Granzawall alive.”

I nodded silently to Alicia. And while we hurried towards Ricott-san and the others, I revealed everything I knew about my Appraiser (Divine Eye) ability.

At first, Vil was stunned by each new piece of information. But as he got used to it, he even started asking questions towards the end.

Surprisingly, this conversation helped me realize a concern I hadn’t noticed before. Specifically, I hadn’t paid any attention to whether the amount of mana used in Appraisals changed depending on the target.

Up until now, I had thought it only used about one unit of mana after five uses or so. But I quickly opened my status screen to check my mana levels.

“…Ah! My mana’s already down to 14 without me noticing!”  

“The magic consumption might vary depending on what you’re Appraising.”  

“That was close. If it weren’t for the Magic Consumption Halving, I’d be completely drained by now.”

The thought sent a chill down my spine. If I lost the ability to see the guide in the middle of the Forest of Demons, it would mean certain death.

“Do you have any magic recovery potions?”  

“I’m sorry, Maki-san. We have only a limited number of magic potions, so could you hold on a bit longer?”  

“I see. In that case, I’ll let you know if my mana drops below 5.”  

“Thank you.”

Alicia nodded firmly in agreement with my words.

“…Maki-sama, there are signs that something has passed through here,” 

Vil said, snapping me back to reality. I followed his gaze.

Large footprints were visible. And ahead, the trees had been knocked down. It clearly showed the path of something enormous that had passed through.