The Goddess Granted Me the [Hatching] Skill and Somehow I Became the Strongest Tamer, Commanding Mythical and Divine Beasts - 91

Chapter 91: Bonds Between Friends

“Are you really going alone, Klaus?!”

“That’s way too reckless!”

As I was preparing to head back into the forest, Ritz and Hanna followed me from behind.

“You’ve got to be exhausted after all the fighting today. Going into the forest at night is way too dangerous! It would be pointless if you became a casualty here!”

“Tch!”

They were right. I was exhausted, and I understood that if I went into the forest at night, I could be caught off guard.

“Listen. I understand how important Carol is to you. That’s why you need to calm down.”

Hanna put a hand on my shoulder and gave me a gentle look.

“But… I…”

I wanted to save Carol as soon as possible. I knew in my head that I should rest, but my emotions said otherwise.

“Alright, fine! If we’re going tomorrow, then I’ll go with you!” Ritz shouted as if in frustration.

“I think of Carol as one of my comrades too,” he said, scratching his cheek awkwardly.

“Hah, you’re usually all about money, and now you’re saying that? Well, if you’re going, I have no choice but to go too,” Hanna sighed, looking at me.

“We’re a party, right? If one of our comrades is in trouble, we help. That’s the way of adventurers. You shouldn’t try to carry the burden alone.”

The warmth of Hanna’s hand on my shoulder helped calm me down.

“Thank you.”

Tears started to fall down my face as I lowered my head. I thanked them both.

The next day, I woke up and started preparing to explore the forest.

I had recovered from my fatigue and could now calmly think about the best route to take for the exploration.

When I stepped out of the building and headed to the central plaza, I was surprised.

“Eh?”

There were about ten national adventurers standing there.

“You’re late, Klaus.”

“The rest of the team is ready!” Ritz and Hanna called out to me.

“What’s going on?” I asked, confused, seeing that more national adventurers had gathered.

“They’re coming with us,” Ritz said.

“After that, I went around asking if anyone else wanted to join,” Hanna explained.

I looked towards Paris.

“Is that okay?”

“I won’t interfere with their actions during their rest time between adventures. They’re just going into the forest on their own to gather materials,” Paris said, trying to act casual.

“I’ve known Carol for a while too. It’s better to be alive and able to talk to her again,” he added.

“I’ll definitely find some clues,” he said, showing he cared about Carol too. With that, we headed into the forest.

“By the way, the footing here is pretty bad…”

We were advancing into the forest, but the terrain was rough, and the plants had grown thick due to the lack of human presence.

“If you sense any signs of an attack, put your shields up!” I warned the others.

We still didn’t know what kind of attack the unknown monster had used, but it could turn us into crystal statues. I couldn’t afford to let anyone else become a casualty.

Since it was daytime and we were all on high alert, there was no ambush, and we continued our investigation.

A few hours passed.

“I just wish we had some kind of clue about the enemy…” Hanna muttered.

“We don’t even know what kind of creature we’re dealing with, so we have to be ready to investigate anything that feels off,” I said.

“This feels like chasing clouds…” Ritz commented, frustrated. Was the mysterious creature no longer around here?

Just as I was thinking that, I felt something strange.

“Wait a second?”

“Did you notice something, Klaus?” Hanna asked.

I began recalling the events when Purple and I entered the forest and the ambush that had occurred.

“Now that I think about it, right before the attack last night, Rock suddenly started acting strangely.”

Rock was usually calm, but when he was near his favorite minerals, he would become restless. It reminded me of when Purple had reacted to the herbs. After Rock’s reaction, the attack came. Could it be…

“Maybe he was reacting to the unknown monster back then?” I asked.

“…?” Rock tilted his head as everyone looked at him.

“That’s worth trying,” Hanna said.

“It’s worth a shot. Even if we don’t find anything, it’s worth the effort,” Ritz added.

“Rock, we’re counting on you. Can you do it?” I asked.

Rock nodded, showing his determination.

I placed him on my hand, and we began walking through the forest. We continued the same investigation as before, but now, with Rock’s help, we were more alert.

After a while, Rock reacted and pointed in one direction.

We all swallowed nervously and then…

“Let’s move quietly from here on out.”

We carefully moved, making sure to silence our footsteps, heading in the direction Rock had pointed.