MTLNOVEL Chapter 36
Chapter 36. The Investigation Team
When the light faded, I opened my eyes to assess the situation.
It was not a cave.
The ground was covered with countless plants and trees, and wherever I looked, it was a sea of green.
In short, it was a forest.
“”What the…””
Our confused voices overlapped unintentionally.
I glanced to my side and met the eyes of Hattori-san, who was looking at me the same way.
“Ah, Yanagi-kun. Could you pinch my cheek for a moment? I think I’m seeing things.”
“Funny coincidence. I’m seeing things too, so pinch mine as well.”
We lightly pinched each other’s cheeks.
Yeah, it hurts. Unfortunately, this wasn’t an illusion.
“That’s strange. Weren’t we just in a cave?”
“Well, there was a small orb near the chimera’s body. When we got close to it, it suddenly started glowing. I think that’s probably the cause.”
“I see. So we walked right into a trap, huh? I did think it was odd. There was a clear aura of something strong here, yet the opponent was just a chimera. Looks like this is where the real fight begins.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I thought the same thing.”
You’re kidding, right? I actually thought the chimera was the end of it.
Is this what they call the difference in experience?
Still, to think we’d be forcibly teleported…
Where are the other two? Were they sent somewhere else?
“Hmm… I can’t get in touch with either the two of them or headquarters.”
“I see… For now, should we explore while keeping an eye out for them?”
“Yeah. We don’t know what might happen, so let’s make sure not to get separated.”
“Understood.”
We cautiously began moving forward.
We walked for a while, but the area was filled with unnaturally sturdy trees, and we couldn’t spot a single monster.
Then there was the issue of food and water. Since this was supposed to be a one-day mission, we were carrying very little. It was only a matter of time before we ran out.
“Oh? I see something over there!”
In the midst of this, Hattori-san’s excited voice rang out, and I followed her pointing finger with my gaze.
In the distance, there was a small tent—no, more than ten tents were set up.
We glanced at each other and smiled slightly.
Hoping someone might be there, we hurried toward the location.
…
“Is anyone here?”
Several minutes later, we arrived at the tents.
Hattori-san called out, but there was no reply.
Thinking they might be out somewhere, we checked inside the tents one by one.
(No one’s here…)
I had hoped to find at least some food, but there wasn’t a single scrap left.
I was wondering whether we should wait for someone to return when, finally, in the fifth tent, we found someone.
“Are you alright?!”
However, the person was collapsed and looked far from okay.
We rushed over to check their condition.
(Dead…)
Their pulse was already gone; they were completely lifeless.
“This person looks like they’re from the investigation team. They match someone from the documents. I’ll check the other tents.”
I had expected as much, but seeing it in front of me still left me with a strange feeling.
“Still, what could’ve done this?”
The dead man’s left arm was missing.
Rather than being bitten off, it looked as though it had been pierced by something.
I wondered if it was a creature from the cave, but there hadn’t been anything there that could do this kind of damage.
“Anything else… hmm?”
I then noticed that the man was clutching a notebook in his right hand.
It was so tightly gripped that the notebook was badly crushed.
Thinking it might be a will or some record of the situation, I carefully took it from his hand and opened it to read.
-Day 1 of Investigation
Inside the cave, we observed numerous plants that could not exist naturally.
We planned to bring samples back and submit them to the research institute.
Additionally, we encountered many monsters that were beyond the ordinary, but most were E or F-ranked, so clearing them out didn’t take much time.-
This is the same as what we experienced.
Since their first day was uneventful, entering the cave may not necessarily be the condition for teleportation.
Did they also teleport here after fighting the chimera?
I turned the page, deep in thought.
-Day 2 of Investigation
After exiting the cave and regrouping, we headed back inside.
The situation remained unchanged until we discovered a mysterious door at the cave’s deepest point.
We opened it cautiously, but a blinding light engulfed us, and when we came to, we were no longer in the cave.
Instead, we found ourselves in a forest surrounded by trees.
We couldn’t contact anyone outside, nor could we find an exit.
For now, we decided to secure a base and begin a proper search tomorrow.
There might be something near the massive tree in the distance.-
It seems they didn’t fight the chimera. So was that door the condition for teleportation?
But then, why did we end up fighting the chimera?
“The other tents were empty… What’s that, Yanagi-kun?”
Hattori-san returned to the tent.
“It looks like this man’s investigation record. There might be some clues here.”
“Oh?”
With interest, Hattori-san peeked over my shoulder to read.
“Ah, like it says here, I spotted what looks like a massive tree about a kilometer ahead. It’s probably fifty to a hundred meters tall.”
“That’s definitely big. Maybe it’s unique to this place.”
While considering heading for the tree, I turned the page.
“Huh?”
But something seemed stuck, making it hard to open.
Applying a bit of force, I managed to tear it slightly as it opened.
The page was stained with blood.-
-What on earth is that?!
It wasn’t a tree… it was a monster!
No attack had any effect on it.
No matter how much we destroyed it, it regenerated instantly, and countless branches attacked us.
The investigation team was annihilated…
We couldn’t do anything… we were trampled.
If someone sees this… I beg you.
Lay their remains to rest.
And destroy that abomination…-
The final lines were smudged, either by blood or tears.
I gripped the notebook tightly, distorting it in my hand.
“Didn’t you say it was a hundred meters tall?”
“Yeah… This is bad news.”
Cold sweat ran down both our cheeks.
Size doesn’t always mean strength, but a body a hundred meters tall was already a serious threat.
At this point, it was impossible not to notice.
The prediction of casualties for this mission—
It was likely referring to us.
Without Sairenji-san’s [Teleport] or Kongo-san’s absolute defense, the possibility was all too real.
And one more thing:
We probably couldn’t escape this space without defeating that monster.
Three similar creatures had been discovered before.
All three pulled others into their domain, tormenting them under favorable conditions.
The common trait of these creatures was that escaping their space was impossible without killing them—and all three had been classified as S-rank monsters.
Could the two of us really win?
The thought loomed heavily in my chest.
“…No use worrying about it.”
After a moment, I concluded.
Either way, we had to defeat it to escape.
Then we’d kill it. There was no other option.
Thinking of the investigation team, my resolve to destroy the monster swelled within me.
“Well then, shall we go face that troublesome monster?”
“Yeah. We don’t have much food, and the longer we wait, the worse it’ll get. Let’s take it out quickly and go home!”
“Got it.”
After offering a silent prayer over the body and taking the man’s identification card as proof, we stepped out of the tent.
Looking into the distance, I could see the massive tree clearly.
The record said no attack had worked.
But there’s no such thing as something that can’t be defeated. Even gods can die.
With firm determination, we began walking.