Travel to another world and become a monster messenger

In a large forest in the southwest of the Kingdom of Shuter, thieves gathered there.

They descended the mountain and marched southward across the central plain for two days. The thieves were exhausted from almost constant walking, so when they reached their destination, there was a great cheer.

The leader and his trading partner, the dark merchant, agreed to meet here.

However, since the Dark Merchant usually does not appear in public, only the leader, the cadre wearing a red scarf and two subordinates are ready to meet with the Dark Merchant.

By the way, these two subordinates were only responsible for setting up the simple tent and did not participate in the transaction. The man with the red scarf was only selected as an escort and guard.

In fact, the subordinates did not want to let the important leader conduct suspicious transactions alone, so when they received this order, they felt relieved.

Because this emotion was so obvious, the leader showed a surprised expression, but this was just between them.

The thieves were now unloading their bags in a small square in the forest. They planned to use this place as a base during the transaction.

While his subordinates were busy, the leader shouted in a rough voice: "You guys, don't be lazy and prepare for camping! You can have a banquet first, but you must leave a barrel for me, understand?"

“Ohhhhhhh!”

The subordinates responded in high spirits. They were busy setting up tents and collecting firewood. Everyone was busy but looked happy. Amid the chaotic crowd, an officer interrupted and asked for a drink, which was also a common sight.

The leader looked at his subordinates and nodded with a satisfied smile. Then, he led the man with the red scarf and two subordinates into the depths of the forest.

A little away from the square was a dim and inconspicuous spot where they met with the Dark Merchant.

The dark businessman wore a black robe without a hood. His eyes looked very suspicious and he always had an uncomfortable smile on his face.

The man in the red scarf covered his face, wondering if this guy was really reliable. The leader patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, he is trustworthy, especially in terms of transactions." Then, the two subordinates he brought built a simple tent.

The leader and the dark merchant entered the tent together, while his subordinates returned to the square. The man with the red scarf stood in front of the tent as a guard.

The transaction with the dark merchant was carried out in a secret conversation between the leader and the dark merchant. Although the red scarf man had heard about it from the leader in advance, he still felt uneasy when the transaction began.

(Really... is that man really trustworthy, Chief?)

After all, the other party is a dark businessman, so it is natural that he exudes a suspicious atmosphere.

However, even with this in mind, he still felt a tightness in his chest. The dangerous aura kept coming towards him, and he couldn't suppress his inner uneasiness.

As the man in the red scarf paced anxiously, the transaction in the tent was about to begin.

First, the dark businessman smiled as if greeting, and said, "You are very punctual. You are really amazing. It is not easy to lead so many people here without any problems."

"Stop flattering me and let's get down to business."

"...Hmph, that's right. This is the content of the deal."

The dark merchant handed the chief a scroll. The scroll was quite faded and obviously very old. The chief was very interested and thought it might be a work of art with historical value.

The dark merchant showed a cunning smile to the leader who was concentrating on observing the scroll, and began to introduce the contents of the scroll: "This scroll records an ultimate magic. According to the information I have obtained, it is something that is almost called a taboo."

The leader opened his eyes wide in surprise when he heard these words: "You really got a dangerous thing."

"Of course there are many things to pay attention to. Otherwise, we can't do this kind of business."

"I see... So, how much is this thing worth? Unfortunately, we don't have any magicians here, so the ways we can use it are naturally limited. I think you mentioned this before, right? I don't want to hear you forget it."

Facing the leader who was staring at him, the dark merchant still replied with a smile: "Of course I won't forget. After all, I was the one who raised this question."

"That's great. Then please tell me how to use this thing."

"Okay. First, about the magic recorded in this scroll..."

"Finally you've got to the point. Tell me quickly!" The leader seemed excited as well, breathing heavily and urging the other party to continue.

The dark merchant was secretly happy in his heart, thinking that the explanation was worthwhile. Just as he was about to start his story—

“Oh my, this is terrible!”

A huge disruption had occurred. This one was really big. A man who had just been setting up the tent came running over in a panic. It was obvious that he was in trouble, but the timing was really bad.

Veins popped up on the leader’s forehead, and one could almost hear a “whoosh” sound.

(Hahaha…now I can personally give him a “fist of love”, right?)

The leader clenched his right fist tightly and slowly stood up. Facing this endless anger, the dark merchant also broke out in a cold sweat and frowned.

When the leader tried to get out of the tent and his hand touched the curtain at the entrance, the man in the red scarf shouted from outside: "Idiot! We are doing an important deal now! If you anger the leader, how are you going to be responsible!"

"Now is not the time to talk about that! Something serious has happened!"

"What's going on? Calm down and talk it over."

The man in the red scarf seemed a little impatient, but his subordinates were completely unaware. He was clearly at his wits' end, indicating an emergency.

The man in the red scarf realized that something was wrong and decided to appease his subordinates again and try to understand the situation. The leader seemed to have the same idea. His anger had subsided and he was listening from the tent.

The subordinate cried out in tears: "Everyone else has disappeared! There is really no one left!"

The red scarf man opened his eyes wide. At the same time, the leader rushed out of the tent and shook the tearful subordinate's shoulders vigorously.

"Is what you just said true? Don't cry, tell me in detail!"

"Ah, ah, that, uh, this..."

"Oh, Chief, please calm down for a moment. I can't talk like this!"

"I can't stand it anymore! I will go and confirm it myself! If it's fake, you're done!"

The leader shook his subordinate roughly and rushed out. In the square ahead, his fellow thieves were waiting. They should be preparing for the cocktail party, and it might be lively now, the leader thought.

However, gradually, an ominous premonition arose in the leader's heart.

The sound he should have heard did not come. It was too quiet. He shouted desperately in his heart, hoping that this was a joke, and continued running.

When the chief finally reached the square, he fell to his knees when he saw the scene.

The once lively place was now silent, with only wine, food, and materials scattered on the ground, and in the center, the bonfire was still burning. Just now, many people were gathering here.

"This is impossible? Where did they go?"

The leader's hoarse whisper was blown away by the wind and disappeared in an instant.

------------------

The blazing flames of the bonfire illuminated the forest at night. The occasional crackling sound made people feel particularly comfortable. It may also be because it is close to the river, and you can hear the sound of water. The rhythmic sound seems to calm people down.

As Xu Zhen was thinking this, a wonderful scene appeared before his eyes.

"...Slakic, would it be delicious to eat fire?"

"call out!"

Facing Xu Zhen who was frowning and asking, Slakic answered with a smile. Then he opened his big mouth again and began to devour the flames of the bonfire.

Slakic's exaggerated voice made Xu Zhen and others feel helpless. But Slakic didn't care at all and continued to devour the flames with relish.

"But there are all kinds of monsters. In fact, I've heard of a slime that feeds on leaves. Maybe the subspecies and the original species have different food preferences."

“I see. That’s how it is.”

Although Courtney said this, Xu Zhen still looked at Slakic.

According to Lati's translation, Slakic seemed to sigh with satisfaction, the firelight was enough to fill it up, and compared to other food, it seemed that he could clearly feel the surge of power.

Hearing this, Courtney smiled bitterly and said, "Perhaps for Slakic, almost all the nutrients he needs can be obtained from fire."

"Really……"

Xu Zhenxin thought, it turns out that Slakic's appetite is so easy. However, on the other side, Lopul and Lati also showed similar emotions.

They were eating with gusto a kind of solid food that looked like small sticks - portable food, which was a nutritious food specially for adventurers.

It looks very similar to a candy shortbread, but it is concentrated with nutrients needed for an active body. It can be stored for a long time at room temperature and is easy to buy cheaply from shops in towns or traveling vendors.

Therefore, they are very popular among adventurers, but they have one obvious disadvantage - the taste is indescribable.

However, since collapsing from malnutrition during the journey was far more terrible, these foods were considered essential for the adventure, and before setting off, Kuler had asked Xu Zhen to bring them with him.

As preparation for the trip, Xu Zhen tried the food that Kuler gave him, but he found it tasted worse than he expected and almost vomited.

“I felt the same way when I first ate it myself.”

As he said this, Courtney silently chewed the portable food. Xu Zhen looked at this scene with a surprised expression.

“You’re such a big eater.”

"I'm used to it. If I don't eat it now, I may not be able to eat it in the future." Hearing Courtney's words, Xu Zhen lowered his head and looked at the portable food in his hand.

Indeed, from now on, there may be many days when you can't find a decent meal. In order to resist hunger, you must eat. Instead, you must become able to eat anything.

Thinking of this, Xu Zhen took another bite of the portable food. Although it was still not delicious, he chewed it hard and swallowed it.

After reluctantly finishing the meal, Xu Zhen sighed naturally. Then, he looked at Lati and Lopur, who were still eating the portable food with relish, with an eye that looked at something strange.