I Became a Dark Fantasy Villain

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Philip blurted out suddenly as they were walking their horses.

As grass and trees became denser, at some point, randomly sprouting branches began obstructing the riders’ path.

Ultimately, everyone dismounted and walked with reins in hand, moving in a single file.

Thanks to being right behind Miguel, Philip finally began to express the frustration he had been holding in.

“You two are making quite an effort. If one of you trips, it will be very troublesome.”

“That’s true, but… damn, this is strange. I don’t remember it being like this before.”

Miguel scratched his neck and muttered.

Philip’s brow furrowed.

“When was that?”

“Well, it’s been about three or four years…? At least it hasn’t been five years. I went down this path and headed to Balk City.”

“What? You’re bragging about going down a path you took so long ago?”

“Well, there’s still a path here in reality.”

Ian, who had been walking at the back, clicked his tongue.

However, he didn’t try to silence them.

There was meaningful information mixed in with their talk.

‘Strangely annoying, isn’t it?’

The surrounding landscape felt ominously unwelcoming. The grass and trees looked lackluster and lifeless. At the same time, there was something familiar about it.

“Stay on the path. If you make a mistake, it’ll be a big problem.”

Despite this, Philip’s jabs didn’t stop. It was as if he was intent on exacting revenge on Miguel for the teasing he received the previous night.

“Ugh, come on. We’re doing our best. Besides, we were told it was a dangerous path from the beginning. It’s not as if it’s become much more hazardous.”

“Well, it isn’s more dangerous than before, I guess. When I came before, there were goblins and gremlins here. Unless they’ve all left, it’s impossible for the undergrowth to have grown this thick.”

“Goblins and Gremlins?”

Ian suddenly interjected.

“W-well, yeah. This was their den.”

Miguel replied quickly.

Philip’s voice followed.

“There’s a fortress a day’s distance from here. How could demons live here?”

“Even if it’s a border region, soldiers don’t recklessly chase demons around here. If they die or get injured, who’s at a loss?”

Miguel added with a chuckle.

“You either have to cause enough damage for lords to take notice or preemptively strike. Unless they’re causing damages that the lords would be concerned about, they won’t pay attention to them. So, people like mercenaries make their living.”

“If those creatures were here, it would be troublesome in many ways. Thanks to them.”

“Without those creatures, a thicket like this can’t exist. They’re like locusts, eating whatever they come across. Surprisingly, they like grass too. So, in the forest where they lived, only trees without bark were left. What do you expect me to know? Tch.”

“They might be in an inedible state.”

Ian softly concluded.

He had unknowingly narrowed his eyes while surveying the surroundings.

‘It must connect to the corrupted forest…’

“What do you mean by inedible state, Sir?”

Philip seemed to have read something unusual in his tone, as he asked.

“I mean it literally. You’ve probably experienced it too. Creatures moving around even when they’re dead.”

“Ghouls… You mean? Are you saying that demons can turn into ghouls?”

“Normally, that wouldn’t be the case, but if the forest itself has been contaminated by corrupted magic… Strange things can happen. Just like the swamp forest.”

“Did you… enter the cursed jungle? Were you just in the swamp and not there?”

“That’s right.”

It was a truly precious place.

Ian swallowed the rest of his words.

It was a story from a time when he didn’t have the confidence to face a swamp drake.

Instead, he had set foot in the jungle and moved forward recklessly, battling everything from undead animals, moving trees, to insane fairies.

The creatures weren’t particularly strong, but the problem was that both they and the forest seemed endless.

Eventually, after a few days, Ian managed to escape and never set foot in any jungle around the swamp again.

Of course, this place was slightly different from that jungle.

The madness of the black wall seemed to be the cause. How the madness seeped into this remote forest was unknown, but when he received the quest in the game, it was in a state of contamination so severe that even the lord couldn’t intervene.

And from his perspective, this place seemed very close to the origin of that contamination.

“It’s probably impossible to pass through here before nightfall, right?”

Ian’s question was met with a puzzled response from Miguel.

“It’ll be sunset in an hour or two at most. There’s no time.”

“Well then, we need to prepare for a fight.”

“There’s another cursed forest besides the Graveyard Forest? And it’s just a day’s distance from the fortress?”

Philip asked incredulously.

Ian chuckled dryly.

“It hasn’t been contaminated for long. Also, this is a barely inhabited forest. It would take a while for rumors to spread.”

Only after a few dozen people have been devoured by carnivorous plants, though.

Come to think of it, something was odd.

The corrupted forest was connected to the shortcut to the Graveyard Forest. He had never deeply considered this connection in the game, but it was astonishing when it became a reality.

‘They’re probably trying to block the path to the Graveyard Forest. …So that’s why I didn’t know about this route.’

Thinking this, Ian spoke up.

“So, be careful from now on. Plants can also undergo mutations.”

“Are you saying that even grass and trees can turn into demons?”

“That’s right. Since you can easily distinguish them, never touch them.”

The plants tainted by the madness of the black wall could mutate into demons in various ways.

Among them, the majority were carnivorous trees that functioned like pitfall traps.

They had noticeable fruits and leaves, and when something touched them, they attacked reflexively. Thanks to these carnivorous trees, there were many areas they couldn’t traverse.

Even after dealing with the source of the curse, they didn’t return to their original forms.

‘If contamination began near this area…’

Even if it’s an earlier point in time than back then, they could encounter it at any moment.

“Are you talking about things like that?”

Miguel’s chilling voice asked the question then.

The stopped group turned their heads and looked in the direction he indicated.

Strangely, a towering tree had suddenly sprouted by the side of the road. While the other trees around it were thin, this one had grown upward so high that it completely obscured the nearby sky.

What stood out about this tree was the abundance of red fruits hanging from it. As if inviting them to taste.

“It’s probably that.”

Ian added, raising his head.

“You better not pass right in front of that tree.”

Miguel sighed.

“Damn… I’ve never seen a tree like that before. It’s been years since a tree grew this much in such a short time.”

“It was you who led us to this unusual forest, Miguel.”

Philip’s retort made Miguel mumble awkwardly.

“Could I have known that a sect like that would emerge during that time?”

“If you keep talking, I might just let you experience what kind of demon that is firsthand.”

Ian finally spoke, silencing Miguel and Philip. Then followed a brief silence.

A moment of silence was broken by Ian’s small laugh.

“What are you doing? Let’s go.”

Miguel, who had turned pale, swallowed his dry saliva and muttered.

“…Alright, fine. Damn it. As long as we don’t touch it.”

He started walking, his steps hesitant and his expression nervous. Both Philip and Maeve, who walked soundlessly, followed behind. Both of them held their reins as if they were their lifelines.

‘It’s still growing, huh? Will it look like what I know when it’s fully grown?’

Observing calmly, Ian passed by the carnivorous tree again.

Though it was much smaller than in his memory, the tree was still the same kind. It just hadn’t fully matured yet. If other carnivorous trees were at the same stage, it seemed possible to pass through this path for now.

“As long as we’re careful not to touch anything…”

Just as he was about to say that, the leaves of the tree they had just passed suddenly trembled violently.

Shihak-!

In an instant, something like a whip lashed out from behind Ian and struck him.

“…!”

Ian turned his head and saw the image of a grotesque, ash-colored maw clamping down on the head of the horse he had been riding.

The maw had ash-colored shells like a saw blade, even though they were much smaller than he remembered.

Despite the horse’s screams, the head was crushed to pieces, and the maw retracted as quickly as it had appeared into the thick foliage.

“Damn it… What the hell…?”

Translator; ippo

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