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Somehow, I decided to visit the cave where I had encountered Kerry and the others.

Back then, I could only set a very small area as my own territory in that cave, designated as a home area. But now it’s different. While I can’t set a home area anymore, the entire vast forest belongs to me, the master of the monsters.

Just like before, even without light, I can somehow grasp my surroundings.

I used to think it was a service of the initial area, but now I understand it’s different.

“The mana here is ridiculously dense. What is this?”

Because of the excessively dense mana, it seems I can feel it on my skin even without the [Demonic Eyes]. Perhaps that’s why I can somehow understand my surroundings.

“…Before playing with the player, let’s do a little experiment.”

<Alright, I’ll go check the situation first.>

“Yeah, please.”

News of the player’s arrival had also reached Sugaru simultaneously. It’s part of the communication rules.

Although Sugaru came along to this place, it has been a long time since a player invaded her former territory. She probably can’t stay still.

We advanced deeper into the cave and reached the underground lake.

I’ve washed Kerry and the others here before, but thinking about it now, I did something like that with this cold water. Marion aside, it seems that the cat beastmen and regular cats are different.

Compared to the underground lake at the Abon Mercat Highlands where the Count was, this one seems very small.

But it’s enough for a few Hiers Newts to live.

Summoning about three of them casually, I released them into the lake.

Since there were no creatures in the cave, I wondered what to do about their food, but apparently, there is something like white, blind worms inside the lake.

Probably due to the dense mana or some other reason, such creatures seem to be abundant, so I decided to leave them be.

In this environment, they might unintentionally fulfill the reincarnation conditions.

Next, I did something that unnecessarily consumes MP (Mana Points).

It is ideal for verifying the fact that the cave’s mana is too dense.

The safest and most efficient way to waste MP is to activate [Philosopher’s Egg], heat it with [Athanor] without putting anything in, and then end the process. Then, the lamp and crystal egg disappear without anything happening, and only MP is lost.

These skills have a relatively high MP cost, and the cooldown is not set, probably because they are not considered useful or spammable.

After struggling to reduce my MP to about half of the maximum, I found that just waiting a few seconds returned my MP to its original value. It’s an abnormal natural recovery speed.

“Is there such a difference? In that case, the natural MP recovery is not individually set for each character but is part of the game’s overall system, properly absorbing the surrounding mana. Or maybe it’s constantly calculating the recovery amount based on the surrounding mana concentration. I wonder if LP’s natural recovery amount is not a fixed value set individually for each character but is affected by factors such as hunger.”

LP’s natural recovery amount is basically a constant percentage, but there seems to be some difference depending on hunger, as verified by someone.

If the natural MP recovery amount is influenced by the surrounding mana concentration, then the LP natural recovery amount would be affected by the character’s physical condition.

“There could be some other factors affecting LP natural recovery besides hunger. This is perfect. There’s a player around, and I can roughly perceive their LP using [True Sight]. Let’s try it out a bit.”

*

“Is this a ☆5? Not really worth mentioning.”

“At this level, yeah, probably ☆3 or a bit lower.”

“It’s all insects, huh?”

“Spiders aren’t insects, you know.”

As they exchanged these remarks, the players continued their journey, observed through the vision of Ominous-kun.

The players who bravely challenged the Liebe Great Forest were a party of four—two frontline warriors and two mages, making for quite a specialized team. It’s unclear who took on the role of the scout.

Judging from their combat skills, they seemed to be quite powerful. Perhaps they had focused solely on efficient XP farming through battles.

If there’s a place where they can earn experience points just by fighting without worrying about traps, I would like to know about it.

“Lower defense than the skeletons in the capital of Hiers, and it’s easier to handle than over there.”

“I just came for reconnaissance before the death penalty, but maybe it’s worth moving here permanently?”

The dungeon without traps referred to the capital of Hiers.

Indeed, to preserve the appearance of the capital, they didn’t set traps. When buildings were damaged, Revenants with the skills [Construction] and [Masonry] were immediately tasked with repairs.

In addition to a separate counteroffensive force, Carknights were regularly patrolling to address graffiti on walls and littering.

They seemed to have come from a country where the capital city was well-maintained.

However, not every dungeon allows for a stroll in sandals like the capital. Without knowing this, it would not be beneficial for them, and above all, it’s not amusing to have the Liebe Great Forest underestimated.

Hovering above the players with Ominous-kun, I summoned Ubel there. They had already evacuated monsters from their surroundings.

Although they might have been able to see Ubel if they looked up, the Liebe Great Forest’s trees were densely packed in shallower areas. In an environment where sunlight barely reached, it would be difficult to notice a giant dragon covering the sky.

I instructed Ubel to slowly release [Plague Breath] from above.

“What? I took some damage.”

“Me too. Area attack? Where is it coming from?”

“Hey, my LP is decreasing bit by bit! Stats are also dropping! Some kind of status ailment!”

It was the status ailment [Plague]. Rare didn’t check in detail to avoid being noticed, but judging by their condition, it was certain that they were all under the effects of the Plague.

The [Plague] inflicts less continuous damage than poison, but instead, all stats decrease according to the severity. Without healing, it progresses over time, and once it reaches a certain severity, it spreads to the surrounding area.

“What is this [Plague]? No antidote potion seems to work!”

“When did we get hit? We didn’t bring any minor status ailment countermeasures!”

“Ugh! I’m already in a severe condition…! Why is the progression speed different…?”

“…I’m in a severe condition too. Maybe it progresses faster if VIT is low. But if it’s just the Plague, we won’t die immediately.”

“Alright! Ants are coming! Spiders too! Their threads—”

“I can’t tear them off!? I could earlier!”

“It’s because of the stat debuffs! If we leave it alone, it will progress and lower even more!”

As the stats decrease, VIT naturally decreases, and the progression speed of the ailment becomes faster.

While there wouldn’t be much impact if healed early, leaving it untreated results in a more serious condition than poison or venom. This is [Plague].

Currently, it’s one of the status ailments Rare wants to avoid the most. Poison and burns are the same, but the damage from these cannot be converted to MP with [Demon’s Armor].

However, the countermeasure itself is simple. For some reason, whether it was to simulate immunity or for another reason, once afflicted with the Plague and cured, you won’t get it again for a whole day.

But the enemies that induce the Plague are rare in the first place, and usually, countermeasures are not always prepared.

In NPC shops handling potions in general, there is usually no treatment for Plague or vaccines. They are only available in stores run by craftsmen who have mastered [Pharmacy] and directly sell the items, or in stores specializing in potions.

To heal, you need the appropriate treatment for the ailment. However, like poison, there aren’t many types available.

While preparing countermeasures in advance can completely prevent it, if not, it can be considered a surprise attack for first-timers.

These players, who came to the forest in a mood similar to taking a walk in the neighborhood with sandals, are helpless.

The frontline player, restrained by the threads of the Greater Tarantula, is being attacked by Beetle Warriors and Beetle Knights while immobilized.

For magic users severely affected by the Plague, it’s even more pitiful.

Due to the fear of infection when approaching, they are becoming targets for Sniper Ant sniper shots from a distance.

Sniper Ant, under Rare’s instructions, avoids aiming for vital points, making it look like a skilled sniper in a battlefield who shoots only the legs, causing them to collapse, and the next target is the enemy soldier who comes to help.

However, no one comes to help him. Besides a fellow player lying next to him in the same position, there are only players restrained by spider threads being bullied by giant stag beetles and rhinoceros beetles.

It’s not about satisfying sadistic tendencies or giving such instructions for harassment or revenge.

Calmly, Rare observed the players’ LP status with [True Sight].

“…The natural recovery speed seems slower than usual. It’s a slight difference, but it seems like the magic users are slower than the frontline ones. It’s safe to say that the natural recovery is affected by health status.”

Although the difference isn’t significant, in a situation where they are on the brink of offense and defense, this can be a significant help.

It was good that they were able to confirm the usefulness of the Plague at this point.

If she continues to unlock the [Evil Eyes] tree, eventually, she might be able to inflict Plague or venom with just a glance. It also indicates that there may be entities that use such attacks against them.

“I’ve got a rough idea, even if the specific numbers aren’t clear. That’s enough for now.”

The reason the frontline players couldn’t tear the spider threads wasn’t solely because of the Plague.

It was because the baton had been passed from Lesser Tarantula to Greater Tarantula.

If the goal was just to wipe them out in a similar situation, there was no need to call Ubel. Rare simply wanted to verify Plague Breath and LP natural recovery.

They intentionally lure weaker ants and spiders into the killing zone, immobilizing them with threads or tank-type beetles, and then have the sniper finish them off.

Currently, it’s the most cost-effective combat pattern in the Liebe Forest.

Although it’s the most efficient, it’s rarely used because there are not many visitors.

If overwhelming force is enough to crush them, all they have to do is command the graceful Megasyros flying through the sky.

For them, whether it’s a densely packed area of trees or not doesn’t matter. With their high STR and VIT, the trees in the shallow depths of the forest are like boiled broccoli to them – no obstacle at all.

“An increase in customers due to an event would probably make these guys approach their missions with more tension. Currently, it’s just a window-side department. There’s no city nearby, and there’s no chance of NPC mercenaries coming. Wild monster hordes don’t attack either. It’s probably the most peaceful area on the continent.”

Considering that, the angelic attacks were just right. They wouldn’t mind if the frequency was higher.

“Rare-chan, are you free now? I have a little request and also a consultation.”

It was from Lyra.

Certainly, she had just taken a break.

However, while the request is common, the mention of a consultation is unusual. In adult terms, a consultation is often just another way of expressing a request. What could it be?

“I’ve got some free time now. What do you need? Where are you at the moment?”

“I’m currently in Hugelcup, but I’ll come to you. The square we met last time is good. Please wait there.”