I Became a 6★ Gacha Character-Chapter 540: Tree Maze 5

Our group advanced steadily, turning mana-enhanced club-wielding goblins and wolves with mana-reinforced fangs and jaws into substantial mana stones. It was peaceful enough to engage in casual chatter—unless some gimmick activated, there seemed to be no major danger.

"Have those two found anything yet?"

"Looking at how obediently they're following us, I don't think so."

Meanwhile, Grace vigorously rubbed the head of the shadow fang tiger, which was flapping its ears without a hint of tension. Watching this, Irene smiled broadly and pulled a piece of jerky from her pocket to toss to it.

This was because our "That Long One" fang tiger had proven surprisingly useful against the goblins, which had only gained increased stats with no other enhancements.

When excited goblins rushed at us, the tiger broke their ankles with gentle paw strikes from within the shadows, making the fight completely effortless. Grace was happy, feeling like a hunter with a hunting dog, and Han Se-ah was happy because donations exploded every time the shadow fang tiger took down a goblin.

"We've walked quite a distance, but there's no safe zone in sight."

"You're right. At this rate, we might have to spend a night without a safe zone."

"Good thing we bought that stealth tent. It was expensive, but worth the money."

As our uneventful exploration continued, a subtle tension gradually seeped into our conversation. Despite our thorough preparations on the 61st floor, all we'd encountered on the 62nd were trivial monsters like goblins and kobolds.

Moreover, we still hadn't discovered a safe zone, which we should have found at least a couple of times by now as we trudged along the forest path. Even the viewers, who'd been chattering endlessly, started raising alarms that something seemed off.

Grace, who had returned to the main group several times to report monster appearances, now silently but intensely drew upon her mana to survey the surroundings. Meanwhile, Han Se-ah, like someone with OCD, repeatedly checked everything from the minimap to the quest window, searching for something she might have missed.

"Let's set up here. If we move that log, we should be able to pitch the tent properly."

"Any particular reason you chose this spot?"

"The small clearings seem to attract goblins and such coming and going. I think it's better if we create our own space."

But it wasn't like a missing gimmick would suddenly pop up. Time passed without any noteworthy discoveries, and we found ourselves looking for a place to pitch our tent.

Though everyone in our party was a superhuman capable of handling mana, allowing us to force-march until we found a safe zone... it would be unfair to Irene who had the least stamina, and Han Se-ah needed to wrap up her broadcast. We had no choice.

There was nothing particularly interesting happening and no quests to pursue—no need to waste energy on a random safe zone speedrun.

"I understand we'll be safe in this tent, but what about food?"

"I've prepared some sandwiches in my inventory—let's have those for a light meal. We can make a fire tomorrow morning when we leave and have a hearty breakfast then."

"That sounds good. Even if the tent conceals our presence, who knows what might come around if they smell our food."

We created a small clearing by carving out tree trunks and pushing away fallen trees—unfortunately missing out on Irene's warm cooking touch. The space was barely large enough to fit a tent for five, hardly deserving to be called a clearing, but that meant monsters would have no reason to come by without purpose.

If the tent properly concealed us, we'd just look like a pile of fallen logs.

※

A cool morning began without the warm aroma that usually tickled the nose and warmed the heart. The air was inevitably chilly in this deep forest where sunlight couldn't penetrate, and without a campfire or soup, it felt disheartening.

Maybe this was what it meant to be captured by the stomach first. With such thoughts, I stretched my stiff body, glanced outside the tent, and met Grace's eyes.

"Good morning. Biscuit or jerky?"

"Wasn't Irene supposed to cook breakfast?"

"Since dinner was sparse, we're just chewing on something while waiting."

True to her role as the guide, had she woken up early to scout the tent's surroundings? Grace sat on one of the logs we'd pushed over yesterday, extending a pouch in my direction, behaving as if there was no danger whatsoever.

As she said, a few sandwiches had been woefully inadequate for my muscular frame, so I accepted the pouch without complaint.

Instead of a musty mold smell, the aroma of pepper tickled my nose, accompanied by the subtle scent of butter wafting through. Thanks to Han Se-ah, the modern food now available in the market was impressively far from the cheap medieval fantasy fare—it was truly delightful.

"Roland? Do you have room for breakfast?"

"Of course, Irene. Consider my size."

I sat on the log, chewing jerky methodically, while Grace slowly nibbled on a biscuit. Katie and Irene were the next to wake up.

From everyone's movements, it seemed Han Se-ah had connected first, but she emerged last—probably doing broadcast preparations. If only a bit more sunlight filtered through, this could have passed for a relaxing healing camp with beautiful women in a lovely forest.

The peaceful daily routine unfolded as Irene, reassured by Grace's securing of the surroundings, began cooking a stew-like soup with Han Se-ah, while Katie sat beside me, accepting a biscuit. Everything was peaceful—until the shadow fang tiger brought something.

"Oh my, what's this?"

"What is that?"

The fang tiger, despite its vicious fangs, had developed a taste for honey and shifted toward herbivory despite being an omnivore. While I was eating jerky, this creature—now nicknamed "Vegan Tiger" by some—crept up to Irene, rubbing its head against her as if showing affection.

Naturally, its goal wasn't a beautiful woman's touch, but rather the meat chunks she was putting into the soup. That wouldn't have been a problem, except the creature had brought something in exchange for meat, causing a commotion.

Apparently, it had observed our bartering with the forest fairies and learned about trade by watching. So while we slept, it had roamed the night forest and brought back something that looked valuable.

"...Hey, where did you get this? Where did you bring this from?!"

-LOL I'm startled! Why the sudden panic? LOLOLOLOL

-This reminds me of the dog that had to go to the hospital after swallowing pantyhose

-But seriously, bringing something in the morning makes it no different from a dog, right? LOLOLOLOL

-No no, big cats also bring mice, snakes, or cockroaches to their can opener humans, don't slander them

-So what's in its mouth that's causing this uproar? Hurry up and explain instead of farming donations

The tiger approached with its head and tail held high proudly, as if having accomplished something. When Irene petted it and asked what it had brought, it dropped something with a "pft." A seed the size of a human fist rolled across the floor, falling from the fang tiger's mouth, which looked uncomfortable even to close properly due to its forearm-sized fangs.

While Irene examined it from various angles, noting it was too large to be a plant seed and too black to be a fruit, Han Se-ah's face turned ashen.

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

[In the deepest forest where the forest master rages and the secret terror stirs]

[The seed that should belong to the forest has been stolen by intruders]

[Righteous retribution upon the brazen intruders, proper punishment for the contemptible thieves!]

Kruh, krung, kurrrrhurhurhung---!!!

Just as Han Se-ah displayed the updated quest window in response to viewers' urgings, a spine-chilling roar thundered from the far reaches of the forest.

I don't know what this seed is, but it seems to have triggered something properly.

Enjoy the chappy!