Atelier Tanaka

Book 5: Chapter 1 (7)

Dark Continent (1st)

I left the chocololi behind and was now flying through the air.

“Is this place serious!?”

There was a train of monsters tailing behind me, jumping across the top of the trees as well as flying in the sky.

After walking through the trees for a short while, I decided to take to the air. The entire time, whether on the ground or in the air, monsters would appear and attack me.

At first, it was only one at a time.

And, of course, I’d defeat them as they came.

The real problems began when the numbers of these creatures began to increase. Several of the monsters were strong enough to survive a hit from my fireball. Eventually, these numbers began piling up, causing me to be overwhelmed.

The constant sparks in the sky caused by my exploding fireballs attracted monsters from all across the forest. This just caused their number to snowball even further. It was now to the point where I had dozens of monsters with levels in the triple digits chasing me.

The ones following closest to me had stats like:

Calling the Dark Continent dangerous is an understatement.

There are so many homeless here too.

In addition to that, I’ve yet to see a monster with a level lower than 100. I was told that this wasn’t a place humans could survive, but I think now is the first time I’ve fully understood what that meant.

There was also a familiar character following behind me.

I can remember how strong the Red Dragons on Mount Pepe were, but here they are completely outclassed. That’s a common RPG theme where an impossible enemy early game becomes common near the middle. This information alone was enough to give me an idea of where the Dark Continent stood in the hierarchy of the world.

“…is there no end to them?”

What should I do?

There’s just too many. I can’t even afford to stop and look back at them. But, I’m not sure if the monsters will keep following me forever if I just keep flying.

I need to find a way to lose them.

“….”

Ah, that just might work.

An idea suddenly popped into my mind. No matter how many of them there are, this should be able to take them all out in one hit.

“Let’s do this….”

I focused on a single point in the ground ahead of me. I then poured all of my mana into that single one point and prepared to activate it just as I flew over it.

And what type of magic did I decide to use?

“Take this! Stonewall!”

A massive monolith erupted from the ground toward the sky. It was several hundred metres high and over a kilometre wide. Entire trees were sent flying like twigs and, naturally, the monsters following me smashed into the wall.

With them flying at such a high speed, they could do nothing to avoid the wall. I could hear the sounds of the monsters crashing into the stone and their pained screams, roars, and various other cries.

This all happened on the opposite side of the wall.

I couldn’t see the result, but the number of monsters chasing me was sharply reduced.

“…that worked out better than I thought.”

Simple yet effective.

The few that managed to avoid the wall were the smaller enemies that I was easily able to take out with a few fireballs. I doubt that killed them and I’m sure there will be more that come to investigate the massive wall, so I didn’t take time to appreciate my work and took off at full-speed through the sky.

In order to lose the monsters tailing me, I created a wall so massive I couldn’t see anything behind it. On my side of the wall, I could see a sparkling blue ocean on the horizon.

“Oh, it’s the sea.”

I think this is the first time I’ve seen it since coming here.

An amazing thought just popped into my mind.

Do swimsuits exist in this world?

I’d love to go swimming nude with Edita Sensei.

“…I don’t think I have any choice but to go.”

I’m curious to see this fantasy ocean.

A chance to worship a mermaid’s exposed chest.

I just hope there are no Sahagin around.

***

There was a village setup along the beach.

“…I’m surprised how active this place is.”

That being said, it isn’t a large village. It doesn’t compare to Tricklis or even Dragon City. It’s of a similar size to the village I fought the orcs in. Rather than calling this place a village or town, something like a forward operating base may be more appropriate.

Wooden buildings were more numerous than stone and the roads were not paved. Calling them roads may be a stretch as well; more like empty spaces between the buildings.

There was no indication that any thought had gone into planning out this village. Buildings had sprouted up as they were needed. A city planner’s nightmare.

Most villages in this world have fields of crops surrounding it, but this place was entirely absent of them. The people here must hunt as their primary source of food.

Despite the messy layout of the village, the roads were densely packed with people. The number of people on a given street was the only thing I’ve seen of this city that could rival the capital.

There was barely enough room to walk without bumping into someone. The streets were lined with market stalls selling everyday items as well as more rare findings.

I think the noble mage mentioned something about the few people that managed to form a life on the Dark Continent lived along the coast. It’s possible there are other settlements similar to this one.

“Maybe I can find something to eat here….”

After appreciating the sight of the bustling village, I decided to find something to eat.

I managed to enter the village without any issue.

Let’s find something delicious to eat and some good alcohol as well.

I walked around the streets for a while before being lured into a shop by the mouthwatering smells coming from it. I walked through the doors reminiscent of those of a saloon in a Western. The building was one of the few made out of brick.

“…”

I was greeted by a sea of muscles.

70% men, 30% women, 100% muscle. Even the women were macho. It was somewhat reminiscent of the adventurer’s guild in Kalis. No, there’s something different about the people here. They all have the same scary face.

Their ages varied widely from the young teens to the late sixties. Their weapons and equipment were all seasoned and I felt a tinge of envy in me when I thought about the basic traveler’s clothes I wore. The somewhat respectable leather gear I had bought was turned into ash on Mount Pepe.

“…excuse me, I’ll take whatever today’s special is.”

“Right away!”

I took a seat at the counter and ordered my food.

There were already people drinking in the middle of the day. With people drinking right next to me, I’ll want to drink myself. I’ll need to order something when he comes back.

“What’s this? A face I haven’t seen before.”

“…eh?”

“How long do you expect to last here with equipment like that?”

Some guy took the seat next to me.

He looked to be in his mid-teens and wore silver armour similar to the armour Allen wore when I first met him. He wore a red cloak that made him stand out among the crowd.

This similarity to Allen may have made me feel close to this man if it wasn’t for his good looks being on par with Allen. Allen has a certain masculinity to him, but this yarichin was slender and there was a certain look in his eyes that could be put to dangerous use on women.

“Aah, are you coming here to drown your sorrows after suffering defeat? If you made it out with your life, you should count your blessings and leave while you still can. This is the Dark Continent after all.”

This snobby dialogue suited him well.

His most notable characteristic was his hair. I don’t know if he dyes it or it’s natural, but his blonde hair hung loosely down to his shoulders. His entire look made me want to call him Pierre or something similar.

“You’re exactly right….”

I’ll just nod to move past the subject.

This is the character that appears in the tavern in order to give the protagonist useful information. Until my meal is delivered, I might as well make small talk.

“The Dark Continent is a dangerous place, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, that’s right. And if you’re able to understand that much without having lost your life, you must understand you only have one choice. You must leave this continent. Too many people have died here already.”

“Thanks for your concern.”

Is he a noble? Maybe a commoner?

It’s hard to tell in a place like this.

“I’m sorry, but can I ask your name?”

“You want to know my name?”

“Yes, unless that’s a problem….”

My name is Star the Elysium. Everyone calls me the Hero Star.”

He flipped back his bangs as he gave me his name.

Such a ridiculous act looked natural for him. Ikemen are crazy…. I’d like to be able to do that someday. The act of casually flipping back your bangs without worrying about the uncertain future your hair follicles possess.

I’ve eaten so much seaweed in the hopes of keeping my hair for a few months longer.

“Star-san, is it? What a nice name.”

He’s shining just like his name. He was clearly proud of his name.

As I was thinking about this, I overheard a woman calling out to Star.

“Oi, Star! You came all the way here and you’re not even going to say hello!? Or did you come here just to speak to that lizardman?”

“Looks like my friends are calling me. Sorry about that.”

“Eh? Oh, I don’t mind.”

“Then, excuse me.”

Pierre left and took a seat at his friend’s table.

It was a woman that was probably another adventurer.

She was a beautiful blond woman with a great body. Probably one of Star’s party members.

At the table were several other men and women, all of whom looked like seasoned adventurers. The men were all macho except for Pierre and the women were all beautiful.

The party looked like the main cast of an RPG.

So enviable.

Naturally, my eyes were drawn to the blonde woman’s H cup. The metal armour that covered her massive chest must have been custom made to accommodate them. The soft feeling that’s held behold that cold metal is a thing of dreams.

I want to massage them and taste her Western milk.

***