CHAPTER 49: FOREST LEECH.

Soon, Jayhan and Kara were roaming the viscous forest.

With the help of his map, getting there was not an issue.

The main issue was the monsters lurking within the trees and bushes.

It would be quite unfortunate to walk through the same path in the middle of the night.

Every corner felt as though there was an evil force just teasing, ready to pounce on them.

Jayhan wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if that happened.

"Hey, babe, are you sure you know where we are going? We’ve gone further into the forest. Getting back might be harder."

"Don’t worry, trust me, I know our way back."

Kara followed behind him, staring for a while.

Suddenly, she romped forward, making her way to his front while striding with her back so she could look at his face.

"You know, there is something I really want to try."

"You could trip over something if you keep walking like that."

Kara clapped her hands.

"Then make sure I don’t fall, then."

Like taking care of a child.

"Is this what you wanted to try?"

"What if we had sex, right now?"

Cough!

Jayhan coughed, gagging on his saliva.

Seeing this, Kara couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Finding himself back, he glared at her.

"Seriously?"

"I was joking."

Kara chortled even more.

"Besides, even if I wasn’t, it’s not exactly a bad idea."

Jayhan strode past her.

"When exactly does it get bad? When monsters find us, or when humans do?"

"They can watch, I don’t mind."

Kara followed beside him, trying to get to his front again.

Jayhan was about to respond to her comment when he suddenly got a system notification.

[You are currently being targeted.]

His eyes quickly darted left and right, trying to see if he could spot anything out of the ordinary.

The system didn’t give an exact detail on what was hunting him.

A monster bird? Could the attack be coming from the sky?

Or perhaps it’s a monster that could dig itself into the ground like a worm.

That would be terrifying, too.

Alas, the monster presented itself to them.

It was slow but menacing.

At first, all Jayhan saw was its hand lengthening out of the bushes.

Long and muscular, with pale grey skin resembling that of a walking corpse.

Its long claws were at least 5 inches long, capable of ripping a human to pieces with a single swing.

It didn’t take long before the monster revealed the rest of its body.

Sharp, razor-like teeth crowded its open mouth.

Although it had a humanoid appearance, its features were far from normal.

Spikes grew from its back, and fur covered nearly every inch of its body. It had four eyes, four arms, and a tail that dragged against the ground with every step.

At first, it seemed as though it was going to walk past them; that was until it stopped, not a single movement.

’Is this the monster that has been watching us?’

Jayhan thought to himself.

Both he and Kara were still, waiting to see what the monster would do next.

Kara already had her sword out, so she was more than ready to get into combat with the monster.

Ding!

[The monster, Forest Leech, has confirmed its target.]

’Shit.’

[You are currently using the Lord of Information.]

[Name: Forest Leech

Rank: A

Description: A lonely creature that never understood connection. A weak tyrant that loathes itself. The only way to shed its weakness is to eat and eat and eat.

Weakness: Loss of eyesight.]

’Loss of eyesight?’

Before Jayhan could think any further, the monster did something both he and Kara never anticipated.

A piercing shriek.

It was so loud that Jayhan had to close both ears to avoid going deaf.

The ground itself vibrated at a similar frequency, causing it to rumble.

Ding! Ding!

[Survival risks have reduced drastically.]

[The character Jayhan’s survival has drastically changed.]

Kara immediately picked up on something scampering through their position from the bushes.

While she wasn’t sure, she could still hear the multiple rustlings coming from deep in the leaves.

"Babe! We might have an issue on our hands."

"Stay alert."

Jayhan quickly summoned his dagger, taking a firm stance as he got ready to fight.

The Forest Leech was completely motionless, with not a single movement to be seen.

’That shriek? What did it call for? More of its type?’

Not even a second later, a lizard-type monster leaped out of the bushes, shooting straight at Jayhan.

Kara was quick to spot it, slashing her blade in the air to send a thunderbolt towards it.

Upon making contact, the lizard monster blew up into multiple chunks of meat, leaving a pool of green blood on the ground.

Not even a second after, another monster shot out behind Kara, its sharp teeth aimed at her head.

"Kara!"

Jayhan acted, grabbing her arm and pulling her closer.

Simultaneously, he moved his body forward, jabbing the lizard in the mouth with his dagger.

The lizard monster died fast and didn’t put up a fight.

[You have killed a Lizard monster.]

[You have gained 300 coins.]

"Are you alright?"

Jayhan inquired, his gaze firmly fixed on Kara.

And while she was about to respond to him, the circumstances that followed denied her the opportunity.

More and more lizard monsters began straggling out of hiding, evidently cornering the duo and blocking any escape route.

Finally, the Forest Leech began to move.

Its arm, prolonging in a way that disregarded physics, seized the two dead lizard monsters and pulled them closer to itself.

Once they were near enough, the Forest Leech used its brute strength to raise their bodies.

Terrifyingly, it broadened its mouth—wide enough to fit multiple humans at once.

And then, in the blink of an eye, the Forest Leech dropped them into its mouth, shutting its jaw with a resounding growl.

Jayhan and Kara watched with terror, wondering why the monster was eating one of its own.

Right then, another message played in front of Jayhan.

[The Forest Leech has devoured two living beings.]

[The Forest Leech has grown stronger.]