Chasing after Mira, I headed west and east.
　I have now come to the magical land called the Forest of No Return.

　Many explorers challenge this forest because they can obtain a variety of valuable materials that cannot be obtained elsewhere.
　However, due to the dangerous demons that live here and the unique nature of this forest that disrupts one's sense of direction, many of them never return.
　That's why it was given such a mysterious name.

''Don't tell me it's in that forest this time...?

　Just by looking at it from a distance, I could immediately see that the entire forest was covered in a dense magical power.
　It's called a dungeon, how much does my sister love the danger zone?

　After canvassing the town closest to the forest, I obtained several testimonies of having seen someone who looked very similar to Mira.
　And one of them included that she had headed into the forest.

'I stopped her, of course. Why didn't you ask?

　I wish I could have found Mira in the town, but I still couldn't.
　I quickly headed into the forest.

　There was an open area near the entrance to the forest, where several tents were lined up.
　Apparently, this is the base camp for those who challenge this forest.
　There are also street vendors selling potions and armor.

　When I was about to enter the forest alone, I was approached by a group of four men and women.

Hey, you. You are not going to enter this forest alone?
Yeah, but,

　They nodded and they all started laughing in unison.

''C'mon, you don't know how dangerous this forest is, do you?
"I'm throwing away my life trying to get into these woods solo.
What do you mean? You don't even have your armor on.
You're not suicidal by any chance, are you?

　He seems to be worried about me, albeit in a somewhat ridiculous tone.

''It's okay. This much is no different than a walk on the plains.''

　It reminds me of the Great Plains of Batuda, where the behemoths were.
　That place was also known as a demonic land, but it wasn't that difficult to get to.
　The topographical difficulty would increase as it was a forest, but the strength of the demons wouldn't be much different considering the density of magic power.

　They huddled their faces together and began to whisper.

''I heard that........maybe you're an amazingly powerful person?''
I don't think so.
I mean you look weak by all accounts.
Why don't you check it out just to be sure?

　When the meeting was over, they resumed their posture.

What do you do by the way?
Unemployed.
""What?"

　There was no more time for useless exchanges.
　I turned my back on them in a daze and stepped into the forest.

''Wait a minute!　Seriously, I'm unemployed!
The first demon will kill you!
I mean, he's not there!
'What?　Where did you go...?

　He tried to follow, but I'd already gone a few dozen yards by then, and he seemed to have lost me.

'But then again, there are so many trees it's hard to go on.

"I'm making progress, cutting down the trees and grasses in front of me with the Divine Sky Slayer, but it's piling up underneath my feet and I can't walk very easily in the end.

Shall we burn it?

　I decided that it would be more efficient to walk around if I burned it with magic.

'Inferno.'

　Gooooooooooooooooooooooo!

　Tremendous flames erupted and the trees ahead of us instantly turned to ash.
　Okay, this is easier to walk on.

'Rainburst.'

　To avoid the fire from spreading, we'll make it rain so that the fire is completely extinguished.
　It's not like my goal is to destroy this forest.

　And so, I proceeded to go deeper into the forest.

"Gaaaaaaaah!

　Sometimes they would scream, but that was because there were tree-type demons, such as torrents, in their path.

　There are many beast-type demons in the forest, but they don't attack us at all.
　It's probably because they were afraid of the flames and ran away.

　I don't know where Mira is, but for now, let's head straight for the center of the forest.


　　　◇ ◇ ◇


What the hell kind of speed is that thing?
I think you're actually quite good at this, don't you?
So you're lying about being unemployed?
Either way, why don't you just let it go!

　They followed the mysterious young man into the forest and lost sight of the young man.

　They were adventurers.
　Their age was around twenty years old.
　They were still a fledgling group, but they had just arrived a few days ago to take on this forest known as the Devil's Landing when they were promoted to the B rank.

　A few days before that, their confidence, which had been brimming with confidence due to the fact that things had been going so well up until then, had been shattered.
　Our elated first attack had been a stark reminder of the horror of this forest.

　The dense trees made it difficult to move, and more importantly, it was a tricky field that would distract you from your sense of direction.
　It's a nasty field that makes it difficult to move in, and more importantly, it's a nasty place to lose your sense of direction.
　You'll also have to deal with the grotesque insect-type monsters, which will attack you from the trees.
　The grotesque insect-type demons were very distracting, especially to the women.

　Even so, the pride of being a B-ranked adventurer didn't allow them to give up the challenge.
　And after reflecting on the past, they were about to try again, this time with renewed determination, when they encountered a young man who was about to enter this forest by himself.

'Whoa, that's hot?'

　Suddenly, a fierce hot wind blew in from ahead.
　Sweat gushed out from all over my body from the scorching heat, as if the sun had just fallen on me.

''Oh, hey........what is this.......?
The tree....

　What they saw was a scene of a changed forest.
　The trees that should have been there had completely burned out, creating a path about three meters wide.

''What happened...?''
Look, look, there's...

　One of his companions pointed ahead.
　The path of burn marks led for a hundred meters, and beyond that was the back of that young man.

　Then they witnessed.

'Inferno.'

　Gooooooooooooooooooooooo!

　The sight of that young man burning down the trees of the forest in an instant.

''Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!''