Main Character Hides His Strength

ny sign of civilization.
He had seen several cities, but they were all in a ruined state by the rampage of the Colossi.
There was no reason for him to enter the ruined homes infested with bandits seeing as all the law-abiding citizens had fled.
It wasn’t all that bad sleeping in a sleeping bag, but not being able to eat a decent meal was hurting him.

‘Now that I think about it, food by that elf bastard, Paparupa, was the last decent meal I’ve eaten.’

There was nothing but wasteland left as refugees emptied all of the fields as they fled.
These weren’t ideal conditions to cook.
More than anything, he needed some time to recharge.

“Now, let’s see.’

Sungchul sat on a tree stump and began to recollect where regions of civilization might be.
He realized that Fly was a great magic that allowed him to look down upon where he stopped in order to check how far along he had come as it would be much easier to get a sense of where he was from a high vantage point.
The visibility would be low as dusk had long since set, but as the sun was still setting in the west, Sungchul believed that he would be able to discern signs of human civilization without much difficulty.

He noticed that a thick forest was positioned toward the side of the Ruteginean road that stretched on toward the east.
Sungchul who saw the forest recalled a part of his past that he didn’t wish to remember.

‘Mm… It just had to be near that forest.’

Sungchul had an ill-fated relationship with that specific forest.

“Wouldn’t that forest be filled with the ‘ingredients’ that you love so much?’

Bertelgia who flew up beside Sungchul a bit late discovered the forest and made a suggestion.
Sungchul roughly grabbed Bertelgia and descended while shaking his head.

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“Don’t go to a forest like that.”

“Why?”

“There’s someone who’s not so nice over living over there.”

“Who? Worse than the bastard, Emperor?”

“Stop calling him a bastard.”

“Then who lives there? Old Lady Homunculus?”

“Don’t you know that the forest is called?

As he asked, they both landed on the ground.
Bertelgia asked questions.

“What do they call it?”

Sungchul spoke with discomfort.

“The Haunted Forest.”

A fearsome witch lived in that place.
A witch that had a fateful meeting with Sungchul.
That witch had placed a certain curse onto Sungchul and it boldly occupied a place within his Status Window.

[Curse]

An ordinary curse by Witch Adelwight of the Haunted Forest (Strength -5 / Erectile Dysfunction)

He let out a shallow sigh after having seen the age-old curse appear on his Status Screen after so long.
At the same time in a certain place of the forest, a woman wearing a hat with a pointed brim let out a strange laughter as she peered into a crystal ball.
The image of Sungchul high in the sky observing the area below was perfectly captured within it.
A faint smile formed at the mouth of the woman after having confirmed the person’s identity.

“Oh, my.
Look who it is?”

The witch’s eyes shined bright.

*

“Adelwight? Hm.
That’s not a very witch-like name.”

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Appetite was more fearsome than fear itself.
Sungchul was now entering the edge of the Haunted Forest with Bertelgia.
He was planning on obtaining some ingredients for a brief moment before leaving, but Sungchul knew full well that the Witch of the Forest was not someone to underestimate.
He spoke to Bertelgia with something akin to a warning.

“She’s a crazy woman that even the infamous Ruteginea gave up on.
She’s a very dangerous person.”

Adelwight, the Witch of the Forest, was not a very well-known figure.
While some might know the Governor Hornekco the Merchant King who took up the final seat of the 13 Continental Champions, people who knew the name of Adelwight were few in between.
However those that looked into her even a little bit would not be able to keep from being appalled as her name is even listed clearly on the oldest record that exists today.
Of course, there was no one that believed that Adelwight that lived today was the same as the Adelwight recorded 2000 years ago as it wasn’t uncommon for witches to inherit names of another witch, but even still, that still didn’t mean the current Adelwight was someone to take lightly.

She held the entire forest with her incomprehensible magic and the power of her fearsome curses that kept her enemies from daring to even think about opposing her.
There was a clear record even to this day of a Ruteginean lord who tried to claim the Haunted Forest and ended up pitifully whittling away as a eunuch.

“Anyways, it’s better to be quiet from this point.
That woman’s ears are very sharp.”

However, his words didn’t have much persuasive power as it came from a man with 3 Faerie Light dangling conspicuously from his back.
Bertelgia replied half-heartedly.

“Right.”

Ingredients that Sungchul was looking for were everywhere Sungchul looked within this forest surrounded in darkness.
Sungchul discovered a stream of fresh water with crawfish and minnows along with mushrooms under some leaves.
Sungchul wandered around a bit more to discover a King Mountain Chicken.
These were all but extinct in all areas where men have tread upon due to their large size and outstanding flavor, but they boldly acted as a boss in dangerous areas such as areas surrounding the Summoning Palace or the Haunted Forest.

“Bawk bawk!”

Sungchul easily captured the chicken who had unfurled its wings and dancing about threateningly and got his hands on a few of its eggs.
Sungchul pulled out one of the warm eggs and emptied it into his mouth and relished its crisp flavor.

“Uwek.
You eat that raw?”

Bertelgia looked disgusted once again.
On the other hand, Sungchul was glad to have stopped by the Haunted Forest and was planning on leaving as he had only stopped by to acquire ingredients, not cook.
The Witch of the Forest was an immensely dangerous person and it would do him no good to be spotted.

Sungchul who was in a hurry to leave the forest ended up being caught by the eyes of the witch.
The culprits were the Faerie Lights he enjoyed so much as the 3 orbs of light spinning wildly were easy targets.

“Just where are you going so sneakily like a thieving cat?”

A witch on a broom quickly crossed by Sungchul like the wind before landing lightly on a tree branch high above to look down upon him.

“If you’re here after so long, you should stop by our home.”

Adelwight, the Witch of the Forest, had appeared.
Two small shadows followed behind her.

“Uwah.
It is the great Commander in Chief, it is!”

“It has been a while.
It has!”

They were similar in size to the Homunculus, but these two had an unmistakably cute and lovable appearance that were incomparable.
Actual fairies appeared.