Chapter 57: Cherry Bomb  

After obtaining the root of the Tranquility Girl, Zunzun and his team weren't in a hurry to return.

Even though the remaining materials were relatively cheap, the four of them continued combing the forest in the noble spirit of thrift and frugality.

Eventually, they split up to cover more ground.

To craft a skill point potion, they needed something called a Mary Rose. The name sounded elegant, but it was actually just rosemary, a common herb used to purify potion efficacy and add a light fragrance.

According to his knowledge, it should be found in semi-shaded underbrush.

Zunzun searched carefully.

When he finally spotted a healthy rosemary sprig, his eyes lit up. He bent down to pick it—

Thwack!

A heavy object slammed into the back of his head.

"Ow!"

The surprise blow made Zunzun see stars. He staggered on his feet, dizzy and unbalanced.

If not for his divine-level body and superior defense, he might've been knocked out cold.

Clutching his aching skull, he scanned the forest warily.

No movement. No scent of monsters. The ground was undisturbed—no thrown rocks, no footprints, nothing.

A prank?

Members of the Crimson Demon Clan often learned light-refraction magic, which created a visual barrier a few meters wide, making the caster invisible within. But that magic was usually reserved for dramatic entrances, not sneak attacks.

And with the Crimson Demon temperament? If one of them had pulled this off, they'd have already jumped out yelling catchphrases.

So…

Illusion?

Just kidding.

This was the Red Demon Forest. Being careless here could get you eaten and leave not even a toenail behind.

Zunzun kept up the act of cluelessness on the outside, but his senses sharpened as he bent down again for the rosemary.

Thwack!

"You mother—!"

He jerked around fast.

Nothing.

Just birds chirping innocently in the quiet woods.

Was it really light-refraction magic?

No—he'd turned around too fast. Anyone nearby would've been caught.

Megumin? Could she have followed him out in secret to get revenge for not taking her along?

His mind spun with wild possibilities.

Then, before he could reach any conclusions—

Thwack!

Another smack to the back of the head.

Zunzun exploded. "Are you done yet!? That hurts, you know! Do you guys even understand what it means to mess with a Crimson Demon?! If you've got the guts, come out and fight me face-to-fa—"

Then he saw it.

Cherries.

Floating.

In the. Freaking. Air.

Two of them. Connected by their stems. About five centimeters in diameter.

Glowing like polished glass. Glossy, heart-shaped, glistening with dewdrops. So big, so red, so… delicious.

But.

Flying.

Even if Zunzun died, got nailed into a coffin, and rotted into dust, his ghost would still crawl out and scream:

"GODDESS! THERE'S A BUG IN THE FARMING SYSTEM!"

The two cherries bumped into each other with a metallic clink, like a child's bell-like laughter.

"…Was it you?" Zunzun narrowed his eyes. "Were you the ones who hit me?"

These cherries weren't normal. He could tell just from how they concealed their presence.

Rare ingredients, and high-grade too.

"I don't have time to play with you. Shoo!"

Naturally, they ignored him.

Thwack!

They vanished—then instantly reappeared behind him and smacked his head again.

"You little...!"

Zunzun spun. Nothing there.

Then—another hit. Another turn. Another whack.

They were too fast. No matter how he turned, they always got behind him.

They didn't hide—they just moved faster than he could react.

Getting clowned by fruit?!

Zunzun refused to let himself be outmaneuvered by high-speed produce.

He suddenly sprinted forward without warning.

With the corner of his eye, he saw the cherries pause—then rush to catch up. Just before they struck again, they ducked low behind him.

Gotcha.

Now that they'd revealed their presence, he could finally sense their magical signatures. Zunzun dodged the strike, then spun on a dime and delivered a full-force punch—

Wham!

Direct hit!

Zunzun's smirk lasted 0.3 seconds.

Then he curled up, clutching his fist.

"IT HURTS SO BAD!!!"

His knuckles throbbed. It felt like he'd punched a slab of refined adamantite.

Was that really a cherry? He could flatten a mid-level demon with a single blow—but this?

The cherries clinked against each other again, a crystal-clear ding! like they were laughing at him.

"Tch… smartasses."

Zunzun gritted his teeth. He couldn't beat them.

Could he trap them? Trick them?

But now that they knew he couldn't hurt them, the cherries grew bolder—flying faster, striking more frequently.

Zunzun was so focused on dodging that he missed the uneven ground—

—and tumbled face-first into a shallow pit.

Above, ding! ding! echoed in the air, full of mocking glee.

Zunzun's cheeks flushed red like a tomato. His ears rang with imagined sirens.

"There has to be a way to make them suffer too…"

He resisted the urge to pull out his adventurer card and learn magic on the spot.

His hand brushed against something in his coat.

A stick-shaped object.

His eyes lit up.

Lying still in the pit, he played dead.

The cherries paused midair. Then, concerned? curious? they floated closer to Zunzun, heads tilted, checking if he had fainted.

Just as they hovered close—

Zunzun sprang up, grabbed a fistful of mud, and flung it at them.

Then he yanked the stick from his coat—the root of the Tranquility Girl—and smashed it down on them with all his might!

Though the Tranquility Girl's human form was delicate, its roots were part of a high-level plant monster—sturdy, fibrous, and hard as enchanted lumber.

The cherries were slammed into the ground.

Covered in mud.

Zunzun pointed at them and burst into triumphant laughter.

"How's that feel, huh!? Who's laughing now!?"

The offense and defense have switched, brother.

However…

The cherries twitched.

Then began to grow.

They swelled rapidly—deep red turned to ominous purple. Magic power surged toward their center.

Warning. Warning.

Zunzun's instincts screamed.

Wait a minute—

The cherries vibrated.

Then—

BOOM!!!

An earth-shaking explosion rocked the forest.

And Zunzun's terrible premonition came true.

-End Chapter-

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