Chapter 56: Volcano’s guidance..
"Ittero Nesro ka getoko ne Ota!"
(I say we go that way!)
"Netero! Ittero Nesro ka getoko ne Ota!"
(No! I say we go that way!)
Several Magnari argued among themselves, each pointing toward a different direction as they desperately tried to determine which path would lead them away from the settlement and the predators now roaming throughout the forest. Their voices came out strained and almost hissed beneath the constant roars and guttural groans echoing between the trees, their heightened senses warning them that danger could be lurking behind any patch of foliage.
Yet none of them knew which direction was safe.
They had never been forced to navigate a situation like this before. Their knowledge of the surrounding forest was limited, their tracking abilities were still primitive, and the terror clouding their minds made it even harder to think clearly. Every direction looked the same beneath the dense canopy, while every distant roar seemed capable of coming from anywhere.
Eventually, one of the Magnari seemed to lose patience.
"Keleto! Ektoto na wasto!"
(Stupid! This is a waste!)
He spat the words before turning away from the others and heading toward the path he had chosen.
He had barely taken a single step when..
CRAAACK!
A massive tree suddenly groaned above him.
The Magnari’s ears shot upright.
Before he could even understand what was happening, the enormous tree tilted violently and crashed across the path directly in front of him.
BOOM!
The impact shook the ground beneath his feet.
He immediately stumbled backward, his heart hammering against his ribs as he stared at the fallen tree in disbelief.
"..."
For several seconds, everyone were stiffened, scared where they stood.
There had been no storm neither any powerful wind.
Nothing that could have caused such a massive tree to suddenly fall.
The Magnari cautiously looked upward before scanning the surrounding forest, but there was nothing instead of trees and endless silence that was immediately disturbed.
"ROOOOOAAARRR!"
A horrifying roar erupted from somewhere behind them.
The remaining Magnari flinched violently.
Their heads snapped toward the direction of the settlement, and whatever small amount of courage they had managed to gather immediately began evaporating.
"Negroooo!"
(Run!)
Nobody needed to explain what that meant.
They scattered.
The path blocked by the fallen tree was no longer an option, forcing them toward another route that none of them had previously considered. They stumbled through the undergrowth, occasionally looking back as the sounds of predators drew closer before another muffled explosion suddenly erupted several dozen steps ahead.
BOOOOM!
The Magnari froze.
A cloud of dust and loose soil burst upward from the forest floor, startling a flock of birds from the canopy.
"What...?"
The Magnari closest to the disturbance slowly lowered his body, his eyes widening as he stared toward the smoking patch of earth.
Another Magnari cautiously stepped beside him.
Neither understood what they were seeing.
After all, there weren’t anything visible that could create an explosion.
"Whattaro keterono?"
(Wh-What’s happening?)
A Magnari yelled,his voice trembled.
However, Nobody had any answer.
They simply stared at the forest ahead.
Then one of them slowly turned his head toward the direction they had originally intended to travel.
A distant roar echoed from that side.
The Magnari’s pupils contracted.
He looked back toward the fallen tree.
Then toward the unexplained explosion.
Then toward the path that remained open between them,he slowly, with a shaky hand pointed toward that direction.
"Ittero..."
(That way...)
The others stared at him.
He swallowed nervously before repeating himself.
"Ittero Nesro."
(We go that way.)
No one disagreed this time. The Magnari simply followed the one who had pointed toward the remaining path, their earlier argument forgotten beneath the much more immediate desire to put as much distance between themselves and the settlement as possible.
****
[5 Faith Points have been consumed.]
[5 Faith Points have been consumed.]
[5 Faith Points have been consumed.]
"That should do..."
Volcano muttered with a faintly satisfied hum, though his attention never once left the forest below. Unlike the Magnari, who could only perceive whatever happened to fall within their immediate surroundings, his divine consciousness allowed him to observe a far greater portion of Volcan at once.
The forest that seemed like an endless and confusing wilderness to the fleeing Magnari had gradually become something entirely different to him; through the countless traces of life scattered throughout it, Volcano could roughly determine where the predators were, which territories they had occupied, and more importantly, which paths the Magnari could travel without immediately stumbling into another disaster.
The Butterfly Effect wasn’t powerful.
That much had become obvious almost immediately.
It couldn’t simply point toward a destination and force the Magnari to walk there, nor could Volcano directly interfere with their minds and make them understand what he wanted. Even the disturbances themselves had to remain within what could naturally occur.
But that didn’t mean it was useless.
It simply meant that he had to do the thinking himself.
"The path they’re heading toward has an isolated cave ahead..."
Volcano’s consciousness travelled along the route the Magnari were taking, carefully examining the surroundings. The cave itself wasn’t particularly impressive, but it was secluded enough to provide them with temporary shelter, and more importantly, there were no dangerous predators anywhere nearby.
"It’s a good spot."
He continued examining the area before his expression gradually changed.
"...Although there isn’t much food around there."
That was going to become a problem.
The Magnari could hide inside the cave for some time, but eventually hunger would force them outside again. Once that happened, there was no guarantee that the same area would remain safe. The predators displaced by Gre Ka Go’s expansion were already moving throughout the surrounding forest, and their territories would continue changing as they searched for new hunting grounds.
"Another migration will probably happen sooner or later..."
Volcano sighed inwardly.
"But at least they’re safe for now."
He deliberately kept his thoughts from dwelling on what would happen afterward. There was already enough happening in front of him without worrying about problems that hadn’t arrived yet. Right now, the important thing was keeping these Magnari alive, and with that in mind, Volcano expanded his divine consciousness farther across the forest.
Then his expression stiffened.
"...Ah."
Another group.
The Magnari were moving through a considerably narrower section of the forest, their direction taking them dangerously close to the territory of a High-Tier Predator. Volcano immediately began examining the surrounding area, hoping to find something that could be used to redirect them.
However,unlike the previous group, these Magnari had nowhere nearby that could simply serve as a temporary refuge. Worse, the predator wasn’t far enough away for him to simply ignore it and hope they somehow passed without being noticed.
"...This one’s troublesome."
Volcano observed the group for several seconds.
If he could descend, this would have been easy.
He could have simply appeared before them, guided them away, or even dealt with the predator himself if necessary. Unfortunately, his Avatar Descent was still on cooldown, and the Butterfly Effect didn’t give him the luxury of solving problems through brute force.
So...he did what he could given the Situation.
Volcano slowly traced the terrain surrounding the Magnari, examining every possible route.
"Let’s see..."
His consciousness moved from the narrow path ahead toward the east, then farther beyond it.
"If I can get them through here first..."
His eyes followed the natural formation of the forest.
"...then I can have them turn east."
But how?
He couldn’t simply make them turn.
They would need a reason to do so.
Volcano continued staring at the terrain while the Magnari unknowingly moved closer and closer toward the predator’s territory.
"There has to be something..."
His consciousness swept through the surrounding forest once more until he noticed a narrow passage and a large tree growing directly beside it.
The tree looked old, its roots already exposed slightly above the soil. It wouldn’t take much for it to fall. A particularly strong gust of wind, perhaps some animal crashing into it, or even the gradual erosion of the soil beneath its roots could be enough.
Volcano’s eyes narrowed.
"...If that falls..."
He followed the possible route in his mind.
"The Magnari would be forced to stop and they’d have to choose another path."
And if he could then create another small disturbance toward the east...
"Yeah."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"That might work."
He didn’t need to create anything.That was the important part.
The tree was already there.
The weakened roots were already there.
The wind was already moving through the forest.
All Volcano needed to do was push one of those existing possibilities ever so slightly.
His divine consciousness descended upon the surrounding natural order.
[Butterfly Effect activated.]
[5 Faith Points have been consumed.]
Nothing spectacular happened.
The wind merely shifted.
The leaves rustled a little more violently than they had moments ago, and a small amount of loose soil slipped away from beneath the tree’s exposed roots.
Volcano’s attention immediately sharpened.
The tree trembled but it wasn’t enough to knock it down.
He waited.
Another gust passed through the canopy.
The Magnari continued walking.
"Come on..." Volcano muttered in anticipation.
The roots shifted again as a faint crack travelled through the trunk.
The Magnari suddenly stopped.
Volcano’s expression brightened.
"That’s it."
CRAAACK!
The old tree finally gave way, crashing across the narrow path with enough force to make the surrounding ground tremble.
The Magnari recoiled in alarm.
Volcano didn’t hesitate.
His consciousness immediately shifted toward the eastern side, searching for something else that could naturally attract their attention.
He found a flock of small reptilian like birds resting among the branches.
That would do.
A tiny disturbance passed through the air.
The birds suddenly scattered from the trees, flying toward the east.
One of the Magnari noticed them.
His head turned.
He stared at the flock for several seconds before looking toward the fallen tree blocking their original path.
Then toward the direction the birds had taken.
Volcano watched him carefully.
"Come on...get the gist of it!! "
The Magnari hesitated.
Another Magnari stepped closer, seemingly trying to understand what had caught his attention.
The first one finally pointed toward the east.
"Ittero..."
(That way...)
Another Magnari followed his finger.
Volcano’s eyes gradually widened as the group began moving in the direction he had intended.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Haaah!!...It finally worked."
He leaned back slightly, watching the Magnari disappear farther into the forest.
His gaze shifted toward the High-Tier Predator whose territory the Magnari had narrowly avoided.
If he hadn’t intervened, they would have walked straight into it.
"So that’s how this thing is supposed to be used."
Volcano rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
The realization made the Common-grade Authority seem considerably less ordinary than it had appeared inside the System Store.
A direct miracle could save someone once.
But if he learned how to properly manipulate these tiny coincidences...
He could potentially influence countless lives without ever descending into the world.
The thought had barely formed when his divine consciousness caught sight of another group of Magnari following by many other small ones.
"Hmm...what a drag. It seems I’ll have to save them one at a time"
His divine consciousness once again spread across the forest.
And this time..he began looking for the next lost group.