"What the hell do you think you're doing, Galen?"

The sudden voice made all of us turn towards the guild entrance. There, three young girls were watching us, approaching quickly with short steps. One of them had dark skin and brown hair, wearing armor that, despite covering her body, still revealed some of her skin. By her side, there was a fair-skinned girl with golden-brown hair, her eyes shining in a deep ocean blue, and a bow resting on her back. The last girl had blue hair that reached her shoulders.

Her eyes, just like her hair, had a shade of ocean blue. In her hand, she held a staff, which seemed to be used for casting spells. This was the first time I had seen someone using a staff. Of the three girls, the one with the staff seemed to be the smallest in stature, as well as in other features. As I analyzed the three of them, the dark-skinned girl reached us and fixed her reproachful gaze on Galen, the name I found out he went by.

"You know it's wrong to blame others for not being able to gather many plants, right? Besides, from what I heard, his friend has a status-checking ability"

The woman uttered these words while directing her gaze at Fujiwara, who was watching us with an amused expression on his face. However, I was surprised to realize that she had overheard my conversation with Flora, even though she wasn't present at the time. Initially, I thought the man might start a fight with the woman, but he actually seemed remorseful about his actions. With a look of regret on his face, he turned to face the woman and said.

"Right... you're right, Adya. I'm sorry about that. It's just that lately, we haven't been finding many well-paid missions around here, so money isn't flowing easily. When I heard that this boy got a bonus, I got angry"

Galen apologized to the dark-skinned woman, whom I heard being called Adya. Upon hearing Galen's words, Adya smiled understandingly and continued the conversation.

"You know you shouldn't apologize to me"

Adya said, emphasizing the importance of directing his apologies to someone else. Upon hearing Adya's words, Galen turned to me and, in a gesture of humility, slightly lowered his head while closing his eyes.

"Please, forgive me for scaring you"

Galen sincerely apologized. Upon hearing his words, I momentarily didn't know how to react, as I was initially prepared to kick him out of the guild, as I did before. Moreover, he didn't actually scare me, so I see no reason for him to apologize.

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"I really don't mind"

Upon hearing my words, Galen displayed a friendly smile on his face before returning to his table. As I watched him, Adya's voice caught my attention again.

"Please, forgive him for that. He's not really a bad person. His daughter is a bit fragile, and her medicines are expensive. While he usually has no trouble with that, something strange has been happening in the forest lately, resulting in smaller rewards"

Upon hearing Adya's words, an unpleasant feeling came over me. Although her words seemed to have no apparent meaning, for some reason, I sensed something in what she said. With suspicion in my mind, I redirected my attention to Adya and asked her a question.

"How many days exactly are we talking about?"

Upon hearing my words, Adya's expression momentarily turned surprised.

"Ah, well... I think it was like two or three days ago, I'm not very good with dates"

Adya said, looking embarrassed, but soon her words were confirmed by the girl behind her. The girl with blue hair and eyes took a step forward and spoke.

"You're right, Adya. It's been two days that this has been happening"

Affirmed the girl with blue hair and eyes. Upon hearing her words, my fears were confirmed in the worst possible way. It basically coincides with the day we arrived in this world. With that doubt in mind, I tried to seek confirmation from the only person who might know what was really going on.

(Aurora-sama, does our arrival here have something to do with the monsters getting closer to the edge of the forest?)

Shortly after uttering those words in my mind, a few seconds passed before Aurora-sama's voice echoed in my mind.

"Exactly"

Replied Aurora-sama. Upon hearing Aurora-sama's confirmation, a sigh escaped my lips.

(But why does this have anything to do with us?)

I questioned, seeking a better understanding of the situation. Upon hearing my words, Aurora-sama let out a cute laugh and replied.

"Makoto, do you have knowledge of how monsters evolve?"

Aurora-sama asked, seemingly amused by the question.

(I just arrived in this place, it's impossible for me to know)

I said, sighing. While speaking with Aurora-sama, I noticed that the three girls were looking at me strangely, apparently confused about what was happening. I ignored that and focused on my conversation with Aurora-sama.

"Well, I guess you're right. Anyway, the answer is... by eating"

I was surprised by Aurora-sama's words, I mean.

(Is it really that simple for monsters to evolve?)

Upon hearing my words, Aurora-sama let out a warm laugh and replied.

"Well, I understand that you might see things that way, but when it comes to monsters, reality is quite different. Only the strongest can survive, while the weaker ones are devoured and used as nutrients for their evolution"

Upon hearing Aurora-sama's words, something clicked perfectly in my mind. At that moment, I felt as if the pieces of a puzzle were fitting together perfectly in my mind.

(So... is this our fault?)

I asked, already anticipating the answer.

"To be more precise, it's your fault. Although the girls also have a considerable amount of mana and would be a good appetizer, you are different, Makoto. Right now, every monster in the vicinity must be sensing your immense amount of mana. In the eyes of those monsters, you are the grandest feast they could desire"