It had been about two years since he left the ruins. Now, he was living with the baby dragon in the midst of an extreme blizzard.
The weather here was truly unpredictable. It would turn freezing, then suddenly hot; rain would fall from a clear sky; or fierce winds would sweep in without warning.
But he never felt the cold. Thanks to his ice resistance, he could endure this bitter frost without issue, and his flame resistance allowed him to withstand regions where the sun blazed down with scorching heat.
It was a mountain of violent climatic shifts. Vast and towering, it was a place that no one dared to approach.
The first reason was the abrupt weather changes; the second was the monsters that inhabited the peaks.
There were scorpions clad in black shells, and creatures resembling the Cerberus of Greek mythology, possessing three heads on a single body. In the center stood a large dragon about seven meters long, covered in black scales and walking on two legs. Compared to him, they were pitifully small, but they were undoubtedly terrifying to humans.
In the forest teeming with such monsters, he reigned as king. He followed the one rule common to all monsters: the law of the jungle.
Once he lightly displayed his power, they all immediately assumed poses of submission. The monsters came in all shapes and sizes. There were beasts like the Hydra, harpies with the bodies of women and the wings and claws of birds, lamias with snake-like lower bodies, and one-eyed cyclopes. Some were familiar mythological creatures, while others looked like something straight out of a game.
There were goblins wearing red caps, brutish ogres, minotaurs swinging clubs as large as their own bodies, and even undead like zombies and skeletons. They were a diverse lot.
It seemed the adage that monsters obey the strong was true, for they were entirely devoted to him. While he could not understand their speech, they seemed to understand his perfectly.
"Bow your heads."
At once, every monster prostrated itself on the spot.
By accident, he had become the master of these creatures, the apex predator at the summit of the mountain. However, he didn't intend to order them around for his own pleasure. He knew that trying to have complex conversations with monsters when communication was so limited was a waste of time.
Instead, he spent his time mediating their fights, settling disputes over territory and food, and calming those who quarreled over trivial matters.
He had little interest in ruling. He simply wanted to live as he pleased, but since this was a world of survival of the fittest, he had to project strength to avoid being overthrown. Though he hadn't sought this position, he felt a duty to take responsibility for them as their ruler.
Over the two years he lived on the mountain, he shared his miscellaneous knowledge with the monsters, giving them the tools to survive on their own even in his absence. At first, he had wondered, Wouldn't this be useless? But the monsters actually built a culture based on his knowledge. Among them, he gave names to the exceptionally strong individuals, granting them powers and abilities befitting their new titles. With this foundation, they would be fine even if he left.
However, he discovered that [Naming] a monster consumed a significant amount of magicules; he could feel a lingering weariness in his body after the process.
The named monsters then organized the others, creating a more advanced civilization, clearing the land, and gradually expanding their scale.
They progressed from using wood to bricks, and even developed techniques for mining iron. They eventually fashioned clothes and farming tools. He wondered how they had managed it so quickly, but the answer was simple enough.
This really is another world.
Having watched the monsters establish their civilization, he decided it was finally time to find someone he could actually communicate with.
Once the situation had settled, the desire to meet other people grew. For two years, all he had seen were monsters bowing to him and the grandeur of nature. When the monsters were fighting, he at least had a purpose, but after a year of peace, the forest had become far too silent.
***
What he did not know was that the island he ruled was known among humans as a forbidden zone.
The monsters inhabiting that island were so dangerous that even a knight order composed of an empire's elite would likely suffer catastrophic losses or be wiped out entirely. Some of the creatures possessed power rivaling that of the demon lord species. It was truly a place where no human should ever set foot.
Unaware of this reputation, he left the island and headed toward the nearby continent.
***
Upon leaving the island, he encountered a forest of towering trees shrouded in thick fog. In the dim woods where not a single ray of sunlight penetrated, he walked toward a village, snacking on the fruits growing from the trees.
"...It tingles."
The fruit popped in his mouth like popcorn, tasting like a refreshing tropical fruit. However, when he used Appraisal, he discovered the fruit was poisonous.
Indifferent to the danger, he took another large bite and handed a small piece to the baby dragon perched atop his head.
Are dragons naturally resistant to poison? The baby dragon ate happily, clearly enjoying the taste.
"Well, I'll think about that later."
As he ventured deeper into the forest, he noticed something strange. He kept circling back to the same spot, as if some unseen force was preventing him from moving forward.
"Let's get a better look at the area. Satorocation."
Just as he had done in the ruins, he spread his magicules far and wide to map the surrounding paths.
What appeared in his mind, however, was a route twisted together like a tangled ball of yarn.
It was then that he spotted a young elf girl crying up ahead, with monsters prowling around her.
"Kyaaah!"
Instinctively sensing the danger, he rushed forward and stepped between the girl and the monsters.
As he released a small amount of his aura, the monsters immediately sensed a lethal threat and fled in terror. He turned to the girl. With her pointed ears, she was clearly an elf.
An elf! I've never seen one before!
Seeing the monsters retreat, he carefully approached the terrified girl and held out his hand.
The young elf looked at him with a bewildered expression, unable to comprehend the situation.
"Ouch!"
The girl winced and clutched her knee, which was scraped and bleeding.
"Oh dear, you're hurt..."
He produced a medicine made from boiled herbs known for healing wounds, applied it to the scrape, and carefully wrapped it with a bandage.
How did he know which herbs to use? The Observer had told him.
"Are you feeling better now?"
"Th-thank you very much."
The elf girl offered her gratitude.
"Where did you come from?"
"...Uh, from a faraway island."
"What is your name?"
"My name is Lara."
What a pretty name.
And so, the first intelligent being he met in this other world was a young elf girl.