Diary of Guarding Monster Girls

Misty Mountains!

This is the place untouched by light.

This is the place time cannot erode.

This is the place gods cannot surpass.

This is...

The place of the disappearance of Divine Spirits!

...

In the legends of the Frost Crystal Kingdom...

No, in the history even older than the Frost Crystal Kingdom, the Misty Mountains have always been a life-forbidden zone filled with mystery.

Inside, there are numerous ancient Demons and various dangerous creatures, where even the legendary could lose their lives.

It ranks alongside legendary places like the Death Desert, the Deep Sea Abyss, the Dragon Nest, the Ghost Ship Graveyard, and others, as an exceptionally dangerous forbidden zone.

At the same time, just like those places, where there are crises, there are also opportunities!

Inside, there are all sorts of ancient relics and all manners of treasures, even the legacy left from the last era...

Those treasures quietly sleep within the Misty Mountains, waiting for brave adventurers to carry them away—although most of the time it's the treasures that carry them away, leaving them there forever.

But... people die for wealth, birds die for food.

As long as the interests to be gained are immense enough, it will inevitably attract daredevils to risk their lives.

Not to mention the more distant eras; just in the past thousand years alone, more than ten legendary adventure teams have been recorded in history!

But of the more than fifty legends combined, only three managed to come out alive after stepping into the forbidden zone.

And of these three, two died of strange diseases within ten years, with only one living to a ripe old age.

Such terrifying records have made more and more people sober up when greed overcomes them, measuring their own capabilities before considering whether to come and die.

Due to the high mortality rate and low yield, the status of the Misty Mountains has gradually fallen among those forbidden zones.

Too low of a return and too high a risk; this thing isn't the stock market, there aren't that many people obliviously lining up to be cut... ahem.

In recent years, no one actively mentions it anymore, only some ancient races still remember the legend of the Misty Mountains.

But if you actually come to this place, you'll find that the real situation isn't as terrifying as the legends depict.

Although it's shrouded in mist all day, it hasn't reached the point where you can't see your hand in front of your face.

The visibility on the outskirts of the mountains is about ten kilometers, characterized as thin mist, having some impact on vision but not severe.

The deeper you go, the thicker the fog becomes, with lower visibility and isolation of various perceptions.

But apart from heading for a dead end in the forbidden zone, there's also a safe route specially cleared by the Mist Monastery.

Filled with various guide signs, as long as you follow the path, you won't encounter any real threat, and you won't lose direction as long as you don't step into the forbidden zone.

Simply put, if you don't seek death, you won't die.

However, some people naturally like to seek death.

Just like some runaway dogs are destined not to be kept in cages, there's no pulling them back.

A word of advice can't persuade a ghost intent on dying.

In such cases, stopping them is impossible.

Even though the hype has died down, there's still no shortage of brave souls who come to the Misty Mountains every year to adventure, only to disappear from this world without a trace.

...

Swoosh!

With the flapping of scarlet wings, a gust of wind swept through, dissipating the fog in a hundred-meter radius.

Roar!

In mid-air, the refreshed Giant Dragon cheerfully roared, hovering high in the sky before transforming into a human form on the spot.

"Hum hum!"

The other figure that was examining the surroundings from the dragon's back turned puzzled after feeling weightless, looking down—still two hundred meters from the ground.

???

I'm not sitting in a helicopter, am I?

Emergency landing?

No.

This isn't the captain jumping ship; it's the damn flyer jumping, damn it!!?

"Waaah!"

Upon feeling gravity's pull, Herbert widened his eyes.

Oh crap—

At this distance, with how long he's been waiting, falling like this, he'd be black and blue, wouldn't he?

I really don't want to compete in the revival match again!

The boy, not wanting to become "Herbert Jam" or "Herbert Pancake," had a serious expression as he concentrated his spirit in a moment of crisis, his mind racing.

"Use the Demon Body to harden vital areas and the trunk, limbs can be disabled, can heal later."

"Then shift mutated flesh to the contact area to increase cushioning."

"Use Boiling Blood at the last moment to boost resilience."

"Maybe I could make a simple net with shadow tentacles…"

But just as Herbert was preparing to execute his operation, someone suddenly hugged him from behind—horizontally, damn!!?

Herbert turned his head and saw a pair of gleaming eyes smiling brightly.

Valentina, now in a draconic human form, was grinning foolishly at him, her smile pure and radiant.

"Hehe! Were you scared just now!"

"..."

Oh, right.

There's Valentina, she's really... wait, wasn't she the one who did this!?

"...Put me down."

"Really want me to let go?"

Valentina blinked, looked at the ground below, and raised an eyebrow: "Are you really sure?"

Herbert remained silent, pinching her cheeks and pulling sideways, word by word, said: "Put·me·down—"

"Thwee don't pwill my fweace!" ("You don't pull my face!")

Valentina shook her head, finally escaping the devil's grasp, smacking her lips.

"Tsk~"

After a short, not-so-romantic bout of playful banter in the air, Miss Hungry Dragon obediently put the princess-held Herbert on the ground.

...not obedient at all!

Valentina tossed Herbert away when they were still ten meters from the ground.

Let's go!

Luckily, a height of ten meters is nothing to Herbert, who smoothly adjusted his posture in mid-air and then landed gently with a "superhero landing".

Thud!

"Ha."

After his knee touched the hard ground, Herbert deeply sighed and silently whispered in his heart.

"Painful..."

It seems as long as he hasn't mastered double jumping, even a mere ten meters can't be underestimated.

Valentina landed beside Herbert, raised her arms high, and stretched her body vigorously.

"Hmm~~~ ha!"

Compared to Herbert's aching body after sitting for a long time, she has been completely nurtured during this time — nurtured by freedom.

As the saying goes, going to work is like going to prison.

Once Valentina no longer had to be confined in prison, she no longer had the aura of work.

She's been thoroughly liberated during this time, feeling quite lively and radiant.

Eating well, sleeping soundly.

Both eating well and sleeping soundly!

With no other eyes around, she boldly hugged Herbert's waist from behind, resting her chin on his left shoulder.

Their heights were similar, and she was naturally tall, so it was easy to do.

"Herbert~ what are we going to do here?"

Are they going to do something they like?

For a creature just tasting the forbidden fruit, the initial period is the height of desire — also, for a Giant Dragon, this timeframe could be longer than many would think.

Suppressing such a partner is a task that drains quite a bit of energy.

Yet Herbert wasn't here to interact with her in the wilderness — at least that shouldn't be the main purpose.

"We're here to see... where are your hands going?"

After gently swatting away the sneaky little hand reaching towards the food for a buffet, Herbert turned his gaze to look at the surroundings.

"In the future, this will be my territory. We're here to see if there's a suitable place to develop..."

Herbert recalled the scenes he saw from above, swiftly sketching the details onto his notebook.

His hand was steady and skilled in drawing, easily outlining a rough map of the Misty Mountains.

The Misty Mountains are vast, and even the portion explored by the Monastery only accounts for one-tenth of the entire region, maybe even less.

The remaining ninety percent is still shrouded in unexplored, fog-covered terrain.

When he finished drawing and looked up, he found the mist that had just been blown away by dragon wings had silently returned to envelop the surroundings, looking unchanged from not long ago.

Herbert raised his hand, squinting his eyes, and carefully felt the composition of the mist, quickly arriving at an unexpected conclusion.

"Oh?"

With the Sea Witch Queen's blessing, he possessed an excellent Water Element Affinity, yet no matter how he summoned these mists, he couldn't move them in the slightest.

This mist isn't made of water vapor but of some special substance he couldn't comprehend.

"Could it be haze?"

Thinking this, Herbert suddenly thought of something and called upon the silent Harmonious God.

"Nenasha! Nenasha! It's time for you to showcase your divine might!"

["Hmm?"]

It's time to display real skill.

"Come on, isn't this your happy place?"

Herbert, with a Hungry Dragon pendant hanging from his neck, extended his arms to push the mist before him to the sides, waiting for the astonishing scene where the mist would be invisibly parted—

"Open!"

And then...

Nothing happened, naturally.

Herbert: ?

Nenasha: ?

Valentina: "Hoo, hoo..."

In the time Herbert spent drawing the map, Valentina had already wrapped her arms around his neck, clamped her legs around his waist, and was hanging onto him like a koala, drifting into a sweet slumber.

For Herbert's performance art, the Harmonious God expressed misunderstanding yet was deeply moved.

["What are you doing?"]

"Naturally, waiting for you."

With a stony face, Herbert said in a deep voice, "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and reveal yourself!"

What time is it already, and you are still disguised here?

There are no outsiders here!

At this point, Nenasha finally understood Herbert's intention, hoping He would show His miracle.

But for such expectations, He can only helplessly say:

["Although I know you really wish to see me control these mists, sadly, it can't be done~"]

"Huh!? Why?"

["It just can't be done~"]

Deeply helpless about it, Nenasha said:

["Indeed, this is the remnant of my Divine Kingdom, and these scattered mists are related to me, but... it's too close to the Monastery."]

["I can protect you from harm in the mist, but to move the mist, unless... you wish to draw that guy out."]

"Oh, alright."

Herbert promptly smirked and decided not to dwell on the topic that brings deep helplessness.

Unbeatable Old Deng, you are something else—

Yet, this little setback wouldn't dampen Herbert's enthusiasm.

Whether or not Nenasha helps is merely icing on the cake, as Herbert has a unique advantage unmatched by others.

The leading cause of death for adventurers in the Misty Mountains is getting lost.

They lose their way in the mist and eventually perish for various reasons.

But Herbert... he doesn't get lost!

Blessed by the Sea Witch Queen, he will never lose his way!

He already tested it earlier, even walking with eyes closed in the mist; he could still proceed as he wished.

And with this ability, Herbert can establish his base deep in the impenetrable fog!

"Then the first step is to find a patch for experimentation."