I Was Mistaken for the Reincarnated Evil Overlord-Chapter 59: Into the Reaper Forest

After five hours of travel, the massive company finally arrived at the entrance of the Reaper Forest.

The moment they crossed into its shadow, the difference was immediate.

The once lively sounds of marching feet, armor clanking, and cultists whispering fell into unnatural silence.

Not a single bird chirped. Not even the distant hum of insects.

The towering trees, their blackened bark gnarled and twisted, loomed overhead, blocking out most of the sunlight. The further one looked inside, the less the forest seemed like a part of the world, it was like staring into a place where time had stopped moving altogether.

Even the wind had abandoned this place.

It was so quiet that each breath felt too loud.

Darin slowly exhaled. "Well. This is ominous."

Grumble, the laziest beast known to man, suddenly stood alert. His feline shadowy form bristled with energy, his glowing eyes darting around the trees like an excited predator sniffing out something fun.

Steve, on the other hand, pressed himself behind Darin, his small body trembling slightly.

Darin blinked. "...Okay. That’s weird."

Steve had never acted scared of anything before.

"Why is Grumble excited?" he muttered under his breath. "And why is Steve terrified?"

The Sorceress stepped up beside him, arms crossed. "Because this forest is cursed."

Darin slowly turned to look at her. "Great. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear."

Vincent and Alvin, however, looked a little too enthusiastic.

Vincent cracked his knuckles. "Creepy environment means something to fight!"

Alvin unslung his sword from his back, twirling it in his hand. "Finally, some excitement. The road was getting boring."

Darin frowned. "You two have problems."

The Sorceress sighed. "Focus. We need to move efficiently. Darin, order your men to clear a path. We can’t afford to wander blindly in here."

Darin glanced around at the sheer number of people waiting for his orders.

The cultists, still wrapped in their self-delusions, looked at him with wide, expectant eyes.

The ex-soldiers, the mercenaries, the scouts, even some retired knights—all of them stood ready, awaiting their Overlord’s command.

Darin sighed. I should really get used to this.

Then he straightened and raised his voice.

"All of you, start cutting down the trees ahead!"

A flurry of movement exploded through the company as axes were unslung, saws were retrieved, and the first swing hit bark.

"The rest of you—scouts, move ahead and survey the area! I want regular reports!"

A group of lightly armored men immediately disappeared into the trees, moving like ghosts.

"Front and back guards, keep your eyes open! If anything moves, report it immediately!"

A wave of "YES, OVERLORD!" echoed back.

Darin exhaled, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "...Still not used to that."

The Sorceress smirked slightly. "You gave an order, and they followed. You should do that more often."

"Yeah, yeah," Darin muttered. "Now let’s just get through this damn forest before something decides to eat us."

The moment he said that, a loud crack echoed from deep inside the trees.

Silence.

Darin slowly turned toward the sound. "...Why did I say that?"

Then—

"IT’S ALIVE! IT’S ALIVE!!"

A scout burst from the shadows, running at full speed toward the company. His face was stretched into a manic grin, his eyes wild with glee instead of fear.

Behind him, massive, writhing tentacles shot out from between the trees, their slick, dark surfaces reflecting the dim light filtering through the canopy. They crashed through the ground, uprooting trees like twigs.

More scouts emerged, but instead of screaming in terror, they looked thrilled.

One of them, a lanky young man, was grinning ear to ear. "IT’S A REAL MONSTER! WE’RE GONNA NEED BIGGER SWORDS!!"

Another, a woman with an eyepatch, clapped her hands together. "I KNEW TODAY WOULD BE EXCITING!!"

Darin’s eye twitched. Why are they excited?!

But his horrified confusion was interrupted—

Because one of the tentacles came crashing down, aimed directly at an old scout with a cool fedora.

Darin’s heart nearly stopped. "LOOK OUT!!"

But the old man didn’t even flinch.

With a calm, measured motion, he placed one hand on the hilt of his blade.

And then—

SHING!

A single masterful slash severed the massive tentacle clean off.

The monstrous limb fell to the ground with a wet thud.

The old man exhaled and slowly slid his sword back into its sheath, his movements effortless, practiced, almost lazy.

"Hmph," he muttered, adjusting his fedora slightly. "I’m getting rusty."

Darin stared.

His brain short-circuited.

But there was no time to recover, because the rest of the company was already moving.

Like a well-oiled machine, the front guards Darin had sent ahead instantly coordinated themselves into groups, adapting without waiting for orders.

Blades flashed.

Magic surged.

Tentacles were getting sliced, burned, frozen, and electrocuted in rapid succession.

A young woman effortlessly weaved between the writhing limbs, a twin set of daggers flashing like silver streaks as she severed multiple tentacles in one fluid movement.

An ex-mercenary wielding a greatsword let out a booming laugh before swinging his weapon down, cleaving straight through three tentacles at once.

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A young wizard at the back twirled his staff, conjuring a massive wave of fire that incinerated the limbs before they could even reach the front line.

Darin just stood there, mouth open, not believing what he was seeing.

Why the hell is everyone here so strong?!

His army wasn’t just big, it was filled with absolute monsters in combat.

Vincent, standing beside him, glanced at Darin’s shocked expression and grinned.

"Why do you look so surprised?" Vincent chuckled. "I thought you expected this?"

Darin slowly turned to look at him. "Expected this? EXPECTED THIS?!" He waved toward the battlefield. "I thought I was leading a band of misfits, NOT AN ELITE ARMY THAT COULD SLICE THROUGH GIANT FOREST MONSTERS LIKE BUTTER!!"

Vincent laughed even harder. "Well… surprise!"

The Sorceress, who had been watching the entire display with a raised eyebrow, finally sighed.

"At least now you understand, Darin." She gestured at the battlefield. "You didn’t just attract followers. You attracted real warriors."

Darin rubbed his face, trying to process it all.

"You mean to tell me I could have just thrown everyone at the capital, and they might have actually won?!"

Vincent clapped a hand on Darin’s shoulder. "Oh, absolutely."

Darin groaned. "Good thing they’re on my side."

But there was no time to dwell, because the tentacle monster wasn’t done yet.

A low, guttural growl rumbled from the depths of the forest, sending a chilling vibration through the ground.

The real fight was just beginning.