Chapter 60
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Night Raid (1)
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Having swum late into the night and even unleashed Lightning Bolt, Woojin was bone-tired. He slept soundly until noon the next day.
Stepping out of his tent, he surveyed the surroundings. The expedition force was still hard at work trying to cross the river. In the meantime, they'd felled a massive amount of timber and piled it up on one side of the camp.
'With so many hands in the expedition force, work like this gets done at lightning speed.'
He had no idea exactly what they were building, but it looked like the results would be ready soon enough.
Woojin watched the soldiers at work for a bit before turning away. He planned to feed yesterday's snake monster inner cores to the wolves.
Whiiist~
He gave a light whistle. Four wolves came bounding over immediately in response. Woojin gave them a once-over.
Their fur gleamed sleek and shiny. He spotted a wooden comb tangled in Rex's scruff.
'The nuns must've been brushing them.'
The Harmony Church revered wolves as sacred. Thanks to that, the wolves had been living like royalty nonstop. They'd even rubbed fragrant oils into their fur while combing—the sweet scent of flowers wafted from them.
While the expedition force toiled endlessly, the wolves' daily life was practically aristocratic.
"They say even dogs live better than some people... You've got a real talent for mooching. Who taught you that?"
When Woojin asked, the three wolves shot sidelong glances at Rex. Rex pretended not to notice, looking away. It suddenly made perfect sense why Bow had singled that guy out for special torment.
Woojin had a word with the wolves.
"You're being treated well, so it's on you to keep those people safe. Gotta earn your keep."
The wolves nodded as if they understood. Woojin rummaged through his pack and pulled out a pouch stuffed full of snake monster inner cores.
"Sean, Yan. Front and center."
Two wildly excited wolves stepped forward. They hadn't gotten any of the dark cultist's inner core last time, so these were Sean and Yan's shares.
The water snakes weren't particularly strong, but as monsters dwelling in deeper waters, they contained relatively pure karma.
Impressed by that fact, Sean and Yan each yielded one inner core to Rex and Misha. The two who ate them went wide-eyed. The power packed into the cores must've exceeded expectations.
The wolves' gazes turned north. They seemed eager for the prey lurking beyond the river...
'Looks like they're motivated.'
That mindset was the biggest win of all.
Two more days passed.
Even though Woojin had wiped out the river ghosts with Lightning Bolt, the expedition force was oblivious. They kept up the work to cross the river.
A huge pile of logs and boulders lined the riverbank. Preparations seemed complete.
'Church of Prosperity.'
He eyed the priests standing at the water's edge. Judging by their robes and emblems, they were from the Church of Prosperity. The woman at their head confirmed his guess.
Saintess Cecilia of the Verdant.
The priestess with her face shrouded in green muslin, as always. She took slow steps forward, followed in a line by the other priests.
......The ritual began.
Splash.
The saintess scattered something from a basket onto the dirt. Small, round objects. Though the distance was considerable, Woojin's sharp eyes identified them.
'Seeds.'
The saintess sprinkled various kinds of seeds onto the ground. Right away, the priests tilted watering cans, pouring holy water over the sown earth.
Shaaaaaa—
A green aura rippled across the soil. The infused seeds split open, sprouting shoots. The plants grew at an absurdly accelerated rate.
Wherever the saintess passed, all sorts of flora sprang up. Lush green grass and humble wildflowers, golden barley ears ripening...
These plants rooted deep into the earth, pushing back the Demonic Realm's turbid energy.
Rolland muttered at the sight.
"They're consecrating the land."
"What's that supposed to do?"
"Tending the soil is the first step to prosperity. The Church of Prosperity draws greater power when standing on consecrated ground."
In ancient times, humanity lived no differently from wild beasts, roaming as hunters and gatherers. But sowing seeds in the earth and reaping harvests marked the dawn of human prosperity.
Through this symbolic rite, the Church of Prosperity could unleash even stronger divine spells.
Pluck.
The saintess snapped off some barley ears. She lifted her muslin veil slightly to inhale their scent, then rubbed the grains free with her hand—her first harvest.
The saintess popped the barley grains into her mouth.
Crunch, munch!
She chewed and swallowed the raw kernels, hulls and all. The divinity dwelling in her body deepened. Beneath the veil, green eyes gleamed.
At once, the saintess thrust both hands forward.
Krraaaack—!
The earth heaved, and thick green plant stalks burst forth. Stems as stout as wrists. They coiled around the piled logs and boulders at the riverbank, intertwining to form a massive structure.
It was as if an invisible giant used the vines like ropes to weave stone and wood into one enormous object...
'......A stone bridge.'
A bridge now spanned the river. Vast and sturdy enough for even Tarasque to cross.
Duke Edwin bellowed at full volume.
"The saintess has personally paved our path! Soldiers, fear no more—advance!"
"Waaaaah—!"
The troops roared in response.
Just yesterday, the mood had soured thanks to the river ghosts. But witnessing the saintess's miracle had fired up their morale sky-high.
The soldiers marched onto the bridge without hesitation. Woojin observed it with curious eyes.
'Pretty sturdy-looking.'
The plant stems weaving the bridge shifted yellow at some point. They resembled sun-dried barley straw now. Tough and resilient, perfect as ropes.
He'd seen divine spells harnessing holy power a few times before, but this was a new breed. Incredibly practical and potent.
'But it takes a ton out of her stamina.'
He watched the saintess's movements. She was trying to play it cool, but her gait had grown markedly unsteady compared to before.
Leaning on her staff for support with every step. Big spells like that always drained the caster's vitality.
Still, trading that for a bridge was a solid deal. They'd need something like this for reliable supply lines anyway. And the morale boost was just icing.
Buoyed by the electric atmosphere, the expedition force pressed on relentlessly.
'No beasts showing themselves.'
Not surprising.
From the local monsters' perspective, the expedition was a walking apocalypse to avoid at all costs. With vast numbers mowing down every visible lifeform in sight.
So, barring complications, the force would reach their goal without much trouble...
'......They must've caught the scent by now.'
That foreboding proved true soon enough.
Late at night.
His eyes snapped open. An inexplicable chill. Woojin rose from his bedroll, grabbed his machete, and stepped out of the tent.
......BOOM!
An explosion rocked the distance. Screams and shouts echoed right after. Sentries pounded their bronze bells in panic.
"Wake up!! The enemy's here—!"
Urgent yells shook the night. Sleeping troops stumbled out in chaos. Even now, unexplained blasts erupted here and there.
What the hell?
He'd left the choir under the wolves' guard and started toward the loudest spot...
But charging in blindly wasn't smart—he needed the big picture first. Woojin climbed a tall tree and scanned the surroundings a couple times for anomalies.
'......What the hell are those?'
Woojin's eyes locked on something far off.
The peak of a small rocky crag. Glowing eyes of living creatures up there. The distance made them look the size of thumbnails.
Leap.
One monster jumped from the summit. It should plummet to the base below... but the fall dragged on slow. Gliding like a flying squirrel. And with every moment, its body doubled, tripled in size.
Thumbnail to coin-sized, coin to palm-sized.
......Heading this way.
"Enemy attack!! From the sky—!"
He yelled a warning. Right then, the monster dove straight for the Harmony Church. It was zeroing in on the plumpest, juiciest prey.
KABOOOM!!
A deafening blast assaulted the ears. The monster that ambushed from above crushed Tarasque underfoot. The unlucky lizard spewed blood.
Thud.
Tarasque sprawled dead on the dirt. The monster atop its corpse scanned the surrounding humans.
A grotesque hybrid of bat and man. Its flesh was pallid gray, its build larger than a full-grown grizzly. When it spread the wing-membranes from its shoulders, it looked even huger.
'Gargoyle.'
A bat monster from the Demonic Realm's depths. One you never saw around these parts.
The reason it was here was simple.
'Easy pickings.'
The expedition had marched north with a racket. Noise-sensitive bat monsters got curious and headed south, then went berserk at the sight of thousands of humans.
Sweet blood and tender flesh. Irresistible to bat monsters.
"Javelins!"
A holy knight shouted. Soldiers hurled their javelins with all their might.
The gargoyle folded its wings to shield itself.
Clang, clatter—!
The javelins bounced harmlessly off. The gargoyle's wings were iron-hard.
Rolland slipped behind it, seeking an opening—like a leopard stalking prey. But the bat monster's hearing picked him up.
The gargoyle gaped its maw. Sensing trouble, the holy knight braced.
Whoosh, fwoosh!!
Azure fireballs spewed wildly from its mouth. Rolland's eyes bulged at the sight.
"Ha, hahaha—! Impressive!!"
Rolland laughed madly as he dodged the flames. While he kept it busy, Woojin—who'd raced back to camp—drew his machete and charged.
The gargoyle clenched a fist.
Crunch—
Its fist let out an eerie groan. It plummeted toward Woojin's head. Blocking brute force would be stupid, so he rolled aside to evade.
KABOOOM!!
The shockwave hit as the fist cratered deep into the earth. Like a boulder crashing down.
'Weight amplification.'
The polar opposite of lightening. A trick to increase mass. The gargoyle had used it to smash Tarasque flat.
......One of the abilities he'd long coveted.
'Finally, something worth hunting.'
Woojin bared his teeth in a feral grin and lunged.