Chapter 18
The commotion from my awakening cut short their playful antics, and they all bolted straight outside. The moment we stepped out, what met our eyes was...
"Gaaah...!"
"Guhk...!"
"Damn it, what the hell is that thing?!"
Soldiers being massacred. Mercenaries groaning on the ground. And what they were up against was a monster unlike any I'd seen before—a bipedal beast with a savage form. Jagged teeth like saw blades. Thick, fur-covered hide. It stood about 5.5 meters tall—not enormous compared to other massive monsters, but several times the height of an average person. Its strength was insane; every swing of its arm sent charging mercenaries flying through the air. And it had four such arms, each tipped with razor-sharp claws that shredded armor like paper. Even the knights' heavy plate mail was no match. A punch would crumple the metal, a slash would tear it open and rip flesh in one go. The claw tips seemed laced with deadly poison; soldiers gashed by them turned greenish even from non-fatal wounds and dropped dead one after another.
That's when one mercenary lunged from behind, swinging his sword. But then—a thick something whipped out. It looked like the monster's tail. But it wasn't just any tail.
-Kyaaaaaaaaaaa!!
A massive centipede spewing green drool from its mouth, fused right to the creature's ass.
"Fuck, what is that? Where the hell did this thing come from?"
Bella muttered in disbelief. Dina shook her head, clearly seeing it for the first time too.
"This body knows not. 'Tis a type of monster I've never laid eyes on. From the aura it gives off, perhaps an undead... but I've never seen an undead like this."
"Darling, I think we need to handle this one."
"...Got it."
At Cheong-ah's suggestion, I activated my ability. Starting with Bella, who was anxiously eyeing her subordinates. I placed a hand on her back and invoked my power.
Protection, Body Enhancement
Constant Wound Healing
"What the—this works just by touching now? No kiss? What the hell happened?"
Bella blinked in surprise as my power enveloped her. Oh, right. I'd promised to explain later, but forgot.
"Uh, yeah... I'll explain later."
"Fine, whatever. Faster than kissing, anyway. And less embarrassing in front of the others."
She played it cool, but she looked a little disappointed.
"...Should I just stick to kisses from now on?"
"Do whatever."
Grumbling curtly, Bella spun on her heel and charged toward her subordinates battling the monster.
"Don't you dare touch my boys, you bastard...!"
She leaped high, greatsword raised overhead, swinging down at its head. The monster blocked with two arms. Then its remaining fists came flying. Bella twisted midair, dodging them.
"Where you gonna hit me, you fuck...!"
Watching her, Dina and Cheong-ah murmured.
"Hmm, the training's paying off nicely."
"Yeah, she's dodging in midair pretty well now."
"Training? What'd you two get up to?"
Feeling a twinge of exclusion, I asked casually. Cheong-ah nodded.
"Yeah, while you were gone, Darling, we trained among ourselves. You know Bella's fighting style—super aggressive. She was always worried about you getting hurt whenever she took your buffs."
"I'm fine."
Their pain hurts me way less than my own.
But that was my thinking. Cheong-ah explained Bella's side.
"We feel the same way."
"That's..."
"'Tis so. Better we suffer than see Yeonja in pain."
"That's why we trained—to shore up our weaknesses... Though it's only been a short time, so sadly I ended up showing you an ugly side of me, Darling..."
"Huh? Tsundere, what're you talking about?"
Dina tilted her head at Cheong-ah's words. Cheong-ah's eyes darted, then...
"Well, Darling?"
"Huh? Mmph?!"
"Mmm, smack..."
She grabbed my collar, pressed her lips to mine, and activated the power. Cheong-ah's tongue felt incredibly soft after so long.