When a Muscular Bull Walks on Two Legs Right in Front of You
There’s nothing you can do when a muscular bull starts walking upright right in front of your eyes.
Noah’s single remark about the smell of blood inside the temple brought a ton of possibilities to mind.
“...”
Rohan and the others cut their conversation short and headed quietly toward the temple.
There were signs of life inside. Not just one—quite a few, in fact.
They’ve sniffed us out too.
Rohan straightened his slightly hunched back.
No point in sneaking around quietly now that we’re made.
“No choice. Let’s just stroll right in.”
“Can’t be helped.”
They’d pretty much expected to get spotted, so there was no real regret.
And hey, Lete was with them—someone who’d never tried ambushing anyone before. No way she could hide her presence perfectly.
It made him think of the masters of stealth.
Miss Sion and Clara.
Even in this situation, Rohan’s group had to press on.
If they wanted to clear the dungeon, skipping this temple wasn’t an option, unfortunately.
The temples scattered throughout were the kind you had to peek inside to know if they were duds or not.
And it was smart to eliminate any potential threats or saboteurs who might stab them in the back later.
A few bold strides.
The closer they got, the more nakedly their hostility showed.
Ichinose and Lete’s faces grew serious, while Rohan and Noah’s lips curled up.
This could be fun.
The aggressive aura wafting toward them.
Unlike Lete’s sweet stickiness, this was a repulsive, cloying slime that didn’t even try to hide its nature.
Rohan glanced back at his trailing companions, bracing for the high-probability clash ahead.
Ichinose was regulating her breath with eyes closed, while Noah twisted her body this way and that, loosening her joints.
Those two would handle themselves fine without hand-holding, but Lete was still a worry.
Especially the way her eyes darted around restlessly.
“Lete.”
“Y-Yes, you called imda?!”
“Remember what I told you?”
Lete read the shift in Rohan’s vibe. His presence had grown heavy enough to make the warning he’d given Tom back then feel like a joke.
The girl regained her composure. She knew exactly what he meant.
“Don’t go easy just ‘cause they look weak—finish it clean... I remember everything imda.”
“That’s all I needed to hear.”
Flashing a smile, Rohan resumed his steps.
Sabak. Sabak. Sabak.
As they closed in earnestly, a jumble of voices echoed from within.
Now even Rohan could smell the thick blood scent without Noah pointing it out.
Before entering, he checked Lete again.
“Lete. You can wait outside if you want. We might just peek and bounce.”
“...I’m going too imda! I’m ready imda!”
Seeing the resolve in her voice and eyes, Rohan didn’t ask twice and stepped forward.
The temple’s interior reeked even stronger of blood than outside.
Sunlight filtering in revealed the floor splattered with someone’s filthy bloodstains.
From the shadows, feral glares flashed, fixing on Rohan’s group.
“Hello. Sorry to interrupt your rest.”
Rohan showed polite manners, signaling no hostility.
When he asked if they could just check the temple and leave, one wolf beastkin snorted.
“Hah, these bloodbags actually came inside?”
“Kids these days got no fear, don’t even run. Hand ‘em over.”
“Fuckin’...”
Like they had a bet going, cigarettes passed between the beastkin.
Rohan’s eyes flicked around quickly.
All beastkin?
Every one had a striking presence, looking like they’d made the temple their turf.
The human-to-animal ratios were all over the place—some could pass for upright beasts—but they were definitely all beastkin.
“...”
Especially that one in the center. Rohan’s gaze locked on the bull with arms crossed, holding court.
Just from his spread-out bulk, he was bigger than Gilbert for sure, and his tattoo-covered arms were so thick you wondered if he could even do daily chores.
High chance that guy’s the boss.
His aura screamed it, beyond appearances.
“You, human male.”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t wanna die?”
“Who does?”
He answered the sloppy question straight. How many people in the world actually wanted to die?
Rohan’s deadpan expression—like why even ask?—drew mocking laughs from the beastkin toward their questioner.
“Dumbass~ Can’t even handle bloodbags?”
“That’s what you get for beating around the bush to act cool. Want big bro to step in?”
“But seriously, what’s with their outfits? Some org raising pets?”
As the beastkin got rowdy, Ichinose stepped up close behind Rohan.
She murmured.
“...Rohan.”
“Know ‘em?”
Playing along, Rohan asked. Ichinose nodded gravely.
With one eye cracked open, she confirmed the consistent tattoos on their bodies.
“Those tattoos. They’re from the Avar Federation’s beastkin supremacist group, Grisham.”
“Huh? That exists?”
Noah beside her looked genuinely clueless, drawing a deep sigh from Ichinose.
“You have to know about them at least, Noah...! They’re all over the news for indiscriminate terror attacks!”
“Oh!”
Lete, who’d been listening, widened her eyes in recognition.
Before their chatter wrapped up, Ichinose quickly briefed Rohan.
“Their targets are non-beastkin races. Humans, and they’ve even hit elves.”
“So they deserve to die?”
The key takeaway.
Ichinose nodded without hesitation. No way they’d let humans walk free anyway.
“Officially, they don’t leave Avar Federation borders. Wanted in every other country.”
“Odds someone got the tattoo just for style?”
“No chance. See the mana faintly flowing over them? Special Grisham method.”
A country and group unmentioned even in Abyss City.
To Rohan, with less than a year in Academy City, they were total strangers.
“Ichinose really knows everything.”
“No-se’s a genius!”
“It’d be weirder if I didn’t know...”
Anyway, the conclusion was simple.
No point in polite talk with these guys.
They’d finished yapping too—a wild boar beastkin with a cig spat smoke and boomed out.
“Little shits.”
“What.”
Rohan switched to casual speech, unlike before.
The surrounding beastkin snickered at the boar, like they don’t see you as a threat.
Humiliated, the boar sucked the cig down in one go, voice dropping low.
“...Beastkin girl can go. Rest stay.”
“No thanks! Not going! Pig! You’re ugly!”
Noah blurted whatever popped into her head.
Laughter erupted among the beastkin. The furious boar’s face wrinkled up.
Rohan used the gap to scan their weapons.
From their chat earlier, they don’t even know what Orion Academy uniforms are.
They probably thought Noah’s look was just dye, like some Academy City kids.
Beastkin supremacists... wouldn’t Frozenheart be like royalty to them? Nah, Ichinose would’ve said.
As Rohan wrapped his thoughts—
The boar passed a cig to a side beastkin with a chin flick.
The hyena beastkin who took it shot up, flashing sharp teeth in a sleazy grin.
“Look at ‘em—pampered rich brats who don’t know fear. Let’s clear the young master first and party hard with the pretties.”
The beastkin’s gaze swung to Rohan.
Hand to his waist, gripping his weapon.
Then a swift leap.
“I grew up poor, though?”
Rohan didn’t even draw his sword at the charging beastkin.
Countered with a clenched fist swung hard.
Kuwoong—!!!
The temple shook with the impact. Sand puffed down from the ceiling.
Silence fell over the beastkin at the settled scene.
Like squashing a mosquito on the wall with your hand.
The beastkin’s face, smashed into the floor by Rohan’s fist, sprayed blood like a fountain.
“Gurgle, kuh...!”
Rohan closely checked the weapon on the foaming beastkin. Confirmed.
Three blades spaced evenly, swung like claws.
Nail-shaped blades. The claw’s shape matched his guess.
The corpse they’d seen en route with Lete? This guy’s handiwork.
Doesn’t matter.
Rohan shook off the dripping blood from his fist and straightened.
Stamped the neck to finish.
Crack! Neck bones shattered, and the hyena beastkin went still.
““...””
The temple’s silence hung heavy.
The dozen-plus beastkin now eyed Rohan with different looks.
“Useless trash.”
The bull, who’d been silently flexing with arms crossed, rose.
The beastkin parted wide for him.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Footsteps matching his muscular bulk approached.
“Handle the rest.”
The girls nodded at Rohan’s words.
Noah pouted like she wanted the bull for herself, but he beelined straight for Rohan.
“Got the nerve to act cocky in front of mighty Hofnagel.”
“What? Not Alista?”
“...”
Rohan openly showed disappointment at some nonsense name.
Hofnagel’s forearm bulged. His menacing aura looked ready to pulverize Rohan on the spot.
“You’ll die here anyway, so no renaming... Wouldn’t squeeze out milk even if I tried.”
“This punk...!”
Hofnagel might not know Alista, but he knew that was an insult and a taunt.
His horns trembled with rage.
Rohan’s jabs hit weirdly deep, pissing him off more than it should.
—Th-that psycho...!
—Grab the girls and prep before we all get fucked!
The watching beastkin gawked at Rohan’s antics, mouths agape.
“Die.”
Hofnagel swung his massive fist at Rohan.