A Team's Second Chance and Team B's Bold Stand
Time rewound, back to the moment when the flames set by Team A had not yet spread far.
When Team B arrived late to the village and realized their only option was to side with the elders who wanted to purify the corrupted god.
Tarte stepped forward on behalf of her teammates and declared to the elders.
“We also wish to lend our hands in purifying the corrupted god.”
“Yes, yes! You young people really have your heads screwed on straight!”
“Welcome!”
Receiving the elders’ warm welcome, Tarte continued.
“But if you’re purifying the god, do you have a method?”
“I don’t know about that!”
The elder’s blunt refusal nearly cracked Tarte’s practiced mask of helplessness.
It was the exact type of empty, unhelpful answer one expected from a real human, not an NPC.
She had to force herself to smile while internally screaming NPC, NPC to keep the act intact.
“Haha?”
“Go find the Forest Druid! He should have the method!”
Fortunately, the elder was not completely useless; he was simply an NPC directing them to the next quest point.
Tarte’s smile remained perfectly in place.
“Where exactly is the Forest Druid?”
“It’s marked on the mini-map.”
“…”
The grandfather’s casual reply froze Tarte in place.
Mentioning the mini-map so naturally.
Of course I know it’s an NPC.
He looked far too human-like.
But in a world with status windows, casually referencing a mini-map was hardly noteworthy.
Tarte turned to Geomseong and whispered.
“See? Just an NPC. It mentioned the mini-map. Don’t overthink it.”
“Is that so?”
Geomseong’s expression did not show immediate understanding, but Tarte could already sense this event would shape his worldview.
“Wonderful! Then let’s get moving!”
“We boarded a ship like you, isn’t there any support? Equipment, potions, or even pocket money?”
“You volunteers come asking for money?”
The elder rummaged through his pockets and pulled out items.
“Then take this too.”
Tarte received five common herbs!
“Do the others have anything?”
Tarte received old leather gloves!
Tarte received old leather shoes!
Tarte received 150G!
There’s a faint, pungent smell coming from the equipment.
The elders’ gear carried their unique body odor, yet it also possessed solid defense and agility stats.
It would be a shame to discard them.
“The gloves boost strength, so Geomseong, and the shoes boost agility, so I’ll pass them to the Rogue.”
In this way, the party’s combat power rose.
Team B headed straight for the Druid’s Dwelling.
There, the second battle erupted.
Again, six red foxes.
Unlike the first fight where all were similar in size, this time a massive king fox towered over the others.
Probably an elite or high-tier specimen.
“Watch out for the big one!”
Tarte shouted the warning and took combat stance, then added as an afterthought.
“Don’t tell me grown adults can’t fight foxes? Hold your weapons! Be careful not to trip!”
It had been awkward and unfamiliar because it was the first battle.
Would an accident happen again this time?
The difficulty had increased slightly because of the high-tier appearance, but the foxes were still only similar or smaller than large dogs.
Weren’t armed humans the top predators of the natural world?
There should be a vast difference between a swordsman and a bare-handed fighter.
While thinking all this, Tarte skillfully evaded the foxes’ attacks and countered with the scripture.
Considering the height difference with the four-legged fox, she aimed for the most vulnerable point—the head—and brought the heavy scripture down to smash the skull and split the brain in one strike.
“Can’t let it get away!”
“Hyap!”
Her teammates’ shouts rang out.
No time to worry about them.
Focus on the enemy in front.
The priest’s job was rear support; her stats were not built for frontline combat.
Her low strength stat made her feel underpowered.
Her large breasts also made her posture awkward.
Even in reality, this body was not suited for exercise.
Still, she won.
The opponent was just a fox.
Just a red fox.
“Kyut!”
She killed the second fox in front of her, then turned to survey the battlefield.
Geomseong was being bitten by a fox.
Again?
Before pity could even form, her feet moved.
This was team combat.
If a hole appeared in the team, it had to be filled immediately.
Tarte slashed at the fox biting Geomseong’s arm from the side.
The fox leader pounced on the injured Geomseong.
A clean kick struck the leader’s side.
“Keng!”
It was the Rogue’s assistant.
The fox was sent flying sideways, then crouched with flexible grace to absorb the impact and straighten up.
Now was not the time to criticize Geomseong’s mistake.
First, bring down the large fox.
The real threat was its teeth and claws.
Four-legged beast, like fighting a fierce animal.
Its long legs gave it a dangerous reach.
Tarte thought.
Even clothes provided some defense.
Naked or clothed, the difference was enormous.
If she could not avoid everything, she might have to take a hit and roll with it.
Her breathing had not fully calmed, but she could not rest.
She had recovered enough to run and charged forward like lightning.
The fox leader guarded itself.
But it did not flee with its tail.
The creature wanted to fight head-on.
Then this side would not back down either.
Tarte had steeled herself to accept a one-hit.
It was touch-and-go.
Tarte’s evasion worked; the fox’s claw grazed her arm.
The girl with arms far longer than the fox slammed the heavy scripture into the fox’s head.
“Judgment of Knowledge!”
Thud!
Not a metallic clang, but the heavy blunt weapon struck animal hide and shattered bone.
As expected, strength was lacking.
She could not fell the fox leader in one blow.
But the impact staggered the landing fox.
“Total attack!”
Tarte defeated two foxes, Ninejip Daepokpal defeated one.
Three foxes remained.
One faced Geomseong.
Even excluding the two engaged, it was 3 vs 2 with numerical superiority.
No one could beat a gang.
The foxes battered by the melee finally fell.
Second battle.
In the first fight, Geomseong’s injury had worried Tarte, so she had been too distracted by priestly duty to check her surroundings.
Now that she was familiar with the second battle, she was paying attention.
And she discovered something.
“Rogue-nim.”
“Yes.”
“Did you pick up items the same way last time?”
“Yes.”
“…”
A world with status windows and mini-maps.
Red foxes dropped gold and items when they died.
Tarte had missed it last time because the Rogue had looted everything too quickly.
“We’ll talk about it later.”
Tarte approached Geomseong, who had taken two injuries across two battles.
This time there were village herbs and bandages dropped by the foxes.
Worried about hygiene because the bandages came from a fox?
Monster-dropped items were always in perfect condition, right?
“This time it’s arms.”
“I can do it myself.”
“Priests have a healing bonus. So be quiet.”
Tarte finished the First Aid on Geomseong, clapped once, and gathered the party.
“Everyone, let’s begin the reflection on this battle.”
Was Team B okay like this?