12
Chapter 12
Before long, a comment appeared.
[Corrupted Power Knight: I've seen them a few times. It might be a bit daunting at levels 1 or 2, but once you hit level 3 or higher, they're nothing. They travel in packs, but the numbers are small and they're hard to spot. Since they're heretics who serve other gods, they don't like Holy Knights like us, so there's a high chance you'll fight if you run into them.]
└ [Ever killed one?]
└ [Corrupted Power Knight: They aren't monsters like demons or Infected, so I don't kill them even if I encounter them. It just feels wrong. It's not like killing them gives a huge XP boost. If they get too aggressive, I just give them a decent lesson.]
Corrupted Power Knight. A user I've seen a few times. He writes posts focused on information, so he should be reliable.
The second comment arrived immediately.
[Samurai Jackson: Barbarians. Those guys who occasionally appeared as NPCs in the game.
For the warrior class, they're just a bit stronger than average Infected? We've arrived with our own otherworldly perks, but the barbarians didn't.
Their High Priests handle powers similar to shamanism, but their casting time is longer and the power is weaker than the skills we use.
Some individuals are strong enough to make you wonder if they're even human, but that's a rare case. Anyway, they're nothing special, so you don't need to worry too much.]
Samurai Jackson. A user with a Two-Sword Style fetish who's been around since the early days of the community.
Surviving this long means he's strong. This person is also trustworthy.
So, putting it all together, they aren't particularly threatening, but they're a bit annoying because they attack first?
Exactly as I expected. No plot twists at all.
I asked both of them the same question.
└ [Ever seen the Loa they serve?]
└ [Corrupted Power Knight: Loa? Ah, those things that only appeared in the game's lore? No. I've seen statues built by barbarians, but they were just statues. I didn't feel any special power from them. Why do you ask?]
└ [Just wondering. Thx for the answer!]
This one doesn't know.
└ [Samurai Jackson: Whenever we fight, the barbarians always say things like 'The Loa will take revenge' or 'The curse of the Loa will fall upon you,' but there's been no such curse or revenge so far. To me, it's just folk religion or like Voodoo. They aren't actual supernatural beings like the Goddess who (probably) summoned us here.]
└ [Ty ty!]
This one doesn't know either. They don't even know if the Loa actually exist.
Paya's claim that no other Loa besides me has descended to the surface might be true.
It's not that I don't trust Paya, but she's someone who has only stayed in a small tribe on this high mountain. Even if she thinks she's telling the truth, it might not be a fact, so cross-verification was necessary.
Whew. Maybe I'm a bit of a genius for a convenience store worker?
Regardless, the probability that I am the only Loa in this world has increased. I had my doubts, but to think I'm really the only Loa.
This could be good news or bad news.
The good part is that since there's no information on the Loa, there's no one to keep me in check; the bad part is that I can't get help from other Loa (whether possessors or real ones).
"It's almost the season when wild strawberries ripen. There are so many in bloom. These were foods I ate often with Chief Kanto, Opp—"
- Oh?
"Wild strawberries are great. The kids would love it if I picked some for them."
Kanto reacted to Paya's words with a small smirk.
"I'll take care of it."
Paya brought out a leather bundle and began picking wild strawberries to fill it.
Looking at them like this, they seemed like very ordinary natives of a very ordinary mountain.
"We've come down far enough that they might start appearing. We should move quietly."
Paya nodded at Kanto's words as he scanned the area, and she muffled her footsteps.
I also opened my eyes wide (though they weren't my own) and focused.
Before long, a strange howl echoed through the air.
It was a sound that mixed a wolf's growl with the rattling phlegm of a sick patient.
The creatures appeared in Paya's field of vision. This was my first time seeing the Infected in person.
They looked horrific—wolves with mushroom spores blooming all over their bodies.
There were about a dozen of them.
Hiding in the brush, Kanto signaled the warriors with a gesture.
To ensure safety, Paya remained at the back, waiting with two other warriors.
A warrior exchanged a glance with Kanto and approached the creatures, crawling low to the ground.
Though short and scrawny, she exuded the aura of a powerful fighter, perhaps due to the fierce glint in her eyes.
"Hiyat!"
The warrior crept forward and suddenly leaped up, hurling her spear at the largest creature.
With a Thwack!, the spear pierced the body of the Infected that appeared to be the alpha.
"Now!"
Kanto charged, swinging his double-edged axe, while the warriors followed behind with fierce screams.
"Hyah—!"
Kanto literally slaughtered them, slicing through bone and flesh in one go before instantly burying the axe in the next target.
It felt like an incredibly strong lumberjack chopping down a tree with a single blow, and doing it repeatedly.
His strength and speed were so inhuman that it sent a chill down my spine just watching.
To think that someone this strong still struggles to take down a low-tier demon alone.
What is wrong with the balance of this crazy world?
"Phew, it's all over."
After the one-sided massacre, Kanto shook his double-edged axe from side to side to clear it.
- Impressive.
I shared my honest thoughts with Paya without reservation.
"Yes. I don't know about other things, but Chief Kanto has been an amazing fighter since he was a child."
Paya nodded, clearly pleased that her Oppa was receiving praise.
"Time to get to work."
The warriors pulled small knives from their pouches and began cutting the mushrooms off the Infected's bodies.
- What are they doing?
"Chief Kanto, Lord Mallak is curious about what the warriors are doing right now."
"Ah, they're just prepping them before we head back. The mushrooms on their bodies remain toxic even after being cooked. Once we're back, we'll skin them completely and remove the mushrooms that penetrated deep inside."
They eat those things?
George had posted that the Infected were safe to eat if cooked, but I thought that was only possible because he was a Holy Knight.
- Isn't it dangerous?
Paya relayed my words to Kanto.
"It's fine as long as you drain the blood properly. You might get an upset stomach if you're careless, but that's a risk we're willing to take. The taste isn't even that bad."
I see. I was a bit hesitant since they were monsters corrupted by demonic energy, but there was a way to eat them after all.
As always, humanity finds a way.
"Are you okay?"
"Tsk, just a scratch. It's nothing."
"Let's disinfect it once we're back up."
I noticed a warrior with a wound on their forearm. Disinfect it? They could just receive my healing.
Hmm, I wonder?
[Name: Mallak]
- Available Blessings: Totem of Healing (Mid), Divine Descent
- Available Points: 230
- Vassal: Paya
- Enter Community
Hmm.
[Totem of Healing (Mid)]
Click.
[Impossible]
I tried clicking the status window to see if I could use a blessing while in the Divine Descent state, but as expected, it didn't work.
I had actually tried it once before when I possessed Paya's body, and it had no effect then either. I'd held onto a small hope that it hadn't worked simply because Paya was healthy.
It would have been useful strategically; what a waste.
"We've come quite far. Time to head back to the tribe. Now, let's wrap this up quickly!"
At Kanto's command, the warriors loaded the Infected onto carrying tools similar to A-frame carriers and began to move.
I still have many questions about my abilities.
Will blessings just appear on their own if I keep gathering points like this?
How do I create vassals?
Will I be stuck in the form of a totem forever?
Will I ever be able to feel touch again?
I wonder if all these problems will eventually resolve themselves.
"I wish you could eat these wild strawberries too, Lord Mallak."
Paya, who shared her vision with me, said this as she hurried along with a leather bundle full of berries.
She walked briskly, her eyes fixed on her Oppa's back ahead of her.
"Should I leave a few on the altar? Or would that be... a bad idea as an offering?"
You guys barely have enough to eat, why bother.
- Take better care of the children training hard for my sake. I'll consider that my offering.
Paya let out a small laugh.
"You're so kind, Lord Mallak."
Kind, my foot. It's only because nothing actually comes to me, no matter how many offerings you give.
I'd rather you just eat them than let precious food go to waste.
"How many did you get?"
"Three."
"Wow, you got quite a few on your own. Duya's going to love this."
"Don't even mention her. She's a total headache."
"That woman? Look at you. Just because she's your woman now, you think it's okay to swear?"
"She's my enemy now, a straight-up enemy. It's like living with a demon. Even when I go home early to sleep, she nags so much my ears bleed. I don't even know who the hunter is anymore."
"This is exactly why I don't get married."
"It's probably just that no man wants you. Living with you is no different from living with another man."
"You little..."
Watching the Barbarian warriors chatter like that makes me feel at ease. I used to talk about trivial things just like that with my friends back home.
It makes me realize that they are just ordinary humans, same as me.
...Maybe I should set aside these pointless worries. I'll just focus on what I can do for now.
Perhaps the answers will come if I take things one step at a time.
I'll be satisfied with seeing the Barbarians' combat strength firsthand for today.
***
After returning to my totem form, I accessed the community and searched for the 'Necromancer's Tomb'.
Only... two posts came up.