Chapter 70: Blooming (1)
Chapter 70: Blooming (1)
I don’t know what’s going on with this body of mine…
I had just been holding Noona and Grace, yet the exhaustion and fatigue lasted only a fleeting moment. Before I knew it, my body had recovered to peak condition as if nothing had happened.
It wasn’t the first or second time this had happened, and I was slowly getting used to it, but not knowing the reason was still a bit frustrating. Of course, even without knowing, it wasn't a bad thing for me at all…
Seeing Noona and Grace sitting beside and across from me, their skin glowing with satisfaction, I felt a surge of masculine pride. Honestly, any man would envy a body like this.
The breakfast spread was so lavish that the expression "the table legs were groaning" felt perfectly appropriate. It seemed Noona and Grace had put a lot of effort into preparing it. It was almost surprising that Laysia didn't say anything, considering the sheer variety of dishes.
The table was filled with ingredients meant to restore one's stamina; it looked like Noona had gone on a shopping spree for them. It made sense, given that Awakeners consume a massive amount of calories while risking their lives in dungeons, but I had a feeling there was another reason behind it as well.
After the hearty breakfast, while I was getting ready for the dungeon, Noona and Grace took turns coming to see me.
"Shin-a, you’re really okay, right?"
"Yeah, I’m not tired at all, so don't worry."
Both Noona and Grace said they had only intended to spend a little time with me last night. Since we were scheduled to go to a dungeon today, they hadn't planned on draining me all night long. However, including myself, all three of us had gotten so fired up that we kept going until dawn.
Because I hadn't been able to restrain myself either, I reassured them as they kept blaming themselves and worrying.
"If I feel even slightly off, I’ll tell you immediately, so don't worry."
"Yes, I understand."
Only after I made that promise did the two of them finally look relieved. Then, Grace, Laysia, and I finished our preparations and gathered in the living room.
First… since we had decided to start light with an E-Rank dungeon to test our teamwork, I operated the Manager App and selected an E-Rank Portal that had formed nearby.
With the sensation of my body floating, we entered the dungeon.
A space of pitch-black darkness.
As she always did, Grace created a Sphere of Light to secure our vision. What was different this time was that Laysia did the same, so there were now two spheres. If we scattered in different directions, we could find the monsters and clear the dungeon quickly, but…
Since the goal this time was to coordinate and fight together, there was no reason to rush. Looking around, I saw that the structure of this dungeon was a forest.
"We shall depart then," Grace said in a low voice, and I nodded.
We had agreed beforehand that Grace would act as the party leader and give orders once we entered. Although Laysia was currently slightly stronger than Grace, she had flatly refused to be the leader. She argued that there was no point in disrupting the role Grace already held, and she claimed she lacked the ability to judge and coordinate the overall flow of battle.
We moved in a triangular formation, with Grace in the lead and Laysia and I following closely behind. As we began to move, we stayed alert, looking for clues to identify the monsters inhabiting this place.
However, after about thirty minutes of walking, there was no longer any need to search.
Awoooo—!
It was my first time hearing it with my own ears rather than through a screen, but I knew instantly that it was the howl of a wolf. The low-frequency howl echoing through the dark forest was something even an Awakener couldn't easily ignore.
What? A wolf's howl? Do wolf-type monsters even appear in E-Rank dungeons?
It had been thirty years since Portals first appeared. Dungeon exploration had become so specialized that even searching for Artifacts was routine, and a vast database of information on monsters had been compiled.
But there was one problem. Among wolf-type monsters, none were known to appear in E-Rank dungeons.
One by one, sinister red glints began to appear around us. Countless eyes glared at us from all directions, accompanied by low growls. If they were wolf-type monsters that moved in such large packs, they had to be 'Dire Wolves.'
In terms of their numbers and pack-hunting tactics, they were similar to the Raptors I had faced before… but each individual was incomparably stronger, requiring significant caution. They were known to appear only in D-Rank dungeons or higher, yet here they were in an E-Rank.
It was an unexpected situation. There was no time to explain this to Grace and Laysia, so we immediately prepared for combat. We were already on high alert and had our weapons drawn, so we could engage instantly.
Bark!
The Dire Wolves hiding in the brush lunged at us, their sharp teeth glistening. They were massive wolves with thick gray fur. A wolf the size of a cow back on Earth was absolutely not something to be taken lightly.
Before I knew it, they had surrounded us, and I could see them pouncing from all sides. One Dire Wolf, moving with incredible agility despite its size, snapped its jaws toward my leg.
Instead of backing away, I lunged forward and smashed the beast's face with my shield.
Thwack!
Nice.
From the sensation in my hand, it felt like I had shattered its lower jaw. The beast staggered back, its mouth hanging open as it leaked blood and saliva, its eyes losing focus. It was a certain hit.
Stab!
As the beast stood dazed, likely from a concussion, I plunged my sword straight between its eyes, destroying its brain. I had handled the Dire Wolf much more easily than I expected.
The problem, however, was that there wasn't just one, and their total number was unknown.
Snarl!
Without giving me a moment to breathe, more Dire Wolves lunged at me. Where there was one before, now there were two. This was only because Grace and Laysia were handling the others; if I were alone, this would have been incredibly dangerous.
Seeing that only two were attacking me, it was clear that Laysia and Grace were intentionally drawing aggro to make things easier for me. The periodic sound of clashing metal coming from behind me confirmed their intentions.
Normally, I would have been able to pay some attention to their fight and maintain a broader view of the battlefield, but… considering my current capabilities, I didn't have the luxury to be distracted.
One Dire Wolf stayed low, leaping for my legs, while the other jumped to pin my entire body down.
Was it because I had experienced similar difficult attack patterns during my sparring with Laysia yesterday?
I dashed forward at a left diagonal, slightly delaying their coordinated attack, and swung my sword vertically down at the Dire Wolf that had exposed its flank, severing its neck. A massive spray of crimson blood erupted from the stump, splattering everywhere. Some of it inevitably hit me, as I was so close.
Ignoring the blood, I attacked the other Dire Wolf—the one that had tried to pounce on me—before it could turn around after landing where I had just been standing.
Slice!
The Dire Wolf was clearly made of tough, sturdy hide, bone, and muscle, and I could feel that resistance through my hand. Among all the monsters I had faced so far, this one offered the most resistance to my blade.
Yet, even so, the sword cut through cleanly, and my movements weren't hindered. I thought the blade might get stuck while cutting through bone, but it didn't.
After that, I fought the lunging Dire Wolves in a trance-like state. I pushed my muscles to the limit, constantly moving my legs and swinging my arms.
In the midst of the intense combat, I suddenly realized that I was unconsciously using a power dwelling within my body. On the surface, it looked like I wasn't using any special energy, but a certain power was definitely infused into my muscles, making the fight much easier.
I knew instinctively that it wasn't Qi or Mana. It didn't feel like the descriptions I had heard of those energies; rather, it felt somewhat familiar.
Is this Tiamat’s power…?
The power of Tiamat, which had healed me when I was unable to move after my injury two years ago. I felt a quality similar to the power I had been injected with after meeting Tiamat and forming a contract with her.
It wasn't perfectly identical, but the essence was the same.
It felt slightly different from the divinity Grace used, or the divinity I created by absorbing mana from a Dungeon Core and converting it.
Regardless, I realized that the power I was using as an Awakener belonged to Tiamat, and I began to use that power bit by bit to navigate the battle more smoothly.
In a way, it was like a child who had been crawling on all fours finally taking their first steps on two legs.
It was a momentous occasion for me.
Finally, I had truly taken my first step as an Awakener.