Chapter 150: I’m Getting Stronger
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 150: I’m Getting Stronger
Teresa came out personally, leading the shrine maidens to greet me.
I appreciated the gesture, but honestly, it was a bit overwhelming.
Think about it—if you go to work at a client’s office and a high-ranking official there takes a lowly employee aside because they’re "close," while everyone else is working and the rookie is just lounging around, it looks bad.
The boss, who has to suck up to the client, might love it, though.
Well, looking at it that way, I guess it’s a good thing.
By publicly showing that the reclusive Shrine Maiden Clan was paying attention to me, my standing in the eyes of the government would have gone up.
Did Teresa intend for this?
She’s the head of a clan that manages an entire region under the overbearing government, not some small-time business owner. She’s bound to be much smarter than me.
But… they were treating me like some hero of the nation when, in reality, all I’d done was host a wild sex party.
It felt a bit weird to be welcomed like this just for working my cock so hard.
Of course, I knew how much the Shrine Maiden Clan—who only gave birth to girls—valued the ritual of receiving "seed," but since we played so lewdly back then, this hospitality was actually embarrassing.
The girls were all here; she wouldn't say something like, “Your cock felt so good back then,” right?
“I’ll carry your luggage. Please, give it here.”
“Ah, th-that, no, it’s f-f-fine, I’m f-fine-hiyah!”
I looked back to see Rio stuttering, paralyzed with nerves.
Even if he’d gotten used to women, being surrounded by beauties on all sides was enough to turn him back into a loser.
The pressure of one beautiful woman versus a whole crowd of them was on a different level.
I get it. Even after I got this face, I used to get really nervous at first.
You should look at Bukgeuk-jwa and learn a thing or two.
He was handing over his luggage while naturally grazing their hands and laying on the flirting.
The shrine maidens took the luggage, saying they’d move it to our quarters, and we followed Teresa into a wide hall.
This place was still incredible.
The wide hall, lined with wooden pillars meticulously carved by master craftsmen, and the beautiful shrine maidens standing in rows on either side, was both magnificent and intimidating to anyone entering.
I thought Angelica might be used to it since she was from a wealthy family, but she grabbed my sleeve as if she were nervous.
Man, she’s cute.
Following the guidance, we sat at our respective tables in the center.
Aside from the floor seating being a bit uncomfortable, the atmosphere was excellent. It felt like experiencing a medieval imperial court.
At the far end, on a platform higher than ours—a seat fit for a king, and the very spot where I had once vigorously pumped my hips to inject her with semen—Teresa took her seat. Then, a line of shrine maidens emerged carrying food.
Just how much pressure was she trying to put on my kids? They laid out a feast of delicacies before our tables, with enough shrine maidens to form a parade, and one maiden was assigned to wait on each team member.
“You must be hungry. Please, let us talk while we eat.”
“Thank you. We’ll enjoy the meal.”
A massive table piled high with food was placed before Teresa as well, and I began to eat, expressing my gratitude.
In situations like this, one person has to step up so the others will follow.
As I leisurely accepted a piece of unknown food offered by a shrine maiden, the team members, who had been feeling burdened, began to eat one by one.
Angelica flatly refused the help and ate by herself, and Yukina did the same. Seeing them, the Thug—who had been accepting the service at first—glanced at them and picked up his own utensils.
Akane was quietly nibbling on whatever was given to her; maybe because she was small, she looked like a pet being fed snacks.
And Bukgeuk-jwa… I mean no offense, but you really fit in with the Comedy Duo, don't you?
The three of them had grins stretching from ear to ear, happily accepting food from the shrine maidens.
And Bukgeuk-jwa, you bastard, this isn't a hostess bar. Take your hand off that maiden’s waist.
The food was delicious, and it was a pleasant banquet where we shared updates on our lives, but in reality, I was the only one consistently conversing with Teresa.
Aside from brief greetings when I introduced the team, no one dared to speak out of turn. Even Yukina, who was somewhat familiar with her, stayed quiet unless spoken to first.
“Thank you for accepting this request. I feel reassured now that Yeon-woo is here.”
Once everyone was full and dessert began to arrive, Teresa started talking business.
“It’s only natural to come help a place I have a connection with.”
“Fufu, that makes me happy.”
Guys, stop looking at me like I’m some weirdo.
Maybe I was just caught up in the atmosphere? Whenever I talked to Teresa, I found myself unconsciously mimicking her way of speaking.
I even started lowering my voice like I was in a historical drama.
Ignoring Bukgeuk-jwa’s gaze—he was smirking as if he’d seen something hilarious—I asked a question that had come up during our team meeting.
“Are you currently short on shrine maidens who are capable of fighting?”
“Unfortunately, with our current strength, we have no choice but to seek help. We can’t exactly pull personnel away from the Barrier defense.”
As expected, it seemed the government had refused to reassign personnel.
It would have been better to have the people hired for this request handle the Barrier defense while the shrine maidens went out to scout, but the government was being incredibly stubborn.
No, wait—if that happened, Akito wouldn't have a chance to shine.
“If you’re short-handed, can you protect this place?”
“Yes, we have excellent children guarding it, so you don’t need to worry about this side. Now that so many people have come to help, we should be able to bring in the residents from the other villages.”
The mission was divided into scouting and escorting.
With the shrine maidens currently left in the forest, they were stretched thin just protecting the shrine itself, making it impossible to protect all the scattered villages.
That’s why Teresa had issued the emergency request—to gather enough people to escort the villagers and bring them to the shrine.
They couldn't protect every scattered village, but they could defend them if they were all in one place.
The problem, however, was that this place would soon be breached.
When I first came here for Yukina’s virginity-unlocking event, I was surprised because the shrine maidens were much stronger than I expected.
Having remembered this request as soon as I saw them, I used to wonder, “Why the hell does this place get breached?”
A lot of things change when you see them in person.
Yggdrasil was famous among players for being a "trash school," but in person, the teachers were all excellent in both skill and character.
The reason this place gets breached is simple.
There are too few people.
It’s called a shrine, but the entire Shrine Maiden Clan lives here, so it’s essentially a large village.
Everyone has their own duties, so the number of combat-ready personnel is limited, and most of the primary forces are allocated to Barrier defense.
It makes sense when you think about it.
Since it’s hard to even trespass into the forest in the first place, they only need enough people to maintain order or protect Teresa.
If the forest is breached, reinforcements can come immediately from the nearby Barrier, so there’s no need for a large force to be stationed here.
As for the "Fierce Beast" of unknown identity, they probably didn't see it as a major threat—just something hard to find because the forest was so vast.
On top of that, hearing Teresa complain slightly about the government, it seemed the pressure from them was significant.
Since they were given this much land as an extraterritorial zone, the government expected them to pull their weight.
“Have you considered talking to Berengel about strengthening the defenses here?”
“…Yeon-woo, it seems you’re anticipating something.”
“It’s just a hunch for now.”
Even though these were the words of a rookie with little experience, Teresa didn't dismiss them and considered them seriously.
The fact that she didn't press me for a reason despite my vague answer suggested that this issue had already been discussed here.
Teresa, who had been lost in thought for a moment while staring into the distance, looked at me and smiled brightly.
“Thank you for your opinion, Yeon-woo. I will speak with Mr. Berengel and take appropriate measures.”
With the conversation over, it was time for us to get back to work.
If we just lounged around because a high-ranking official was being nice to us, someone would surely get jealous.
“The damage is continuing, and the residents are anxious. Please comfort them and make sure to protect them.”
Teresa stepped down from the platform and took our hands one by one, speaking to each of us.
Bukgeuk-jwa, who was now practically inseparable from the Comedy Duo, looked completely smitten, as if he were ready to lay down his life for her.
Finally approaching me, Teresa said something similar to what she’d told the others, then leaned in close, hugged me, and whispered:
“I’ll save our fun time for after the work is done. Please do your best.”
Huh? Not in the middle? I’m going to be here for a few days, so I’ll have plenty of time when I come back to the quarters to rest… No, I mean, that is professional… but I only have a temporary license, so I’m not really a professional yet.
Teresa looked at my face, let out a "fufu" laugh, and pulled away.
I couldn't tell if she was genuinely looking forward to it or just teasing me.
Regardless, just getting a hint that she wanted a repeat of that intense sex was enough to put me in a good mood.
Thanks to Teresa, we were now able to act independently, regardless of Berengel’s instructions or plans.
Honestly, it was an excessive amount of authority for someone with a temporary license, but it was better than being dragged somewhere useless and not being able to get anywhere near where the actual events were happening.
We followed the guiding shrine maiden to the scene where the incident had occurred.
As soon as we arrived, we could feel the heavy atmosphere of the village.
The anxious looks of people wondering when they might be next, the hopeful eyes looking at us for salvation, the grief—the mix of complex emotions was pitiful and made me feel uneasy.
The carcasses of the livestock, which had been dead for a while, were starting to rot and were a mess, but the scene had been well-preserved, leaving many traces.
The villagers gave us cold looks since we had arrived late after being invited by Teresa, but we ignored them and carefully examined the scene.
Actually, what would I even know by looking?
I wasn't a detective; I was just an ordinary office worker who used to suck up to my team leader.
I knew the identity of the Fierce Beast, but there was nothing I could glean just by looking at the scene, so I pretended to investigate before gathering the team to ask for their opinions.
“What do you think?”
“Some say it might be a wolf-like beast, but there are no traces like footprints or fur at all. No footprints means it’s either very light or floating in the air, but there are too many monsters that fit that description.”
So Yukina was leaning toward it being a monster.
“I vote for a monster too. I looked at the carcasses, and the bite marks are all different, as if it has multiple heads or arms. Can’t we narrow it down to monsters that are light and have multiple body parts?”
“I agree with you that far, but a monster? It’s not easy for a monster to cross the Barrier.”
Masayoshi chimed in with a common-sense objection to Bukgeuk-jwa’s words.
Just as he said, it wasn't easy for monsters to approach a city surrounded by a Barrier.
If something had crossed a Barrier filled with all sorts of magic, security devices, and mages constantly using detection magic, it should have left a trace.
Besides, how would it even get into the forest?
If it were a mage, there might be a chance they could sneak in without destroying the barrier, but you couldn't expect that kind of technique from a low-intelligence monster.
“There was that monster they called the Water God, too.”
“If monsters like that were common, humans and monsters would already be holding hands and singing kumbaya.”
Rio tried to argue, but Masayoshi shut him down.
It was about time I gave them a hint while pretending I’d figured it out from the investigation.
I’d been acting too bold lately, and people were starting to overestimate my intelligence.
I only know what I know; I’m not an expert at deduction or brainwork.
From now on, I planned to throw out hints and let the team members uncover the truth bit by bit to reduce the spotlight on myself.
“Um… can I say something too?”
Suddenly, Angelica cautiously raised her hand.
Feeling our eyes on her, Angelica hesitated timidly before showing us her tablet screen and explaining.
“So far, there have been a total of eight attacks identified as being carried out by this unknown entity.”
Angelica showed us the attack information one by one in chronological order, then spoke while gauging our reactions.
“The damage is getting bigger with every attack.”
“Isn't a broken fence or a dead animal all the same? The victims are all animals.”
That’s why you’ll never be more than a Thug.
And Angelica—she was incredibly smart, even if it wasn't portrayed that way in the game.
Angelica had figured out on her own exactly what I was going to say.
However, because someone had countered her, she was nervous and couldn't properly assert her point.
I walked over to her side, put a hand on her shoulder, and spoke to the team.
“Don’t you get what Angelica is saying? First it was a cat, then a pet dog, a goat, a deer carcass found outside, then a horse. It’s getting stronger with every attack.”
“… …”
“What’s next? A human?”
We couldn't conclude it was getting stronger based solely on the clues found so far, but at the suggestion that a human might be next, everyone’s gaze changed.
I should report this to Berengel under Angelica’s name and have the patrols strengthened.
And let’s try to minimize the casualties.
Akito will solve it anyway; I’m just here to save the people who don’t have to die.