Chapter 21: The Archmage
Chapter 21: The Archmage
And so, I finally found them.
Male wolfdogs were visible up ahead.
Sigh. I really don’t want to do this. But I have to. Do I… have to?
“What are you doing? Weren’t you planning to experiment on the males?” the robed woman asked, tilting the upper part of her cloth-covered head.
“Fine! I’ll do it! I’m doing it, alright?!”
Guwon took a deep breath, charged toward the wolfdogs, and yelled.
“Hey, you mutts! Open your eyes! I’m a man! The women are over there!”
“What are you talking about?!”
Look, even if I run at you guys, you’re far enough away that you can take them down before I get close. If they charge at me, I have to fight them right in my face.
Guwon activated Sex Analyze and Saint’s Touch, then slammed his fist into the side of a pink-glowing wolfdog.
The male wolfdogs were significantly weaker than the females. Normally, a single punch from Guwon would be enough to knock one down, and it would take a moment for it to get back up.
But this one, after tumbling to its side, suddenly shot back to its feet and began charging at Guwon like a mad beast. The only saving grace was that the stun effect must have worked, delaying its attack for a fraction of a second.
With bloodshot eyes and drool dripping from its jaws, the son of a bitch charged, its swollen junk dangling freely. The sight was nothing short of terrifying.
“Aargh! You son of a bitch! I said the women are over there! Why are you coming for me?! Get lost!”
Fortunately, a male wolfdog could be taken down with just two full-power hits from Guwon, so he was able to finish it off with a single punch as it lunged at him.
With the test complete, there was no need to see more. I finished off the rest while they were still stunned.
But the mental damage I’d suffered was considerable.
I now understood with perfect clarity why a woman being raped would be too terrified to think.
I just wish I hadn’t learned it this way.
“This skill doesn’t seem to be all good, does it? They charge recklessly without any regard for their own safety.”
“Hmm. The effect is similar to a berserk state. The difference is that its attack power doesn’t seem to have increased, and instead of attacking randomly, it only charges at you. No, perhaps that requires more verification.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I’m not certain if they were truly only charging at you. As you can see, this young lady and I were quite far away. Is it not possible that with its narrowed field of vision, you were simply the only thing it could see nearby?”
“…Are you saying we should test it again?”
“Well, if we’re going to investigate, it’s best to be thorough, wouldn’t you agree? You wouldn’t find it very rewarding to end this with only a half-baked understanding.”
She had a point. It would definitely feel like a waste to go through that kind of experience and still end up with incomplete information.
Why do I feel like I’m getting dragged into her pace?
Still, everything she said was right, so I had nothing to say back. I couldn’t let my frustration cloud my judgment.
“Alright. If you’re so curious, why don’t you stand close next time?”
If they were charging at me because of the distance, this would be a good way to make the robed woman suffer a bit, too.
“Hmm. I don’t mind. Let’s do that.”
The robed woman agreed without a hint of fear.
She’s a mage, yet she’s not afraid of getting close to monsters, even if they are low-level?
The possibility that she’s a very high level is getting higher and higher.
And so, for the next male we found, the robed woman stood right next to me as I used the skill.
The result was…
“Aaaaargh! Fuck! Are your eyes just for decoration?! Why are you only coming for me! Can’t you see the woman next to me?! You gay bastards!”
…exactly as you see.
“Pfft. A pun using the similar sounds of ‘son of a bitch’ and ‘gay bastard,’ is it? How amusing.”
Next to me, the robed woman offered her carefree commentary.
I wasn’t trying to be funny!
In any case, this made it certain.
These bastards didn’t care about gender; they were just charging at me.
“It seems the fact that they were aroused by your skill is a more significant factor than the arousal itself. This makes the skill seem closer to a charm than a simple excitement-inducer. My, this is getting more and more interesting.”
The robed woman seemed quite pleased.
“So, is there anything else you’re curious about?”
“Hmm. I believe I’ve confirmed most of what I wanted to know about its effects on monsters.”
“Then, since you’ve checked everything, we’re thinking of heading deeper into the dungeon. Is that okay, Sara?”
“Let’s. Dealing with the wolfdogs has been much easier than I expected.”
“Considering your physical abilities, I find it absurd that you were hunting here in the first place,” the robed woman remarked.
She wasn’t wrong, but what could I do?
My physical specs were one thing, but I was still a complete beginner when it came to combat.
“So what are you going to do? Keep following us?”
“Well, I have nothing better to do at the moment.”
“If you’re bored, why not go to a lower floor instead of following us? There’s nothing interesting on these upper floors, is there?”
“Ho ho. That’s not entirely true. Traveling with you two is quite fascinating. And it’s been a long time since I’ve looked around the upper floors; it’s been enjoyable to make some new discoveries.”
The robed woman smoothly deflected Sara’s attempt to push her away.
Damn. I was going to secretly give her my inn room number if she said she was leaving. Oh well, this is a relief.
We were about to head into a new area for the first time. Having this woman, who seemed to be high-level, as an insurance policy was reassuring.
“I think the route the Guild showed us requires a bit of a detour, right?”
While hunting wolfdogs, I had managed to map out a good portion of the surrounding area, but I hadn’t found a path leading down.
Wolfdogs were numerous and their habitat was vast, so it seemed the Guild hadn’t explored this route very thoroughly either.
It was a classic case of a place too dangerous for low-levels and offering nothing of value to high-levels.
Thanks to that, though, I did have the good fortune of being the first to discover female wolfdogs.
So, I had no idea if a path down even existed around here.
To get to the path described in the Guild’s guide, we’d have to backtrack quite a bit.
Should we stick to the known route, or try to pioneer a new one here?
Grrrrrrrrrrrowl!
Just as I was about to weigh our options, a roar so powerful I could feel the vibration in the air echoed through the area. It was a sound that couldn’t possibly have come from a normal wolfdog.
I whipped my head toward the source of the sound and saw a wolf, nearly the size of a bear, approaching with murderous intent gleaming in its eyes.
Wait, is that really a wolfdog and not a wolf? Why is it so big?!
Worse, it was surrounded by countless other wolfdogs, like knights guarding their king. And was it just my imagination, or did they all look like females?
I had a feeling we were in some serious trouble.
“Hoh. A Transcendent Species on an upper floor like this? Interesting.”
The robed woman’s calm voice helped to ease my tension, if only slightly.
“What? A Transcendent Species? What’s that?”
“In this mana-rich dungeon, individuals that absorb an abundance of mana sometimes appear, transcending the limits of their species. They’re usually only seen occasionally in the deeper floors where mana is more plentiful. This is the first time I’ve seen one on an upper floor. Traveling with you is never boring, I see.”
“Well, I’m not having any fun! It’s strong, right? It definitely looks strong.”
“The power of a Transcendent Species varies greatly depending on the amount of mana it has absorbed. That one is holding a considerable amount. To think a creature with that much mana existed on an upper floor, where mana is relatively scarce. The dungeon truly is a fascinating place.”
“So you’re saying it’s strong! Why are you so calm?!”
While we were talking, the female wolfdogs surrounding the Transcendent spread out, forming a large circle around me.
I thought they were closing in for an attack, but the females simply maintained their circular formation, like a fence.
What? What are they doing?
Grrrrrrr…
The Transcendent stood in the center of the circle, its murderous gaze fixed on me as it slowly advanced.
“Hmm. Did you do something to earn its grudge? Its killing intent is quite formidable.”
Damn it. I knew it. Slaughtering all those males must have been the problem.
I should have held back. To think that getting excited over finding a loophole would cause this kind of trouble.
“Hey. Let’s talk this out. Think about it. With me taking care of all the males, you get to have all these females to yourself. It’s a total harem, right? You should be thanking me—Uwaaah, fuck! Didn’t your mother teach you not to interrupt when someone is talking?!”
As if it understood my words, the Transcendent lunged at me the moment I opened my mouth, clearly having heard enough.
“Guwon!”
I dodged the attack by a hair’s breadth. Seizing the opening, Sara fired an arrow that struck true, but unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be a critical hit.
“Right. I was an idiot for trying to talk to a dumb beast. Fine, let’s do this!”
I allocated all my bonus stats to Strength and Durability and charged forward, throwing a punch.
Of course, I didn’t activate Saint’s Touch. I already had enough aggro, and I didn’t want to risk using it for a brief stun only for the effect to wear off and have this giant beast charge me in a frenzy.
The wolfdog took the punch without flinching and opened its maw, snapping at my arm.
“Tch! This thing’s damage is no joke!”
I managed to pull my arm back, but just the scrape from its teeth was enough to draw blood.
The damage wasn’t the only problem. This was the first time I’d ever faced a monster that could just tank my hits and keep coming.
Until now, everything I fought would at least be knocked back, whether it died or not.
But I couldn’t back down.
If I went deeper into the dungeon, I’d be facing countless monsters like this one.
I didn’t know why it was making the females stand back and watch while it fought me one-on-one, but I would take advantage of the opportunity.
Steeling my resolve, I raised my fists again.
I started with a few light jabs to test its reaction. The Transcendent dodged or deflected them as if they were nothing, snapping its teeth as it tried to bite me.
Stupid beast. This is exactly what I was aiming for.
The moment its center of gravity shifted forward, making its stance slightly unstable, I slammed a decisive low kick into its front leg.
How do you like that?!
The powerful low kick was effective. The Transcendent’s body lurched forward, and it stumbled.
But it wasn’t going down without a fight. As it fell, it twisted its body toward me. I was in an unstable posture myself, standing on one leg after the kick, and it succeeded in tackling me to the ground.
Damn it. Being in a mounted position against a four-legged beast feels way too disadvantageous.
Kuwwoooong!
Just then, an arrow fired by Sara, who had circled around behind it, struck the Transcendent squarely in the crotch.
Oof… Even though it’s an enemy, that looks incredibly painful.
The pain was apparently something that transcended species for any male. The Transcendent couldn’t bear it and writhed, giving me the chance to escape from under it.
“Thanks!”
The Transcendent, thrashing in agony, suddenly abandoned its single-minded focus on me, turned, and started heading for Sara.
Hey?! Where are you going?!
I scrambled after it, thankfully managing to tackle and stop it just before it reached her.
But its aggro was still locked onto Sara.
Watching it twist and struggle, trying to get to her, I steeled my resolve.
Damn it! I have no choice.
“Sara! From now on, don’t hold back! Let loose with everything you’ve got!”
Then, activating Saint’s Touch, I began pummeling the Transcendent.
Please. Please let this be over before the stun wears off.
Sara’s arrows rained down mercilessly on the Transcendent’s crotch, and I beat its face into a bloody pulp until my fists were stained crimson. But eventually, as if it had adapted to the sensation from Saint’s Touch, the stun wore off.
Krawrararararara!
Letting out a monstrous roar that I doubted could even come from a dog’s throat, the Transcendent pounced on me.
I had been so focused on desperately attacking that I couldn’t react in time to its sudden move and was pinned beneath it.
Grrrrrrr!
Saliva dripped from the Transcendent’s mouth onto my face, while its swollen genitals dangled below.
Fuck, this feels disgusting.
Having already drawn blood, I had become more aggressive. Unfazed by the grotesque sight, I launched the best attack I could in my current position.
“Let’s see you endure this, you son of a bitch!”
I shot my legs up and kicked at the Transcendent’s dangling genitals.
“Die! Die! Die! Die!”
And not just once.
I unleashed a series of brutal attacks that no man would ever be able to inflict on another.
Then, on my final kick, I put all my strength into it. I felt something give way as my foot connected with far more force than before.
As my foot felt something soft burst on impact, one of Sara’s arrows finally succeeded in severing the Transcendent’s testicles from its body.
Wooooooo!
With a mournful howl, the Transcendent turned to ash and disappeared.
Thank god. So even for a Transcendent Species, the magic stone is in the same place.
As the blood rushed from my head, I looked back on the situation and felt a chill.
If the magic stone hadn’t been there, I would have been in serious trouble.
“Guwon! Are you okay?!”
“I’m fine. Thanks to you, my chastity is safe.”
“How can you make jokes at a time like this?!” Sara shouted, her face turning red.
Right, maybe it was a bit too soon for jokes.
Just because we’d defeated the Transcendent didn’t mean the situation was over.
We were still surrounded by a horde of female wolfdogs.