Chapter 47: Guild Quest
Chapter 47: Guild Quest
Was it about three meters long?
It was a tunnel for werewolves, so it was wide enough to pass through without any trouble.
When Guwon passed through the tunnel and poked his head out the other side, a werewolf’s menacing face was there to give him a warm welcome right up close.
“Grrrrr.”
“Uh… I’ll just be leaving now.”
“Grrrowl! Woof! Woof!”
The werewolf barked as if to say, You can come in as you please, but you can’t leave, and lunged at Guwon.
“Aargh! Wait! Time out!”
Guwon showed a moment of quick thinking, wrapping his fist in Saint's Touch and slugging the werewolf on the bridge of its nose, managing to escape the situation for now.
Alright. Let's get out of here before the stun wears off.
As Guwon started to back into the tunnel, he suddenly realized this was the only werewolf here.
Huh? If it's just one, this is manageable, isn't it?
“Sara! Diana! It's okay! You can come through!”
Guwon shouted towards the tunnel and started beating on the werewolf.
It was a bit much for Guwon to finish it off alone before the stun wore off, and soon the werewolf recovered, but it didn't matter.
Guwon dodged to the side, putting distance between himself and the tunnel.
The frenzied werewolf charged straight for Guwon, giving Sara and Diana a chance to safely exit the tunnel.
After the three of them teamed up and easily took care of the werewolf, the party finally had a chance to properly look around the area.
It was a circular space, densely surrounded on all sides by bushes and trees.
It wasn't very large. Guwon guessed it was about the size of a spacious room.
Given its size, it was hard to believe this was a werewolf settlement.
So, was this not a place where many lived, but just a home for the one we just killed and the one from before?
But thinking back, both of them were male.
Two male monsters living crammed together in this place?
I couldn't say it was completely impossible, but it was hard to believe.
Or were there other packmates around?
“Look over here! It looks like there's another path leading from this place.”
Just then, Sara found another tunnel, different from the one the party had come through.
That raised another possibility.
This place could be a hub that the werewolves used to move between maps.
But whether it was a small werewolf den or a transit hub, one thing was certain: the party had finally found a clue to get out of here.
“Hmm. To think a place like this exists in the dungeon. This might be an even more valuable discovery than a secret passage.”
It seemed Diana was more interested in its other potential uses.
She might be right.
If you just block both entrances, this place becomes a safe haven no one can enter.
A place in the dungeon where you can rest with guaranteed safety. For adventurers exploring the dungeon, that kind of information would be even more coveted.
“So, shall we rest here for the night?”
“Hmm. Let us do so.”
To be honest, with a clue to escaping the dungeon right in front of them, the urge to check it out immediately was strong, but it was too late in the night for that.
Being inside the dungeon, which was bright 24/7, it didn't feel like night at all, but there was no point in overexerting themselves.
Without even needing Diana to cast an alarm spell on the tunnel, Guwon grabbed a large rock in the middle of the clearing to block the entrance completely.
…Is this too big?
Perhaps because the rock was too large just for blocking a hole, even with Guwon's Strength stat, it was a struggle to lift.
“Be careful now. You'll throw out your back like that.”
Yikes. Can't have that.
Having recently come to deeply appreciate the saying that a man is only as good as his back, Guwon invested a few bonus stats into Strength and was finally able to move the rock.
With this, the worry of a surprise attack was completely gone, and they could relax and rest.
For the first time in a while, the party finished their meal at a leisurely pace, without needing to watch their surroundings.
After eating and lounging around, just as they were starting to gather leaves to make beds for the night, they heard a thumping sound nearby.
It was coming from the rock Guwon had used to block one of the tunnels.
Probably another werewolf.
However, only the sound echoed; the rock itself barely moved. It seemed to be struggling to push it up from below, but without much success.
This was the rock Guwon had barely managed to move even after investing bonus stats. The tunnel wasn't wide enough for two werewolves to pass through together, and it certainly wasn't a weight one could lift alone.
“What should we do? Ignore it?”
“Won't it just call for its packmates?”
Even if it called for help, the tunnel is too narrow for two of them to lift it at the same time, so I doubt a normal werewolf could do anything about that rock…
Wait, a normal werewolf couldn't do anything? Then what if it's not a normal werewolf?
If this place was a den for a small number of werewolves, then the one thumping on the rock right now would eventually give up, unable to move it.
But if this was a hub used by the dungeon's werewolves to move between maps, then that werewolf would go get one strong enough to lift this rock.
A Transcendent Species, for example.
When Guwon shared his thoughts with Sara and Diana, they both agreed.
“Hmph. In that case, it would be better to leave the one down there alone.”
“If this goes well, we might be able to exit through the tunnel we came from!”
So, the party ignored the creature and resumed their preparations for the night.
The creature must have finally given up, as the thumping soon stopped.
“Alright. We don't know when something strong enough to lift that rock might show up, so let's stand watch tonight as well.”
It was such a safe space, I was hoping we could sleep soundly without a watch for once, but I guess that's not happening now.
They decided to take watches in the same order as yesterday: Diana, then Guwon, then Sara.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Guwon, who had been sleeping, was woken by the sudden loud noise.
“You've woken at a good time. I was just about to wake you.”
“What's that sound?”
“Hmm. It seems to have brought another one to try again. It's been doing that intermittently for a while now.”
So it wasn't just now; there had been continuous attempts to lift the rock.
Then this place must be really important, huh?
Guwon tensed and watched the rock, but the thumping eventually stopped without it ever being lifted.
“Well then, I shall sleep.”
As expected, Diana didn't seem tense at all and immediately snuggled up next to Guwon and fell asleep.
Well, yeah. The rock wasn't even moving, so there was no need to be tense.
Guwon relaxed as well and decided to kill time by admiring the beauty of his companions, who were sleeping while sandwiching him between them again today.
Come to think of it, yesterday there was the excuse that we didn't know what might jump out of the lake, but why are we sleeping like this today?
They both fell asleep in this position so naturally that I just went along with it, but now that I think about it, it's weird.
I've heard some people can't sleep unless they're hugging something. Are they like that?
Thinking back, whenever I woke up the morning after having sex with them, they were always sleeping in a cuddling position with me.
Most of the time we just fell asleep in the same position we had sex in, so I couldn't be sure, but seeing them like this now, it really seems they can't sleep without hugging something.
While Guwon killed time admiring his companions, the thumping from the rock would start and stop intermittently, but the rock was never lifted by the time his watch ended and it was Sara's turn.
After switching with Sara, Guwon fell asleep immediately.
Honestly, after what happened yesterday, I was half-expecting Sara to try and seduce me again, so I was a bit tense when I woke her up, but nothing in particular happened today.
I guess yesterday was just a weird one-off? Or maybe she's restraining herself since we might have to fight a Transcendent Species at any moment?
He was starting to get preoccupied with Sara's feelings again, so Guwon decided to just hurry up and sleep.
I can't be like this, at least not until we're out of the dungeon.
“Everyone! Wake up!”
Guwon jolted awake at the urgency in Sara's voice.
“Wha-what is it!”
“Look over there!”
He looked where Sara was pointing and saw that the rock blocking the hole was showing signs completely different from before.
The rock was shaking violently with a series of loud bangs, like firecrackers going off.
Looks like something nasty has arrived.
Diana, now awake, began a magic incantation so it would be ready at a moment's notice, while Sara aimed her bow, watching with bated breath.
Guwon also moved to the opposite side of the rock, getting into position for a surprise attack.
The Transcendent Species they had faced so far were of monsters far weaker than the party, but a werewolf-level Transcendent Species… it was true he was a little nervous.
On the other hand, he also felt that no matter how strong it was, there wasn't much a Transcendent Species could do if they were this well-prepared to greet it.
Soon, the rock was destroyed, and the creature's form was revealed.
Idiot. It just smashed right through it.
The creature, its body revealed up to its chest, was clearly larger than the other werewolves.
Should I say it was a perfect fit for the hole? Its bulk was so incredible it was a wonder how it even got through that tunnel.
At this size, it's definitely a Transcendent Species, right?
Guwon, positioned behind it, couldn't see its face, but the sound of its rough, heavy snorting suggested it was extremely displeased.
But so what?
Sara's and Diana's attacks immediately exploded on the creature's face.
“Krrroooaaaaargh!”
Proving it was indeed a Transcendent Species, it didn't fall even after being hit by a spell Diana had spent quite a while chanting. Instead, it placed both hands on the ground to pull itself out of the hole.
Like I'd let you!
Seeing the creature's body wedged tightly in the hole, Guwon had a brilliant idea and immediately put it into action.
“Penis Brake!”
“Awoooooooooo!”
As Guwon, his fist wrapped in Saint's Touch, struck the creature, it let out a pathetic scream and tried to bring its hands to its crotch, but failed as they were blocked by the ground.
The creature's body was already wedged tightly in the hole. The idea was, what would happen if its ‘thing’ suddenly got hard in that state?
Right now, its suddenly erect penis was probably jammed tight in the earth, acting as a proper brake.
With this, the creature was stuck, unable to move forward or backward. It was a situation where the party could gang up on it without worry.
Can't miss this chance.
“Kuhahahaha! Does it hurt?! You can't get out, can you?!”
Guwon laughed maniacally as he repeatedly struck the back of the Transcendent's head.
For once, he was fighting a male and didn't have to worry about a mental attack.
Guwon gleefully beat the crap out of it.
The creature could only flail about, repeatedly trying to raise its hands to block Sara's and Diana's attacks, only to unconsciously move them toward its crotch every time Guwon landed a punch.
“Khaha! This is the pain of a forced erection! Grow, penis, grow! Kuhahaha!”
“Kiiyaaa-woooooo!”
Just as Guwon was madly wailing on it, a horrifying snapping sound suddenly came from the creature's lower body.
Ugh! No way!
“Careful now! What will you do if its ‘thing’ remains broken?”
That? That's what you're worried about?! I mean, sure, it's an item that could be a key, so I'm worried about that too, but you're really merciless when it comes to monsters, aren't you?!
The creature, now likely castrated, seemed to have given up on everything and stopped even its flailing resistance.
Even so, the party's merciless assault continued, and the creature finally met its end.
“Even a Transcendent Werewolf is helpless when this happens, I guess!”
For some reason, Sara's bright smile seemed a little scary today.
Fortunately, its ‘thing’ dropped in a complete state.
Then again, this was a world where items dropped clean and proper even if you beat the monster's hide to a pulp.
It seemed as long as the condition of ‘dying while erect’ was met, the drop would come out intact.
Wait. Does that mean it stayed erect even after it broke?
Guwon felt a phantom ache in his own crotch and decided not to think about it any further.