Chapter 69: The Beastkin Priestess
Chapter 69: The Beastkin Priestess
“Seriously, there are so many of them.”
Guwon muttered, fed up, as he watched another werewolf collapse.
Lunchtime had long since passed.
Yet the party still hadn’t had a chance to eat.
“It seems they’re dead set on this.”
Just as Diana said, that’s exactly how it felt.
The werewolves poured out endlessly, harassing Guwon’s party.
Were there always this many werewolves?
“Was that place really so important?” Sara asked.
“Hmm. It’s best to assume so. If they’re causing this much trouble over that passageway, there might be another secret hidden here.”
On the other side of the secret base, the regular route, we’d already spent a week mapping the area and had almost perfectly cleared the fog of war around it.
But this side of the map was still mostly dark.
Originally, my plan was to face the Layer Boss as soon as Leia’s level was high enough…
But if Diana was right and there really was some secret hidden in this area, it might be worth staying a while longer to map this side out.
“There, all done.”
Leia, who had approached as soon as the battle ended, removed her hands from Guwon’s body.
Even after what had happened, Leia continued to heal him this way, by laying on her hands.
She really was an angel.
I felt a pang of shame, remembering how my inner demon had made me do that to this angel.
“Yeah. Thanks.”
Whether we explore this area further was a decision for later.
Right now, the most important thing was to eat.
Guwon checked the map and headed for a spot blocked on three sides.
A place like that makes it impossible to escape, but it also means monsters can only appear from one direction, making them easier to handle.
Since our party had no reason to run from any of the monsters around here, it was the perfect terrain for us.
Sure enough, there were two werewolves there, but the party dealt with them lightly and was finally able to have lunch.
Damn, we didn’t run into many orcs today, so we’re out of meat.
Guwon took out a generous amount of soup and bread.
“Wow! It’s warm!”
Leia accepted the bowl of soup with both hands, blowing on it gently as she spoke.
“Yep. I brought plenty, so eat up.”
“Hehe. If I eat that much, I won’t be able to move.”
Pleased by her reaction, Guwon handed her a large piece of bread, and Leia replied with a soft smile.
Ah, this is so healing. If I let my guard down any more, I might forget we’re even in a dungeon.
“Guwon, if you’re not busy, can you help me gather some dry branches?”
Sara squeezed in between Guwon and Leia and spoke.
“Ah, sure. I can do that.”
“Oh, then I’ll…”
“No. Leia, you must be tired from walking around with us, so please rest. This is a job for those of us with energy to spare.”
With that considerate remark to Leia, Sara took Guwon’s hand and led him toward the trees.
“Trees with broad leaves burn better than those with narrow ones. And branches that have been on the ground for a while, with all the moisture gone, are better than ones that have just fallen. Here, feel this.”
Sara taught Guwon various tips, sometimes taking his hand to let him feel the difference as they gathered well-burning branches from the ground.
It feels like there’s strangely more physical contact than usual. Is it just my imagination?
By the time he and Sara returned with the branches, Diana had already finished preparing to grill the meat with magic.
Come to think of it, I didn’t think of this when I was stocking up on exploration supplies.
Maybe next time I should just get a barbecue grill and stick it in my inventory.
I don’t know if they even have barbecue grills in this world, but if not, I can just get one custom-made. It’s not like it’s a complex piece of equipment.
“Alright, everything’s ready, so hurry up and start grilling.”
As Guwon approached, Diana stuck close to his side, opposite of Sara.
“Okay. But why are you sticking so close?”
“Wh-What? If I’m not next to the one cooking, how can I eat quickly!”
F-Fine, but why are you yelling?
Anyway, for someone so small, she sure has a big appetite.
On top of that, Sara was still right next to me, so I was now sandwiched between Sara and Diana.
Right. She eats a surprising amount, too.
And yet, both of them had perfect figures. The type to make other women jealous.
“Hehe.”
Of course, our angelic Leia would never feel something as petty as jealousy.
Then again, looking at that body of hers, she had absolutely no reason to be jealous of anyone.
Smiling back at the gently smiling Leia, Guwon took out the orc meat and began to grill it.
“Huh?!”
Just as everyone was finishing their meal, Sara suddenly lifted her head and stared into the distance.
“What’s wrong?”
“It seems monsters are approaching.”
Guwon couldn’t sense anything, but it looked like Sara’s ears had picked something up.
“Did they smell the meat?”
“Probably. But something feels a little strange. It’s like… it’s not just one or two.”
Sara’s reaction was uneasy.
This kind of thing happened from time to time when you lit a fire and grilled meat in the dungeon.
That was why adventurers tended to avoid grilling meat in the dungeon if they could.
Besides, orc meat was technically income earned from battle.
Of course, we didn’t care about that and just ate it.
There weren’t any monsters nearby that could pose a threat anyway, and Sara’s senses were terrifyingly sharp.
Still, we were lucky they were coming after we’d finished eating.
It’s a real pain in the ass when they show up in the middle of a meal.
“What’s the big deal if a few of them show up? Let’s just think of it as a light post-meal workout.”
Though I said that as I stood up, I wasn’t exactly thrilled.
Moving right after eating gives you a cramp in your side. And she said there were a lot of them.
Outwardly, however, Guwon showed no sign of this and lightly stretched his body.
Can’t let them see me looking pathetic.
The rest of the party also got to their feet and prepared to face the monsters.
Alright, which unlucky bastards are walking into their own graves?
“Grrrrr.”
The first to appear was a creature clearly larger than a normal werewolf.
Wow, I knew they were on high alert, but I can’t believe a Transcendent Species came.
It might even be the one that respawned in the place of the one that died so miserably from that Penis Break.
Since no other Transcendent Species had appeared to try and break through to the secret base after that one, it was a definite possibility.
But contrary to what Sara said, it seemed to be alone.
“Looks like you want another painful lesson. Coming all alone, you’ve got some nerve…”
Before Guwon could finish his sentence, other werewolves began to emerge silently from behind the Transcendent Species.
One, two, three… just how many were there?
The narrow passage was so packed that I couldn’t see any further back, but an incredible number of werewolves were approaching.
At this rate, it looks like two whole werewolf settlements have joined forces.
Are you guys on your way to a war or something?
“Don’t you have any pride? How many of you are there? If you’re a man with balls, I demand you fight fair and square!”
“Grrrrrr!”
Of course, my words had no effect.
The Transcendent Species waved its arm as if giving the order to advance, and at its signal, the werewolves behind it charged the party all at once.
Damn it. Hit-and-run tactics are impossible in this terrain.
The only saving graces were that the passage was narrow enough for Guwon to block it from the front, and that werewolves didn’t use ranged attacks.
They were clearly smarter than goblins, but perhaps because they trusted their own physical abilities, they rarely used tools.
Guwon activated Saint’s Touch and quickly ran forward.
To be honest, I wasn’t too worried.
I still had 40 bonus stats left to allocate.
I wanted to save them for the fight against the Layer Boss if possible, but nothing was more precious than my life.
If things got dicey, I could just dump all 40 bonus stats into Durability.
First, Guwon hit each of the werewolves in the front once to draw their aggro.
From behind, the sound of Leia’s prayers rose, and attacks from Sara and Diana began to fly.
With his body lightened by Leia’s buff, Guwon began to face the creatures.
The passage was wide enough for three or four werewolves to stand side-by-side.
Against this number, I wouldn’t even need to use my bonus stats.
It would be impossible for me to attack as well, but if I focused solely on dodging and defending, I could hold them off without any trouble.
Sara and Diana’s attacks were more than enough.
After we had stably taken down a few werewolves without taking much damage, the creatures seemed to realize that this wasn’t working.
As the one in front of Guwon fell, the Transcendent Species finally stepped forward itself.
“About time you showed up. I’ll make you just like the last one.”
“Grrrrrrraaaawrr!”
As if it understood Guwon’s taunt, the creature’s eyes became bloodshot before Saint’s Touch even hit it, and it charged at him.
You think that scares me?
Guwon quickly smacked the creature with Saint’s Touch and immediately returned to focusing on defense.
But the change in their strategy wasn’t just that the Transcendent Species had joined the fight.
When I knocked down a werewolf that was attacking from the side of the Transcendent Species, something shot past low to the ground behind it.
Perhaps realizing there was no end to fighting just Guwon, they had decided to aim for the rear. A werewolf on all fours was trying to speed past my side.
But…
“I won’t fall for the same trick twice!”
Unfortunately for the werewolves, Guwon had already experienced this tactic.
Last time, Diana had simply blocked it with magic, ending the situation awkwardly, but now Leia was here too, so I absolutely couldn’t let it get past me.
Guwon first tripped the werewolf, sending it tumbling.
But the creature hadn’t given up yet and immediately tried to get back up and charge toward the women.
Damn it. The downside of Saint’s Touch is that it only works with my hands.
Guwon turned his body and threw a punch at the werewolf.
“Grrrwl!”
But was that part of their plan, too?
The moment Guwon turned, the Transcendent Species let out a great roar and swung both its arms violently.
You crazy bastard. Your own ally is right next to you…!
It seemed the creature prioritized defeating Guwon’s party over the life of a regular werewolf.
The werewolf next to it was torn to shreds by the Transcendent Species’ skill.
Even then, the creature’s momentum didn’t slow at all. It advanced, its claws swinging and leaving red afterimages.
Having turned his body, Guwon quickly threw himself to the ground and rolled, but he still took part of the attack.
With a gruesome sensation of flesh being sliced open, blood burst from one of Guwon’s arms.
“Guwon!”
A scream, though I couldn’t tell whose voice it was, came from behind me.
“Tch. You heartless bastard, you don’t even know what camaraderie is.”
You should learn from my girls, who scream for me when I get hurt.
Fortunately, my reaction was fast enough that there was no further damage.
The Transcendent Species finally stopped its skill after tearing apart even the werewolf that had been aiming for the women.
“Grrr. Grrr.”
The creature seemed satisfied that it had finally managed to inflict a noticeable wound on Guwon.
It was baring its teeth in what looked like a smile, but immediately, the sound of Leia’s prayers came from behind.
Then, enveloped in a bright light, Guwon’s wound began to heal in an instant.
“Gr-Grrr?”
This time, the creature was clearly flustered.
“What’s there to be flustered about? From now on, all that’s left for you is to get your ass kicked.”
“Grrr!”
The flustered Transcendent Species moved its arm as if to command the other werewolves, but none of them moved.
Would you want to step forward, not knowing if you’ll be sliced up like the last ones?
The werewolves, as if terrified, began to shuffle backward before one by one, they started to flee.
Yeah, you guys can go. I won’t stop you.
Guwon approached the Transcendent Species, raised his fist glowing with Saint’s Touch, and said,
“I guess it was my mistake to only hit you once, thinking I just needed to draw your aggro. Now that you’re all alone, I’ll beat you so hard you won’t have time for any other ideas.”
In the end, the lone Transcendent Species faced the party’s concentrated assault.
“Kiiiiing!”
And soon, it collapsed anticlimactically as it ejaculated.
Even after death, its body kept twitching, a truly pathetic sight.
That’s what you get for pissing me off.
Well, not that the outcome would have been any different even if it hadn’t.