Chapter 15

Naturally, the guard post was there to protect a Gate.

"It seems they were mining mana stones inside the dungeon."

"Looks like it."

Just as Beru said, mining carts stood in rows outside the Gate. Judging by the carts brimming with mana stones, the miners seemed to have been swinging their pickaxes until shortly before heading home.

Normally, no one would leave that many mana stones lying around unguarded, but a field dungeon made it possible.

'No thief would climb a mountain crawling with magic beasts in the middle of the night just to steal a few mana stones.'

And yet, just such a thief happened to be right here.

CRUNCH, CRUNCH.

"Ooh. This place serves excellent mana stones."

Beru had already flown over to a cart and begun helping himself. He had balked at eating mana stones at first, but now he actually seemed to enjoy it.

"They have a surprisingly satisfying crunch."

Beru looked around as he crunched on the stones. Once he had confirmed that he couldn't sense anyone nearby, he called to Suho.

"Everyone seems to have gone home. Not even a single little ant in sight."

"Count properly. You're a little ant yourself."

"Oh? Young Monarch, isn't that sword hilt a little too long? Might I take a bite off the end?"

"Hmph. Eat me, and you'll have a hard time finding the relic in the sanctuary."

"It's right, Beru. Stop drooling."

"Slurp. As you wish."

Beru promptly obeyed Suho and tipped the remaining fragments of mana stone into his mouth.

In truth, eating Rakan’s Fang alone would replenish far more of his strength than a truckload of these lousy stones. But now that Suho finally had a decent weapon, Beru couldn't exactly ask him to hand it over. He had no choice but to eat a truckload of mana stones instead.

CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH.

"..."

Rakan’s Fang's blade shuddered. Even as Beru chewed away at the mana stones, he kept watching it with naked longing in his eyes.

Never had Suho's hand around its hilt felt so reassuring.

"Now, enter the Gate. The sanctuary should be on the other side."

"Wait."

Suho suddenly changed direction and ducked behind the guard post. Narrowing his eyes, he watched the Gate.

'Someone's there.'

Just then, he saw someone walking out of the Gate. And it wasn't just one or two people.

'Have the miners not gone home yet?'

That couldn't be it. Staying until it was this dark would make the journey out of the field dungeon far too dangerous. Besides, mining wasn't something they could finish by cramming all the work into a single day. There was no reason to work this late.

That meant they had to be hunters from the raid party, which was stranger still.

'All the magic beasts are outside the Gate. What could a raid party possibly have to do inside?'

Beru hopped onto Suho's shoulder and whispered.

"Young Monarch, something is wrong. They smell like beasts."

'Beasts?'

Just then—

"... Grrr."

The moonlight revealed the faces of the hunters emerging from the Gate. But the way they looked...

'Werewolves?!'

Matted fur covered their faces. Sharp teeth jutted from their mouths.

Astonishingly, the hunters were werewolves dressed in human clothes.

'A beast transformation skill?'

A skill was the first thing that came to Suho's mind. There were all sorts of skills, and some hunters could indeed transform into nonhuman forms like that. Still, the odds of so many hunters with the same skill gathering in one place were exceedingly slim.

'Unless it's the Baekho Guild.'

But even the Baekho Guild, with all its beast-transforming hunters, couldn't have gathered only beasts of the same kind like this.

"It seems they've drunk the blood of our kind."

'Blood?'

Suho looked down at Rakan’s Fang.

"The blood of the Fang Clan holds great power. Mere humans can gain strength beyond the limits of their species by drinking just a few drops."

"Like how touching you lets you take over their bodies?"

"No, quite the opposite. Nothing was taken from them. They took power from our kind."

"Took it?"

"Yes. I have no idea which fool among our kind fed them blood, but their strength would have diminished in proportion to the blood they lost."

Suho wore a peculiar expression. Drinking blood could grant a beast transformation skill?

He had never heard of anyone gaining a skill through such a bizarre method rather than a Rune Stone. Still, only two years had passed since the Cataclysm. Strange new developments could happen at any time.

"But I simply don't understand."

Rakan’s Fang muttered in a voice tinged with displeasure.

"Who would drain their own strength to create mongrels like those...? What in the world is happening in there?"

Just as Rakan’s Fang voiced its bewilderment, something truly strange happened.

The werewolves entered a storage shed built near the Gate, then dragged out people tightly bound with duct tape.

'What the...?!'

Suho's eyes went wide.

"Mmph, mmph...!"

With even their mouths sealed by duct tape, the captives trembled in terror. The werewolves' mouths stretched into wide grins.

"Grrr. Bored waiting around all day?"

"Since this is the end, shall we at least let you breathe freely?"

"Just keep quiet, all right? We can't stand noise."

RIIIP.

They tore the duct tape from the captives' mouths. Immediately, desperate sobs burst forth as though they had been waiting for that moment.

"P-please spare us!"

"Waaah! Please, just let us go home!"

"Ugh, so noisy. Want us to eat you right now?"

The cries stopped short. At a single remark from the werewolf, everyone's mouths snapped shut at once.

"Hic."

They clenched their teeth, afraid that even breathing too loudly would get them killed. But they couldn't stop their teeth from chattering.

"There. Isn't it so much nicer when it's quiet?"

"Our senses have gotten sharper, so we don't like noise."

"So, everyone? Make a racket like that again, and you might startle us into biting your throats. Grrr."

A stifled gasp escaped them. That last remark sounded nothing like a joke, and their faces turned deathly pale.

Apparently pleased by the sight, one of the werewolves spoke as though granting them a favor.

"All right. You've been captive for days, and you look like you've got plenty to say. I'll hear your last words, at least. Just speak softly, okay?"

A middle-aged office worker in the middle of the group hurriedly spoke up.

"E-excuse me! If it's money you need, I'll find some way to...!"

"Tsk."

"N-no! Please, just hear me out! Instead of doing this for no reason, tell us what you want so we can...!"

Looking utterly annoyed, the werewolf flicked a glance at a subordinate.

"Hey. Just kill that one."

"Shall I?"

"It'll be a pain, but we can carry one of them ourselves."

"Grrr."

Seeing the werewolf stride toward him, the office worker cried out in panic.

"No, w-wait! This is a crime—Gah?!"

"Oh, for crying out loud."

The werewolf hoisted the office worker by the neck with one hand, its face full of irritation.

"I told you I hate noise."

Then, with practiced ease, it drew a dagger from its waist and drove it into the office worker's neck.

CRUNCH!

"...?"

But something was wrong.

THUD.

The neck that had been severed belonged to the werewolf. An axe had suddenly flown in from somewhere and separated its head from its body.

"Eeeek..."

The office worker, who had narrowly escaped death, wet himself at the sight of the werewolf's head falling in front of him.

"Grrr?!"

Startled by the sudden turn of events, the other werewolves bristled and drew their weapons.

"Who's there?!"

"Who dares...!"

That was when stealthy assassins, having crept closer under cover of darkness, slashed their legs with sharp claws.

SLAAASH!

"Aaargh!"

[Shadow Panther Lv.1]

Normal Grade

"R-Razans?!"

The werewolves' eyes widened as they recognized their attackers. Dark Shadow Razans were among the most dangerous magic beasts in this forest. But because they hated bright light, they never went anywhere near the Gate, where torches burned everywhere.

"Why are Razans here?!"

"No, they're somehow different from ordinary Razans...!"

There was no time to stand around talking.

"Raaawr!"

The shadow panthers lunged at them.

"Fucking hell! J-just kill them!"

"Don't panic! There are only five!"

CLANG, CLANG, CLANG!

The ambush had caught them off guard, but these were veteran hunters who had spent an entire year here. They weren't so easily killed by a mere five magic beasts.

But there was something they didn't know: the master controlling those five beasts from behind them wanted them dead.

The axe lying on the ground after beheading the first werewolf suddenly stirred and rose into the air.

Then—

WHOOOOSH!

CRUNCH!

"... Gah."

Another werewolf's head was severed from its body.

The werewolves stared wide-eyed.

"What the fuck?!"

"What's with that axe?!"

The stone axe that had beheaded two of their comrades was spinning through the air like a boomerang, coming for their necks too!

"A skill! It has to be a skill!"

"Where are you?! What coward is hiding back there...!"

But the axe's owner had no intention of remaining hidden.

"Whatever's going on here..."

Cool moonlight glinted in Suho's eyes, his face concealed by his hood and black mask.

"I'll figure it out after saving the civilians."

"Spoken like a true hunter."

WHOOOSH!

An immense wave of killing intent erupted from Rakan’s Fang.

[Using 'Skill: Contempt for the Weak.']

"...!"

The werewolves momentarily froze.

['Effect: Fear' has activated.]

[All targets' stats are reduced by 50% for 1 minute.]

"Raaaargh!"

Some of the werewolves shook off their fear with a roar.

['Effect: Fear' has been dispelled.]

But that fleeting opening was enough.

"Raaawr!"

SLASH!

The shadow panthers slashed their Achilles tendons.

WHOOOSH! SHICK!

The stone axe, wielded by Ruler's Authority, buried itself in their hearts.

And then—

"Filthy mongrels."

Suho's sword sliced through their necks.

"Grrrr...!"

The werewolves still alive bared their teeth and glared at him.

"There's only one of him!"

"Die! Grrraaah!"

Their savage, bestial bloodlust focused on Suho.

At that moment—

DING.

[An emergency quest has been issued.]

A quest window unfolded before Suho's eyes.

[Emergency Quest: Defeat the Enemies!]

There are individuals nearby who harbor murderous intent toward the 'Player.' Defeat them all to ensure your safety.

Number of enemies to defeat: 10

Number of enemies defeated: 5

The quest began with half the work already done.

"What a fucking bargain."

CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH.

Even amid all this, Beru was diligently munching mana stones in a corner, chuckling happily.

"Ahh, I simply cannot stop eating. Why do the mana stones here contain so much mana? Could it be because this is a sanctuary?"

Unfortunately, no one answered him. They were all busy.

But then—

"...!"

Beru, who had been merrily enjoying himself, fixed the Gate with an eerie gleam in his eyes.

"This scent..."

Someone with a scent similar to the Monarch of Fangs was walking out of the Gate.