“Wow, that’s massive.”
“The outsiders don’t have a single normal one among them.”
[Chatter, chatter.]
Let’s not interfere, even with the grumbling caused by frustration, okay?
By the way, how do we tackle this?
I looked around the ruined village, which was a far cry from its previous neatness, and then back at the tattered outsider. It’s a force to be reckoned with, judging by how it forcibly turned the time into night.
Will I be able to win using the blessings of the Quartz family?
Since it’s my first time using it, I’ll need a bit of time to adapt.
“Renny. We cannot let that guy leave this village.”
With a body nearly 7 meters tall, it could easily step out of the village with just a few strides, but letting it out would be the beginning of a disaster.
I don’t know exactly what abilities it possesses, but if these man-eaters roam the continent, it would turn into ashes. As I slowly drew up the blessings of the Quartz family, I steeled myself.
“Uh. Maybe if we cut off its legs, it won’t be able to walk anymore?”
“No. You handle those guys.”
“Those guys?”
I guarded against the numerous yellow eyes watching us in the darkness of the night. Is this the power of the Lugaru?
“What are those? When did they show up?”
“I’d appreciate it if you could deal with those useless werewolves first.”
After all, I’m the only one who can effectively deal damage to the outsider.
“Uh. Let’s knock them down quickly and go for a drink.”
“I’ll prepare the finest liquor.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Since Renny would take care of the small fry, I could focus solely on that guy. I slowly walked forward and looked up at it.
“I’ll say it again. Do you have no intention of going back quietly? From what I’ve learned, descending like this is quite a risky affair, you know.”
[Isn’t it enough if it succeeds?]
Wow, what a masculine statement.
But the actions are totally those of a man.
[By the way, what you’re saying sounds just like that Quartz guy. So, is this what they mean when they say you can’t hide blood?]
“You talk a lot.”
[It’s because you reminded me of a memory I’d rather not recall.]
“Aren’t those things typically called memories?”
Now, I don’t even need to shout battle cries. I silently enlarged the size of the shovel into the remnants of the ruins using my crafting skill. With such a huge body, my tiny little shovel wouldn’t deal any real damage.
With the shovel, now grown to the size of a great sword, slung over my shoulder, I infused it with the power of the Phoenix and the energy of the World Tree at the same time.
[Hoho.]
Forget about hoho. I firmly fixed its shape with the energy of the World Tree. I added fire characteristics by coating it with the power of the Phoenix and finally infused it with the power of the Quartz family, ensuring that it could inflict effective damage even on the outsider.
Without the power of the Quartz family, the outsider wouldn’t even be able to take effective damage.
“Have you been waiting long?”
[In such entertainment, you must let it simmer for a while…]
“Then let’s begin.”
[Good.]
Since I’m the challenger, I should initiate the first attack.
I gripped the weapon that I couldn’t even call a shovel with both hands and swung it widely.
[A Phoenix, huh? Interesting! I’m having fun!]
A line made of flames collided with its body. Thud, thud, as pieces of meat fell off. The Lugaru brushed its fingers over the areas that had been struck, snickering as it spoke.
[It tickles.]
“Such bravado.”
[Now it’s my turn.]
It stretched out its right hand towards me.
————————–
Wolf. Wolf. Wolf. Wolf.
‘That damn dog fur smell.’
With every swing of her sword, dozens of heads fall. But against the mounting onslaught of monsters, she clicked her tongue.
‘At this rate, it’ll never end.’
The number of werewolves she had slain was estimated to be in the hundreds. A mountain of corpses had formed, and blood flowed like a river, yet the number of enemies surrounding her showed no signs of diminishing.
‘Is it a war of attrition or what?’
No matter how strong one is, they cannot have infinite stamina. At this rate, she would end up defeated through relentless nibbling. Renny split a group of werewolves in half and casually glanced in Johann’s direction.
‘So flashy.’
Could this be what the hero from the ancient myths was like?
With a weapon as large as itself, deflecting enormous claws was a sight to behold. It was a spectacle that made one’s heart race as a warrior. But the overall situation didn’t seem that favorable.
‘If one side is a war of attrition and so is the other, it seems quite disadvantageous.’
A clever idea was necessary.
An ingenious plan to turn the tide.
And the Johann she knew was the type to come up with such plans.
‘For now, I’ll believe in him and hold out. He’ll do something.’
Another mountain of corpses formed, a blend of dog fur smell and blood.
[Oh, she’s a warrior that I like very much. She might be worth making one of my subordinates.]
“I don’t know whose authority you think you can take her under, but Renny is mine.”
She swung her great sword once more. As it whooshed through the air, a scarlet line etched itself in the sky. A strike that would evaporate an ordinary life form upon contact. However, true to its title as an outsider, the Lugaru easily deflected the attack with the back of its hand.
[How boring.]
“Funny, I was just thinking the same thing.”
‘Is it that it doesn’t take damage physically, or does it have a high regeneration rate to endure?’
Johann steadily piled up damage on the Lugaru, even in a situation where ordinary attacks held little meaning.
He had more than enough stamina and magic to last several days of fighting, so even if he swung with intention to kill with every blow, fatigue was not an option.
‘If I hit a bit more, I might get a feel for it.’
So far, he had gained an advantage using his knowledge of the original story and the given environment, but the outsiders were unknown entities. To fight against them, he needed as much data as possible.
He should poke it in various ways while it thinks it has the upper hand.
Stab, slash, smash.
Even though his attacks delivered wounds that should be unmanageable for typical regeneration, the Lugaru simply took them in stride and continued to counterattack.
‘Its body isn’t that sturdy, but its regeneration is absurd. What could be the source of that regeneration?’
Werewolves.
Johann recalled the information he had on werewolves.
Bipedal monsters.
Agility.
They eat humans.
Extremely high regeneration.
Transform into werewolves under the full moon.
‘Perhaps the one in front of me isn’t the true body.’
Thinking back, hadn’t it said it was a “half?” Maybe the Lugaru standing before me was merely a puppet, not the real Lugaru. Arriving at that conclusion, his gaze naturally shifted towards the full moon.
‘That thing appeared after the full moon rose.’
A body that regenerates in an instant, even after taking damage. The endless horde of werewolves that appeared from all sides. Considering the size of the village, it was impossible for so many werewolves to exist.
While it could be attributed to the outsider’s powers…
Even an outsider would struggle to exert powerful capabilities without a proper descent. Even if his speculation was wrong, Johann was confident that the secret lay hidden in the full moon.
[Is it finished?]
“No. I think it’s just about time to get started.”
As soon as his words ended, his sword swung. The Lugaru reflexively reached out to block it, but the target wasn’t it.
[Huh.]
The sword strike, meant to fly endlessly, exploded in the sky. Clear traces of a collision. Admiration sparkled in the Lugaru’s eyes.
[How did you know?]
“When I went into the temple, it was morning. A few hours later, I came out to find the full moon. And you’ve been acting as if my attacks would be pointless, haven’t you? Half of you.”
He pushed the power of the World Tree into the ground. No matter how much of an outsider one is, the foundation is the land where the World Tree’s roots spread. As long as the World Tree sided with him, this land would lend him its strength.
[Hmm, you figured it out quicker than I expected. I had intended to watch you entertain me a bit longer. You little Quartz. So what can you do? Do you think you can stop me with your half-baked strength?]
Looking at him disdainfully, the Lugaru sneered, but Johann just smirked in response.
“I think you’re under some kind of misconception… Do you know what my real job is?”
[Hmm, is it a quiz time? You’re amusing.]
The Lugaru continued to mock him with an air of confidence.
Johann brushed the rocks off his shovel. Naturally, the massive great sword soon reverted back into its pathetic shovel form, leaving the Lugaru bewildered.
[A shovel? It’s not even a weapon!]
“It’s time to get serious. I have a drinking appointment, you see.”
[Huh. That’s ridiculous. That measly—]
“Crafting.”
Before the words could fully leave its mouth, the abyss swallowed the Lugaru whole.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.