Chapter 18: The Inquisitor (4)
Feeling the parasite creeping in, the crow flapped around uncomfortably. But guess what, the parasite managed to numb its discomfort, calming it down.
“Huh?”
Gebel, hearing the flapping, glanced up, but Isaac had already pulled back the tentacle.
As the crow flew off in a certain direction, Gebel changed course accordingly.
“Isaac, over here!”
“On it!”
Isaac followed Gebel, now with a good view of the surroundings and the path to take from the crow’s eyes. He kept his eyes peeled on the Inquisitor’s spot.
Things were a mess with trees toppled and ripped apart. A bunch of wolves lurked nearby.
‘Five, six… no, eight wolves? That’s a lot.’
The wolves closed in on a figure draped in a thick robe and armor – obviously an Inquisitor. Even from afar, it was clear the Inquisitor was on the edge, barely fending off the threat of becoming wolf bait. Isaac shifted, getting ready to spring into action upon arrival.
‘Looks like he’s running out of steam. Hope he’s got some fight left…’
But then, Isaac sensed something fishy.
‘Why’s everything in ruins here? Wolves couldn’t have caused all this… Is the Inquisitor that strong?’
If he was, he would have put the wolves in their place by now.
And then Isaac spotted it.
“Gebel, watch out!”
Crash!
Out of the blue, a massive thing, initially thought to be a rock, leaped at them from the path’s side. Gebel, caught off guard, barely dodged in time thanks to Isaac’s heads-up.
Bang!
Gebel’s sword flashed, drawing blood. The creature let out a roar, sending snow tumbling from the trees in the winter night.
“A bear? Wait, a monster?”
The attacker was a bear, but not your average bear. It was way bigger than any normal bear could dream of being. Its stench on the wind was off, more menacing than any wild animal out there.
Isaac reminisced about a similar encounter.
‘This stench, like when I faced that plague boar…’
Despite the dark, the bear’s shape was distinctly wrong. Its fur was patchy, flesh seeming to decay. Gebel’s wounds didn’t seem to bother it much.
“Isaac!”
Gebel stood his ground against the plague-ridden beast, yelling.
“Go check on the Inquisitor!”
The bear had wounds that looked like the Inquisitor’s handiwork, yet it kept coming at them with massive fury.
But Isaac wasn’t too worried about Gebel. Given his skills, he’d handle it easily. Though with a bear that size, it might take some time.
Isaac dashed towards the Inquisitor.
***
Growl, bark!
The wolf pack, totally overwhelmed by the Inquisitor’s steel scent, went wild. They’d been hassling the Inquisitor for hours, but he still managed to take down four of their pack despite bleeding and trying to escape.
But their hunt was coming to an end. After relentless pursuit, the Inquisitor was on the brink of death. The alpha wolf figured it was just a matter of finishing the job.
Suddenly, Isaac burst out from the bushes and swiftly plunged a knife into the leader’s throat. Watching from above, Isaac had targeted the biggest, toughest-looking wolf for a surprise attack.
The leader wolf was startled, but the knife went deep into its throat, silencing it. It didn’t go down without a fight, though.
Crash! The wolf’s fierce struggle broke Isaac’s old, rough sword.
“Darn it…” Isaac cursed, realizing he’d thrust the blade too deep.
‘So tough. Is this really a wolf?’ he wondered.
Kicking the wolf’s corpse away, relieved that the other wolves hesitated, Isaac hoped they’d flee now that their alpha was gone.
And indeed, the wolves seemed discouraged. Isaac strolled over to the Inquisitor casually, acting as if the broken sword didn’t matter.
The Inquisitor gazed at him in disbelief, as if surprised someone had come to the rescue.
“Hey, got a spare sword? Just for a moment…” Isaac asked.
“…An angel?” the Inquisitor muttered before collapsing.
Isaac looked down at the Inquisitor in shock.
‘A woman?’ he thought.
Under the hood was a surprisingly young and stunning woman. Despite the distraction, Isaac kept his focus.
Her injuries looked serious but not life-threatening. It seemed like she had held on with impressive endurance until help arrived.
‘Well, this works out.’ Isaac took the sword from the Inquisitor’s hand. It was lighter, better balanced, and much better than his old one.
As he held the sword, Isaac was taken aback by a sudden vision.
“Judgment Sword (Legendary)”
“A divine sword from the Codex of Light. It burns anything unholy on touch, including the wielder, but the worthy will find it incredibly powerful.”
‘Can I really hold this?’ Isaac hesitated, cautious of the sword’s holy burning, but there was no such sensation. Instead, a warm strength flowed through him as he gripped it.
Still, he worried about how it might react to his tentacles.
‘Alright, I’ll handle it with care…’ Isaac gripped the sword tightly and glared at the wolves.
Initially confident, the wolves were now intimidated after losing their leader. Gasping for breath, Isaac hoped they’d just retreat.
Then, a strange wind blew.
The stench around them grew stronger. The wolves became fiercer, driven by intense hunger.
Woof, growl!
With ferocious barks, the pack was sure of their numerical advantage. They saw Isaac as their only prey.
Suddenly, one wolf leaped forward. At the same time, Isaac executed a move he had honed for years.
The least effort for the most deadly impact.
With a swift breath, his blade pierced the wolf’s chest.
Snap.
The sword caught on a rib briefly but, true to its judgmental nature, it sliced through the bone and pierced the heart instantly.
The stench of burning flesh was totally overwhelming.
As the judgmental sword pulled back from the wolf, glowing red hot, it seemed to have really brought its A-game.
But hey, wolves are pros at hunting in groups.
While the sword was doing its thing, two other wolves went for Isaac’s legs and side. Poor Isaac, with no armor, looked like an easy target, even more than an inquisitor.
And then, out of nowhere, Isaac’s sword did this funky move again.
Whoosh, crunch, bam!
As the sword glided smoothly, the two wolves coming at him from different sides got sliced and dropped. The delayed booming sound made Isaac’s ears ring.
[Avalanche Swordsmanship: Prelude (Advanced) – ???? Interpretation]
“Cough…”
A move that hits enemies around you faster than sound can travel.
This was Gebel’s ‘Prelude’ move from the Avalanche Swordsmanship he showed off earlier that day.
Isaac managed to copy Gebel’s move after just one watch, no practice needed.
Doing the move wasn’t that tough.
All the training he’d done over the past couple of years just flowed naturally into his movements, his body moving flawlessly. It was like activating a special ability.
But man, the aftermath wasn’t a walk in the park.
His hands were all veiny, bruised, and red, and his body was screaming in pain.
‘I can’t just throw this move around carelessly. There’s a major power difference from when Gebel does it.’
Isaac pondered this as he looked at the fallen wolves.
The ‘Prelude’ move he used only took out two wolves.
‘These sword injuries look a bit off too.’
They were savage, almost like teeth tore into them.
The wolf pack froze when the explosion happened. They didn’t run, but circled Isaac instead.
It didn’t seem like confidence in their numbers, more like they were being puppeteered by something.
The vibe in the air said they were ready to fight to the death, and Isaac prepared himself.
‘No other choice.’
But of course, Isaac had no interest in a desperate battle. He was already out of breath. He glanced at the inquisitor, who was out cold.
Isaac casually extended his left hand out.
If there were no spectators, why bother swinging his sword around.
“Let’s see who’s the hunter and who’s the prey.”
Tendrils lazily unfurled from his hand like crimson flowers blooming. They stretched nearly 10 meters and thickened to the width of Isaac’s forearm.
As the tentacles ominously swayed, the wolves sensed something scarier than the curse that had been freaking them out.
Whirl, crunch!
Isaac’s tentacles swiftly grabbed the body of the pack leader he’d offed earlier. The tentacles quickly devoured the corpse with their suckers and teeth.
The huge wolf’s body broke down in about ten seconds, leaving only a few drops of blood.
The wolves wanted to bolt, but fear held them in place.
Glug.
Isaac discreetly burped and mumbled.
“I never thought I’d be chowing down on dog in this other world.”
***
Swoosh, crunch, crunch!
After sending the last wolf packing, Isaac stuck a tentacle into its neck. The tentacle drilled through the skin, greedily consuming flesh and bone. The wolf was reduced to just skin, which was then absorbed, leaving nada behind.
[‘Plague Wolf’ consumed.]
[‘Dead God’s Intestine’ perk makes you absorb better stuff]
[Your night vision gets an upgrade.]
[You’re better at tracking weaknesses now.]
[Say goodbye to those pesky low-grade diseases.]
[Feeling blessed until digestion time.]
“This stash should keep me going for a few days.”
Isaac chowed down on five wolves in total. The rest of the pack wisely high-tailed it out of there once they realized they were on the menu.
This wasn’t Isaac’s first wolf feast, but it was definitely his biggest wolf buffet to date.
Gobbling them down quickly helped heal the minor scratches he got from using the Prelude skill. With this kind of feeding frenzy, maybe he could let loose with advanced sword moves without holding back.
“Glad the inquisitor took a nap.”
If Isaac had stuck to just his sword, the brawl would have dragged on and he might have gotten hurt. But those tentacles sure came in handy, making tough situations a walk in the park.
Isaac checked on the inquisitor again. She was breathing erratically, a sign that things would go downhill if they didn’t act fast.
Thud, thump-thump.
Isaac perked up at the noise’s direction – where Gebel and that giant bear were throwing down.
“Are those two still at it?”
Isaac shared his vision with the crow once more, getting a bird’s eye view of the tense showdown.
Gebel was tangled up with the monstrous bear. Despite the bear looking like it had gone a few rounds in a meat grinder – all bloody and missing an arm – Gebel seemed untouched. The fight’s outcome was crystal clear, but the bear wasn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet.
“Gebel’s really something, taking on that beast.”
If Isaac had been in that bear brawl, coming out unscathed wouldn’t be a cakewalk. It’d be just as tough as his tussle with the wild boar, if not more.
As he watched the big bad bear, a wild idea popped into Isaac’s head.
“A massive, ferocious bear… Wonder what kind of crazy reward I’d snag if I dared to venture inside its guts?”
[The Nameless Chaos has its eyes on you.]
[The Nameless Chaos wants you to aim for bigger game.]
[The Nameless Chaos has a special treat in store for you.]
