I get the gist of the goal.
But.
“Clap, Clap, Clap!!!”
[Clatter!!]
‘Jim’ who triggers the provocation and Ainz and Dry riding on top of that guy’s body didn’t let the demon beasts trying to escape the canyon go freely.
“Beeeeep!!”
In the sky, the ‘Gori’ squad gathered and surged forward like a whirlwind, systematically taking down two or three demon beasts at a time, while Zweihander’s charge, leading the white main spear, pierced through three or four bodies in one go.
“Fibruuuu!(Look at that burning skeleton and those ugly monsters! They’re incredibly strong!)”
“Fib?!(Those horrifying demon beasts are not even putting up a fight?!)”
“Fibruuuu!! (I can feel the scent of that person from the fire-throwing skeleton!! The goddess has surely granted us strength!)”
“Fib fib!!(We need to do something too!!)”
And at some point, the language of the spirits began to be heard.
Since Fibryn, Yeon-hee’s summoned creature, had been speaking from the beginning, it was odd that the voice was only now making itself heard.
– Confirming the potential of water.
– Water affinity is slightly increasing.
‘Why not give me something instead of just confirming the potential?’
Anyway, the ongoing message that I was becoming more familiar with water was a good sign, and at the same time, the presence of some being that had been faintly sensed became more distinct.
‘… Let’s hold off on greeting Goddess Irmana and put out the urgent fire first!’
Poo poo poo pong──
The watching Fibryn couldn’t sit still anymore; they began gathering the energy of water from their mouths.
‘What are they trying to do?’
Pshuuuu──
Soon, a massive jet of water engulfed the fallen demon beasts, and remarkably, the filthy remnants left behind by the demon beasts started to vaporize and scatter into the air.
‘Is this something like purification… So it’s them that kept the environment clean. Truly a talented spirit.’
Fibryn provided area buffs to party members underwater, bound enemies with droplets, and even had abilities resembling short-distance teleportation, which I had confirmed in the ‘Golden Pastiche’ dungeon.
However, all those abilities were only possible underwater, and I never expected they could be used on land.
Perhaps this is only possible in the world governed by Irmana, but judging by the multi-abilities, it didn’t seem inferior to ‘Ran.’
– Water affinity has exceeded a certain threshold.
– Magic recovery rate has temporarily increased significantly!
‘Something keeps rising!’
I was already feeling like my magic was running low, but with this, it seemed I could push the front lines further.
It felt like more than two hours had flown by.
While we laid siege inside the narrowing canyon, taking down about 4,000 more of them, a presence of a different caliber than any demon beast appeared.
– Kyao? … is there … in front?
Even activating the [Well-Hearing Ear], I couldn’t make out what was being said by the newly appeared demon beast.
It was that far, but somehow it started charging straight toward me.
‘That level of being can’t be Jiksructor. Maybe it’s one of his subordinates?’
The aura felt slightly weaker than ‘Teacher Cha,’ whom I faced two days ago, but as this being led those horrifying demon beast hordes, it had to be a bit stronger.
Tatatatatatong!!
As if the captain leading them had arrived, the dark demon beasts pressed down on me with steel-like horns again.
Just dealing with these annoying guys was tiring enough, and I couldn’t judge whether I had the energy left to face this newcomer.
The only consolation was that my minions were growing quickly.
‘It’s the perfect time to train them. If we stay like this a bit longer, they might even get a job change again.’
Swoosh── Kwang!!
Of course, contrary to my wishes, the mysterious being that had come racing towards me hit the ground and revealed itself.
I thought, just in case, to put the three traces away into the space.
They were precious kids who couldn’t be revived once killed.
“Huff- Huff- What on earth is happening? What are you?! ‘Moldred’ didn’t tell us about this!”
Kyaaaaooo!!
As soon as it landed, this crazy life form began to rant nonsensically and roared frantically.
“Moldred!! You tricked us again, didn’t you?! If that’s the case, I won’t let it slide. You plague rat!! Kyaaa!!”
“Clap······.”
I didn’t know what Moldred was doing again, but since it mentioned plague, it felt like it was roughly one of Malachias’s subordinates.
Anyway, the appearance of the rough-looking thing standing before me was…
‘I want to erase it from my sight as quickly as possible…’
Should I describe it as a burned, screaming melted hyena?
Completely black with filthy fur, yet its eyes stood out brightly in red, enhancing the impression left by the demon beasts.
That thing was standing on two legs and looking down at me, making me feel quite uncomfortable.
‘Don’t judge by appearances, but you are too much.’
“Fibru……”
“Fib…”
Even the numerous ‘Fibryn’ who confirmed its presence were trembling with fear. With all they went through, the terror they felt was palpable to me.
“Fibruuuu!!(That demon is dangerous!! It’s coming for us!!)”
Among them, one brave Fibryn yelled, rallying to fight together.
‘Even its desperate cries are cute.’
I really want to protect those Fibryn no matter what.
It felt a bit out of place to think this way about wanting to protect someone, but I didn’t really care.
Kyaaaaaaak──!!
– Demon Beast Captain ‘Bakkear’ roars, temporarily greatly increasing physical abilities!
‘Is it a skill like Blood Frenzy!’
Huff-
In an instant, the monster vanished from my sight.
It seemed it judged I shouldn’t be there — that I had to disappear — and launched an attack without even bothering to talk.
‘Just what I hoped for!’
– Khuhh─!!
The two of us exchanged blows in close quarters three times in an instant.
Speed-wise, I had a slight edge.
Shwoooosh—
The moment we clashed again, another mouth jutted out from its mouth, greatly extending the range and aiming to bite my neck.
‘Huh?!’
Bang! Tada-tada-tang!!
With a sound as intense as metal clashing, its sharp teeth relentlessly followed me.
If I indeed get bitten by those teeth, it would be no surprise if I got pulverized to the bone.
‘What is this, some kind of alien?!’
Crack─!
“Kerchk?!”
I dodged its attack with [Bran], delivered a palm strike to its jaw, and slammed into its torso, sending it flying far away.
Shaaaaaa—
After being pushed back for a while, it puffed up even bigger as it approached.
‘Damaging it felt nice, huh?’
“Kerchhhh…? Kyaaa- Interesting. To think a strong guy like you is still around. This time those blue fish have brought back a pretty useful one.”
The red-hot eyes that had heated up loosened, and the demon beast captain ‘Bakkear’ spoke again.
It was just a brief exchange, but it surely confirmed my stats.
‘I might seem okay, but it’s clear I took a hit. What is it buying time for?!’
“Clap, Clap, Clap!!”
I activated my newly acquired artifact, ‘Unyielding Necklace of the Mad Earthworm.’
Crumble──
“?!”
Suddenly, the ground sank, and ‘Bakkear’ couldn’t find solid footing.
Simultaneously, I blocked its retreat with the roots of bones and hit it with two binding spells at once.
Chains of flame and vines wound around its body dozens of times in an instant.
But.
Crackle!!
It seemed like it was on the verge of shaking off the Chains of Flame and the green bindings.
If that’s possible, its strength and resistance must be extraordinary.
‘The Heavenly Fort of Pelstain.’
Tatata tatatatong!!
As it released its bindings, a massive stone descended, immediately shaking the ground.
This was also the effect of an artifact obtained from Teacher Cha.
‘Let’s see how it performs.’
“Kyaaaaaaah!!”
It became surrounded by eight stones, and something shiny stretched out from the center, tightly binding it. This time, it kneeled down without resisting at all.
‘Oh… The power of a master who coveted a divine being truly is magnificent!’
Bakkear, now displaying a neck extended forward, was just begging to be slashed.
[Frost Enamel]
[Thunderhorn]
[Air Slash: Flame Cut]
‘Die!’
Swoosh—!!
With the blend of three attributes, I was certain I had cleanly cut its neck.
‘Hmm… Mixing a lot of attributes doesn’t necessarily increase the power.’
When I was mixing the attributes without thinking, it created unexpected synergy, but when I intertwined lightning energy, it felt obstructed, like contaminated flow.
‘I need to research more on this…’
Degurr—
– You have defeated the demon beast captain ‘Bakkear’ of the ‘Blue-eyed Followers’ group ‘Jiksructor’!
– Goddess of Water ‘Irmana’ faintly smiles.
– Goddess of Water ‘Irmana’ shows great interest in you.
‘Oh?! Goddess Irmana! Are you watching? Please look over me. I’ll sweep it all away!’
A Self-PR era.
The opportunity has come.
I wanted to show my presence to Goddess Irmana.
– …? Hehe…
I thought I heard a faint sound like a chuckle.
There was definitely a good feeling coming from her.
‘Her voice is so clear and beautiful…’
Feeling my focus sharpen, I tossed Bakkear’s corpse into the [Sanctuary of Vigilance].
The remains of monsters are excellent nutrients for expanding my nest.
Instantly decomposing and vanishing, Bakkear’s body.
Woowwwww—
– Please input something of value to enhance ‘Escape Prevention’ to level 2.
‘The Sanctuary of Vigilance is really a black hole, huh? I can’t break past level 1!’
I’d barely set the ‘Escape Prevention’ option during the fight with the Grim Reaper.
However, since a strong opponent like the Reaper was merely momentarily bound, it was extremely difficult to raise it to a higher level.
‘It’s just the beginning. Maybe it will improve after the job change.’
What’s fortunate is that the amount of materials I can digest is increasing over time.
Now, I could handle the corpse of the Devouring Creeper along with small things.
Thanks to that, the space itself expanded immensely, and other options were also greatly enhanced.
‘Well… It wouldn’t be easy housing another entity in my space.’
Even the former owner of the skill, the Great Evil One ‘Bin Chi-seung,’ had invested dozens of years in this.
I mustn’t be impatient.
– Kyaaaak!!
– Kyaoooon!!
‘Phew- Shall we start again.’
Still, my growth will be much faster than Bin Chi-seung.
The heaps of demon beast corpses that lay before me already held considerable value.
‘Let’s go again! Fibryn!! I need your support!!’
“Fibruu!!”
“Fib Fibbing!!”
With the cute cheers of the Fibryn behind me, I threw myself back into the horde of demons.
* * *
While Il-wol was embroiled in a chaotic battle with demon beasts.
At the top floor of the association building, the main executives gathered for an ongoing meeting.
“Why do we need to risk crossing dimensions?”
Kang Yeon-su’s pointed question.
It was already the third time today that such a question had come up.
“Are you doubting The One Who Shows the Way?”
With the senior member of the association’s frustrating comment, Kang Yeon-su clutched her forehead again.
“No… I trust her, but she sometimes leads to different results. There were times when nothing happened. I think we should consider other opinions without being entirely dependent on that.”
“In a broader sense, you’ve all lined up perfectly. Do not doubt the path she lays out.”
“Hah- You old fools are seriously sounding like cult followers! What, do you think I’m here to attend a religious event?”
“Ugh- Another coarse remark at the meeting table-”
“Kang Yeon-su, Vice Guild Leader. Please tone down your remarks a bit.”
“No, this isn’t the time for that!”
“Then, pray tell. Beyond the threat of the Blue-eyed Organization, what else are you so anxious about? What else do you expect to happen?”
“Why should I trust you to say anything!”
“Geez, with that temperament of yours. Tsk-tsk-”
The meeting continued to go around in circles.
Kang Yeon-su was alone, valiantly struggling yet again today.
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