RD | Chapter 25

Arrrrrr!

The black wolf writhed in agony. An arrow had pierced its brain.

Unable to overcome the momentum of its run, it collapsed, and Ian, who was in front of it, was also thrown to the ground.

Ian rolled on the ground several times before he finally came to a stop. Covered in dust, he got up and pulled out the arrow with his hand, which was scraped and bleeding. In that state, he nocked an arrow and shot it. Again, and again.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The arrow did not miss its target at close range. The black wolf’s head was riddled with arrows.

However, Ian did not let his guard down. The opponent’s HP had not yet been depleted. During the time he wasn’t shooting arrows, the HP slowly regenerated.

Because all the wolves under the full moon receive buffs in terms of recovery, attack, and speed. The effect of the skill that created the full moon had not completely faded.

Although the arrows coated with inflicted critical damage every time they hit, Ian’s poor archery skills were a hindrance. The arrows themselves did not deal significant damage.

‘Just a bit more.’

Ian gathered onto the arrowhead. He didn’t even notice the blood streaming from his nose as he did so.

A metallic taste filled his mouth, and his head felt hazy.

He shot the arrow again, and again…

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Grrrrr…

At that moment, the black wolf, which had been holding its breath like it was dead, suddenly uncurled its crouched body. It lunged at Ian, swinging its massive front paw.

Ian’s eyes widened in shock. It felt like the moment before being hit by a car. When faced with such a massive threat, it seemed the body just froze. In this situation, he was surprised he could even think such thoughts…

Whoosh!

Something large blocked Ian’s path.

“Contacca!”

Momisia’s scream rang out.

The werewolf’s huge body covered the black wolf like a shield.

Boom!

The black wolf and the werewolf rolled together, entangled.

“……!”

‘I almost died.’

Ian got goosebumps. His heart was pounding.

‘That’s why they say the lowest HP is the greatest temptation…’

The werewolf bit into the black wolf’s neck. Thwack! Ian saw the black wolf’s HP turn gray.

The werewolf howled with a growl that seemed to come from deep within his chest.

Awooooooo!

After a brief silence…

The wolves around responded.

Awooooo!

Awooooo!

Wolf mamools were numerous and persistent, a nuisance even to demons. ‘The Last Werewolf’ Contacca could communicate with them through the skill .

The distorted moon now returned to a normal crescent. The werewolf’s body shrank, transforming into a large human figure with silver hair like a mane.

Contacca, the werewolf, approached Ian, who was lying down without the strength to get up.

“Thanks. I lived because of you.”

Contacca’s eyes widened. He lowered himself in front of Ian.

“No, it’s I who should be thankful. Really, really. For not letting me kill Momisia… I owe you more than I can repay.”

‘Huh?’

Ian realized an opportunity had come.

“Then will you repay me?”

“……?”

“Come to our village. With Momisia. It’s a village where humans live, but there’s no discrimination against different races. You won’t be exploited or dragged back by demons, so it would be good for both you and Momisia, wouldn’t it?”

Momisia clung to Contacca.

“I’m a witch and Contacca is a werewolf. Will you accept us?”

‘What’s this about?’

Ian, annoyed, said, “First off, I know a wizard, and you’re not a witch. And in our village, even the ‘Traitor Clan’ lives.”

Ian’s gaze shifted to Louise. Contacca and Momisia, noticing him late, were surprised.

“This isn’t just repaying a favor. Rather, it’s receiving another great favor…”

“Then, you can repay that too. Just put it on the tab.”

Ian was dizzy to the point of feeling faint. Giving a casual answer, Contacca looked at Momisia.

“I’m just grateful for being accepted.”

He said in a choked voice.

Ding!
[4-star heroes ‘Momisia’ and ‘Contacca’ have joined the dungeon.]
[The dungeon level increases.]
[Dungeon LV.5 → LV.12]

Ding!
[Contacca thinks of you as a benevolent ruler!]
[Loyalty: 50%]

Ding!
[Momisia is grateful to you.]
[Loyalty: 42%]

‘Nice.’

Ian, trying to hide his delight, felt blood streaming from his nose again.

“……!”

“Are you okay?”

Contacca was startled.

“Hurry! We must go back to the priest. Lord Ian is frail, so even the wind from a werewolf’s swing makes him nosebleed! The bad air underground probably worsened his pneumonia. We should have escaped sooner…!”

Sema spouted nonsense.

“……?!”

“Lord Ian, don’t die!” Momisia was on the verge of tears.

“Excuse me!” Louise hoisted Ian onto his back.

Ding!
[People think you are frail!]

Ian, carried by Louise, kicked Sema.

“Argh?!”

“……!?”

Ding!
[Contacca thinks of you as a tyrant!]
[Loyalty: 52%]

“……?”

‘Why does it go up?’

Anyway, Ian was satisfied. He had gained two 4-star heroes.

‘I was right not to abandon Sema even though he seemed useless.’

Behind them, the coliseum crumbled.

‘……’

Ian wondered if he had ever achieved the feat of blowing up a coliseum.

It definitely wasn’t something that happened in this low-level timeline…

‘I don’t know.’

Ian decided not to think about it.

The next moment, the world went dark.

“……!”

The group carried the unconscious Ian back to the dungeon.

To avoid any possible pursuit, everyone was in a hurry, so there was no conversation during the journey. Occasionally, Sema sniffled, calling Ian ‘Lord Ian.’

“We’ve arrived.” Louise said.

In the middle of nowhere in the forest, Contacca was puzzled. He held Momisia closer, keeping an eye on the surroundings. They had saved him, so he didn’t doubt them, but being vigilant was his way of life.

Contacca, even among the werewolf society, was an outcast. It was because he was half-human, even though he was considered a mamool. The ‘werewolf’ race was inherently half-human, half-beast, not meaning they had human blood.

However, he was born from interbreeding between a werewolf and a human.

A mamool that couldn’t eat humans.

Contacca was a half-mamool.

He left his ostracizing kin to live with the forest wolves. His ability to call wolves from anywhere was thus acquired.

Momisia, he heard, awakened her powers young. Her ‘Enchant’ ability seemed like magic to people, and her being excessively intelligent at such a young age made others feel an estrangement. People found her precocity uncanny, so she was quickly branded a witch.

She was sold to human hunters by her village people, even her own family didn’t stop it.

He knew she considered only him as family now. The only person who tried to protect her after she was sold.

Contacca pitied her. Born from interspecies breeding, he was like a mule, unable to have children. His kin’s children didn’t follow him. To him, her existence was special.

However, Contacca looked different from others even at first glance. He was very large, with wild hair that reached his back, so it was not hard for even those without sharp eyes to tell he was of a different race.

He thought he might not be accepted in Ian’s village. Even if Ian allowed it, what if he wasn’t welcomed by the villagers?

Then, he hoped at least Momisia would be accepted since she was human unlike him.

Suddenly, Sema dashed into a cave in the forest and shouted,

“Priest! Call the priest! Lord Ian has collapsed!”

“My goodness, Lord Sema! You’ve returned alive!”

“Lord Ian has collapsed?”

“Priest, stop drinking and come out quickly!”

To Contacca, who lived in the forest, that cave looked like one where a giant bear or some master might reside.

People came pouring out of the cave. They held plows and shovels in their hands, looking like farmers to anyone. They didn’t even glance at Contacca, rushing towards Louise.

Louise laid Ian down on a flat stone. Seeing Ian’s face under the light, Contacca was surprised.

He had the youthful face of someone who had just become an adult. His closed eyes were framed by long black eyelashes, his cheeks were pale, and his nose and mouth were crusted with dried blood, making him look even younger.

Could such a person have embraced him with such dignity? This young master was also the lord of this village. Everyone was addressing him with honorifics.