Chapter 129

(7)

10.

The enormous wolf, White Wolf, makes its appearance.

At a time when everyone but Ulan was frozen, a voice suddenly shattered the silence.

“Ah! It’s that kid from the last time.”

It was none other than Delia.

It sounded like she had met White Wolf before, which made Ivella respond with a surprised face.

“You’ve seen it? When?”

“During the Abyss Worshipper attack incident, I received help from that kid.”

While Delia recalled the event and began explaining, Ian and Laurea focused on the light emanating from White Wolf’s body.

The fact that it emitted light even in the darkness of the Abyss meant one of two things.

“Could it be that its body shining means…?”

“Does that mean it’s a spirit or a spirit beast?”

“Yeah, it’s a spirit.”

Ulan nodded.

There was no reason to hide it. He then shared the story of when he first met White Wolf after pulling out the axe lodged in his body in a cave in the Eastern Forest.

Everyone listened with curiosity to Ulan’s tale.

However, in contrast, there were those who were too stunned to pay attention. They were simply too shocked to hear the story.

‘W-what is that?!’

Noa’s eyes widened.

With a startled face, she looked at White Wolf and silently screamed inside.

‘Isn’t that the White Wolf of Mimu?!’

It had the exact appearance she had seen in the original work.

Of course, it was larger than in the original, but it was definitely Mimu’s White Wolf. The evidence was the fog shimmering like light that had transformed into a wolf.

‘W-why is White Wolf here?!’

The questions didn’t end there.

Unlike the powerful demon beast it was in the original, the White Wolf wagging its tail in front of Ulan clearly looked like a spirit.

‘And I don’t get why it’s following Ulan at all.’

From what she heard, it seemed like it was said to have received help from Ulan, but just that didn’t seem convincing enough.

Spirits or spirits usually don’t serve humans without a special reason.

Just then.

‘Huh?’

Something caught her attention.

The sight of the light emanating from White Wolf sweeping away the surrounding darkness. At the same time, she noticed the tattoo engraved on Ulan’s back.

Hero’s Enchantment, Kazan.

‘Oh! Could it be…?’

It might be because of that.

According to the records, Mimu’s White Wolf is one of Kazan Rudrik’s three minions.

‘So could it be that it was drawn to Ulan because of the power of the enchantment?’

That was the most plausible guess.

Noa silently nodded.

As Noa finished her contemplation, Ulan’s tale finally concluded.

“…And that’s how it happened.”

Once the story of meeting White Wolf ended, Laurea tilted her head curiously.

“So, does that mean you don’t know the exact reason why that wolf is following you?”

“Right. I don’t know.”

“And you didn’t make a pact or anything?”

“No.”

Ulan nodded repeatedly.

It was a reaction that puzzled everyone.

It was understandable.

Ulan’s tale alone gave no reason for White Wolf to follow him.

Just as everyone was wondering about this.

Whoosh!

White Wolf suddenly stood up.

Moments later, the creature approached and unexpectedly shoved its large head into Ulan. Then it suddenly started pushing him away.

“Hmm? What’s going on all of a sudden?”

Ulan asked, looking puzzled.

But there was no answer.

At that moment, Ivella and Delia came up with a reasonable guess.

“It seems like it wants to go somewhere.”

“Could it be that it’s leading us to where the magic circle is?”

Their guess made sense.

If they were pushed by White Wolf, they’d end up heading toward Zone 3.

Immediately after the girls finished speaking.

[Grrrrrr!]

White Wolf nodded.

It seemed to mean that their guesses were spot on.

If that’s the case, there was no need to hesitate.

“Alright. Let’s move again.”

Laurea smiled brightly.

She seemed happy to have a reliable guide.

Just then, as they were about to hurry their footsteps.

“…Laurea.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“Don’t mess around, let go of my hand.”

Ivella and Delia narrowed their eyes.

With the darkness of the Abyss cleared away thanks to White Wolf, there was no longer a need to rely on Laurea’s Reflective Eye.

Moreover, there was no longer a reason for her to take the lead.

In other words, it meant there was no justification for holding Ulan’s hand anymore.

Noticing their stares, Laurea showed a caught expression and released Ulan’s hand.

“Tch!”

She looked a bit disappointed.

Still, thanks to White Wolf, their movement did speed up significantly. Now that their vision was clear, nothing would obstruct the group ahead.

After a little while.

The group rapidly entered Zone 3 and moved busily. Soon, as they approached their destination…

Suddenly, Ivella frowned.

“Wait, do you smell something strange?”

“Huh? Smell? What do you mean?”

“It smells kind of like the earthy scent of an old pond or swamp…”

She kept sniffing.

Soon, Ulan’s brow furrowed too. He detected a scent nearly identical to what Ivella mentioned.

“Now that you mention it, it does seem like something.”

“Right? What could it be?”

“It might smell like dirt, but it also feels a bit fishy.”

As time passed, the other team members also began to notice the smell one by one. Just when everyone was trying to figure out the source…

They stopped short!

White Wolf abruptly halted in its tracks.

Then, it crouched low, staring straight ahead and baring its fierce teeth.

[Grrrrr!]

It growled menacingly, as if there was something right in front of it.

As expected?

After a short while, they felt multiple presences coming from the direction White Wolf was staring.

At the same time, the smell became even stronger.

The group grimaced.

“Ugh! This is…”

“It’s practically reeking!”

Then, in that moment.

The source of the stench revealed itself.

Plop! Squish!

The foul-smelling object appeared.

It was a moving mass of mud. With an exterior that clearly looked like a monster, the group immediately grabbed their weapons.

“Ugh! What the heck is that?”

“…It looks really creepy.”

“From the looks of it, it’s a mud monster.”

“But if it appeared here, it likely means it’s an Abyssal Monster.”

Just then, while everyone exchanged comments.

Ulan shortened his gaze. It seemed like he was realizing what the monster really was.

“It’s a Swamp Minion.”

“Yes, it is indeed a Swamp Minion.”

Noa added.

After that, the two looked around simultaneously. Moments later, Noa let out a sigh of relief.

“Looks like the Swamp Ruler isn’t around.”

“Hmm, it certainly seems that way.”

The Swamp Ruler.

It was one of the Lords of the Abyss, a monster that rules over Swamp Minions and the largest creature among all the Lords.

So, just by looking around, they could determine whether it was present.

‘But…’

One thing had been gnawing at his mind.

In that fleeting moment, he felt a wave of power equivalent to that of the Frost Dragon. In other words, it could mean that another Lord of the Abyss might appear like before.

‘I can’t let my guard down.’

Ulan’s expression hardened.

Although the Swamp Ruler wasn’t visible, that didn’t mean another Lord wouldn’t show up.

Just as he was sharpening his senses…

“Hey, don’t just talk among yourselves. Can you explain this to us too?”

Laurea chimed in.

Though she was the only one asking for an explanation.

“Well, I’m up for explanations, but…”

“It looks like there’s no time to talk.”

The Swamp Minions had surrounded them.

They were getting closer and closer.

Ivella got into an attacking stance, ready to pounce at any moment.

But it wasn’t possible.

“Ivella! Step back!”

“Huh? Why all of a sudden?”

Noa shouted in warning.

As she reflexively pulled back, Ivella glanced at Noa, as if asking for a reason. The answer came from Ulan.

“Mineral weapons don’t work against Swamp Minions.”

“…What?”

Ivella asked back with a puzzled face.

She didn’t understand at all.

It was quicker to show than explain. Having made his decision, Ulan quickly narrowed his sphere of influence.

Soon after, an axe flew.

Whoosh! Bang!

The Swamp Minion was split in two in the blink of an eye.

But Ulan wasn’t content with just that. Like a grinder, he pulverized what remained before stepping back.

It was a completely ground-up mess.

Ian muttered with a tense face.

“…Did we take it down?”

“No, if you say something like that there…”

Just as Noa was about to say something in disbelief.

Thud! Squish!

With a grotesque sound, the pulverized body reattached itself. In the blink of an eye, all its flesh was perfectly restored.

There was no sign of having taken any damage.

Ivella had a shocked expression.

“It was… real?!”

“But how do we deal with that?!”

Ian shouted in disbelief.

Which was understandable.

They’d never heard of a monster that couldn’t be harmed by mineral weapons.

Seeing the panic-stricken duo, Ulan and Noa began to teach them how to deal with the Swamp Minion.

“Anything but mineral weapons works just fine.”

“Magic or Divine Power are the same!”

Wooden weapons.

Only magic, sacred power, or spirit arts could deal effective damage to the Swamp Minions.

As soon as they were informed of this terrifying fact.

The two girls stepped forward.

“Then it’s my turn to jump in.”

“I’ll join you too!”

It was Delia and Laurea.

In the original work, both had boasted the ultimate affinity against Swamp Minions. Of course, their master, the Swamp Ruler, was no exception.

‘That’s why the Swamp Ruler never dared to attack when those two were together.’

It realized it was at a disadvantage.

In other words, it was a boss monster that was weak against mages or priests but strong against warriors.

‘In that sense, Ulan is…’

It was safe to say he was at the worst disadvantage.

No matter how perfect his physique and the Hero’s Enchantment were, if his weapon wouldn’t work, the fight couldn’t even commence.

‘But from now on, that’ll change.’

As Noa finished her thoughts, she smiled slyly.

There was a variable present that hadn’t existed in the original. Ulan remembered his past life, but more importantly, there existed another special variable.

“Great Sorcerer, Noa Darshen”

Even though she was overshadowed by the seven heroes, Noa was still a proper Named Character.

Among the skills that the original Noa Darshen had, there was one that could ignore the canceling effects possessed by the Swamp Ruler and its minions.

And quite coincidentally, the current Noa had also acquired that skill.

‘So…’

Noa stepped back without joining the battle. She would create a talisman just in case the Swamp Ruler showed up.

Meanwhile, at that time.

Bang! Boom!

A loud explosion shook the arena.

The sounds of Delia’s magic and Laurea’s prayer were eliminating the Swamp Minions one by one.

“You all are fighting well.”

Ivella sighed.

She had a worn-out expression. It seemed she was a bit down because she wanted to contribute but couldn’t.

The only consolation was that Ulan was there with them. With that, Ivella awkwardly smiled and added.

“We’re just here to watch.”

“Not necessarily.”

At that, Ulan shook his head.

As if he had a way to deal with the Swamp Minions. Ivella asked with a puzzled look.

“Huh? What does that mean?”

“I can take them down without using a weapon.”

“Really? How?”

Ivella asked in astonishment.

Just then, a presence was felt from behind.

Around four Swamp Minions had ambushed from the rear. Seeing this, Ulan said to Ivella with a phrase encouraging her to observe closely.

He immediately narrowed his area of influence.

And extended his fist.

Whoosh!

The sound of cutting through the wind soon echoed like a loud explosion.

Bang!

The sound of the Swamp Minions exploding.

The shattered minions fell silent. After cleaning up the remaining minions as well, Ulan turned to Ivella and said.

“That way, they can be taken care of.”

“…What did you just do?”

“I created a shockwave to blow them away.”

Ivella was left speechless.

The actions and response far exceeded common sense, leaving her mind blank. Ulan, on the other hand, casually countered.

“With training, anyone can do it.”

“R-really?”

“Of course. Want to give it a try?”

“No, I’m good.”

Ivella replied with an awkward smile.

She felt tempted for a moment, but the act of extending her fist and creating a shockwave seemed like something only Ulan could do.

Just as she was shaking her head.

Noa suddenly chimed into the conversation.

“Then I’ll help you out.”

“Huh? Help? How…?”

“Like this.”

Once Noa finished her answer, she attached six talismans to Ivella’s sword. She did the same on Ulan’s axe.

A little later.

The blue light flowing from the talismans soaked into both of their weapons. Ulan observed curiously and asked.

“What is this?”

“It’s a spell to change the properties of the weapon. And right now, it’s been transformed from iron to wood.”

“So that means…”

“Yes, this way, your attacks will work.”

Noa smiled brightly.

At her words, Ivella’s face lit up. Ulan also looked stunned, his eyes wide open.

“What a fascinating spell.”

There hadn’t been such things in his previous life.

So he snatched the holy book that Laurea always carried with her to use as a weapon. He often heard nagging afterward when the fight ended.

But just from putting a few talismans on it, he could fully utilize a weapon?

That was an enormous help.

“This time, I won’t have to listen to nagging.”

Ulan grinned as he held his axe.

It was a satisfied smile.

Afterwards, when Ulan and Ivella joined the battle, the fight quickly wrapped up. As they wiped out the Swamp Minions and began to advance…

The group finally reached their destination.

The edge of Zone 3.

They saw a scene where the air was distorted at the boundary leading to Zone 4. A crack that looked like someone forcefully opened the air.

It was the Abyssal Rift.

Chapter 31. Trust me for now.