novelraw Chapter 131 – Dungeon Outbreak (Part 2)
Chapter 131 – Dungeon Outbreak (Part 2)
– Freed’s POV –
“Where are all these wolves coming from?”
The words slipped out before I could stop them, my voice almost swallowed by the constant chorus of snarls and howls below. I raised my hand and formed several water star blades in midair. They shimmered briefly before plunging downward, slicing cleanly through the approaching Red Wolves. Their fire-aligned bodies reacted violently to even trace amounts of water mana. It did not take much. One precise strike was enough to snuff out each life.
Len hovered beside me, her expression focused and calm despite the chaos. She did not possess the water element, but her overwhelming magic power made up for it. Heavenfire descended in waves, incinerating clusters of wolves at once. Each blast lit up the forest floor in flashes of gold and white.
“I’m not sure.”
Len replied after a moment.
“I thought there might be a nearby den, but this quantity is unprecedented.”
Her voice carried a hint of unease, something I rarely heard from her.
We had been fighting for four straight hours.
Initially, I estimated their numbers at a thousand, but the count had since swelled past two thousand and was still climbing. Somewhere along the way, I lost count. The bodies piled up so quickly that the ground itself seemed to change shape, red fur and scorched earth forming uneven mounds beneath us.
I forced a weak grin.
“Well… This is kind of like grinding experience points in a game.”
Len shot me a sideways glance, then let out a small laugh despite herself.
Perched atop a wind platform I maintained beneath our feet, we stayed just out of reach of the wolves’ leaps. From above, the slaughter was efficient and almost mechanical. Kill after kill. Slowly, steadily, our status numbers ticked upward. Painfully slow, considering the scale of the battle.
As the carcasses began to accumulate, we worked in shifts to clear the field. I used my Item Storage skill to vacuum up what I could, while Len used the expansive magic bags she had engineered. My storage could only hold about five hundred of them, but Len’s genius as a magic tools engineer allowed her personal bags to carry ten thousand. We couldn’t leave the remains, or the wolves would eventually use the bodies of their fallen kin as a makeshift ramp to reach us.
“Ordinary adventurers would have been worn out long ago.”
“Yeah, even B-Rank adventurers would struggle against ten of these, let alone thousands of them.”
I concurred, wiping sweat from my brow. My navy blue hair was plastered to my forehead, and my mismatched navy and red eyes scanned the carnage below.
“Oh? So you are finally aware that both of us are not exactly normal.”
Len chuckled, the sound a brief, cheerful relief in the middle of the dark forest.
“Nobody else possesses over five hundred souls in a single body like we do.”
We were exhausted.
I could feel it in my limbs, in the subtle delay between thought and movement. Our auras were steadily thinning, leaking away with every spell and every moment of tension. To compensate, we had asked all the souls residing within us to help absorb ambient mana. They took turns, cycling the burden so no one soul would collapse from fatigue. We then converted that mana into aura as needed.
As long as they rotated properly, we would not faint.
But even that had limits.
【I have finished searching for all possibilities.】
The angel servant of Libertas had remained silent until now, but her voice was steady and clinical, a stark contrast to her usual perverted and cheerful personality.
【This situation most likely involves a dungeon outbreak originating from a wolf-type dungeon.】
“What!?”
Len exclaimed, her golden eyes widening in genuine shock.
I blinked. “Uh… dungeon outbreak?”
Both of them clearly understood the term. But I did not.
【Every dungeon possesses a dungeon core. The core absorbs mana and converts it into magic stones, which are then used to create monsters.】
Her explanation flowed smoothly, as if reciting a lesson she had taught countless times.
【Dungeon monsters usually remain within the dungeon. However, when their population reaches its limit, the dungeon core opens a gate to the outside world to thin out the numbers. This phenomenon is known as a dungeon outbreak.】
Len picked up where Aza left off.
“Adventurers and even governments usually organize extermination campaigns to prevent outbreaks. But if there’s a dungeon hidden deep inside the Amazon Forest, then no one knows about it. Which means no one is controlling its population.”
I frowned. “...You don’t know of any nearby dungeons?”
“I know of several in the Amazon Forest. But I’ve never entered them. I’m not a battle maniac, okay? I’d rather spend my time crafting magic tools than diving into dungeons.”
That sounded like her.
“So, how many monsters are we talking about?”
【It depends on the dungeon’s size. Anywhere from one hundred to one hundred thousand.】
One hundred thousand.
I did not need exact numbers. As a former programmer, I had been trained to think in worst-case scenarios. And in every scenario I ran through my head, we lost. Our aura consumption would skyrocket as fatigue piled up. Even with Fia and the others helping absorb mana, there was no way we could last long against that scale.
“Then, since they don’t come from a nest like we thought, we have no reason to stay here and fight, right?”
“That’s true... They would probably just spread out and fight other monsters for territory. We could leave and just defend ourselves against whatever follows us. Unless...”
Len trailed off, her expression darkening with hesitation.
“Unless?”
“Unless there are A-Rank monsters involved. This spot is only a day’s walk from our home. If an A-Rank monster emerges and decides to head that way, my barrier might not be enough to hold it back.”
I could see the worry in her eyes. That house was filled with memories of her past and her deceased master. It wasn't just a building to her, and I wasn't about to let it be destroyed.
“Then let’s wait here and observe until the outbreak ends,” I said. “Hopefully there won’t be anything stronger than these wolves.”
“Yes,” Len agreed.
【Master, you just raised the second flag this week.】
Sure enough, as if on cue, a series of bone-chilling howls ripped through the night air.
“Aoooooo.”
“Uh… sorry,” I muttered, looking away.
“It’s coming. Twenty-four B-Ranks and three A-Ranks.”
Len informed me, her voice dropping into a combat-ready coldness.
A few seconds later, three new breeds of wolves stepped out from the shadows of the trees. Each was significantly larger and more imposing than the Red Wolves.
The first were silver-furred beasts, their coats gleaming as if polished by the moon itself. Twelve of them moved with eerie grace.
The second group also numbered twelve. Their fur was crimson like the Red Wolves, but black patterns crawled across their bodies, and their red eyes burned with a sharper, more intelligent light.
The last three dwarfed the others. Massive bodies covered in deep black fur, their eyes heavy with pressure.
I immediately activated appraisal.
—————
Name: -
Age: 35
Race: Moonhowler
Title: -
State: Normal
Mana: 6020/6020
Vitality: 5600
Strength: 6230
Magic Power: 6510 (+6510)
Mental Power: 3020
Agility: 6480 (+6480)
Dexterity: 5220
Magic Resistance: 6300
Mental Resistance: 2010
Status Point: 0
Element: Dark, Shadow
Active Skills:
MoonwalkUmbrastepElemental BallElemental BladesElement ManipulationPassive Skills:
Mana Detection(7)Blessing of The Moon*Trust: 0%
*You need the target’s consent to manipulate the target's status
*Target does not meet requirement for Immortal Bonds
—————
—————
Name: -
Age: 30
Race
: Bloodmoon BeastTitle: -
State: Normal
Mana: 8825/8825
Vitality: 8520
Strength: 8330
Magic Power: 8850 (+8850)
Mental Power: 6020
Agility: 9210 (+9210)
Dexterity: 7520
Magic Resistance: 8320
Mental Resistance: 7010
Status Point: 0
Element: Dark, Water, Blood
Active Skills:
MoonwalkTidalwalk Elemental BallElemental BladesElement ManipulationPassive Skills:
Mana Detection(8)Blessing of The Moon*Trust: 0%
*You need the target’s consent to manipulate the target's status
*Target does not meet requirement for Immortal Bonds
—————
—————
Name: -
Age: 25
Race: Alpha Packmaster
Title: -
State: Normal
Mana: 15525/15525
Vitality: 12040
Strength: 13040
Magic Power: 17500 (+17500)
Mental Power: 12040
Agility: 11800 (+11800)
Dexterity: 10780
Magic Resistance: 14320
Mental Resistance: 12010
Status Point: 0
Element: Dark, Shadow
Active Skills:
MoonwalkUmbrastep Elemental BallElemental BladesElement ManipulationPassive Skills:
Mana Detection(7)Blessing of The MoonWolf Commander*Trust: 0%
*You need the target’s consent to manipulate the target's status
*Target does not meet requirement for Immortal Bonds
—————
All of them were stronger than me… The realization sent a cold shiver down my spine. This was worse than I expected.
“Aza, give me a quick rundown on their abilities,” Len urged.
【They can traverse through shadows, with the exception of the Bloodmoon Beast, which is capable of walking on water. Under the moon’s glow, their agility and magic are doubled. They are even capable of running through the skies. The Alpha Packmaster leads them and has command over every wolf in the horde.】
Len bit her lip.
If they could fly, escape was impossible. I had only just learned air steps a few hours ago. Using it in aerial combat against monsters like these was laughable. Fighting on the ground was even worse, with countless Red Wolves still swarming below. And shadow traversal meant they could appear from anywhere.
“Grrr...” {“Why did it take so long to capture two prey?”}
“Grrr...” {“That human female looks delicious. I want her, father!”}
“Grrr...” {“You’re a lecherous brother! But that boy seems equally appetizing to me.”}
“Grrr...” {“You’re a lecherous sister too.”}
The pack was communicating with a disturbing level of intelligence. Unlike the lesser wolves, our Language Comprehension skill allowed us to understand their guttural discourse perfectly.
“Um... greetings, leader. Instead of treating us as prey, how about we forge an alliance?”
I called out, trying one last desperate attempt at diplomacy.
“Grrr...” {“Oh? It’s rare for a human to grasp our tongue.”}
Understanding my intention, Len stepped forward.
“We know the locations of other races’ nests in this forest. If we ally, we can tell you where to hunt.”
The Alpha Packmaster snorted.
“Grrr…” {“My offspring desire you. And you’ve killed many of our kin. We can hunt on our own.”}
“Tsk. So that’s that.”
Len clicked her tongue. There was no other option.
(“I will protect you.”)
Sensing my fear, Len’s mental voice echoed in my mind, filled with a protective warmth. But I couldn't shake the feeling of being a useless burden. Images of my parents flashed before my eyes, reminding me of the day the bandits took them while I could only watch.
I wasn't some invincible hero. I knew I couldn't help Len.
(“Darling!?”)
Len’s mental voice was sharp with surprise.
In the past, I would never have made this choice. I couldn't trust anyone other than myself. But things were different now. I trusted Aza. And more than that, saving Len’s life was more important than my own fear.
【Understood.】
In that heartbeat, I let go. I felt myself slip into the back of my mind, relinquishing the reins of my physical form to the angel within.