Chapter 115 : Chapter 115

Chapter 115 - My Herb, Your Rescue (3)

[Wild Protection is activated.]

Blessing of the Chosen Boar: Strength increased by 5%

Crack!

A thick wooden pillar fell away.

Artier panted as he cleared away the debris of the tent.

“Friend, hang in there!”

“…Can't you help a little?”

“But I can't physically interfere in this world, can I? Or do you want me to burn it away with magic?”

“No, absolutely do not burn it! Just stay still!”

Thud!

At first, he thought he could clear it easily since it was just a tent.

But that was a huge miscalculation.

The poles used for the beastmen's tents were all made of thick wood or the tusks of large monsters, so they were incredibly heavy.

The weight was such that Artier, whose strength stat was close to 49, could barely move them even with all his might.

Rattle!

‘Found him!’

A moment later, Artier discovered a male fox beastman pinned under a large tusk.

However, his condition was even more serious than he had thought.

Bolts used for crossbows were embedded in his arm and shoulder, as if he had fallen while fighting the hunters, and his mouth was full of blood, suggesting internal injuries.

“…Dad!”

The girl beside him began to tremble.

Her pitiful gaze turned to Artier.

It was obvious what she wanted.

‘It's a miracle he's even alive at this point. In that case, probably…’

As Artier thought that, a quest appeared before his eyes.

[A quest has been generated.]

You have encountered the girl's father. He seems ready to depart for the final land at any moment, yet he does not let go of his resentful gaze.

Is it okay to save a being who resents you?

The choice is yours.

Upon salvation: Karma Points +50

Upon neglect: Bonus Stat Points +3, Karma Points -20

Grrrrr.

After clearing the quest window, Artier realized that the man was still conscious.

What he saw in his eyes was clear hostility.

The moment he got up, he would attack him without hesitation.

‘Funny, if it were the old me, I would have neglected him for the reward.’

With a smirk, Artier extended his hand.

As the light enveloped the beastman, his broken bones began to mend, and the flowing blood began to stop.

Holy Magic was certainly an amazing skill.

The arrowhead he had forgotten to pull out was even pushed out by the regenerating flesh.

[You have chosen to receive the resentment yourself. No one will understand, but at least the stars will remember it.]

Reward: Karma Points +50

Swoosh!

Artier immediately dodged the sword flying towards him.

The beastman, having regained consciousness, was glaring at Artier, grinding his teeth.

“What trick is this!”

“Calm down. What would you do if your daughter got hit by a stray sword?”

“…Carol!”

At Artier's cold words, the man finally looked back and forth between the girl and Artier with a bewildered expression.

“If you don't want to lose her a second time, remember this.”

With those words, Artier pushed Carol forward.

The beastman, embracing the girl with one arm, hesitated for a moment before lowering his sword.

“Carol, are you okay?”

“I'm okay. Mister. He saved me.”

“A human…?”

At the disbelieving expression, Artier responded awkwardly.

In fact, what shocked Artier more was something else.

‘Am I already old enough to be called mister?’

According to the official setting, Artier was 22 years old.

Of course, he was a proper adult in this world, but to be called mister already.

While Artier was having such silly thoughts, the beastman male stood up and bowed his head deeply.

“I'm sorry for attacking you.”

“It's okay.”

“Keias.”

“It's Artier.”

A moment later, Keias looked around the village with the children.

“Our village…”

Unfortunately, there were no more survivors. In the first place, it was a miracle that Keias had survived.

Artier stepped aside for a moment for the shocked Keias.

Collie, Simon, can you hear me?

Yes, we can hear you.

Is something wrong?

After Artier's explanation, he could feel Collie's intense anger.

It was an emotion sharper than any he had ever felt before.

…So you're saying that because of the continuous appearance of slave hunters abducting children, their distrust of humans has reached its peak?

Yeah, we just picked the wrong time. We can't help that. What's important is this. I'm going to create clear evidence that I have nothing to do with those people.

Are you saying you're going to hunt down the human hunters?

That's right, Simon. Wouldn't this show progress quickly in just a few days?

That's a good method. If the testimonies of survivors continue to increase, they won't be able to ignore it either.

But Master must also be careful. The hunters are not fools, sir. They might set a trap to catch you.

Don't worry about that. I'm hanging up then.

Artier ended the communication and quietly gazed at the setting sun.

As expected, there was a way for a person to live. It felt like a path that seemed to be cut off was visible again.

“But this won't be enough… How can I clear up people's misunderstandings.”

“Misunderstanding? Is there one?”

A familiar voice was heard.

“Were you listening to everything?”

“Our ears are very good. We can hear everything.”

The girl pointed to her own ears and said.

Artier saw the tails sticking out from behind the wall and couldn't help but laugh.

He thought he had given them some space, but it was meaningless.

“What misunderstanding?”

The other person was a child who looked to be about ten years old.

For the girl who was not good at the common language, Artier had to explain by breaking down the words as much as possible.

“Mister is not a bad person. I can tell.”

“Really?”

“I know how to clear up misunderstandings.”

“Huh?”

The girl stood where Artier had been and pointed somewhere.

It was a gloomy forest where not even sunlight reached.

“There's something over there that the adults like.”

“Over there…?”

No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like a place with more things to dislike than like?

For a moment, Artier thought she was playing a prank on him. But Carol's expression was firm.

“It's really there.”

“What is it that the adults like?”

“A monster.”

“A monster?”

“A very strong monster. If you catch it, you get recognized.”

As Artier continued to listen to Carol's explanation, he began to realize something.

“A big chicken, but with a snake instead of a tail behind it… Could that be a Cockatrice?”

“Cocka…? It probably is.”

Cockatrice.

A monster characterized by its petrifying gaze attack.

On top of that, in <Cross Destiny>, it used ranged attacks that you had to see to dodge, making it a tricky opponent.

“Dad and the hunters, they always go to hunt it but they couldn't catch it. If you catch that, you're a hero.”

Catching a strong monster to gain the trust of the beastmen.

‘But this gives me two methods, what should I do?’

The method he devised and the method Carol suggested.

One required searching near the plains, and the other required going deep into the forest.

Which one should he do first?

‘But… why is it. I feel like I can do them at the same time.’

If he could accomplish both at the same time, there would be no need to worry in the first place.

Artier touched the corners of his mouth, which were rising without him realizing it.

‘Of all things, a Cockatrice. I clearly remember where their habitat is.’

No matter how much Artier knew about the game, it was rare for someone to have memorized even the habitats of monsters.

Was this good luck? Or was this also a protagonist's ability?

“Thank you, Carol. See you later in the city.”

After gently stroking the girl's head, Artier headed straight for Keias.

Keias accepted the request to take the children to Ker Tupa as if it were a matter of course.

“It was something I was supposed to do from the beginning.”

“Thank you.”

“Artier-ssi, you should be careful too.”

It seemed Keias had also heard the entire conversation.

Instead of answering, Artier began to slowly lift his body into the air.

“Por, let's go!”

Keias and the young children silently watched Artier disappear beyond the sunset.

***

Collie, who remained in Ker Tupa, was once again expressing his frustration with his whole body to the shamans who were surrounding him and racking their brains.

“Is it still not over? You've already cast the same spell for the fifth time, sir.”

“I'm sorry. I can't see anything…”

The shaman seemed frustrated as well.

Even so, they continued to use their skills, even drinking mana potions.

Clang!

A wave of mana passed by, but nothing rose from Collie.

“Let's call another shaman. Maybe we'll see it then.”

“What a terrible sorcery. How can it not appear even after all this?”

“That's why I told you in the first place that there's no such thing as black magic!”

Bang!

In the end, Collie exploded.

As he slammed his front paw on the floor, the shamans flinched and stepped back.

“Why won't you listen to me! You say you respect me, but I don't understand why you don't listen to what I say.”

“We understand how you feel, Spirit Creature-nim, but you must not trust humans.”

“I think I trust you even less, sir.”

It had already been three days since Artier had informed him that he had found a way.

Collie was also looking for a way.

The first key to that was the shamans right in front of him.

“You said I must be encroached by black magic, but for three whole days, there hasn't been a single trace of it. Am I wrong?”

“…That's.”

“I already knew it would turn out this way. The reason I stayed quiet despite that was because I hoped you would realize it.”

If the shamans revealed that they had no suspicion of Collie. Then the misunderstanding that had arisen about Artier would naturally be cleared.

That's what Collie thought.

But these ignorant shamans were attributing their inability to see the black magic to their own shortcomings.

“It's because our level is insufficient. We've called a new shaman, so if you could just wait a little longer…”

“No, I'll stop. Isn't this enough?”

“Spirit Creature-nim! Please!”

Collie stood up abruptly and was about to bare his teeth.

It was then.

“Collie-nim!”

The door opened, and Simon rushed in.

Simon was panting, with his tongue hanging out, as if he had run a long distance.

“Simon-ssi?”

“He is still under examination. Retreat at once!”

The shamans hardened their expressions and shouted at Simon, but Simon paid them no mind.

“Artier-ssi has returned.”

“Pardon? Where is he?”

“He seems to be at the village entrance right now. But the rumors are a bit strange. They say he came with an incredible number of monsters.”

“Monsters?”

Suddenly?

As Collie tilted his head, the shamans raised their voices as if they had been waiting.

“As expected! Is he bringing monsters to swallow the city after the village?”

“You can't go. Even the Spirit Creature-nim might be swallowed by black magic!”

“Pardon? What are you talking about?”

Simon snorted and spat out his last words.

“They are not alive, but dead monsters. I'm saying he has returned with the corpses of monsters.”

“…”

The shamans became silent again.

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