Chapter 129: Team (7)

The city they found had some hordes of zombies that numbered dozens of thousands, but that wasn't a problem since they had Artiuno. The real problem was the number of other creatures. They were rat-like monsters that were constantly fighting and eating small pieces of the zombies even when they couldn't kill them. The gruesome sight was enough to make even Luke feel like his stomach was turning around... he had seen a lot, but not enough, apparently. Still, after a while, he got better.

"I guess we still are in Bolivia," Luke said while looking around from above. "Let's see, that hotel seems good enough."

It was a pretty tall building, and Luke could see a fancy suit at the top, so the rats wouldn't reach them. After landing on the terrace, they confirmed that there had some signs of battles in there, but it was completely empty.

"You guys should hurry up and get in a hot bathtub," Luke said when the girls jumped from Artiuno's back. "Naturally, there is no power, so you will have to heat the water yourself. I will look around the area for some clothes."

Luke left Artiuno behind just in case, and then he jumped from the thirty-meter-tall building. At that point in time, jumps from that height no longer were hurting him.

"What a bunch of dead weight," Shalia said.

"You say that, but with their skills, we fought and killed dozens of enemies at levels higher than us without suffering any injuries," Rina said.

"Only to be taken down by a little cold," Shalia said. "The fact that they can't endure this weather is the proof that they have had easy relying on a frontline like Luke all the time, and without him, they picked up easy fights."

Since that was pretty accurate based on what she heard from Luthi, Rina couldn't say anything. Luke also had something to say, but he decided to keep quiet about the fact that even his balls were freezing in the mountains. Although he had put some points into his defense and he had almost all elemental Resistances, he was still lacking in that department.

Regardless, Luke had better things to do, like dealing with the rats that had found him. Those creatures were as big as dogs, and they had purple claws and teeth… even if he doesn't become a zombie after getting scratched by them, he certainly will get poisoned, and he didn't have that Resistance yet.

Plague Rat - Lv 45

LV 60 - 68%

HP: 355/ 355

MP: 111/ 111

SP: 340/ 340

Active Skills: Poisonous Bite Lv 04, Scratch Lv 04, Dash Lv 04,

Spells: 

Passive: Fire Resistance Lv 03, Wind Resistance Lv 03, Viral Resistance Lv 04, Cold Resistance Lv 04

They weren't that strong, Luke could take them out with Sonic Blade level one, after all, but their numbers were high. Still, despite the fact that they were dying in the droves, the monsters kept dashing at Luke like they were zombies themselves.

You obtained 25 experience points.

You obtained 25 gold coins.

You obtained 25 experience points.

You obtained 25 gold coins.

…

"They sure are vicious…" Luke said.

"They are just a more beastly version of the goblins," Rina said.

Luke could see that. Regardless, he opened his path with Sonic Blade while he was looking for a clothing store and a building supply store for some nails. Those creatures had a pretty weak skull, as far as he could tell. Still, considering their numbers, he will probably have to rely on his old methods of clearing an area of many monsters.

"I also have to find the crystal since I don't know for how long we will stay here…" Luke said.

"Are you going to wait for night to let those two learn Cold Resistance?" Shalia asked.

"There is no other way, just clothes won't be enough to protect us from that cold of the mountains, we will probably have to take a roundabout way to arrive at the airport in time as well, so we will have to endure the cold for several hours," Luke explained. "Do you guys know any equipment that will be useful in this weather? Since my boots boost Dash, I imagined there are other items like that."

"They are, but they are also pretty expensive," Rina said.

That seemed like a problem since it would only be used a few times here and there… but it would be extremely valuable in missions like that one. The group had another option, use an even more long roundabout route to reach the airport, but Luke doubted that they would reach it in three days. Even if they avoid the bad weather, they might find another territory of troublesome creatures.

"What a pain in the ass…" Luke said.

It took a while, but Luke eventually found the clothes that he needed. He didn't know the sizes of the girls, so he just selected a bunch that seemed good enough and clean. As for shops where he would find nails, he didn't find them. Hospitals and other facilities where he would be able to find needles… he didn't find any. He chose the hotel in an area for tourists, so it was no surprise. When Luke returned to the hotel, it was almost midnight, and he found Amanda and Celia already back to normal. The only problem was their frozen clothes.

"I picked a bunch of them since I didn't know your sizes," Luke said and tossed the clothes to them. "It would be wiser if you could buy equipment such as rings that increased your overall RES. Otherwise, you will suffer the same thing."

"... Got it," Amanda said.

Amanda was surprisingly quiet, and Celia was the same. They probably were thinking about how the mission might fail because they didn't do their job well as diversion. Luke had no intention of comforting them, though. Even more so when he realized that he might not receive his box of grenades…