Chapter 220

Chapter 220

"Phew, thats a relief. Thanks, Ash."

Wiping herself down with the towel I handed her, Nameless gratefully offered me a handshake.

"What happened, Nameless? Why were you inside Jormungandr?"

Ignoring the handshake with forced casualness, I asked Nameless.

How on earth do you wind up doing a miraculous rendezvous inside a monsters belly? What the heck happened at the Imperial Capital?

Whoosh!

Despite my desperate efforts to avoid it, Nameless determinedly took my hand and shook it. Ahhhh! Soap! Bring soap!

"Ive been fighting off monsters that try to rampage outside the Lake Kingdom."

Nameless began to explain, shaking my hand gratefully up and down. I hastily rummaged through my bag for another towel.

"Of course, my power alone isnt enough to stop all of them. Some continue to break out and invade the surroundings. Lately, the number of escaping monsters has increased due to their growing numbers."

I see. I meticulously wiped my hands. Any perfume around?

"Anyway, as always, I was trying to stop this horde of monsters."

Nameless looked down at the scales of Jormungandr she was standing on.

"... This time, it was this snake."

"Ah..."

Could it be, so thats why.

"Ive never had the experience of facing Jormungandr head-on before... Anyway, I tried to stop it."

"Did you fail and it ended up eating you?"

"No, initially I succeeded. I managed to stop Jormungandr."

...Really? Are you lying?

How did you stop this huge snake on your own? Are you bragging? Right?

"But then, right after... the Wolf King interrupted."

At the unexpected name, my eyes twitched.

The Wolf King? You mean...

"The commander of the Werewolf Legion, that Wolf King Lunared?"

"Exactly. Youre well-informed."

Well, of course. Its a named monster that appears as a boss in the game.

The Werewolf Legion, a monster squad made up of werewolves, only appears in the boss stages as an elite group of monsters.

...Could it be that the boss group I have to face in Stage 10 is the Werewolf Legion?

Nothing happens without reason in this damn game. Everything hints at future developments.

So, after vampires, its werewolves now? What a classic sequence.

"I told you before, Ash. Some of the Nightmare Legion commanders are after your life."

"Mm. I remember."

Orlop and Celendion had marked me after I killed them, frustrated they couldnt devour me.

Nameless continued her explanation impassively.

"The Wolf King is one of those most ardently seeking your life. He has been searching for you within the dungeons..."

I clicked my tongue. So, he was a stalker-fan too.

"...And when he couldnt encounter you in the dungeon, he orchestrated this. He hid his elite forces within Jormungandr as part of a strategy."

My eyes widened in disbelief.

Wait a minute, does that mean...

"I stopped Jormungandr, and thats when the Wolf King attacked me. In the meantime, the Wolf Kings elite guard jumped into Jormungandrs mouth."

"..."

"I couldnt just stand by and let their scheme unfold. So, I also jumped into the closing mouth of Jormungandr. I spent the next few days fighting those wolves inside its belly."

I sighed in relief.

"So you managed to take care of those wolves?"

"..."

Nameless, who had been silent, unsheathed the worn-out longsword strapped to her back and held it in front of her.

"Ash, its awkward for me to say this, but I pride myself on being the strongest in the Lake Kingdom."

I wasnt sure about her being the strongest, but it was undeniable that Nameless was quite powerful.

"However, once I step out of the Lake Kingdom, my abilities are severely restricted. At this moment, Im just an ordinary human who cant cast any magic or miracles."

"And why are you telling me all this?"

"The elite guard of the Wolf King that jumped into Jormungandrs belly."

Nameless muttered awkwardly.

"I couldnt finish them off."

"What?"

"Upon returning to the surface, I became too weak... I couldnt eliminate them all. And they managed to escape Jormungandrs belly before I did."

Chills ran down my spine.

Wait, hold on. Does that mean

"If you havent dealt with them yet"

Kuilan grumbled menacingly, startling the Penal Squad member.

Without a word, Lucas drew his longsword. The knights icy blue eyes fiercely scanned the surroundings.

Kuilan chuckled softly as he hurriedly put on his gauntlets.

"I see you sense it too, Knight."

"...Its impossible not to."

Despite the warm summer night, a cold breath escaped Lucass lips.

"The scent of kindred is vibrating."

As the Penal Squad members scrambled to draw their weapons and complete their combat preparations,

Werewolves began to crawl out from the sides of the serpents skin.

Ash-grey and brown-furred werewolves. Two types.

Their fur might be different, but both types had the same, flickering red eyes.

The monstrous figures, standing on two legs like humans, quietly sharpened their claws, preparing for battle.

Their numbers were about a dozen.

"I always sang about wanting to be a beast-man, but the real deal is a bit off-putting."

Kuilan raised his fist, throwing out a frivolous joke.

"I guess they should trim their fur, seniors!"

Right after,

- Awooo

The lead werewolf tilted its head back and howled.

- Awooooo

- Awooooooo

A unison of howls erupted from the mouths of the werewolves surrounding the Penal Squad.

Howling.

The sound reverberated like an echo, and all the werewolves on Jormungandrs back let out a chilling howl.

A normal wolfs howl would simply be a call to its pack, but a werewolfs howling was different.

A combat buff through group resonance.

It was a legion skill that established the identity of the wolf pack and facilitated group combat.

Following that, the werewolves stomped the ground with their four legs.

The eyes of the monsters, awakened to their wild instincts by the howling, flickered with a savage hunger.

Drool dripped from the gaps between their bared fangs, eager to rip apart their prey and taste its flesh.

"Get the hell out of the way, you mutts."

Channeling magic power into the tip of his sword, Lucas growled menacingly.

"I need to go check if my lord is safe."

His eyes held a fierce glint, making it difficult to tell who the real wolves were.

***

Jormungandr, near the head region.

"Hah, hah"

Covered in blood, Junior let out shallow breaths and slumped down.

She had been clawed from her shoulder to her side by a wolfs claw .

Caught off guard by the sudden ambush, Junior trembled in a state of shock.

Blocking her path, Reina rolled up the corners of her mouth and smiled bitterly.

"This isnt good."

Around twenty werewolves surrounded the two mages.

Twice the force had attacked them here, focusing their assault on the most crucial units: the mages.

On the other hand, there were only two mages here.

Could they possibly fight just with two mages and no vanguard?

Of course, we can.

Reina chuckled to herself.

She had devoted her life to the military. There wasnt a type of battle she hadnt fought. Land, sea, air listing them would just be a waste of breath.

Reina was absolutely confident that she could rip these pathetic werewolves to shreds and survive.

However.

""

She wasnt sure if she could protect the young mage behind her.

There was no battle strategy more foreign to Reina than fighting while protecting someone else.

If I dont worry about the kid in the back, my chances of winning are 100%. But if I have to protect this kid

Reinas seasoned eyes dimmed.

Can we survive?

Whoosh

As the elderly mage pondered, dozens of werewolves lunged at them all at once.