Chapter 43 - Those Who Touch Ink Become Black
One piece of good news for the Wolf tribe.
The footsteps of the suddenly appeared outsiders.
After heading straight for the sacred site ‘Little Red Riding Hood’s Cottage’, they suddenly changed direction.
It was a crisis that almost destroyed the love nest where the Wolf tribe’s mother ancestor ‘Red Riding Hood’ and father ancestor ‘Fierce Wolf’ nurtured their love.
Unlike the common beast-kin birth process.
There was a secret story that the Wolf tribe’s progenitor was not originally beast-like, but human-like.
It was the reason why the Wolf tribe secretly took pride against the Dog tribe.
You were eaten, right?
We did the eating!
One piece of bad news for the pride-filled Wolf tribe.
“…The wall has collapsed. My mate has disappeared.”
The current queen of the Wolf tribe who inherited the will of the ancestors.
The male that Enya personally selected and received as a tribute from outsiders had disappeared.
Before she could eat him deliciously.
It was a disaster that occurred while she was taking a bath to purify herself.
Enya’s nose sniffed.
The object in her hand.
She deeply inhaled the scent of the clothes obtained as spoils when capturing the male earlier.
“…It’s west. We’ll pursue.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Although not as much as the Dog tribe.
The Wolf tribe also had quite a developed sense of smell.
Enough to track one male she had set her eyes on, at least.
Of course, considering the efficiency of tracking, it would be right to share her spoils with the soldiers, but.
Sharing the scent of the mate chosen by the queen?
It was unthinkable.
“I’ll prepare to sortie too. Have my Pokorong ready.”
Then.
She had no choice but to go herself.
The revelator’s teaching.
If there’s no path, just make one.
As a result of the hero party thoroughly practicing that teaching, jumping over hills and breaking through cliffs by putting the human crusher Saha at the forefront, running in a straight line.
“Kyong!”
“It’s a… portal?”
The dazzlingly sparkling portal they encountered every time they cleared a zone.
They faced the portal to enter the next zone.
Originally, it was an exit that would only open when the revelator applied the purification tablet (A.K.A. revelation tablet, smartphone), but.
Since the concept of the floors and zones themselves was self-driving, the portal was cleanly wide open without such complicated procedures.
But the hero party lingered there for a while.
“I’m a bit uneasy. Isn’t it a trap?”
“I think so too.”
Saha and Yohena, who were suspicious and cautious about anything suspicious.
“Bark! Master’s scent is stronger inside woof!”
“That’s right!”
Lumi arguing for a forced march, and Tinya just agreeing without any thought.
As always, Ari.
“Eeit!”
With courage befitting a 4-star general.
She threw herself into the portal first with the bravado of an alcohol-loving reckless person who acts first and thinks later.
A good action that puts an end to time-consuming, intellectually vain, boring, and pedantic debates!
“Ari?!”
“Let’s follow woof!”
In the end, everyone joined in the simple, private knowledge-free, and quickly ending action.
As a reward for that brave action.
[Tower of Wishes 16th Floor – Great Forest: Wolf Tribe Territory Outskirts Zone 1 Cleared!]
[Tower of Wishes 16th Floor – Great Forest: Wolf Tribe Territory Outskirts Zone 2]
[★☆☆ : Find traces of the revelator.]
[★★☆ : Complete the mission within 1 hour.]
[★★★ : Complete the mission without harming the beast-kin.]
Hero party.
Successfully broke through Zone 1 and arrived at Zone 2!
Zing–
“Oh.”
Yohena hurriedly picked up the divine stone that appeared, tearing through the air.
It was worth celebrating that they cleanly passed through the zone, but.
Rather, that situation itself too clearly revealed the absence of the revelator.
Even the mission objective remained unchanged.
Find traces of the revelator.
“Master… is this way woof!”
And once again, with the no-kill restriction wrapped around her, Lumi took the lead.
But after just a few steps.
“Stop!”
“You can’t go any further!”
“If you surrender now, we’ll take your circumstances into account!”
Wolf tribe soldiers popped up here and there.
They couldn’t avoid a fight.
“Get out of the way! You lo~sers♡!”
Super minion Tinya with her inhibitor destroyed immediately unleashed her ultimate skill.
Using the Wolf tribe soldiers grabbing each other’s hair and starting a catfight, no, wolffight as a signal flare.
The battle began again.
“Here, put this on at least.”
“Thank you.”
I felt something was missing.
Without realizing it, I had taken off my top and was wearing only a robe over it.
In modern terms, it would be a criminal fashion like a flasher!
As I tried to stuff the top Renatel handed me onto my body.
“…?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Well, you should go out when I’m changing clothes.”
“Hmm. You’re quite a shy male.”
Only then did Renatel turn away and leave the room.
“You go out too. Or close your eyes.”
“Aww, you’re so mean.”
After making sure Elise was keeping her eyes closed too.
I slipped off the robe, changed clothes rustle rustle, and put the robe back on swish.
A warm sense of stability filled my upper body again, which had been shivering from the cold.
…It smells a bit of dog hair, no, wolf hair here.
I was in no position to be picky about cold or hot rice.
After completing the change of clothes, I glanced at the smartphone again.
A scene clearly different from normal in-game battle motions.
Tinya grabbing Wolf tribe members’ hair and yanking it yap yap.
Saha putting down her hammer and gallantly blowing away Wolf tribe members’ corn with a one-two punch.
Ari gripping her bow like a sword master and swinging it wildly instead of shooting arrows.
I stuffed the smartphone back into my pocket.
I didn’t see anything.
“Are you done changing?”
Renatel suddenly poked her head in.
She entered boldly and looked me up and down.
“You look neat. Let’s go.”
“…? Are we running away again?”
“Hmpf. This is Darang-dae’s headquarters. Even if they’re excellent trackers, unless they remember every body scent from head to toe, we’ll never be tracked.”
Um.
I think you just raised a flag.
Usually, if someone says they absolutely won’t ■■.
Isn’t it the law of the universe that ■■ will happen?
“So you can stay at ease for now. I’ll guide you around the base.”
Well.
Even if it’s not to the extent of remembering all my body scents from head to toe, Lumi should probably be able to find me.
I had that vague expectation.
After all, Lumi has a dog’s nose.
Feeling a bit nostalgic, I took out my smartphone.
I took in the sight of Lumi (3D model) performing the advanced technique of accurately planting her fist in a Wolf tribe soldier’s solar plexus, then sealed it away again.
Then I followed Renatel to Darang-dae’s headquarters.
I toured Darang Dream Land.
“Who on earth came up with the name Darang Dream Land–”
“I did. Doesn’t it have a nice ring to it?”
From a slightly crazy woman.
I adjusted my assessment to a completely crazy woman.
According to the explanation I really didn’t want to know.
Again.
Wolf tribe becomes great.
Dream together.
East.
Warriors of the mountain.
If I ever return to reality.
I want to catch the director and story writer and open up their brains.
What drugs were you on when you came up with this name? I’d ask.
Anyway, I don’t know about dreams and hopes, but after taking a quick tour around Darang Dream Land where the smell of iron and fur was flying about.
It was surprisingly very wide.
The defenses were surprisingly thorough.
And surprisingly, there were no men at all.
“Males? It’s common sense for males to stay at home and look after children. And all the elite warriors of our Darang-dae proudly maintain their virginity.”
Ah.
I see.
So it’s that kind of gender-reversal concept.
Having used up my daily quota of brain cells.
I just nodded while taking in the sight of string panties shamelessly fluttering on clotheslines here and there.
Wow, leopard print.
While Ark, who had half let go of his reason, was getting dizzy from the open customs of Darang-dae.
[Tower of Wishes 16th Floor – Great Forest: Wolf Tribe Territory Outskirts Zone 5]
[★☆☆ : Recapture the revelator.]
[★★☆ : Complete the mission without harming the beast-kin.]
[★★★ : Form a cooperative relationship with Darang-dae.]
“Finally woof!”
“We’re almost there…!”
“It’s been a long battle.”
“Nya!”
“Alright, let’s go get Ark back!”
Status windows popped up simultaneously in front of the hero party’s eyes.
“Tinya, listen for a moment!”
Entrusting the pile of fur she had collected, enough to make at least five padded jackets, to Tinya.
Ari went tap tap, tap tap.
She climbed up the tree vertically like a flying squirrel.
And what entered Ari’s eyes was.
“Oh my…”
A fortress of larger scale than expected.
As if rocks had been piled up over a long period of time, moss and vines were hanging on the surface, making it look difficult to destroy or climb easily.
On the quite tall watchtowers in between, Wolf tribe archers with obviously threatening great bows were guarding in all directions.
Until now, the hero party had only been skinning small-scale pursuit teams sporadically.
It was a sight intimidating enough to make them feel a bit cowed.
“Hmm?”
Ari’s eyes sparkled as she discovered something peculiar.
The outskirts of the fortress.
A vast prairie spread out.
And on it, giant ostriches were leisurely rolling around and grazing.
Putting aside the common sense question of whether birds originally grazed on grass.
Ari slipped down from the tree and shared her view with the heroes.
“Let’s raid the ranch!”
She shared the evil plan to release the giant ostriches, locally called Pokorong, to cause chaos in the area.
When they come out to deal with it.
The plan was to quickly infiltrate by riding one super-sparrow each in advance and recapture Ark!
Forget forming a cooperative relationship with Darang-dae and whatnot.
The 3-star clear might be important, but that was something to worry about after getting Ark back.
Hearing those words, the temporary leader of the hero party.
The spiritual center of the hero city Celestia.
The saint of the Sweet Goddess Church and living conscience.
Yohena declared plainly.
“That’s a really good idea. Let’s do it right away.”