Chapter 49 - Today's Ally is Today's Enemy
It was already late at night, with the moon scattering its full colors.
Normally, this would be the time I’d be busy running the shop, but due to the vastly different density of quest lines in each zone, it was already this late.
“Yaaawn…”
Tinya, who officially doesn’t need to sleep, pretended to be tired and yawned, but.
“Let’s clear up to Zone 10 today, and take a day off tomorrow.”
I decided to be a bit greedy.
Since we’ve already breezed through Zones 7 and 8.
Only Zones 9 and 10 remain.
[Tower of Wishes 16th Floor – Great Forest: Wolf Tribe Territory Zone 7 Cleared!]
[★☆☆: Fight and win against the Wolf tribe’s follow-up troops. (Achieved)]
[Tower of Wishes 16th Floor – Great Forest: Wolf Tribe Territory Zone 8 Cleared!]
[★☆☆: Win in an honorable duel against the Wolf tribe leader ‘Enya’. (Achieved)]
The so-called retroactive application!
Originally, it seems the route was to face waves of attacks, steadily beat up the advance party, beat up the follow-up troops.
And strike the final blow on Enya, exhausted from consistently fighting an honorable duel with Renatel in the background.
Thanks to skipping it very cleanly and honorably with a hostage situation, befitting the righteous heroes’ honorable behavior.
Easy win easy win, exciting easy win.
Does honor put food on the table?
Therefore, if you agree to proceed to Zone 9.
[Tower of Wishes 16th Floor – Great Forest: Wolf Tribe Territory Outskirts Zone 9]
[★☆☆: Find clues to unite the Wolf tribe.]
[★★☆: Complete the mission within 2 hours.]
[★★★: Complete the mission without harming beast-kin.]
The problem was.
The quest line had completely changed.
Originally, fitting for an idle auto-hunting game.
The normal progression route was just fighting non-stop.
But since we’ve kidnapped, no, politely enshrined their boss, Enya, there’s no way a fight would break out.
First, I shared the mission-related information with the heroes.
“The beast-kin belonging to Darang-dae didn’t seem to have much emotion, but the other Wolf tribe members seemed quite angry. Maybe there might be clues in that direction?”
Isn’t that because you guys went around cutting off tail fur?
From what I saw, it seems the Darang-dae friends committed similar atrocities.
Isn’t it more vicious to cut off others’ pride without much emotion?
I don’t know.
“Tinya thinks it’s a bit suspicious! Everyone’s eyes seemed a bit off!”
Could that possibly be because you inflicted losers on them?
Somehow, everyone’s testimony felt a bit lacking in credibility.
“Lumi? What do you think?”
Today’s MVP who single-handedly subdued the enemy leader.
Listening to the opinion of Lumi, who was happily barking.
“Woof! They smelled like cats woof!”
She just expressed a somewhat abstract opinion.
Zero gain.
“Then, let’s go meet Enya for now.”
We’ve heard all of Renatel’s biased opinions.
We need to hear from Enya, who is officially ‘in cahoots with the damn cats’ according to Renatel.
That’s the neutral gear.
Enya was sitting surprisingly calmly.
Of course, with a collar around her neck and shackles on her feet, it was an environment where she could only be calm.
…But, wow, tying her to a pillar with a leash, that’s really malicious and gloomy and overflowing with madness and strangely sexy…
“What is it, invader? I have nothing to say.”
But as soon as she faced us, she ground her teeth grind.
What is this? We don’t negotiate with terrorists?
It kind of feels like that.
But I am an excellent negotiator.
Water knows the answer.
“Lumi? Grab her.”
“Let, let go! What are you planning to do to me! You insolent ones!”
While hearing SD Elise going “Ohoho” from the side.
I fed her a potion bottle zuuuk with the skill of an experienced trainer.
“…?”
Enya, confused by the sudden vitality flowing through her body, just blinked her eyes.
It seems her level is steadily piling up on its own even without a formal contract like the village hero residents. It’s effective too.
I should have fed some to Renatel earlier like this.
“How is it? You feel healthier, right?”
I smiled as refreshingly as possible.
“…”
So Enya turned her head away.
Well, I’ve given her medicine anyway.
“Now, one more.”
I opened another potion bottle.
“…I’ll drink it myself.”
Perhaps understanding that I have no intention of harming her, this time she drank it herself.
This is how you tame wild animals.
“Ah! That was mine!”
Ignoring Tinya’s scream, I popped an Ark special dalgona candy into her mouth.
Originally, I thought about feeding her Elise’s special ‘truth serum’, but that seemed too cruel.
Let’s go as gently as possible.
“You’ve already been captured like this, are you going to keep fighting with Darang-dae?”
“…Hmph. Those fools. Why do they doubt the great king god best cat-nims? I can’t understand.”
Enya continued speaking with a very displeased expression.
…The honorific is a bit strange.
“King god best cat-nims?”
“Yes. The Cat tribe is the best among beast-kin, the strongest race incomparable to other tribes, the cutest, the strongest… Ugh.”
Suddenly her eyes became unfocused and she started chanting cat praises as if possessed, then clutched her head.
“This is… I’ll take a look.”
Yohena approached Enya.
She placed her hand on her aching head and shared a healing blessing.
“Lumi, what do you think?”
Today’s MVP who single-handedly subdued the enemy leader.
Listening to the opinion of Lumi, who was happily barking.
“It’s strange woof… I know that Cat tribe and Wolf tribe don’t get along well because they’re arrogant woof.”
They’re all like that.
“Rude, how rude…! To call them arrogant!”
Enya growled and roared at Lumi’s words, about to have a fit.
There’s something familiar about this.
It feels a bit similar to followers fallen into a cult.
“This is suspicious. We need to investigate.”
Saha, who had been silent until now, stepped forward.
And.
“Ark? Please step outside for a moment.”
She was kicking me out.
“Why, why?”
What are you trying to do, you crazy heroes!
Even as I was pushed out, I tried to resist as much as possible, but given the fundamental difference in physical strength, I couldn’t hold out for long and was kicked out of the room.
Thud!
“Violence! Violence is not allowed!”
I left those words of caution through the firmly closed door.
I focused on the voices coming from inside with my ears perked up.
“Kyaak! What, what are you doing now! This is blasphemy!”
“It’ll be over soon, so please bear with it a little. Tinya?”
“Ehihi!”
“Why! Why are you taking off my clothes! Kyaak! Kyaaak!”
“Oh, abs.”
“This part is a bit bothering. Ari? Please cut it off a little.”
“N-nooo…!”
What is this?
What’s happening in there?
Show me what you’re seeing!
I really didn’t want to, but.
I mobilized my imagination at full power to picture the scene inside the room.
I can’t help it. It’s instinct.
“I found it!”
“Wow, there’s something like this stuck here…”
“No! That, that’s…!”
“Yes!”
“Kyaaaak!”
With Enya’s death cry at the end.
“Ark? You can come in now.”
“Just, just let me sit for a bit longer…”
I couldn’t stand up.
A little while later.
After barely calming down by summoning various religious peace like peace and tranquility of mind, the river flowing in my heart, the vast sea, waves, Mahaprajnaparamita, form is emptiness, and such, I opened the door and entered.
Enya was slumped weakly with reddened eyes.
With her clothes properly on.
“…What did you do?”
Explain.
In as much detail as possible.
“Look at this!”
But instead of giving the explanation I asked for.
Tinya waved a talisman she was lightly holding with her fingertips.
I instinctively reached out and touched that talisman.
“Ah! If you touch it with bare hands–!”
CatsarethebestcatsaregreatthecattribeisthebestraceinthegreaforestnoearthnotheuniversethecutestcreaturealwaysunconditionallyworshipthemallIhaveisforthecattribeandamongthemNeb-nimisthegreatestof all…!
“Heogh…!”
I was able to come to my senses thanks to the soft sensation wrapping around my back.
Turning my head slightly, Lumi’s face was close, wow, too close, as she gave me a back hug to pull me away from the talisman.
“Woof! Master, you shouldn’t touch it carelessly woof!”
That’s right.
I almost joined the cat worshipping group.
“That thing… Then?”
Saha nodded at my words.
“It’s a type of talisman that bewitches people’s souls. That was, um, there…”
“?”
Saha blushed while speaking.
“It was stuck in her panties!”
Tinya revealed the object’s origin with an innocent smile.
“…!”
No, why on earth was it stuck in such a place?
“…It’s an item that’s been popular in the Great Forest recently. I-if you stick it on your body, it’s said to make your fur glossy, boost your confidence, clear your skin, and make you fall in love with the partner you want…”
Eventually, Enya, who had truly come to her senses, explained the origin of the item shyly.
What is this, that cheap snake oil?
You believe that?
Is the Wolf tribe’s intelligence okay like this?
“D-don’t look at me like that…! Many Wolf tribe members actually saw effects…! Me too…!”
Enya protested, thumping her tail on the floor.
Come to think of it, her tail fur is really glossy, almost like a premium product, slurp, no, hmm.
“Of course it was the dirty cats’ plot… But, but… A potential partner I’d never had a connection with in my life actually appeared…”
Enya fell into self-rationalization, refusing to admit that she had been scammed until the end.
…The last part is a bit strange.
Come to think of it.
This girl was an attempted kidnapper and rapist.
“Lumi?”
“Grrrr!”
“Kyaaaak!”
I instructed Lumi, who had been growling behind me, to reaffirm the hierarchy once more.
“Elise, how is it?”
I consulted our alchemist, SD Elise, who was floating around the talisman and observing it.
“Hmm, female scent.”
“Hey.”
“Huhuhu… Your embarrassed look is pleasing to see as well?”
The way she spouts vulgar talk every time she opens her mouth.
She’s perfect for a middle manager at a small company, perfect.
“It seems to have actual demonic magic and alchemical effects infused. Maybe it actually has skin beautifying effects and such, would you like to bring some back later?”
“Let’s do that.”
It really has skin beautifying effects?
I don’t know about the female scent… but.
It felt like the scent of money was wafting gently.
Putting that aside for now.
“I guess the other Wolf tribe members are in a similar state?”
The heroes nodded at my question.
“…Let’s go. If we tell Renatel too, maybe we can resolve this easily.”
All the mysteries have been solved.
Moreover.
[Tower of Wishes 16th Floor – Great Forest: Wolf Tribe Territory Zone 9 Cleared!]
[★☆☆: Find clues to unite the Wolf tribe. (Achieved)]
The status window also declared clear authentication!
Now Zone 10, usually just need to finish the boss fight.
The moment I wondered who the boss was again.
Kuwoong–!
“Eek?!”
Suddenly, a strong vibration rang out as if the entire building was shaking.
At the same time, the next zone’s information appeared with a ding.
[Tower of Wishes 16th Floor – Great Forest: Wolf Tribe Territory Outskirts Zone 10]
[★☆☆: Subdue the berserk Renatel.]
[★★☆: Survive for more than 10 minutes.]
[★★★: Subdue the berserk Renatel before Darang Dream Land burns down.]
“Sigh.”
I could roughly picture the situation just by looking at the text.
That talisman must have gotten stuck on her body somehow…
That means.
From an enemy who became an ally (weak).
To an ally who became an enemy (fucking strong)?
And after gulping down potions and neatly farming full equipment too…?
This doesn’t feel good.