Chapter 75 : The Second Labyrinth (3)

Sister Melody’s job was to guard me, and perhaps because she understood that better than anyone, she didn’t engage with monsters that didn’t attack my surroundings.

However, since an overwhelming number of monsters were appearing, there was never a moment when her sword rested for long.

“It seems to be a much larger group than expected.”

“Hmm.”

When looking at a single monster, it didn’t seem like such a big threat.

But perhaps because they lived in swarms, the number of monsters attacking together was overwhelming.

“At this rate, we’ll end up trapped in an ant nest. It’s as if we’ve fallen into a trap.”

“Then what should we do?”

If we were in a situation akin to being trapped in an ant nest, I thought the best course of action was to get out of here as quickly as possible.

“There are two options: either we stay here and kill every single one of them as they come out, or we do our best to escape this place. But since there’s no guarantee they won’t chase us, it might be better to kill them all here.”

These monsters hid underground and ambushed us suddenly, so if they pursued us, the labyrinth subjugation would become incredibly troublesome.

Perhaps Sister Melody also understood this, as she seemed to think it was better to deal with them here, but the battle situation was far from ideal.

“If we keep fighting like this, it will take a long time. Moreover, these creatures are cunning. They’re avoiding direct confrontation and using their heads instead.”

They weren’t moles from a whack-a-mole game, yet every time things got slightly unfavorable, they hid underground and launched surprise attacks.

Thanks to this, our team was struggling to handle the monsters that kept disappearing and reappearing unpredictably.

“I think I’ll need to ask for your understanding, Priest.”

“Huh?”

“May I temporarily entrust your safety to someone else and assist in handling those creatures?”

“Oh! Of course. I’ll stay right here and wait.”

“I’ll send someone to guard you immediately.”

She said she was going to fight, wiped the blood off her sword, and then calmly sheathed it.

“??”

As I stared at her blankly, light suddenly radiated from her hand.

“!!”

I knew what that was.

While healers used divine power to heal wounds, paladins used it to strengthen their bodies or enhance their strength.

And inquisitors could use divine power to create a ‘weapon’ suited for the situation.

I had once seen my master use it.

The weapon created with divine power was a massive hammer glowing with white light.

“Ah!”

I immediately understood why she had chosen that weapon.

We weren’t actually inside the ant nest.

We were still standing at the entrance. The ants were trying to lure us deeper into their nest.

‘There’s still an option. A way to kill all the ants without entering the nest.’

The method was surprisingly simple.

Collapse the entire ant nest, which stretched who-knows-how-far underground.

It was obvious why she had brought out that massive hammer.

“You’re planning to bring it down.”

“Yes. I’ll be back.”

Leaving behind her cool, casual words, she moved towards the battlefield.

And shortly after…

Three team members approached me, seemingly sent by her.

“Priest, we’ve come to protect you.”

“All three of you came?”

“Honestly, I twisted my ankle because of one of those creatures.”

“So, you were all injured.”

It seemed she prioritized sending injured people to me for treatment while also assigning them to guard me.

I thought it was a wise decision and began tending to their wounds.

-Thunk!!!!!!!

Crash!!!

“Wow, she landed that perfectly.”

“I think that one’s neck snapped cleanly.”

The team members being treated watched the battle in awe, repeatedly letting out exclamations.

“Priest.”

“Huh?”

“Are you perhaps… someone incredibly important? We’re worried we might not be treating you with the respect you deserve because we’re ignorant.”

“Important? I’m just an ordinary priest.”

“No way~ You definitely don’t seem ordinary.”

“I honestly don’t know what makes you think that.”

“Isn’t it obvious? An incredibly skilled person was assigned as your guard. Doesn’t that mean you must be very important?”

Pausing my treatment, I turned my attention to the battlefield to see what he meant.

“Ah…”

The reason for his words became immediately clear.

Sister Melody was smashing the heads of the moles with her massive hammer every time they peeked out of the ground.

Splat! Splat!! Splat!!!

Flesh and blood splattered everywhere.

Even twisted, writhing entrails could be seen, making my stomach churn just looking at them.

Popped eyeballs rolled on the ground, adding to the nauseating sight.

“Priest, you might want to turn your eyes away. It’s not a pleasant thing to watch.”

“…That definitely seems to be the case.”

A sight scary enough to haunt my dreams.

I could endure it because I’d cleaned up heretic corpses before, but without that experience, I would have retched several times.

“The treatment is finished.”

Though my mind was slightly distracted, I summoned divine power to heal their wounds.

In an instant, the treatment for all three was finished.

“Huh? Already?”

“It doesn’t hurt at all anymore.”

“Wow~ Your skill is incredible.”

After confirming that their painful areas had healed cleanly, they all gave me a thumbs-up.

“It feels like my stamina has fully recovered too…”

Their stamina seemed to have recovered, and they smacked their lips as if they wanted to join the battle.

However, there was no room for them to intervene where Sister Melody was wreaking havoc.

Rumble!!

“Whoa! Watch out!”

Suddenly, with a loud noise, the ground slightly sank.

It seemed that the underground ant nest had partially collapsed.

Rumble! Crash! Bang! Bang! Crackle!!

“What is this ominous sound?”

“How many tunnels did they dig down there…”

The others weren’t fools—they quickly realized what was happening underground.

And the monsters that had survived the collapse began to rise to the surface.

“They’re coming out! Everyone, focus!!”

The number of monsters hiding below was so great that even the area around me, which was relatively distant, became exposed to danger.

Of course, the three team members surrounding me protected me and blocked the attacks.

I occasionally replenished their stamina as they gasped for breath, assisting them with my power.

I had already cast a full-team buff earlier, but since the battle was dragging on, some might have lost its effects, so I refreshed the buff again.

“These bastards are weak to fire! Burn them!”

“With this much snow falling, who can even keep a fire burning? It’ll go out immediately!”

“Just try it anyway! It’s the most effective method!”

As the battle continued, we began to understand the monsters’ weaknesses.

Fire attacks were notoriously inefficient in a snowstorm, but they were incredibly effective against these monsters.

Those who could use fire actively employed it, using oil-soaked arrows to set them ablaze.

“Priest, are you unharmed?”

“With how thoroughly you’re protecting me, there’s no chance I’d get hurt.”

“Haha! That’s a relief.”

“It seems like we’re almost done here. Just hang on a little longer.”

“I’m fine, but I’m worried about all of you getting exhausted.”

“This much is nothing!”

The initial chaos caused by the collapsing ant nest was fading, and the number of monsters emerging from below was steadily decreasing.

“Ugh, these disgusting creatures.”

If the number that came out was this high, the number hiding underground must have been astronomical.

Collapsing the ant nest was definitely the right choice.

“Is it over now?”

“Yes. It looks like we’ve almost wrapped things up.”

When I took a step forward after hearing it was over, one of them waved both hands frantically.

“Whoa, don’t come in yet! Stay back until we’re completely done. You never know what these cunning creatures might pull.”

“Didn’t you just say it was over?”

“We need to make sure they’re dead. These things are tricky and sometimes pretend to be dead.”

“Ah~”

In the end, I wasn’t allowed anywhere near the battlefield until they had finished double-checking all the fallen monsters.

Being protected so thoroughly was reassuring, but as a perfectly healthy man, it also felt a little awkward and embarrassing.

“If anyone is injured, please come over here. I’ll heal you.”

In the end, I decided to focus on what I did best: healing the injured team members.

The pile of monster corpses collected was massive.

“So, do you think these will be worth some money?”

Killing monsters without getting hurt was important, but knowing if they’d bring in profit was just as crucial.

After all, it’s hard to feel accomplished if the monsters you risked your life fighting turned out to be worthless.

“Yes, their claws should fetch a good price.”

“The claws were quite sturdy.”

“Their leather is also soft, making it ideal for fur clothing. It’s highly resistant to cold, so it should hold up well against freezing temperatures.”

“Ooh! Fur sounds great.”

“But… a lot of the leather got burned, so I’m not sure how much we’ll actually get for it.”

“Hmm…”

“Who was it that said they were weak to fire?”

“If we hadn’t exploited that weakness, someone might have died. Don’t be too hard on them.”

“So, it was you?”

As the loot collection continued, the guides were busy examining the ant nest—or rather, the mole nest.

Searching where the monsters lived often yielded unexpected treasures.

When the labyrinth was sealed, monsters lived and roamed inside it.

If they had discovered something in the labyrinth, they would have most likely brought it back to their nest.