3 bar menu

161 Party

 

「[Garou]」

Mana Activation Level: 7,416,808

She lunged at the divine bird of Kapalaciri. The attack came from a height and speed the giant eagle hadn’t anticipated, landing squarely on its wing. Dragged down to the ground, there was no way a bird could match a wolf in such conditions.

Before long, the massive eagle ceased to move, and the golden wolf raised its head and let out a triumphant howl. Even Angelina, stunned by the sudden turn of events, seemed to have grasped what had happened.

「Shizuku-chan!? Why are you here… Wait, did you track the monster horde in reverse?」

Shizuku had been fighting near Kinui, on the opposite side from Fathie, to hold the monsters at bay. For her to be here now meant she hadn’t just stopped the horde—she’d driven them back.

And proof of that radiated from her. Her [Garou] now covered her with more brilliance and density than ever before.

「I knew it. You guys came too. I figured as much when I saw what that General’s chamber looked like on the way here.」

「You got here fast, Shizuku. How are things in the village and around Kinui?」

「Father and Vintle-dono responded quickly, so there was no major chaos. We drove back the main horde. The warriors I left behind should be able to handle the rest. I followed the monster flow upstream to strike at the root.」

「Wait, by yourself? You actually managed that alone?」

「I know, it’s strange. But the closer I got to this dungeon, the more power [Garou] gave me. Especially after entering it… it’s definitely not just my imagination. The mana surged so intensely it felt like I would burst.」

Shizuku herself didn’t fully understand the phenomenon—but I had a hunch.

「Remonde gave me a memo before we came here—some notes she thought might help us. The last line said this:」

‘If possible, bring a Werewolf with you.’

「If this place really is a Womb of the Star, then some demi-human races must have been born from its mana. Maybe that means…」

「You mean us, Werewolves?」

「That would make everything line up. Same as it did for Azula and the Dwarves.」

The Dwarves had their endemic skill, [Messenger of the Mine]—a powerful ability that allowed them to communicate with and manipulate metal and ore. In the battle against the ‘King’, Angelina had used it to conjure a massive warhammer worthy of the ancient colossal golem and helped secure victory.

It was a skill they’d possessed since living in Abik, but records said it had never been this powerful before. After being driven from their homes and wandering, they settled near the Golden Land of Crimson Luxury, drawn there by something—where their abilities blossomed to their current strength.

「Endemic skills grow stronger the closer one gets to their corresponding Womb of the Star. Shizuku’s current state proves this place is the root of the Werewolves.」

「So this is… our birthplace…」

Shizuku gazed around the area, eyes full of wonder. Was it nostalgia? Excitement?

But she quickly caught herself and turned forward.

「Let’s go.」

「Shizuku?」

「This may be a huge revelation for the Werewolves, and yes, as a warrior I’d love to test my strength—but right now we have to look at the bigger picture. We need to remain calm and focused. Marge, what’s happening on the other side of the mountain?」

I couldn’t help but be struck by how much she’d grown. Her composure, her judgment—far beyond the girl I once knew. Impressed by how fast the next generation was catching up, I focused on sharing what I knew.

「On the far side, Altora and the others are holding the monsters off to protect the town. Remonde is causing chaos among the enemy troops to buy us time. While they hold the line, we came here—just like you—to take down this dungeon.」

Shizuku absorbed my words and nodded with a composed air—but then suddenly raised her voice.

「I see, Altora and the others—wait, Altora!? That Altora!? You’re saying he is—!?」

「Yup, that’s the natural reaction.」

「Some things happened in Fathie…」

Her eyes widened in disbelief. She coughed, embarrassed, but clearly wanted to know more.

「What kind of disaster would make you trust Altora to watch your back…?」

「We’ll explain everything later. Focus on the task at hand.」

「R-Right. Stay calm and focused, got it. But still… they’re alive, huh. All of them…」

She still looked shaken, but it wouldn’t affect her fighting. From here on, the artificial Dungeon Break interference on the dungeon would weaken, and monsters would return to normal behavior. But if we tried to fight through all of them, we’d never reach the end in time.

We needed to sprint straight through.

「Now that we’ve defeated the second ‘General,’ the only one left is likely the ‘King.’ I want to move out immediately. Shizuku, are you good to go?」

「Yeah. [Garou], reactivate. Everyone, hop on.」

Mana Activation Level: 7,416,808

Mana Activation Level: 3,014,410,771

Mana Activation Level: 135,347,043,517

The numbers kept climbing. Drawing strength from the very mana of the earth, Shizuku’s [Garou] grew and grew with no end in sight.

「Does Gelli keep her shoes on—oh, whoa! This fur is way softer than Gelli expected!」

The golden mana-fur, fangs, and claws all radiated even greater power, and soon the massive wolf crouched low, ready for us to climb on. Angelina jumped up first, marveling at its warmth and softness.

Once everyone was settled, the wolf stood tall, and our bodies were enveloped in golden mana.

「All aboard? Let’s go.」

It moved like the wind. The usual [Garou] was a match for even [Sword Saint] in terms of speed—and now, with its power fully unleashed, even the highest-ranked monsters in the dungeon couldn’t register our presence before we were gone.

And the further we went, the faster and stronger it grew. The increasing speed made it hard to stay upright—Angelina was especially vocal about it.

「S-So fastttttt!」

「So this is the true power of a demi-human’s endemic skill… terrifying.」

Even with this speed, it would take time to reach the deepest point. I looked around, taking a moment to recover and reorganize my thoughts—and realized something.

「…I never thought I’d be doing dungeon runs like this again.」

「Master?」

「There’s me, Koe-san, Shizuku, and Angelina. Even if you count me and Koe-san as one, that still makes three people. That’s enough for a party.」

Dungeon diving in parties was standard. Beginners would team up to tackle D- and C-rank dungeons, and those with talent and luck would eventually challenge A-rank—and then the catastrophic S-ranks that spawned disasters. Along the way, they’d face betrayals, farewells, and deaths—but they would rise in fame as a party. That’s how adventurers lived.

I’d done the same. Betrayed in my seventh year, I gained power, and from then on, Koe-san and I worked alone. I thought I’d never be in a party again.

「Adventurers in a party can draw out far more power. That’s why adventurers form parties. Just as skills have synergy, people do too.」

「If that’s your preference, Master, then it is the optimal path for me as well.」

「So parties have synergy too. Huh.」

「Exactly.」

「Gelli and Skill Lender-san have insane synergy. We’re totally teammates.」

「Of course, me too. Even if I can’t stand beside Marge as an equal yet, I think I’ve grown enough to proudly call myself a comrade.」

「A comrade, huh.」