Ue….I'm tired. I laid myself on the sand and rolled around.
I wasn't physically tired, only mentally.
While enduring the hunger from [Gluttony] skill, I had to continue hunting for Sandmen's souls patiently.
It was like feeling really thirsty but only being able to drink a drop of water, and after a very long wait at that. Even though I'm really thirsty, I still can't drink as much water as i want in one go, that feeling of anger from that kind of predicament was what I had to endure.
I've been doing that kind of endurance hunt for hours.
[Greed,I think we must wrap up soon...I want to return to town before dawn]
『Indeed The first time is always the hardest It'll be troublesome if you go insane and turn berserk,so I've been considering that as well.』
Since Greed, as my supervisor, had given me permission, let's start hunting sandmen in earnest. There was still some time until daylight; should be enough time to somewhat satisfy the [Gluttony] skill, even if we start now.
Alright, let's go. My strength is increased because of starving state, as always. I stood up and sniffed...at this point, I could even tell the direction of surrounding monsters just by using my nose.
[Northwards, there are 3 sandmen slightly away from us]
『It's the effect of continuously maintaining the semi-starving state I guess you have mastered it somewhat』
Well, I've somewhat gotten used to it. Only one eye turned red during the semi-starving state, so I can only make lower-leveled beings flinch. Both of my eyes will turn red if I enter the fully starving state, and at that point, I can overwhelm anyone with lower stats than I do by simply staring at them.
I wished I can do that in semi-starving state, but I simply couldn't.
I walked northwards. Ah, there they were. Three sandmen whose bodies only halfway out of the sands. I cautiously looked at my surroundings.
Perhaps because I've been hunting the sandmen too much. How many I've hunted already…..I stopped thinking about it after the count exceeded 50, so I don't know the accurate number.
If one hunted too much, the situation will be reversed and the beasts will start fear one's presence. This is very embarrassing.
Starting from now, I'll hunt till the [Gluttony] skill is full. Don't think that running into the sand will save you from me.
At my current state, I'll have to hunt at least 30 sandmen to make even somewhat. After I'm done with these 3, I'll still have to hunt another 27 more.
I had to hunt them down before they could escape into the ground.
So let's get those 3 sandmen first.
I aimed the black bow, infusing it with magic. Then shot.
The sandman burned in a pillar of flame. The remaining two started escaping upon seeing that.
There was no way they could make it, since I had already released two arrows after them.
"Gluttony Skill Activated"
"Durability+5280,Strength+2670,Magic+3990,Spirit+5280,Agility+300 will be applied to your stats"
While hearing the inorganic voice ringing on my head, I stared at the three flame pillars. As I thought, they didn't fill me up that much. I really still have to hunt another 27…
As long as it's big enough, I'll be able to settle it with one shot. While thinking of such thing, when I climbed a sand hill, my nose caught a delicious scent. This kind of scent…. I had smelled it before.
It was similar to that of the Crown-tier monster that invaded the Heart's territory.
[Greed, there is a crown tier monster around here]
『Ho,a monster with a proper level Perfect for the main dish In addition to a strong monster soul, you can also train to endure Like hitting two birds with one stone! Don't be blinded by [Gluttony] skill's power as before,be careful!』
[Those are...unpleasant memories Well,this time I do have some experience against sandmen]
While advancing by relying to the smell, I heard noises of intense battle.
Who is fighting?
I approached quietly, and soon discovered the battle site.
[Is that...the large party I followed before]
『This is bad They'll be obliterated if this goes on 』
The party had 6 injured people, making it impossible to escape.
Five shield bearing warriors stood at the front to block the Crown tier monster. However, those shields had cracks and were missing bits and pieces already. The blows from that Crown tier monster were too heavy.
It seemed that the damage had been reduced due to some skills, but once those shields fell, it would be the end of them.
Their fight struck me in the heart. They kept fighting without deserting the injured. If only they left behind the wounded, some will surely survive. It was a kind of battle situation that never crossed my head.
[How cool...]
『Do you envy them?』
[Dunno,shall we go, Greed?]
『Helping them?』
[Nope...to fill my stomach]
If it's me, I simply couldn't fight together with others. I was made aware of that when I saw how they fought.
The way I fought using black sword Greed and my [Gluttony] skill, there is no way I could blend in and work together. If I were to fight seriously, they would only get swallowed by it.
Come to think of it, Myne had the same kind of Mortal Sin skill like I did.
Running to the battle area, I aimed at the Crown-tier monster with my black bow.
I had to pull the monster away from those dying shield warriors first.
Five flame arrows landed on its feet.
Simultaneously, the monster's feet burned up, causing it to lose its footing.
[一I'm going to charge in]
『Use the black sword form for close-quarters combat 』
[Yeah, you don't need to tell me that]
Greed's shape turned from bow into a sword as I approached the Crown-tier monster.
I could use Appraisal skill at this distance. So I instantly used it to check the enemy's information.
[Sand Protector]
?Sand Golem Lv60
Durability: 450000
Strength: 430000
Magic: 245000
Spirit: 265000
Agility: 115000
Ability: Dust Magic
That was something. I thought that it only looked strong due to the fact that it was seemingly made of rocks.
Its durability and strength were simply marvelous. To think those shield warriors actually endured attacks at this level of strength. Other than their skill, there must be something about the shields as well.
I'd like to ask about it after the fight, if it's possible.
I will have to first break the momentum of those 5 shield warrior, and force them to retreat.
[What the...UAAaaa]
[You...Guaaa]
[Eeeee, no way]
[What are you doing! Bastard! Damn you]
[Kyaaaaa]
Whoops, one of them… was a woman. Was I too violent? Pardon me.
Anyways, this created a gap between the large party and the sand golem.
I could hear a voice from behind me.
[You seem to be a warrior despite the weird appearance ...could you be, wanting to join our fight?]
That might be the party leader. He did speak to me on behalf of them, but I shook my head in response.
[Then, for what reason...]
The real reason was quite embarrassing.
It had been decided from when I first arrived at this desert. That is to fill my empty stomach.
[For private reasons. I'll take on this monster You people, leave this place quickly]
[No, that's not what you mean Just say it honestly that you wanted to help us...that thing is too strong You'd better fight with us]
Well, I could understand it. They are all companions who tried to deal with this situation. I was kinda expecting that he would say something like that.
Even so, they're being a hindrance. From what I found out from fighting the gargoyle, I'm not good at protecting large amounts of people.
I could manage if it's only a few. But the story would be different if it's 10 or 20 people. I'm not capable of doing such a skillful fight.
There were 20 people behind me. 6 of them are wounded and unable to move.
Assuming the golem has a wide ranged attack, they won't survive except for those standing directly behind me.
Whilst still facing against the golem, I looked back a little.
[I appreciate the thought ,but you guys will only interfere with my fight If you don't want to get caught up, then please leave immediately or else, all of you can sleep forever buried in the sand.]
When I looked back at the golem for any movements, the party leader mumbled behind me.
[...I see But don't push yourself]
The Sand Golem began to move upon recovering from the numbness. It shook its arms and attacked me. Taking a side glance, I saw that the party had started to evacuate.
With this, I could fight freely. Now then, let's wrap this up quickly.
I needed to return to the town before Myne woke up. I lowered Greed, and threw myself at the golem's chest.
=====