Damn, why does everything in this dungeon have to be so bright! A little more, and I'll become blind. - Ramiel cursed his grim fate in his mind. Every time something happened it was accompanied by a blinding light. Slowly, the dependence was driving him crazy.
The condition of the former hunter's companions was similar. Except for the three goblins standing farthest away, all of them were blinded. The green monsters used their limited intelligence to hide behind the corpses of the overgrown cats. This kept their eyes safe.
The most injured victim was Caera. The woman standing closest to them failed to react in time. Her eyes burned incredibly, incredibly, but other than that, she was fine.
Just as Ramiel was about to enclose Rascal in a ball of darkness, the living bulb stopped glowing. A white sculpture resembling a goblin now stood where the goblin had been until recently.
Ramiel clicked, tongue displeased. He didn't know why Rascal had suddenly turned into a sculpture, but he would deal with that later. First, he had to check if anyone was hurt. He looked around him. Everyone had more or less coped except Caera. She nervously rubbed her burning eyes completely as if it would help her with something.
" No, please, just not that! " - The woman's shrieks worried Ramiel. He already more or less knew what the problem was, but he preferred to make sure. The former placed his hand on the elfess's shoulder in an attempt to calm her down.
" Caera, are you all right? "
Caera, guided by the voice of the former hunter, threw herself into his embrace, crying. Currently it was her only consolation in a seemingly hopeless situation.
" Mas - Master my - my eyes. I - I see everything as if through a fog. " - Caera was horrified. If her eyesight was permanently damaged, she would become useless ballast. Then Ramiel would get rid of her. She knew this all too well.
" Shi... Calm down, you haven't lost sight. " - Ramiel whispered. He tried to calm the sobbing elfess by stroking her head. It was a shot in the arm. Under the influence of his touch, she calmed down and stopped panicking.
Her short and rapid breathing returned to normal, but she still didn't leave the former hunter's arms.
" It's just that a bright light source has illuminated your eyes. If you let them rest for a day, everything will return to normal. " - Ramiel finished with a calm voice. An ordinary person might go blind, but beings subjected to mania aren't ordinary.
The energy particles passively strengthen the body in every aspect. It is just as he said. The elfess just needs to rest, and everything will return to normal.
" So I will recover ? " - Caera groaned with hope in her voice.
" Yes. " - The elfess breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the man's firm answer. " Now be an obedient girl and close then. You can't open your eyes until the next morning.
"
Caera nodded and obediently followed Ramiel's advice. She trusts him with all her heart. If he told her to jump into the fire, she would do it without the slightest stammer.
The former hunter took a piece of old cloth from the space ring and used it to blindfold Caera. This was to prevent the eyelids from accidentally moving. After all, it's hard to resist natural instincts.
" Now, wait here for me. I have to check what happened to Rascal. " - Ramiel heard a simple " Yes, Master, " and went on. In the meantime, he called Asme to him. Everything seemed to be fine with her.
" Keep an eye on Caera. She temporarily lost sight. I have to take care of this mess. " - The former hunter muttered, wondering what he had gotten himself into this time. His nickname, Trouble Magnet, came back with double the force.
" Is it something serious ? " - Asme was genuinely worried about her friend. The former hunter could hear it in her trembling voice, which she tried to hide.
" No, she needs to give her eyes a rest. Take care of her for now. " - Ramiel said nothing more. This wasn't the best time for frivolous talk. They are on the outskirts of hostile territory and have just caused a little commotion. Haste was advisable.
" Mhm... if you allow me to leave. " - The horned beauty understood the message hidden between the lines and removed herself into the shadows. Since Asme and Ramiel had become closer, she had become more casual with him.
She has mostly dropped the phrases of politeness. Besides, Ramiel insisted that gaining even more of the woman's trust was a necessary step. Unfortunately, Asme was stubborn and continued to call him master. With that, there was nothing he could do. At least in bed, she called him by name.
" Encyclopedia, do you know anything about this ? " - Ramiel stood in front of Rascal's statue. Everything, including the weapon, was covered with a white shell. It was both intriguing and a little scary.
" It's nothing unusual. Rascal has advanced. " - The little fairy said with a yawn.
" Just like in a computer game? " - Ramiel raised one eyebrow. The longer he stayed in the dungeon and abyss, the more absurd things he encountered on the road. Nothing seems to surprise him anymore.
" You can compare it to this. When you train hard enough and kill a lot of monsters. The great Nenneke blesses you. " - Avi sounded like a fanatic in a cult. " Your body improves, your stats increase. There is even a chance to understand an element more deeply and receive new skills. After several such processes, there is a chance for evolution to occur. "
Ramiel was confused. He thought nothing would surprise him anymore. However, as he had just learned, life is unpredictable, especially his. On Earth, no hunter has ever received what Avi called "Grace." At least he hasn't heard of it.
" This phenomenon is inherent in our world. No wonder you haven't heard of it before. " - Avi sensed the former hunter's confusion and quickly cleared up the misunderstanding.
" So the shortcut won't work for me... Who would have expected that? As always, a whole life uphill. " - Ramiel snorted sarcastically and turned snotty.
" I'm afraid it will. You come from Earth, and your world has its own rules. Until recently, it didn't even have mana yet. As far as we know, it appeared there about thirty years ago. " - Avi hit the dying Ramiel, but instead of despairing, he moved on to the next question. He was already used to the fact that life likes to throw a curveball at him.
" Do you know how long it will take for Rascal to get back to normal? "
The fairy hit the goblin's forehead. A piece of white shell fell off, showing green skin.
" It shouldn't take more than five minutes. Only the first time lasts that long. Each subsequent one will only be accompanied by a flash of light. "
Ramiel looked vigilantly into the forest's depths, his hunter instinct making itself known.
" Has something happened? " - The curious fairy sat on the head of the bond. She looked in the same direction as him but saw nothing. However, the seeds of confusion sown by the former hunter remained. From what Avi has noticed so far, Ramiel gets serious in two situations. The first is during sex, and the second is when he feels a fight coming against a strong enemy.
" We have attracted too much unwanted attention. If we don't hurry, we may end up as animal food. " - Ramiel muttered grimly, pulling his lips into a straight line. Fortunately, the goddess of fortune got him this time as well. As if on cue, the white shell cracked with a loud snap. The white flaps fell away from Rascal, revealing his green body.
" Wraaa! " - The goblin shattered the shell with a battle cry. Rascal's body grew muscular, and spikes sprouted from his knuckles. The monster became two centimeters taller, and the aura of a true leader could be felt around him.
Rascal knelt on one knee in front of Ramiel and bowed his head. He plunged his sword into the ground and rested his hands on it.
" Master Rascal perform the task. The cat dead. Master's women safe. Rascal, become strong." - Goblin paid tribute by forcing Ramiel to collect his thoughts.
Could it be that his intelligence had increased? Previously, the green goblin only composed simple sentences in infinitive form. They often lacked a lot of words, but now they were much better.
" Well done, Rascal. Keep it up. " - Ramiel praised the goblin sincerely. Contrary to his predictions, the green monsters turned out to be extremely useful. The investment in them has paid off. At this rate, a little more and the former hunter's plans will be within reach.
Goblin felt proud to hear his master's praise. His hard training had paid off, and who knew, if he did well, the master might reward him somehow.
Ramiel, sensing increasing danger, wasted no more time. He wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. He tucked all the corpses into the ring, then helped get Caera onto the back of one of the wolves. Soon, he sat before the woman holding the monster's coat.
" Caera, hold on to me tight, and don't let go. "
With a slight blush on her face, the woman embraced Ramiel's waist and didn't let go as he said. Her body clung to his so tightly that the man could feel the twin peaks rubbing against his back.
When everyone had taken their seats, Ramiel patted the wolf. The animal whined loudly and then moved toward the cave exit. The rest of the pack moved behind it. On one of the wolves sat Asme with Rascal, and on the other sat three goblins.
The Condemned Wolves turned out to be not only great fighters but also excellent mounts. Their size and body structure allowed them to carry two fully armed adults. In addition, these animals were incredibly fast and agile. Obstacles in the way were not the slightest problem for them. It didn't take them long to reach the tunnel.
When they were all there, Ramiel sent them back to the dungeon. Only Avi and a small snake wrapped around the man's wrist remained in the tunnel.
Using mana, the former hunter hid in the shadows, watching the tree line. Reconnaissance was the only reason he told everyone to leave.
Ramiel patiently waited for some creature to leave the forest. The Night Rippers may have dominated the area, but they were certainly not the only threat. Such a vast area had to be home to many species. Otherwise, the overgrown cats would have starved to extinction.
His patience paid off. After thirty minutes, two giant bears ran out of the forest.
The monsters were one and a half times larger than those living on Earth. Their fur was gray with all sorts of brown patterns. Their green eyes emanated terror, and their powerful paws could crush Ramiel with a single blow.
The bears sniffed the battlefield. However, apart from traces of blood, they found nothing. The monsters let out a furious roar, then destroyed surroundings in a frenzy.
' Not good, the Dark Grizzly is strong. Not only do they specialize in darkness elements… they also specialize in the earth. '
The little fairy was worried. These monsters usually only came out when hungry, and these individuals were clearly angry about something. Is it possible that they were provoked?
' If the fight had lasted long enough, I would have easily killed one, sacrificing a couple of wolves, but not two... ' - Ramiel sighed resignedly, ignoring the fairy's warnings. Instead of worrying about safety, he wondered how to kill the monsters. Someone had clearly loosened the screws in his head.
' Ramiel, we should retreat. If they sense us... '
However, the man didn't allow the fairy to finish.
' Aren't you curious about what is chasing them? '
Avi pulled eyebrows down.
' What do you have in mind? '
Ramiel rolled eyes.
' Dark Gryzzly are territorial creatures. They almost never leave the cave where they sleep. Look around, do you see any cave here? Because I can only see the forest from here. The only thing I can think of is a dugout inside it. Besides, look at them. They are skinny and hungry. If you look closely at the fur, you will see fresh wounds. They must have fought a fierce battle not long ago. '
Ramiel paused for a moment to collect his thoughts.
' If the bears left the liege, the disproportion must have been drastic, or the opponent was hellishly strong. I'd rather know what I'm up against than rush blindly into the lion's mouth.
'
Avi burned with shame. The fairy scolded herself in mind. How could she not think of such a simple thing? If she could, she would have sunk to the ground. Fortunately, Ramiel didn't pursue the subject further. His attention was completely absorbed by a pair of majestic bears.
The Dark Grizzlies growled menacingly toward the forest, trying to scare away their attackers. The mana around them moved, forming magical formations on the ground.
Tsk... crooks, if I could use external mana, you would have been dead long ago. - Ramiel silently cursed in his mind.
Sometimes, some monsters were born with the ability to manipulate external mana without transforming it.
According to Ramiel, this was outright fraud, but no one said the world was fair. Since ancient times, there has been a division between those whom fate has smiled upon and those whom it has forgotten.
Suddenly, twenty Night Rippers shot out of the forest. They all surrounded the two bears, closing off any escape route for them.
The Dark Ripper activated magical formations, creating moving sands around them. A defensive ring was formed around the pair, preventing an unexpected attack.
If the overgrown cats attacked them, they would be buried alive in the ground.
However, despite the inconvenient situation, the Night Rippers didn't show a shred of fear. On the contrary, they proudly awaited the opportunity to attack, their razor-sharp teeth gleaming.
Ramiel knew that such a small group didn't pose much of a threat to the bears. The man desperately wanted to be wrong, but fate was clearly laughing at him.
Four monsters came out of the forest. They all resembled the Night Rippers but with significant differences.
Instead of one tail, these monsters had as many as two. They resembled a split sword, with dozens of deadly sharp segments. Their red eyes glowed in the dark, and their skin was covered with streaks of darkness.
Seeing the new monsters, Ramiel cursed all the gods he knew. The creatures were the Night Terrors. This was a more developed version of the Night Rippers.
These monsters were stronger, faster and even more deadly, but the biggest problem came in the spells. Night Terrors are known for their above-average knowledge of the element of darkness.
Their spells spread destruction on a wide scale. If a beginner team of hunters could kill several Night Rippers, then a Night Terror could annihilate three such teams and even one beginner at an intermediate level.
' This !?!? Why are you such an unlucky person. ' - Avi shouted in shock. Night Terror is an exaggeration enough, but there were four of them.
After a short silence, Ramiel finally spoke up.
' Most likely, they aren't the ones who rule this forest. Above them should stand someone else. ' - The former hunter muttered grimly. He desperately wanted his words to fade into nothingness. But knowing the man's luck, this will not happen.
' 'Can I still change the owner? ' - Avi groaned maliciously. From the beginning, Ramiel seemed to be a walking problem. Nothing he does or faces is normal.
' Try it, we'll see who feeds you then. ' - The former hunter quickly shut the fairy's mouth. ' If we stick to the edge of the forest, we shouldn't run into them. I'm 80% sure that the Night Terror hunted the Dark Grizzlies. Otherwise, I would have been dead long ago. '
Ramiel wanted to watch the fight, but he gave up. His eyes couldn't keep up with the attacks of the overgrown cats. He saw only dark streaks. Seizing the opportunity, he quietly retreated to the dungeon.
' And yes, this is an exaggeration... For safety, we shouldn't venture there for a week. ' - Avi expressed her honest opinion after a few minutes, silently hoping that the bond would listen to her. It was the best she could do.