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Chapter 81

Crunch—

Having smashed one undead\'s skull, Charlotte turned to look at her, "What does it matter? Just finish them all off—"

Screech— Aaargh—

Grrroooar—

That\'s when the undead began to scream, the clattering of bones echoing from all around.

Snap!

After a brief pause, Charlotte resumed smashing their skulls without hesitation. The undead charged again shortly after, but their movements seemed more driven by confusion than madness. Charlotte, unfazed, continued her onslaught, and Thesaya did the same.

Crunch—! Snap!

The once ferocious undead, now clumsy in their movements, stood no chance against the two. In no time, a dozen undead were reduced to piles of bones. Only a few remained.

Crunch!

One was obliterated by a punch from Charlotte.

Snap—!

Another’s skull was crushed between the hands of the charging Thesaya. Charlotte took down another one in the meantime.

Snap—

The last one fell, its head punctured by a dagger that pierced through the back of its skull.

Fssst—

Its blue glow evaporated, and its body crumbled down to bones.

Charlotte and Thesaya were already not paying attention to the undead. Their focus was on the man who had thrown the dagger, standing at the entrance of the village.

"You\'ve all worked hard," Ian said, surveying the scene of the ruins.

Thesaya flashed a peculiar smile, "It seems Ian, you did the most work."

Ian\'s appearance bore witness to the dangers and intensity of the battle. Mud mixed with snow clung to his body, his hair was disheveled, and blood smeared around his mouth. His leg armor was torn, revealing blood-soaked underclothes beneath.

"...That\'s true." Ian, limping, then turned to Charlotte.

"I\'m going to rest. Make sure Thesaya doesn\'t come near me. She\'ll find it hard to resist with all the blood I\'ve lost."

Charlotte\'s gaze shifted sideways. Thesaya was already fixated on Ian\'s thigh, her thirst and desire tangled in her glowing red eyes. Charlotte\'s fist clenched tightly.

"Understood. I\'ll make sure of it."

With purposeful strides, she swung her hand, striking Thesaya across the face.

Smack—!

"Aah!" Thesaya flung to the ground, then quickly regained her posture and glared at Charlotte like a furious beast.

"What the hell? Are you insane?"

"If you make that face at Ian again, I\'ll pull out every single one of your fangs. And keep doing it every time they grow back."

"It\'s an involuntary reaction, okay? Because you were lazy, I used too much power! Why don\'t you catch a rat or something and stop fussing!"

Ignoring the bickering duo, Ian walked over to the campfire and spread out a blanket. He crawled into the blanket and soon lay motionless.

"Ian! This beast\'s actions won\'t go unpunished... Ian?"

"...?!"

The vampire and the beastfolk, who had been sniping at each other, finally turned to look at him, their eyes widening in realization. He had fallen asleep as if knocked out, and a fleeting moment of relief crossed their faces.

Charlotte then took a position with her back to Ian\'s blanket, glaring at Thesaya, ready to guard him. With a challenging gaze and a casual flick of her sword, Charlotte conveyed a clear message: "Come at me if you dare."

"Even without that look, I wasn\'t planning on doing anything anyway," Thesaya retorted with a snort, turning away.

Charlotte called out to her retreating figure.

"Where are you going?"

"To catch some rats. Don\'t worry, I won\'t leave you behind. Just stay quiet and guard your master, kitty."

Finally, peace returned to the ruins of the village, with only the gently falling snowflakes silently enveloping the scene.

***

The remnants of the nightmare quickly dissipated. Waking with a throbbing headache, a bit of dizziness, and a feeling of lethargy, Ian opened his eyes.

The next moment, despite all discomforts, he jolted upright. A giant head lay next to his blanket, its grotesque form resembling a skull with skin barely stretched over it. The feeling of making eye contact through the empty eye sockets with the darkness beyond sent shivers down his spine.

"Ha...."

Ian briefly looked down at the giant\'s head and soon let out a hollow laugh. It was obvious who had brought this here. Muttering to himself that he must ensure such a thing never happens again, Ian turned his gaze beside the head. There lay the Sword of Judgment. It seemed that Charlotte or Thesaya had come, using whatever means they had. Even the remnants of a large, partially destroyed skull were beside it. It was the remains of the Gatekeeper he had killed yesterday.

It\'s like they\'ve set up a trophy display.

It was a scene grim enough to snap Ian back to reality. Rubbing his temples, he couldn\'t help but chuckle bitterly. Despite resting, he felt no more energetic than before, grappling with a headache and dizziness, feeling an emptiness inside. It was a clear sign of magical exhaustion.

He couldn\'t help but feel a newfound empathy for his character during the games of his past life, whom he frequently pushed to the brink of magical depletion without understanding the toll it took.

...Maybe this is karma coming back around.

As he lifted his head, Ian\'s eyes widened at the sight beyond the shelter\'s edge. The village was blanketed in white, the aftermath of a heavy snowfall while he had been unconscious. Whether the area had turned into a snowfield or the snow was merely undisturbed, he couldn\'t tell. The scenery, however, was enough to clear his mind momentarily.

"Oh, you slept well, didn\'t you, Ian?" Thesaya\'s voice followed.

Wearing her wolf robe, she approached with arms full of branches intended for firewood.

"How long was I out?"

"I\'m not sure exactly. About half a day?"

As Thesaya entered and dropped the branches by the fire, Ian cracked a smile watching her pick up a few branches, shake off the snow, and break them haphazardly,

"You seem to have recovered your strength without needing my blood."

"I was really tempted, but I resisted. Instead, I scavenged the village for some rats."

"So Charlotte did a good job watching over you."

"Your loyal kitty stayed awake till dawn to keep watch. But even without her, I would have resisted. You could have died from a mistake."

Thesaya sat next to the fire, placing the branches into it.

"Anyway, I\'ve completed your request perfectly, Ian."

She raised her arms proudly. Ian then noticed the cart behind her, with horses munching on whatever dry grass they had found, looking remarkably calm.

"Good job."

Thesaya\'s eyes widened for a moment before she beamed with a wide smile.

"I didn\'t expect you to actually thank me. But of course, right?"

Her smile, more fairy-like than vampiric in the daylight, seemed to say she was trying her best.

Ian, still smirking, inquired, "Where\'s Charlotte?"

"She said she\'d catch something. Not sure, but she\'ll handle it. She\'s your kitty, after all."

"...I see."

Wondering if she had gone hunting, Ian hoped she wouldn\'t bring back another monster. He then took a canteen and some jerky from his bag, a quality leather canteen among the rewards from Ninglosth. As Thesaya lay back against the bag, Ian sipped water and began chewing on the jerky silently. Despite lacking appetite, he knew he needed to eat to recover his strength and magic. Memories of the previous night\'s ordeal flashed through his mind.

Things are starting to get tough.

Ian realized a chronic weakness that had persisted since his gaming days: the absence of an overwhelming, decisive blow. This was the result of spreading his stats in odd distributions and mastering a variety of miscellaneous skills. Initially, it was manageable with the aid of unexpected allies, his past experiences, and resources, but fundamentally, he was a ruined character, and at best, a mixed character

He pondered over the number of spells he had to pour out to kill the Gatekeeper. Despite funneling more magic power to increase firepower, it wasn\'t just once or twice he had to do so. Of course, it wasn\'t like he was without reserves.

After all, the Gatekeeper was a manageable threat, and compared to the game, he had managed to defeat it much more easily. Even considering the level difference, back then, he had died and retried numerous times before narrowly managing to kill it. Moreover, he still had some points left to allocate.

I wonder if I should just use up all my points.

After a moment of internal debate, Ian shook his head. Like keeping a buffer in one\'s bank account, it was essential to reserve some skill and attribute points for emergencies, such as facing an unforeseen powerful foe like Charlotte or being sucked into the void. He was reluctant to increase any stats aside from Intelligence and Mental Fortitude, but unexpected crises might force his hand.

This also applied to his skills; who knew when he might encounter resistance or combat prowess that his current abilities couldn\'t overcome? He had to be meticulous in expanding his skill tree, especially since he\'d decided to master multiple elemental skills.

For now, his strategy involved using red for offense, blue for defense, gray for support and versatility, and arcane for miscellaneous purposes. Yet, the need for neglected areas like gray magic\'s firepower, and blue magic’s offensive capabilities or even brown, which he had mostly ignored, could arise unexpectedly.

If only I\'d specialized, I wouldn\'t have these worries.

Too much had been spilled already to consider scooping it back up. Ian swallowed the last bite of his jerky, acknowledging that he couldn\'t forsake swordsmanship either. His skills were inexplicably improving.

He had felt it during the fight with Ascold and again when facing the Gatekeeper. There was a fleeting thought that he might deflect the Gatekeeper’s greatsword. He didn\'t attempt it, but the possibility was there. Close combat would remain an indispensable skill area, given the resources already poured into it.

Unlike other classes, he lacked almost any combat skills beyond the basic physical attacks, necessitating ongoing real-world practice to enhance his prowess. So he could eventually go against not only named monsters but also boss monsters.

Makes for a lot of things to worry about.

As Ian reached for more jerky, Charlotte approached briskly.

"You were awake, Ian."

She was carrying a deer on her shoulder.

"So you actually went hunting."

Ian set aside the jerky as Charlotte dropped the deer with a thud onto the snow.

"You\'ve lost a lot of blood. Fresh meat is the best for recovery."

Ian\'s expression grew complex.

"I didn\'t expect both of you to take such good care of me."

"Of course. You defeated the strongest monster. I saw the aftermath of your battles. It\'s unbelievable."

"So Charlotte, what about me?" Thesaya interjected.

With a grimace, Charlotte tossed something small her way, "A cute rabbit."

Thesaya caught it with a smile. The rabbit seemed barely alive, breathing but just barely.

"Keep it alive until tonight."

"Of course. It tastes best when it\'s fresh. Anything else is frankly terrible."

Thesaya gently stroked a rabbit with a soft touch. Meanwhile, Charlotte, who had drawn a dagger, was busy butchering a deer. It was clear this wasn\'t her first time; the process of skinning, eviscerating, and sectioning the meat along the joints and muscles was done swiftly and smoothly.

"I won\'t drain the blood. It will be better for your recovery."

"That’s up to the hunter, you are a mess at cooking but a good butcher."

"It\'s something learned from my tribe. Beastfolks teach hunting first to their young, including how to handle the catch."

Ian nodded and stood up, gathering a few sticks and tying them together to create a makeshift grill for the meat. Charlotte skewered a large piece of thigh meat and one organ, which was the liver, onto the sticks.

"These are the best parts for recovery."

Soon, the meat sizzled over the fire. Charlotte began to eat the heart and other pieces raw on the other side. Ian had thought she only ate cooked food, but apparently, she wasn\'t picky.

"Aren\'t you worried about parasites?"

"They\'ll be digested."

“Well...."

Ian made sure to thoroughly cook both the meat and organs. They were a bit gamey and had a strong smell, but they were still edible. There was a bag of rock salt among his supplies, but he didn\'t bother with it. Even the gamey smell was a luxury compared to preserved rations.

"There\'s plenty of meat left. Should we take it with us on the carriage?"

"Good idea. It won\'t spoil quickly in this weather. Load it up."

"Then, are we resting another day before leaving?"

"No. We\'ll prepare and leave at once now. We can rest while moving."