When Lynn woke up, he realized his cheek was resting against something incredibly soft.
He turned his head slightly, and a sea of snowy white met his eyes.
Wow, so white.
Wow, so soft.
Lynn suddenly snapped to his senses and scrambled upright in a panic.
“Sorry, Lupa...”
He had thought he had accidentally leaned over onto her while sleeping.
However, Lupa didn't seem to mind at all.
Instead, the young beast-girl blushed, shaking her head slightly to indicate that he shouldn't worry about it.
Up ahead, the Monk called out, “Come out, quick.”
Lynn was the first to step out of the carriage, while Lupa remained inside to put on her armor.
Looking in the direction the Monk was pointing, he saw a battle taking place not far ahead.
A few young adventurers were huddled in a circle, desperately resisting the attacks of monsters.
They were surrounded by over a dozen well-equipped monsters that were circling them, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
The besieged adventurers were visibly wounded.
The most severely injured was a young woman.
Her teammates protected her in the center as she clutched her abdomen, where a large amount of blood poured from her wound, staining the dirt beneath her crimson.
As soon as Lynn saw this scene, the 《Monster Identification Manual》 flashed several notifications in quick succession:
“In Year 442 of the New Star Calendar, adventurer Lynn unlocked a new entry in the monster encyclopedia—Gnoll Thrall. Current unlocked entries: 9.”
“Unlocked a new entry in the monster encyclopedia—Gnoll. Current unlocked entries: 10.”
“Unlocked a new entry in the monster encyclopedia—Gnoll Stalker. Current unlocked entries: 11.”
...
“9 more entries required for the next Rune reward.”
...
Unlocking three new monster entries all at once made Lynn want to shout with joy.
He couldn't help but imagine what it would be like when the winter beast tide invaded Wingen Town. If he just stood on the city walls and swept his gaze over the horde...
How many entries would he unlock? How many Rune rewards would he get?
Lynn scanned the surroundings, using the 《Monster Identification Manual》 to confirm there were no other hidden monsters lying in ambush. An idea began to form in his mind.
This was a perfect opportunity to hunt.
The Monk whispered, “Should we help them, or bypass them and escape? That gnoll holding dual blades is a Gnoll Stalker. It's likely a ranked monster.”
Although he knew that facing a ranked monster—even a relatively weak one like a Gnoll Stalker—carried some risk,
the lawful-good Monk's first instinct upon seeing these young adventurers in danger was to help.
After all, if a group of apprentice-level monsters besieged a class-holder, they stood a very high chance of winning.
If he didn't have teammates, the Monk would have definitely found a way to help those young adventurers escape.
But now, he had to consider his party's thoughts.
Aguda took down his longbow from his back, signaling that he didn't mind.
As for Lynn...
The Monk turned around to scan the area, but Lynn was nowhere to be seen.
Where did he go? Did he run?
Fortunately, Lupa pointed out Lynn's location.
The Monk followed her finger and realized Lynn had almost sneaked all the way to the gnolls' flank.
The Monk sighed helplessly. He had forgotten that they had a “killing machine” in their party.
“Let's go. Let's get these young people out of there.”
The Monk's steps quickened.
...
“What do we do, Captain?!”
The Rogue in the party stood guard beside their injured captain, his voice trembling.
On their way back from completing a commission, over a dozen gnolls had suddenly rushed out of the dense forest and surrounded them.
Among them were even two Tier 1 monsters—Gnoll Stalkers!
To protect them, Captain Hilda, the strongest among them, had used her combat technique Whirlwind Slash to slay one Gnoll Stalker and a regular gnoll on the spot.
However, she was also ambushed by a Gnoll Thrall, which pierced her waist and completely stripped her of her fighting capability.
The remaining four of them had lost all strength to counterattack under the onslaught of the remaining monsters. They were like lambs waiting for the slaughter.
The young woman knelt on one knee, propping herself up with a greatsword stained with monster blood in one hand, while her other hand clutched her abdominal wound. Yet, blood still seeped uncontrollably through her fingers, dyeing her surcoat over her chainmail a brilliant crimson.
As the strongest member of the party, Hilda was powerless in the face of their current predicament.
She still had the courage to fight,
but the physical exhaustion and the dizziness in her head prevented her from even standing up again.
She could only pray silently to the deity she believed in. She prayed that the God of Fighters would cast a glance down from the high heavens, granting her the strength to stand once more, so she could escort her teammates out of the encirclement before perishing alongside these damnable monsters.
Suddenly, as if heaven had taken pity on her,
her greatsword began to glow faintly. A beam of white light descended from the heavens, centering on her greatsword.
From afar, it looked as though a connection to the celestial realm had been forged.
The praying Hilda also noticed a shimmering white light appearing right before her eyes.
The white light descended from the high heavens, revealing a majestic, twelve-foot-tall figure within. His true face was obscured by blood-stained armor worn from battle, but a soul-stirring divine light shot out from his eyes.
Hilda murmured, “Treyer... God of Fighters...”
The phantom of the deity had originally reached out a hand toward the young woman.
But just as Hilda reached out her own hand, the white light representing the deity's gaze suddenly vanished.
The deity's gaze shifted to the side, as if he had spotted something far more interesting.
On the other side, Lynn, who was sneaking toward the gnolls, froze instantly as he saw the white light focus squarely on him.
What is this?
And who is that tall man smiling warmly at him from the sky?
Lynn could feel a peerless power contained within the white light. As long as he let it merge into his body, he would undoubtedly become a powerful Fighter class-holder in the future.
However, there seemed to be another force within his body resisting the entry of the white light.
And the source of this internal power seemed to come from...
Lynn looked down at the short sword in his hand. It was currently emitting a brilliant purple light, faintly contending with the white light.
【Gnoll Thrall】: A monster with a Challenge Rating of 1/4. In appearance, it is no different from a normal jackal, but it is actually raised and enslaved by gnolls. Under the leadership of a Gnoll Stalker, they can stimulate their bloodline to unleash power far greater than usual. Because there is no reproductive isolation between them and gnolls, their bloodline was contaminated by gnolls long ago, making them a part of the gnoll tribe.
【Gnoll】: A naturally evil humanoid creature, named for its hunched posture and jackal-like face. They are taller than ordinary goblins and better at using weapons. In terms of individual strength, they are relatively weak among monsters with a Challenge Rating of 1/2, but they occupy a higher ecological niche due to their pack-dwelling nature. Correspondingly, they have no spellcasting abilities. The strongest hunters in the tribe are bestowed the title of Gnoll Stalker.
Rate on N.U.
