21. Run Away

“Spit? What the hell is this?”

At some point, I had been drooling like a dog. Wait a minute, could it be?

“Did I do something wrong during the battle?”

“You didn’t do anything wrong… but you were excessively wild.”

Right now, I’m using the muscles and organs of the alpha creature. Even part of its blood.

Moreover, mixed with parts of ordinary creatures, a high percentage of my body is currently made up of direwolf parts.

On top of that, having received the magic of the night, I seem to have lost my mind for a moment and gone wild with the direwolf’s instincts.

“Are you… okay?”

“Yes. There are some side effects. But don’t worry, I’m back to normal now.”

I swung my sword to shake off the blood and roughly hung it on the ring. If I put it in the scabbard without cleaning it, the blood would stain the inside of the scabbard, and if not properly cleaned, it would rot and smell.

It’s common sense to go outside and do proper maintenance before putting it in the scabbard.

The moment you cut down a monster and stylishly sheathe your sword, the cost of the scabbard comes out of your wallet, and the lifespan of the sword is halved. It’s so different from the comics, it loses its romance.

“Ah, then we should check other places. Please escort this lady outside.”

“Understood. Ewan, are you sure you’re okay now?”

“Yes, of course. I just lost my mind for a moment.”

“Really. I thought it was a curse skill that couldn’t distinguish between friend and foe.”

“That’s… I’m sorry. Please wait outside. If there are any remnants, I’ll handle them alone.”

Reese and Isolde carried the female victim together towards the entrance of the cave. I accompanied them halfway, then turned back towards the left passage at the fork.

Even without light, thanks to the direwolf’s eyes, it didn’t matter, and being alone, there were no restrictions.

“There’s not even an enemy. Truly invincible.”

It seems that the 40 goblins piled up like a mountain were all there was. Most goblins that make a cave their home number between 30 and 40 to begin with.

I even caught an elite one, so this should be all of them.

“But bingo. There are some baby b*stards.”

The left passage also had a fork, and one of the paths was short enough to see the end, so I quickly went in, and what do you know. The baby goblins were trembling in fear.

They were so cute and adorable in size that I felt an urge to grab them with my fist and grind their faces into the ground.

“No, wait. What’s wrong with me?”

Something felt a bit off. I know direwolves are hostile to goblins, but am I being strongly influenced by that right now?

“Phew, let’s calm down.”

Maybe I should stop using the leader’s organ for now. There’s no more danger, and moving the babies should be easy enough with the strength of a regular individual.

“Eight of them, huh. They sure… had a lot.”

Come to think of it, the mother of these must have been a human woman. I should refrain from saying bad things.

“Phew… I hope I don’t feel any maternal instincts.”

I took out the rope I had brought for mountain climbing from my pouch and tied them up in a string like dried fish.

The baby goblins were only about the size of an adult man’s waist. Each one was only about the size of my forearm. I picked them up and headed down the path I hadn’t explored yet.

“This is…”

Two naked women were tied up, along with equipment that seemed to belong to other adventurers.

Among the piled-up equipment, I found a robe and draped it over the women’s bodies, grabbing the knotted part and holding it like a bag.

It seems we need to call Garond from outside to move this equipment.

“Phew, did I save a life?”

For the first time, I entered the labyrinth and did something helpful for others. I felt so good that I thought I could sing a splendid song.

“Super strong wolf!!! Crazy goblin!!!! Even if you block our way!! We are never afraid!!!”

The goblin cubs in my hands flailed their arms in the air, complaining of ear pain. Next to them, a woman wrapped in a robe seemed to have woken up from her sleep.

Let’s not sing.

“Finally, you are here.”

“Yes. We also rescued the captive explorer.”

“Well done. I didn’t expect you to do so well.”

Garond gave a big thumbs up and laughed heartily. He mentioned that there was equipment used by explorers at the end of the left path inside the cave, and suggested we retrieve it together. Meanwhile, Rhys and Isolde protected the injured female explorers.

We gathered all the iron one-handed swords, clothes, armor, and weapons we had passed by and seen inside, and split them evenly with Garond.

We gave the exhausted women a few sips of water and wrapped them in cloaks to keep them warm. Of course, we didn’t forget to light a fire. We easily lit the fire by transferring the lantern flame to paper and then to the logs.

Since it was still night, it was a bit problematic to move the disoriented injured explorers. Although it was easier for me at night, it wasn’t the same for others.

“Let’s camp for now. Everyone needs to recover.”

“Yes, that sounds good.”

It was a bit awkward, but we started camping near the entrance of the goblin cave. We moved the fire closer, and all sorts of things popped out of Garond’s huge backpack.

“Do you even carry a pot?”

“With just this one item, the variety of food we can eat in the labyrinth increases significantly.”

“You seem to be quite a gourmet.”

Garond’s eyes widened at those words, and then he burst into hearty laughter.

“Does it look that way? Despite appearances, I’m part of the Gourmet Clan!”

“Oh, is there such a clan?”

It’s a bit different from the clan I was expecting. I thought it would be a group of strong people gathered together, only thinking about how to conquer the labyrinth.

“Yes, each clan does what they want in the labyrinth city.”

From what I heard, there were plenty of ridiculous clans that made the Gourmet Clan seem reasonable.

‘So why is there a theater clan in the labyrinth city?’

The origin of clans was indeed for conquering the labyrinth, but over time, the scope broadened, and they became more like gatherings of people with similar tastes, doing what they wanted in the labyrinth city.

Of course, there are still large explorer clans with buildings dedicated to labyrinth conquest.

There are also small clans that gather in inns or plazas without any buildings.

“The Gourmet Clan has a building. It’s quite a large clan.”

“Are there many people?”

“That’s part of it, but they also make a lot of money. The restaurant run by the Gourmet Clan is making big money in the northwest. The higher-ups like it too.”

“I see.”

“Do you know anyone who likes delicious food? Or maybe you yourself. If you’re interested, you can join the Gourmet Clan anytime.”

Hmm, delicious? I’m not sure, but I do know someone who eats a lot.

“Do you know someone named Rubica?”

“…That female explorer is banned from the Gourmet Clan.”

“Oh, something must have happened.”

“She ate the food, a lot of it. It was food made with great care. After devouring hundreds of dishes… she dismissed it all with just one word, ‘delicious.’ That’s an insult to gourmets.”

“Really.”

“I think I heard that the explorer is still paying off the food he ate back then.”

“Oh dear.”

I should avoid getting involved with Rubica.

* * * * *

—Bubble bubble

“This is… amazing.”

“Does it taste good? That’s a relief.”

Thanks to the pot, I could drink warm soup. Dried jerky lasts long but is hard to eat and has the drawback of being very salty.

However, if you put the jerky in water and boil it, the high salt content makes the soup taste quite good. Since the fat part of the meat was removed to make the jerky, it didn’t have a very greasy taste.

“Ahhh.”

“You eat so heartily.”

Soup is an essential part of a Korean meal. The taste of the jerky softened by boiling in water is also excellent.

The food we ate during the day is still there. When we went into the cave to get Garond and the equipment, we brought back some food that people could eat from a storage-like space inside.

They just looked like ordinary tree fruits.

“For now, we should spend the night here.”

“We need to assign a watch.”

Ris poked the burning firewood with a thin branch, looking very displeased.

“Ris, you should sleep. I’ll take the watch.”

“Really!? Are you sure that’s okay!?”

“Yoo-eon, recklessness isn’t good. I know you’re strong, but you won’t be at your best if you don’t get enough sleep.”

“It’s because I’m more active at night.”

Hearing that, Isolde, who was listening beside them, nudged Rhys in the ribs and whispered quietly in his ear. It’s hard to hear with the fire crackling.

“Ah, um… then I’ll take the first watch! Isolde, you go second!”

“Are you talking about the watch order? Well… if you want.”

“Garond, when is good for you? If fourth is better for you, we can do that.”

“If you say so.”

* * * * *

“Isolde, Isolde…!”

After two hours of watch, Rhys woke Isolde.

“Ugh… is it my turn already…”

“Yeah…! Are you going to leak milk..?”

“Ah.. Yes, a little.”

Taking advantage of the time when everyone was asleep, Rhys stood watch for consecutive shifts to solve Isolde’s curse.

Naturally, the first watch was easier, so Isolde, who was being helped, agreed to take the second watch.

— rustle

When Isolde removed the leather armor covering her chest, a buttoned garment that easily revealed the breast area appeared.

Isolde raised her hand and grasped the button, pausing for a moment, before looking at Garond and Yoo-eon, who were lying on cloaks on the floor.

“Um… maybe we should move a little, just in case.”

“Ah, yeah.”

Lis and Isolde slightly emerged from the cave entrance.

The moment they turned right from the cave entrance and rounded the rocky path.

“Huh.”

“Huh..?”

A giant bear, emitting a faint light in the distance, was staring at the two women from within the darkness.

“Isolde. Am I so sleepy that I’m seeing things..?”

“…Run, Lis. Wake everyone up.”