Free Web Novel“Arrrrrr!”
The black wolf convulsed in agony. An arrow had punched straight through its skull.
Its own momentum carried it forward. It collapsed in mid-charge, and Ian, who had been standing right in front of it, was thrown to the ground as well.
He tumbled several times before finally skidding to a stop.
Covered in dust, Ian pushed himself up. His palm was scraped raw and bleeding, but he ignored it, ripped another arrow free, nocked it, and fired.
Then again.
And again.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
At this range, he couldn’t miss.
Arrow after arrow buried itself in the black wolf’s head.
Even then, Ian did not let his guard down.
Its HP still had not hit zero.
And whenever he stopped shooting, that HP slowly began to crawl back up.
Under the full moon, all wolves received buffs to recovery, attack power, and speed. The skill that had created that full moon had not faded completely yet.
The imbued arrows dealt critical damage every time they struck, but Ian’s lack of skill with a bow was holding him back. The arrows themselves simply did not have enough °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° power.
Just a little more.
Ian forced more power into the arrowhead.
He did not even notice the blood running from his nose.
A metallic taste filled his mouth.
His head grew faint.
He fired again.
And again.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
“Grrrrr...”
At that moment, the black wolf, which had been lying still with its breath held as though dead, suddenly unfolded from its crouch.
It lunged at Ian, swinging one enormous forepaw.
Ian’s eyes flew wide.
It felt like the instant before being hit by a car.
Faced with something that massive, his body simply froze. The fact that he could still think that much in a moment like this almost surprised him.
Whoosh!
Something huge blocked Ian’s path.
“Contacca!”
Momisia’s scream rang out.
The werewolf’s massive body crashed in front of Ian like a shield.
Boom!
The black wolf and the werewolf rolled across the ground in a tangled heap.
“......!”
I almost died.
Goosebumps rose over Ian’s skin.
His heart was pounding.
So that’s why they say the last sliver of HP is the sweetest bait...
The werewolf sank his teeth into the black wolf’s neck.
Thwack!
Ian saw the black wolf’s HP turn gray.
A growl rose from deep inside the werewolf’s chest, then became a howl.
Awooooooo!
After a brief silence—
the wolves nearby answered.
Awooooo!
Awooooo!
Wolf mamools were numerous, persistent, and troublesome enough to be a nuisance even to demons.
“The Last Werewolf,” Contacca, could communicate with them through his skill.
The warped moon returned to an ordinary crescent.
The werewolf’s body shrank, changing into the form of a large man with silver hair like a mane.
Contacca approached Ian, who was still lying on the ground without the strength to stand.
“Thanks. You saved my life.”
Contacca’s eyes widened.
He lowered himself in front of Ian.
“No. I’m the one who should be thanking you. Truly. For stopping me before I killed Momisia... I owe you more than I can ever repay.”
Huh?
Ian realized that an opportunity had just arrived.
“Then will you repay me?”
“......?”
“Come to our village. Both of you. Momisia too. Humans live there, but we don’t discriminate against other races. You won’t be exploited, and demons won’t drag you back. That would be good for both you and Momisia, wouldn’t it?”
Momisia clung to Contacca.
“I’m a witch, and Contacca is a werewolf. Will they really accept us?”
What is she talking about?
Annoyed, Ian said, “First of all, I know an actual wizard, and you’re not a witch. And even the ‘Traitor Clan’ lives in our village.”
Ian’s gaze shifted to Louise.
Only then did Contacca and Momisia notice him, and both of them looked startled.
“That would not be repaying a favor. It would be receiving another great favor from you...”
“Then repay that one too. Just put it on the tab.”
Ian was so dizzy he felt as if he might faint.
After giving that casual answer, he looked at Momisia.
“I’m just grateful to be accepted.”
Her voice was choked.
Ding!
[4-star heroes ‘Momisia’ and ‘Contacca’ have joined the dungeon.]
[The dungeon level increases.]
[Dungeon LV.5 → LV.12]
Ding!
[Contacca thinks of you as a benevolent ruler!]
[Loyalty: 50%]
Ding!
[Momisia is grateful to you.]
[Loyalty: 42%]
Nice.
Ian tried to hide his delight.
Then he felt blood running from his nose again.
“......!”
“Are you all right?”
Contacca started in alarm.
“Hurry! We have to get back to the priest. Lord Ian is so frail that even the wind from a werewolf’s swing makes his nose bleed! The bad underground air must have made his pneumonia worse. We should have escaped sooner...!”
Sema began spouting nonsense.
“......?!”
“Lord Ian, don’t die!”
Momisia was on the verge of tears.
“Excuse me!”
Louise hoisted Ian onto his back.
Ding!
[People think you are frail!]
Carried on Louise’s back, Ian kicked Sema.
“Argh?!”
“......!?”
Ding!
[Contacca thinks of you as a tyrant!]
[Loyalty: 52%]
“......?”
Why did it go up?
In any case, Ian was satisfied.
He had gained two 4-star heroes.
So I was right not to abandon Sema just because he looked useless.
Behind them, the coliseum crumbled.
......
Ian wondered whether he had ever accomplished the feat of blowing up a coliseum before.
It definitely was not something that happened in this low-level timeline...
I don’t know.
Ian decided not to think about it.
The next moment, the world went dark.
“......!”
The group carried the unconscious Ian back to the dungeon.
Wary of possible pursuit, everyone moved in a hurry, and no one spoke during the journey. Only Sema occasionally sniffled and murmured, “Lord Ian.”
“We’re here,” Louise said.
They had stopped in the middle of nowhere, deep in the forest. freewebnøvel.com
Contacca looked puzzled.
He held Momisia closer and kept watch over their surroundings. These people had saved him, so he did not doubt them. Still, vigilance was a way of life for him.
Even among werewolves, Contacca had been an outcast.
That was because, although he was considered a mamool, he was also half human.
The werewolf race was already half-human and half-beast by nature. But that did not mean they carried actual human blood.
Contacca had been born between a werewolf and a human.
A mamool who could not eat humans.
Contacca was only half a mamool.
He had left the kin who shunned him and lived among the wolves of the forest instead. That was how he had gained the ability to call wolves from anywhere.
Momisia, he had heard, awakened her power at a very young age.
Her “Enchant” ability looked like magic to ordinary people, and her intelligence, far beyond what was normal for her age, made others uneasy.
They found her precocity uncanny.
It did not take long for them to brand her a witch.
The people of her village sold her to human hunters.
Even her own family did not stop them.
Contacca knew that, to Momisia, he was now her only family.
He was the only one who had tried to protect her after she was sold.
He pitied her.
Born between two species, he was like a mule and could not have children. No child of his own kind had ever followed him.
That made Momisia’s existence special to him.
But Contacca looked different from others at a glance.
He was enormous, and his wild hair fell all the way down his back. Even someone with dull eyes could tell he belonged to another race.
He doubted Ian’s village would truly accept him.
Even if Ian allowed it, what if the villagers did not welcome him?
Then he hoped that at least Momisia would be accepted.
Unlike him, she was human.
Suddenly, Sema dashed into a cave in the forest and shouted,
“Priest! Get the priest! Lord Ian has collapsed!”
“My goodness, Lord Sema! You came back alive!”
“Lord Ian collapsed?”
“Priest, stop drinking and come out here!”
To Contacca, who had lived in the forest, the cave looked like the sort of place where a giant bear—or perhaps some hermit master—might live.
Then people came pouring out of it.
They held plows and shovels, and anyone would have taken them for farmers.
They did not even glance at Contacca.
Instead, they rushed straight toward Louise.
Louise laid Ian down on a flat stone slab.
When Contacca saw Ian’s face in the light, he was surprised.
Ian had the young face of someone who had only just become an adult. His closed eyes were framed by long black lashes, his cheeks were pale, and dried blood crusted his nose and mouth, making him look even younger.
Could someone like this really have accepted him with such dignity?
This young master was also the lord of the village.
Everyone addressed him with deference.
