Conspirators
They had successfully captured a bull according to plan. Now it was time to interrogate it and extract information.
But something wasn't going as intended. The priestess looked visibly flustered. She hurriedly fanned her hands, brushing away the glittering pink particles clinging to the bull's face.
Woojin, standing beside her, asked,
"Did something go wrong?"
"Well… I think I used too much pheromone."
Powerful beings were difficult to subdue.
So she had drawn out her ability to its fullest and flooded the bull with pheromones—but apparently she had overdone it. The bull had practically lost its mind.
It seemed that after consuming several precious inner cores recently, her own level had risen significantly, leading to this little mishap.
"I think we'll need some time."
The bull would have to recover at least partially before interrogation could begin.
As she said this, the priestess glanced nervously at Woojin. Though her face was hidden behind the butterfly mask, she had shrunk her neck slightly, as if expecting to be struck.
Woojin, however, wasn't particularly bothered. They could simply adjust the plan.
"Wait here for a bit."
"…What are you going to do?"
"You said it'll take time. I've got nothing better to do, so I'll go hunt the other two."
There were three bull monsters in total.
He had no intention of leaving behind enemies that could cause trouble later. Since they had captured one alive, he would deal with the remaining two.
'I'll have to go alone.'
It would be best to leave the squirrel as the priestess's guard. Something dangerous might happen while he was away.
With the butterfly mask and the squirrel together, they could handle any situation.
"You two guard the pack. I'll go play a bit and be back."
"Uh… you're going alone?"
"It's easier that way."
I'll be back soon.
With that, Woojin strode into the forest to finish off the prey he had left behind.
Finding the bulls was simple. The sound of axes chopping down trees served as a marker.
'…Found one.'
His target stood in the distance.
The bull was clearing the forest, holding a large canteen in its mouth while swinging its axe to fell nearby trees.
After four or five swings, it would tilt its head back and gulp down the drink inside the canteen—like refueling.
Woojin sniffed the air.
'Alcohol.'
He caught the bitter scent of liquor. Somehow, in this barren land, they had managed to brew alcohol. The bull worked while drinking lavishly.
Quietly, Woojin approached from behind.
The thoroughly intoxicated bull never looked back.
Dealing with it was effortless.
Slash!
The blade sliced across the back of its neck. Flesh split open, blood bursting forth. The slaughtered bull collapsed onto the dirt.
One left.
As he flicked blood off the machete, a voice suddenly sounded.
"Grurk… smell blood…?"
A clumsy voice. Heavy footsteps approached.
It seemed the last bull had caught the scent and was coming this way.
'No need to go looking for it.'
Even better.
Woojin slipped behind a pile of logs and concealed himself. He would ambush it and cut its throat once it came close.
Before long, the bull appeared.
It quickly spotted the corpse lying on the ground.
"Dead… dead? Why?"
It muttered to itself, scanning the surroundings.
Despite seeing its comrade's corpse, it showed no panic. Instead, it became more cautious.
That made things slightly inconvenient.
He had planned to strike during its moment of shock, but this one remained composed. Clearly, it was of a higher caliber than the others.
'An ambush won't be as effective.'
He might get an opportunity if he waited longer, but time was precious.
So Woojin stepped out.
The bull immediately brought its axe down like splitting firewood—a fierce, decisive strike.
Woojin sidestepped.
The bull chased his movement, swinging again to cleave him in two. Each time, Woojin slipped just beyond the lethal radius by a hair's breadth.
Boom, boom, BOOM!
Thunderous crashes echoed as the bull repeatedly struck the ground.
It was like a game of whack-a-mole.
As Woojin dodged by the narrowest margins, the bull grew frustrated, snorting violently.
"MOOOOOO—!"
It roared wildly. Blue light flared from its eyes like flames.
Woojin narrowed his gaze.
'…Berserk?'
It resembled the technique of the Noll Queen, Krnartash. But upon closer inspection, it felt different.
The bull suddenly discarded its axe, lowered its upper body, and planted both palms on the ground. Its frame twisted, gradually shifting into a quadrupedal posture.
Then it charged.
Woojin leapt aside.
The bull barely missed him, barreling into the forest, smashing everything in its path—then wheeled around and charged again.
It felt like bullfighting.
The bull had abandoned its imitation of humanity and returned to its beastly nature. In exchange, its strength and speed had increased dramatically.
'This is closer to bestialization than berserk.'
A different category altogether.
As he reached that conclusion, Woojin fixed his gaze on the oncoming bull. The distance closed rapidly. Its vicious head was already before him.
This time, he didn't dodge.
He thrust both arms forward.
Grab!
He seized the bull's horns with both hands, straining his arms to halt it.
Even so, the bull pushed relentlessly.
Skrrrk, skrrrk—
In the struggle, Woojin's feet slid backward, carving long brake marks into the ground. The bull's strength exceeded expectations.
'A deep-region monster. Quite powerful.'
Information secured.
That was enough play.
Woojin tightened his arms and activated his weight-enhancement technique, increasing his body's mass.
The bull halted in place.
"…L-let's negotiate."
The bull suddenly spoke, as if regaining clarity.
Woojin asked,
"What are you doing here?"
"We received a contract. We are making a road."
The three bulls had been cutting down trees to carve a main path through the dense forest.
Woojin pressed further.
"Why build a road?"
"The reason is…"
The bull trailed off—and abruptly activated an ability.
Its two horns glowed bright blue, crackling with surging electricity.
Crackle—!
Woojin's body was engulfed in crackling electricity. Seeing this, the bull curled its lips upward.
"Grrr! Foolish human."
Victory.
Certain of it, the bull let out a triumphant laugh.
But it had chosen the wrong opponent.
"…I admit it. That was a bit foolish of me."
I should've killed you right away.
Woojin nodded to himself as he said it.
The bull's eyes widened.
"W-what—"
Thud!!
It couldn't finish its sentence.
Woojin yanked both horns forward and simultaneously drove his knee upward into the bull's skull.
The sound of a crushed can echoed as the skull caved in. The bull died instantly.
Woojin casually shoved the corpse aside.
He wasn't injured.
Though he had been shocked by the electricity, he possessed the power of thunderbolts—granting him strong electrical resistance. Attacks of this nature were essentially meaningless.
'Just a slight sting.'
Like taking off a wool sweater crackling with static.
He wiped the blood from his knee, then flipped the corpse over with his foot. With a dagger, he split open its abdomen and extracted the inner core.
It was about the size of a peach. Smaller than the drake's core, but heavier for its size.
'I should grab the other one too.'
Two bull cores secured.
A decent haul.
He wrapped them in cloth and slung them over his shoulder like a bundle before returning.
Soon, he saw the others.
The priestess sat beside the captured bull's head, yawning while holding the squirrel in her arms.
She spotted him and blinked in surprise.
"…You're already done?"
"More or less."
It had taken barely twenty minutes to locate, kill, and return.
One bull had been too drunk to function. The other he simply overpowered.
Woojin looked at the captured bull. It still hadn't recovered from the pheromones, lying there with its tongue hanging out.
"Need more time?"
"N-no! We're ready."
To prevent trouble, she had cast a sleep spell on it. Once released, the interrogation could begin immediately.
Woojin nodded.
"Let's start."
The priestess snapped her fingers. The bull's eyes fluttered open.
What to ask?
For cross-verification, Woojin repeated his earlier question.
"What are you doing here?"
The priestess whispered it into the bull's ear.
The bull answered with a dull smile.
"Carrying out contract… clearing mountains… opening roads… reclaiming land… expanding defensive line…"
Similar to what the other one had said.
But one word stood out.
"Is there a defensive line nearby?"
The bull nodded.
"Yes… defensive line built by the Farm…"
"How many troops?"
"Tauros one hundred… and forty."
One hundred and forty bulls.
Not a small number.
As Woojin considered the implications, the priestess muttered,
"…That's strange."
"What is?"
"When I came here three months ago, there was no defensive line."
She had passed through this region then to deliver tribute. At the time, there had been virtually no fortifications.
Which meant the line was recent.
"When did you build it?"
"Started… four months ago… still incomplete… additional reinforcement needed…"
Construction had begun four months ago.
Rather hastily, it seemed.
Woojin crossed his arms.
The timing was suspicious.
Four months ago coincided almost exactly with when he had hunted the Hydra in the mountains.
So if they were building defenses…
"…They're preparing to welcome me."
Just as the Allied Order had built barriers to stop the Demon Realm, the dark-side clerics and the Farm had erected a defensive line to block Woojin.
The enemy not only knew of his existence—they had realized he was heading north.
Which raised a troubling question.
"Is someone watching me?"
He glanced at the priestess.
She startled.
"I-it's not me! I swear!"
"Relax. I was just asking."
He didn't suspect her.
She wasn't the type for espionage, and even when observed with Insight, she showed no signs of deceit.
"Any guesses?"
She answered without hesitation.
"I've told you before. His eyes exist everywhere."
He sees all from where he sits. The prophet is always watching.
She had repeated those words often. Even before their journey began, she had warned that "Him" would surely notice Woojin.
An ability like clairvoyance.
'Can something like that truly exist?'
Woojin tilted his head. It sounded absurd.
The priestess asked quietly,
"What will you do now?"
"…Hmm."
He fell into thought.
The dark-side clerics and the Farm were clearly on guard. Advancing north would mean greater risk.
Charging alone into enemy territory was reckless. Retreating here would be the wiser choice.
And yet—
"…Since I'm already here, I might as well knock."
He would test their defensive line.
Knock on it.
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