Chapter 19

Chapter 19. The Plague God (1)

"The timing is quite perfect."

Hearing the message from the nameless chaos, Isaac carefully picked up the inquisitor. He needed to get her to the monastery quickly, and for that, Gebel had to finish his fight swiftly.

Isaac cautiously approached the scene where Gebel was fighting, taking a detour to the rear of the battle.

Boom, boom!

Even from a distance, the earth-shaking sounds were deafening. The giant bear looked much larger up close than it had from afar - it was as big as a dump truck.

"Fortunately, it's not very fast."

Whether due to its injuries or sheer size, the bear was circling in one place, trying to confront Gebel. Isaac set the inquisitor down and stealthily moved closer to the bear's rear.

"Isaac?!"

Gebel was surprised to see Isaac approach but didn't waste the moment. Isaac, with his sword raised, rushed in swiftly. It was a thrust he had repeated tens of thousands of times over the past two years.

Growl! The giant bear, belatedly noticing Isaac, tried to turn around, but Gebel didn't miss the opening Isaac had created.

Gebel charged and targeted the bear's neck. The bear, already fiercely battling Gebel, knew in its mind that Gebel was a bigger threat than Isaac.

But instinct screamed otherwise.

It must not lose sight of Isaac.

Isaac, however, aimed for the less lethal lower half. Torn between two instincts, the bear failed to make a proper choice.

It just wildly thrashed around.

Clang!

Sparks flew from the bear's claws as it blocked Gebel's sword, but that move cost it its hand, which was torn to shreds. Gebel didn't stop there; he slashed deeply across the bear's neck.

Simultaneously, Isaac's sword pierced through the bear's hindquarters.

It was a flash-like thrust that seemed to stop the wind itself. The delayed gust ruffled the bear's fur.

Something was wrong.

"Stupid creature."

After stabbing his sword, Isaac immediately inserted a tentacle into the wound. The tentacle, piercing through the thick hide, naturally tore into the bear's innards, rapidly reaching its heart. Isaac felt the bear's heart throbbing madly through the tentacle.

He grabbed the heart, as big as a human head, with his tentacle and crushed it, absorbing it.

Grrrr... The giant bear let out a strange groan, struggling.

Gebel, surprised by the bear's abnormal reaction, didn't miss his chance. He swiftly swung his sword, almost completely severing the thick neck. The neck was shredded enough to suffice.

The tentacle had already rapidly consumed the bear's heart. Blood gushed from the cut neck as the bear collapsed with a thunderous sound.

['Plague Giant Bear' consumed.]

['Dead God's intestines' perk enhances absorption efficiency.]

['Temporary Superhuman Strength' perk acquired.]

[Disease resistance significantly increases.]

[The blessing continues until digestion.]

'Superhuman strength?'

Isaac was puzzled by the single perk but had no time to ponder. As the dust settled, Gebel hurried over.

"Isaac! Are you okay?"

"Yes. I think I hit the jackpot with that last move."

Gebel looked down at the giant bear with a disgusted expression.

"I've lived in this monastery and never seen such a crazy monster. Something you'd only expect to find in remote areas... I wonder where it came from."

"Should we dissect it?"

"No, it seems diseased, so it's not edible, and we can't carry it. Better to leave it here. I'll ask the abbot to cleanse the land. Ah, because of that damned inquisitor, we didn't need to sweat this much."

"That 'damned' is actually a 'she.'"

Whether it was a 'he' or a 'she,' it was ironic that the two who were most uneasy about the inquisitor's arrival had saved her.

Gebel seemed surprised to learn the inquisitor was a woman, but he didn't dwell on it too much.

He looked down at the inquisitor lying on the ground with a wary expression.

"Let's at least keep this burden alive for now."

***

Isaac decided to carry the inquisitor. Thanks to the perk from consuming the giant bear, her weight felt almost negligible. His breathing wasn't even heavy.

His HP, depleted from using the advanced sword skill 'Prelude,' seemed to have recovered, making him feel comfortable.

Gebel was incredulous to see Isaac, who used to pant just from a few swings of his sword, now effortlessly climbing the mountain with the armored inquisitor on his back. But he didn't find it particularly strange.

Isaac's odd fluctuations in stamina were already familiar to Gebel.

He simply muttered to himself, "Youth is a powerhouse."

Isaac still had enough energy left to check the reward from the nameless chaos.

[The nameless chaos is pleased with your recent consumption.]

[A reward from the chaos is granted.]

[Choose one of the following three rewards.]

[The Cleaner of Other Worlds / Now you can summon tentacles from both hands.]

[The Caller from the Abyss / Casts illusions on your enemies to bind and slow them down.]

[Offspring of Chaos / Requires the ability 'Parasite from Beyond'. The parasite devours the host instantly and undergoes explosive growth, transforming into the 'Offspring of Chaos'.]

'It's been a while since I had to choose a reward.'

Isaac smiled with satisfaction.

So far, the abilities he had gained from his tentacles were 'Flesh Storage', 'Parasite from Beyond', and 'Rat in the Wall'. He had declined several quests from the nameless chaos, either because they were impossible to accomplish within the monastery or were ridiculously dangerous.

Life wasn't a game. To him, it was more crucial to increase his physical stamina than to develop dangerous tentacle abilities.

'Fortunately, none of these abilities are too conspicuous this time.'

'The Cleaner of Other Worlds' didn't seem as bad as before. Over the last four years, he had learned to sufficiently conceal his tentacles. However, he felt no need for additional tentacles as those from his left hand and chest were already enough.

'The Caller from the Abyss' was a useful debuff curse skill. If he could weaken his enemies with this skill, he could take down most foes without even needing to reveal his tentacles. In this sense, it was excellent for disguise.

'Offspring of Chaos' was one of the most lethal monster skills. If not released immediately, it drains health rapidly and culminates in the host's death, spawning a monster. Its grotesqueness and the ease with which it could break enemy lines had made it infamous among players. But it was undeniably a striking skill.

'A powerful skill, but the fact that it follows the host's abilities and is conspicuous is a concern...'

Moreover, the parasite had to be pre-implanted, meaning the tentacles had already penetrated the skin. It was almost like being in a winning state already.

Yet, after some contemplation, Isaac chose 'Offspring of Chaos'.

'The crow has been quite useful.'

In a complex battlefield, having an ability like the crow to observe from above would be extremely beneficial. He needed a servant-like minion he could command stealthily rather than a rampaging tentacle monster.

'I need to keep an eye on the inquisitor too.'

He hoped such a situation would not arise, but it could also be used for blackmail if necessary. After all, Isaac had to prioritize his own life above all.

Eventually, Isaac chose the 'Offspring of Chaos'.

The tentacle within his left hand writhed, absorbing the new power. Isaac could intuitively feel that the parasite within the crow could tear its host apart and transform into a new form at any time.

'Not now, though.'

If the inquisitor woke up, she might search for the crow. He didn't want to take unnecessary risks with pointless experiments. After all, the monastery was rife with rats, excellent subjects for experimentation.

***

Upon Isaac and Gebel's arrival at the monastery, the monks hastily opened the doors. The monastery had all its torches and lamps lit, showcasing its devotion to the Codex of Light. It seemed they had prepared for the inquisitor's visit.

Regrettably, the inquisitor, having fainted, missed this spectacle.

"This way."

Evhar led them to a prepared infirmary to lay down the inquisitor. The monks glanced curiously at them.

Noticing she was a woman, the monks appeared bewildered. The monastery wasn't strictly forbidden to women, but access was mostly restricted to avoid unfortunate incidents.

As Evhar began to remove her armor to make her more comfortable, he looked closely at her face.

And then, he was shocked.

"Isolde Brant?"

Hearing this, Gebel couldn't hide his surprise either.

"The daughter of the Brant ducal family?"

"Yes. I remember her from her coming-of-age ceremony."

"She must be a distinguished person."

Isaac chimed in.

Even Isaac had heard of the Brant ducal family, a household famous enough to be known in the Gerthonia Empire. It was said that the current emperor of the Gerthonia Empire rose to power with the Brant family's support.

If the abbot attended her coming-of-age ceremony, it surely indicated their significant influence.

"Although there is no high or low under the Codex of Light, the Brant family is known for their deep faith. But I never imagined their only daughter would be working as a harsh inquisitor."

The inquisitor, with her absolute authority, had many enemies.

Like Isaac had secretly thought, there would be many people who wouldn't mind her disappearance, thinking it would cause no suspicion.

Eventually, they all reached the same conclusion.

If Isolde died here, it would be problematic for more than just a few.

'Perhaps it would have been better to let the wolves have her.'

Isaac regretted internally but showed no outward signs.

"Let's keep her alive for now. Whether she's a Brant or a Barbarian, I don't want to waste effort saving her just to let her die."

"Gebel tore Isolde's clothes to check her wounds. The foul smell emanating from the wound made the three of them close their mouths. Especially Gebel and Isaac, who involuntarily stepped back, recognizing the familiar stench. Evhar examined Isolde's wound, which seemed to have been bitten by a wolf.

"Blisters and discoloration, signs of decay..."

"It's the plague," Isaac muttered.

Hearing this, Evhar also stepped back.

On reflection, the wolves, boars, and bears had all been infected with the plague. This meant that some plague was widespread throughout these mountains. But there had never been a case of humans being infected.

Isaac felt a chilling premonition

.

'Could it be they deliberately didn't kill her?'

He was troubled by the fact that, despite hours of effort, the giant bears and packs of wolves had only driven the inquisitor to exhaustion without killing her.

But what if this was someone's intention?

Isaac recalled the change in the wolves' behavior when they smelled the plague.

Someone had intentionally infected the inquisitor with the plague to get her into the monastery.

Evhar kept silent for a moment, then spoke.

"Let's start with treatment. Gebel, please sprinkle garlic and salt around the room. Isaac, go get leeches from the basement. I'll prepare a prayer meeting with the monks."

"Leeches?"

Isaac looked puzzled by the odd instruction.

"We need to perform bloodletting therapy. Removing bad blood is essential to get the plague out of the body."

'What nonsense is this? Drawing blood from a patient?'

Isaac almost blurted out but managed to hold it back.

This world lacked basic medical knowledge, typical of the Middle Ages.

On second thought, it made sense.

In a world where most diseases and injuries were healed by the miracles of monks, it would be stranger for medicine to be advanced.

'But this plague is targeted at the monastery.'

It was an attack on the monastery, and it was unlikely that they hadn't prepared for a miracle. Isaac concluded that the monks would not be able to handle this plague properly. Even Gebel seemed to agree with Evhar's opinion.

'I have to do something about this.'

If the lady inquisitor is so valuable, it would be beneficial to keep her alive."