Chapter 18
For the past fifteen years, the system window had been mostly useless. But lately, it had been popping up quite often. Even earlier, Karl had received a notification well before he sensed the presence of the beast bear.
“Sir Isabel, that thing—doesn’t it look different from the monster I saw last time?”
Nod
Isabel gave a small nod.
“Why can’t this one speak? That rat-headed one I saw before definitely spoke.” “It’s not that it can’t—it simply chose not to.”
As soon as Karl spoke, fluent words came out of the bear’s mouth. The others, gathered around, felt a mix of fascination and unease at the bizarre sight.
Unlike a wild beast’s growl, the creature before them remained eerily composed. Its blood-red eyes were calm, but chilling.
“Those who defy the providence of God and the laws of the world must pay the price.”
Isabel, speaking with composure even in front of a creature at least three times the size of a man, was quite a remarkable sight.
“Providence of the world? That nonsense you lot always babble without understanding. What providence is there in a world where the strong rule and exploit the weak—just like you do?”
There was weight behind Karl’s brief words.
“The food you eat, the clothes you wear, the places you sleep—everything comes from exploiting the powerless. How are you any different from us? At least we seek freedom and strength. We eat when hungry, sleep when tired, kill when we want to, live when we want to. We’re just returning to nature, in its purest form.”
It was a short statement, but Karl had caught a glimpse of their ideology.
A war of all against all.
But to live purely by primal desires—what difference is there between that and a beast? Perhaps that’s why they had taken the form of animals.
“So don’t you dare stand in our way!”
The bear lunged toward Isabel. At the same moment, her mace crashed down on the beast’s head.
BOOOOOOM!
A thunderous sound echoed through the cave—unbelievable for just a clash between a mace and a bear. And the outcome of their first exchange? The bear had the upper hand. Isabel staggered back several paces, her mace still trembling, and her hands shook just as much from the impact.
The bear, sensing its advantage, pressed the attack. Its massive paws swung alternately, and Isabel instantly realized she couldn’t block both.
“I’m joining in!”
Godfrey stepped in just in time, blocking one of the attacks with his sword. Isabel intercepted the other with her mace, but the bear crashed into both of them with its enormous body.
“Urgh…!”
It was only a short charge, but the bear’s sheer mass sent them rolling across the floor until they slammed into the wall.
Though about five Holy Knights were still combat-ready, none were effective in the current battle. Isabel and Godfrey gave it their all, continuing the fight.
Each blow exchanged brought mounting damage. Meanwhile, the bear healed far too quickly for it to make sense—it's absurd regenerative power gave it the long-term advantage.
“…This won’t be easy.” “There’s no other way.” “If only Sir Karl would lend a hand…”
Godfrey glanced at Karl, still standing back like an observer, and sighed quietly.
“Sir Karl only agreed to accompany us. He’s already drawn his sword twice without it being planned. We have no right to ask more.”
Unlike the frustrated Godfrey, Isabel accepted the situation cleanly. Just then, the bear lunged at them once again.
“Left…!”
The bear feinted to the right, then suddenly sprang left at a diagonal—its movements sharp and agile like a rabbit’s.
It vanished from sight for a moment and reappeared right in front of them. They were unable to guard in time and were sent flying into the wall again.
“…I think my left arm is broken.” “I’ve probably cracked a few ribs myself.”
Their voices remained calm, but their expressions were grim.
“You’re the one who killed Dalton?”
The two barely managed to stand again, only to find Karl standing before them with his usual indifferent look.
‘I thought I might come in for the finishing blow…’
He’d expected Isabel and Godfrey, who were both quite skilled, to at least corner the bear or wear it down. But apparently, their compatibility with the creature was poor.
Isabel’s mace attacks were dulled against its massive frame and monstrous healing, and Godfrey’s sword, not yet reaching Superior rank, couldn’t pierce its tough hide.
“This isn’t your concern, is it? You’re not with the Order. Why interfere in our affairs?” “Well, it turned out this way.” “…Then there’s nothing more to say.”
As soon as the conversation ended, the bear lunged at Karl with astonishing speed.
“Watch out…!”
Faster than when it faced the others, the beast tore forward. Isabel barely managed to shout a warning.
BOOOOM!
The impact was massive, caving in one side of the cave and sending rocks tumbling. The beast staggered, apparently shaken from the blow, but got back up, baring its teeth and growling.
Then it charged again—its strength was enough to crack the earth. The red gleam in its eyes stretched like a line, and Karl, standing in its path, looked like a candle about to be blown out.
But with a simple movement, Karl redirected the attack.
He stepped in toward the bear’s left side—and buried a punch into its ribs.
There was no grand sound, no dramatic recoil. But the blow sank deeper than before.
Moments later, the beast began to collapse.
“Guuurgh!”
Dark red blood gushed endlessly from its mouth. Like Dalton, its body began shrinking, reverting to its form before the beast transformation.
“This… is a technique I’ve never seen…”
Even as blood poured out, the bear spoke. Its eyes flickered between life and death.
“Sir Karl, we should keep it alive for information.” “I can’t.”
“…?”
Isabel couldn’t understand why they couldn’t save a creature that showed no external injuries.
“That technique… cough…”
The punch Karl had landed was similar to a martial arts move from wuxia novels—a type of internal force attack.
The moment his rotating fist made contact, he injected concentrated energy inside, spinning it in line with the force to destroy the enemy’s internal organs.
“…What exactly were you doing here? Why did you take the children?”
Isabel’s cold voice prompted a wheezing laugh from the beast.
“You think I’d tell you for your sake?”
It was obvious he was mocking her. Isabel’s mace came down with a crushing blow. With most of its beast form undone, its skull was no longer durable—and the weapon pulverized the creature’s head.
[Hidden Boss defeated. Bonus: Agility, Stamina, and Intelligence stats slightly increased.]
[Achievement unlocked. Fame stat increased.]
The forced linked quest from last time still hadn’t completed. That meant something remained to be found in the cave.
“You said we needed information.” “Creatures like that don’t talk.”
Isabel, an experienced Inquisitor, could tell at a glance whether an enemy would give up information.
“We should head deeper. Are you up for it?” “Sure.”
He had to search the cave anyway to complete the mission. Better to have company than go alone. Leaving the injured, including Kelvin, in one place with a knight to guard them, the group pressed farther inward.
The cave was a mix of natural formations and man-made cuts.
“This isn’t something that was built in just a year or two. Who exactly are these people, Sir Isabel?” “They’re the descendants of Hala, to put it simply.” “Hala?” “The bloodline of ancient evil gods.” “…Hmm.” “They may have started as descendants of old gods, but now they’ve become the core of those who rebel against this continent’s system.”
From what Isabel explained, it was fair to think of them as a revolutionary or terrorist group. Whatever their goals, anyone abducting children couldn’t be considered righteous.
Deeper inside, they found multiple chambers. All the items had been cleared out, making it difficult to determine what the rooms were used for.
They searched thoroughly and eventually reconvened at the cave’s entrance.
“Unfortunately, we haven’t found anything unusual. We’ll end the search here and return.”
Isabel looked disappointed but seemed to have concluded there was nothing left to gain.
“You all go ahead. I’ll check a little more.”
“…?”
The group exchanged confused glances. Karl, who had mostly remained a bystander, was now saying he wanted to search alone?
“Why the look?” “…Did you hit your head too hard…?”
Karl raised a hand to silence them.
“If you’re going to keep searching, I won’t stop you. But it doesn’t look like there’s anything left.”
Once they departed, Karl began carefully examining the cave again.
‘The completion window hasn’t popped up yet.’
That meant there was still a clue left. Meticulously scanning the cave again, Karl soon noticed something: a wall with several tiny holes—so small even the keenest observer might miss them.
Tapping it gave no sense of hollowness. It was a solid wall.
‘In that case…’
He began searching the surrounding wall, pressing and touching every odd surface he could find.
Click… whrrrrk…
His fingers caught something. Something shifted inside. Then, the entire wall slowly slid to the side.