39 wolgarms
—a mabeast kill-count that Subaru never thought that he'd have.
He could feel a sense of satisfaction and pride, but his ever present self-deprecative thoughts leaned on him having armor, gun and grenades.
But regardless, he had another problem.
All 39 wolgarm cadaver are mostly inside the house.
The battle had to be concluded outside as the cabin was being filled by corpses.
Subaru had to jump outside via the window, and continue firing. At the incoming wolgarms.
Luckily there were only 12 outside when he got out, so the fight easily ended.
Faced with a dilemma, Subaru couldn't come up with what to do next.
The smell of mabeast corpses won't let him sleep, and he doesn't have enough energy to carry them outside one by one.
He stood there outside, still contemplating what to do, completely unaware of the pair of red eyes staring hungrily at him.
The Guiltylowe, knowing that the prey has dropped his guard down, started creeping towards him.
No thud, no branches cracking, no dried leaves crunching. The Jet Black King of the forest utilized all of it's stealth capabilities and approached.
Step by step, the Guiltylowe closed the distance.
Closer, and closer, and closer, until it stopped and lowered it's body, ready to pounce.
—with Subaru.
He didn't know what happened.
All he felt was this weight currently pushing him down, and the painful four prong trying to penetrate his suit.
His back was arched as whatever large creature that is currently biting on him was trying to rip him up.
"Arghhhhh!!!" Subaru yelled in fear and pain.
His mind was panicking and is still trying to process what his happening.
Then, he was lifted up and was wiggled left and right, jaw still heavily clamped on his upper torso.
Subaru screamed, grunted and flailed.
As adrenaline rushed within him, his mind somehow understood that his EFP is depleting meant the fangs will pierce through and puncture his flesh.
"Hgk! Arghhhhh!"
Taking out his gun, he placed it under his left armpit.
The attacker placed it's jaws on his entire left torso, rendering his left arm immobile.
Pulling the trigger, he had shot 4 times before he heard the clicking sound of a blank shot.
But that 4 shots were enough for the attacker to let him go.
He was flung to the right, landing his back on the wooden side of the house.
He couldn't feel his left arm, and his right arm was on it's limits, along with his feet.
He put his gun back on his inventory and took out the energy sword.
When Subaru saw his attacker, he immediately knew what it was, after all, he faced it before.
"Hgk... A Guiltylowe.." he uttered with resentment.
The Guiltylowe glared back at him, it had 2 wounds right on it's chin, and 2 more on it's right side.
As Subaru glared at his opponent, a nostalgic sense suddenly made him remember a familiar situation.
His left arm unmoving, his sword on his right hand, weakened and facing a large adversary.
That time, he said those words that reached Rem.
"Subaru-kun!!"
Subaru found himself smiling, as the familiar desperate call for his named echoed in his mind.
"Rem." Whether it was adrenaline or Rem's voice in his mind, he found himself somehow gaining some strength.
"Is that all! Come on you Mini Boss!" Taunted Subaru.
Compared to the White Whale, the Sizable Rabbit, Petelgeuss and Regulus, the Guiltylowe is nowhere near intimidating as they were.
Said mabeast roared back in defiance and lunged.
"Hahhhhhhh!" Matching the Mabeasts roar, Subaru's war cry echoed throughout the forest.
He charged, it lunged ,man vs beast.
Subaru hasn't known this yet, but the 39 wolgarms he killed gave him 3 levels, making him currently level 8.
This extra levels, albeit small, gave him the extra physical prowess that lets him match the speed of the Guiltylowe.
Pushed fully by the adrenaline, he has now a limited strength and speed that he needs to utilize properly for him to win.
As if time slowed down, Subaru closed in on the Guiltylowe, same as the Guiltylowe with him.
With sheer focus and willpower, he honed all his senses on the opponent.
Subaru wasn't that skilled in the art of sword, but with the help of a particular someone, he swung his sword-
—copying the moves of Julius.
Despite hating it, it was the only way he could win. Acknowledging his lack of sword play.
The Guiltylowe outstretched both claws towards him, and it's fangs already ready to maul him.
The claws were merely inches away from Subaru's face when he immediately ducked, now being under the mabeast.
'One chance!' he yelled in his mind.
Subaru gathered enough momentum by pushing himself from the ground and twisting his hips. With all the speed he could muster, he moved his entire body to it's absolute limits to deliver a fast and strong strike, aimed to cut the Guiltylowe in half.
Being mid air, it was too late for the Guiltylowe to change direction as the energy sword came dangerously close to it's mid section.
"Today, I am-"
The energy sword finally touched, and is making it's way to the back-
"—demonically inspired than ever!"
—until it has severed.
...
...
...
Subaru felt the stinging sensation on his eyes as he awoke.
Clenching his eyes shut, he raised his right hand to shield them front the ray of the sun.
Grunting, Subaru slowly and groggily sat up.
It took him a few seconds to fully open his eyes, and when he did, it was the 3rd day on the Login Rewards.
Immediately mentally pressing the "OK" bar, he found himself still outside of the cabin.
He turned and looked at the surroundings.
He found his suit disengaged, probably because he was severely weakened.
The Guiltylowe's severed body was full on displayed just 2 meters away from him. The stench of the corpse confirmed it.
"So...it wasn't...a dream." He uttered, now helping himself up.
His attention then turned to his status.
Level: 13
HP: 48/187
SP: 62/155
EFP: 108
Credits: 9810
"Wow...5 levels, hahhh. I really need food and water." His hunger and thirst was still an all time problem.
Taking out a small HV and drinking it helped ease the thirst, now he needs food.
Subaru's eyes landed on the dead Guiltylowe. His hunger made the idea of a roasted Mabeasts meat almost enticing, almost.
"Mabeast's meat apparently taste like sand soaked in sewage water. And eating it while on empty stomach will kill you."
Clind's words during those survival training still echoed in Subaru's mind.
Rested a bit, he decided to find food, ASAP.
—2 and a half hours later.
Subaru immediately gobbled up all the edible berries he found.
There were 2 small plants with blue berries that Subaru found after 2 hours of search.
And even an hour ago, he found a mushroom that was local in this world.
Clind's description of it, matches the appearance. And preparing it is easy.
Not wanting to waste any more energy by going back, he started a fire and started preparing the mushroom for roasting.
And after cooking and eating, he rested for a bit whilst making another decision.
Should he go back, or find another shelter?
Going back means he has to deal with all the mabeast corpses in and out of the house.
And finding another shelter means exposing himself to the dangers of the outside, Mabeasts in particular.
"Hahhhh. Find another place I guess." He uttered as he stood.
After mulling for a while, he chose to look for another shelter.
He could just create a makeshift tent, but it serves no protection against Mabeasts.
He'll have to walk again.
"Ah, such an Isekai life, full of adventures." He groaned at his sarcasm.
—an hour later.
"Whoa..." A mesmerized sound escaped Subaru's mouth.
After trekking for almost an hour, Subaru heard the sound of water.
Upon running towards the source, he found something so surreal and impossible.
There was a...lake, and right at its base was a large stream of water going down, making a large waterfall.
Now this waterfall is equally beautiful and dangerous, as the water falls down on an abyss of mist.
That's right, Subaru is now on the edge of the world, The Great Waterfall.
He heard about it multiple times, but to actually see it. Subaru wished he had a camera to film.
There was another thing, the lake doesn't seem to be decreasing.
From Subaru's standpoint, the lake was almost oblong in shape and he saw no river that is connected to the lake.
Despite the massive stream of water continuously falling, the lake is not lowering.
It took Subaru almost ten minutes to get over his surprise. He walked towards the lake to drink.
The water was clear, no signs of pollution. Obviously because there has been no sign of civilization around.
He drank his fill and upon tasting the water, he decided.
"I'll make a camp here."
There's water, and definitely filled with fishes. He'll have to make a path to make sure he isn't lost.
He does have to grow stronger by leveling up, so he has to go to that place.
39- no 40 Mabeasts in one area meant there was a breeding ground for wolgarms. He may even encounter different types of Mabeasts in that area.
"This is it, my starting point." He clenched both fists.
'Wait for me Rem, it may take months, or even years. But I will get stronger and defeat Gluttony.'
Making up his mind, he swore in his heart.
What he has to do.
...
...
...
"Only after six months did the Sin Archbishop of Pride escaped? That... doesn't make sense."
A old bearded man on a butler suit uttered, his hand on his chin as if thinking.
"He never showed any signs of strength or even power, according to Felix, the Sin Archbishop of Pride has a broken gate." Julius spoke up, trying to add information that could make sense onto some things.
"Yet he escaped? How?" The old man asked.
"I do not know Sir Wilhelm, for all I know, he could have been rescued. Reinhardt is currently inside the cell, his Divine Protection of Investigation could potentially give us something." Julius said.
When his grandson's name was uttered, Wilhelm frowned.
Julius knew what his friend's relation with his grandfather, so he immediately thought it was due to that that he bore that frown.
But the truth is, it's not like that.
Wilhelm doesn't seem to understand, but there was a gap on his memory.
Something happened before the battle in Priestella that made him consider giving his grandson a chance.
But no matter how hard Wilhelm tried to remember, he just couldn't seem to find the answer.
Shaking his head, Wilhelm asked Julius another question.
"Has the Archbishop said anything for the entirety of his time in that prison?"
Julius scrunched his face and begrudgingly shook his head.
"That is one mystery that was confusing. Before he was imprisoned, he begged and pleaded, even proclaimed himself to be Lady Emilia's knight. Then he suddenly gets quiet after being imprisoned." His voice held confusion and disdain at the thought of that man.
"The mind of the Witch Cult is incomprehensible, they cannot be deciphered nor do I even consider to understand those filth." Wilhelm said.
The two spoke as they walked towards the Garrison.
Felix was sent back to the Karsten's estate along with his Lady, Crusch Karsten herself. Also, she herself ordered Wilhelm to stay in Priestella and help with the investigation.
With her health declining, it was decided that she should focus on healing. Her knight, Felix will be continuing his search for a cure in Lugunica.
It was that time that Reinhardt has been approved to get out of Lugunica and come to Priestella to investigate what happened.
After a few minutes, Julius and Wilhelm finally arrived, and found Reinhardt standing outside of the prison door.
As if knowing who came, Reinhardt turned and greeted the two.
"I'm glad to have you here Julius, Grandfather." Polite as ever, Reinhardt gave a small bow.
"You too Reinhardt." Julius replied.
"Hn.." Wilhelm hummed in response.
Reinhardt wasn't showing it but he is a bit surprised that his grandfather wasn't looking at him with disdain, rather, only neutral expression.
"Have you found anything?" Julius asked
Reinhardt made an unreadable expression before turning back to neutral.
"Yes, and, it's...quite frankly, it is disturbing."
Reinhardt stared at Julius and said
"It doesn't add up."