LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 122.1
Special Pudding À La Mode For The Grumpy One
The sound of clashing swords echoed. Cries of someone, groans of another, and roars of something. A battle of lives colliding unfolded there.
Near the royal capital Drahein, in a grassy plain. Normally, only weak monsters, manageable even for novice adventurers, appeared in this area. However, a massive horde of monsters was surging forth. Overflowing from a nearby cave dungeon, they rampaged in search of prey. It was a Stampede—an abnormal outbreak of monsters. Adventurers and knights alike from Drahein were tasked with exterminating them. Letting the monsters approach the capital was not an option.
The Scarlet Lynx was no exception. Leaving behind trainees and rookies who weren’t adept in combat, instructors and trainees joined the fray. While individual monsters weren’t particularly strong, their overwhelming numbers posed a challenge.
“Ugh, no matter how many I take down, there’s no end to them!”
“Lelei, if you’ve got time to shout, just focus on defeating them. …Right side!”
“I know! …Take this!”
Lelei shouted as she punched and kicked through the seemingly endless wave of monsters. Slightly behind her, Kurresh, throwing chemical bottles with care not to involve allies, responded with a scolding. Complaining wouldn’t reduce the monster numbers. When Kurresh, trained in reconnaissance, gave warnings from a broad perspective, Lelei responded with her sharp reflexes, delivering a powerful kick to a newly appearing monster.
The two trainees fought by complementing each other’s weaknesses. It was the same with the others. Tifaana, with her trusty knife, slipped into the monsters’ blind spots, disrupting them. From behind her, Frau shot down any approaching threats with precision. Despite her delicate appearance, Tifaana was a skilled scout. Contrary to her usual gentle demeanor, her attacks on the monsters’ vital spots were swift and accurate. Frau, too, coolly supported not only Tifaana but other allies as well, proving her worth as an instructor.
Brook, wielding his curved blade, sliced through monsters as if they were paper. Their attacks couldn’t even graze him. Fellow frontliners on the battlefield marveled at the strength hidden within his slender frame, while he calmly continued cutting down enemies. Meanwhile, Ali wielded his greatsword, providing overall direction and issuing commands. Using the [Magic Eye] skill, he identified monster weaknesses and guided his comrades, demonstrating the prowess of a tactician.
Aroru, slightly distanced from the frontline, exhaled softly. Around her were large monsters, all under her control. The foremost was a white snake, Nadja, perpetually coiled around her neck. Nadja, now in its true form as a massive Hell Serpent, revealed its enormous body. Every monster present was under Aroru’s command. Despite being only ten years old, she was an extraordinary beast tamer, her companions scattering the berserk monsters with ease.
And.
“Hermine, don’t involve my babies.”
“I’m not that clumsy, okay? Rude!”
“Alright then, I’m counting on you. …Don’t worry, I won’t let them get close.”
“Thanks. I’m relying on you.”
Hermine, smiling brightly, carried her beloved magical bow. Unlike Frau, she lacked physical strength. Feathermen were a fragile race, relying instead on exceptional eyesight and the advantage of aerial sniping.
Monsters approaching Hermine were swiftly dealt with by Aroru’s minions. From her safe zone, Hermine released countless arrows. Floating in the sky, she spotted enemy positions and shot with unparalleled precision—a testament to the strength of the feathermen.
Elsewhere, a single person exuded a mismatched, carefree air. The scholar, Professor Jake.
“Hmm? This is strange. It’s definitely a Stampede, but the dungeon ahead should’ve been stable, and it’s not time for another Stampede cycle…”
“Jake! Stop wandering off near the monsters and stay close to me!”
“Ah, sorry. Thanks, Licht.”
“…Please, I’m begging you.”
“Things just seemed so intriguing.”
Jake chuckled nonchalantly, while Licht, who had just felled a monster lunging at him with a swift spear strike, wiped cold sweat. As Jake’s designated bodyguard, Licht bore no complaints about his role, given his helpful nature. However, the scholar’s insatiable curiosity, fueled by Ali’s directive to analyze the situation, pushed him close to recklessness.
Though Jake carried a whip and could use it adequately, his lack of stamina rendered him a liability in battle. Thus, while Licht busily dispatched monsters, Jake enthusiasticAli analyzed the situation. …His evident enjoyment of the chaos was, in its own way, remarkable.
“So, have you completed the analysis?”
“Yes, more or less. Ali, I have the results.”
“Good. What’s the situation?”
Approaching while cutting down monsters, Ali listened as Jake, with a troubled expression, began to explain. From his demeanor, both Ali and Licht could tell the news wasn’t good.
“This Stampede, it’s been artificially induced.”
“What?”
“Based on dungeon conditions, the monsters here, and other factors, my analysis suggests this isn’t a natural occurrence. The dungeon ahead shouldn’t have reached Stampede conditions for a few more years.”
A Stampede—an abnormal outbreak of monsters. Though influenced by reproduction and environmental conditions, in regions with dungeons, factors like a dungeon master’s instability or ecosystem disruptions could trigger them. These were supposed to be natural disasters. Supposed to be.
“Wait a minute. How do you artificially induce one?”
“Well, Stampede research has advanced. Once its mechanisms are understood, measures to prevent them are also developed. …So…”
“…If it can be understood and prevented, it can also be deliberately triggered?”
“Most likely.”
Click. Ali let out a loud tongue click. Jake was merely stating facts, as scholars do. He rarely spoke without evidence or certainty, which made Ali’s frustration all the more evident. A Stampede, potentially capable of wiping out small villages, was a disaster. To deliberately incite one was an act of cruelty beyond measure. If they could identify the culprit, they’d want to crush them.
And Ali wasn’t the only one feeling that way.
“Oh?”
“…Crap.”
“Uh-oh.”
A low voice sounded from behind them. Unbeknownst to them, Brook had appeared. Swinging his blood-soaked curved blade to clear it of gore, he gazed at the monster horde with an eerily blank expression. The deadly aura radiating from him made both Ali and Licht pale. Even Jake’s face stiffened.
For some reason, the usually composed swordsman was enraged. Normally unflappable, something had clearly struck a nerve, causing his temper to flare like never before. The palpable danger emanating from him instinctively made Licht step back.
“…Hey, Brook?”
“…Destroy them.”
“…Damn it, everyone retreat! This idiot’s lost it! Licht, carry Jake!”
“Roger!”
Murmuring ominously, Brook’s eyes were fully transformed—his reptilian heritage unmistakable. Understanding the situation, Ali shouted warnings as he sprinted. Licht, heeding the command, scooped up Jake and ran.
Though Brook appeared human, he was, in truth, a dragonkin Bahamoon—a long-lived and battle-ready species, said to be the strongest among humanoid races. Now, this formidable warrior was utterly furious. A man capable of annihilating monsters barehanded was seething with rage—a walking danger alarm.
“Brook, please don’t cause trouble for others. Also, I doubt the culprit behind this is here. They’ve probably tampered with the dungeon and vanished.”
“Don’t provoke him so calmly, you useless scholar!”
“Ali, don’t hit Jake! It makes running harder!”