chapter 47
46 – The Wolf of the Apocalypse
[Title: NO FUCKING WAY, YOU GUYS LOLOLOLOL]
Content: They said you could save the Wolf of the Apocalypse, Perrin, if you got his affinity to ‘Extremely Friendly’ LMAO
So I gave him a legendary affinity item and the b*stard’s max affinity rank is ‘Hostile’, what the fuck LOLOL
-: You could probably do anything if you can overcome the system’s limits and get to ‘Extremely Friendly’ though, yeah ㅇㅇ
-: Still, he doesn’t really hate you that much anymore, just kinda hates you, right ㅇㅇ cheers
-: Legendary affinity item to get ‘Hostile’ is legendary, lol
-: That giving gifts doesn’t open up affinity past ‘Hostile’ feels realistically true to life, though
-[Author] : No, man, WTF
-[Author] : So, he can’t do anything?
-[Author] : Do I just have to watch him go willingly to dark mages and let them experiment on him?
-: What day are you on?
-[Author] : Day 11
-: Oof ㅋ that’s a tough spot to be in
-: Yeah, lol, I was okay with him getting all kinds of custom prosthetic limbs
-: But that left eye is some real shit
-: Oh fuck man, hahahaha
-: How did I forget about that, man, WTF
– [Author] : No, what about the left eye WTF
– [Author] : Is it worse than the reptile skin sewed onto the left side of his face right now?
-: Absolutely, do NOT search for the Wolf of the Apocalypse, Perrin’s eye
– [Author] : Oh, man, WTF
– [Author] : Not even kidding, I literally almost threw up
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[Title: Dude, Perrin, WHERE THE FUCK is this a ‘Doomsday Wolf’ LOLOLOL]
Content: [Image]
Doesn’t have a single wolf part left on its body, lololol
– : That’s why it’s the doomsday wolf, duh.
– : The wolf definitely met its doomsday…
– : Damn, it’s really not easy on the eyes every time I see its visuals
– : Dude, it was SO pretty in its human form, the devs are fucking insane
– : When you kill it, it briefly reverts to human form and it’s seriously tough to handle
-[OP] : So like, why’s it like this?
-[OP] : Why’s it asking black mages to fuck its body up?
-[OP] : Is this like that menhera trend I keep hearing about?
– : A revenge of its birth, you could say (lol)
-[OP] : Seriously though, it’s a total menhera, damn
– : It wasn’t originally a naturally born spirit
You can tell by its having a solid form, unlike other spirits, y’know?
-[OP] : ? It was a spirit?
– : Yeah, should we say half-wolf, half-spirit
-[OP] : Sounds like a Chinese restaurant name?
– : Half-wolf, half-spirit
-[OP] : So, that kind of crossbreeding was possible?
– : As if that could be possible;
– : It was accidentally created artificially from experiments in the green magic tower in the great forest.
-[OP] : Unwanted child < Menhera elite route, yeah, okay
– : Not just that
– : It’s half-wolf and half-spirit, right?
– : So how would wolves and spirits react?
-[OP] : Oh, two flavors
– : This thing is just PC
– : Dude, you should go to America. lol;
– : Turns out, because the Great Forest was in the south, wolves and spirits seriously rejected Perrin, like, hardcore. ㅠ
– : He got pissed off when both his wolf mother and spirit father treated him like some horrible monster,
– : and then finding out his birth secret by chance from researchers made him snap and just run away.
– : Then, black mages found out that “An S-class spirit is just out there, unguarded!” and tried to control him with black magic
– : but he liked that energy that tears up the body, unique to black magic, lol.
– : So, to get revenge on the ones who made him, he just completely tore up his body.
-[Writer] : Okay, so he hates elves, but why does he hate humans too?
– : Because they’re pure, unlike him, lol.
– : That’s why he likes artificial beings (golems, magic tomes), too.
-[Writer] : I wanna know what he thinks about humans conceived via IVF.
– : Is this guy crazy? Seriously?
– : That’s an interesting topic, though.
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[Title: Yo, but I’m curious about Perrin]
Content: If he hates elves and humans because they’re pure,
does he like impure beings? Like vampires or demons?
– : That’s kinda a good question.
– : I wonder how the pointy-eared elves and spirits would react if they saw their demi-spirit liking half-demons more, lol.
– : Being robbed of their spirit by the inferior beings they used to ignore… woah.
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***
-So, where can this Lisir person be found?
-Master Didoa knows. That’s why we’re assigning Master Didoa to you. What’s more, Master Didoa will handle those troublesome humans for you, free of charge! Could there be a more gracious guide! Now, say “Thank you.”
-Thank you. Thanks to you, I’ve made contact with Lisir.
-Master Didoa, he was talking to Gadena, not you.
-…
Suddenly saddled with Didoa, Cadena waited for her at the main gate of the Magic Tower.
Didoa had rushed off somewhere, saying she had something she absolutely needed to grab.
And then, a moment later.
“What in the world is all that?”
Cadena was bewildered at the sight of Didoa, who had emerged carrying a whole bundle of luggage.
Was she planning on setting up a makeshift lab in his quarters or something?
“It’s a gift.”
Didoa replied with her characteristic emotionless face.
“A gift?”
“I thought Lisir might get upset if I went empty-handed.”
“…”
Cadena decided not to give this Lisir-obsessed demi-human any unnecessary attention.
He didn’t wait for Didoa, who was struggling with the bundle, and walked on ahead.
“There’s somewhere we need to stop before we head to his quarters.”
“Stop somewhere?”
“That’s where I’ll be meeting up with my party. I’m telling you in advance, they’re of high rank, so don’t do anything rash.”
“Won’t they be displeased with me, a demi-human?”
“They are a generous lot. Unless you commit some sort of offense yourself, there’s nothing to worry about.”
That was all the conversation needed.
Cadena shut his mouth and quickened his pace, putting distance between himself and Didoa.
As an elf, he felt an instinctive disgust at the demi-human’s murky aura.
“Mr. Cadena.”
But then, Didoa, having somehow matched his pace, spoke to him again.
“Master Didoa, let me make something clear this time. Your demi-human aura is unpleasant to me. I can’t be casual, so I recommend that you keep your distance, for your own sake.”
“Ah. I’m fine. I’m used to people disliking me.”
Whether it was true or not, Didoa paid no mind to Cadena’s brusqueness and continued what she was saying.
“Mr. Cadena, are you perhaps used to visiting your friends’ homes?”
“I don’t understand the point of the question.”
“It’s my first time. Visiting Lisir’s place this time, it’s the first time in my life I’m visiting a friend’s house. So, I was wondering, do you have any advice for me? I want to make a good impression on Lisir.”
“…”
It seems like visiting a friend’s house for the first time was making her incredibly excited, as Didoa kept chattering incessantly afterwards.
Lisir this-
Lisir that-
Around the time Gadena decided he’d have to use magic to block either his ears or Didoa’s mouth, they arrived at their destination, Gadena’s lab.
“Master Didoa. Your aura might contaminate the lab, so please wait outside.”
“Okay.”
Didoa accepted Gadena’s brusque dismissal without raising any questions or complaints.
It was something she was very used to.
A moment later.
Gadena stepped out of the lab with the others.
Princess Lapita Ye Loeh of the Great Forest, her entire body concealed by an expensive black robe.
Her bodyguard, the giant knight Gondola.
And Master Adventurer Drafon, bearing a massive scar across his face.
Among them, Gondola looked at Didoa standing at the door and his face contorted into a scowl.
“Why is a half-demon here.”
“She’s Master Didoa of the Gray Tower. She has agreed to act as a mediator as an acquaintance of Lisir.”
“Lisir, you mean that human you were talking about—a human who associates with a half-demon. Are you really alright, Gadena?”
“…”
Gondola was openly showing his repulsion.
Gadena couldn’t readily answer.
While he usually discriminated against and despised humans, Gadena was actually considered rather progressive among elves.
He lived in a human city, and the fact that he interacted with humans, albeit minimally, was proof of that.
Gondola was different.
Gondola, holding a high position within the Great Forest, the holy land of the elves, possessed conservative views that suited his position.
He placed a higher value on his elven identity.
Gadena might discriminate against and despise humans, but he considered them as equals to himself.
On the other hand, Gondola viewed other races as inferior to elves.
Even amongst them, the half-demons, with their murky aura, were particularly disliked.
Gondola, having reached his limit, voiced his discontent in a burst.
“Frankly, I’m still skeptical. Relying on human help? Is this really the best option?”
“Gondola.”
It was Lapita’s voice that calmed Gondola down.
“In front of the people who are going to help us, what a discourtesy.”
“…I apologize.”
Lapita gave a polite bow towards Didoa.
“Master Didoa, was it? I’m sorry. Our Gondola is a bit… emotional.”
“It’s alright. I’m used to this sort of thing.”
Lapita nodded, satisfied, and then glanced around at the group.
“It looks like everyone’s here, shall we get going? Ah, Drapon?”
“Yes?”
Lapita requested Drapon to capture a spirit and lent him the artifact, ‘Azure Veil’.
The reason she lent an elf treasure that purified the wearer’s aura to a human was not for any other reason but because she was concerned that the human’s base aura would affect ‘that child’.
“I must reiterate, that cloak is a treasure of our elves. It holds the sacred aura of the World Tree. So please, I implore you, handle it with care.”
“…”
Drapon immediately understood the reason Lapita brought it up.
He took off the Azure Veil he had been wearing ever since he tried it on and stored it in the container that Lapita gave him.
As the elven princess wished, to keep the human’s base aura from unnecessarily defiling the elven treasure.
“Thank you.”
Lapita, pleased with the human who perfectly understood her intention, gave him an elegant curtsy.
“Now, let’s move.”
Throughout the journey, Lapita kept an absolute distance from the half-demons and humans.
***
Lapita Ye Royeh was deeply pessimistic about her own situation.
‘To not only lend the Azure Veil to a human, but to also travel alongside a half-demon.’
Her situation where she had to stay in the filthy human city.
Her situation where she had to appease the inferior.
At first, she felt self-loathing with every passing moment, but now, she just hoped that this terrible situation would end soon.
If only she could get ‘that child’ out of this wretched place and back to the Great Forest, even a moment sooner, Rapita was willing to do anything.
Rapita conjured ‘that child’ in her mind, as part of her ritual to soothe and calm herself.
A blessed being, inheriting only the greatness of the Great Wolf King and the grace of the Great Wind Spirit.
The demi-spirit Perrin.
That child did not belong in such a filthy place.
Deepest within the Great Forest. The most sacred place in the world.
A child deserving to bask in the divinity of the World Tree.
‘Even now Perrin is being tainted by the foul energy of this city…’
Impatience gnawed at Rapita, and she urged Drapon onward.
Of course, she did not forget to maintain the facade of a noble elf.
“After selecting suitable candidates on standby at the guild, I will meet with the man named Ricir, take possession of the magic stone, and immediately begin the pursuit.”
“…”
Ricir.
At the mention of the human’s name recommended by Gadena, Rapita sighed inwardly.
Was this truly the right thing to do?
Using a human’s essence to lure the child.
Gadena was an excellent expert, but he had a particularly soft spot when it came to matters involving humans, so she was skeptical.
Lost in her mounting worries, Rapita found herself following Drapon into his guild building.
Drapon said there was someone she needed to meet first, and led Rapita to the office of the Master’s deputy, Dufona.
The instant she entered the office, Rapita could not believe her eyes.
“Perrin!”
Filthy human structures.
Filthy humans.
None of it mattered.
Only that precious wolf occupied Rapita’s vision.
Rapita hurried to Perrin.
The wolf was being held in the arms of a human.
‘How is that person making contact with Perrin?’
Rapita felt a brief sense of unease, but dismissed it quickly.
Right now, she wanted to savor this joyous reunion.
“Over here!”
It was then, as Lapita tried to snatch Perrin from the human’s arms.
-…!
Perrin, who had been making pleasant noises while lying on his back, fiercely bit Lapita’s hand.
“Whoa, hey, not for eating!”
The man who’d been holding Perrin, Rishir, startled and pulled Perrin away from Lapita.
-…
Then, as if he had never been furious, Perrin relaxed back into Rishir’s arms, looking peaceful again.
“…”
Lapita, unable to grasp the situation, just gaped.