It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the beastkin's excellence lay in their innate physique.
This was supported by the fact that most construction workers, who needed to use their bodies, and even hunters were beastkin.
"Ah, don't step there."
Noel's skills were impeccable.
Despite grumbling and complaining, she was a reliable tank, preventing monsters from leaking towards me, and even identifying trap locations in advance and informing me.
She was so capable that it was hard to criticize her for eating a lot.
However.
"I'm so tired…"
This rabbit had terrible fuel efficiency.
One of her few drawbacks was that she'd be exhausted after just one or two hours.
I thought beastkin were supposed to have good stamina.
Of course, just as people varied widely, not all beastkin could be the same.
Besides, while I could adjust my condition to some extent, Noel had to move according to my orders, making it difficult for her to manage her condition.
Continuing to push her too hard just because time was a bit tight wasn't right.
Moreover, it was more accurate to say that we had some time to spare, considering that we were taking the shortest route thanks to Noel, the time it took to deal with monsters was faster than usual, and we were moving without worrying about traps.
It would be okay to rest for a bit.
"What are you doing now?"
"…Resting."
Unlike when we were eating and resting earlier, I was dumbfounded to see Noel lying down, boldly using my lap as a pillow.
A summoned beast's life is the best life, huh?
"I'm catching monsters, finding traps, and even guiding you, so this much is okay, right…!"
As if unsure herself, Noel trailed off and avoided my gaze.
"Well, it's not like it's not allowed."
But why is she so brazen?
If she was forced to undergo a uterine massage, shouldn't she be avoiding me?
It was amazing to see her trying to stick even closer.
"Hehe…"
As soon as permission was granted, Noel readjusted her position and lay down comfortably.
In Noel's mind, completely different thoughts were taking root compared to Kang Hyunwoo.
Basically, the Toin race, unlike other beastkin, tended to have strong sexual desires even when they weren't in heat.
Of course, they were similar to humans in that aspect, but sometimes they were even more so.
Cases like Noel's, where the fire was vaguely lit, were exactly like that.
The uterine massage, which was intended to establish discipline, had instead ignited her sexual desire. Noel, who had only ever gently rubbed her clitoris her whole life, was going crazy.
She didn't know how to extinguish the vaguely lit fire, and the good smell coming from Kang Hyunwoo's body kept stimulating her, so she couldn't help but feel a strange itch between her legs.
'If I could get him to touch my lower abdomen like before…'
Her mind was dominated by the thought that she shouldn't, but her increasingly aroused body was not.
The fact that she was lying defenselessly, exposing her belly while using his lap as a pillow, was proof of that.
Wouldn't he touch her if she was like this?
'…I can't resist anyway.'
At his command, she had to bare her belly and lie down at any time.
She couldn't even think of resisting.
Besides, there was no way that pervert would just end with touching her belly.
He would definitely unleash the obscene and filthy desires that he had accumulated on her.
Noel's mind, who had never had any contact with the opposite sex in her life, was pure chaos.
All the dark fantasies she could muster were mixed together in one place.
She was resentful of her increasingly aroused body, but on the other hand, she couldn't help but look forward to when he would press his big, thick palm against her lower abdomen and rub it roughly.
'Hehe…♡'
Holding back the hot breath she couldn't bring herself to exhale, Noel only stared at Kang Hyunwoo's palm. At the same time, she didn't forget to subtly push out her lower abdomen.
But her expectations were shattered before long.
"You've rested enough, right?"
"…Huh?"
"Get up now."
Kang Hyunwoo, far from forcibly violating her, who had become unable to resist due to his commands, got up from his seat as if he had no interest.
Noel, with her head on the cold ground, stared at Kang Hyunwoo's back with a desolate look.
***
In determining the rank of a monster, there are some things that are considered in addition to the individual's strength.
These include the accessibility of the monster's habitat, the monster's own rarity, and whether it possesses special abilities.
"Um… Customer?"
What appeared before us as we crossed the dungeon, defeating monsters, was a somewhat familiar stone gate and a single monster.
It was undoubtedly the boss of the second level, the gatekeeper.
However, something was strange.
The circumstances clearly indicated that it was the boss of the second level, but the aura it exuded felt much weaker than that of the Lizard Warrior.
Of course, if that was all we were feeling, we would have dealt with the monster immediately and headed to the third level.
But we couldn't move rashly.
We hadn't spoken about it, but we must have been feeling the same thing.
That it wasn't an ordinary monster. The moment we faced it, something unpleasant swept over us.
"What is that…?"
All magic is unique.
Some magic is destructive, and some is gentle.
Of course, that doesn't easily determine the superiority of magic, and the same was true for monsters.
'…Is that magic?'
Just the lingering scent of magic emanating from that thing made me want to vomit and gave me a headache.
An overwhelming sense of disgust stemming from instinct stopped us in our tracks.
Eventually, it raised its head towards us.
Beyond the robe that was so old it looked like it would break at any moment, no warmth of a living being could be felt.
Its soul had left, and its coldly frozen body was being moved by an unpleasant magic that inspired disgust.
The burning glint in its eyes and the emotions glimpsed beyond made my spine tingle.
There was an individual who, despite having an appearance no different from other skeletons, used powerful magic and was confidently registered as an S-rank monster.
"…Lich."
An immortal being created when a powerful mage contracted with an evil god for eternal life, possessing the martial prowess of their past life, as well as being a monster that commanded thousands of undead alone.
With my current skills, it was a monster that I couldn't even escape from, let alone fight.
However, ironically, my brain was working perfectly fine, even though I was facing such a monster. No, it felt even sharper than usual.
Thanks to that, I was able to assess the situation more objectively.
Logically, there was no way a lich would be here.
There's no way the World Tree wouldn't have told me if an S-rank monster was coming out of the second level.
As I gathered my thoughts and examined the situation, I realized that the magic emanating from it wasn't that intense.
Of course, the magic itself was disgusting and evil, but the absolute amount was less than mine.
It only looked like a lich, but it wasn't.
It was probably an elite individual of a Skeleton Mage.
"Noel!"
If so, it was worth a try.
"You stay back."
Noel was exhausted from standing at the front all the way here.
Besides, I was planning to fight the boss myself, so it was right for me to take it down alone.
The magic stone on the pommel of Gillemion emitted a strong light.
[Strength Enhancement]
[Haste]
[Balance Adjustment]
[Steps of Fire]
I used all the auxiliary magic I could, but the preparation didn't end there.
I took out a bottle of holy water from the inventory and poured it directly onto the blade of Gillemion.
I couldn't imbue the sword with divine power because there was no priest, but if it was the power to exorcise evil attached to Gillemion and the holy water made by a bishop-level priest, it would work to some extent in the battle against the undead.
Of course, the thing wasn't still while I was preparing.
-d,c,k,rc…
A grotesque voice like insects crawling flowed out.
'Is it chanting?'
I had only heard of it, so I was a little late to react because I never imagined that a monster would chant.
Before I could stop it, it quickly finished chanting and slammed the staff on the ground.
At the same time, the wave of unpleasant magic that I felt earlier spread in all directions from the tip of the staff.
I immediately put up a barrier for me and Noel, but I knew.
That the chanting and the wave of magic weren't meant to attack us.
Only then did I understand why I suspected that skeleton of being a lich in the first place.
A knight in rusty armor emerged from near where the wave of magic had swept through.
It was about the same size as a Lizard Warrior, but the heavily armored armor and huge greatsword stood out.
Necromancers, also known as sorcerers or spiritists, are a subspecies of summoners.
It was one of the forbidden arts that forcibly summoned the souls of the dead and enslaved them, and was usually a magic used by high-ranking monsters with negative magic.
The moment I realized that the identity of that monster was a Necromancer, I immediately kicked off the ground and ran forward.
Even if a Necromancer had a strong summon, their own martial prowess was more pathetic than that of a typical summoner.
This was because the mana used to forcibly manipulate the souls of the dead made the mana available for other spells absolutely insufficient.
Of course, there were irregularities like liches, but that thing wasn't one of them.
For now, it was necessary to figure out what level that knight was.
[Fireball]
I increased the power a little more than when dealing with the lizardmen. I wasn't planning on saving mana when facing the boss anyway, so it was a worthwhile investment.
A huge fireball, more than three times the size of a normal fireball, flew quickly, and the rusty knight immediately blocked the skeleton's path.
Bang!!
A huge explosion and intense heat were felt, but the knight seemed fine except for being slightly scorched.
'The magic resistance is considerable.'
Its toughness seemed similar to that of a Lizard Warrior, but in the end, it couldn't overcome the penalties of having a summon.
Summons must protect the wizard.
This meant that even avoidable attacks had to be forcibly blocked.
[Fireball x3]
I fired fireballs again to the extent that mana allowed.
As if thinking that this one would be difficult to block, the rusty knight rushed towards the fireballs.
With both hands on the greatsword, he swung the sword.
The magnificent sight of the fireballs splitting left and right with tremendous wind pressure came into view.
It was obvious that he was determined not to allow me to take advantage of him.
"Are you even trying to engage in close combat against a mage?"
It was a makeshift knight who couldn't be found even if I searched.
The rusty knight ignored my taunts and rushed at me.
The speed was so fast that it was difficult to follow with the eyes, but that wasn't a big problem.
[Enhanced Dynamic Visual Acuity]
Mana-enhanced eyesight allowed me to keep up with the knight's speed, and strength enhanced by auxiliary magic allowed me to block his sword.
The blade of Gillemion emitted a blue light, deflecting the sword swung by the knight. Of course, I didn't even think of receiving the heavy greatsword head-on.
I continued the offensive and defensive, avoiding it as much as possible or pushing it aside.
While sparks flew as sword met sword.
[Accelerated Thought]
All time except for me slowed down.
From the deployment to the construction and activation of magic. It happened naturally like flowing water.
The speed was rough and quick, like a river after a storm.
[Flame Circle]
Kwwwaaaaang!!!
The rusty knight fell straight out of the fire that exploded right next to his head.
I lowered my sword in the posture I had practiced tens of thousands of times under the eccentric master.
[The power of exorcism contained in Gillemion shines]
As a golden wave and blue light gathered into a single point and a pillar of light rose, the rusty knight vanished into dust without even thinking of resisting.
The light in the skeleton's eyes that was watching the scene flickered faintly.