Chapter 208: Scavengers
Carolina remained secretly still atop a thick branch, observing with amused eyes the battle unfolding below.
Terrifyingly huge wolves were being completely destroyed by a succubi woman, who somehow could become invisible out of nowhere.
But it was not only that...
"So she’s untouchable..." Carolina whispered to herself. This was definitely a broken skill.
But finally, the mysterious invisible assassin finished killing the beasts. Then the tanned woman turned her attention to another girl on the battlefield.
It was just then that Carolina saw the blond demon, with absurd bimbo proportions. But what called her attention at first was how injured she was.
She looked barely conscious. Her body was covered in bruises, and dried blood stained her body. Carolina had no idea how the woman was still alive after suffering such injuries.
But anyway, the invisible assassin finally reached her companion and carefully carried her away, leaving the corpses behind.
Carolina remained hidden for another minute, refusing to move until the two women had disappeared into the forest.
Only after absolute silence returned did she climb carefully down from her perch. The battlefield was littered with massive wolf carcasses, each one representing something far more valuable than a dangerous predator.
"Jackpot." A grin slowly spread across her face. "I’m so lucky!" She spun around, shaking her hips just a bit in commemoration.
She had spent days eating berries, roots, mushrooms, and whatever insects she could find. If it were not for her skills, she would definitely have died eating something venomous, but likely she could always choose the right options.
But since arriving at that hell, she hasn’t gotten any protein, so finally she would have some meat. Even if they were monsters, her month was sweltering.
She immediately got to work. Using the crude stone knife she had painstakingly sharpened over the past several days, Carolina began carving apart one of the wolves.
It wasn’t elegant work. By the time she finished skinning the creature, blood covered her hands, clothes, and face, but she couldn’t stop smiling.
Her skill told her that every part of the animal had value, its nuclei in particular probably would be worth a fortune.
Besides, the thick hide would become clothing or bedding, the claws could be fashioned into knives, the fangs into spearheads, and even the sturdy bones could be turned into tools.
After gathering everything she could reasonably carry, she built a small fire between several stones and roasted thick chunks of meat over the flames.
The rich aroma spread through the surrounding forest, making her stomach growl even before the first piece finished cooking. When she finally took a bite, tears almost formed in her eyes.
"God, it’s so tasty..."
The meat was tough and carried a strange bitterness unlike any animal she had eaten on Earth. But none of that mattered.
However, right after she finished eating, the girl’s eyes shone for an instant as she used her skill to decide her next steps. And she decided she needed to run away from that place as fast as possible.
Her smile disappeared instantly. Without questioning the warning, she scattered dirt over the fire, grabbed her bundle of hides, claws, and meat, and sprinted into the forest following her instinct, which naturally led her to a perfect cave to hide in.
Actually, it was more than a simple cave; she had found a gigantic underground tunnel that led to a giant door. But she chose not to explore it yet.
Back at where she had left a campfire behind, the ground began to tremble beneath an immense weight. An enormous serpent silently emerged from between the ancient trees, its emerald scales glimmering beneath the filtered sunlight.
Its body was so thick that five grown men could not have wrapped their arms around it, and its length disappeared into the dense forest behind it.
The colossal snake paused beside the abandoned campsite. Its forked tongue flicked through the air, then it turned away.
ⵔⵔⵔ
Several miles away, silence finally settled over the hollow tree.
The monstrous beast lay motionless outside, its body split apart by the overwhelming energy Medea had unleashed.
Medea stared at the devastation with unfocused eyes as the emerald aura surrounding her slowly faded. The incredible strength flowing through her body disappeared as quickly as it had arrived, leaving behind only exhaustion. Her knees buckled beneath her.
"So... this is my Ultimate Skill..."
Before she could say anything else, darkness claimed her consciousness, and she collapsed forward.
"Medea!"
Octavia lunged just in time to catch the succubus before she struck the ground. At almost the same moment, Materna opened her eyes from meditation.
She had finally recovered a small portion of her energy, though her face remained pale from everything she had already endured.
Without hesitation, Materna crawled to Shin’s side and gently rested a hand upon his chest. A soft silver glow spread between them as she deliberately transferred the vitality she had just regained into her unconscious King.
Shin’s breathing immediately became steadier, and a little color returned to his face, but Materna herself slumped forward as the strength left her body once again.
"There..." she whispered with a tired smile. "He’s... better now."
Knowing they couldn’t remain outside, Octavia forced herself to continue despite every muscle in her body begging for rest. She carefully lifted Medea onto one shoulder and climbed back into the hollow tree, leaving her to rest there.
Ignoring exhaustion, the nun spent several exhausting minutes dragging branches, vines, bushes, and fallen leaves into place.
Piece by piece, she concealed the opening until it resembled nothing more than another section of the ancient trunk. It was far from perfect, but she prayed it would be enough to keep wandering monsters from noticing their shelter.
Only then did she kneel beside her companions to inspect everyone’s condition. Shin remained unconscious, but he was fine.
Materna had simply exhausted herself again after giving away the little energy she had recovered. Medea’s pulse remained steady despite the frightening amount of life force she had manipulated.
"They’ll be all right..." Octavia murmured, finally allowing herself a relieved smile.
A rustle echoed from outside the concealed entrance, immediately putting her back on guard.
"Who’s there?"
"It’s us."
Yasmin’s exhausted voice answered from beyond the branches. Moments later, the assassin pushed through the camouflage while carrying Mora across her back.
Octavia’s eyes widened the instant she saw the larger succubus. Although many of her wounds had already begun regenerating naturally, she was extremely injured.
Without wasting another second, Octavia knelt beside her and placed both hands over Mora’s chest.
"Heaven’s Grace."
A warm golden light illuminated the hollow tree. The deepest wounds slowly closed, torn flesh mended itself, and the swelling around several bites gradually faded.
As the final traces of divine light faded, Octavia’s arms dropped limply into her lap. She let out a long yawn, smiling weakly despite her overwhelming fatigue.
"That’s everything I have."
Before anyone could answer, her body simply gave out. She slumped sideways against the wooden wall and fell asleep almost instantly.
Yasmin stared at the sleeping priestess for a moment before gently laying Mora beside the others.
Only now, with everyone finally safe, did the adrenaline keeping her on her feet disappear. She closed her eyes for only a moment.
Within seconds, she too was asleep.