Chapter 328: They jiggle
The moment the barrier around the resting zone dissolved, Luke shot toward the source of the scream.
Rumble!
Thunder rolled across the sky as sheets of rain crashed through the forest, drowning out almost every sound. He sharpened his perception, filtering through the chaos until he locked onto the direction of the desperate cries.
"Aaaahh!"
The same voice. A woman. Clearly terrified.
Without hesitation, he poured more status points into Speed and burst forward, his figure weaving through the rain-soaked woods.
Branches whipped against him as he searched for the source. Then came the low, guttural growls of beasts somewhere beyond the clearing.
Luke crossed the open ground in a flash and slipped into the bushes overlooking the scene.
Just as he expected.
Three hyenas circled a lone tree, their hungry eyes fixed on the woman clinging to one of its branches.
She hadn’t managed to climb high enough. Half her body dangled helplessly, her legs swinging only inches above the snapping jaws that lunged at every opportunity.
It was only a matter of time.
The rain had already made the bark slick. Her trembling fingers were losing their grip, and the moment they gave out, she would drop straight into the waiting pack.
"These fuckers are everywhere," Luke muttered.
His dagger materialized in his hand with a flash, and without bothering to hide any longer, he stepped out and announced his presence.
The creatures snapped their heads toward him.
"Khrrrrrgg!"
One of the hyenas bared its fangs and crept forward with a low growl.
Luke glanced at the woman. The way she was hanging, if she lost her grip, she would hit the ground hard even if the beasts never reached her.
He had no intention of dragging this out.
Before the lead hyena could pounce, Luke exploded forward.
His dagger carved through the air in a swift diagonal arc.
Shlink!
The beast never even registered the attack.
Its head slid cleanly from its neck before its body collapsed a heartbeat later.
The remaining two froze.
Their ears flattened, tails tucked between their legs as instinct screamed at them to flee.
They turned and bolted.
"Nope. You’re not going anywhere."
Luke shot after them and leaped into the air. Mid-flight, the dagger vanished, replaced by a massive war hammer.
He brought it crashing down.
Thump!
The unfortunate hyena didn’t even leave behind a recognizable corpse. Flesh, bone, and mud exploded together into a grotesque paste.
A grin tugged at Luke’s lips.
There was something deeply satisfying about that.
His gaze shifted to the last survivor.
A small fruit knife appeared in his hand.
With a sharp flick of his wrist, he sent it flying.
Squelch!
The blade lacked the edge of a proper weapon, but at Luke’s strength, it hardly mattered. It punched through the hyena’s skull without resistance, dropping the beast lifeless onto the rain-soaked ground.
Thud.
Luke turned toward the woman, ready to ask if she was alright.
Instead, he found her sprawled beneath the tree, clutching her ankle, her face twisted in pain.
"Tch. Why did you jump down?" Luke asked as he crouched beside her.
"My... my arms just gave out." The woman lowered her gaze, her voice barely audible over the rain.
Only then did Luke get a proper look at her.
She was undeniably beautiful.
Curly black hair framed a delicate face, while striking green eyes peeked from beneath rain-soaked strands. Yet it wasn’t her appearance that held his attention.
It was the intricate tattoos winding along her left arm.
His gaze lingered there for a moment.
She wore little more than rough brown fabric wrapped around her body, too crude to be called clothing. It looked like something hastily stitched together from scraps, meant only to preserve the bare minimum of modesty.
Maybe that’s why, half of her tits were spilling out as she sat there, crying over her injured ankle.
"Come with me. Let’s find shelter first."
Luke reached out to help her stand.
"Ah... aaah!"
The moment even a fraction of her weight settled on her injured foot, pain shot through her ankle, forcing a cry from her lips.
Luke clicked his tongue.
Without another word, he slipped an arm beneath her knees and another around her back, lifting her into a bridal carry.
"W-What are you doing?" Her emerald eyes widened in embarrassment. "I’m not a child."
"I know," Luke replied calmly. "But unless you want to become an easy meal, let me carry you."
His objective was simple.
Bring the hostage back to safety.
Until then, keeping her alive was his responsibility.
The woman lowered her head and fell silent.
Opening the map, Luke located a cave he had marked earlier.
After spending so much time exploring the forest, he had already memorized several spots suitable for resting or taking cover.
The nearest cave was barely two hundred meters away.
Under normal circumstances, it would have taken only a couple of seconds.
With the relentless downpour turning the forest into a sea of mud and slick roots, however, the journey stretched to nearly ten.
Even with his enhanced vision cutting through the darkness, navigating the terrain was far from easy.
Fortunately, he wasn’t in a rush.
He still had more than five hours left in this session.
As they reached the cave, the woman spoke up.
"There could be a bear inside."
"Yeah. I’ve already taken care of it, so don’t worry."
Even so, Luke didn’t lower his guard.
He activated , sending an invisible pulse through the cave to search for any signs of life.
He had hunted the bear occupying this cave not long ago.
Then again, he constantly had to remind himself that time flowed differently between the two worlds. What had happened recently for him might have occurred much longer before here.
Fortunately, the scan returned nothing.
The cave was empty.
Luke stepped inside first, carefully set the woman down against the wall, and pulled a lantern from his inventory.
A warm glow spread through the cavern, chasing away the darkness.
"Waah... what is this?"
The woman’s eyes widened as she stared at the glowing lantern in amazement.
"You don’t know what a lantern is?"
Luke couldn’t hide his surprise.
Even the people back in his underdeveloped village were familiar with something this basic.
She slowly shook her head.
"No. This is my first time seeing one."
Her bright green eyes sparkled with innocent curiosity as she leaned closer, studying the gentle flame as though it were some miraculous treasure.
Luke’s gaze naturally traveled to the jiggling valley of her breasts...God, they were big.
He soon looked away before asking, "Where do you come from? How did you end up here?"
The woman lifted her head.
"I was about to ask you the same thing." A hint of suspicion flickered across her face. "You definitely aren’t from my tribe."
"I come from far away." Luke dismissed the question with a shake of his head. "Forget about me. Tell me this instead. How far is your tribe from here?"
His task was to bring the hostage back to safety.
That meant getting her home.
With barely six hours available inside the dungeon, he’d rather begin the journey as soon as possible.
"It isn’t very far..." she replied softly. "If I can reach the ocean, I’ll know the way from there."
Her shoulders gradually slumped.
"I don’t usually lose my way in the forest." A faint blush crept onto her cheeks. "But... the butterflies were so beautiful that I kept following them without realizing how far I’d wandered."
Luke let out a long sigh.
"That’s awfully childish for a grown woman."
She puffed her cheeks ever so slightly before looking away, caught somewhere between embarrassment and quiet indignation.
Then a thought struck Luke.
His expression stiffened.
The Shop.
He couldn’t purchase anything while inside the dungeon unless he was standing within a resting zone.
In his rush to save the woman, he’d forgotten to buy supplies altogether.
His inventory held little more than random necessities, a ladder, a few pairs of socks, and other odds and ends.
Most importantly...
I don’t have a single fucking potion.
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A/N:- Thanks for reading. Check out my new story.