I hadn’t expected to see another werewolf, especially here of all places. The world is just full of surprises. Well, I guess ‘worlds’ now. I’m sure they can handle it though. No need to interfere.

From here, I can feel the bloodlust radiating from the werewolf. Its eyes are trained on those two like the predator it is. What it doesn’t know is that someone higher up in the food chain is sitting right behind it. If it were to attack me, I won’t hesitate to kill it in a single move. What I’m not sure of is whether it's stronger than Lycaon at the Port Silis tournament. Only time will tell, I guess.

Watching them from afar, I could only let out a dry sigh.

I would appreciate it if they could hurry this fight up. I know that the longer we’re here, the more likely ‘they’ will get their hands on the item they seek. I want to get up and rush out of this room and look for them, but I may need their help. I’m sure that bastard is here also, leading the charge. He’ll probably have his lackeys with him too. I don’t know if I would be able to take them all on by myself. It wouldn’t hurt to have a few by my side in case things go south.

Maybe I should take those things they called runes and store them for safekeeping. They looked extremely helpful. The different types of strategies I could perform are boundless! I should ask that Greek woman more about them later. If she’ll live, that is.

In the distance, I could see the men named Chen Ling and Joel preparing to fight against the werewolf.

“Oh. Looks like their fight will finally begin.”

Now then, the true test will finally begin. Just how strong are they compared to the archbishops in terms of power…

****

First off, I know that’s a damn werewolf. There is no mistaking that wild fur, the elongated snout, fangs, and claws similar to a wolf, and that muscular build. It’s a werewolf! In the flesh!

“Chen Ling!”

“On it.”

Chen Ling didn’t need me to explain what to do next. He reached out and slid a finger across the Dao blade, infusing his mana into the blade. This was one of his mana masteries: [Aura Blade].

I leaned down toward the pinned-down woman and whispered harshly into her ear. “Help us defeat this werewolf, and I’ll let you leave here unscathed. If you refuse, I’ll toss you towards your leader’s maw where he will eat you alive as we make our escape.”

I didn’t really mean that last part, but she didn’t need to know that.

My threat worked after all since Iris was now scared shitless, feverishly nodding her head. I released the hold I had on her and allowed her to remove the last of her runes.

“I-I only have three runes left over. S-Since all of t-the fireball runes are d-done… I’ll I have l-lefto-over is a Defensive Rune and a S-Support Rune t-that h-heals...” She stuttered.

“HOOOOWWL!”

After that piercing howl, the werewolf got on all fours and charged at Chen Ling with terrifying speed.

“Hand me the Defensive Rune!” I barked. Iris handed me the rune with trembling hands. Not caring about her mental state at all, I snatched it away from the woman and ripped the sheet of paper. A blue flame had the leftover pieces fizzle into ashes. A few moments later, I could feel my body being enveloped in a protective shield. This is my first time using a rune scripture of any kind. It’s like my whole body has been draped with another layer of protective armor.

My train of thought was broken when I heard gleeful laughter from Chen Ling. “Haha! Your reflexes are remarkable! Is it because you’re now a full-blown werewolf, you possess animalistic instincts?”

Chen Ling tried to slash the werewolf’s head clean off, but the animal managed to bend its body downward to evade the blow. It then regained its footing almost instantly and tried to rake its sharp claws against Chen Ling's chest. Its efforts proved to be useless. Chen Ling is still too fast for the beast even though he isn’t using [Phantom Steps]. This only seemed to have angered it even more as it howled in frustration.

This was not the time to stay still though. I have already thought of a plan to defeat this werewolf. I have a gut feeling that his werewolf is a lot weaker than The Minotaur, and usually, my gut feeling is right on the money.

“Alright… Let’s do this…” I whispered, giving myself a pep-talk. The first thing I have to do is store my axe inside the Inventory. Next is…

“Chen Ling! Lure the werewolf towards me!”

While dodging, Chen Ling quickly glanced in my direction, wondering what my plan is. After evading a couple more blows, Chen Ling was now dashing in my direction. The werewolf growled in frustration, frustrated that its prey was running away, so it decided to chase after the man.

“Iris, get ready to use that healing rune on me after I give you the signal.”

She didn’t need to be told twice and didn’t question why as she grabbed the Support Rune, clenching it for dear life.

“Okay, now what?” Chen Ling asked, standing right next to me.

“Just watch and learn.”

I hovered my hand slightly over my wounded underarm and dabbed a little blood on two fingers. I then wiped my own blood on my cheeks like it was face paint. As I finished, the werewolf in front of me was now progressively getting faster as its long snout got a whiff of fresh blood. The wolf now smelling blood in the air like a shark in the water, was now making a beeline straight towards me with its mouth foaming from the scent of blood. With a snarl, the wolf leaped high into the air and dove straight toward me, its jaw of razor-sharp fangs was wide open.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Grk!”

A sharp pain enveloped my arm, as if I was being stabbed by a kitchen knife. The pain was bearable though as the shield halved the damage I’d taken.

The werewolf bit down harder on my soft flesh as the rune flickered like a lightbulb. As it was chowing down on my arm, I finally pulled out the weapon I’d been saving for a good time. The Gorgons Head.

Even if I haven’t been keeping track of the cooldown, it’s probably been past thirty minutes already.

“Alright, little doggy… I have a little present for you…”

While the werewolf was still glued to my arm, I forcefully raised its head with my bloodied arm and leveled its eyes toward the Gorgon's Head. As soon as they made eye contact, the petrification skill activated, as evidenced by the glowing green eyes. The werewolf couldn’t even make a sound as it was turned to stone in an instant, its body going rigid. Its jaw was still stuck to my arm, so it good a good while to pry it out. I made sure to be careful enough to lay the statue gently onto the ground. There was a reason why I went through all this trouble instead of outright killing it.

“Phew. It’s finally over,” I sighed, wiping sweat and grime off my forehead. “You, the woman from Olympus. Use that healing rune on my arm.”

The woman was still slack-jawed at the scene that unfurled before her. I snapped my fingers at the frozen woman. Her body flinched when her mind finally returned back down to Earth. Without another word, Iris used the healing rune on my arm. What used to be bloodied, torn-up skin and teeth marks was now an arm that returned to its former condition.

I know I said this before, but runes are an invaluable asset. I should invest in finding Rune Wielders when I leave here...

“Y-You actually defeated it…” Iris whispered.

“Oh, right… I’ve been meaning to ask you. What the hell was that?” I asked the woman. For a vial filled with a weird purple liquid to transform a human into a monster… I know extensive inhumane experiments have been involved.

“I don’t k-know much about it, b-but I heard from A-Alexander that Olympus has b-been w-working with Shadow Oni to create a d-drug that increases a person’s s-strength for a p-period of time.”

A drug that can increase one’s strengths? I’ve heard about this from Mr. Reed before. There have been reports that pharmaceutical companies have been creating a drug that would serve as a sort of elixir for the human body to unlock its full potential, working similar to how a superhuman consumes Torqinite. The idea has been scrapped though once the government caught wind of the methods they’ve resorted to. At first, they would experiment on animals to test its effects, and found no problems with their molecular DNA and psyche. After consumption, the animals have grown stronger and faster, albeit it was for a short period of time. Thinking they were on the right track, they’ve moved on to humans.

That was when their whole experiment started to fall apart. I don’t have the exact details, but the experiments have been shut down for some unknown reason. Mr. Reed wouldn’t tell me or The Six Hunters the rest and told us that we didn’t have the authority to know the truth. Could this be the reason why this drug has been called off? The unfinished drug would turn humans into monstrous beasts incapable of rational thought? If that were true, that would mean that these companies haven’t given up and are conducting these tests in secret, in hopes of perfecting the formula.

Troubling news indeed. I should inform Mr. Reed of this later.

“To tell you the truth… Olympus wanted t-to horde all of The L-Labyrinth’s treasures all for themselves. That’s why they gave the order to incur heavy losses here a-and use the cover of t-the difficulty as a way to l-lie about your deaths.”

Hm? Then that means Shadow Oni isn’t behind this ploy? Olympus just wanted to grief the other guilds just for some treasure? They aren’t even sure if there would be loot in the first place! That damn guild is pissing me off…

“That’s a neat little head you got there…”

“Hm?”

Laila trotted toward us while stretching her arms. “If you took any longer, I might’ve intervened. Why didn’t you use that snakehead as soon as that guy transformed?”

“Well… you wanted to test us, right? I wanted to pass with flying colors. I thought that ending it too quickly may have not been to your liking, so I decided to show off our skills.”

“Oh really now...” She answered calmly. “Your plan worked after all. After watching you two, I’ve deduced that you will be useful after all. You’re resourceful and are able to give orders on the fly. Commendable traits for a leader. As for Chen Ling… While his personality is a little too cheerful, he’s got good fighting skills and is fast. You pass with flying colors,” she finished, giving us a thumbs up.

“Enough about that though.” Laila’s face turned deadly serious as if what she was about to say next is no laughing matter. “The reason why I wanted to test you here and now, even though we are pressed with time, is because he and his little troop are here within The Labyrinth.”

“He? Who’s he?” Chen Ling cut in, wrapping his arm around me. I didn’t shake him off though as I didn’t care.

“One of the vile people in all of Athiens. He’s a person who’s close with the Pillars, a guy who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. A real piece of shit. His name is…”

****

“Cardinal. The human has been dealt with.”

“…Good job, archbishop Thath.”

I acknowledged the man named Thath before me. He is an archbishop ranked fourth out of the ten. Well, now it's nine after the unfortunate death of archbishop Catalina. After I return, I will have to find a replacement. Someone who is as faithful and devoted as their predecessor. Anything less than that will be akin to spitting on the Church of Pillars.

“Tch. I can’t believe it took two of us high-ranking archbishops to deal with one human. Unbelievable,” another voice calmly protested.

“The man wouldn’t yield, even when the situation was dire. This human must have been one of the strongest Earth had to offer,” Thath agreed.

“It was only a matter of time until he would fall. We had to whittle his defenses down little by little. After that, the fight became easier.”

“What frightens me the most, is that there may be more like him in The Labyrinth. If they were to work together, I don’t thi-“

“Archbishop Thath,” I raised my voice slightly.

“My apologies. I have spoken out of turn,” he bowed.

“Uncertainty is unbecoming of an archbishop. Raise your head.”

“Yes, Cardinal!”

Hmm… The navigation tool has changed direction. The item must be extremely close.

“Archbishop Zolvo. Archbishop Thath. We are approaching our destination. Be on guard.”

Both men shouted in affirmation and got into position. Both archbishops are to protect the front and back from any monsters that would come close as we navigate through The Labyrinth. I had the other archbishops continue with their duties and take over while I’m gone. Zolvo and Thath are able enough to assist me.

The gods have informed me that I’ll know I’ve reached the location of the item once I’ve found a black portal. The item will then be beyond its depths. They have called the portal a doorway. For where it led, they’ve called the place…

Tartarus.

To retrieve the item, the heart of a complete Chimera is needed. For what purpose that heart I have in possession will serve, I’ll find out once I arrive. The wishes of the gods will be fulfilled. And so will mine.