Chapter 509: Ogre Tribe

Leech hadn’t intentionally delved deep into the Rift Cave. He had the heart of an adventurer and didn’t fear danger, but now was not the time.

The party traveled a long way further without encountering any more strange creatures.

Although a strange aurora constantly shone overhead, it was no sun. The naked eye couldn’t see very far.

The party was forced to a halt, as they had just killed a very peculiar pig.

Unlike the Stone Crystal Pig Leech had read about in a book, this was a grotesque pig with dirty, black skin and ugly scales covering its body. It looked like it had some bizarre, incurable disease, like harlequin ichthyosis. But the pig clearly wasn’t sick; this was just its natural appearance.

Furthermore, it had two thick, long, curved tusks that extended upward from its mouth. Leech had no doubt that if it charged, its power would be no less than that of Charging Cavalry.

Their horses were spooked at the first sight of it. Fortunately, the Cavalrymen were experienced in combat. They immediately created distance, drawing the grotesque pig into their own rhythm of attack.

Musket balls broke its skin but couldn’t penetrate the thick layer of fat. Left with no choice, Leech had to draw a longsword and handle it himself.

His Dragon-Slaying Sword was broken, and the saw-toothed sword at his waist was a token of love, definitely not something to be used for slaughtering a pig. So, when he decided to act, he chose to draw the sword of a cavalryman beside him and leaped off his horse.

He soared through the air in a Rider Kick pose, crashing down like a cannonball onto the grotesque pig’s head and smashing its ugly, ferocious face into the ground.

Its tusks shattered.

The grotesque pig struggled with grunts and snorts. It was a size larger than an ordinary wild boar, but its strength was ultimately a notch below Leech’s.

A foul stench assaulted him. Leech suppressed his disgust and drew his sword, stabbing it through the pig’s eye socket. Blood splattered out, carrying a smell several times more horrific than the one emanating from the pig’s body!

“Blech!” He dry-heaved.

To avoid getting spattered with the stinking blood, he had to push his agility to the limit, pinning the pig with one foot while dodging the foul blood that might splash onto him.

After struggling and whimpering for a while, the grotesque pig finally stopped breathing.

The stench made Leech’s heart race and his head spin. It was as if he hadn’t just fought a strong wild boar, but had been brawling with a manure monster. Win, and you get drenched in shit. Lose, and you get drenched in shit.

GACK!

“Let’s rest here for a bit.” Leech pulled the sword from the corpse and tossed it to the cavalryman who had brought his horse over. The man immediately took out a small, personal maintenance kit.

The kit included: a linen cloth for wiping away grime, a cotton cloth for dust, a piece of leather for applying sword oil, and a fine flannel cloth for waxing.

The sword could be wiped clean, but the inherent stench from the grotesque pig could not be removed. The cavalryman looked like he wanted to cry but had no tears.

Leech ignored the man’s resentful glare. ‘I paid for all their equipment out of my own pocket. Who would dare say a word about me borrowing a sword?!’

“My lord, the meat of this pig can’t be eaten,” a Soldier said, craning his neck. He used a Little Knife to cut open the pig’s skin along the wound. A viscous, foul-smelling liquid like putrid pus oozed out. The meat was tough, clinging tightly to the bone.

‘Who gave you the courage to dissect the corpse!’

‘I’m already so far away, yet the smell still drifts over. This pig is too damn stinky. Did it grow up eating shit? No, wait, I think pigs eat shit anyway.’

‘Yikes…’

“Didn’t we bring food?” ‘Why would anyone pass up good meat to eat shit?’

He desperately wanted to yell at them: “You’re the worst group I’ve ever led!”

Leech completely gave up on the idea of eating. The stench was already wafting over, and opening their mouths to swallow now would be like trying to eat while squatting over a latrine.

He lifted his waterskin, poured two mouthfuls of water into his mouth, swished it around, and spat it out.

‘Oh my god, I can’t take this. We need to move! Now!’

Just look at their horses. They wouldn’t even touch the grain they were carrying. Some had even learned to ruminate, spewing filth from their mouths with loud gags.

“This is far enough,” Leech said. He had lost all desire to continue exploring. He knew well that this kind of trailblazing exploration wasn’t a job for his mortal body. So, without hesitation, he left behind a piece of snakeskin with an anchor point on it for positioning, then mounted his horse and left.

‘Time to send in the Corpse Ghosts.’

‘At least when the Corpse Ghosts are exploring, I won’t have to smell anything.’

When they left the Rift Cave, it was already dusk outside.

Unbeknownst to them, they had spent a long time in there. His mood improved considerably when he smelled the fresh, circulating air outside.

Leech didn’t go to the Minotaur Tavern. It wasn’t that the tavern maids didn’t sway their hips well enough; it was because the stench from the grotesque pig had made him so nauseous that he could hardly swallow. The Soldiers and horses were in a similar state. They needed to rest properly, as nothing more could be accomplished today.

Back at their temporary rented lodgings, the Soldiers took turns standing guard outside.

Leech lay on his bed.

He had just drunk some Pine Nut Wine and was now sucking on a piece of candy. His mouth was filled with a cloying sweetness.

Baron Leech, who had never been fond of sweets, now had an intense craving for such snacks. Conversely, he felt a deep aversion to the greasy foods he used to love. His stomach was growling, yet he had no desire to eat anything.

To be precise, the mere sight of meat and fish now made him sick to his stomach. The feeling was even worse than the aftereffects of when he had fought the Half-Beastman army and dyed a vast stretch of the desert battlefield red.

He relaxed his control over his physical body as much as possible and shifted his consciousness elsewhere.

Leech’s awareness returned to his Corpse Ghost in Iron Valley.

Within Iron Wall Castle, following Leech’s specific instructions, Isis possessed a great deal of authority. When necessary, Lily would give her the green light to act.

Isis immediately gathered a large number of livestock and herded them into a cavern. Once she received Leech’s signal, she locked onto the anchor point and activated the teleportation.

The cost of each teleportation was enormous, and there was always a chance of being cut in half. That was why Leech had never liked using teleportation, especially not on himself.

The Palace Level Half-Beastman, Kaqi, was the first to appear in the Rift Cave.

The aurora still shimmered overhead. The Palace Level Half-Beastman’s vision was stronger than Leech’s, and he could see much farther.

The portal had not yet closed, and three more Corpse Ghosts walked through one after another. A carrion vulture stood on each of their shoulders.

They were soaking wet and reeked of Magic Antiseptic. It was a good thing they were underground; otherwise, the smell alone would be unbearable, making them the center of attention wherever they went.

Leech was unable to completely control a Palace Level Corpse Ghost, even though his Spiritual Power had been steadily growing stronger through constant training.

He could, of course, have Kaqi completely relinquish control of his body for Leech to pilot. But that would feel like two people sharing one pair of long johns—uncomfortable for both. Leech much preferred to let the other person go bare-assed while he enjoyed the long johns all to himself.

He could also use a “co-pilot’s” view to command the Half-Beastman, so it wasn’t as if he was completely helpless in controlling a Palace Level Corpse Ghost.

He could do all this thanks to the Palace Level Half-Beastman’s obedience.

The Corpse Ghosts had always been obedient. It seemed the concept of rebellion didn’t exist for them. They always steadfastly acknowledged Leech and worked for him with unwavering loyalty.

Just as they arrived, something unexpected happened.

“The pig’s corpse is gone, but there are giant footprints next to where it was.”

The spatial anchor he had left wasn’t far from the stinking, ugly-scaled pig monster. Not much time had passed between Leech’s departure and the portal’s opening, which meant there were other creatures nearby.

And where there were other creatures, there might be treasure, powerful magical beasts, or news of the black dragon’s corpse.

The giant footprints were near where the grotesque pig’s corpse had disappeared. They were about the same size as those of large, bipedal humanoids like Giants or Mad Beastmen. The tracks showed that something had dragged the corpse away, heading deeper into the cave.

Leech immediately gave the order: “Follow it!”

The four Corpse Ghosts, led by Kaqi, moved out quickly. The carrion vultures remained obediently on their shoulders without taking flight. Since there were tracks to follow, it was easier just to walk, saving Leech the effort of controlling them separately.

Soon, the Corpse Ghosts stopped before a small hill. They all hid in unison to avoid being discovered.

The sounds of heavy panting and grunting could be heard.

Leech controlled one of the Corpse Ghosts hiding behind a rock, peeking its head out to look in the direction of the sound.

It was a fat, clumsy-looking creature, very similar to a Giant, but with a single horn on its head. A huge, flabby gut was held in by loose, sagging skin that drooped down to its knees.

‘What is that thing? An ogre?’ Leech managed to recall a similar-looking figure from a game he had played in his past life.

‘What’s it doing?’

He saw the ogre-like humanoid monster hugging and caressing a rock with great affection.

‘Did its wife turn into a rock? How sentimental.’

Before Leech could finish observing the oafish creature, he heard the roar of an argument.

Another horned creature appeared, holding a corpse in its hand. It was none other than the ugly-scaled pig monster Leech had killed!

The one it was arguing with was also a horned creature. ‘This must be their tribal gathering place.’ There were quite a few of them around, and a nearby cave surely held even more. The arguing monster was holding something very small and headless.

Two wings drooped from it, dry and shriveled. It looked incredibly pathetic compared to the large creature, like a grown man holding a one-month-old chick.

‘A black dragon!’