Chapter 114: Clearing the witch’s cave

[Crimson Eye activated]

[The witch’s magic to revive the dead is abundant.]

[Restriction by discipline]

What? My perception is being suppressed.

From what I can see, there don’t seem to be any malicious traps.

There are more than ten traces of black, bewitching feathers. In other words, at least two digits’ worth of people have tried and failed here.

On the way, there were increasingly more totems made from dead animal bones.

"I found a manuscript, senior."

"A manuscript?"

Why in a cave like this?

"This is a warning because a hideous witch lives inside."

[Warning discovered: Pt + 3]

Sarika continued her performance with a shy face.

"If there is something like this, the soldiers won’t be able to rest easily. Let’s eliminate the source of the ghost story."

[Excellent acting, Pt + 5]

Good.

"Let’s do it, comrade Sarika."

[The two have great synergy, Pt + 2]

"Did I do well?"

"Well done, Sarika. It’s much better than staying in the bedroom tonight."

"Phew...!"

Isolde trembled as she spoke.

"I won’t give you a hot pack if it falls, Sarika..."

"Sorry...!"

Ha ha.

At that moment, something cut through the wind in the cave and struck the back of Sarika’s head.

*Whack!*

"Ugh!"

"Sarika!"

As she cradled the fallen Sarika, she readied her gun.

*Bang! Bang!*

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, it’s like I was hit with a stone."

A sinister voice echoed from within the cave, as if distorted.

"...Don’t come..."

I immediately employed my technique.

[Intangible Magic Bullet]

[Shoots mana in the form of a bullet. Exceptional stealth]

This magic...?

’Could it be...?’

"Senior!"

"Ugh!"

This time the magical baptism soared toward us, and Sarika shielded my body.

We had no choice but to crouch down and wait for the magic to pass by.

"What do we do?"

"Let’s retreat for a moment. Then we can plan."

"Ah!!?"

The scream belonged to Isolde.

Suddenly the ground beneath us gave way, and we plummeted into a pit.

"Ugh!?"

Unable to do anything, I found myself entangled with Sarika.

Although it wasn’t an appropriate situation for lascivious thoughts, I couldn’t help but be aware of Sarika’s soft skin.

"It’s a pit trap! Be careful!"

If we lose our light now, it will be the end.

I tightly gripped my Glock and illuminated the area, making sure to aim at every skeleton falling into the pit.

Sarika also hurriedly brushed off the dirt and rose to join the fight.

’I don’t remember any pit traps. Did I miss it?’

Regardless, our only option now is to defeat the skeletons by launching an all-out offensive.

At times I even had to swing the body of my Benelli like a blunt weapon to smash them.

[Analyzing the enemy’s movements using martial arts]

The sword the skeleton brandished in the cramped space was menacing enough.

"Sol, Sol can’t handle close combat!"

"Get behind me! I’ll protect you!"

They continued to fight tirelessly within the pit.

[Cutter Pt + 5]

[Precise Aim Pt + 10]

[Pack Hunting Pt + 3]

It was only when a heap of bones had accumulated beneath our feet that we could slowly crawl out. We helped up Sarika and Isolde and held a brief tactical meeting while our backs faced the passage where demonic bullets rained down.

"Both of you, don’t make a sound here."

"Senior... Do you have a plan?"

I switched off the Surefire on my pistol.

Instantly, darkness enveloped us.

"I’ll stealthily approach on my own."

To evade the barrage of demonic bullets, we needed to advance using a lower crawl. It’s better for me to do it than for the girls in skirts to scrape their skin on the stone floor.

"It’s too dangerous. Our enemy is a witch."

"You two keep drawing attention here. Hit the walls or make noise. That’s the plan."

*Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go*

*Go, go, go!*

*Wow, he’s definitely the bravest D-rank I’ve ever seen.*

*Hahaha, that carry machine is insane!*

*Let’s just hold Alpha Male Ren’s hand and walk on the path of flowers with Sol.*

"..."

"..."

Seeing the messages visualized outside of my smartphone, I couldn’t help but feel quite embarrassed.

"It seems everyone agrees."

"The guy who joined your party is muddying the waters. I’m sorry."

"I trust you, senior."

"...I trust you too, senior! I’ll suck you off when this is over."

"Do you have any other ideas? You said you know perverts well, right?"

You’re a fake pervert.

If they could hear Mira’s perverted speech just once, their ears would surely perk up.

"I studied, but..."

...You studied erotic stuff?

"I don’t quite know what to say in front of a real man."

– Hahaha! Oh my god!

*Sol’s going all out!!*

*If this keeps up, our streamer will be devoured by the handsome Ren!!*

’These guys are so noisy.’

"Then, for real, suck me off."

"...What?"

"I won’t repeat myself."

"Now, wait a moment."

"Operation begins."

Crouching low, I advance stealthily toward the witch, unleashing a torrent of magical projectiles.

Truth be told, I already knew who my opponent was.

It’s because I know of only one person in my vicinity who possesses the Magic: Void.

"Don’t come! Don’t come!"

I understand that the distorted voice is also a result of a skill.

The trap just now was ingenious—a natural pitfall created by placing a void platform above the hollow, making it impossible to suspect anything.

She’s truly remarkable. I want to praise her when we meet.

She’s done well without using the ’Sword of Shadows.’

That’s why I don’t call out her name loudly either.

Her resistance isn’t over yet.

Taking my time, I crawl forward cautiously.

*Whoosh!*

At that moment, Sarika’s stormy swordsmanship, which she brandishes in midair, creates an exquisite sound of battle behind me.

"Hah... Hah... My magic power is nearly depleted. Hng... Ren..."

Now’s the time!

I leapt out.

"Eek!?"

Surefire on!

The light wasn’t blinding after adjusting its intensity, but it was enough to make anyone incredibly surprised.

Elle, a witch adorned in a sexy costume made of animal fur, was startled and fell backwards.

"Don’t move!"

"Huuuh! So, this is how far we’ve come, Ren..."

I lowered my weapon and immediately embraced Elle.

"...Ah?"

"Well done, Elle!"

She recognized me right away and sobbed.

"I didn’t use feathers... I held out... until the very end."

"You did an amazing job. This one!!"

[Witch’s Complete Submission Pt + 35]

[Unscathed Victory Pt + 5]

While I was comforting Elle, Sarika and Isolde arrived late and assessed the situation.

"Let me introduce you. She’s my girlfriend."

The "Witch’s Stronghold," located in the deepest part of the cave, turned out to be an unexpectedly pleasant place. There were items that effectively removed the cave’s moisture and temperature, and the floor was covered with leather. Moreover, there were large, convincing tents.

Since Elle first arrived, she had been assigned the role of a "witch." Here, she had been defeating academy students like a guardian.

"So I fought with all my might, pushing as hard as I could."

"What’s this costume? It’s lovely."

"Hehe... It’s a witch-exclusive costume."

We sat around the tent in a friendly circle.

Elle, in particular, snuggled on my lap, purring contentedly.

"Elle~."

"Ren~."

My fellow adventurers stared at me with puzzled expressions.

"Why the long faces, everyone? We cleared the dungeon."

"There was no clear message."

"We can turn the witch into a rebel."

"A rebel?"

I shared my role with Elle.

"Then I, with Ren... I want to..."

[Ally with the witch, Pt + 60]

[Dungeon Cleared]

"Great!"

Everyone’s expressions brightened up. Just then,

[Quest Cleared: The Witch’s Cave]

[Base Conquered Successfully!!]

[New Quest: The Counterattack Begins]

[You have established a rebel base and begun preparing for a counterattack.]

[You will move to the neutral zone in 54,000 seconds.]

...54,000 seconds?

15 hours?

’We’ll have to sleep here.’

The moment I made that calculation,

Isolde’s viewer chat window surged at an astounding pace.

The moment of surprise was brief.

We had become busy as we confronted the reality of needing to spend the night within the cave. Fortuitously, there was an extra small tent inside the vast cavern, designated as the "Witch’s Nest", an empty, hollow void of any content.

For the sake of my juniors, I had to sleep separately.

Elle laid down an insubstantial foothold on the floor in place of a mat, and the moisture from the ground did not seep through, making it surprisingly comfortable.

The "Witch’s Phantom Lantern" illuminated the air with a bluish glow, resembling a moody ambient light.

"It’s a witch’s skill!"

"Nice."

I approached Sarika, who was examining the walls nearby.

"Sarika. Are you alright where you were hit?"

"Ah, senior."

Sarika turned around and clasped her hands together.

"Don’t do that. We are rebel comrades, for now."

Sarika then broke into a smile.

"That’s right. Ren, I’m fine. I just have a small bump."

"Let me take a look."

"..."

As I gently touched the back of her head, I could feel the tiny lump.

"It was a magical talisman capable of capturing demons, but fortunately it ended like this."

"I’ve gained a lot of endurance, so I’m quite sturdy."

"Sturdy..."

Sarika’s skin appeared soft.

In reality, it was indeed soft.

"It might have only resulted in a bruise because Elle didn’t truly intend to cause harm."

If the distance had been shorter, she might have been severely injured.

Sarika spoke in a slightly introspective tone.

"It wasn’t the time to turn around and chatter... I almost put my senior in danger because of me."

"Sometimes I falter too. At first, I was able to the crisis thanks to you."

"Thank you, senior. Somehow, your image is quite different from what I had imagined."

"Huh?"

That must be a positive thing, right?