Chapter 47: Delusions of Power

A colossal tree trunk had fallen directly across the forest path, blocking the way forward.

A small squad consisting of three women and one man crept slowly toward the massive fallen tree. Their eyes were locked onto a fresh slithering trail carved deep into the wet moss on the wooden bark.

"Olen, are you sure that python is injured?" asked one of the women.

She appeared to be in her late thirties with mature features, yet she clung tightly to a young man without even a speck of hair on his chin like a koala.

The young man, whose name was Olender, was thoroughly enjoying the soft cushions massaging his arm.

His left hand rested comfortably on the slender waist of Maya, the former senior school belle of Sunshine High School. Meanwhile, the mature woman held onto his right arm so closely that her heavy assets pressed against his elbow.

If any of his dead friends could see their former incel classmate enjoying such extreme attention from two stunning women, they would be weeping tears of blood as zombies.

Olender was completely content with his new lifestyle, except for one annoying detail.

His eyes wandered continuously toward the third woman walking a few paces ahead of them. He did not know who she was. He was entirely sure that she was not from Lancity at all.

Her thick hair was far too blonde for anyone born in the local region. A woman as breathtakingly beautiful as her would never have been unknown to him if she had lived in his city before the world collapsed.

She was clearly a high-class foreigner.

Even though the apocalyptic circumstances had forced the other two women to become his compliant partners, this blonde foreigner showed no intention of bowing to him.

Olender scoffed silently in his mind. How long did she honestly think she could hold out without begging for his protection in a place this dangerous?

Wasn’t Maya the most famous beauty in his entire high school? She was an arrogant top-tier girl who had rejected hundreds of rich suitors in the past. But what was she now? She was just his obedient woman who followed his every command.

And this older mature lady resting against his shoulder was no different.

Even though she had not revealed her true name to him yet, which annoyed him to no end, her refined appearance proved that she had once enjoyed a very high status in society.

That was probably why she still held onto a tiny bit of pride. Whatever her past was, she was also his woman now.

It was only a matter of time before this proud blonde foreigner joined them.

The world had become completely messed up after the sky cracked open. Unless a person had the backing of someone powerful, survival was entirely impossible for weak humans.

And Olender firmly believed that he was that exact powerful figure in this group.

"Olen~" the mature woman purred softly into his ear.

"Ah. I mean yes. That was a military grenade I threw earlier. Even a tough Feral zombie would be heavily injured by a direct blast like that," Olender declared with high confidence.

"Oh~ You are so amazing, Olen," the woman cooed in admiration.

"But I do not see any bloodstains on these roots," the blonde woman stated coldly, her calm voice almost choking Olender on his own breath.

"It might have been washed away in the rain," Maya quickly pointed out, gesturing toward the heavy raindrops falling continuously from the gigantic tree leaves above.

Olender nodded his head vigorously in agreement. He did not forget to give a light, affectionate spank to Maya’s hip as a reward for supporting her man at the right moment.

Maya gave a small, quiet gasp, leaning her body closer against his side.

The blonde woman turned her head and stared at Olender for a quiet moment before shaking her head. She turned around and continued following the slithering track along the giant roots.

Olender puffed out his chest in pride, believing that she had finally accepted his superior explanation. That realization made him quite happy, as this was the very first time she had not openly argued with his words.

In that fake assumption, he even walked faster, overtaking the blonde to lead the group.

Unknown to his inflated ego, the blonde woman was simply far too exhausted to waste her energy arguing with a delusional idiot.

She knew very well that a simple military grenade was barely enough to scratch a true monster core beast. The only reason she kept following the trail was to find the creature, kill it with her own hands, and hopefully absorb its Mana to unlock a unique talent.

Since this foolish boy was more than happy to act as a meat shield, she was glad to let him walk in front.

As the four of them followed the deep slithering marks further along the massive root bridge, a loud, painful sound echoed through the rainy air.

"Hisssss!"

The low screech sounded weak and desperate.

"There it is! See? It is in pain! It must be dying from my grenade!" Olender turned around quickly to give the three women a cool, heroic smile, though his smirking expression looked utterly foolish instead.

None of the women called him out on it as they crept quietly behind him through the thick mist. They moved under the shadow of a colossal wooden root until they reached the clear glade where the noise had originated.

All four of them froze dead in their tracks the moment they peeked past the thick bark.

The sight waiting for them was not a dying monster writhing on the ground.

Instead, a young girl with pale skin and long dark hair stood casually above the lifeless body of the giant green serpent. The python’s massive head was completely shattered into bloody pieces, crushed flat against the damp earth.

In her small hand, the dark-haired girl held a glowing green sphere that radiated a soft minty light.

Before their horrified eyes, the young girl casually raised her hand and pushed the bright monster core directly into her small mouth.

CRUNCH!

A crisp snapping sound echoed clearly through the quiet forest, louder than the falling raindrops.

*

* *

Summer chewed the hard minty core with a tiny frown on her pale face.

"Taste like a bitter gourd..." she complained softly, wiping her mouth with the back of her iron gauntlet.

Three floated out from under her chin, letting out a tiny squeak of sympathy as it patted her cheek with its soft furry body.

*

* *

Olender’s jaw dropped so wide that it nearly unhinged. The two women peeking from behind his shoulder gasped in pure shock, taking an involuntary step backward into the mud.

Among them the expression of the blonde was the most dramatic.

No human in their right mind would ever swallow a raw monster core directly into their stomach. The raw Mana inside an unrefined core was far too violent for a human body, and the energy could instantly mutate a living person into a mindless monster.

Yet this young girl had just chewed and swallowed it like a piece of rice ball.

"W-What are you?" Olender stammered, his earlier confidence vanishing in a single second. He raised his iron sword with trembling hands, pointing the blade at her back.