Chapter 22 (2/2)

But that wasn't it. Maram was clearly looking somewhere else. It was quite a far distance away, almost impossible to make out with the naked eye.

There was an old gnoll donning a black robe in that place. The old gnoll was holding a wand in its grasp, unlike the other gnolls, and was in the middle of chanting a spell. And then as it waved its wand once, black flames flared to life and began flying toward Hansung.

”There's danger!!”

I began to run out of instinct, but the speed at which the black flames travelled was much faster. It looked like Hansung was unable to spare his attention because of the gnolls he was facing.

Boom!

(MC Perspective)

”Ah!”

I heard Syria scream, but that was all. My ears were deafened as I rolled on the ground.

”Cough!”

I spat out blood.

d.a.m.n it! I was slow to detect the Magic Power since my Intelligence was low. The black flames were already upon me by the time I realized.

[You have been affected by 'Curse of Spiderwebs'.]

[It is a powerful curse. All healing effects are delayed.]

”Gnoll shaman…!”

”Ar-, are you alright? Don't move. I'll heal you immediately!”

Bright light began to s.h.i.+ne from Syria's hands. Together with the spirits of light, her power of healing was twice as effective, however…

”Just wh-, why won't it heal…”

”It's futile.”

It was a waste of Magic Power. The spiderweb-like black stain entirely covering my body was a curse that interfered with the healing of wounds, causing holy power to be ineffective. Syria didn't yet have the ability to remove curses.

As I shook my head, Syria's eyes filled with worry. I then turned my gaze towards the place where the black flame flew out from.

Gnoll shaman! I'd never have expected a gnoll who'd achieved spiritual enlightenment to be here. It was accompanied by countless gnolls, and even a chief gnoll. Having stumbled into the center of their territory unawares, it looked like I'd stuck my head into the mouth of a lion this time.

I wrinkled my brows.

'So that's the ringleader.'

The gnolls ambush, and the gnoll chief's strange movements…I did think it was strange how clever they were for regular gnolls.

'A gnoll shaman of all things.'

A gnoll shaman was an existence that has attained enlightenment; a unique monster with an extremely low chance of appearing. It was definitely not something that should have appeared in this kind of place. If I'd known it was here then I wouldn't have even set foot in the chief gnoll's territory.

What a disaster. I had tried acting with as much information as possible, but I wasn't capable of foreseeing such variables. Naturally it was a difficult opponent for me at present, not to mention it was also difficult to fend off the other gnolls nearby.

My insides were churning. If winning was impossible then I had to fall back. But would I even be able to run…

I calmly went into thought.

'Only one of us two can survive.'

It would be hard for Syria and I to both escape. Someone had to be a sacrifice for the other to live. I was injured, and Syria was slow footed. For the sake of the far future, of course I had to live. But even so, was it the right choice to sacrifice Syria?

My rationality and emotions clashed fiercely.

What should I do? How can I turn this situation around?

'Dominator.'

I tried to Dominate the gnoll chief. I couldn't buy the gnoll shaman with the amount of points I had right now because it was a Lv6 monster, which required 10,000 points to Dominate.

['Gnoll Chief' is impossible to Dominate. It is being controlled by 'Gnoll Shaman'.]

s.h.i.+t!

Was it impossible to use Dominator when the target is already in a state of being controlled?

My two pupils trembled incessantly, and I grinded my teeth.

But it was at that moment. I grasped onto the silver snake that was near my heart area, as if in a trance. It was an almost instinctive movement.

'Maybe.'

Jörmungandr. If it's her, everything else aside, she may be able to eat away the 'curse' I was affected by. After all, she was an existence feared by the spirits of light, who even drains me of my vitality!

I didn't think it was impossible, and the width of my understanding expanded the moment I acknowledged Jörmungandr's existence. It was an abrupt enlightenment.

I opened my mouth.

”Devour it all.”

Slither!

At the same time, the snake opened its mouth and began to move. It slithered all around my body, eating the black stains as it went. And finally, after all the black stains disappeared, something else happened.

[The user contracted with 'Jörmungandr' is immune from 'all Curses of the Night'.]

['Jörmungandr' has devoured 'Curse of Spiderwebs'.]

['Jörmungandr' has leveled up from 1->2.]

['Jörmungandr' is beginning to undergo a change of form.]

Change of form!

The silver snake fell off me and began to change, its body expanding.

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