14 Chapter 14: Hunger (1/2)

Wilhelm used the rest of his ragged clothes to create some basic underwear, protecting his family jewels from the cold winds. Unfortunately, there were not enough untorn leftovers to create anything else, thus, he simply used them to cover his remaining wounds.

After which, he stretched his body and entered back into the cave where he had come from. The guts and blood from his earlier bout with the Grottenburg stunk and stained the walls. Blood dripped from the roof and ominously fell to the ground, creating a rather strange atmosphere.

Wilhelm didn't pay it much mind and merely scrunched up his nose as he made his way through the cave. His hunger which he had temporarily forgotten in the midst of battle once again struck, rumbling loudly in protest. His thirst had been quenched, however, he was now hungrier than before.

The dark caves seemed to crawl with monsters, and the hurling of wind could be heard periodically. Wilhelm was unable to perceive anything within the dark cave, however, his night-eye ability was able to detect some small movements.

Judging by the sound they created and their nimble way of moving, they were most certainly the same type of creature. Considering the one he had killed earlier was a mere infant, he figured the entire cave was infested with said infants.

Their strength was nothing to scoff at, but Wilhelm was not afraid. He already knew how to deal with the type of monster and didn't hesitate to start sporadically tapping the wall with his sharp knife. The sound of metal clashing together echoed throughout the cave, irritating the group of infants.

They fell from their superior position on top of the ceiling and landed a few meters in front of Wilhelm. Using his hearing abilities, he suspected that there was around three or so. Their numbers were a tad bit too dangerous for Wilhelm to just simply rush in like a mad man.

Thus, he took a few steps back, not forgetting to continuously tap the wall as he retreated back from whence he came. His movements were rather sluggish, letting the group of grottenburgs' slowly encroach upon him. He could hear their mandibles clasp against each other as they closed the distance.

Their acidic saliva dripped from their grotesque mouths and slightly corroded the ground, creating a quiet sizzling sound. They continued like this until Wilhelm finally led them back to where the lake was located, where he could finally see.

The faint moonlight that penetrated into the cave was bright enough to illuminate the disgusting grottenburgs'. Their expressions were full of ferociousness as their strange, pointed ears constantly perked up. They growled in a disgusting fashion, spraying their saliva all over the place.

”My goodness, I didn't think it was possible… but you things are uglier up close than from afar,” Wilhelm commented with a frown. Their smell assaulted his nose from where he stood, causing him to nearly throw up the water he had just drunk.

His knife played in his hands as he squatted down, entering into a fighting position. The water behind him seemed to sparkle in delight at the turn of events. The grottenburgs' too, got into position. They flailed their absurd number of limbs in Wilhelm's direction, however, their speed could be considered lackluster at best.

Wilhelm easily maneuvered his body side-side, evading their onslaught of attacks. Since they were no longer in the dark, Wilhelm could dodge their crude attack patterns with ease. This exchange lasted a total of five minutes before the three infants grew tired; their movements started to become sluggish.

Their anger and frustration were through the roof, however, no matter how hard they tried, they could simply not land a hit on Wilhelm. His long, tied up hair swayed within the wind as he dodged elegantly, a few strands of hair being struck every now and then.

He waited until they were extremely tired to strike, piercing one of them in the forehead. Their green blood spurted onto his body, masking his face in a foul liquid. The other two grew even more enraged at their brethren falling, alas, they soon suffered the same fate.

Wilhelm easily struck both of them in the foreheads as well, staining his entire body in their blood. A smile didn't appear on his face until he could hear the melodious notifications. It was the only voice he was looking forward to as of late.

[Grottenburg (infant) x3 has been slain]

[750 experience has been acquired]

[Level: 6, [900/2000 EXP]

Wilhelm nodded his head in satisfaction, however, he knew what had to be done when he glanced at the filthy Grottenburgs'. His affable mood was destroyed at the mere thought of ingesting the disgusting creatures, alas, he didn't have much of a choice.

He stabbed at the coarse ground and created a few sparks, lighting a small piece of cloth on fire. He then transported the fire to one of the beats, lighting it up. Its body and flesh suddenly caught on fire, creating a rather hectic inferno.

Its fur and burnt skin emanated a disgusting stench, however, Wilhelm concluded that burning it to a crip would probably taste better than eating it tender. Once the meat was crispy enough, he doused it in a bit of fire-water and took a bite with tears falling from his eyes.

The unpalatable and foul meat immediately stabbed into his taste-buds, causing his mouth nearly to nearly go numb. Even his starving stomach growled in hatred as the meat went down his throat. He could feel the 'food' come right back up every time he swallowed, however, he reluctantly kept it down.