Chapter 84: What Got Into Your Head

“Now let’s go down to the underground city.”

We gathered in front of the transfer stone.

The moment we enter the 5th floor, we’ll be moved to the central district.

The heretics know this too. In other words, the moment we transfer to the central district, they’ll unleash all their firepower and carpet bomb us.

“First, I, Sasaro, and Paramel will go in.”

The Saint’s plan was simple.

No matter what tricks they’ve prepared, we’ll just smash through.

The Saint will enter first and set up a barrier in the central district, followed by Paramel and Sasaro who will break down the heretics’ curse techniques.

Then Raphael, who is relatively weaker in exorcism techniques, will enter, and Rosie and I will enter last.

“Anyway… their numbers are the same now as they were 30 years ago… Seeing how they’re still using corpse golems with known strategies… I can roughly figure it out…”

Recorder Paramel seemed to have estimated the heretics’ capabilities as we came down to the 4th floor.

Based on the data accumulated by the previous generation of inquisitors, he deduced that they were still stuck in the same state as 30 years ago.

“Well then, see you in a bit.”

The Saint opened the transfer stone.

Soon she went down to the underground city.

Sasaro, Paramel, and Raphael followed through the gate.

Only Rosie and I remained.

“I’ll go ahead.”

“Yes. I’ll follow right after.”

Rosie also went through the gate.

Now it’s my turn.

I entered the gate immediately after Rosie went in.

With the sensation of my body floating, my vision that had turned black soon returned.

“Porter-ssi, get down!!”

The moment I transferred, Rosie immediately pushed the back of my head down to the floor.

Unable to react properly to the sudden action, I ended up with my face planted on the floor.

“Damn..!!!”

I think my nose is bleeding.

Why on earth did Rosie do this…?

When I raised my head, I could see the reason.

If I hadn’t immediately ducked down, my head would have been blown off.

‘That’s…’

In front of my eyes were the missing adventurers standing together with monsters. They were launching ranged attacks at us.

The Saint was blocking most of their attacks while confronting them, and at the same time protecting us from adventurers firing arrows, crossbows, or magic from a distance.

The central district was in chaos just as I had imagined. No, it was in much worse chaos than I had anticipated.

There are far more than expected. About 10 times the number of monsters Paramel had mentioned.

Something was strange. If the heretics’ tricks were the same as 30 years ago, they shouldn’t have been able to move this many monsters.

Their techniques have become more sophisticated and intense.

How should I interpret this situation? I shouted to find Paramel who should have transferred somewhere in the central district.

“Paramel!!!”

“H-here!!!”

Sasaro was protecting Paramel while engaging in combat with heretics at a distant location. It’s quite far away.

Even further away, Raphael was alone, shouting and dealing with the swarming monsters.

I could immediately see the Saint fighting spectacularly, but I only now grasped the positions of the other inquisitors.

They’re all quite far apart. What’s even more serious is that brainwashed adventurers and stray dogs from the plaza district are rushing towards us before we can even regroup.

If we had brought lower-ranked adventurers below Gold Badge as troops, they would have all been swept away by this ridiculous monster wave.

We could say there was less confusion because we came with a small elite force.

“These damn stray dogs!!!”

Haties, Gulluns, and even packs of Garums.

They didn’t fight each other but rushed at us as if entranced by something.

I immediately took out an axe and shield from my inventory. I can’t just keep running away like before.

Bang-!!!

The head of a Hatie rushing in exploded from Rosie’s iron mace, scattering crushed flesh.

Monstrous strength. Overwhelming power comparable even to Raphael, who has barbarian blood.

Soon her arm muscles bulged. Was she hiding such strength?

“Huaaah!!!”

Rosie’s battle cry rang out, and she started beating the wolf pups to death with her iron mace to prevent the Hatie pack from approaching me.

“Woof woof!!!”

Of course, it was too much for her alone to handle all these damn dogs.

There were too many monsters to begin with. About 10 times more monsters than we had expected were pouring in.

“Shit..!!”

I swung my axe at a charging Garum.

The axe aimed at its neck accurately separated the creature’s head from its body.

I blocked the blood splashing towards my eyes with my shield and faced the next one.

I utilized 100% of the axe techniques I learned from Gon at the martial arts hall.

I pushed back the charging stray dogs with my shield and aimed for their heads when the opportunity arose.

“Kuoong!!!”

I threw an oil bottle at the corpse of a Garum that died with its skull split, then kicked a torch on the ground to set it on fire.

It burns. The flames on the beast’s body illuminated the dark labyrinth a bit more brightly.

These beast bastards fear fire.

It’s time for the oil bottles to shine.

Let’s start arson by throwing them in all directions.

“Uaaah!!!”

While pushing back the charging ones with my shield, I took out oil bottles from my inventory with my right hand and threw them.

Then I set them on fire.

I took out firewood from my spatial pocket, lit it with the burning corpse of a stray dog, and threw it towards where the fire bottles had landed.

The stray dogs retreated to avoid the flames.

Taking advantage of that gap, I shouted towards Paramel.

The biggest threat right now isn’t the monsters.

It’s those adventurers hiding among the monsters and using their abilities.

“Paramel!!! Are those people brainwashed!?”

“I don’t know! It doesn’t seem like brainwashing.. Oh, no!!! It’s Hop Goblins!”

“Damn it!! They sent quite a lot!”

Paramel said they didn’t seem to be brainwashed. While he was trying to figure out a solution, a group of Hop Goblins rushed into the central district.

These heretic bastards are endlessly pushing monsters from the underground city into the central district.

The group, who hadn’t expected such high monster control, were struggling to block the incoming monsters and rampaging adventurers.

They must have used some trick. How did they control so many monsters in such a short time? Could it be…

Are they controlling the subordinate monsters after dominating the leader individuals?

No. That’s not what’s important right now. What’s really important are those adventurers hiding among the monsters and aiming for our necks.

‘Damn, there must be some way.’

If it was a curse or black magic of the mental domination type, we could have made them come to their senses with Paramel’s dispelling, but that doesn’t work.

Seeing that most of the heretics’ techniques are stuck in the state of 30 years ago, there’s no way Paramel couldn’t dispel it. No, even if their tricks had advanced, there’s no way the goddess church’s countermeasures, which have advanced even further, wouldn’t work.

If so, it means those aren’t in a state affected by the heretics’ sorcery or black magic.

“Ugh… Uaaah!!!”

The adventurers swung their weapons while shedding tears.

Their eyes were speaking. That it wasn’t their will.

However, the Saint indiscriminately scattered death, and many adventurers died with their skulls cracked.

‘There must be.. there must be a way…’

There must be a way.

If they’re not brainwashed, then…

‘It means it’s the work of monsters.’

Memories flashed through my mind for a moment.

Among them, two types of monsters that were said to have appeared anew after the great cataclysm came to mind.

‘Doppelgangers and Skin Walkers.’

Two types of trap monsters that newly appeared in the underground city.

Doppelgangers are ones that exactly copy the appearance of the target to deceive adventurers.

Skin Walkers are the type that take over adventurers’ bodies.

What’s toying with the adventurers now? It’s probably not Doppelgangers.

Doppelgangers can only mimic appearances and voices, they don’t have the power to copy abilities.

Then the answer must be Skin Walkers. Skin Walkers that directly take over bodies were said to be able to use even the abilities possessed by adventurers.

Suddenly, part of the strategy for conquering the underground city that I heard on the day I bought Olivia came to mind.

Skin Walkers were said to be insect-type monsters that occur in large numbers.

Since they’re insect-type monsters, what if we use the blessing of insect repellent? Right, I think Olivia said something similar too.

If you burn herbs that repel insects and make them smell the scent, the main body of the Skin Walker crawls out through the ears or nose.

Long earthworm-like pests, that is.

However, we can’t take out herbs and use them on each adventurer one by one in the current situation.

The heretics are generating a monster wave to push us, and the adventurers are also pressuring us using their abilities.

We needed a simpler and faster method.

“Rosie! Can you use the blessing of insect repellent?”

“What? No!! It’s too minor!!”

Rosie, who was confronting the adventurers controlled by Skin Walkers.

She said she couldn’t use the blessing of insect repellent.

Because it’s a minor exorcism technique. It seems she didn’t bother to learn the blessing of insect repellent.

‘Raphael could only use exorcism techniques for self-enhancement or healing. Sasaro is probably the same. The only ones left are Paramel and the Saint.’

Paramel is someone who researches all kinds of exorcism techniques, sorcery, and black magic, so he probably can do it.

The Saint is a walking exorcism technique herself.

I shouted towards the Saint who was rampaging among the adventurers who had become Skin Walkers and the group of High Orcs.

“Saint!!! Use the blessing of insect repellent!!! There are insects in the adventurers’ heads!!!”

A strategy I came up with based on the advice Olivia gave me.

If there’s a priest or druid, they can drive out the Skin Walkers through insect-repelling sorcery or exorcism techniques.

It will definitely work. Since these insects can be driven out even with herbs, surely using the blessing of insect repellent will make them come out of the adventurers’ bodies.

The Skin Walkers themselves are weak monsters. They’re similar to parasites, entering adventurers’ heads through the ears and settling in the frontal lobe.

It’s the stolen body of the adventurer that’s strong, not the Skin Walker itself, which can be killed by stepping on it.

“The blessing of insect repellent? These are traitors consumed by heretics!!!”

“No!!! Saint!!! Please!!!”

But the Saint had already lost it.

The more blood her Bible absorbed, the more frantically she swung her weapon.

“Kueeeh!!!!”

“Die!!!”

The Saint leapt into the air and shot beams of light shaped like swords towards the High Orcs.

In an instant, over a dozen were torn apart and died, and the adventurers preparing to attack behind them were also swept away.

This is maddening. She’s not listening. The Saint has already tasted blood and is out of my control. To begin with, the Saint is currently blocking most of the monsters alone.

I need to change who to ask. Although the Saint is the most proficient in exorcism techniques, she’s in a situation where she’s only shouting about eradicating heretics.

“Rosie!”

“Yes!”

“We need to support Sasaro and Paramel! Those adventurers are not heretics! They’re people who have had their body control taken by monsters!”

Hop Goblins from the underground city ruins district are swarming towards Sasaro and Paramel.

We need to buy time for Paramel to use the blessing of insect repellent on the adventurers by helping them.

“I’ll open a path! Follow me!”

Rosie, understanding my intention, raised her iron mace high and used an exorcism technique.

“Flash!”

Light flashed.

The adventurers rushing towards us staggered and retreated.

“Run!!!”

I ran with Rosie towards where Paramel and Sasaro were.

Monsters howling from all directions.

Avoiding them, we ran and ran, and finally managed to regroup with the two.

“Paramel! It’s the blessing of insect repellent! The adventurers aren’t brainwashed! There are insects in their heads!”

“T-the blessing of insect repellent!?”

“Yes! Hurry! You need to use the blessing of insect repellent on the adventurers! Since it’s a melee anyway, let’s make them attack the monsters instead of us!”

Rosie, Sasaro, and I stood as if guarding Paramel and confronted the approaching Hop Goblins.

Soon, Paramel started stammering a prayer.

If we can just get the insects out of the adventurers’ heads.

The situation will change quite a bit.