Chapter 78. Bone Hungering Cache

Carefully rechecking the MAP, Michael realized with disbelief that his current tracking Quest was southwest of Kyovashad instead of his current route.

Messing around with the Quest and MAP for a couple of minutes, his embarrassment grew, as he was wrong indeed.

"Ahem... From the looks of it, isn't that the route to Nevesk?"

Changing the direction he was walking toward - primarily due to embarrassment and anger - he remembered what Mina told him about Nevesk recently.

[After your report, City Guards, Wanderers, and Knights from the Church were dispatched to clean up Nevesk and its immediate surroundings. Fortunately, they could locate common folk who fled the city early and helped them reclaim their proprieties.](Mina)

"Does this mean that Nevesk is fully functional again?"

[I wouldn't go that far, but most businesses related to food, lodging, and Wanderer needs should be up and running again. After all, we know of at least four Dungeons in the Nevesk area. We can't abandon those and risk monsters overflowing from them. It would cause a disaster.](Helen) 

According to the girls, there was even a Waypoint there, which the Necromancer obviously missed since he was too busy fleeing with his life from the maniacs corrupted by Lilith.

Unsurprisingly, there were almost no monsters to be found on the way to Nevesk, as the recent patrols increased due to the 'accident' the city went through. 

That allowed Michael to daydream about various things.

"Speaking of which, the Sanctuary has fascinating contraception methods..."

Due to the often tossing sessions with Helen, accidents were normal, considering how hot the woman was. Michael was worried initially and asked if there were any magical pills she could take to avoid pregnancy. 

After all, regardless of how cute and lovable the tigress was, the Necromancer wasn't ready to be a dad — much less in a world where angels and demons constantly threaten your life. 

[Don't worry, silly. I already took a Purity Pill.](Helen)

"Purity Pill? That's an interesting name for something designed to avoid pregnancies."

[From the stories, it was a Druid that created it. After having his 19th child, he grew annoyed with how easy it was to have children, so he researched a natural remedy against it. It's super effective.](Helen)

"That's good. I'm not ready to be a parent yet."

[Hahaha! Same here. Also, I have a low chance of getting pregnant even without the pill.](Helen)

"Huh!? Why?"

After a very in-depth explanation, it appears Michael was physically too weak to impregnate her.

It was a very interesting concept, but it could be summarized in three simple points.

First, between common folk, it was business as usual.

Second, between Wanderers and common folk, it depended on which one was the woman. If the woman was a Wanderer, it was very difficult due to the difference in attributes. If the woman was a normal person, having a child was easy. However, the pregnancy would be difficult and dangerous since the dad had superior attributes, and the mother might be unable to provide and sustain the nutrients needed for the infant.

There was a similar thing between Wanderers, but it depended on the attribute difference and the Level difference. Simply put, if the Levels were close, it should be doable if the Strength difference wasn't in triple digits. 

If the levels were far apart, and the Strength difference was also drastic, it would be similar to the one between Wanderer and ordinary folk.

After finding out, Michael experienced an incredible rush and decided to fight another ten rounds with the tigress.

"It's truly a different world with different principles. Magic makes things work in such a strange manner, while technology can be considered to be in its infancy. Yet, overall, the current lifestyle of common folk should be estimated to be somewhere between the 1700s and 1800s back on Earth."

Obviously, there were differences; however, from a medical standpoint, the Sanctuary could be said to be more advanced than Earth in the 21st century.

"Not only do Wanderers have access to the Healing Well, but so do the common folk. They can't buy it since it's too expensive, but each citizen can access the Well once per month."

Michael was floored when he found out. The conversation started with how things like venereal diseases would be treated, and he found that literally all diseases could be cured through a Healing Potion.

As for things like cancer and tumors, Helen didn't even know what those were, and Michael had to explain for over fifteen minutes. In the end, Helen called a very red-faced Mina to come to her room and had Michael re-explain everything to her as well.

Unsurprisingly, autopsy wasn't a thing in the Sanctuary. After all, why would you open someone up when you can just stuff a Healing Potion down their throat and send them packing?

"Mina had no idea about tumors and cancer either. Both are medical conditions where the cells divide and grow uncontrollably. However, if the Healing Potion is a cure-all type of miracle drug, then maybe this affliction is also healed through it?"

Michael kept pondering on this issue as he returned to Nevesk. Seeing the familiar roads, he couldn't help but feel as if years had passed, even if it had been less than two weeks.

Luckily for him, the snowstorm had also passed, and the previous groups headed to Nevesk from Kyovashad made the road easier to travel.

"It's still annoying that there are no monsters to kill... *Sigh* It feels like it will get harder to level up in the future. Should I start Dungeon diving?"

Bored out of his mind, Michael started conversing with his Skeletons, only to find them blankly staring back at him.

"Speaking of boredom, it would be great if more entertainment could be found in this world. Though, it's not unsurprising to be lacking as such."

Given their current circumstances, it made sense for people to have different priorities.

Do you want Michelin-level food to be served in inns and restaurants? Did you ask the invading monsters if they agree to leave your fields alone? Do you think spices grow on trees?

And even if they do, again, did you ask the monsters if they agree to them being grown there?

What!? You want better entertainment? Did you ask the demons attacking villages, cities, and Strongholds if they can give you enough respite to build up your cultural levels?

"Simply put, when your life hangs on the balance, you would rather have some bland food and a strong sense of security, rather than worry about TV and a stable internet connection."

Sighing, Michael realized that the main issue was the lack of a supreme authority. 

"With the nobles, the Cathedral of Light, and the Merchant Alliance fighting for benefits, it's hard to find common ground, much less unite the people and create a centralized government. Even royalty was wiped clean by them. That... gives me an idea, but it's a bit too early to be this ambitious. Oh!? It's that..."

Looking at the familiar Altar of Lilith, Michael realized that it was the first one he lit up after escaping from the lunatics.

In the distance, he could already see the city.

"At least, this time, it's not burning anymore..."

Upon reaching the gates, he was stopped by the guards and questioned, but they simply let him pass after he said he was a Wanderer from Kyovashad who was traveling to this area for a Quest.

'I need to ask Helen about some form of credentials. If all people were honest in the Sanctuary, that would be great. However, that's not the case. What if I was a suspicious character and came here with evil intentions? Some changes need to be made...'

Lost in his thoughts, Michael made it to the Waypoint and activated it, gaining an extra 150 experience points. Seeing his bar stop at 2,423/3,510, he sighed again and left the city.

'There were some Side Quests, but I can't risk staying in Nevesk for too long at the moment. It's better to wrap up my Quest in the area and get going.'

Passing through the city and seeing the burnt chapel where Lilith descended and 'charmed' the people, Michael shuddered and increased his pace.

Leaving the city walls once more, he finally encountered monsters again... of the Skeleton kind.

"Let's see... anywhere from Wild Skeletons, to Archers, to Captains, and... what the fuck is that abomination!?"

Michael looked in horror at something that appeared to be a mix between a bow and a crossbow made of bones and flesh. 

[ Skeleton Balista (Minion) - Level 18 ]

Before he could throw up, an 'arrow' almost two meters in length was hurled at him from the monstrosity.

Leaving aside its ridiculous speed, its piercing power was just as horrifying as it burrowed through three of his Goons and whizzed past his head.

Without hesitation, he ordered his Skeletal Mages to attack it, and he reacted in a similar manner by throwing Blight and Bone Splinters at it.

"Fuck! So brittle!?"

Surprisingly, the Balista fell after a few attacks, and Michael cleaned up the remaining monsters in the area after resurrecting his Skeleton Reapers.

Throughout the fight, he gained 210 experience points and 420 gold coins.

The area also helped him in terms of Alchemy, as he collected 3 Gallowvines, 4 Biteberries, and 3 Reddamines.

"It looks like I reached the outside of the circle for the Quest area. Let's see... Huh? Are those dogs?"

They weren't. And they also were not alone, as a five-meter-tall tree rose from its roots and started walking toward him.

[ Storm Wargs (Minion) - Level 20 ]

[ Tree Wraith (Minion) - Level 20 ]

[ Volkodlak (Minion) - Level 20 ]

[ Prowler (Minion) - Level 20 ]

Leaving aside the ent that was only missing a halfling on its shoulder, the other monsters were either furless demonic dogs or some other strange type of werewolves.

The only difference between them was how long they could walk on two feet.

Scared of the lumbering giant - no pun intended - Michael used Bone Prison on the Tree Wraith while he had his minions deal with the dogs. 

After he was mostly done cleaning up over 20 such creatures, a voice reached out from behind him, scaring the daylights out of him.

[Are you alright, kid!? What's going on here!?](?)

Looking back and seeing a man with a crossbow and a spear dressed up in the standard armor you see on a City Guard, Michael lowered his suspicions slightly. 

"I'm here for a Quest."

[No wonder these bastards started swarming so suddenly. I cleaned up this area just yesterday. Damn, kid! You're pretty strong, aren't you!?](Guard)

"Just enough to stay alive."

[Eh? What's the green stuff?](Guard)

Just as the man pointed to the corpses of the dogs on the ground, the Cache in the Necromancer's Quest Inventory appeared on the ground and sucked the green ghostly flames in it.

"It looks like they are the werewolf spirits I was here for. That wave was enough to cover for half of what I need."

[Hmm... You seem low-leveled, so I won't stick around you; otherwise, your Quest objectives will suddenly reach Level 50. Good luck, kid! Stay alive!](Guard)

Seeing the man leave without looking back, Michael scratched his head and wasn't sure if these City Guards were reliable or not.

In the end, he gathered the gold and walked further into the white circle on the MAP, hoping to find more werewolves. 

After all, the Quest was only halfway done.

[ Side Quest update - Hungering Bone Cache

Objective: Collect death anima from the Werewolves: 50%]

About half an hour later, he was back in Nevesk and using the Waypoint to teleport back to Kyovashad.

"Let's see... I gained a total of 480 experience points and 529 gold coins. Not a bad haul."

Not only that, but with the Quest complete, he finally leveled up.

[ Quest complete - 'Hungering Bone Cache'

Reward 1: 2,600 experience points.

Reward 2: 860 Gold coins.

Reward 3: Unlocked Bone Hungering Cache. ]

As the scenery around him changed and he found himself back in the plaza of Kyovashad, he rubbed his empty stomach and walked toward the Inn.

'Judging by the time, it should be around noon. I'll grab lunch and then head North for the Exorcist Cache.'

Smiling at his experience bar, already showing 2,286/3,640, Michael walked toward the Sleepy Peaks Inn to get something to eat.

Raskya raised an eyebrow when she saw him but said nothing and walked toward the kitchen to order some food for him.

[Back already?](Aybdah)

"Yup. Just finished a Quest, and I decided to take a break before heading for the next."

[Damn! You're living quite good, aren't you?](Aybdah)

"Not as good as you think. Almost died a couple of times in the past few days."

[I guess it's not that easy getting Preferential Treatment, huh? What about your level?](Aybdah)

"Almost 18."

[Fuck! That fast!?](Aybdah)

"What can I say? With danger comes opportunities."

Michael could see jealousy and uncertainty on the guy's face, but he didn't bother inviting him to Quest together. 

They all made their decisions back then, so there was no point in regretting it now.