Arknightcraft Modpack - Chapter 18: Tempting, in Various Senses

The small village was crowded with peculiar-looking creatures, and at some point, it seemed to be bursting with them. Some had even climbed to the rooftops, their wriggling movements creating a continuous rustling sound, indicating their vast numbers.

Steven didn’t feel unfamiliar with this group of creatures, although they differed in appearance from the monsters he had encountered before. Nevertheless, their ugliness prompted Steven to categorize them together.

The previous ones were some sort of combination of fish and octopus, but what about this time? Some kind of curious eggs?

However, the excessive number of them left Steven speechless. He had only witnessed such a scene when playing with both the “Zombie Will” and “Monster Siege” mods simultaneously.

Oh, of course, the last few days of the Hundred Days’ Apocalypse didn’t count. Compared to that, these were somewhat minor incidents.

“How do they manage to move on land using fins clearly meant for swimming?”

Even at this point, Steven couldn’t help but comment. He understood the logic, but the sight of these creatures, clearly meant for the ocean, awkwardly maneuvering on land was still somewhat baffling.

It was one thing for those creatures with tentacles similar to octopus arms to move by wriggling, but those with the lower body resembling a fish just hopping around aimlessly, didn’t they feel uncomfortable?

“Do you think it’s the right time to be concerned about such things?”

Eilene, the Inquisitor, looked solemnly at the creatures blocking the road. It was the first time she had witnessed such a bizarre scene. Normally, these “Sea Terror” would conceal themselves. Their mass appearance like this was definitely abnormal.

More importantly, judging from the actions of these Sea Terror, they were clearly targeting them. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have surrounded them before Eilene’s superior even issued a warning.

She had already carefully inspected the village before. While it did have some connection to the Deep Sea Church, it shouldn’t have reached this extent.

If the Deep Sea Church could achieve this level of control, then they would have seized power in Iberia long ago, rather than the Inquisition.

To put it simply, the target of this group of Sea Terror, who clearly gathered for some purpose, was already obvious.

It was either the village chief who had lost combat ability or the young man beside her, who was chatting away without a hint of fear, along with the white-haired girl next to him.

Although, in a sense, their positions were not low, they were far from being targeted to this extent.

“So what should I do? Should I whimper and hide behind you, seeking your protection?”

Steven shrugged. The number of these monsters was terrifying. Without activating additional modpack, Steven didn’t want to confront them head-on.

Even facing ten thousand pigs would tire out a few people, let alone this group of ugly but strong monsters.

The key point was, these guys didn’t look like they were carrying anything good.

After all, they were just cannon fodder.

The High Inquisitor raised the lantern in his hand, and the light emanating from it caused the vanguard of monsters to stop in their tracks. However, even though the monsters in the front stopped, those behind continued to push them forward. Breaking through the defense line was only a matter of time.

“We need to find a way to break out.”

Making the most rational judgment for the current situation, Dario looked towards Eilene and conveyed his plan to her.

“You take Mr. Steven and his companions and break through from behind. I’ll cover your retreat.”

These Sea Terror individuals weren’t particularly formidable on their own; the only threat they posed was their numbers. For both Dario and Eilene, completely wiping them out might not be feasible, but simply breaking through wouldn’t be too difficult.

However, to Dario’s surprise, the petite girl, Liboli, didn’t immediately follow his command as usual.

“Sir, what about the villagers here?”

Observing the terrifying sight of Sea Terror filling the streets, although they didn’t seem to be targeting those hiding behind closed doors for now, Eilene couldn’t guarantee that they wouldn’t harm the innocent bystanders once they lost their primary target.

While most of the villagers in this village might be suspected of colluding with the Deep Sea Church, as long as there was one person who was still a citizen of Iberia, Eilene felt responsible as a Inquisitor to protect them.

“You know most of them are probably guilty.”

After pondering for a moment, Dario didn’t insist on his decision but stated a fact.

“Until they’ve been judged by the Inquisition, no one can claim there are no innocent people among them. As a Inquisitor, we should be responsible for every person on Iberian soil, isn’t that what our teacher taught us?”

The girl also raised the lantern at her waist, her delicate face filled with determination.

“…”

“Stick to your principles; that’s good. So you should take them and leave.”

After a brief silence, a hint of satisfaction appeared in the eyes hidden behind the mask of the man.

“That’s right. Haven’t you realized, these monsters are obviously coming for me and my companions? As long as we leave, the main force of these monsters will follow us, right?”

Standing beside the High Inquisitor, Steven, examining the structure of the lantern in his hand, interjected at the right moment. He felt that the High Inquisitor had already thought of this point. His previous statement was simply a test for this girl.

In essence, it was educating the younger generation, but from the results, it seemed quite effective.

As for the target of this group they called Sea Terror, there was no need to mention it. While others might deceive, the desire for Gladiia in those ugly eyes couldn’t deceive anyone.

From the moment they appeared, Steven guessed that their target was the amnesiac girl, Gladiia, beside him.

Well, she was indeed a real temptation. Steven had only known her for so long, and already, three waves of guys interested in her had appeared.

Moreover, not only in the broad sense, Gladiia was indeed quite alluring.

Steven pursed his lips, feeling like there was a faint lingering fragrance in his mouth.

“Let’s go. For the so-called need to protect every citizen of Iberia, as well as the safety of the esteemed High Inquisitor, let’s honestly lead these guys to a more open and deserted place, right?”

Steven urged this stubborn little bird with a helpless expression. He was still hoping to lure out the elites or bosses behind these monsters. In such narrow terrain in the village, he couldn’t really fight with all his strength.