Unlimited Power 02 - The Ranger's Domain
Chapter 358 - Behold?

     In the end, Ryan decided to mention pretty much everything he knew about the dungeons that spawned demons. All in order to make Natasha relax and understand that he wasn't a spy or someone who wanted to cause problems in her country. Fortunately, Natasha decided to share some information as well.

"One of the level three dungeons that we have in our country is spawning a small version of the behold," Natasha said. "The creature is called Cursed Eye and can petrify those who stare too much at it or when the creature uses a skill, and that skill hits a certain part of their body."

"Behold? That creepy monster that is like a massive eyeball and has tentacles, and each tentacle has eyes?" Ryan frowned.

"Yes, that one," Natasha nodded.

"So, the boss is a Behold?" Ryan asked.

"No, it is the Medusa," Natasha replied. "The legendary monsters from the Greek mythology that could turn humans into stones."

     In the end, that didn't surprise Ryan. If Cerberus appeared to hunt him, the arrival of Medusa wouldn't scare him. Regardless, based on what Ryan discovered, he was fairly certain that Natasha and her friends didn't clear that dungeon.

"So, after humans become statues, they are revived like monsters, or they are taken to the dungeon?" Ryan asked.

"They are taken to the dungeon, and now and then, they appear to cause problems," Natasha said. "Although most of them had once been our allies, they become a real pain in the ass since they can petrify anything they touch, and even monsters of other species join them when that happens."

     Most likely, Medusa was the thing that was making humans join the monsters' side. It was pretty surprising that such a beast could have power so similar to the demons. While it seemed that Ryan will have a hard time clearing that dungeon, he still wanted to go there and create some magic weapons that can petrify monsters as well. Those certainly will be useful.

     After a while, Natasha explained that the stone humans that Ryan killed were some monsters that escaped during the last dungeon break. While most monsters were troublesome, the stone humans were even more troublesome, so they couldn't be left alone. That was why Natasha and her friends hunted them down for hundreds of kilometers.

     In the end, Ryan, Natasha, and the others arrived in a small town where they found a few dozen survivors. The name of the place was too hard for Ryan to remember, but at least the place had a feature that he could easily identify: a dungeon, and that was the one Ryan could obtain the Alchemist class. After talking with the guards near the dungeon, Natasha approached Ryan.

"It looks like the boss will only spawn tomorrow at noon. You will have to wait until then," Natasha said.

"I don't mind," Ryan said.

     Ryan almost asked if Natasha and her friends could stop and just stay in that area for so long, but in the end, that would be too suspicious. So, he just stayed quiet and followed her to a bonfire that the residents had made in the middle of the town. Although there some houses made of wood there, they weren't big enough for visitors to use. Fortunately, Furball's fur was pretty nice and warm, so he relaxed quite a lot when resting his back on his partner that quickly fell asleep. Natasha couldn't help but frown while watching Ryan so comfortable so close to such a beast.

"May I ask where do you gain the skill to tame such a monster?" Natasha asked.

"I didn't tame him. He is a summoned creature," Ryan said. "I got the skill after I obtained one of my level three classes."

     There was no need for Ryan to give so much information for free, but certain things were obvious, so he couldn't hide everything. It looked like Natasha was someone who liked animals, and since Furball looked more like an oversized wolf than a proper monster, she was greatly interested in him.

"He is that big since the beginning?" Natasha asked.

"No, he was just the size of an ordinary dog when I first summoned him, but the more he ate, the faster he grew," Ryan said. "I think he can't grow anymore than this."

     Furball was like three meters tall and six long, so he probably would cause more problems than help if he grew any more than that. Fortunately, Ryan didn't notice any growth in the last few weeks.

"He seems pretty reliable," Natasha said.

"He is, even in comparison with other summoned creatures, I can't imagine or compare anyone that looks as reliable as a Warg," Ryan said. "It is weird, but wargs and their master have something like a spiritual link that makes them understand each other, and until now, he never disobeyed a single one of my orders."

     Although the conversation seemed pretty relaxed, the guys Natasha had put to watch Ryan from behind were still as cautious as always. Not only that, Ryan felt like many more eyes were on him since he was speaking in English and didn't have a Russian accent. Despite that, nothing happened during the night, and Ryan even managed to take a few naps since Femradiel said that she could stay on guard duty.

     When morning came, Ryan walked around town with Natasha and her friends to check a few things and buy others. Although only fifty or so people were living near the dungeon, the place still had a hierarchy, so they had to talk with the heads of the place in order to explain their situation. All the talk had been done in Russian, so Ryan pretty much tagged along. The place even had a market to sell and trade magic items, but since the drops were of a tier two dungeon, Ryan didn't replace anything worthwhile.

     Fortunately, the monsters being spawned in the dungeon were earthworms, so they had plenty of meat to share. While it wasn't much, Ryan managed to make Furball a bit stronger while he waited.