NOVEL WEB Chapter 540: Planning and Opportunity
[Wait, I can explain!]
His gaze hardens.
"That means you went in there and got yourself a Gu. How did you pass the earlier test?"
[That...He kept asking questions about if I tried to destroy the barrier. The thing is, I was just stuck and…]
"You did it by mistake?!"
[Yes…]
"Normally, this would be impossible. But if it's you, I can somehow believe it. What about the powerful Gu ancestors?"
[I've seen a few small Gus but no Gu ancestor at all.]
I vividly remember the sect leader's Gu. It was way more intimidating than the little ones I killed in the cave, so they really weren't Gu ancestors.
"What about this one?"
[Are you sure it's one? I mean, just look at it. It looks harmless, doesn't it? This one is Leaf. Say hello!]
The small Gu bows slightly. My friend shows shock, but then he shrugs and looks at me in wonder. Then he sighs.
"I can understand the confusion. It seems to be a very rare exception, like my own invisible killer. You were really lucky to encounter one so peaceful. Then again, I'm betting it doesn't matter much to you with your resistance."
I nod without making a fuss. An exception explains it I guess.
"I'm just curious what its means of defense are."
[Leaf, is it true? Can you show us?]
That is when the small brown insect opens its wings, revealing a curled-up stinger and spikes underneath that look extremely sharp. Then it opens its small mouth, and many rows of deadly teeth can be seen. Wow!
But then, as if it was but a lie, it returns to its previous appearance. My friend is sweating and trembling a bit. I guess I somehow stumbled over a rare and valuable Gu.
[Alright, what do we do now? I want to help and repair the barrier.]
"It's too late for that. Far too late. But I may just have an idea."
[Shoot!]
"The main reason why these Gus are in another area altogether is that they are too powerful and proud to be tamed. That's the whole reason why the contract happened."
[So, what do we do?]
"We somehow bring them out and try taming them!"
[I'm listening.]
"First, we use your perverse poison resistance to attract their attention. Then we'll capture them and have them follow us obediently. Best if we can grab many at once. If any refuses to cooperate, we'll kill it to make an example."
[Aren't these Gus supposed to be valuable? Can we really kill them so easily?]
"It's better to have dead Gu ancestors than living ones that may stab us in the back at any given moment."
He has a point.
[Still, what do we do about the house arrest?]
"We wait. They can't keep us in here forever. Soon we'll go explore it all."
[Wait, won't they be at risk if they head in there?]
"Not really. These Gus are subjects of the Eternal Gu Breeder. This means that they won't kill his champions easily. They'll be fine."
Wow, the more you know. It appears strange to me. Somehow, they are all subjects of the same god, but they won't simply work in harmony. It's such a waste, really.
This is something I need to make sure never happens. Infighting is the worst. That's when we hear a knocking sound.
*Knock Kock*
[Who's there?]
The door opens to reveal...the sect leader?! What is he doing here? My friend slightly bows his head as a sign of respect. As for the guards that were at guarding the place, they are nowhere to be seen.
"Sect leader!"
"I've heard about our situation. You've been wandering around the sect subtly buying Gus. You've lost the ones you had, didn't you?"
My friend barely hesitates before he nods in the affirmative.
"You should know that this alone should be enough to disqualify you as a champion, right?"
Is it that serious?! Why is he telling us that calmly? My friend is calm too for some reason.
"I'll give you a chance. Follow me, both of you."
He leads us for a while. I lose track of where we are after many twists and turns. Eventually, we reach a sturdy-looking door in the rock. This place seems special, judging by my friend's reaction at least.
The leader starts to open the door. That's when tons of Gus try and exit all at once, but the dragon-looking Gu scares them all away. I swear, this dragon Gu can roar!
He gestures us to enter. The interior is dark and somehow humid a bit. So are we just supposed to wander around here? Just as I'm wondering that, I hear a faint whisper behind us.
"Well, good luck to you both. May the Eternal Gu Breeder decide your fate."
That's when his Dragon-Gu flies forward at insane speed! I can barely blink that I feel pain course through my body. This thing just bit me! Why?!
Then it does the same to my friend before flying away extremely fast once more. On that note, the man slams the door shut. I can even hear some kind of lock being put in place.
What the Hell just happened?! But that's when I see my friend topple to the ground. Oh no! He looks like a puppet with its string cut.
[Hey, are you alright?!]
I kneel next to him and start healing him, but that's when tons of Gus start flying toward us. Small and medium ones violently start biting him.
[Get away from him!]
They are so numerous! I can't physically stop them all. I keep pumping divine energy, but he's getting poisoned as fast as I can heal him. That's when the small fruit fly comes forward and valiantly starts to defend us.
It starts slaughtering the Gus left and right. But even then, they just avoid it and keep biting. Why?! What the fuck is wrong with them?! What the Hell is wrong with that leader?!
My friend is getting stung non-stop. Just as I'm starting to despair, Leaf comes out. It is so small and harmless. But as it starts screeching, all of the invading Gus stop dead in their track.
That's when they fall unmoving to the ground. How?! Wait, no. It doesn't matter right now. I keep the healing going. I pump as much divine energy as I can safely do.
[Come back to us! Don't go toward the light! Turn back and…]
"What light? This place is the Gu rearing land. There is no light…"
He gives me a small smile as he jokingly answers me. He's conscious. He's fine! I can feel my entire body relax.
I have no clue what is going on right now, but it's all good as long as we are all safe.
[You're alright! This is great. I got worried for a second.]
He seems pensive.
[What the heck happened exactly?]
He looks at me solemnly.
"It means that the Eternal Gu Breeder wants me dead. You, my friend, have just thwarted the plan of a godly being."
What?! Holy shit! …