Chapter 172: Chapter 172: The Too-Short Bath Towel
At once, Charles’s expression grew tense, while Theresa arched an eyebrow, the corners of her mouth curling into a sly smile. "Looks like, Master, you have no choice but to go over there now."
As she spoke, before Charles could give any order, she pressed a hand to her forehead in mock distress. "Oh, I feel so faint all of a sudden... Master, I’m unable to fight. You’d best go save those poor girls yourself!"
Charles could only shake his head helplessly, pinching her arm as he stood, strapping on his night vision goggles and moving off in their direction. "Fine, I’ll go. You come along too!"
Only then did Theresa rise, following after Charles in the direction Anno and Hattie had gone. Nidalee, who had been playing the role of silent observer, also got up, deliberately lagging behind before heading that way herself.
Ahead, Charles burst through the deep woods—only to find two pale figures stumbling backward and screaming, hastily trying to cover themselves. It was none other than Hattie and Anno, who had come here to bathe.
Their luck, one could say, was both good and bad: after so long searching, the demons had finally revealed a trace; but fate had conspired for them to show up precisely while the girls were bathing...
Thankfully, there were no outsiders here, and the dusk was deep enough... Well, in truth, no amount of darkness helped at all. With his night vision goggles, Charles could see every detail of the two naked bodies as clearly as at high noon.
Hattie’s naked body was a familiar sight, wild forest setting or no, it made no difference. But this was Charles’s first time seeing Anno so exposed, her delicate figure seemingly sculpted by a divine hand, without the slightest imperfection. Toned muscle lines shimmered faintly beneath alabaster skin—athletic, yet still tender and soft, radiating a breathtaking charisma.
Even with just a fleeting glance, Charles found it almost impossible to look away. His heart thundered, and it took all his strength to shift his gaze off Anno’s bare form and toward the demons surging out of the forest shadows.
Only then did he breathe a small sigh of relief.
So that’s all it was—a handful of Dretch.
Dretch, among the lowest-ranked demons of the Infinite Layers of the Abyss—just above the Manes. Averaging less than four feet in height, roughly humanoid but sporting huge, wet nostrils and sickly, pustule-green flesh.
Their arms were thick and long—thicker even than their legs, with massive claws dragging on the earth. Yet, if you thought their claws were the deadliest threat, you’d be gravely mistaken.
Their bodies stored deadly, nauseating gas. It remained hidden until battle, when it would erupt from their nostrils. Ordinary people, upon inhaling even a whiff, would be so overtaken by disgust they could barely stand, much less fight—easy prey for the creatures.
Faced with these revolting demons of the Abyss, Charles’s face twisted in disgust—not because they were a real threat, but because they were so sickening.
Quickly, he slipped on his mask, retreating several steps, intending to destroy them from afar with an Eldritch Blast. But just as he lifted his hand, he hesitated.
Disgusting as they were, these Dretch could be purified—possibly granting him more Purification Points.
Considering he had less than a thousand left—and that any monastery upgrade or personal level up would require ten thousand Purification Points—Charles gritted his teeth.
Opportunities like this were rare. Every point counts—forget ranged attacks, time for melee combat and hands-on purification!
Decision made, he muttered an incantation and slapped a 4th-level False Life on himself, then strode forward boldly.
The Dretch at the front waddled toward him. Upon spotting Charles, the demon lifted its chin, its expression of surprise made even sillier by those enormous nostrils.
Then, with a sudden inhale and—poof!
A thick, green cloud of poison gas erupted from its nostrils, filling the air with a foul stench. Charles’s face contorted instantly, every sense screaming a warning to vomit.
To hell with this!
He cursed inwardly, held back his nausea, pushed forward with a glowing palm of purified white light. "Purified!"
Buzz—
Milky light surged into the Dretch’s body. The beast tried to lift a claw in weak resistance, but the purification took less than two seconds. The demon dissolved into nothingness, not a trace left behind.
But the rank odor remained, and the air was completely still—no wind at all beneath the trees. Before Charles could catch his breath, he saw three more Dretch emerging from three directions, each opening its mouth with a deep inhale.
He had no choice but to hold his breath and lunge at the one directly ahead, the closest to him. The other two circled, spewing toxic mist as their massive claws lashed at his thighs and hips.
Behind him, Hattie and Anno scrambled away, now joined by Theresa. Anno, truly panicked and without her sword, couldn’t manage even a single Divine Smite. Even the weakest Dretch would be out of reach for her.
Should she be surrounded by the demons, there was no question: her body would be fully exposed to Charles’s view—and she was nowhere near ready for that.
A maiden’s modesty sent Anno into a panicked flurry, dragging Hattie as she fled. But Hattie’s terror was just an act—her spellcasting alone was more than enough to destroy any Dretch. And as for baring her body—even Charles had explored her inside and out; any shyness was long forgotten.
Theresa pulled two pristine white bath towels from her Bag of Holding, wrapping one around each girl. "No need to panic. It’s just a few Dretches. Priest Charles will take care of them."
Only then did Anno regain her composure, glancing anxiously into the forest shadows. "Will Priest be all right? Should we go help—uh..."
She glanced down at herself, face instantly flushing. The towel was extremely short, barely able to cover her most vital spots. Her chest and upper thighs were exposed; to fight in this state would mean an inevitable wardrobe malfunction.
To make matters worse, something about this partial exposure seemed even more tantalizing than complete nudity...
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