**Chapter Ninety-Four: Outer Cloister**
No, that's not right.
I stopped laughing—it seemed a battle had just taken place ahead. That group of Tiyah carried some injuries, more or less, and scattered nearby them were several Corpses. Most were of the same type of Monster, but the only different one was actually a Human???
I immediately gave Light Snow and the others orders. The five wolves and the vine immediately pounced towards that group of Tiyah. This group of Tiyah, whose name sounded like it carried a bit of Holy feeling, were in reality just the second evolutionary form of Giant Beasts. They looked like enlarged versions of ferocious gorillas. Perhaps thanks to the Monastery, they got such an unfitting name.
While Light Snow and the others were fighting, I carefully surveyed the Battlefield. There were a total of over ten Corpses on the ground. Among them, the Human Corpse was still holding a Bow and Arrow in his hand. Judging by his Appearance, he should be a Rogue Archer. His death was extremely tragic; his lower body had been smashed to a pulp. Needless to say, the ones capable of such Strength were undoubtedly that group of Tiyah.
As for the rest, they were all Corpses of Dark Stalkers. Among them, there was even an Elite. These Dark Stalkers, like the Rogue Archer, also died in a very gruesome manner; basically, their entire bodies had been smashed into a bloody mess.
Why was there only one Rogue Mercenary here? Given a Mercenary's Strength, it's absolutely impossible for them to undergo Trial alone. And what was the deal with these Dark Stalkers?
After thinking carefully, the likely reason might be that an Adventurer Team first accidentally encountered this group of Dark Stalkers. Unexpectedly, there was an Elite among them, so they couldn't defeat them and fled. This Rogue likely volunteered to act as a decoy to lure the Dark Stalkers away. Unexpectedly, during the escape, they encountered a group of Tiyah here. Under a pincer attack, this Rogue Archer immediately died, while the Dark Stalkers who followed continued to battle with the Tiyah. The battle finally ended with the Tiyah's victory.
Besides this possibility, I really couldn't think of any other. This way, the injuries left on this group of Tiyah also made sense. After all, although the Strength of the Dark Stalkers was far inferior to the Tiyah, their Quantity was larger, and they also had Elites. For the Tiyah to win, it wasn't that easy either.
I walked forward and carefully examined this brave Rogue. He looked to be around thirty years old, his face handsome, possessing all the characteristics fitting a Rogue's Appearance. It's just a pity...
I looked down, and after just one glance, I couldn't bear to look anymore. His lower body, from the abdomen down, was already smashed to a pulp. His two legs had almost turned into meat patties, and even his intestines were exposed from his abdomen. Blood flowed all over the ground, still warm. It seemed he had just died not long ago. If I had arrived just a moment earlier, perhaps I could have saved him.
Sigh. I let out a sigh. How many 'ifs' are there in this Act? I can only blame his bad luck. In these past few days, I've seen no shortage of Corpses left in the wilderness, nor have I buried few of them. There were even those who died more tragically. It's just that they had been dead for a long time, while the one before me... his Blood was still warm.
While observing, I also didn't forget about Light Snow and the others' battle. Actually, with Poison Creeper and Light Snow present, this battle actually had no suspense at all. Before long, with the fall of that Elite Level Tiyah, the battle also ended.
The Elite Tiyah dropped a blue Hat. I used Identify on it and saw, damn, it was a Jackal's Hat. Its Stats were +4 Life. It really had the same wonderful effect as those +10 Accuracy or similar Stats. In a word, Junk Stats...
That Elite Level Dark Stalker, because it was killed by the Tiyah, didn't drop anything good, just a few Potions and some Gold Coins.
After collecting all the Items on the ground, I suppressed my nausea and was about to bury this Rogue. Unexpectedly, just as I touched him, his eyelid actually moved slightly. I was startled. My first reaction was that he was reanimating. My second reaction was that he had been corrupted by Infernal Power and turned into a Monster, but he had just died not long ago, there was no reason for it to be so fast.
When I saw his hazy Gaze through the Crevice, my third reaction was to immediately pull out a Full Rejuvenation Potion from my Inventory. However, I then shook my head; it was useless. His Life had actually already reached zero. Even a Full Rejuvenation Potion couldn't save him. The trace of Life Aura still remaining now should be a phenomenon of a final surge of vitality. It could only be attributed to his powerful Vitality and extraordinary Perseverance.
"Any last words..." I patted his cheek and said softly.
His remaining consciousness seemed to sense someone nearby. He tried hard to open his eyelids, but ultimately failed. Only drops of tears flowed from his squinting eyes.
"This... this Bow and Arrow..."
He slightly parted his dry lips and said intermittently in a hazy voice. Even with my hearing, I only heard a little. Then, his voice became low again.
"Hey, is there anything else you want to say?"
Seeing his eyelids, which he had struggled to open, droop down again, I suppressed the sadness in my heart and slapped his cheek hard again.
It seemed to have a little effect. His gradually drooping eyelids stopped, and as if he had used up all the Strength in his body, he turned his head towards me. But, seeing his slightly exposed pupils, I knew that his Gaze had begun to scatter, and he could no longer see anything clearly.
"Angel... I... see..."
A slight Smile appeared at the Corner of his mouth. His hazy voice became lower and lower, finally fading into nothingness.
This fool, in his last moment before death, still thought those Angel bastards would come to welcome him? I wiped the Teary Corner of my Eye. Forget it, looking at his peaceful face, although he was deceived by those bird people, at least, in his last moment before death, he left with a Smile.
Picking up the Bow and Arrow in his hand, it was just a Normal Hunting Bow.
I let out a sigh. My heart was filled with inexplicable sorrow and panic. After burying him in the mud outside the Monastery, lost in thought, I silently looked at the inconspicuous grave mound. After a while, I finally Calmed down and continued striding into the Monastery.
The buildings inside the Monastery were mainly white. The Walls and Stone Pillars were mostly covered with reliefs. I didn't have any deep understanding of these reliefs, but their elegant and noble style couldn't help but remind me of buildings from my original Act, like ancient Greek temples and the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Especially those towering ivory-colored Patterned Stone Pillars, which had a distinct Greek mythology feel.
The entire Monastery can roughly be divided into four areas. The first area, which is where I am now, is the Outer Court. Of course, this is just the common Statement. Its real Name is Outer Cloister. In the past, it was mainly a place to receive believers and for them to worship. Going further in from the Outer Court is the Inner Court, also called Inner Cloister. Ordinary People are not allowed to enter there; that place is mainly the Residence of the Monks and bishops in the Monastery. After the Hell Invasion, the Passage from the Outer Cloister to the Inner Cloister was blocked. Therefore, people had to enter the Inner Cloister through another road, which was the Barracks. Speaking of the Barracks, before the Hell Invasion, it was very famous. At that time, the Archbishops of past generations also seemed to understand that having the biggest Fist was the real Principle. So, using their vast financial and human resources, they established the Divine Guard, claimed to be the Strongest on the Continent. Their role was somewhat like the peacekeeping forces in the USA of my original Act. However, the Monastery's Strength at that time was much more Powerful. And this Barracks was the Residence specially built for the Divine Guard at that time.
In the deepest part of the Inner Cloister, there is also a Cemetery. Those 'Advanced Leaders' in the Monastery were buried there after death. It is said to be the place closest to Heaven, and anyone buried inside can gain rebirth in Heaven. That's bullshit. Andariel lived there for so long, why wasn't she purified?
Of course, most of the above was mentioned in Cain's Book. I just simplified it a bit and added some emphasis. It seems that old man Cain also has little fondness for the Monastery.
Elegant stone reliefs, magnificent Churches, and exquisite and spacious corridors—although I disdained it, I still had to admit that those Monks had quite good taste. Besides that, the Outer Cloister also had quite a few large Courtyards, but now they were overgrown with weeds and infested with Monsters.
The sneaky Razor Spines, which are the third evolutionary form of Quill Rats, like to ambush with their bloody bodies hidden in the Grass, shooting the hard spines on their Bodies at all nearby Creatures. While the massive Tiyah hide in Large Trees or gather in groups of three to five in a certain Corner. Once someone enters, they will be subjected to their Sneak attack without warning.
However, with Poison Creeper's warning, their Sneak attack was simply child's play to me. Once I was prepared, they were instead played around by me. Especially after Shapeshifting into Werebear Form, I felt that the Tiyah's Strength was actually similar to my own. The back-and-forth Melee Combat made me feel quite hot-blooded.
Besides that, there were also some Shaman. These guys who didn't understand elegance actually set up a broken Large Pot right next to the exquisite and magnificent Fountain, while dancing the Fallen Shaman Dance around the pot. An elegant Courtyard was thus turned into a mess by them.
When dealing with them, I never held back. The Courtyard wasn't as open as the highlands outside, so I wasn't worried about them escaping. I straightforwardly took down the Imp Sorcerers first. Then Light Snow and the others played hide-and-seek with the Shaman scurrying everywhere. That behavior, similar to hunting, seemed to have aroused their primal instincts. Chasing the Shaman around, they were actually having a great time, even forgetting about me, their Master.
Poison Creeper, being a plant-type Monster, loves to lurk in the Grass, attacking the Razor Spines hiding in the Grass. The poor Razor Spines, they never expected that the Enemy would actually come out from underground. Their attempt to ambush failed, and they were ambushed instead. Some were even directly swallowed whole by Poison Creeper, dying extremely miserably.