Escape
Sia instinctively shrank back.
Her whole body was shaking. Ice-cold sweat ran down her spine in a continuous, living trickle.
The Drakes before her advanced at a slow, deliberate pace, their massive bodies throwing enormous shadows across the ground. Their level was a staggering thirty-five — an absurd number. The oppressive presence they gave off existed on a completely different plane from the Totos she had been fighting until now. Even the sound of their breathing sent a freezing terror through her, as if her entire body were turning to ice.
"W-what do I do..."
Sia ran through the situation as fast as she could. Attack? Impossible. The level gap was far too wide. Run? Could she even manage it? Her mind went white.
In that interval, one of the Drakes raised its claws and swept them toward her.
"Kyaah!"
She threw herself aside and barely managed to dodge. A tremendous crash followed. The ground split open. Where the Drake's claws had come down, a massive fissure tore through the floor, leaving a deep crater behind.
If that attack had hit me...
The image flashed through her in that instant — those claws ripping her body apart. This was not idle imagination. She might actually die.
In a game, there was resurrection. You died, you came back, you tried again. But now? This was reality. It was nothing like a game. What happened when HP hit zero? What if it was truly the end?
A sensation like her body freezing solid crawled up the back of her neck. It was the fear of death. The moment the thought reached her, her heart began to hammer wildly, and a tremor ran all the way out to her fingertips.
"No — I can't...!"
She twisted her body with desperate force, barely slipping the attacks. A Drake's fangs sliced past right beside her. They had only grazed her shoulder, but the wind pressure alone made her skin sting.
A guttural roar tore through the cavern — KRAAAAAH!
The Drake's claws came crashing down once more. She twisted aside yet again, just barely, and reflexively planted her foot — and in that instant, a violent hiss erupted from the floor.
"Hyaaah!!!"
A jet of steam burst up and engulfed her. Of all the places she could have stepped, she had landed on a geothermal vent in the underground dungeon. A searing, flesh-burning heat. Sia screamed, instinctively yanking her leg up.
HP: 4 / 35
HP 4. She had only been hit by steam, and she was already at death's door. Sia gasped for air. Her legs shook beneath her, and her whole body was soaked through with cold sweat.
The Drakes began to move again, red eyes gleaming, sharp fangs bared. The moment she drew a breath, her lungs felt as if they were being crushed. She turned her head. There was no way out. If she died here, it was over. That was the conclusion her mind had already reached. There were no choices left.
She clenched her hands into fists. She bit down on her lip. Her heart slammed against her ribs. Death stood right in front of her.
Then a thought flashed through her mind.
I want to live.
"...No."
A small voice slipped from her lips.
"I don't want to die."
Once more. Stronger this time.
Sia gathered every last scrap of strength she had. On the threshold of death, she ran with everything in her.
Harsh breathing pounded in her ears. Her heart felt like it would burst. Thud. Thud. Thud. Behind her, the Drakes' footsteps thundered through the cavern. The sound of those massive bodies charging after her crushed down on her heart like a physical weight.
Fortunately, the Drakes were not as fast as she had expected. Their huge bulk seemed to keep them from changing direction quickly. Sia twisted her body and slid into a new line, vaulting over piles of stone, planting her feet on moss-slicked ground, desperately pressing forward.
"Hah... hah..."
Her breath caught high in her throat. One step. Then another. But her exhausted body would not obey her. Her feet stumbled. For a moment she lost her balance and nearly pitched forward.
If they catch me, I really die.
That thought alone wrung more strength out of her. She clung to her senses and kept running.
And then — light appeared ahead.
It was the center of the Ant Tunnel. Deep in the underground dungeon sat a food stall. Sia staggered all the way to it, then practically collapsed onto the ground. Her breath came so hard her slender shoulders heaved.
Hah... hah...
Her chest pounded. Her thighs had already reached their limit, a numb tingling running all the way to her toes. When she so much as shifted her arm, her whole body throbbed and seized with cramps.
Even so, she was alive. That fact alone was a blessing.
Then, from somewhere, a delicious smell drifted over. The savory scent of bread. The oily aroma of well-cooked meat. Her starving stomach growled even louder. Just smelling it made Sia's stomach feel like it was folding in on itself.
I want to eat...
But she had no money. Not a single coin in her pockets. In the end, Sia could not cross the stall's threshold. She could only stand there in front of the door.
She slowly lifted her head. A small food stall sat before her eyes — a place that did not belong at all in the gloomy atmosphere of an underground dungeon. The smell of golden-brown food wafted all the way outside.
Hungry...
Sia bit her lip without meaning to. Once again, her stomach growled. One step. She slowly put her foot forward. Her body swayed, but she forced herself to hold on.
The interior of the stall came faintly into view. A customer was seated inside. Sia's vision was too blurry to see clearly, but there was a girl with striking long white hair — a small, slender frame, snow-white locks flowing down as if they might touch her back. A mouthwatering hamburger sat in front of her, and she held it in her dainty little hands, carefully taking one bite, then another.
Ah... I'm so hungry...
Sia forced down saliva that simply would not go. She could see the juices running from the patty inside the burger. Cheese melted in slow, silky ribbons, binding bun to meat. With every bite the girl took, the crisp snap of fresh lettuce seemed to travel straight to Sia's own mouth. Just imagining it made her even hungrier.
But Sia understood with painful clarity that that hamburger was nothing more than a painted feast — something she could look at, and never taste. Even if she walked into the stall right now, all she would be able to do was breathe in the smell of warm food and drink water. And even that, only if she had the money to pay for Clear Water — 400 Gold.
In the end, Sia turned away. She lingered a moment at the doorway, then quietly passed the stall by. If she kept staring, she would only get hungrier.
She moved her heavy feet. The air of the underground dungeon was still damp and chilly. Hunger and exhaustion were crashing over her all at once — she had to get out of here somehow.
Then, far off, a faint blue light came into view. Sia's eyes lit up.
That was a portal. An exit she could escape through. She had been trapped deep in the underground dungeon with no idea what to do — and now, at last, she could see a way to live.
Sia was breaking into a wide smile of anticipation when she noticed something strange. It was quiet near the portal. Far too quiet. This should have been a zone where massive Drakes prowled around, but for some reason, no monsters were in sight.
And instead — something was scattered across the floor. Glittering gold coins, and Drake hides.
Sia carefully approached and looked around. Loot lay strewn here and there. Someone had clearly cleared out the monsters and moved on. Had a hunting party come through?
She hesitated for a moment, then reached out and picked up a hide. The thick leather had a tough, resilient texture. Just selling this one would probably fetch a decent price.
"...It's okay if I take this, right?"
She hesitated. Normally, this kind of thing should go to the person who had hunted it. But — Sia bit her lip. The money and miscellaneous loot scattered before her eyes. If she picked those up and sold them... she could pay back the red potion she had borrowed, buy food, and even scrape together some basic funds to live on going forward.
Sia slowly sat down on the floor and gathered the Drake hides one by one. She felt a slight pang of conscience, but these were ownerless spoils to begin with. And her situation was far too desperate to just leave such valuable things behind.
A newbie who had had to survive by borrowing potions. A fragile novice adventurer who had struggled to even kill a Toto. If she had a chance to start over even now — Sia made a firm resolution and packed the loot away piece by piece. The weight was a bit of a burden, but with every step, the heavy sway of her pouch gave her a strange sense of relief.
When Sia, her pouch stuffed full of items, carefully stood before the portal, a faintly glowing blue aura wrapped around her. She reached out a hand. It felt cold, yet soft.
"...Can I really get out?"
There was no reason to hesitate. She drew a deep breath and stepped forward.
In an instant, her vision flashed white. Her mind went hazy, and a sound like rushing wind filled her ears. Her body grew light, as if gravity itself had vanished.
And then —
"I-I finally..."
Sia stepped into the place she had been searching for so desperately. Somewhere safe. The underground village.