Episode 16. I Picked C. (1)
It was a thought that kept resurfacing, but it still didn't sit right with him. Sure, talking about cowardice in a life-or-death situation was pointless, but what the hell was this?
Having an unbeatable powerhouse right in front of you, with hordes of people charging in, pulling off some half-baked trick that popped into their heads to try and take him down... and when that failed, borrowing someone else's hands again.
Boom!!
Aiden dodged back from the explosion erupting right in front of him. Those few retreating steps spared him the brunt of the shockwave, though the flash forced his eyes shut instinctively.
Rumble...
The entire cave shook uneasily in the explosion's aftermath. He'd reactivated Fast Travel as a precaution, ready to bolt if needed, but thankfully, nothing major happened.
Aside from the thick dust cloud blinding everything, that is.
"Hey, Aiden... you okay? You didn't get hit, right?"
Sephirah's cautious voice called from beyond the hazy veil. A charred rock fragment had flown his way, but Aiden's body didn't even have a scratch.
"Yeah, somehow."
"Means my distance calc was spot-on!"
"People who worry about that don't blow up caves in the first place."
"Huh, when you put it like that..."
Sephirah burst out from the dust like she'd been chased, not even glancing back. Spotting Aiden, she zipped over with a short-range blink.
Of course, nothing was pursuing her.
"...Or something?"
"What the hell are you doing."
"I ran fast 'cause I thought something might ambush me in the dust cloud."
Aiden just stared, and Sephirah started babbling excuses.
"You know how it is? You go into some foggy spot where you can't see shit, and poof—missing in action."
"...From there to here?"
"You wouldn't believe how common that is."
"Sure."
He had no clue, but if she said so.
"...Sigh."
Still, Sephirah wasn't entirely joking—she kept wary eyes on the lingering dust, like she was guarding against it.
Was she watching for something? Or was there another reason?
Truth be told, the dust seemed to clear unusually slowly.
'She thinks he's still alive?'
Sephirah might be overthinking it. Player instincts, probably.
He couldn't swear there was no way to survive, but if he had, he'd have shown up by now.
"...No wonder it felt too easy."
But those hopes were dashed. Aiden had to accept the bad news.
The dust settled to reveal... nothing. No blood, no debris, no corpse, no flesh, no dagger. Absolutely zilch.
88/128
Players don't always leave loot behind when they die, right? He checked the remaining player count, but it had dropped by more than two since before.
No guarantee Eldi was one of them.
"No need to check that crap. Dummy."
Sephirah poked at the UI with her small hand, cutting in.
"Remember what I told you last time? EXP from killing players."
"Couldn't forget."
"Well, today it went up when I killed players. But just now..."
She trailed off, crossing her arms and shaking her head.
EXP that always ticked up after finishing combat and confirming a kill.
If it didn't... only one reason.
"He's still alive."
Eldi had escaped even that dire spot. So stealthily, so swiftly, the system logged combat as ended.
"Aaaargh, for real!!"
Sephirah vented her rage beside him, kicking the cave wall over and over.
It barely made a sound, just hurt her foot, but she showed no sign of stopping.
"Sephirah, I get you're pissed, but..."
"I didn't even ask if you got him!!"
"Sephirah?"
"Is that guy insane? How the hell does he keep surviving?!"
Clack.
Her shoe wore thin, blood spurting from her toes. Nails cracked, naturally. Still fuming, she clenched her fists, digging nails into skin.
They said players didn't feel pain, but ignoring bodily damage like this?
"Stop."
Aiden grabbed her arm to halt her. Pulling her close revealed her shoe and toes scraped raw against rock, soaked in blood.
Seeing it herself seemed to shock her; her freakout ended there.
"Ha... so frustrating."
"Can't blame you."
"...Sorry."
"For what, kicking rocks and hurting yourself for no reason?"
"No, for letting him slip."
Aiden reached for a healing item, but Sephirah waved him off.
Wiggle.
Her mangled toes twitched. Satisfaction flickered on her face watching them.
"He probably dodged the blast and bolted down the tunnel. Fast Travel's off cooldown by now—hard to catch up. It's my fault."
"Not just that."
"No, if I'd used my wide vision to confirm properly..."
With her arm held, she vented by clenching and unclenching her free fist.
Aiden hadn't caught that, but he shook his head anyway.
"The only time that player Eldi got hit was our first attack with Claire. You saw it."
"...Yeah."
"He deflected everything else. Never-seen-before attacks aside. It was inevitable."
"Hmm... so?"
"So... it's not your fault, Sephirah."
He forced the reassuring tone she'd always wanted. He'd never seen her this genuinely pissed over a lost fight.
Sephirah turned, stared blankly, then smirked.
"Aw, thanks! Your ass-kissing skills have leveled up."
"...Just sit still and let me heal you."
"Psh, shoes aside, my body heals itself."
Calm now, she shook off his hand.
She probably couldn't imagine he'd been thrown by her outburst.
"Lemme borrow your hand real quick?"
Grab.
Sure enough, she yanked his hand to her head, forcing him to pet her.
"...?"
Aiden froze, too stunned to react. No urge to pull away or snap—what the hell?
He couldn't even process what she was doing.
"What? Why?"
Sephirah glanced back, brazen as ever, like what's the big deal?
"Oh right, this is the first time with 'current you.'"
Noticing his awkward face late, she kept his hand moving till satisfied, then explained.
"Ahaha, see, it's a habit of mine. Because..."
"..."
"Well..."
Her words faltered. She seemed to want him to nod along, but really, there was no good explanation.
Habit from grabbing random mannequin-like NPCs? VR pain off, but touch feels nice? Stuff she'd never admit, especially not to players.
"...Can't we just say I spaced out?"
"Why'd you do it?"
"Please, don't ask..."
Sephirah averted her eyes. No answer even if pressed, dodging face-to-face.
Listening close, he caught her muttering embarrassing nonstop.
"What are you even doing."
She drew close, yet... he still didn't get her at all.
Aiden couldn't figure Sephirah out.
"Loqi, how's everyone holding up?"
Chat over, they both pictured 'Loqi's spot' and triggered Fast Travel.
The biggest building in the Abandoned Residence, packed with leftover furniture.
Why head to a kid not even in the fight? Because he'd hauled every ally there, Claire included.
"...First words back are that?"
"What else?"
"Tch."
"Kidding. Good work!"
Genuine praise, spoon-fed just as he pouted.
Aiden figured it'd suffice; Loqi's scowl softened already.
Their vibe screamed daily routine banter.
"Forget okay or not... everyone's fine. No injuries at all. Minor stuff they healed themselves."
"Any badly hurt?"
"Nah, none to start with... See for yourself, why ask me?"
"Testing how much you'll answer."
"This guy's for real."
Loqi scowled anew; Sephirah beamed innocently.
Just here to tease, probably.
Aiden left them, heading to Claire.
"Whoaaa, old man!!"
Claire was by a hearth in another room, visible through the open door.
Staring blankly at dead logs, she waved lazily on spotting him.
No visible injuries.
"Hey, old man."
"We were together till just now, and it's 'hey'?"
"Anyway, hello!"
"...Hello, Claire."
Something felt off, but Aiden played along.
From experience, this was harmless teasing—no overthinking.
"Any injuries, sir?"
"None? Got lucky, not a scratch. Hands tingled a bit."
"No injuries, huh..."
"You? What about that player?"
Claire assumed success, but Aiden's answer was bitter.
"He got away."
"Eueh... for real?"
Aiden nodded.
Failure. Familiar, expected, yet never settling right—unadaptable.
Goal technically met, no deaths; success depending on view.
But...
"...Will we be okay?"
Claire voiced worry, recalling the foe's caliber.
A monster freezing all players; 'unseen attack' weakness useless twice.
Facing him again? Bad thoughts surfaced.
"No, we'll be fine."
Aiden wasn't concerned.
Remaining player count, today's outcome—put together, Eldi was no threat.
"That player never kills people."
Eldi was a strict pacifist.
