Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Chapter 11 Contact (2)
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My head throbbed with a deep gong-like ring.
The unfamiliar echo brought on dizziness, but fortunately, it faded after a short while.
“Wouldn’t it be better to wait until Axel wakes up? There’s a barrier, too…”
“We can’t rely too heavily on a man whose identity we don’t know.”
From that moment, their conversation started to make sense.
“But he saved us…”
“Raoul, this isn’t a place where an Ain could wander alone.”
“…There are survivor villages in contaminated zones. It’s possible survivors who drifted in from other countries have settled nearby.”
“That’s a possibility. But it doesn’t hurt to be suspicious.”
“Do you think he tracked us with some special motive?”
“We won’t forget the grace of being saved, but we can’t let our guard down.”
The language reaching my ears was still foreign, but its meaning automatically translated in my mind.
“…Amazing.”
At my quiet mutter, the man and woman whipped around toward me with a sharp whoosh.
“You speak Tenir?… No, magic?”
Instead of answering, I removed the earring from my ear and tossed it toward the woman.
Her eyes widened as she snatched the fingernail-sized earring out of the air.
She even tried putting it in her own ear.
“It’s a magic tool. Why didn’t you use it sooner?”
This time too, the foreign language translated itself in my head.
‘This is really amazing.’
Is it only usable in this world? Does it translate foreign languages on Earth too?
While I pondered alone, the woman handed the earring back.
Catching the arcing object was easy.
I put the earring back on and answered her question.
“It just came into existence.”
“…Just now?”
“If I explain, are you planning to believe me?”
The woman didn’t give a clear answer. Paradoxically, that vagueness was the answer.
Was she deliberately showing her hand because she had no intention of hiding it?
Or did it slip out because she didn’t know how to hide it?
I fiddled with my stinging, pierced earlobe and stared straight at the woman.
She met my gaze squarely for a moment before speaking in a much softer voice.
“If my words or actions offended you, I apologize.”
I hadn’t expected an apology right away, so I felt awkward instead.
“Not particularly offended.”
“That’s a relief. Then let’s introduce ourselves properly. I’m Lashar Bennet. I won’t forget the favor you did saving my subordinates.”
“I’m Raoul Teherma. Thank you so much for saving us.”
The navy-haired man tending to the injured gave a brief introduction as well.
Afterward, the two stared at me silently, as if saying it was my turn.
For a split second, I considered giving my real name but changed my mind.
“K.”
“K, now that the language barrier is resolved, there’s something I’d like to clarify for sure.”
“What?”
“Why you saved my subordinates.”
Instead of answering immediately, I stayed silent for a moment.
I was wondering how to even begin the story.
System, other dimensions, missions… All of it sounded too unrealistic for a first meeting.
‘If I say it, they’ll just think I’m crazy.’
As my hesitation dragged on, Lashar spoke in a calm tone.
“If we share the facts with each other, we can minimize misunderstandings and conflicts. I swear to set aside prejudices to understand your position.”
Those words could just be empty platitudes.
But both Lashar and I knew that in our current situation, even empty words were the best option.
‘The system designated them as allies.’
Unlike its explicit declaration that monsters are enemies.
‘Of course, that doesn’t mean I can trust allies completely.’
Unlike the monsters that charged at first sight, I had a chance to build a relationship with these people.
“Because I was told to save you.”
To get off on the right foot, it seemed best to tell the truth.
“…By whom?”
“The one who brought me here.”
“Here?”
“A world with two moons, in that guy’s words, the New World.”
As I recited the title of the mission I’d just cleared, Lashar and Raoul flinched simultaneously.
They exchanged glances before saying something I hadn’t expected.
“Could you be… an outsider?”
My eyebrows shot up high.
Outsider—what could describe my situation better?
“You’ve met someone like me before?”
Even as I probed, I thought it unlikely.
There couldn’t be any players who’d made contact here before me.
Everyone else was still stuck at levels 1 or 2, where the barriers hadn’t broken yet.
No sooner had I asked than Lashar shook her head.
“This is the first time I’ve seen one in person.”
Her expression looked quite complicated. Mine probably wasn’t much different.
If this was the first time seeing one in person, that meant she’d heard about it indirectly? From whom?
“I’d like a detailed explanation.”
Lashar fell deep into thought for quite a while.
But the answer she gave after the long silence was more decisive than I expected.
“Impossible.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m not convinced you’re an outsider. It doesn’t seem like a good choice to share information with someone I can’t trust.”
“…What if you explain while leaving out the important details?”
Lashar, who had lowered her gaze slightly in contemplation, spoke in a more cautious tone.
“You don’t know?”
“Know what?”
“Several years ago… an oracle came down. It said an outsider would come.”
The conversation veered in a direction I hadn’t anticipated.
‘An oracle?’
Was religion involved?
Even on Earth, religious issues had sparked massive historical fires.
Without knowing the value or weight religion held in this world, caution was necessary.
‘The fact that she mentions an oracle so casually suggests it has tremendous influence…’
That meant I couldn’t take it lightly on a whim.
One misstep, and I could end up in all sorts of trouble.
In the worst case, labeled a heretic or pagan and burned at the stake in a gruesome bad end.
‘I’d like to avoid dying like a dog.’
To avoid tragedy, I needed more information.
“Anything else?”
“I can’t say because I don’t trust you.”
But it wasn’t as easy as I hoped.
Lashar shook her head with unyielding resolve, leaving no room for negotiation.
I clicked my tongue inwardly but decided to back off.
‘Pushing too hard and earning resentment might be worse than taking it slow.’
No point in being persistent when she’d drawn such a hard line.
“No choice then.”
“Then may I ask about the things I’m curious about?”
“Go ahead.”
As I shrugged, Lashar glanced at my waist.
“Why are you carrying that shield around?”
For some reason, her voice had dropped lower.
Her golden eyes seemed sharper too.
It looked like this shield wasn’t something welcome.
Following her gaze downward, I answered.
“Complicated circumstances.”
“I’ll try to understand without prejudice.”
“…The ultimate goal is destruction.”
“Why not now? If you can’t do it, I will.”
Lashar drew the sword from her waist before finishing her sentence.
That was all. Just drawing the sword.
Yet the pressure was immense.
Srrring.
The blade’s whine felt eerily chilling.
‘Don’t flinch.’
I carefully managed my expression and replied.
“That would be a problem. I’ll handle it myself when the time comes, so don’t worry.”
It was a vague answer. To hide the medium’s destruction or the mission, this was best.
I didn’t want to reveal that destroying it might send me back to where I came from.
They were hiding things too—why shouldn’t I?
Since I couldn’t trust them blindly either, it was necessary to conceal and package appropriately without lying outright.
But Lashar’s gaze on the shield was intense.
So I quickly added,
“Don’t glare like that. I have no bad intentions.”
“Absence of malice doesn’t mean absence of evil deeds.”
It was a suspicious remark, but I didn’t argue.
‘She’s not wrong.’
After a moment’s thought, I pointed at the shield and asked.
“Is this a dangerous item?”
To prevent ignorance or innocence leading to evil, I just needed to know what it was.
“…You don’t know about Meseo?”
“The name I know is ‘medium.’ Other than that, just that mana is pooled in it.”
Lashar glanced at the shield again and continued her explanation in a flat tone.
“Monsters gather where a Meseo forms. The survivor of the subsequent slaughter fest becomes an evolved species. Is that explanation sufficient?”
Swamp, small crocodiles, large crocodile—the phenomena I’d seen and experienced fell neatly into place.
‘Evolved species.’
That was the moment my guess that this medium created the massive crocodile turned to certainty.
It had probably absorbed the mana pooled here. Like players do.
“…How long does it usually take for monsters to gather?”
My voice came out slightly hoarse. I cleared my throat with a rumble, and Lashar’s answer followed.
“The shortest response was 14 hours. Monsters assembled 14 hours after confirming the Meseo’s formation.”
“If carried around…?”
“No precedent, so I don’t know. Meseo are usually destroyed immediately upon discovery.”
It had been about 4 or 5 hours since I arrived in this forest.
‘Still safe for now?’
What if I stayed here longer?
Would it turn into a monster den like that swamp?
I calmed myself and asked.
“I’ve been carrying this for 5 days straight. But no monsters gathered.”
“Good luck so far doesn’t guarantee it’ll continue.”
“How many monsters exactly gather?”
“…You really don’t seem from this world. First tens, then hundreds, then thousands.”
As Lashar’s words lengthened, the mission list numbers filled my vision.
“The longer it takes, the more they multiply, until no Ain can even set foot nearby.”
Goosebumps prickled across my skin. I knew there were thousands of missions at level 3 and above.
Even now, evolved species in those countless mission zones were absorbing mana and growing stronger.
“Nothing else you’re curious about?”
“Huh? Oh… wait a sec.”
Hoo.
I took a deep breath, and my stalled mind started turning again.
“Do you know about ‘holes’?”
“No.”
Around then, I set aside the words “medium” and “evolved species.”
Nothing more to dig here, so time for other questions.
I pulled out the usage ticket from my pocket and read the text from the system window.
“Then you must know what the ‘Power of Pinelpenia’ is.”
The two’s wide-eyed expressions answered for them.
“What is that?”
Lashar and Raoul quickly exchanged glances.
“You received a… power?”
Why so cautious? They seemed tense for some reason.
I observed their reactions closely while nodding.
“It’s single-use, though.”
“Single-use?”
“Can only be used once.”
“Ah, then it’s a blessing.”
What was this now? As I frowned, Lashar extended her hand.
“If you really are an outsider, seeing it directly would be faster than words.”
I stared silently at her outstretched hand for a moment.
Lashar simply waited without urging.
Perhaps because that silence felt comfortable?
Of my own will, I took Lashar’s hand.
Of course, there was logical reasoning behind the action.
‘There’s no way a system reward would be dangerous.’
Missions had been tough sometimes, rewards absurd other times.
But it had never harmed me—that was certain.
Holding Lashar’s hand, I used the Power of Pinelpenia usage ticket.
At first, it felt repulsive.
Things I wasn’t supposed to know were forcing their way into my head.
The problem was I had no clue what they were.
My head felt like it might split, yet also refreshingly clear in a way I’d never felt.
As that sensation repeated, I could start distinguishing.
It was like photos, or videos.
‘Records… that’s it.’
Yes, what entered my head were records.
Specifically, the past from the perspective of someone named Lashar Bennet.
What I could see was fragmentary.
Papers densely packed with text and maps, swinging a sword, groups of people gathered with grave expressions in long discussions.
Each time Lashar’s reflection appeared in a window, the trees beyond changed. Seasons shifting.
Around then, Lashar donned a hood with others and stepped onto a glowing blue diagram.
Soon, shadows bustled in a dark cave-like place.
Naked people, chained and limp, children with innocent faces just staring.
Lashar hurried them along or carried them as she ran.
Then the limp people stepped onto the blue diagram and vanished.
New people stepped on and vanished, the process repeating.
‘That…’
The moment I understood how Lashar’s group had appeared flashing from the sky.
In the world underlying this game, spatial transfer was apparently real.
Makes sense— that’s why the shop has skip techniques.
‘A rescue operation?’
Judging by results, the operation was close to success.
After the people, Lashar’s group infiltrated the cave and began ascending to the diagram one by one.
Not a perfect success, though.
Before the last dozen or so could escape, the floor diagram shattered.
‘Raoul and the orange-haired one…’
The people I’d saved were among that group.
No sooner had I recognized the familiar faces than the ground flipped, and afterward, I couldn’t properly read the records.