Chapter 28: The Worst-Case Scenario
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 28: The Worst-Case Scenario
“Sion. Are you okay?”
“Cough, cough... Huh?”
I opened my eyes to the sound of my name and found Yuria looking down at me.
When exactly did I pass out?
I guess I ended up collapsing despite drinking that tonic from the hole-in-the-wall shop. My body must have been in worse shape than I thought.
“Yuria, where are we?”
“We’re hiding inside an empty building. There are High Orcs roaming around outside.”
“Ugh...”
I managed to push myself up into a sitting position.
My eyes swept over the rest of the group. Everyone looked like they’d been through hell.
“Are there... any casualties?”
“Fortunately, everyone survived,” Rohan answered, a bandage wrapped around his head. His eyes were twitching slightly.
In one corner, Yata was examining Hachi’s back, while Lewis lay motionless, seemingly asleep.
“Hachi. How are you feeling?”
“It is bearable. I believe I shall recover soon.”
It seemed Yata’s healing magic was finally proving its worth.
“Ugh... I’m so sorry.”
“Think nothing of it. It was an unavoidable accident. Do not trouble yourself,” Hachi replied.
Horaru was tentatively watching the reactions of the other party members. The group had nearly been wiped out because he’d lost his mind to the Orc Warlock.
But I couldn't blame Horaru. It was an accident. None of us could have predicted an Orc Warlock would crawl out of there.
Moreover, he had been mentally hijacked while in a vulnerable state, remotely controlling the Garum. It was impossible to hold it against him. Horaru had done his best.
As the old labyrinth proverb goes: If you don't know, you get hit. We simply got hit because we didn't know. We had no idea the Warlock and the Slugger even existed, so naturally, we had no countermeasures.
I was just glad I had the Spiritual Eye. I was glad we weren't dead. I shouldn't ask for more than that. That would be greed.
I’ve forgiven Horaru, but I’m not sure about the others.
Reason doesn't always win out. In the realm of emotion, it’s easy to harbor resentment toward someone. There are times when you simply can't forgive someone, even when you know it wasn't their fault. People need someone to blame—a target for their overflowing rage.
“Is everyone hungry? Let’s get some food in us.”
A full stomach naturally softens the heart. I pulled some pre-made sandwiches out of my inventory. I chose food with minimal scent, knowing that the High Orcs’ hounds would pinpoint our location if the smell was too strong.
“Your subspace pocket really does have everything, doesn't it?”
“Mr. Lewis. I thought you were sleeping?”
“I was meditating. My mana is severely depleted. I squeezed out every last drop. Look, see how my hands are shaking?”
“Whoa.”
Lewis’s hands were trembling violently, like someone with a severe palsy. If mana depletion persists, it leads to dizziness and tremors; in extreme cases, it can even be fatal.
“This is delicious.”
“Eat up. You can have two each.”
“Hey, Sion.”
“Yeah?”
“Give me one more.”
“You already had two.”
“So? Are you not going to give me another?”
Yuria looked up at me with a cute, pleading expression. I guess two sandwiches weren't nearly enough for her. Then again, she had faced an Orc Slugger all by herself. It made sense she’d be starving.
“Here.”
“Thanks!”
Yuria wolfed down her third sandwich. Front-line combatants burn a lot of calories. She needed to eat a lot to maintain her strength.
“But Sion.”
“Yeah?”
“That thing... earlier...”
After swallowing the last of her sandwich, Yuria asked about the power I had used. Strictly speaking, it wasn't my power. It was merely the result of lending my body to the Great Warrior Shaka.
How should I explain this?
I pondered for a moment.
“If it’s hard to talk about, you don’t have to tell us.”
“It’s not that it’s a secret. It’s just... well, it’s hard to explain.”
Should I lie and say I made a deal with an earthbound spirit of the labyrinth right before I died?
No, that’s not a good idea.
Hachi was a monk and Yata was also a religious person. Telling them I’d made a deal with the dead wouldn't sit well with them.
“I saw something right before I was about to die. I lost consciousness for a moment, and when I opened my eyes, it was all over.”
“Hmm. So you’re saying you don’t remember exactly what happened?”
“Yes. I think... it might be because of the Spiritual Eye. I’m not entirely sure myself.”
“The Spiritual Eye. Right. You did have that ability.”
“What are you talking about? This is the first I’ve heard of it,” Lewis chimed in, demanding to know what the Spiritual Eye was.
I wasn't obligated to answer, but since Lewis had shared his own ability with me before, I decided to return the favor.
“So it allows you to see what cannot be seen.”
“Yes. But it’s an ability I can’t use at will.”
“A conditional activation. It only triggers on the brink of life and death? I see. A peculiar ability indeed. Hey, Yata. Have you ever heard of the Spiritual Eye?”
“Uh... it’s the first time I’ve heard of it too...”
“Horaru. How about you?”
“Mmm... Spiritual Eye. I don’t know it.”
Yata and Horaru both claimed to know nothing about it. It certainly wasn't a common Demon Eye. The well-known ones were the Demon Eye of Temptation, Petrification, or Identification.
The Spiritual Eye was obscure. Even the Guild Master couldn't properly identify it, and even Lafnel, whose age was a mystery, couldn't give me a proper explanation.
“Regardless, we’re alive thanks to you. You have my gratitude.”
Lewis bowed his head in thanks.
“Don’t mention it.”
I waved it off. Anyone in that situation would have struggled desperately to survive.
If only I could have prepared for the Warlock and Slugger’s attacks in advance. Then I wouldn't have had to push my body this far.
This crisis was born of ignorance. But now, I had knowledge of them. Now that I’d analyzed the enemy, I could prepare countermeasures for the next visit.
Knowledge of the Warlock and the Slugger.
This was information that had forced its way into my mind when the Great Warrior Shaka borrowed my body. Originally, I didn't even know their names and just called them a warlock and a warrior, but now I knew their proper titles.
And the fact that a Slugger with monstrous strength and a black magic-wielding Warlock have appeared means...
It means a High Orc Lord might have been born as well. And it likely wasn't just the Plaza Section.
Variants... superior entities must have been born in the other four sections too.
I had to get back to the surface and report this. The other strategy teams were likely facing similar difficulties. Some parties might have already been wiped out. Since variants would have appeared among the indigenous species of other sections as well...
Among them, just how strong would a variant of the Dungeon Troll be—the creature considered the strongest indigenous species in the Underground City in terms of raw power?
I was never, ever going to the Garden Section.
“Rohan, I’d like to head up soon. Where is the body we need to recover hidden?”
“If you go out of this building and head right from the entrance, you’ll find it.”
“I see. And the transfer stone?”
“It’s in the opposite direction of the building with the body. To the left of the entrance.”
“The opposite direction...”
The building we were hiding in was exactly halfway between the body and the transfer stone. We would have to recover the body, double back past our current location, and then head to the transfer stone.
“Hmm...”
Hachi let out a troubled sigh.
“What’s wrong?”
“At both locations... there are groups of Orcs and packs of Hati holding their ground.”
“What?”
According to Hachi’s detection, a group of High Orcs was near the building where the body was hidden, and a pack of Hati was gathered around the building with the transfer stone.
“Can we handle a group of High Orcs and then a pack of Hati?”
“We’d need to rest here for a full day for that. We need to recover.”
“It’s impossible right now. Let’s just rest here today and recover the body tomorrow.”
“...”
Lewis looked troubled. Yuria also suggested resting. Furthermore, Yata’s divine power was completely drained from pushing her healing magic to the limit.
Everyone was reluctant to move immediately. They desperately needed rest; they were all far too exhausted.
But we can't. We can't rest. We have to leave this place today, no matter what.
I turned to Hachi.
“High Orcs don’t have noses as sharp as beasts, right?”
“That is true. If they had tamed Garums to use as hounds, that would be a problem, but... as far as I can sense, there are only Orcs. It seems they haven't tamed Garums yet. Likely because not much time has passed since the Labyrinth Eruption.”
“Good. Then I’ll recover the body and run to the transfer stone.”
“What kind of crazy talk is that?”
Yuria looked at me as if I’d lost my mind.
“It’s not crazy. It’s the best way for everyone to get out safely.”
Of course, staying here for a day, resting, and moving when we were fully prepared would be much more stable and safer. But we couldn't afford to waste another day here.
Why?
The existence of the High Orc Lord.
To be honest, I didn't know for sure if it existed. However, assuming it did... we had to get out of the Plaza Section as quickly as possible. In the labyrinth, you always have to assume the worst.
“A High Orc Lord...?”
“What on earth is that?”
“Um, what exactly is that?”
“It’s the leader of the High Orcs. If one has truly been spawned in the Plaza Section... it will soon send out its subordinates to track down the missing Warlock and Slugger. Eventually, they’ll find us.”
“And if we’re found...”
“We won't have the luxury of a simple death.”
“This is madness...”
If we wasted an entire day, we would inevitably be caught by the search party. Therefore, even if we had to squeeze out every last bit of our strength, we had to escape this place today.