Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: The Heart of the Desert
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Breath sputtered from the Death Worm's mouth. Not a cool, laser-like breath like a real dragon's.
It was more like spitting. No, I wasn't even sure you could call that a breath.
“Agh-! Agh-! What does it think it is, a hydra?”
Globs of spit rained down to the ground.
This body was forged by over a decade of WoW raids, I tell you! Dodging floor attacks is second nature to me!
After checking the direction the spit was falling, I dodged left and right, advancing slowly toward the Death Worm.
The sand where the spit landed sizzled, emitting a pungent odor.
It was a viciously acidic spit.
Filthy beast. How long has it been since it brushed its teeth for its spit to be acidic?
When I got within about six meters, it began to sway its upper body, preparing to burrow into the ground.
“Where do you think you're going? Is this phase two, you bastard?”
I might joke about floor attacks, but this world isn't a game. Naturally, there are no phases that trigger when a monster's health drops. No cutscenes, either.
My target was its hide, shimmering with demonic energy. Anywhere would do. I just had to properly embed this horn into its skin.
“Ughhh-!”
My thighs burned as my bent knees straightened, launching me high into the air. It was quite a leap.
And then.
*Thunk-!*
The horn, held at my side like a lance, returned to the creature's skin.
But reversed, and deep into its flesh.
*Screeeeeech-!*
With a scream, the beast thrashed its entire body. The falling body fluids of the Death Worm were an added bonus.
Ugh, damn it. And I can't even wash up out here.
But without a moment to dwell on the stickiness, I grabbed the hammer from my waist and leaped up again.
Like a hammer striking a nail, I slammed it down hard on the end of the broken horn.
Where only about a third of the horn had initially penetrated, the hammer blow drove more than half of it into the creature's hide.
It really was a ridiculously powerful force. Strong enough to pierce the Death Worm's tough hide in one go.
My stats have gone up; I should be able to one-shot a Death Worm.
*Grumble-*
The situation was good. Except for the fact that I was ridiculously hungry.
I clung with all my strength to the end of the horn, trying not to fall off the Death Worm as it writhed on the sand.
I had to press the attack. My own stamina was already at its limit.
*CRACK-*
Finally, I drove the horn deep into its flesh.
“Well now, that made a tunnel. A tunnel.”
No time to rest. One tunnel isn't enough for this construction project. I snapped off a second horn near the first hole, tucked it under my arm, and made a new opening.
“Hahk- hahk-”
I was breathless. I had enough strength, but not enough stamina.
Damn it. If I could just eat the grains and assign stats, I would've put them all into stamina.
But the stats increase sequentially, so it's impossible to allocate them myself.
Despite these mental complaints, I diligently continued to hammer its horns into its body.
Once the second hole was pierced, its thrashing definitely subsided.
Not as bad as I thought.
In my past life, it would have taken at least five expert knights hacking away at it to bring one of these things down.
“Just! Die! Already! Damn! Death! Worm! You! Bastard!”
A total of five.
Only after I had hammered in five horns did the creature's movements cease.
“Hah… hah…”
I was gasping for air, too hungry to even move.
My legs were trembling, and blood was flowing from somewhere on my body, likely from an attack I'd failed to dodge.
Dozens of red grains, more than I'd ever seen before, formed a cluster of light and were absorbed.
There were so many, they overlapped, making it impossible to tell exactly how many I absorbed.
Heh. High risk, high return must be an immutable law of the universe.
*Ptooey-*
With trembling hands, I took out all the remaining food from my inventory and shoved it into my mouth.
It had a strange taste, as if some of the Death Worm's blood had splattered into my mouth, but appeasing my hunger was more important than worrying about flavor right now.
I felt a little more alive. Though it was like chewing on a handful of sand.
“Ugh. That was damn hard.”
After killing a monster, it's time to farm.
***
Only the sound of ragged breathing could be heard. A coppery taste filled their mouths. Their bodies were battered and bruised, caked with dried blood.
It wasn't just Lando. Every member of the unit running through this desert was in the same condition.
Their eyes were sunken, and their bodies swayed as if they might collapse at any moment, but their gazes remained sharp.
Kanta Village was just ahead. The village's wooden palisade shimmered as it came into view.
We just have to make it there. That single thought had driven them across the desert without proper sleep or food.
Though not as treacherous as the journey in, the desert was still crawling with monsters.
They had all sustained injuries that would require a long recovery, but it was a miracle that there were no fatalities.
Still, this world was better than the next.
“It's Kanta Village.”
“Oh, gods…”
“Everyone, keep pushing. This is the last stretch. We just have to get there.”
The last signal flare. Lando fired it high into the air.
Despite the daylight, the brightly shining flare caused a commotion in Kanta Village.
“Open the gate-!”
“Clear the area! Protect our comrades!”
A commotion arose in Kanta Village, and a small, hastily repaired gate creaked open with a metallic groan as mercenaries rushed out.
The mark of the White Mercenary Corps. How they had longed to see that emblem.
Kanta Village was still under attack. Corpses formed small hills, and a considerable number of monsters were still alive.
“Lando!!!”
Upon entering Kanta Village, the entire unit collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath as if they were about to die.
No, a good number of them had already fainted.
“Priest! Get a healer here now! Snap out of it! Lando!”
Someone splashed water on Lando's face. His vision, which had been blurry and unfocused, slowly sharpened.
“Glen.”
It was Glen Pendley, Captain of the 1st Unit. He was such a welcome sight. With him, they could rest easy. He was a captain with that much capability.
But his gasping breaths made it difficult to speak. Still, Lando struggled to force out the words, one by one.
“The center. Kratos. Death Worm. Sacrificed. Need support.”
Perhaps from the relief of reaching Kanta Village, his consciousness was fading, as if he might collapse at any moment.
“Must rescue him. Help…”
Even as they lay collapsed, all the members of the 10th Unit looked to Glen Pendley with pleading eyes.
However.
“...”
Glen Pendley met their gazes.
And lowered his head.
“We can't move out right now.”
“Why…!”
“Captain!!”
Glen Pendley also knew what it felt like, what it meant, to leave a comrade, a family member, behind. He even understood why the 10th Unit was looking at him like that.
But they couldn't move. They too were originally scheduled for a different mission, but the situation had become more severe than expected, forcing their deployment here.
Battles were raging morning and night. All the desert tribes had already evacuated.
Not just the White Mercenary Corps, but all mercenaries were concentrating on Kanta Village. The White Mercenary Corps itself had five units deployed on the defensive line here.
“The monster wave isn't over yet. All mercenary forces are focused on Kanta Village. If the border town of Kanta is like this, we can't even begin to predict how many enemies are in the center of the desert.”
He left the rest unsaid, but Lando understood.
‘If Kanta Village falls, the mercenary corps, the inland… it's all over.’
He bit his lip in rising anger. Blood flowed, but the guilt of leaving a comrade behind, of surviving by sacrificing a comrade, was far greater than the pain in his lip.
“For now, rest. I'll report this to the higher-ups.”
“White Mercenary Corps, 10th Unit. Mission failure. All members survived except Kratos. Kratos sacrificed himself to distract a Death Worm.”
“I'll be sure to pass it on. And I promise, once this wave is over, I'll go there myself to clean things up.”
Lando, and all the members of the 10th Unit, lowered their heads.
The promise they made to Kratos had been postponed indefinitely.
***
/- 10th Unit has failed its mission. All members have arrived at Kanta Village, with the exception of the rookie, Kratos. Reports say he stayed behind in the desert to hold off a variant Death Worm. Awaiting further orders./
Peri Batoni's energy drained as he read Glen Pendley's mission report from Kanta Village, and he slumped into his chair.
“Hah. We're screwed.”
They were the ones who got closest to the center of the desert, so I had some hope.
Hadn't the other units repeatedly failed their missions, blocked by desert monsters and sandstorms?
Of course, this problem wouldn't last forever. As soon as the monster wave at Kanta Village was over, he planned to form an investigation team to resolve it.
Even if that didn't happen, the commander would take charge himself when he returned. But when would that be?
After Kanta Village is reduced to rubble? Or after the White Mercenary Corps loses its entire foundation in the desert?
It's too late. A sense of despair enveloped him. Who knew how much time and sacrifice it would take to rebuild this foundation and trust?
“Send all units to Kanta Village, except for a minimal guard.”
“Just a minimal guard?”
Still, what must be done, must be done. Mercenaries live by that minimal trust.
“Yes, all of them. We have to protect Kanta Village at all costs. That's the only way we'll have even a small chance.”
Even if he knew it was just buying time.
***
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”
Curses spilled endlessly from my mouth. This damn desert had to be the most insane place ever. Temperatures exceeding forty degrees during the day. At night, the cold dropped below freezing.
With this kind of temperature swing, wouldn't even a healthy person be at risk of dying from exposure?
Especially if they were sleeping rough without any proper camping gear. At least I was lucky to have a strong body that could withstand these extreme conditions.
It had been two days since I killed the Death Worm, harvested its magic stone, and started walking toward the center with what little luggage I had left.
This was clearly the Death Worm's territory, as there were no small-fry monsters in sight.
It was a shame I couldn't absorb any grains, but at the same time, I was glad that moving less meant I was less hungry.
Hot in the morning, damn cold at night, and always hungry.
After drinking the last mouthful of water, I threw the waterskin onto the sand.
It's just dead weight now. All of it is dead weight.
My direction was certain. I had navigated by the stars during the night and was moving according to the rising sun in the morning.
During the hottest time of day, when the sun was at its highest, I collapsed under a nearby pile of rocks.
I had to conserve my stamina. I didn't know when I would reach ‘that place’.
After the time when even the desert itself seemed to bake had passed, and the temperature dropped slightly.
I began to trudge through the desert again. I didn't know why. Why was I going through all this trouble to reach the center of this desert?
What could I possibly gain there? And what would I be able to confirm?
“Damn it. This is the worst.”
A sandstorm suddenly kicked up. I tried to cover my face with a piece of cloth, but it was still difficult to open my eyes.
Just one more step in the calm desert, and suddenly a sandstorm.
I lowered my stance, protecting my eyes with my arms as I walked forward.
“Hm?”
Is that a mirage? Or is there really something there?
Around the time the hot sun began to cool. The sandstorm still raged, but a massive structure suddenly came into view in the distance.
The direction was right. And considering the distance, it was about time I arrived. Right, just have to get there. Just get there for now.
***
“It's big. Very big.”
The center of the desert, which I reached after pushing through the sandstorm.
This time, it was a biting cold. As if all the desert's cold originated from this very spot.
“But why are those guys here?”
A massive building, out of place in the desert. Yes, it was a huge structure with a clean exterior that felt more modern than the styles of this world.
But why on earth were soldiers from the Empire camped out here? And with huge machines, no less.
I could see a dozen or so tents at a glance. The number of guards was small compared to the number of tents. Most of the people looked like scholar types.
What in the world are they researching here? And so unguardedly, at that.
Then again, with the monster wave going on, who would think anyone would come all the way to the center of the desert?
Besides, there was even a Death Worm guarding this area.
Imperial soldiers are camped at the very place I need to go, right in the middle of a monster wave?
Was this the source of that vague sense of unease I'd been feeling? The monster wave and these Imperial soldiers. Should I be thinking of them as two separate issues?
I buried myself in the sand and observed the camp's movements.
How many people there were. The order and pattern of their patrols. And if there was anything else of note.
The tension that had left my body returned with a vengeance.
There's a reason assassins strike at night. I'll wait until the moon is high. The sun had already set, and a pale blue moon was rising.
When the dim crescent moon rose in the night sky and the camp's evening lights were lit.
Kratos slipped silently out of the sand dune and crawled toward the camp.
‘Is it Metal Gear Solid this time?’