Chapter 32
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: 19+1+1
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The next day, early in the morning.
The monster extermination operation, set to last three days, was just about to begin.
However, there wasn't even a proper speech prepared for this mobilization.
Boredom was etched on everyone's faces rather than tension.
Even as they lined up, pointless chit-chat flew back and forth.
What to buy and eat when they got back, how the bedding had been last night, what they'd do with the profits from hunting monsters, how city life was, and so on.
No one cared about 'today'; they talked only of the past and future.
It felt eerie.
That was why I, who had thought nothing would happen until yesterday, now felt uneasy.
"...Tsk."
"What's wrong?"
I answered Shan's question honestly.
"I'm uneasy."
"Your skills are top-tier among your peers. As long as you don't make any foolish mistakes, nothing will happen."
"...That's why."
Even Shan—a veteran among veterans, a silver-rank adventurer—stood beside me so casually, which only amplified my unease.
Originally, all accidents and disasters stem from complacency.
Things never happen when you think 'if-', but the moment you say 'no way-', that's when they strike, most of the time.
I had been through a situation just like this not long ago.
Thief subjugation.
Back then, too, I figured nothing would go wrong.
I had simply steeled myself to kill people.
It never crossed my mind, not for a second, that our side could end up in crisis.
And yet, it happened.
In an atmosphere just as lax as this one.
"Excessive tension is poison, but we need to keep a moderate level of it."
"You're right about that."
Shan didn't deny my words, but the other silver-rank standing next to me saw things differently.
"Moderate tension... Sure, it's good in theory, but we don't need it here. It'll just wear you out."
The silver-rank adventurer, who stood with his legs crossed while gripping his spear, suddenly jabbed my shoulder.
It hurt more than I'd expected, but I forced a smile.
He already didn't like having me nearby, and now with me spouting weak nonsense, it felt like he was taking it out on me.
"You won't get any use out of handling the kid so roughly. Lacking skill is one thing, but with that attitude, he won't last long."
"Hmph."
Whether it was the action itself that irked him, Shan tossed out a blank provocation, but the silver-rank adventurer didn't even lock eyes with him or start a staring contest.
It was hard to believe he was a silver-rank or higher adventurer, the type with sky-high pride.
I didn't know if Shan clearly held the advantage or if there was some other reason, but it felt reassuring.
"Thanks."
"It just rubbed me the wrong way."
As if that was truly all there was to it, Shan shrugged and drew his axe.
The handle was long, and the blade was large and thick.
If that thing came down on you, it wouldn't split you—it'd smash you to pulp. Vicious-looking weapon.
"How heavy is that?"
"12kg."
"...Isn't that too heavy for a weapon?"
"That's why it's custom-made. Only I can wield it."
I wondered how he even lifted and swung something like that.
As I eyed Shan's weapon with curiosity, the city gates creaked open.
At the same moment, a booming voice echoed from atop the gate's wall.
"March out!!!"
At that signal, those of us in front advanced first, with the rest following in our shadows.
Our mission: wipe out monsters around the city over three days while confirming and reporting how far out was safe.
Using intel from advance scouts, we'd prioritize subjugating the densest clusters of monsters first.
Then scatter to pick off the stragglers one by one. Not much of a strategy.
It was supposed to be that straightforward, but since I'd gotten burned from complacency during the thief subjugation—thinking it was simple—I ramped up my tension.
We pressed forward at a brisk pace.
When the sun hung directly overhead in the sky.
We finally spotted the enemies we had to face.
I drew my sword.
First clash.
They were corpse-eating monster bugs.
The ogre rampage had produced a staggering number of casualties, and we hadn't recovered all the bodies.
There were simply too many corpses—enough that even the ogre had eaten its fill with plenty left over.
Left abandoned like that, the rotting stench had drawn swarms of bug spawn, which settled right in.
Giant spiders, earthworms, centipedes, bees, ants, and the like.
"Charge-!!"
At the signal from the city commander leading us, everyone surged forward at once.
No dice appeared.
Maybe it really was just needless worry. Still, I didn't let my guard down.
I severed a giant ant's neck—not a clean cut.
The armor encasing the ant was tougher than I'd imagined, so it was less a slice and more a heavy chop followed by ripping it free by force.
By the time I'd barely felled one, Shan brought his axe down with a BOOM! like lightning striking.
A spider twice the size of my ant exploded into chunks.
It wasn't an axe blow—it was like detonating a bomb.
A single strike that looked even more devastating than the knight's mace swing during the thief subjugation.
"Don't slack."
"...Yes!"
Spider fluids splattered across Shan's suit, but the black fabric showed no stains.
He pressed his bowler hat down low, retrieved his axe, and smashed it down again.
No flashy techniques.
Just powerful, rapid chops. That was it.
Like splitting firewood.
The centipede rearing up to threaten us split in two, and the ground cracked under the impact of the axe swing.
The sight was shocking. Having someone like me around felt less like help and more like a hindrance.
But Shan was the one who'd assigned me here, so I had to trust him and give my all.
For an adventurer, Shan was remarkably gentlemanly.
He wouldn't order anything reckless.
Which meant he'd placed me here because he judged my skills sufficient to pull my weight.
I gripped my sword firmly.
If he trusted me, it was only right to live up to it.
I sliced off a bee's wings and carved out its stinger.
I severed a centipede's legs and thrust my blade into an ant's maw.
Grandpa's sword wasn't particularly sharp, but it was incredibly sturdy—perfect for foes like these.
By the time bug fluids had coated my body, making it sticky and heavy all over.
The battle was over.
Leaving corpses piled up would just draw more bugs, so we gathered them into a heap and set them ablaze.
The sun hid behind clouds, casting shadows.
The stench of burning bug corpses was nauseating, but the fluids clinging to my body were viscous and sticky without any foul odor.
Though I couldn't tell if they truly had no smell.
Or if my nose had just gone numb.
"30-minute rest, then we move to the next spot!"
Everyone shouted back in unison and plopped down where they stood.
After swinging wildly against centipedes and ants, even this sturdy blade had dulled considerably.
It could still cut for now, but any more damage and it'd be a bludgeon, not a sword.
I pulled out the apple Tori had packed before the operation, along with the whetstone I'd bought but never used.
I wasn't skilled at this, but I'd picked up the basics by watching. If I just followed suit, it should turn out decent enough, if not perfect.
I devoured the apple, seeds and all, to fill my stomach.
With my belly full, I gripped the whetstone and started grinding the blade—then the silver-rank adventurer who'd struck my shoulder earlier approached.
"Not like that. Hold it flatter."
"...Pardon?"
"No idea how you ended up with a sword like that, but it's a shame to ruin it. Do as I say."
"...Y-Yes, got it."
The silver-rank spent the next 20 minutes teaching me how to use the whetstone.
Around the last 5 minutes, he got fed up, snatched the stone and sword, sharpened it himself, and handed them back.
Not pristine, but definitely much improved.
"Thanks."
"I just stepped in because you were about to wreck the sword with your weird technique."
As if that was truly it, he turned away without a second glance and headed back to his spot.
I hadn't thought much of him after he'd hit me out of nowhere.
But since I'd pulled my weight in the battle just now, it felt like I'd earned some recognition—which left me a bit buoyant.
Still, I forcibly tamped down the elation.
I'd already learned from the thief subjugation request: never drop your guard until the very end.
I wasn't smart enough to internalize a lesson instantly, but I wasn't dumb enough to forget one learned in blood either.
The ongoing extermination ops proceeded more smoothly than I'd imagined.
The game system stayed silent, and there were no issues.
A fair number of adventurers got injured, but no serious cases or fatalities.
Was this time really going to be a straightforward success?
Three days passed. After wiping out the last monsters, we headed back to the city.
Excitement peeked through on everyone's faces instead of boredom.
As they lined up, pointless chit-chat flew back and forth.
What they'd buy to eat upon arriving in the city, sleeping comfortably in a soft bed, gambling or hiring women or drinking with their monster-hunting rewards, how city life would feel leisurely now that the most annoying task was done.
Everyone beamed with joy as they chatted about what they'd do today.
The half-collapsed city walls came into view.
The city appeared. The gates appeared.
But the crowds that should have been there to welcome us were nowhere to be seen.
...A bad premonition stirred.
And bad premonitions have a way of coming true, without fail.
-Special Event Occurs! (Trait: Villain - Dice Value +1, Trait: Gloomy Aura - Dice Value +1)
-D20_1
The familiar voice, but unfamiliar lines.
And an unfamiliar die.
A twenty-sided die clattered across the ground.
It rolled for a long while before finally showing me its number.
19.
"......19."
No.
Not 19.
-Result Value 19+1+1=21: Special Event Difficulty - IMPOSSIBLE!!
Time began to flow once more.