087. Drifters #2
The sole hero of Sageworld, hailed as humanity's strongest—Iara Un. After her defeat at the hands of the Pigking, she found herself trapped in a dark prison forged from mud. Helpless, she could only watch in horror as nine humans were slaughtered one by one.
Iara cursed her own powerless strength, realizing once more that she had been a frog in a well. Then, fleeting thoughts of her escaped companions crossed her mind. The group who had followed her with flowery words—they abandoned her without a second thought the moment she fell.
It was a first for her. Everyone had always believed in Iara to the end, steadfastly guarding her back no matter the peril. To the people of Sageworld, Iara Un was an unbreakable shield.
And rightly so—she had never known defeat. She was the world's strongest woman.
...The fact that they fled the instant I lost means that's who they really were.
They had relied only on her power. Had they been with someone else, or if that person faced danger back in their original world, they would have ditched them without mercy—people with that kind of character. A bitter disappointment washed over her.
I did tell them not to follow me first, but still... it's kinda bitter. I didn't expect them to abandon me without even a second's hesitation.
Haha... Iara let out a hollow laugh.
Of course, unlike at first, the betrayal didn't sting as deeply. When it happened, she had been furious enough to spit curses, trembling with rage—but now, a little time later, she found herself thinking it was a relief that at least her companions had survived.
Yeah, as long as they made it out alive.
Deciding to put her companions out of her mind, Iara let out a deep sigh and looked around at the others.
...More than that, everyone looks like hell. No one seems sane.
The prison was filled with people gripped by terror. Normally, Iara would have comforted them, but now she lacked even the energy. It wasn't just exhaustion from betrayal and defeat—this was a hopeless situation with no light in sight.
Guess I'll have to accept death quietly. No one could beat those pig monsters anyway.
Other monsters in the area might be different, but Iara doubted they would help humans. If they did, it would only be to steal the prey.
As Iara sank into the swamp of despair like the others—
...Huh? What's this?
A strange sensation hit her—strength draining from her entire body.
My power's weakening...?
It wasn't an illusion. Her strength had definitely diminished. Panicking, Iara asked those around her if they felt anything odd. No one answered properly—they were all lost in panic.
Even without replies, she sensed no one else was experiencing the same. Did the pigs do something to my body? Or did I damage my brain when my head hit the ground earlier?
All sorts of thoughts raced through her mind when—
Iara's heart pounded at the noise. For a split second, she wondered if her companions had come back to save her. But then—
Did other monsters invade?
Curiosity piqued, Iara tried to peer outside, but a massive Pigking guarding the prison blocked her view.
Can't you move aside...?
Then, the guarding Pigking shuddered, arms trembling, before roaring and charging forward.
Oh, now I can see... Huh?
An unbelievable sight unfolded before her eyes. Never-before-seen monsters were butchering countless Pigkings like insects.
Words failed her. It was a scene beyond belief. There's always someone stronger? What are those monsters? How can they one-shot such powerful pigs?
Awe-struck, Iara gaped, watching the battle. Amid the monsters, an incongruous figure caught her eye.
In the midst of the slaughterhouse—
"Leave one. Merino said she can make something delicious with the blood."
A lone human man stood calmly, arms crossed. He glanced around, then shifted his gaze to the prison, locking eyes with Iara.
"Ah, there they are. The drifters."
The moment she saw him, a tiny spark of hope ignited in Iara's eyes.
After wiping out all the Pigkings, I brought the imprisoned drifters back to my hideout for now. Ten F-grades. One woman who was B-grade but nerfed down to D-grade. The eleven drifters, starved for days, devoured the octopus bread Merino prepared without suspicion.
"Eat up, it tastes great, yang!"
At first, they froze in terror at the sight of my monsters, but the moment food appeared, their attitudes flipped. Well, survival comes first, after all.
"So good..."
"Sniff, ugh."
"Thank you... truly, thank you!"
I handed out drinks from Zapan too—no skimping, in case of choking.
I set aside the Pigking meat separately. Cooking human-eating pigs might gross them out, even if I don't mind.
While they ate, the cute-looking Hedgehog Summoner God reassured them one by one.
I didn't speak myself because a burly guy like me approaching terrified people would be worse than a cute hedgehog stepping up. Most folks open up to adorable animals easily.
Oh, and Iara Un thanked me but stayed guarded for a while, probably suspecting we'd eat them later. Fortunately, as we posed no threat, her wariness gradually faded with time.
Once the drifters finished eating, I called Melody Fox for a lullaby.
They'd been through hell mentally and physically, so a nap would help. Stories could wait.
All the drifters woke from their naps. I gathered them and explained everything like I did with Merino—about this place, explorers, drifters, and introduced myself.
We talked for a good while, and they started sharing about themselves one by one.
The ten drifters hailed from a world called Normalia. From what they said, it sounded no different from Earth.
And the last one—
Iara Un, from a world called Sageworld, introduced herself as its hero with humanity's greatest power—past tense, because here she realized she was the frog in the well.
In Elemen시아 terms, B-grade isn't hero level, let alone legend. But in other worlds, it could be. B-grade isn't weak—I'm B-grade now, and my S-grade monsters are nerfed to B. A B-grade monster on Earth would be catastrophic.
I kept chatting with the drifters while sketching Iara in my notebook.
"Why are you drawing me?"
"Just 'cause."
"She's B-grade at least."
