Chapter 11: Second Floor (1)

Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 11: Second Floor (1)

My description was shared over the transmission.

"It is possible that they have split up by now. If you see a barbarian wielding a one-handed hammer and a shield, don't hurry to approach him and instead wait for reinforcements."

It wasn't detailed, but it didn't matter. There were probably no other barbarians wielding a shield here.

"Mister..."

Erwen looked up at me with anxious eyes. I smirked, knowing what she was thinking.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to leave you."

I had already decided to help Erwen. The reason was simple. I had always loved helping people in trouble... if it was beneficial to me.

"As I said before, we'll split the loot nine to one. All right?"

"Of course. I will definitely repay the favor."

Favor...

"Yes, please pay it back."

If she wanted to repay it, there was no reason for me to refuse. Although I wasn't expecting much in return.

"Yes, I promise..."

Erwen clenched her fists with determination in her eyes, and I tightened the laces of my boots and prepared to move.

"So what are we going to do now?" she asked.

"First, we'll move through the outskirts. Summon the elemental again. We'll talk about the rest on our way."

"Okay."

As we walked through the darkness with a fist-sized flame as a lantern, I confirmed a few more things.

"Exactly how long can elementals be summoned for?"

"If I'm using one to light up the surroundings, it can last for a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠good ten hours."

"How long will it take you to recover afterward?"

"Two hours of rest should be enough."

"I see."

The situation was a lot better than I had thought. If all went to plan, we would be able to escape from them without facing any danger. Then I would reap the benefits of taking this risk.

"Mister?"

While I was organizing my thoughts, Erwen spoke to me.

"May I ask where we are going now?"

Oh, right. I didn't mention that.

"The second floor."

"Sorry...?"

Don't give me that look. You heard it right.

"We'll go to the second floor."

"You and I, just the two of us?"

"Yeah, you and me."

It was not that we had no other options, but rather that this was something I had been thinking about for a while. On the first floor, even if the two of us worked together, our profits would only decrease. However...

If we were on the second floor, that would be a different story.

"Um... M-Mister? The second floor is completely different from the first floor. You know that, right...?"

"I know."

The three or four monsters that appeared at once on the first floor increased to ten on the second, and other mutants, even elite bosses, could appear.

"But, if we stay in the first section, we will be fine. We mesh quite well."

"Y-You and I do?"

I didn't know why that was so surprising—melee ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tanks and ranged damage dealers were a good combination. It was for that reason that I had been thinking about going upstairs with Erwen from early on. There, even if we split the mana stones in half, our income would increase significantly. But since there had been no way for me to get past the darkness, I had previously discarded this idea.

"N-No matter how hard I think about it, it feels like walking into an orc's den to avoid a goblin..."

Well, given her current reaction, it seemed that even if I had known about her fire abilities and made the offer, she would have flat-out rejected it. Right now, the situation was completely different from before.

"So, do you have any other plans? As you know, those guys are all over the first floor."

Erwen now had a reason to go to the second floor, and I was able to use that opportunity to raise the ratio to nine-to-one. Of course, that didn't mean the decision was made entirely without emotional considerations.

The message stone sounded again.

"Whoever catches that elf bitch will be given ten thousand mana stones and the opportunity to enjoy her first."

I didn't like these kinds of bastards. No, it was more hatred than dislike. But what if I could give these bastards the middle finger, earn a reward bigger than the risk, and even get the self-satisfaction of doing something good? Wasn't that the epitome of efficiency?

"I will give you a chance to decide. What will you do?"

"I'll go with you..."

Erwen reluctantly nodded. It seemed that the transmission from the message stone just now had played a decisive role in her decision.

Nice timing.

"Then let's keep moving."

"...But do you know the way to the second floor?"

"I don't know the precise location."

"Sorry?"

"Don't worry, though. If we keep moving north, we'll get there at some point."

It wasn't wishful thinking, but the truth. If you stuck to one direction as you moved through the darkness, you would reach the portal one way or another because this darkness was like a passageway pointing upstairs. But it was also a maze-like structure, so we'd probably stumble through it.

It was worth the effort.

"It's a goblin trap!"

As we were walking, we saw a trap. It was much further into the passage than I expected. Originally, one would have appeared a lot earlier.

...Maybe there weren't many goblins where there was no light? Like in the game? If that was the case...

My heart tightened. How unlucky was I to have fallen into darkness immediately and met a goblin right away?

"I will deal with it! You rest!"

Seeing this as an opportunity to appeal to me, Erwen stepped in front of me.

"I'm just telling you just in case, but don't use any elementals."

"...O-Of course I wasn't going to!"

With a flustered look that said otherwise, Erwen approached the trap. And...

"Grk!"

The moment the goblin popped out, she fired an arrow already knocked on the bow from a very close range.

"But, if we stay in the first section, we will be fine. We mesh quite well."

"Y-You and I do?"

I didn't know why that was so surprising—melee tanks and ranged damage dealers were a good combination. It was for that reason that I had been thinking about going upstairs with Erwen from early on. There, even if we split the mana stones in half, our income would increase significantly. But since there had been no way for me to get past the darkness, I had previously discarded this idea.

"N-No matter how hard I think about it, it feels like walking into an orc's den to avoid a goblin..."

Well, given her current reaction, it seemed that even if I had known about her fire abilities and made the offer, she would have flat-out rejected it. Right now, the situation was completely different from before.

"So, do you have any other plans? As you know, those guys are all over the first floor."

Erwen now had a reason to go to the second floor, and I was able to use that opportunity to raise the ratio to nine-to-one. Of course, that didn't mean the decision was made entirely without emotional considerations.

The message stone sounded again.

"Whoever catches that elf bitch will be given ten thousand mana stones and the opportunity to enjoy her first."

I didn't like these kinds of bastards. No, it was more hatred than dislike. But what if I could give these bastards the middle finger, earn a reward bigger than the risk, and even get the self-satisfaction of doing something good? Wasn't that the epitome of efficiency?

"I will give you a chance to decide. What will you do?"

"I'll go with you..."

Erwen reluctantly nodded. It seemed that the transmission from the message stone just now had played a decisive role in her decision.

Nice timing.

"Then let's keep moving."

"...But do you know the way to the second floor?"

"I don't know the precise location."

"Sorry?"

"Don't worry, though. If we keep moving north, we'll get there at some point."

It wasn't wishful thinking, but the truth. If you stuck to one direction as you moved through the darkness, you would reach the portal one way or another because this darkness was like a passageway pointing upstairs. But it was also a maze-like structure, so we'd probably stumble through it.

It was worth the effort.

"It's a goblin trap!"

As we were walking, we saw a trap. It was much further into the passage than I expected. Originally, one would have appeared a lot earlier.

...Maybe there weren't many goblins where there was no light? Like in the game? If that was the case...

My heart tightened. How unlucky was I to have fallen into darkness immediately and met a goblin right away?

"I will deal with it! You rest!"

Seeing this as an opportunity to appeal to me, Erwen stepped in front of me.

"I'm just telling you just in case, but don't use any elementals."

"...O-Of course I wasn't going to!"

With a flustered look that said otherwise, Erwen approached the trap. And...

"Grk!"

The moment the goblin popped out, she fired an arrow already knocked on the bow from a very close range.

Stab—!

Oh, she kind of looked like Legolas there. She had better skills than I had expected and was also quite agile when she moved.

"What do you think?"

After she killed the goblin, Erwen looked at me with a pleased expression on her face.

"If you were alone, would you have summoned an elemental?"

"Yes..."

"Good job. After seeing you use a bow, I can see you really are an elf."

Erwen looked shy and happy. Was it that nice to be acknowledged? To be honest, some of that was subtle sarcasm. Not the part about her skills, but the jab at her personality.

"But I will fight the battles from now on. It would be best to conserve arrows as much as possible."

"Oh, I can just pick them up and use them again. There is no need to even pull them out."

Erwen bent over and returned with a mana stone and an arrow. The arrow was in good shape with no visible damage.

"I see..."

What an embarrassment. In the game, arrows were disposable items that disappeared with each shot. To make up for that, you could carry a thousand of them per compartment.

"Here!"

Erwen held out a small hand.

"Take it! When you have nine, I get one, right? I will work hard! Then I can earn a little too, right? I promised to buy something for my younger sibling when I return!"

Uh, ah, um...

"Yeah, work hard..."

What was this? Subtle sarcasm?

***

We quickly moved northward in the dark and continued taking care of goblins from time to time. Then, after it had been quiet for some time, a voice came through the message stone.

"I have an update. Harts, who was attacked by the elf, said that he would raise the bounty to twenty thousand mana stones. Dead or alive."

That meant the bastards were within three hundred yards of us.

Almost on instinct, Erwen closed in next to me.

"Relax. No one will come here with a torch to find us."

"Really?"

"Yes."

In fact, I was nearly certain. What I had realized while listening in on the conversations on the message stone was that these guys were like a group of delinquents loitering around. It didn't seem like the guild was well-organized. Presumably, at best, they just served as a convenient community for each other. The first floor was a place where a group of more than five people could not actually work together anyway.

The message stone rang out with more transmissions from the guild members.

"I'm planning to move to another area to hunt Blade Wolves. Is there anyone who wants to join? No transmission required."

"I'm tired, so I'm looking for someone to rest with. Come to the pond next to the big rock. No transmission required."

In fact, as we moved through this tunnel, we heard these kinds of transmissions from all over. That meant ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that there were people who didn't care about the chase at all, bounty or not.

However, I did not relax.

It wasn't that things had gone wrong—it was that things were going too smoothly.

Stab—!

Oh, she kind of looked like Legolas there. She had better skills than I had expected and was also quite agile when she moved.

"What do you think?"

After she killed the goblin, Erwen looked at me with a pleased expression on her face.

"If you were alone, would you have summoned an elemental?"

"Yes..."

"Good job. After seeing you use a bow, I can see you really are an elf."

Erwen looked shy and happy. Was it that nice to be acknowledged? To be honest, some of that was subtle sarcasm. Not the part about her skills, but the jab at her personality.

"But I will fight the battles from now on. It would be best to conserve arrows as much as possible."

"Oh, I can just pick them up and use them again. There is no need to even pull them out."

Erwen bent over and returned with a mana stone and an arrow. The arrow was in good shape with no visible damage.

"I see..."

What an embarrassment. In the game, arrows were disposable items that disappeared with each shot. To make up for that, you could carry a thousand of them per compartment.

"Here!"

Erwen held out a small hand.

"Take it! When you have nine, I get one, right? I will work hard! Then I can earn a little too, right? I promised to buy something for my younger sibling when I return!"

Uh, ah, um...

"Yeah, work hard..."

What was this? Subtle sarcasm?

***

We quickly moved northward in the dark and continued taking care of goblins from time to time. Then, after it had been quiet for some time, a voice came through the message stone.

"I have an update. Harts, who was attacked by the elf, said that he would raise the bounty to twenty thousand mana stones. Dead or alive."

That meant the bastards were within three hundred yards of us.

Almost on instinct, Erwen closed in next to me.

"Relax. No one will come here with a torch to find us."

"Really?"

"Yes."

In fact, I was nearly certain. What I had realized while listening in on the conversations on the message stone was that these guys were like a group of delinquents loitering around. It didn't seem like the guild was well-organized. Presumably, at best, they just served as a convenient community for each other. The first floor was a place where a group of more than five people could not actually work together anyway.

The message stone rang out with more transmissions from the guild members.

"I'm planning to move to another area to hunt Blade Wolves. Is there anyone who wants to join? No transmission required."

"I'm tired, so I'm looking for someone to rest with. Come to the pond next to the big rock. No transmission required."

In fact, as we moved through this tunnel, we heard these kinds of transmissions from all over. That meant that there were people who didn't care about the chase at all, bounty or not.

However, I did not relax.

It wasn't that things had gone wrong—it was that things were going too smoothly.

God damn it...

That was the way my life always unfolded. Something bad always happened right about now, and the fact that it was quiet made me even more anxious.

"Mister!"

"What?"

"There, it's a ghoul!"

I didn't see it. As I cocked my head, Erwen moved the flame forward.

...You really do have good eyes.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

It was then that the form of a ghoul entered my line of sight. Rotten skin, empty eye sockets, sharp and long nails reminiscent of claws, and even four legs with a humanoid form. It was the same as the illustration I had seen on the loading screen.

However, something was off...

What? Why is there a ghoul here?

On the first floor, the type of monsters that appeared was different based on location—east, west, north, and south. The ghouls appeared in the southern region.

Had we reached the border while we were wandering? Well, maybe. We had been headed north, but when we came to a dead end, we ended up going in circles. I'd have to figure it out later, though.

"...Should I fight alone again this time?"

Erwen, who had been full of determination while fighting the goblin, now made it very obvious that she didn't want to fight. Was she scared because it was her first time seeing this type of monster? This woman was quite quirky.

"I will take the lead. You take care of the one in the back."

"Okay!"

Having come up with a rough strategy, I moved forward slowly. There were a total of three ghouls blocking the passageway, and they were all sitting like dogs.

Step.

Even though I had gotten pretty close, the ghouls didn't move. Hmm, in the game, you had to get within a certain range for them to attack you first. Could it be the same here?

Step.

As I carefully took one more step forward, the three ghouls ran toward me at the same time.

"Grghghgh!"

The sound they made was similar to that of a goblin. Was it because ghouls were a tier-nine monster as well? Talk about no personality.

"Hiya!"

Rather than retreating, I took a step closer and pounded the ghoul in the head with my hammer.

[Hammer Smash.]

Crunch!

The moment one ghoul's head had been crushed, an arrow fired from somewhere behind me hit another ghoul.

Thunk!

She seemed to really like the forehead.

Then, after knocking back a charging ghoul once with my shield, the battle ended easily with another [Hammer Smash.]

[You have defeated the ghouls. EXP +1]

The battle had ended in an instant, but I still took a brief moment to review it. In terms of combat power, ghouls were superior to goblins. They were a lot stronger and faster. The goblins had traps, but well... if a moron stepped on them, it was their own fault.

...Assuming, of course, there was light around.

"Still, this is better than a goblin."

"Pardon? Why?"

"Because it takes time to catch goblins."

As long as you didn't get knocked prone in an all-out battle, hunting ghouls seemed more efficient than fighting goblins in many ways. At least these guys didn't set one trap on the ground and stupidly wait around nearby. It was also a huge advantage that they didn't attack unless they were approached first.

"Next time, it would be more efficient to start by taking one ghoul down first with an arrow."

"Okay. That sounds good."

After briefly establishing a strategy for future battles, I collected the mana stones that had fallen on the ground and put them in my pocket.

"Um, mister...?"

"What is it?"

"I-It's just that— it's now my turn to take one..."

"Ah, that's right."

We continued down the tunnel.

***

My prediction that we were near the border was correct. For a while, the ghouls and the goblins alternated, but as we continued northward, we were back to only seeing goblins.

How long has it been?

[22:47]

It was already nearing the end of the third day. After taking a break for about four hours along the way, we found something on the route north. A dark red line was drawn on the ground.

"Uh, a bloodstain? I don't think it's from a goblin. Who could it be?"

...Somehow, I felt like I knew its owner.

As we walked, we also saw pieces of bread that had been dropped at regular intervals. With confidence, I continued to follow the bloodstains.

"Um, you haven't said anything in a while..."

Ten minutes passed.

"Are you mad at me, by any chance?"

Thirty minutes passed.

"Pardon? Mister?"

Two hours passed. After walking that long path, I finally came across a sandal abandoned on the ground. The curses came to me instantly.

"Um..."

"Fuck, are you kidding me?"

"I-I'm sorry! For whatever I did!"

There had been a portal right under my nose.

God damn it...

That was the way my life always unfolded. Something bad always happened right about now, and the fact that it was quiet made me even more anxious.

"Mister!"

"What?"

"There, it's a ghoul!"

I didn't see it. As I cocked my head, Erwen moved the flame forward.

...You really do have good eyes.

It was then that the form of a ghoul entered my line of sight. Rotten skin, empty eye sockets, sharp and long nails reminiscent of claws, and even four legs with a humanoid form. It was the same as the illustration I had seen on the loading screen.

However, something was off...

What? Why is there a ghoul here?

On the first floor, the type of monsters that appeared was different based on location—east, west, north, and south. The ghouls appeared in the southern region.

Had we reached the border while we were wandering? Well, maybe. We had been headed north, but when we came to a dead end, we ended up going in circles. I'd have to figure it out later, though.

"...Should I fight alone again this time?"

Erwen, who had been full of determination while fighting the goblin, now made it very obvious that she didn't want to fight. Was she scared because it was her first time seeing this type of monster? This woman was quite quirky.

"I will take the lead. You take care of the one in the back."

"Okay!"

Having come up with a rough strategy, I moved forward slowly. There were a total of three ghouls blocking the passageway, and they were all sitting like dogs.

Step.

Even though I had gotten pretty close, the ghouls didn't move. Hmm, in the game, you had to get within a certain range for them to attack you first. Could it be the same here?

Step.

As I carefully took one more step forward, the three ghouls ran toward me at the same time.

"Grghghgh!"

The sound they made was similar to that of a goblin. Was it because ghouls were a tier-nine monster as well? Talk about no personality.

"Hiya!"

Rather than retreating, I took a step closer and pounded the ghoul in the head with my hammer.

[Hammer Smash.]

Crunch!

The moment one ghoul's head had been crushed, an arrow fired from somewhere behind me hit another ghoul.

Thunk!

She seemed to really like the forehead.

Then, after knocking back a charging ghoul once with my shield, the battle ended easily with another [Hammer Smash.]

[You have defeated the ghouls. EXP +1]

The battle had ended in an instant, but I still took a brief moment to review it. In terms of combat power, ghouls were superior to goblins. They were a lot stronger and faster. The goblins had traps, but well... if a moron stepped on them, it was their own fault.

...Assuming, of course, there was light around.

"Still, this is better than a goblin."

"Pardon? Why?"

"Because it takes time to catch goblins."

As long as you didn't get knocked prone in an all-out battle, hunting ghouls seemed more efficient than fighting goblins in many ways. At least these guys didn't set one trap on the ground and stupidly wait around nearby. It was also a huge advantage that they didn't attack unless they were approached first.

"Next time, it would be more efficient to start by taking one ghoul down first with an arrow."

"Okay. That sounds good."

After briefly establishing a strategy for future battles, I collected the mana stones that had fallen on the ground and put them in my pocket.

"Um, mister...?"

"What is it?"

"I-It's just that— it's now my turn to take one..."

"Ah, that's right."

We continued down the tunnel.

***

My prediction that we were near the border was correct. For a while, the ghouls and the goblins alternated, but as we continued northward, we were back to only seeing goblins.

How long has it been?

[22:47]

It was already nearing the end of the third day. After taking a break for about four hours along the way, we found something on the route north. A dark red line was drawn on the ground.

"Uh, a bloodstain? I don't think it's from a goblin. Who could it be?"

...Somehow, I felt like I knew its owner.

As we walked, we also saw pieces of bread that had been dropped at regular intervals. With confidence, I continued to follow the bloodstains.

"Um, you haven't said anything in a while..."

Ten minutes passed.

"Are you mad at me, by any chance?"

Thirty minutes passed.

"Pardon? Mister?"

Two hours passed. After walking that long path, I finally came across a sandal abandoned on the ground. The curses came to me instantly.

"Um..."

"Fuck, are you kidding me?"

"I-I'm sorry! For whatever I did!"

There had been a portal right under my nose.