Chapter 14: Return (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 14: Return (1)
The moment Erwen nervously picked up an arrow, I shoved her forward.
"Eh?"
Erwen, who had been suddenly pushed from behind, stumbled forward, and in the process, the essence floating in the air came into contact with her skin.
Shaaa—!
The essence emitted a light and swirled into Erwen's body.
"You crazy bastard!"
So, that was what those bastards were after.
"I said, don't move!"
Soon, the group of four adventurers got within ten yards of us. But, look. The essence had already been absorbed by this elf. I hid my nerves and took an intimidating step forward.
"Why should I listen to you?"
"That essence was ours!"
I pictured a different scenario unfolding, one where I hadn't fed Erwen the essence. They probably would have forced us to give it up on ridiculous grounds. They probably would have claimed they took the monster down themselves with a long-distance arrow or whatever excuse they planned to use.
"If you want to fight, go ahead. I'll fight you as long as you want."
Four against two. Although we were outnumbered, I firmly held my ground. To me, this was similar to when small dogs barked loudly to avoid fighting as much as possible. Humans were like animals in that when someone looked down on them, they'd bite.
The redhead, who seemed to be the leader of the group, silently clenched his teeth.
I was sure they had enough brains to think this through. It was not as if the essence was still floating in the air. Its owner had already been decided, so there was nothing to gain from fighting us.
So it would be wise to give up and go back—
"I demand compensation."
—Or choose to whine.
Seeing the essence disappear in front of his eyes must've been a big disappointment. There was no reason for me to care about that, though.
"We took the essence that we earned. What compensation are you talking about?"
"Is there any evidence? That goblin was ours."
I didn't bother asking, "And do you have any proof of that?" It was obvious there was no such thing. There was no CCTV in the labyrinth. In the end, the words of the man with the most power became law.
"Again, if you want to fight, go ahead. I will not run away," I replied stubbornly, leaving no room for debate.
If you're going to attack, go ahead. If you're just going to talk, don't push it and get lost.
I didn't even give them the time to think.
"I'll give you three seconds. If you do not make a decision before that, we will consider you our enemy."
"Mister...?"
Read the room, Erwen. Be quiet. Can't you see that they're all scared of how strong I'm coming across?
"Three. Two—"
"We will leave."
The man chose before I could count to one. Seriously, if a tattooed barbarian of my size started counting down the seconds in front of me, I would have done the same. And if the essence was really theirs, their eyes would be burning with rage right about now. But they knew damn well that it was not theirs. Soon, they disappeared from our sight.
"Are they gone?"
"Yes. I think so."
"We'll speed up until we reach the portal. Take the lead."
At my words, Erwen cleared the path at a speed not unlike someone on horseback. She also knew. Although the encounter had ended without bloodshed, it wasn't over yet.
"Any sign of those guys?"
"I don't sense anything. Oh, there's a group of goblins at three o'clock, what should I do?"
"Ignore them."
"Okay."
Originally, I had planned to go back to leisurely hunting goblins on our way to the portal, but things had changed. We were going to get out of the second floor as soon as possible. And if we could manage it, get as far away from the portal as possible once we were on the first floor.
Hearing my plan, Erwen tilted her head.
"Would they really follow us to the first floor?"
"They're not following us. It's just that our destination is the same."
"What does that mean?"
It was a simple guess. They were a party of four. This was more than enough people to be active in the first area of the second floor. But they had been moving toward the entrance rather than the outskirts. Their intention was clear.
"It's very likely they're planning on returning to the first floor on the seventh day to then return to the city. Which is why we ran into them back there."
"Oh..."
To put it simply, like us, these guys were a ragtag bunch who were only on the second floor to get a taste of it. That was why, even though they had doubled our numbers, they had gotten scared and ran. It was possible they were not even a proper party but just a group of people who had met by coincidence on the first floor.
"I see..."
At my next words, Erwen quietly nodded. Though I didn't know if she actually understood.
"You really are amazing!"
...I guess she didn't.
"I will only do what you tell me to do!"
Well, that was probably for the best. Letting someone turn the rusty gears in their head was bound to lead to more trouble.
"Mister, it's a goblin!"
"Avoid it."
"But it looks like they have already found us. They're running this way right now!"
"What?"
As soon as I heard that, I felt a sense of despair. From the fourth day until now, the goblins had never detected us first. In that sense, Erwen's sensing ability was excellent. Even though we were currently running somewhere, this could not be a coincidence.
Plus, she had just absorbed an essence.
"Detour in the opposite direction for now."
"Okay!"
At my instruction, Erwen turned.
And right at that moment—
Whip!
An arrow hurtled from the direction we had turned away from. As soon as I saw this, I grabbed Erwen from behind.
"Eek!"
Erwen groaned as her airway was pressed in, but... choking for a short while was better than getting impaled in the neck.
Bam!
"Are they gone?"
"Yes. I think so."
"We'll speed up until we reach the portal. Take the lead."
At my words, Erwen cleared the path at a speed not unlike someone on horseback. She also knew. Although the encounter had ended without bloodshed, it wasn't over yet.
"Any sign of those guys?"
"I don't sense anything. Oh, there's a group of goblins at three o'clock, what should I do?"
"Ignore them."
"Okay."
Originally, I had planned to go back to leisurely hunting goblins on our way to the portal, but things had changed. We were going to get out of the second floor as soon as possible. And if we could manage it, get as far away from the portal as possible once we were on the first floor.
Hearing my plan, Erwen tilted her head.
"Would they really follow us to the first floor?"
"They're not following us. It's just that our destination is the same."
"What does that mean?"
It was a simple guess. They were a party of four. This was more than enough people to be active in the first area of the second floor. But they had been moving toward the entrance rather than the outskirts. Their intention was clear.
"It's very likely they're planning on returning to the first floor on the seventh day to then return to the city. Which is why we ran into them back there."
"Oh..."
To put it simply, like us, these guys were a ragtag bunch who were only on the second floor to get a taste of it. That was why, even though they had doubled our numbers, they had gotten scared and ran. It was possible they were not even a proper party but just a group of people who had met by coincidence on the first floor.
"I see..."
At my next words, Erwen quietly nodded. Though I didn't know if she actually understood.
"You really are amazing!"
...I guess she didn't.
"I will only do what you tell me to do!"
Well, that was probably for the best. Letting someone turn the rusty gears in their head was bound to lead to more trouble.
"Mister, it's a goblin!"
"Avoid it."
"But it looks like they have already found us. They're running this way right now!"
"What?"
As soon as I heard that, I felt a sense of despair. From the fourth day until now, the goblins had never detected us first. In that sense, Erwen's sensing ability was excellent. Even though we were currently running somewhere, this could not be a coincidence.
Plus, she had just absorbed an essence.
"Detour in the opposite direction for now."
"Okay!"
At my instruction, Erwen turned.
And right at that moment—
Whip!
An arrow hurtled from the direction we had turned away from. As soon as I saw this, I grabbed Erwen from behind.
"Eek!"
Erwen groaned as her airway was pressed in, but... choking for a short while was better than getting impaled in the neck.
Bam!
As soon as I picked Erwen up and used the shield to cover my upper body, the arrow bounced off of it. But although it bounced off at an angle, it still felt solid against the shield. Could it have been that bastard with the crossbow earlier?
"I-I could have... a-avoided it on my..."
Erwen squeaked something.
I'm sorry, but I don't have the time to listen to you.
"...own..."
"Just run."
I started running with Erwen, taking the lead again.
"Mister, if an arrow flies again, you don't need to pull me like—"
"Be quiet. I'm thinking," I said in a low voice, and Erwen shut her mouth.
I kept thinking it through as we ran and stayed aware of my surroundings. I didn't know how they had done it, but those guys had lured the goblins here. Then, they ambushed us from the opposite direction and tried to trap us.
Even if we escape, will we be able to safely reach the portal? No way.
I tried to calculate the possibility that we would reach the portal, but I knew it was extremely low. They had a crossbow, and the goblins would continue to pursue us as well.
If we were lucky, we might be able to get out of this alive despite all of this. However, I knew I wasn't going to be the lucky one in this situation.
"We have to fight."
We had time to take a few breaths. In that time, I came to a conclusion.
"Erwen, use your powers."
"Powers?"
"Use the power of the essence."
The essences contained the special abilities of each monster they dropped from.
For example:
[Goblin Archer
Agility: +2
Flexibility: +4
Vision: +6
Smell: +2
Perception: +2
Cognitive Interference: +6
Accuracy: +8
Poison Resistance: +4
Obsession: +7
(P) Poison Arrow — When using a bow, you deal poison damage.
(A) Thief Step — You can enter stealth mode.]
In the game, the information had been displayed like that. Increased stats, and one passive (P) and one active (A) ability.
This information would also apply in this world. There had been some differences so far, such as the monsters, starting points, et cetera, but this part at least had always been consistent with the game.
"B-But I don't know how to use it..."
Erwen was startled by my unreasonable request. I smiled.
"Good."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that you're in stealth mode."
As Erwen was running, her body turned hazy. Even so, it was a weak effect and could be detected from a distance, but...
"Stop."
When I stopped her from moving, the stealth effect became stronger. This must have been the reason why the characters moved slowly in the game.
As soon as I picked Erwen up and used the shield to cover my upper body, the arrow bounced off of it. But although it bounced off at an angle, it still felt solid against the shield. Could it have been that bastard with the crossbow earlier?
"I-I could have... a-avoided it on my..."
Erwen squeaked something.
I'm sorry, but I don't have the time to listen to you.
"...own..."
"Just run."
I started running with Erwen, taking the lead again.
"Mister, if an arrow flies again, you don't need to pull me like—"
"Be quiet. I'm thinking," I said in a low voice, and Erwen shut her mouth.
I kept thinking it through as we ran and stayed aware of my surroundings. I didn't know how they had done it, but those guys had lured the goblins here. Then, they ambushed us from the opposite direction and tried to trap us.
Even if we escape, will we be able to safely reach the portal? No way.
I tried to calculate the possibility that we would reach the portal, but I knew it was extremely low. They had a crossbow, and the goblins would continue to pursue us as well.
If we were lucky, we might be able to get out of this alive despite all of this. However, I knew I wasn't going to be the lucky one in this situation.
"We have to fight."
We had time to take a few breaths. In that time, I came to a conclusion.
"Erwen, use your powers."
"Powers?"
"Use the power of the essence."
The essences contained the special abilities of each monster they dropped from.
For example:
[Goblin Archer
Agility: +2
Flexibility: +4
Vision: +6
Smell: +2
Perception: +2
Cognitive Interference: +6
Accuracy: +8
Poison Resistance: +4
Obsession: +7
(P) Poison Arrow — When using a bow, you deal poison damage.
(A) Thief Step — You can enter stealth mode.]
In the game, the information had been displayed like that. Increased stats, and one passive (P) and one active (A) ability.
This information would also apply in this world. There had been some differences so far, such as the monsters, starting points, et cetera, but this part at least had always been consistent with the game.
"B-But I don't know how to use it..."
Erwen was startled by my unreasonable request. I smiled.
"Good."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that you're in stealth mode."
As Erwen was running, her body turned hazy. Even so, it was a weak effect and could be detected from a distance, but...
"Stop."
When I stopped her from moving, the stealth effect became stronger. This must have been the reason why the characters moved slowly in the game.
As time passed with us standing there, her body turned from translucent to almost transparent. Although there was a clear disparity between her outline and the surrounding area, she would not be visible except at close range.
Or even less, in this dark forest.
Erwen looked down at her body and exclaimed, "Wow..."
It was fascinating to me, too. Although I was fascinated by a different thing. Without a command or anything like that, she had activated the skill by sheer force of will. Anyway, we could study this in more detail later.
"Erwen, take this."
"Huh?"
I handed the backpack to Erwen and quickly added, "You hide here, and when I give you the signal, shoot the crossbow archer first. Do not come out before then. Do you understand?"
"What? What do you mean?"
"There is no time. I'll assume that you understand."
I quickly finished what I had to say and immediately started running.
"Wait, the signal?! What is the signal—!"
I heard a small shout ring out behind me, but it was too risky to go back.
After moving about thirty yards from my original position, I stopped. I had no intention of going far in the first place. If I kept going like this and ended up stepping into a trap, that would be a huge problem.
"Grk, grk!"
As I turned back, I heard goblins rushing in from the front left. And those cowardly adventurers... they were yet to be seen.
After I had blocked that first arrow, they didn't reappear. But I didn't worry too much about it. It was obvious what those bastards were thinking.
"Grk, grk!"
If I started fighting these goblins, they were sure to appear. They had lured the goblins here with that plan in mind in the first place. Refocusing on the present moment, I watched the goblins swarming around me.
"Grghghgh!"
Of the ten goblins, there were two swordsmen. Fortunately, there were no archers among—
Clang!
I was wrong. I ran toward the goblins, fending off the arrows flying toward my shield. Of course, I couldn't run around like I usually did. The goblin archers were after me, but so was the human crossbowman.
Clang!
After a period of about ten seconds, another arrow flew in. Again, it belonged to the goblin archer.
Clang!
After blocking the arrow with my shield, I bashed the scimitar-wielding goblin swordsman's head in. In return, another goblin stabbed me in the leg with a carving knife.
Stab!
Oh well. I had to take risks here. The number of goblins would decrease, but the adventurers would also start to feel impatient and show themselves.
Whack! Whack! Whack!
Knocking down the goblins like a rampaging barbarian, my injuries gradually increased... Forearm, thigh, ribs, etcetera. None of them were serious injuries individually, but as they accumulated, I couldn't just brush them off.
Whack!
The poison from the goblin weapons had begun to circulate, and a tingling sensation spread from the injured areas. But despite this, I killed all seven goblins. Then—
As time passed with us standing there, her body turned from translucent to almost transparent. Although there was a clear disparity between her outline and the surrounding area, she would not be visible except at close range.
Or even less, in this dark forest.
Erwen looked down at her body and exclaimed, "Wow..."
It was fascinating to me, too. Although I was fascinated by a different thing. Without a command or anything like that, she had activated the skill by sheer force of will. Anyway, we could study this in more detail later.
"Erwen, take this."
"Huh?"
I handed the backpack to Erwen and quickly added, "You hide here, and when I give you the signal, shoot the crossbow archer first. Do not come out before then. Do you understand?"
"What? What do you mean?"
"There is no time. I'll assume that you understand."
I quickly finished what I had to say and immediately started running.
"Wait, the signal?! What is the signal—!"
I heard a small shout ring out behind me, but it was too risky to go back.
After moving about thirty yards from my original position, I stopped. I had no intention of going far in the first place. If I kept going like this and ended up stepping into a trap, that would be a huge problem.
"Grk, grk!"
As I turned back, I heard goblins rushing in from the front left. And those cowardly adventurers... they were yet to be seen.
After I had blocked that first arrow, they didn't reappear. But I didn't worry too much about it. It was obvious what those bastards were thinking.
"Grk, grk!"
If I started fighting these goblins, they were sure to appear. They had lured the goblins here with that plan in mind in the first place. Refocusing on the present moment, I watched the goblins swarming around me.
"Grghghgh!"
Of the ten goblins, there were two swordsmen. Fortunately, there were no archers among—
Clang!
I was wrong. I ran toward the goblins, fending off the arrows flying toward my shield. Of course, I couldn't run around like I usually did. The goblin archers were after me, but so was the human crossbowman.
Clang!
After a period of about ten seconds, another arrow flew in. Again, it belonged to the goblin archer.
Clang!
After blocking the arrow with my shield, I bashed the scimitar-wielding goblin swordsman's head in. In return, another goblin stabbed me in the leg with a carving knife.
Stab!
Oh well. I had to take risks here. The number of goblins would decrease, but the adventurers would also start to feel impatient and show themselves.
Whack! Whack! Whack!
Knocking down the goblins like a rampaging barbarian, my injuries gradually increased... Forearm, thigh, ribs, etcetera. None of them were serious injuries individually, but as they accumulated, I couldn't just brush them off.
Whack!
The poison from the goblin weapons had begun to circulate, and a tingling sensation spread from the injured areas. But despite this, I killed all seven goblins. Then—
Whizz!
The arrows flew in. Two at the same time.
Whizz!
Their direction was also different. One was no doubt the goblin archer, and the other would be the crossbowman.
It was difficult to block both with my shield. I chose to block the crossbowman's arrow coming in from the side.
Bam!
The sound of the impact was different from the one I usually heard when blocking arrows fired by goblin archers.
Is this really a crossbow?
As I was thinking that—
Stab!
With the squelch of something tearing through my skin, a goblin arrow pierced my left elbow.
"Shit."
That hurt. Had it reached the bone? The pain was one thing, but now my arm couldn't move at all because of a single arrow. I'd tried to deflect it with a shoulder guard, but it was harder than I had thought.
Thud.
I threw down the hammer in my right hand without hesitation and held up the shield in its place. My left arm, which had been holding the shield, was now paralyzed. If I had to choose between the hammer and the shield, the shield was always the better option.
Especially in this situation.
Whack! Whack! Whack!
Holding the shield in one hand, I pummeled the three remaining goblins, clearing my immediate vicinity. The goblin archer must've run away because the arrows stopped coming.
It was a painful victory in the first round, but I survived.
"Come out! You sons of bitches!" I shouted.
I didn't realize that I'd be saying that to a human, not a goblin. Well, I guess they were basically the same.
Whiiip!
Instead of coming out, an arrow flew at me from far away. It was a human crossbow. Since I expected it, blocking it was no problem. However...
Bam!
Fuck, what is that? I thought.
The arrow had pierced right through the shield's iron plate, its tip pointing at me through the metal.
One wrong move and this could fuck up my hand too.
As I covered my upper body with the shield and looked out over the bushes, I heard a voice calling out to me before long.
"Barbarian."
Three people appeared. The red-haired man and presumed leader, a samurai with a single-edged sword similar to a Japanese sword, and a very skinny man holding a one-handed sword and shield.
The crossbowman, meanwhile, was still unaccounted for.
"So, it was you."
"Yes, it was us."
How had they lured the goblins here? I didn't ask any questions like that, because, if I did, I knew they would just look down on me more.
"Come at me."
"A true barbarian. You're full of fighting spirit even after dealing with so many goblins alone. Where is that elven bitch?"
I was wondering why they were talking so much. So that was their objective.
"Looks like you even handed over your backpack. If you don't want any more trouble, you better spill."
As soon as I heard that, I smirked and let out a snort of laughter.
If I tell you, you'll let me go? Yeah right. I'm not a brainless fool.
"Bastard."
The leader frowned when he saw me laughing. The look on his face suggested he'd had enough of this. Apparently, I seemed like a standard barbarian to him.
"In that case, we'll subdue you first and question you again later."
The leader exchanged glances with his comrades, and they slowly approached together.
Capture the enemy, huh... That was nice to hear.
True, even if they killed me, the risk and reward weren't balanced. There could be any number of reasons why they had gone through the trouble of an ambush. The mana stones we had gathered over seven days, the equipment we wore, Erwen's pretty face, or revenge for having to witness someone else get lucky right in front of them.
I was realizing once again...
"Everyone, be vigilant. Think of it as hunting a large monster."
Seriously, there were too many min-maxing freaks in this world. Well, that was probably what I would grow to be like, too.
I slowly forced my left hand, which was now paralyzed from the poison arrow stuck in my elbow, to move above my head. And then...
"What are you doing?"
I raised my middle finger high.
Whiiip!
Anyone who had lived in this world would know this was a unique signal.
Thunk—!
Soon, a faint sound echoed through the forest.
Whizz!
The arrows flew in. Two at the same time.
Whizz!
Their direction was also different. One was no doubt the goblin archer, and the other would be the crossbowman.
It was difficult to block both with my shield. I chose to block the crossbowman's arrow coming in from the side.
Bam!
The sound of the impact was different from the one I usually heard when blocking arrows fired by goblin archers.
Is this really a crossbow?
As I was thinking that—
Stab!
With the squelch of something tearing through my skin, a goblin arrow pierced my left elbow.
"Shit."
That hurt. Had it reached the bone? The pain was one thing, but now my arm couldn't move at all because of a single arrow. I'd tried to deflect it with a shoulder guard, but it was harder than I had thought.
Thud.
I threw down the hammer in my right hand without hesitation and held up the shield in its place. My left arm, which had been holding the shield, was now paralyzed. If I had to choose between the hammer and the shield, the shield was always the better option.
Especially in this situation.
Whack! Whack! Whack!
Holding the shield in one hand, I pummeled the three remaining goblins, clearing my immediate vicinity. The goblin archer must've run away because the arrows stopped coming.
It was a painful victory in the first round, but I survived.
"Come out! You sons of bitches!" I shouted.
I didn't realize that I'd be saying that to a human, not a goblin. Well, I guess they were basically the same.
Whiiip!
Instead of coming out, an arrow flew at me from far away. It was a human crossbow. Since I expected it, blocking it was no problem. However...
Bam!
Fuck, what is that? I thought.
The arrow had pierced right through the shield's iron plate, its tip pointing at me through the metal.
One wrong move and this could fuck up my hand too.
As I covered my upper body with the shield and looked out over the bushes, I heard a voice calling out to me before long.
"Barbarian."
Three people appeared. The red-haired man and presumed leader, a samurai with a single-edged sword similar to a Japanese sword, and a very skinny man holding a one-handed sword and shield.
The crossbowman, meanwhile, was still unaccounted for.
"So, it was you."
"Yes, it was us."
How had they lured the goblins here? I didn't ask any questions like that, because, if I did, I knew they would just look down on me more.
"Come at me."
"A true barbarian. You're full of fighting spirit even after dealing with so many goblins alone. Where is that elven bitch?"
I was wondering why they were talking so much. So that was their objective.
"Looks like you even handed over your backpack. If you don't want any more trouble, you better spill."
As soon as I heard that, I smirked and let out a snort of laughter.
If I tell you, you'll let me go? Yeah right. I'm not a brainless fool.
"Bastard."
The leader frowned when he saw me laughing. The look on his face suggested he'd had enough of this. Apparently, I seemed like a standard barbarian to him.
"In that case, we'll subdue you first and question you again later."
The leader exchanged glances with his comrades, and they slowly approached together.
Capture the enemy, huh... That was nice to hear.
True, even if they killed me, the risk and reward weren't balanced. There could be any number of reasons why they had gone through the trouble of an ambush. The mana stones we had gathered over seven days, the equipment we wore, Erwen's pretty face, or revenge for having to witness someone else get lucky right in front of them.
I was realizing once again...
"Everyone, be vigilant. Think of it as hunting a large monster."
Seriously, there were too many min-maxing freaks in this world. Well, that was probably what I would grow to be like, too.
I slowly forced my left hand, which was now paralyzed from the poison arrow stuck in my elbow, to move above my head. And then...
"What are you doing?"
I raised my middle finger high.
Whiiip!
Anyone who had lived in this world would know this was a unique signal.
Thunk—!
Soon, a faint sound echoed through the forest.