Chapter 15: Return (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 15: Return (2)
"Percy? Percy!"
The leader hastily called out a name. Of course, there was no answer. I had instructed Erwen to shoot the crossbowman first.
Only then did the leader turn to me.
"What the hell did you do?"
But even so, he was wary of whatever was behind me, suggesting he had come up with his own theory. That was a very big mistake. I hated bastards who asked a question with an answer already in their heads. A lot.
Smash!
The moment the leader's gaze turned to the bush, I dashed forward and swung my shield without hesitation.
Voom!
Unfortunately, there was no answering jolt in my hand. To avoid something like that... if it had been a goblin, they would have no doubt disappeared into light.
"Illis! It's time!"
When the leader called for him, the samurai dashed toward me with a disciplined horizontal slash.
Khak!
I heard the sound of sparks bouncing off my shield.
Shit, what was that shock?
I almost dropped the shield. But, despite being surprised, I ran toward the three instead. I hoped to distract them and give Erwen a more decisive opportunity.
However...
Voom!
Another smash missed.
So you're saying you're not a newbie, huh?
Dealing with these guys was the first time the short reach of the shield was bothering me. But the more I thought about it, the more I closed the distance and swung my shield aggressively. Then, I heard the sound I had been waiting for.
Whiiip!
At last, Erwen's supporting fire had begun. However, the arrows fired did not land in anyone's forehead, neck, legs, or arms. Instead, the skinny bastard with the sword and shield blocked all of them with his shield.
"I will stop the arrows! Don't worry about it and get the barbarian!"
I wondered why he was still standing all alone. Had he decided to focus on just the arrows? Again, humans were too meticulous compared to goblins.
Bam!
As I was deflecting the samurai's strike with my shield, the leader sneakily swung his sword and aimed at my left arm.
Slice—!
Luckily, I reacted in time, so the cut was not too deep. Although he had cut me, it didn't mean much because the arm had already been useless. Plus, it hadn't hurt that much because of the paralyzing poison circulating through my veins.
"What kind of monster..." the leader muttered when I didn't even flinch at the injury.
Shit, don't blame it on me. You're just not a good swordsman.
I cussed inwardly and pushed the samurai back with my shield and brute strength.
Then another support arrow was fired.
Wheee!
Maybe she had changed positions because this arrow came from a completely different direction from before. The skinny man was not an easy mark either.
Clang!
Skinny once again blocked the arrow with his shield.
What is he? An outfielder?
Skinny flung his body in front of an arrow aimed at someone else. I was on the verge of getting frustrated that the fight showed no signs of progressing when—
Whoosh!
His shield, which looked like a hedgehog with all those arrows sticking out of it, quickly erupted into flames.
"Shit!"
Skinny could not stand the heat and tossed away his shield. I smirked in my head. Sorry, our archer is an elementalist. That's why you should have used a 100 percent iron shield like me, you poor bastard!
Whizz!
As the annoying shield disappeared, Erwen fired more arrows without hesitation.
"Aaaah!"
The arrow hit Skinny's shoulder. Soon after, he lost even the sword he had been holding and became a useless prick.
"Illis! I'll take care of the elf bitch!"
Only then did the leader get a handle on the situation and entrust me to the samurai so he could run for the bushes. It was already too late for me to catch up.
Grrr! Damn you!
It seemed that I had no choice but to put my faith in Erwen.
The samurai stepped back and spoke in a pompous tone.
"Give up, barbarian."
This was why humans got on my nerves. Who did he think he was fooling? It was clear that he was trying to buy time until his leader returned.
Dash!
As I dashed forward and used Smash, the samurai's face crumpled up.
"What's wrong? Are you afraid now that you're alone?!"
"He's not alone!"
The question had been directed at the samurai, but the answer had come from Skinny. In his left hand was the one-handed sword he had dropped earlier. But...
Voom!
Is it because he's right-handed? His knife work wasn't cutting it. He might have been a hotshot with the shield, but with the sword? He was weak.
Whack!
By taking a step back, I cleanly evaded Skinny's attack and then kicked at his kneecap. Skinny squealed, the veins on his neck bulging.
"Aaah!"
Oh, I hadn't expected it to turn out like that. Skinny fell to the floor cradling his knee, which now had a bone protruding from it, with both hands. I wanted to use this opportunity to finish him off, but unfortunately, that hope was dashed thanks to the samurai.
Khak!
It was a powerful blow that I couldn't seem to get used to, no matter how many times I blocked it. Why was someone like him hanging out with these dickheads?
Maybe there was some kind of story behind it? I wasn't sure, but I knew this was going to be the biggest mistake of this bastard's life.
Voom!
When I used Smash the samurai dodged it with an experienced move and widened the distance between us. Immediately, I dropped my shield and reached out my hand, dashing once more. This move was called... "Reaching Out While Pretending to Smash." I was too lazy to even name it right now. It wasn't that fun either.
The samurai's face was flooded with alarm as I caught him by the nape of his neck.
"Didn't expect that, huh?"
Skinny flung his body in front of an arrow aimed at someone else. I was on the verge of getting frustrated that the fight showed no signs of progressing when—
Whoosh!
His shield, which looked like a hedgehog with all those arrows sticking out of it, quickly erupted into flames.
"Shit!"
Skinny could not stand the heat and tossed away his shield. I smirked in my head. Sorry, our archer is an elementalist. That's why you should have used a 100 percent iron shield like me, you poor bastard!
Whizz!
As the annoying shield disappeared, Erwen fired more arrows without hesitation.
"Aaaah!"
The arrow hit Skinny's shoulder. Soon after, he lost even the sword he had been holding and became a useless prick.
"Illis! I'll take care of the elf bitch!"
Only then did the leader get a handle on the situation and entrust me to the samurai so he could run for the bushes. It was already too late for me to catch up.
Grrr! Damn you!
It seemed that I had no choice but to put my faith in Erwen.
The samurai stepped back and spoke in a pompous tone.
"Give up, barbarian."
This was why humans got on my nerves. Who did he think he was fooling? It was clear that he was trying to buy time until his leader returned.
Dash!
As I dashed forward and used Smash, the samurai's face crumpled up.
"What's wrong? Are you afraid now that you're alone?!"
"He's not alone!"
The question had been directed at the samurai, but the answer had come from Skinny. In his left hand was the one-handed sword he had dropped earlier. But...
Voom!
Is it because he's right-handed? His knife work wasn't cutting it. He might have been a hotshot with the shield, but with the sword? He was weak.
Whack!
By taking a step back, I cleanly evaded Skinny's attack and then kicked at his kneecap. Skinny squealed, the veins on his neck bulging.
"Aaah!"
Oh, I hadn't expected it to turn out like that. Skinny fell to the floor cradling his knee, which now had a bone protruding from it, with both hands. I wanted to use this opportunity to finish him off, but unfortunately, that hope was dashed thanks to the samurai.
Khak!
It was a powerful blow that I couldn't seem to get used to, no matter how many times I blocked it. Why was someone like him hanging out with these dickheads?
Maybe there was some kind of story behind it? I wasn't sure, but I knew this was going to be the biggest mistake of this bastard's life.
Voom!
When I used Smash the samurai dodged it with an experienced move and widened the distance between us. Immediately, I dropped my shield and reached out my hand, dashing once more. This move was called... "Reaching Out While Pretending to Smash." I was too lazy to even name it right now. It wasn't that fun either.
The samurai's face was flooded with alarm as I caught him by the nape of his neck.
"Didn't expect that, huh?"
I yanked the samurai back with bountiful strength. Then, instead of using my paralyzed left arm, I used my mouth to bite the samurai's neck and—
Rip—!
Ripped it off.
"Ah, ah, ahhhh..."
The samurai couldn't even scream. He took a step backward with blank eyes, covering his neck, which was now pouring blood like a fountain, with both hands...
And then he collapsed to the ground.
"Mister!"
Did she settle her end of the fight on her own?
As soon as the battle was over, Erwen appeared from the bushes.
"Mister?"
I spit out the chunk of flesh in my mouth and wiped my lips with my arm.
Shit, that was fucking disgusting.
***
The arduous battle was now over. Was I the only one injured? Fortunately, Erwen was in the same state as she had been when we parted, implying the battle had ended before the man had gotten too close. I, on the other hand, was completely in tatters.
"Mister! Drink this, quick."
As my adrenaline faded, I fell to the ground on my knees. Erwen held out a potion.
Gulp, gulp, gulp...
I carefully emptied the bottle like I was drinking a deadly poison. The poison in my body was one thing, but since my injuries were not concentrated in a single area, Erwen explained it was better to drink the potion rather than pour it on the wound.
Since I had emptied an entire bottle, it felt completely different than usual.
"Ugh..."
Something was boiling inside my intestines. The pain felt like small beads were bouncing around in my blood vessels, and my skin was so hot that it was close to driving me crazy. That went on for over ten minutes.
"...Mister, be strong."
Erwen wiped my sweaty body with the old handkerchief from a while ago. Perhaps because of the poison, or perhaps because I was just dirty, the white handkerchief turned completely black.
...I'd have to buy her a new one later.
"It's fine. I'm... okay now."
Feeling slightly better, I struggled to my feet.
Looking down, I could see scabs sitting on top of my wounds, both large and small. If I drank another bottle of potion, those would disappear too, but I decided not to.
"This one is going to leave a scar..."
So what, though? I'm a barbarian.
"Water."
"Right! Here."
Straight away, Erwen quickly rummaged through her bag and pulled out a water bottle. I felt like I'd become a lord or something. I gulped down the whole bottle, and energy began to slowly return to my body.
Was water always this good?
All of a sudden, the bulging veins that had sprung up all over my body also sank down.
"Take out my watch."
With Erwen's help, I checked the time. Then I froze.
[23:20]
Damn, they didn't even leave us time to rest.
There were just forty minutes left until the seventh day ended. If we couldn't get down to the first floor by then, we'd have to spend three more days in this goddamn place.
I yanked the samurai back with bountiful strength. Then, instead of using my paralyzed left arm, I used my mouth to bite the samurai's neck and—
Rip—!
Ripped it off.
"Ah, ah, ahhhh..."
The samurai couldn't even scream. He took a step backward with blank eyes, covering his neck, which was now pouring blood like a fountain, with both hands...
And then he collapsed to the ground.
"Mister!"
Did she settle her end of the fight on her own?
As soon as the battle was over, Erwen appeared from the bushes.
"Mister?"
I spit out the chunk of flesh in my mouth and wiped my lips with my arm.
Shit, that was fucking disgusting.
***
The arduous battle was now over. Was I the only one injured? Fortunately, Erwen was in the same state as she had been when we parted, implying the battle had ended before the man had gotten too close. I, on the other hand, was completely in tatters.
"Mister! Drink this, quick."
As my adrenaline faded, I fell to the ground on my knees. Erwen held out a potion.
Gulp, gulp, gulp...
I carefully emptied the bottle like I was drinking a deadly poison. The poison in my body was one thing, but since my injuries were not concentrated in a single area, Erwen explained it was better to drink the potion rather than pour it on the wound.
Since I had emptied an entire bottle, it felt completely different than usual.
"Ugh..."
Something was boiling inside my intestines. The pain felt like small beads were bouncing around in my blood vessels, and my skin was so hot that it was close to driving me crazy. That went on for over ten minutes.
"...Mister, be strong."
Erwen wiped my sweaty body with the old handkerchief from a while ago. Perhaps because of the poison, or perhaps because I was just dirty, the white handkerchief turned completely black.
...I'd have to buy her a new one later.
"It's fine. I'm... okay now."
Feeling slightly better, I struggled to my feet.
Looking down, I could see scabs sitting on top of my wounds, both large and small. If I drank another bottle of potion, those would disappear too, but I decided not to.
"This one is going to leave a scar..."
So what, though? I'm a barbarian.
"Water."
"Right! Here."
Straight away, Erwen quickly rummaged through her bag and pulled out a water bottle. I felt like I'd become a lord or something. I gulped down the whole bottle, and energy began to slowly return to my body.
Was water always this good?
All of a sudden, the bulging veins that had sprung up all over my body also sank down.
"Take out my watch."
With Erwen's help, I checked the time. Then I froze.
[23:20]
Damn, they didn't even leave us time to rest.
There were just forty minutes left until the seventh day ended. If we couldn't get down to the first floor by then, we'd have to spend three more days in this goddamn place.
"Erwen, the clothes. Take them off."
"Wh-what?"
Not yours, theirs.
Lacking the energy to speak, I pointed toward the corpses with my hand, and Erwen dropped the hand that was holding her shirt closed.
"No, actually, forget the clothes," I said. "We don't have time. Just pack their gear, mana stones, and backpacks."
"O-Okay!" Knowing that there was no time, Erwen moved quickly. "Oh, I'll bring that red-haired guy and the crossbow guy's stuff too!"
Yes, and be careful not to step on a trap.
While Erwen was busy with that, I took off the samurai and Skinny's equipment. I tossed away the chest guard, samurai sword, and the wooden shield that had turned into charcoal...
After sorting through their equipment, I did a rough inventory and took only the items that looked expensive. And just as I was putting them in my backpack, Erwen returned.
"Ugh..."
The two backpacks seemed quite heavy for her.
Sorry, I can't hold them for you because I have three.
Soon after, I checked the time one more time.
[23:35]
Only twenty-five minutes left.
"Let's run."
"Are you sure? You look tired..."
"Don't worry about it."
Erwen looked full of concern, but when she saw my expression, she nodded and led the way.
And so, a forced marathon began.
"I'll follow behind you, so speed up as much as you can and clear the way."
"Okay."
Sending Erwen ahead, I continued running while adjusting my pace. My body was weirdly heavy, probably due to mental fatigue. Or was it just because of these backpacks?
...Still, I couldn't just leave them there. After all that hard work, there needed to be a reward. That was justice.
Pant, pant...
After I had run for who knew how long... a portal appeared in the distance.
Erwen had arrived first and was waiting for me in front of it. Her expression both cheered me on and pitied me at the same time, like she was a young female protagonist in an anime.
Shit, this is the kind of vibe you feel right before you get rejected.
Feeling a bit anxious, I mustered the rest of my strength and sped up my steps.
And...
"I'm going in first!"
"Eh? Me—me too!"
Unlike in an anime, I boldly skipped the emotional hug and entered the portal.
Flash—!
The burst of brilliance was the same as it had been last time. But somehow, this time, I felt like the light was embracing me.
***
The sensation of returning to the first floor was not much different from when we had entered the second floor. It was the sensation of being spat out of the belly of a beast.
"Ahh!"
Unfortunately, even the outcome was the same. No, it was maybe worse.
Thudㅡ!
While I was tossed headfirst and thrown to the ground, Erwen once again landed just fine.
...How the hell was that possible?
When we had been thrown onto the second floor, she had at least drawn an arc through the air. In terms of baseball, this time she was no different from a fastball.
Damn, every single one of my bones ached.
"That was kinda fun!"
Uh, right.
Well, I would laugh too if there were someone like me beside me.
"Whew..."
Stretching out my aching body, I got up and dusted off the dirt. Then, I checked the time.
[23:58]
Safe, but it had been a close call.
I didn't want to say we were lucky, because then there would be too many things I could blame the universe for. If things went well, it was because of me, and if things didn't go well, it was also because of me. That mindset was better for my mental health.
"You worked hard, mister."
"Yeah, you too."
We looked at each other for a moment and said our goodbyes.
Wait, I feel like I'm forgetting something...
"Loot distribution!"
"Oh, right! The essence!"
Erwen and I shouted at the same time.
"The essence?"
"Yeah! You told me to promise you something earlier!"
Oh, yes. That.
Now I remembered what I had forgotten. But there was no time for a long conversation. I quickly checked the watch again.
[23:59]
I looked at the second hand and there were about fifteen seconds left. I quickly closed the clock and raised my head to look at Erwen.
So, that... that... What was the name again? Black something?
"Black Whale! Let's meet at the Black Whale Tavern!"
"Okay!"
Erwen nodded in response to my urgent cry. Now, I could rest easy—
[The labyrinth is closed.]
[You have been transported to Rafdonia.]
Oh shit, I didn't say what time.
"Erwen, the clothes. Take them off."
"Wh-what?"
Not yours, theirs.
Lacking the energy to speak, I pointed toward the corpses with my hand, and Erwen dropped the hand that was holding her shirt closed.
"No, actually, forget the clothes," I said. "We don't have time. Just pack their gear, mana stones, and backpacks."
"O-Okay!" Knowing that there was no time, Erwen moved quickly. "Oh, I'll bring that red-haired guy and the crossbow guy's stuff too!"
Yes, and be careful not to step on a trap.
While Erwen was busy with that, I took off the samurai and Skinny's equipment. I tossed away the chest guard, samurai sword, and the wooden shield that had turned into charcoal...
After sorting through their equipment, I did a rough inventory and took only the items that looked expensive. And just as I was putting them in my backpack, Erwen returned.
"Ugh..."
The two backpacks seemed quite heavy for her.
Sorry, I can't hold them for you because I have three.
Soon after, I checked the time one more time.
[23:35]
Only twenty-five minutes left.
"Let's run."
"Are you sure? You look tired..."
"Don't worry about it."
Erwen looked full of concern, but when she saw my expression, she nodded and led the way.
And so, a forced marathon began.
"I'll follow behind you, so speed up as much as you can and clear the way."
"Okay."
Sending Erwen ahead, I continued running while adjusting my pace. My body was weirdly heavy, probably due to mental fatigue. Or was it just because of these backpacks?
...Still, I couldn't just leave them there. After all that hard work, there needed to be a reward. That was justice.
Pant, pant...
After I had run for who knew how long... a portal appeared in the distance.
Erwen had arrived first and was waiting for me in front of it. Her expression both cheered me on and pitied me at the same time, like she was a young female protagonist in an anime.
Shit, this is the kind of vibe you feel right before you get rejected.
Feeling a bit anxious, I mustered the rest of my strength and sped up my steps.
And...
"I'm going in first!"
"Eh? Me—me too!"
Unlike in an anime, I boldly skipped the emotional hug and entered the portal.
Flash—!
The burst of brilliance was the same as it had been last time. But somehow, this time, I felt like the light was embracing me.
***
The sensation of returning to the first floor was not much different from when we had entered the second floor. It was the sensation of being spat out of the belly of a beast.
"Ahh!"
Unfortunately, even the outcome was the same. No, it was maybe worse.
Thudㅡ!
While I was tossed headfirst and thrown to the ground, Erwen once again landed just fine.
...How the hell was that possible?
When we had been thrown onto the second floor, she had at least drawn an arc through the air. In terms of baseball, this time she was no different from a fastball.
Damn, every single one of my bones ached.
"That was kinda fun!"
Uh, right.
Well, I would laugh too if there were someone like me beside me.
"Whew..."
Stretching out my aching body, I got up and dusted off the dirt. Then, I checked the time.
[23:58]
Safe, but it had been a close call.
I didn't want to say we were lucky, because then there would be too many things I could blame the universe for. If things went well, it was because of me, and if things didn't go well, it was also because of me. That mindset was better for my mental health.
"You worked hard, mister."
"Yeah, you too."
We looked at each other for a moment and said our goodbyes.
Wait, I feel like I'm forgetting something...
"Loot distribution!"
"Oh, right! The essence!"
Erwen and I shouted at the same time.
"The essence?"
"Yeah! You told me to promise you something earlier!"
Oh, yes. That.
Now I remembered what I had forgotten. But there was no time for a long conversation. I quickly checked the watch again.
[23:59]
I looked at the second hand and there were about fifteen seconds left. I quickly closed the clock and raised my head to look at Erwen.
So, that... that... What was the name again? Black something?
"Black Whale! Let's meet at the Black Whale Tavern!"
"Okay!"
Erwen nodded in response to my urgent cry. Now, I could rest easy—
[The labyrinth is closed.]
[You have been transported to Rafdonia.]
Oh shit, I didn't say what time.