Chapter 267: Farune Island (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 267: Farune Island (1)
People were fighting each other. Those words instantly put me on high alert. It was possible I had gotten a little complacent without even realizing it.
Thump!
There were no adventurers from Noark in the labyrinth. No, there weren't a lot of adventurers to begin with. But the labyrinth was a place where anything could happen. So, let's quickly confirm what we knew.
"How many in total?" I lowered my voice to ask.
Erwen answered without a moment's pause, "At least eight."
"That means at least two teams are fighting."
"For now."
"Anything else I should know about?"
"...No."
Hmm, that's not what your tone of voice is telling me. It's not good to overlook these things. You know how it is in movies.
"Anything else I should know about?" I asked more firmly this time, and Erwen cautiously answered.
"...I don't have a good feeling about this for some reason."
Oh, I see.
"Sorry. I shouldn't have said that..."
I chuckled at Erwen's uncertain tone. "There's nothing to be sorry about."
I felt the same. As soon as I heard that adventurers were PKing each other, an ominous feeling crept up on me. I contemplated how to proceed.
"Yandel, then what should we do now?"
"Arrre you going to save them again...?"
I cocked my head. "Again?"
"That's what you did on the first floor and when the imperrrial capital caught on fire. Since you like saving people..."
What was she talking about? This situation was completely different from back then. At the imperial capital, I just had energy to spare, and had also promised to do so if I had enough strength left. And on the first floor...
"I think I see what the misunderstanding is, but let me set things straight while I have the opportunity." As a side effect of my actions, I had cleared the way, leading thousands of adventurers and undeservedly ending up a hero. To be honest, it was true that doing so had thawed something inside me, but... "The people I was really trying to save back then were you guys." My priorities had not changed. I was a selfish person who didn't deserve to be called a hero. I had enough on my plate just protecting my own people.
"You mean...?"
"There's no need to get involved when the situation is giving off bad vibes. We are leaving the island."
Mr. Bear looked uncomfortable. "But is that okay? We don't know what's going on—it's possible they might need help."
I don't think he was always like this... Looks like he's still drunk on the heroism he felt on the first floor.
"Those people are adventurers too. They are in this profession because they're prepared to face situations like this." I spoke firmly with the authority of a leader, and Mr. Bear accepted this without further argument.
He did raise a belated concern, though. "Raven, are you okay? You seemed acquainted with that man earlier."
"Mr. Patzran? Well, if the fight is over there, there's a good chance he's caught up in it..." Raven trailed off, unable to finish her sentence. Then she looked straight into our eyes and made a firm declaration. "But it doesn't matter."
"Doesn't matter?"
"We're not that close, anyway. What if we go help and something happens?" It was an extremely adventurer-like, selfish answer. We all fell silent at the words that followed. "...My team is more important to me."
Wow, she can say something like that with a straight face? This girl has gotten bolder now that she's a year older. She still looks like a kid, though.
"Then it's decided."
As soon as the decision was made, we turned around and ran toward the beach. Our estimated time of arrival was approximately one hour. Since it wasn't a very big island, we shouldn't have any issues as long as we got out quickly.
It's unfortunate we have to leave behind the Easter egg... But we can try again after we observe the situation from outside the island. Yeah, running away is the best thing to do when you're getting a bad vibe.
I threw away the last of my regrets.
"The beach!"
Arriving at the shore an hour later, we hurriedly pulled out our boat and set it afloat on the waves. Then we got onto it one after another and paddled away from the island.
"B-Bjorn!" It was right when we were starting to let our guards down that the valiant barbarian warrior Ainar let out a fearful shout. "W-What's happening? T-The sea is...! The sea is rising!"
The calm seas changed in an instant and began to shake the boat violently.
[The offering of Farune Island has been destroyed. The Fury of the Sea engulfs the island.]
God damn it.
The hidden feature of Farune Island was simple: when the offering hidden in the center of the island was destroyed, you proceeded to an event called the Fury of the Sea. It was a kind of siege-themed event. A sea monster rushed toward the island from the shore, and you had to fend it off from inland. What I had been after was the essence of the event's boss, the rank-four monster Elfrot. It was an essence that either Missha or Erwen could use during the second half. Well, whether it dropped or not was a separate issue. Anyway, that wasn't something to worry about right now.
At least eight people over there. And six people here...
The highest difficulty level might have been unlocked. No matter what Easter eggs I was after, that meant getting off this island was our top priority.
"W-What is this?"
"The waves are surging all of a sudden. I've never heard of this happening before..."
"Paddle! Hurry up and paddle!"
Taken aback for a moment by the rough waves that seemed to be declaring that no one was allowed to leave this island, we hurriedly started rowing. We were almost out.
We can get out of here if we just get a little further.
In the game, even after the event was triggered, it wasn't impossible to get off of the island, system-wise. It was just that most ships sank before getting that far.
"One, two. One, two!"
We chanted and worked hard to push the boat over the waves.
I should've spent more money on a good boat.
It still didn't feel like we were getting anywhere. It wasn't just that we were at a standstill—it felt like we were gradually being pulled toward the island no matter how hard we rowed. In fact, that wasn't just a feeling. It was actually the case.
"Doesn't matter?"
"We're not that close, anyway. What if we go help and something happens?" It was an extremely adventurer-like, selfish answer. We all fell silent at the words that followed. "...My team is more important to me."
Wow, she can say something like that with a straight face? This girl has gotten bolder now that she's a year older. She still looks like a kid, though.
"Then it's decided."
As soon as the decision was made, we turned around and ran toward the beach. Our estimated time of arrival was approximately one hour. Since it wasn't a very big island, we shouldn't have any issues as long as we got out quickly.
It's unfortunate we have to leave behind the Easter egg... But we can try again after we observe the situation from outside the island. Yeah, running away is the best thing to do when you're getting a bad vibe.
I threw away the last of my regrets.
"The beach!"
Arriving at the shore an hour later, we hurriedly pulled out our boat and set it afloat on the waves. Then we got onto it one after another and paddled away from the island.
"B-Bjorn!" It was right when we were starting to let our guards down that the valiant barbarian warrior Ainar let out a fearful shout. "W-What's happening? T-The sea is...! The sea is rising!"
The calm seas changed in an instant and began to shake the boat violently.
[The offering of Farune Island has been destroyed. The Fury of the Sea engulfs the island.]
God damn it.
The hidden feature of Farune Island was simple: when the offering hidden in the center of the island was destroyed, you proceeded to an event called the Fury of the Sea. It was a kind of siege-themed event. A sea monster rushed toward the island from the shore, and you had to fend it off from inland. What I had been after was the essence of the event's boss, the rank-four monster Elfrot. It was an essence that either Missha or Erwen could use during the second half. Well, whether it dropped or not was a separate issue. Anyway, that wasn't something to worry about right now.
At least eight people over there. And six people here...
The highest difficulty level might have been unlocked. No matter what Easter eggs I was after, that meant getting off this island was our top priority.
"W-What is this?"
"The waves are surging all of a sudden. I've never heard of this happening before..."
"Paddle! Hurry up and paddle!"
Taken aback for a moment by the rough waves that seemed to be declaring that no one was allowed to leave this island, we hurriedly started rowing. We were almost out.
We can get out of here if we just get a little further.
In the game, even after the event was triggered, it wasn't impossible to get off of the island, system-wise. It was just that most ships sank before getting that far.
"One, two. One, two!"
We chanted and worked hard to push the boat over the waves.
I should've spent more money on a good boat.
It still didn't feel like we were getting anywhere. It wasn't just that we were at a standstill—it felt like we were gradually being pulled toward the island no matter how hard we rowed. In fact, that wasn't just a feeling. It was actually the case.
"B-Bjorn! T-The island is getting closerrr!"
The boat kept getting pushed back even as we tried to break through the waves. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. If only I'd installed a mana propulsion system on the boat, we might have been able to get out.
"Bjorn! The boat is filling with water...!" Ainar cried.
"W-What do we do? It must be leaking somewhere!" Raven called.
When the boat even started filling with water, panic spread among the team. It was nearing time for me to make a decision.
After a moment's thought, I quickly gave orders. "We're giving up on getting off the island. Everyone, sit with your backs turned! We're going to ride the waves as close to the island as possible!"
That was the advantage of a small boat with a maximum capacity of six. It wasn't that the boat had no distinction between front and back, but that didn't matter much, especially when it was getting tossed around by the waves like this.
"Place all heavy equipment in sub-space!" In addition to reducing the weight of the boat, I made them remove their equipment in case we capsized. Then all preparations that could be made were made.
"Right!"
Our boat skipped over the ocean with relentless speed, the waves throwing us forward. The oars were now used more to keep the boat from tipping over and capsizing than to move it. But about three minutes later, when the island in the distance had gotten noticeably closer, a huge wave crashed over us.
"T-There—!"
"Kyaaa!"
It completely flipped over.
"Pffft!" My body was submerged in water in an instant. For now, I focused on clinging onto the overturned boat as best I could. "Is everyone all right?!"
"Yeah, for now!"
"I'm all right too!"
At my shout, reports of survival rolled in, but there was one noticeable exception. "What about Raven?" What happened? Did she get swept away?
"Puh, here! I'm over here!"
Jeez, that scared me. Floating on the water while holding onto the overturned boat, we quickly brainstormed.
"What now?"
"Can't we just stay like this?"
"Uh, it does look like it's going the right way..."
It wasn't a bad idea. A boat made of this special, incredibly buoyant wood would never sink even if it was flipped over.
This actually seems more stable than being inside the boat...
Because the waves were crashing toward the island, the boat would head straight to shore without any special maneuvering on our part.
"Hold tight, everyone!"
We held onto the handles of the boat so that the waves wouldn't carry us off. But about a minute later, we were faced with a new crisis.
Uh, I didn't think this through...
"There, a boulder! It's a boulder...!"
As we approached the shore, the boat neared a reef. It would be impossible to change our trajectory at this point.
"Meet at the center of the island if we get separated!" I shouted urgently, preparing for the worst. And right at that moment, the boat hit the reef.
***
"B-Bjorn! T-The island is getting closerrr!"
The boat kept getting pushed back even as we tried to break through the waves. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. If only I'd installed a mana propulsion system on the boat, we might have been able to get out.
"Bjorn! The boat is filling with water...!" Ainar cried.
"W-What do we do? It must be leaking somewhere!" Raven called.
When the boat even started filling with water, panic spread among the team. It was nearing time for me to make a decision.
After a moment's thought, I quickly gave orders. "We're giving up on getting off the island. Everyone, sit with your backs turned! We're going to ride the waves as close to the island as possible!"
That was the advantage of a small boat with a maximum capacity of six. It wasn't that the boat had no distinction between front and back, but that didn't matter much, especially when it was getting tossed around by the waves like this.
"Place all heavy equipment in sub-space!" In addition to reducing the weight of the boat, I made them remove their equipment in case we capsized. Then all preparations that could be made were made.
"Right!"
Our boat skipped over the ocean with relentless speed, the waves throwing us forward. The oars were now used more to keep the boat from tipping over and capsizing than to move it. But about three minutes later, when the island in the distance had gotten noticeably closer, a huge wave crashed over us.
"T-There—!"
"Kyaaa!"
It completely flipped over.
"Pffft!" My body was submerged in water in an instant. For now, I focused on clinging onto the overturned boat as best I could. "Is everyone all right?!"
"Yeah, for now!"
"I'm all right too!"
At my shout, reports of survival rolled in, but there was one noticeable exception. "What about Raven?" What happened? Did she get swept away?
"Puh, here! I'm over here!"
Jeez, that scared me. Floating on the water while holding onto the overturned boat, we quickly brainstormed.
"What now?"
"Can't we just stay like this?"
"Uh, it does look like it's going the right way..."
It wasn't a bad idea. A boat made of this special, incredibly buoyant wood would never sink even if it was flipped over.
This actually seems more stable than being inside the boat...
Because the waves were crashing toward the island, the boat would head straight to shore without any special maneuvering on our part.
"Hold tight, everyone!"
We held onto the handles of the boat so that the waves wouldn't carry us off. But about a minute later, we were faced with a new crisis.
Uh, I didn't think this through...
"There, a boulder! It's a boulder...!"
As we approached the shore, the boat neared a reef. It would be impossible to change our trajectory at this point.
"Meet at the center of the island if we get separated!" I shouted urgently, preparing for the worst. And right at that moment, the boat hit the reef.
***
I opened my eyes to the sound of crashing waves. Everything looked blurry like I had something in my eyes, and the distinct, salty tang of the sea was strong in my mouth.
Kakak, kakak, kakak.
For some reason, I heard the sound of gnawing coming from somewhere around my feet. Wondering what it was, I lifted just my head to glance at my lower body and froze in place. A crayfish monster the size of a large dog was scrambling to somehow chew through my foot.
"You have to be kidding."
You really think that's going to work? With my Physical Resistance?
Smack!
I used my free foot to shove the Sterrap away, hurriedly got up, and struck it in the head with the plank I was holding.
[You have defeated a Sterrap. EXP +1]
Like the rank-nine monster it was, the crayfish burst into light with one hit.
But where did this plank come from?
I only realized then that I had been holding onto a plank from the moment I woke up. Where did it come from? Without me having to think too hard, the memory came flooding back to me.
Oh, right. The boat got smashed...
The boat had hit the reef and was smashed to pieces. I'd grabbed onto the biggest plank I could find and hugged it as tight as I could, figuring that even a barbarian wouldn't sink with a flotation device.
Did I survive thanks to that?
Having finished processing the situation, I quickly looked around. There wasn't a single person on the empty shore.
I wonder if the others are all right.
I was sure Raven was fine. She may not have been able to swim, but I saw her use flotation magic toward the end there. Missha and Erwen could swim, which was a weight off my shoulders. The problem was Ainar and Mr. Bear, who couldn't swim.
Hah, I hope they safely washed up on shore.
No matter how much I tried to reassure myself, I continued to worry. But even as I did, my hands did not stop taking my equipment out from sub-space and putting it on. A swarm of monsters would soon descend on the island. Seeing as Sterraps were still crawling around, it looked like it hadn't been long since the event started, but we had to be prepared.
She said adventurers were fighting each other. What on earth happened that they triggered the event?
There were a few things about this situation I didn't understand, but they were the kinds of things that weren't currently answerable. Ha, if I'd known this would happen, I would have just gone to help them. Then at least I'd know what was going on.
Trudge.
I was about to leave the beach and enter the forest when I stopped. That was because I'd heard something from beyond the bushes.
Dash, dash, dash.
It was the sound of someone running.
That's not a monster.
The monsters on Farune Island were all flying insects that could glide. That meant that it couldn't be a monster running. It was also highly unlikely it was one of my clanmates because we were planning to meet inside the forest. There was no reason for one of them to run in the opposite direction.
Then is it one of the adventurers who were fighting earlier?
I slowly raised my mace and waited for the figure in question to appear. The reason I decided to wait was simple—there was only one set of footsteps. Even if a fight broke out, I was confident I could get myself out of it. And so, making contact and extracting information was my top priority.
Now.
Measuring the distance through the sound of their footfalls, I abruptly threw out a hand.
Huff, huff.
"Kyaaa, mm—!" My prey was instantly subdued and wriggled in the air.
"Stay still. I won't hurt you." My original plan had actually been to swing my mace and subdue them a little more permanently, but I decided to put that on hold. That was because I recognized this face. It looked like the other party didn't remember, though. "I'll let you go, so be quiet."
"W-Who are you...?"
"Didn't I tell you to be quiet?" I snapped back gruffly, and the priestess in pure white robes trembled. Man, now I felt like the bad guy. "I am Baronet Bjorn Yandel."
"Ah...!" When I revealed my name, the priestess visibly brightened. She didn't seem to doubt me at all. It seemed Patzran had told her about me.
"So calm down, Ersina. I am not your enemy."
"H-How do you know my name...?"
How do you think? Because we've met before. I keep saying this, but it was an unforgettable memory.
"Priestess Ersina, could you heal this man?"
"I refuse."
When this woman refused to treat me, it felt like my world had come crashing down. Welp, whatever. That wasn't important.
"We can talk about that later. Explain. What the hell happened inside that forest?"
Assessing the situation came first.
I opened my eyes to the sound of crashing waves. Everything looked blurry like I had something in my eyes, and the distinct, salty tang of the sea was strong in my mouth.
Kakak, kakak, kakak.
For some reason, I heard the sound of gnawing coming from somewhere around my feet. Wondering what it was, I lifted just my head to glance at my lower body and froze in place. A crayfish monster the size of a large dog was scrambling to somehow chew through my foot.
"You have to be kidding."
You really think that's going to work? With my Physical Resistance?
Smack!
I used my free foot to shove the Sterrap away, hurriedly got up, and struck it in the head with the plank I was holding.
[You have defeated a Sterrap. EXP +1]
Like the rank-nine monster it was, the crayfish burst into light with one hit.
But where did this plank come from?
I only realized then that I had been holding onto a plank from the moment I woke up. Where did it come from? Without me having to think too hard, the memory came flooding back to me.
Oh, right. The boat got smashed...
The boat had hit the reef and was smashed to pieces. I'd grabbed onto the biggest plank I could find and hugged it as tight as I could, figuring that even a barbarian wouldn't sink with a flotation device.
Did I survive thanks to that?
Having finished processing the situation, I quickly looked around. There wasn't a single person on the empty shore.
I wonder if the others are all right.
I was sure Raven was fine. She may not have been able to swim, but I saw her use flotation magic toward the end there. Missha and Erwen could swim, which was a weight off my shoulders. The problem was Ainar and Mr. Bear, who couldn't swim.
Hah, I hope they safely washed up on shore.
No matter how much I tried to reassure myself, I continued to worry. But even as I did, my hands did not stop taking my equipment out from sub-space and putting it on. A swarm of monsters would soon descend on the island. Seeing as Sterraps were still crawling around, it looked like it hadn't been long since the event started, but we had to be prepared.
She said adventurers were fighting each other. What on earth happened that they triggered the event?
There were a few things about this situation I didn't understand, but they were the kinds of things that weren't currently answerable. Ha, if I'd known this would happen, I would have just gone to help them. Then at least I'd know what was going on.
Trudge.
I was about to leave the beach and enter the forest when I stopped. That was because I'd heard something from beyond the bushes.
Dash, dash, dash.
It was the sound of someone running.
That's not a monster.
The monsters on Farune Island were all flying insects that could glide. That meant that it couldn't be a monster running. It was also highly unlikely it was one of my clanmates because we were planning to meet inside the forest. There was no reason for one of them to run in the opposite direction.
Then is it one of the adventurers who were fighting earlier?
I slowly raised my mace and waited for the figure in question to appear. The reason I decided to wait was simple—there was only one set of footsteps. Even if a fight broke out, I was confident I could get myself out of it. And so, making contact and extracting information was my top priority.
Now.
Measuring the distance through the sound of their footfalls, I abruptly threw out a hand.
Huff, huff.
"Kyaaa, mm—!" My prey was instantly subdued and wriggled in the air.
"Stay still. I won't hurt you." My original plan had actually been to swing my mace and subdue them a little more permanently, but I decided to put that on hold. That was because I recognized this face. It looked like the other party didn't remember, though. "I'll let you go, so be quiet."
"W-Who are you...?"
"Didn't I tell you to be quiet?" I snapped back gruffly, and the priestess in pure white robes trembled. Man, now I felt like the bad guy. "I am Baronet Bjorn Yandel."
"Ah...!" When I revealed my name, the priestess visibly brightened. She didn't seem to doubt me at all. It seemed Patzran had told her about me.
"So calm down, Ersina. I am not your enemy."
"H-How do you know my name...?"
How do you think? Because we've met before. I keep saying this, but it was an unforgettable memory.
"Priestess Ersina, could you heal this man?"
"I refuse."
When this woman refused to treat me, it felt like my world had come crashing down. Welp, whatever. That wasn't important.
"We can talk about that later. Explain. What the hell happened inside that forest?"
Assessing the situation came first.