Chapter 58: Rules of Survival (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 58: Rules of Survival (1)
"H-How did that woman manage to follow us! Didn't you say the Witch's Forrrest was safe!?" Missha shouted, looking visibly exhausted.
"Tenacious bitch!" said Hikurod.
I agreed with that too. But if I were to logically process this situation instead of simply cussing... that fucking bitch would not have been able to track us down the second we entered the forest, which was why she would've searched for a suitable adventurer to manipulate, pretending to be a poor priestess who lost her comrades to vicious plunderers.
"Look, there seems to be some kind of misunderstanding. That woman is a priestess of Karui—"
"What!" cried the adventurer. "I see now that they are not mere looters, but followers of an evil god!"
"No, it's not us, it's Elisa—"
Hikurod tried using his words, but the man whose brain was apparently pickled by god's blessing could only hear what he wanted to hear. "Come lay down your necks and be punished by god!"
"Sir! Please give those evil people the iron mace of the Lord! That way, my comrades wandering the afterlife will be able to let go of their grudges and return to god's arms!"
In sync with Elisa's plea, the opposing team of adventurers pulled out their weapons. It was the same for us. In conversations with adventurers, sometimes fists spoke louder than words.
"Don't worry about injuries, just focus on killing your enemies! The blessing of Reatlas will be with you!" After telling them Elisa would heal them even if they fought like dogs, the leader of the opposing team charged at us with eyes ablaze, shouting out that fucking slogan: "May the blessing of the twilight star be with you!"
To be honest, it was hard to understand why they would do all this to help that bitch. That guy seemed to be a devout believer, but the other guys didn't have to play along with this.
"Fight your hardest! If we kill them, our team will earn a priestess!"
"Ohhh!" So that was it. They were trying to kill us for practical reasons, not religious ones. Now that I knew that the bitch had apparently promised them some sort of reward... Okay, I understood the situation to some extent.
Boom!
Once I took the leader bastard's axe with my shield, I planted the seed of discord. "You dumb fucks!" I shouted. "Which one of you will leave the team once the priest comes on?" These bastards had been a team of five from the get-go. If a priestess joined, someone else would have to be kicked out.
As I pointed this out, the leader exclaimed, flustered, "D-Do not be swayed by their evil wit!"
What evil wit? It was obvious they hadn't even thought this far ahead. "Uh, huh?"
As if to prove my point, the four adventurers other than the leader paused for a moment. Unfortunately, that didn't last long.
"Um, but it probably won't be me?"
"Hey, isn't that something to think about later?"
"One of us might even die today."
"I don't care about the priestess. Just selling their equipment will make enough money for me to fuck around for a whole year."
Fuck, I forgot these were adventurers. Every single one of their reasons was psychopathic.
So all you guys need is money and a cause, huh? Yeah, actually, it's better that you never change.
I built a shield wall with Hikurod and analyzed our opponents' combat power. Three melee warriors, two long-range fighters, and one priestess in cosplay... Like most adventurers who entered the Witch's Forest, it was safe to say that the difference between our levels was almost nonexistent. They even had one more person than us. This time, there was nothing more to analyze. Even considering that Elisa was currently unable to invoke the power of the evil god because of her disguise, we were clearly at a disadvantage. If I were to come up with some sort of strategy...
The only option is to plow them down with a single surprise attack.
I immediately called out to the wizard on our side. "Dwalkie!" No lengthy sentences were needed.
"Ten seconds! Just wait ten seconds!" Dwalkie replied as soon as I called his name, proving he was more experienced now.
But the other side wasn't lacking in experience, either. "Wizard! There is a wizard on the other side!" Noticing Dwalkie's existence, the other team focused their attacks on him.
The three melee warriors could have been covered by me and Hikurod, but it was physically impossible for us to block the arrows and projectiles that flew toward the chanting Dwalkie.
Whip!
But I wasn't too worried. We were a team of adventurers, weren't we? I didn't have to do it all by myself.
"Ugh!" Missha struck down a flying arrow with a dagger, and Brown blocked a projectile-type ability with a shield. By then, the spell was complete.
[Riol Warb Dwalkie has cast the rank-eight spell, Ice Lance.]
It was not Ice Enhancement, but it didn't matter. Our opponent wasn't even a large monster. This would be enough to send them back to the arms of god in one blow. Of course, that was based on the assumption that it would hit somewhere vital.
Whiiip!
Preparing to cast magic at people, not monsters... The time to test Dwalkie's earlier determination came much sooner than we expected. What decision would he make?
Bam!
Despite my worries, the ice lance flew right at Elisa's head. Unfortunately, it wasn't a hit. This was the reason adventurers were tougher to fight than monsters.
"Wow, that was dangerous. Are you all right?"
"Y-Yes! Thank you for saving me!"
The other team had realized that an attack spell had been cast and that it would probably be aimed at the priestess. There was no reason for them not to be able to block it. Any adventurer heading from the third floor to the fourth should be capable of that much.
Once again... humans are the most annoying bastards of them all.
We weren't making good progress. Just as Brown and Missha had been able to successfully protect Dwalkie, our opponents were uninjured by our attacks. It was time to come up with a final solution. By now, we'd tested the waters enough.
"Dwalkie! Cast a Voice Control spell!" I ordered in a tone that brooked no further questions.
"A-All right!" At my strong command, Dwalkie cast the spell without any objections.
Voice Control was, simply put, a convenient spell that allowed a team to communicate. Now, even if we talked to each other, the other side wouldn't hear us. I glared at my opponents aggressively and shouted, "Hikurod!"
"What is it?"
"Let's bounce!"
"Hahaha! That's a great idea!" Fortunately, the dwarf with the right to give us orders in emergencies like this agreed with my judgment. Hell, he wasn't that stupid. Even if we won this battle, it was likely to end in injury. And once we were hurt, that bitch would use the power of her god without hesitation. No matter how much effort we put in, the future that awaited us here was bleak.
"Missha! When you're ready, get Dwalkie!"
"Okay!"
"Hikurod, you use that item when I give you the signal!"
The only option is to plow them down with a single surprise attack.
I immediately called out to the wizard on our side. "Dwalkie!" No lengthy sentences were needed.
"Ten seconds! Just wait ten seconds!" Dwalkie replied as soon as I called his name, proving he was more experienced now.
But the other side wasn't lacking in experience, either. "Wizard! There is a wizard on the other side!" Noticing Dwalkie's existence, the other team focused their attacks on him.
The three melee warriors could have been covered by me and Hikurod, but it was physically impossible for us to block the arrows and projectiles that flew toward the chanting Dwalkie.
Whip!
But I wasn't too worried. We were a team of adventurers, weren't we? I didn't have to do it all by myself.
"Ugh!" Missha struck down a flying arrow with a dagger, and Brown blocked a projectile-type ability with a shield. By then, the spell was complete.
[Riol Warb Dwalkie has cast the rank-eight spell, Ice Lance.]
It was not Ice Enhancement, but it didn't matter. Our opponent wasn't even a large monster. This would be enough to send them back to the arms of god in one blow. Of course, that was based on the assumption that it would hit somewhere vital.
Whiiip!
Preparing to cast magic at people, not monsters... The time to test Dwalkie's earlier determination came much sooner than we expected. What decision would he make?
Bam!
Despite my worries, the ice lance flew right at Elisa's head. Unfortunately, it wasn't a hit. This was the reason adventurers were tougher to fight than monsters.
"Wow, that was dangerous. Are you all right?"
"Y-Yes! Thank you for saving me!"
The other team had realized that an attack spell had been cast and that it would probably be aimed at the priestess. There was no reason for them not to be able to block it. Any adventurer heading from the third floor to the fourth should be capable of that much.
Once again... humans are the most annoying bastards of them all.
We weren't making good progress. Just as Brown and Missha had been able to successfully protect Dwalkie, our opponents were uninjured by our attacks. It was time to come up with a final solution. By now, we'd tested the waters enough.
"Dwalkie! Cast a Voice Control spell!" I ordered in a tone that brooked no further questions.
"A-All right!" At my strong command, Dwalkie cast the spell without any objections.
Voice Control was, simply put, a convenient spell that allowed a team to communicate. Now, even if we talked to each other, the other side wouldn't hear us. I glared at my opponents aggressively and shouted, "Hikurod!"
"What is it?"
"Let's bounce!"
"Hahaha! That's a great idea!" Fortunately, the dwarf with the right to give us orders in emergencies like this agreed with my judgment. Hell, he wasn't that stupid. Even if we won this battle, it was likely to end in injury. And once we were hurt, that bitch would use the power of her god without hesitation. No matter how much effort we put in, the future that awaited us here was bleak.
"Missha! When you're ready, get Dwalkie!"
"Okay!"
"Hikurod, you use that item when I give you the signal!"
"I will!"
Missha and the dwarf nodded without argument. That left Brown with the most important task, but I didn't need to tell him what to do. With a single glance, he understood what I was thinking.
"When I leave, everyone, follow me closely!" Brown was the only one here I could count on. Anyway, it seemed that there was nothing more to communicate at this point. "Now!"
The moment I gave the signal, Missha finished getting ready to run with Dwalkie on her shoulders, since he had weak stamina. At the same time, the dwarf's wrist guards began to shine.
[Hikurod Murad has used Guardian's Wrist Guard.]
No. 3112: Guardian's Wrist Guard.
In the game, the item reduced damage to the user by 5 percent, and it had the effect of increasing the user's power in proportion to the reduction in damage. But it had another effect as well.
[All enemies are knocked back by a powerful blow, and all allies temporarily become immune to all harmful effects.]
Wide-range knockback and debuff removal. As a numbered item in the 3000s, it took precedence over Field Effects.
[Status effect Loss of Direction has been deactivated. Status effect Auditory Hallucination has been deactivated. Status effect Visual Hallucination has been deactivated. Status effect Pain Enhancement has been deactivated.]
The moment the three melee warriors were flung away, our skewed field of vision returned to normal and became brighter, but it didn't last long. I didn't know how much of a beating Hikurod had received since the start of the battle, but it would only get us about twenty seconds maximum. This time also took into account Hikurod's special ability, which increased the efficiency of Numbered Items by 1.5 times. However, this would be sufficient time for us to run away.
"What are you doing? Run!"
Somehow, it seemed we were being chased all over the place during this quest.
***
The first person to sense an enemy's movements and guide their team members to an optimal route was the scout. Some might ask, what qualities did you need to become an adventurer? The answer was extremely simple: data accumulated from prior knowledge and experience in the labyrinth. With just these two things, you could find your way around the first and second floors, not to mention the third floor, which was a kind of open-world concept where the topography didn't change.
However, from the fourth floor on was a different story. Actually, to be more accurate, I should include the Witch's Forest, where the portal to the fourth floor was located, in that, too.
[The duration of the Guardian's Wrist Guard's effect has ended. Field Effect – Witch's Forest is now active.]
Our compass was dead, we were completely lost, and the only landmarks were trees that also moved like they were alive. Therefore, a scout's special talents would be necessary from here on out if we were going to find our way.
"This way." Brown's main ability was his sense of smell. Having changed his olfactory stats through an essence, he could accurately navigate us to the fourth floor even in this ghastly forest. When your sense of smell reached a certain level, you could smell the scent of mana, which allowed people like him to find their way around. I didn't quite understand it, but that was roughly how it worked.
"It seems the scout on that side isn't a normal person either. They're closing the distance to our exact location."
Those motherfuckers were still following us expertly. Of course, I couldn't even sense their presence. But if Rotmiller said they were, then it had to be true.
"I will!"
Missha and the dwarf nodded without argument. That left Brown with the most important task, but I didn't need to tell him what to do. With a single glance, he understood what I was thinking.
"When I leave, everyone, follow me closely!" Brown was the only one here I could count on. Anyway, it seemed that there was nothing more to communicate at this point. "Now!"
The moment I gave the signal, Missha finished getting ready to run with Dwalkie on her shoulders, since he had weak stamina. At the same time, the dwarf's wrist guards began to shine.
[Hikurod Murad has used Guardian's Wrist Guard.]
No. 3112: Guardian's Wrist Guard.
In the game, the item reduced damage to the user by 5 percent, and it had the effect of increasing the user's power in proportion to the reduction in damage. But it had another effect as well.
[All enemies are knocked back by a powerful blow, and all allies temporarily become immune to all harmful effects.]
Wide-range knockback and debuff removal. As a numbered item in the 3000s, it took precedence over Field Effects.
[Status effect Loss of Direction has been deactivated. Status effect Auditory Hallucination has been deactivated. Status effect Visual Hallucination has been deactivated. Status effect Pain Enhancement has been deactivated.]
The moment the three melee warriors were flung away, our skewed field of vision returned to normal and became brighter, but it didn't last long. I didn't know how much of a beating Hikurod had received since the start of the battle, but it would only get us about twenty seconds maximum. This time also took into account Hikurod's special ability, which increased the efficiency of Numbered Items by 1.5 times. However, this would be sufficient time for us to run away.
"What are you doing? Run!"
Somehow, it seemed we were being chased all over the place during this quest.
***
The first person to sense an enemy's movements and guide their team members to an optimal route was the scout. Some might ask, what qualities did you need to become an adventurer? The answer was extremely simple: data accumulated from prior knowledge and experience in the labyrinth. With just these two things, you could find your way around the first and second floors, not to mention the third floor, which was a kind of open-world concept where the topography didn't change.
However, from the fourth floor on was a different story. Actually, to be more accurate, I should include the Witch's Forest, where the portal to the fourth floor was located, in that, too.
[The duration of the Guardian's Wrist Guard's effect has ended. Field Effect – Witch's Forest is now active.]
Our compass was dead, we were completely lost, and the only landmarks were trees that also moved like they were alive. Therefore, a scout's special talents would be necessary from here on out if we were going to find our way.
"This way." Brown's main ability was his sense of smell. Having changed his olfactory stats through an essence, he could accurately navigate us to the fourth floor even in this ghastly forest. When your sense of smell reached a certain level, you could smell the scent of mana, which allowed people like him to find their way around. I didn't quite understand it, but that was roughly how it worked.
"It seems the scout on that side isn't a normal person either. They're closing the distance to our exact location."
Those motherfuckers were still following us expertly. Of course, I couldn't even sense their presence. But if Rotmiller said they were, then it had to be true.
Then, in the end, the deciding factor is who gets to the fourth-floor portal first.
While I was analyzing the current situation in my mind, Brown spoke as if he were of the same opinion. "Let's speed up from here."
It was a race against time now. If we could get there first, we could forgo any unnecessary battles. On the other hand, if they caught up to us before that? Then we would have no choice but to fight until one of our parties was defeated.
The problem is that everyone is tired...
Life just didn't turn out the way you wanted it to—even more so if you were exhausted.
"Miss Karlstein, give him to me!" Hikurod decided to take over Dwalkie for Missha, and this was where disaster struck.
"Ah!" Their mistake was that they attempted to hand off Dwalkie while still running in order to save just a little extra time. Missha lost her balance and fell. Fortunately, Hikurod managed to grab Dwalkie, wrapping him around himself like a backpack.
"Cramp! I think I have a crrramp in my foot! It won't moooove!"
Yeah right. It was obvious she sprained it when she fell. "Don't move and stay still." I immediately stopped, grabbed Missha by the back of her neck, and lifted her up.
The moment I put her on my shoulders, the light disappeared, and a deep darkness shrouded my vision.
The fuck? What's this now? Hikurod was just beside me holding the torch...
"B-Bjorrrn?"
"...Hush." I calmly opened my backpack and took out a torch. Then, I lit a fire by measuring the distance with my hand and then put it into the groove of my helmet. Unsurprisingly, the team members who had been next to me just a few seconds ago were now nowhere to be seen.
"Did we lose them?!" Missha pretty much screamed.
I didn't want to believe it, but... "It looks like... we have." In a matter of seconds, we had been left behind.
"Then what arrre you doing! Follow them!" Missha hurriedly urged when she realized what was happening, but I chose to stay put. How was I supposed to know where they went? "That way! They must have gone that way!"
That was just what it seemed like to us. In the Witch's Forest, you couldn't rely on sight. If we headed down the wrong path and ended up traveling away from the team, we'd only be wasting our time.
"In times like these, it's best to stay still." Trust your comrades and your own judgment. Wasn't Brown an olfactory scout? He must've noticed that we were missing by now and would be coming back to find us.
"Hey, Bjorn...?"
Without a doubt, that should have been the case...
"How long do we have to wait?"
A minute had passed, but the team still hadn't come back. Damn it, what was going on? Should I wait longer?
The moment my worries intensified, I heard a brief, faint scream somewhere in the darkness. "Aaagh!"
"Bjorn! Did you hearrr that? It was clearly Hikurod's voice!"
I couldn't be sure, but that seemed to be the case. It made sense—they would've already come to find us unless something else happened to them. Except...
"They must be in trrrouble. We should go help—"
"Lower your voice."
"Why?"
"Because we might end up in trouble too."
It was not a good idea to make noise. We still didn't know what was happening over there. If it were simply a monster encounter, they would have had enough time to find us.
"Which is another rrreason why we should go hel—"
Even if I wanted to help him, there was no way. Maybe if I could hear some kind of continuous sound coming from that direction at a certain volume, but otherwise I wouldn't be able to track him just from the screams of a man in the throes of death. The Witch's Forest was that kind of place.
"Mm!" That was why I covered Missha's mouth with my hand for now and focused on listening.
"...miller... bitch is... there."
"...make a g..."
"Ha... can't... and leav—!"
"At least... scout... defe... so... can run...!"
"...ow! Ru—!"
After that, I heard several more faint shouts that sounded like final death throes, and soon they disappeared altogether, swallowed by a forest where even the slightest breeze couldn't be heard. Silence fell around me, but I stood still and waited about five more minutes. There was no sign of our missing team returning. It was too early to know for sure whether they were dead or alive, but one thing was clear: waiting any longer was not going to bring them back.
"We're fucked."
That meant I had been left alone with a beastwoman in a labyrinth of monsters and plunderers, in the middle of the Witch's Forest, which was impossible to get out of without a scout.
Fuck.
Then, in the end, the deciding factor is who gets to the fourth-floor portal first.
While I was analyzing the current situation in my mind, Brown spoke as if he were of the same opinion. "Let's speed up from here."
It was a race against time now. If we could get there first, we could forgo any unnecessary battles. On the other hand, if they caught up to us before that? Then we would have no choice but to fight until one of our parties was defeated.
The problem is that everyone is tired...
Life just didn't turn out the way you wanted it to—even more so if you were exhausted.
"Miss Karlstein, give him to me!" Hikurod decided to take over Dwalkie for Missha, and this was where disaster struck.
"Ah!" Their mistake was that they attempted to hand off Dwalkie while still running in order to save just a little extra time. Missha lost her balance and fell. Fortunately, Hikurod managed to grab Dwalkie, wrapping him around himself like a backpack.
"Cramp! I think I have a crrramp in my foot! It won't moooove!"
Yeah right. It was obvious she sprained it when she fell. "Don't move and stay still." I immediately stopped, grabbed Missha by the back of her neck, and lifted her up.
The moment I put her on my shoulders, the light disappeared, and a deep darkness shrouded my vision.
The fuck? What's this now? Hikurod was just beside me holding the torch...
"B-Bjorrrn?"
"...Hush." I calmly opened my backpack and took out a torch. Then, I lit a fire by measuring the distance with my hand and then put it into the groove of my helmet. Unsurprisingly, the team members who had been next to me just a few seconds ago were now nowhere to be seen.
"Did we lose them?!" Missha pretty much screamed.
I didn't want to believe it, but... "It looks like... we have." In a matter of seconds, we had been left behind.
"Then what arrre you doing! Follow them!" Missha hurriedly urged when she realized what was happening, but I chose to stay put. How was I supposed to know where they went? "That way! They must have gone that way!"
That was just what it seemed like to us. In the Witch's Forest, you couldn't rely on sight. If we headed down the wrong path and ended up traveling away from the team, we'd only be wasting our time.
"In times like these, it's best to stay still." Trust your comrades and your own judgment. Wasn't Brown an olfactory scout? He must've noticed that we were missing by now and would be coming back to find us.
"Hey, Bjorn...?"
Without a doubt, that should have been the case...
"How long do we have to wait?"
A minute had passed, but the team still hadn't come back. Damn it, what was going on? Should I wait longer?
The moment my worries intensified, I heard a brief, faint scream somewhere in the darkness. "Aaagh!"
"Bjorn! Did you hearrr that? It was clearly Hikurod's voice!"
I couldn't be sure, but that seemed to be the case. It made sense—they would've already come to find us unless something else happened to them. Except...
"They must be in trrrouble. We should go help—"
"Lower your voice."
"Why?"
"Because we might end up in trouble too."
It was not a good idea to make noise. We still didn't know what was happening over there. If it were simply a monster encounter, they would have had enough time to find us.
"Which is another rrreason why we should go hel—"
Even if I wanted to help him, there was no way. Maybe if I could hear some kind of continuous sound coming from that direction at a certain volume, but otherwise I wouldn't be able to track him just from the screams of a man in the throes of death. The Witch's Forest was that kind of place.
"Mm!" That was why I covered Missha's mouth with my hand for now and focused on listening.
"...miller... bitch is... there."
"...make a g..."
"Ha... can't... and leav—!"
"At least... scout... defe... so... can run...!"
"...ow! Ru—!"
After that, I heard several more faint shouts that sounded like final death throes, and soon they disappeared altogether, swallowed by a forest where even the slightest breeze couldn't be heard. Silence fell around me, but I stood still and waited about five more minutes. There was no sign of our missing team returning. It was too early to know for sure whether they were dead or alive, but one thing was clear: waiting any longer was not going to bring them back.
"We're fucked."
That meant I had been left alone with a beastwoman in a labyrinth of monsters and plunderers, in the middle of the Witch's Forest, which was impossible to get out of without a scout.
Fuck.