Chapter 92
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Rescue and Resolve
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By having Jamad take down Kanggo, the sudden threat of death was narrowly averted.
Yumi, saved by Jamad, couldn't help but be astonished by his power.
'I heard he was one of Snowman's summons...'
The Joje she had desperately fought, even at the cost of her own injuries—even the axe-wielding troll that had been evenly matched with that Joje—Jamad had dispatched in a single instant, ambush or not.
Yumi had no idea just how powerful Snowman truly was.
She had only known him as someone capable of wiping out a pack of Heka alone, and this was the first time she'd witnessed his specific abilities firsthand.
She learned from watching Snowman that people could turn into trolls or command massive trolls as subordinates.
'Just... how strong is he?'
She didn't know how many summons Snowman had, but if they were all as formidable as Jamad, he was probably the strongest Transcender around right now.
Of course, her limited experience kept her from being certain, but that's what her instincts told her.
"Hurry! Move it!"
"Ah, y-yeah."
To think he could link up so seamlessly with the troll. To feel safe after being rescued by one.
And not just any troll—a shadow troll, no less.
Today had been utterly beyond her comprehension.
Clank—
Screeech...
"I-I thought I was done for."
"Mira, thank you! I'll repay this debt someday."
"That troll... is it really on our side?"
The people Yumi had saved straightened from their bowed postures, sighing in relief. More and more were being freed from their restraints.
Clank—
The strange devices around their necks were unlocked using keys displayed separately near the iron bars.
"Gah... hack... I couldn't use my abilities because of this thing."
"Damn monster bastards. They took all my gear!"
"What do we do now?"
The newly freed people chattered like lost ducklings, their eyes pleading for direction without any leadership.
"Follow that troll. It'll protect you."
"R-Really?"
"You can trust it. We wouldn't have made it this far without that troll."
"It looked terrifying earlier... but if it's on our side, we might stand a chance!"
Yumi approached Jamad and spoke.
"Can I go look for Kibo?"
"Do what you want. It’ll take time to free everyone anyway."
"...Thanks."
"Hmph. Sneaking in and reaching the altar undetected? You've already done your part."
What troll eased your mental burden too?
Yumi felt grateful for Jamad's consideration and handed the keys to someone else.
She then approached the middle-aged man who had mentioned knowing where Kibo was.
"Kibo is..."
"That way... They dragged him off in that direction. Seemed like it because everyone here follows Lord Kibo..."
The moment Yumi heard that, she bolted in the direction he pointed.
Jamad silently continued freeing people with the keys, recalling Snowman's orders.
—You need to find Hamin. Don't forget why we came here, Jamad.
Snowman had come for Hamin, so failing to rescue him would make this adventure a half-success at best.
Having seen Mael's impact as a capable ally, Snowman had entrusted Hamin's safety to Jamad.
"Hmph... such a pain..."
Jamad kept opening cells while freeing people and searching for Hamin. He at least remembered what Hamin looked like.
The cells were pitch black, so he couldn't tell who was inside until he opened them.
Clank—
Screeech...
"Th-Thank you. Um... Mr. Troll!"
"I'm alive! Alive!"
"Waaah... I thought I was dead..."
The people emerged with varied reactions.
But in this cell, someone in the farthest corner hesitated to come out right away.
"Hey, don't dawdle. This is still enemy territory."
"Ah, sorry. I was just thinking for a moment..."
"That voice..."
"...Pardon?"
"I've heard that voice before."
Screeech...
Jamad crumpled the iron bars.
To get a better look inside.
"Kyaaah!"
"I-Is that even possible?"
The people felt fear at his immense strength.
Jamad practically ripped the bars off and checked the person inside.
Then he grinned.
"Hamin. It's you. Good, your head's still attached."
"You know me...? Shadow? If it's Shadow, then... Snowman!"
"Yeah, sent by Snowman."
"My god! Why'd you come all the way past the border...?"
"Why do you think, you fool? We gave you a job, and you got kidnapped by amateurs. That's why we're suffering like this."
"No way... You came here for me? Risking death?"
"We came for you, sure. But risking death? That's an exaggeration."
Only Snowman and his crew could utter such arrogance in the Altar of Fire.
"Anyway, get out."
"By the way, I thought I heard Yumi's voice. Where is she?"
"Went to find Kibo."
"Oh no..."
Hamin looked pityingly in the direction she might have gone.
"What's with that look?"
"No one dragged off by them ever came back. Makes me worry."
"...Worrying won't change anything."
Clang—
Screeeech...
Around the same time, as Jamad conversed with Hamin, Yumi arrived at what seemed to be Kibo's location.
She'd run into a few trolls along the way, but she wasn't one to waste time on underlings who weren't Joje or Kanggo.
Not when she was one of Novira's top fighters in her own right.
"Ugh..."
The smell of blood.
A thick, cloying stench seeped from beyond this door.
She'd searched everywhere else.
This was the last place left.
She'd avoided checking it first out of dread—that the source of that blood might be Kibo.
If, if Kibo was already dead, she didn't know what she'd do.
Clank—
Clank—
The door was locked.
Boom—!
She kicked it wide open with her foot.
The blood stench assaulted her nose.
"Urk..."
The things scattered on the floor were, if not a trick of the eye, human body parts.
She stepped carefully over the cold, detached fragments, avoiding crushing them.
"Kibo... Kibo, it's me."
Squelch...
Sticky blood clung to her boots.
Bodies littered the room.
They bore no intact body parts, as if tortured mercilessly before death.
Please, please.
Let Kibo not be here.
With that desperate hope, she took one fearful step at a time.
"...Mira."
But her wish went ungranted.
"Kibo? Kibo?"
"Come... closer, Mira."
Yumi hurried to Kibo, strapped to what was clearly a torture chair.
"How'd you get here?"
"You didn't come back, sob... Kibo got... captured."
"You fool. Chasing me into a hellhole like this? I knew you were reckless, but this is next-level stupid. What about your squad?"
"Because of me... They all died because of me."
"Did you force them to come?"
"No, but..."
"Then it's fine. Ruin hunters don't live long—that's just how it is. They chose their graves, so it's done."
For some reason, Kibo remained calm and composed amid the horror. And that only tormented Yumi more.
"They messed up your eyes. Must've hurt. You never know with people—should've avoided scars on your face, even in danger."
"Sob... sob... ugh... It's not... about me that's important..."
Yumi finally broke into sobs.
She couldn't bear to look at him.
His nails were all pulled out, several fingers missing.
And both legs... severed.
"I'm fine. The trolls have some skill. Been a while since I screamed... The hemostatic stopped the pain quick, though—blood clotted right away."
"Kibo... waaah, Kibo!"
Kibo patted the shoulder of Yumi, who knelt crying pitifully. He spoke softly.
"Don't cry, little wolf."
"Ugh-sob... sob..."
"This world isn't the leisurely, hopeful place some clueless Transcenders babble about. It's where convictions clash. Emotions just get in the way of the fight."
"I... I'm..."
"From now on, you're the wolf, Yumi. Your deputy captain's hurt— you gonna just cry here as captain?"
From now on, you're the wolf.
Those words stabbed into her heart.
The scars around her eyes erased her youthful innocence. She had to become a true wolf now.
"I'll... get a cart."
"Good."
Rattle.
Remembering a cart nearby, Yumi dragged it over.
Kibo extended his arms forward.
"Load me onto the cart."
"Okay."
Yumi lifted Kibo and placed him on the cart.
Something she couldn't have dreamed of before.
The giant-like Kibo seemed so much smaller now without his legs.
Small enough for Yumi to load him alone.
"How's that? Lighter now, right?"
"...Don't joke."
"Captain's gotten prickly. Haha..."
Rattle...
Rattle...
The cart rolled toward the people.
The world buzzed with noise, but theirs held only their voices.
"Mira."
"What? Talk to your captain properly."
"Heh... Adapted already?"
"Isn't that what you want?"
"Yeah. Led countless captains over years of this, but the cheerful ones stuck around longest."
"You... won't die, right?"
"Keep saying that like you want me to. I won't, you brat."
"Good... old man. Glad you're alive, even like this. Let's go back to Novira for sure."
Kibo smiled.
The purest smile in his twisted life.
"You're thinking that now."
"What? Not your life flashing before your eyes?"
"Nah. This situation just feels like life."
He continued.
"When the journey gets tough, lighten the load a bit. You'll feel better."
"......"
"Losing my legs is just that."
"Ugh..."
"So don't cry, little wolf."
[Survivor rescue completed successfully.]
[Rewards will be tallied.]
[Linked adventure continues.]
[Rewards available only after all adventures end.]
After Yumi arrived pulling the cart, many let out sighs.
"K-Kibo..."
"No way! How could..."
"Don't make a fuss. I'm not dead yet."
"What should we do? Just escape the volcano like this?"
"Why ask me? We have Yumi here and that troll gentleman over there."
"B-But... to Mira?"
"As of today, I've stepped down as captain. My hunter squad's hers now—even if it's mostly vaporized."
Yumi glanced at Jamad. He shook his head.
Seeing that, she relayed to the people.
"One thing I haven't told you all: Sulfur Skeleton reinforcements are almost here."
"Th-Then we need to escape now—"
"Too late for that. Hard to get out as is, and with pursuit? Most of us civilians would die."
"H-Ha... trapped again?"
"No! They'll kill us! Sob..."
Jamad and Yumi exchanged looks and nodded. She'd explained the situation; now it was his turn for the alternative.
"We're not going down. And we're not escaping."
"A-Are you mad? Then what?!"
"We're going up. The way is there."
"Huh?"
Yumi explained the final option to the people.
"We're heading to our comrades. Hurry! It's our only path left!"
By now, if things went according to plan, Snowman would have reached the summit.
There was a path.
Undoubtedly, up there.