Layers of Misfortune

Everyone instinctively screams when startled. Even I, who was deep asleep only to get stabbed out of nowhere, was no exception—with one key difference.

"Kuh, kahak!"

I tried to yell reflexively, but all that came was blood surging up from the wound, boiling over. Amid the agony, I grabbed the blade lodged in my throat and kicked off the bastard straddling me with all my might.

-Thwack!

The mystery assailant tumbled several meters away, and in that gap, I yanked the sword from my neck and staggered to my feet.

-Drip, drip!

It was a short dagger. Not a great weapon, or maybe thanks to my defenses, it hadn't pierced deep enough to be fatal. But damn. Blood was pouring out like crazy. Was pulling it out even the right call?

I clamped my hand over the punctured throat to stem the flow as best I could and scanned the surroundings. The attacker's identity soon revealed itself.

"Shit... that idiot couldn't even handle that one thing right!"

I'd half-guessed it from getting stabbed with a dagger, but the attacker wasn't a monster. The exploration team NPCs stood there gripping their weapons, faces tense. The one who'd tumbled far off was one of them too.

"Kahak, you fucking assholes..."

I'd thought their attitudes were off, but who would've guessed they'd be prepping to stab me in the back. I'd heard from the community that certain quest routes could turn specific NPCs hostile. But an NPC pretending to be friendly then trying to assassinate a challenger? That was new to me.

"Hey, sorry about this. But don't hold it against us too much."

Stabbing a sleeping guy in the throat and then saying don't hold a grudge? That was beyond my comprehension.

"You're just too strong for us to handle. We couldn't ignore the risk of you robbing us of the treasure."

Even in this situation, Winzer was chatty as ever. But most of his mumbling bullshit wasn't worth hearing.

They figured any adventurer would naturally covet the treasure. And that if I wiped out the exploration team and claimed it all solo, they couldn't stop me. Honestly, not wrong. I was interested in that lightning-wielding relic, after all.

"Plus, what kind of adventurer wanders a place like this alone? More likely some wanted bandit, right?"

Absurd, but their logic held water. In the end, me being a solo player was the issue again. If I weren't, I wouldn't have gotten strong enough to put them on edge ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in the first place.

"Truth be told, if you'd just fallen for one of the traps on the way here, we wouldn't have needed to do this... No traps left now anyway."

Ah, got it. That explained all the traps. They'd triggered every damn one on the way in. I'd heard enough.

I released my grip on my throat and drew my sword.

A passive skill I'd picked up right before dying in the Floor 2 boss fight: Combat Healing. It provided constant HP regeneration. While Winzer yammered on, the gash in my throat had mostly healed. That bastard really did talk too fucking much.

Before I could even lower my hand from my throat and move, someone beat me to it.

"E-explode!"

One NPC hurled a black pebble-like thing. No idea what it was, but it looked like it blew up. The presumed bomb hit the wall behind me and erupted in flames with a boom. More like a firebomb than an explosive. Wouldn't have hurt much even if it hit.

"Hyah!"

Spotting my throat wound closing, they must've realized the jig was up. The NPCs charged all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at once. Come to think of it, when the lizardmen showed up, they'd each grabbed weapons and prepped for battle—not fled. They must've had confidence handling one lizardman. Makes sense; otherwise, how could they camp in lizardman turf?

-Crack!

I knocked aside an axe-swinging NPC, then smashed the jaw of the next one charging in. Hadn't even hit that hard, but it made a crunch ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠like something shattering. Probably from fighting lizardmen nonstop—their bodies snapped like fucking cookies.

The axe guy got back up, grabbed a rock, and charged barehanded.

"What the fuck."

-Splat!

My casual sword swing buried deep into the NPC's forearm. Red blood dripped down. Now that I thought about it, this was my first time fighting something humanoid. Goblins and kobolds didn't count, nor did werewolves or lizardmen—they barely looked human. None of the monsters I'd faced so far matched human size. Goblins too small, kobolds scrawny, lizardmen closest but averaging 2 meters tall. Felt like fighting aliens.

"Aaaagh!"

Watching the NPC bleed red and scream... my feelings got complicated. Was killing these any different from murder? I had a perfect opening to finish him, but that thought froze my hand. And like they'd been waiting for it, another NPC rushed in dagger-first. The same one I'd knocked flying earlier.

"Just stay the fuck down."

-Crunch!

I punted the charging NPC square in the solar plexus. He spewed something from his mouth. I shielded my face with my shield and backed off. Not spit—couldn't be water either. Probably poison or some shit. Wait, poison?

Come to think of it, my peripheral vision had been shaky for a bit. If they used poison, coating the dagger made sense. Hell, even the stew I'd scarfed before passing out—probably dosed too.

"Fuck."

No antidote in my inventory. Regular potions only healed wounds. No clue how potent the poison was, but dragging this out could be bad. Why'd I hesitate just 'cause they looked human? They're just fucking NPCs. Secure safety first, overthink later. Time to kill 'em all.

Maybe 'cause my own life hung in the balance, but slaughtering six human-looking things barely fazed me. And one more surprise.

Killing the quest-giver NPC didn't cancel the quest. Makes sense—no clause about Winzer's survival. "Ruin exploration complete" meant the treasure was just ahead in the cave. But now wasn't the time.

"Hoo..."

Cold sweat poured down since earlier. That dagger was definitely poisoned. My healing throat burned like a burn wound. Not sure if lethal, but no way I could face the ruin boss like this.

Winzer said no traps left. Shouldn't be hard getting back to the village—buy an antidote there.

-Step, step, step.

Moving too vigorously might spread the poison faster, so I kept a steady pace. Still, it spread. Fingertips numbed bit by bit, movements stiffened—paralysis effect? Headache built, fever rising, stomach churning like bad food. I chugged recovery potions periodically, hoping for some effect, but nada.

Damn, first poisoning... way shittier than imagined. Pain wasn't intense, but worsening condition over time was hell.

"Hoo, fuck."

Muttering curses, I hurried—only to spot the ruin entrance. But voices murmuring from outside. More explorers? Sword and shield ready, I approached.

The source revealed itself.

-Keruk, keruk!

Dozens of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lizardmen camped outside the ruins. Unlike the ones I'd fought, their gear was no joke. Weapons gleamed razor-sharp; many wore metal armor. Shoulder bands: all blue. Per Winzer's intel on their hierarchy—mid-tier warriors. Most with two or three bands. Even a few elite red-band ones mixed in.

"Life fucking sucks."

In short, I was utterly screwed.