Chapter 5
Episode 5 Give and Take (1)
Looking back, I was a very funny person.
I always thought life was boring, but I never once thought about dying myself.
The feeling of being bored was just a feeling after all, and life was more precious to me than anything else.
In many ways, I thought that the balance was not right.
That thought still lingers.
That’s why…….
***
Crawling in the dark on three legs.
I’d like to say something, but it’s really literal.
Currently, I am crawling across the floor on three legs, dragging my right foot, which is completely fucked up.
If someone sees me now, it is certain that they will associate me with a stray dog with a fracture.
How do you know?
‘Because I’m thinking that way now.’
The price of giving up human dignity was sweet.
First of all, it doesn’t hurt because you don’t have to use the injured foot, and the movement speed is actually faster than before.
Above all, there is nothing to step on the trap.
On the other hand, my elbows and knees are sore, but this is what
I can endure. I can endure it.
What can’t you do to survive?
I can laugh and eat dog poop.
Well… if you give me time to prepare your mind, it will definitely be possible.
‘But what happened to that man?’
Uncle is just a word I put on.
I don’t know the person’s gender, age, or name.
I’m just inferring from my tone of voice.
It must have been a white man in his 30s wearing glasses.
Or not.
「[Bleeding] continues.」
Anyway, what happened to the person who woke up in the body of Kadua’s son, Oreum? died? Or did he wake up with his original body again?
It’s a question I’ve had since I opened my eyes.
Even if I don’t intentionally think about it, the more the situation gets worse, the more I keep thinking of him.
“[Bleeding] continues.”
I think I know why humans believe in religion.
The reality is too harsh to live alone.
When despair strikes, you need a place to turn your gaze. Just like I do right now.
“[Bleeding] continues.”
“[Bleeding] continues.”
“Warning: Character’s HP is below 5%. If not treated promptly, the character could die.
”
It’s a subtle difference, but I can feel the surroundings getting brighter.
This is a positive situation in many ways.
At least that means I’m on the right track and my hypothesis that the whole first floor couldn’t be this dark was correct.
Let’s go to the bright place somehow.
Because there will be people there. Give him this magic stone and ask for help. Then somehow…….
‘He’s fucking funny.’
As I was whispering positive things to myself and giving myself carrots, my alter ego appeared.
‘Hey, you idiot, they’re busy, but I’ll give you a piece of bread and help out. Wouldn’t it be better if I just took the magic stone and the shield and killed it?’
Is it because of me?
this kid is smart
‘What are you going to do if you meet a goblin cub before a person in the first place? do you have no brain huh?’
As the head of state, he could not bear any more insults.
‘Sick, then what are you going to do? Still, I have to go At least you can see ahead from there. Even if goblins pop out, wouldn’t it be better than fighting here?’
‘…That’s right.’
My alter ego nods and my head goes quiet again.
I continued to crawl.
“Keuhehehehe…….”
I think I’m going crazy.
No, maybe I’m already crazy.
Is it natural that this much blood was shed?
Since a while ago, the self has been repeating that it has been divided into two, then merged again, and becomes dull.
It is a kind of virtuous cycle.
If I get duller than that, I’m sure I won’t be able to open my eyes again.
“Hehehehe…”
I laughed out loud.
I didn’t have the energy to do that, but I still laughed.
At some point, the surroundings were bright.
At the far end of the aisle, I saw a crystal shining brightly.
Most of all, I saw the shape of a person standing in front of it against the backlight.
It’s not that I misunderstood the goblins.
unmistakable human form.
“Do… Wow…”
I want to shout something, but my voice won’t come out.
I crawled desperately and closed and opened my eyes.
Then what is this?
The human form came closer. As if teleported.
Surprised by that fact, I closed and opened my eyes again.
“[Bleeding] continues.”
This time it was closer.
There were about five or six people standing in front.
Are you sure you didn’t see it wrong? I closed and opened my eyes again.
[Achievement Accomplishment]
Condition: HP drops below 2%.
Reward: Permanently +1 Spirit.
Then I saw a blond man bent on his knees.
Their eyes met right in front of their noses, but he came out with a strange look and observed the surroundings without asking anything.
Rather than listening to what others say, they are making judgments based on their own experience and intuition.
Like a veteran, he made quick decisions.
“Beginner.”
Fuck you help me.
As you can see, I’m a fucking barbarian with only one shield, and all I have is a goblin magic stone in exchange for a leg.
I’ll give you all of this if you want. So…
“Suspicious. How did the beginner come earlier than us?”
I quickly opened my mouth. But what came out was a sound similar to boiling phlegm.
“Grrrr…….”
No, to be honest, it sounds more like the goblin’s voice, but…
it was enough to let me know that I was in a situation where I couldn’t answer.
Soon after, the blonde asked a colleague.
“Priest Ersina. Could you heal Lee by any chance?”
fuse? Could it be that there is a priest in the party?
I checked the side with the eyes of a middle school student who had met a miracle. Then there really was a naked priestess in a white robe.
The priestess, who met my eyes, said with her beautiful lips.
“I will refuse.”
huh? what?
“I see. I understand.”
why do you agree
It was sad. Fuck I didn’t know why I was brought here and treated like this.
It was a moment when I felt a tantrum in my heart.
“Will you give me a Potion called Parts?”
“Is it to prepare for the time when you can’t use the divine power?”
“You have a lot anyway. I’ll go out and pay for it separately.”
“Sheesh.”
Only then did the man with a sword on his back click his tongue and take out a potion from his bag and throw it.
When I heard that it was my life, my heart sank.
Took.
Fortunately, the blonde grabbed the potion properly.
“It’s not divine power, it’ll hurt a little.”
The blonde opened the stopper, sprayed half on the wound, and poured the other half directly into my mouth.
Soon I felt unbearable pain.
Is it this kind of pain if the pain that has been accumulated in the body without being aware of it comes all at once?
「The body regenerates quickly due to the (medium) recovery effect.」
It seems that the whole body is melting.
This was the reason why potions were not allowed to be used during battle in the game.
I thought it was just blocked by the system, but it turned out that it was a very good reflection of reality.
Shit.
“Heh heh heh heh heh……”
How many minutes had passed?
The pain gradually subsides and you feel better.
“Now let me tell you, Barbarian? How did you get here before us on a beginner subject? If you know of a new passage, I would like to buy information.”
Was that really the purpose?
I don’t feel bad. Rather, I feel relieved to think that he treated me well because he had a purpose.
Because there is nothing more sinister than goodwill without reason.
Still, somehow I’m sorry.
I don’t know about secret passages.
“…As soon as I entered the labyrinth, I was here.”
I honestly said it as it is.
The blonde tilted her head, then nodded with an expression of understanding.
“I’m sure…… I’ve read about it in the article. Sometimes it’s because of the dimensional instability phenomenon.”
My heart was beating loudly.
I asked like someone who had heard the wrong thing.
“You said you saw it for the first time…?”
I couldn’t believe it at all.
Yes, there are priests and wizards in this party. It means proper guys who are active at least in the middle class or higher.
But is it the first time?
“Yes, in the book, it is said that it is a case that comes out once in 100 years. Falling to the outermost part like this”
Oh, that’s right. It’s something that only happens once in 100 years. And that’s what I experienced the moment I first entered the labyrinth.
Now I know why the other savages didn’t carry torches.
Doesn’t anyone worry about being struck by lightning just because it’s raining?
“Looks like it’s the first time, but it must have been a disaster to go through such a rare thing.”
She looks at me with a pity for blonde hair.
“It wasn’t the information I wanted, but it was an interesting story. Don’t think about the price of the potion and go.”
The way he speaks is a bit unlucky, but basically he seems like a nice guy.
“I’m going to take the shield that fell over there.”
Looking at the direction the blonde pointed to, I saw a shield that had fallen on the floor. The distance is about 20 m. It was said to be tied well around the waist, but it seems to have flowed down.
“Then let us go.”
They walked past me before I had time to say thanks.
In the labyrinth, time is no different from money, so it’s not something I can’t understand.
No, it’s close to a miracle that he spent this much time for me in the first place.
I looked at the place where they left for a while, then quickly ran and picked up the shield that had fallen on the floor.
It must have been a happy thing to have survived, but
still, something felt strange.
***
「Bjorn Yandel」
Level: 1.
Physical: 25 / Mind: 36 (New +1) / Ability: 1
Item Level: 24
Overall Combat Rating: 68 (New +1)
***
“Good luck with that barbarian.”
“Well, wouldn’t it be a bit ambiguous to be lucky? I went through something like that on my first trip…” The
blond answered with an ambiguous smile, and the male prosecutor snorted.
“Anyone who would step on a goblin trap would have done the same even if it hadn’t happened like this. It’s true that they were lucky in the part where they met us in the first place.”
“To be precise, you met Drows, not us. Didn’t you regret using potions?”
When the female archer who had been listening quietly intervened, the male prosecutor shrugged.
“Yeah, those guys are all over the place. You can’t survive long anyway. I’m sure our priest must have had the same thoughts as me, right?”
The priestess smiled bitterly and didn’t answer anything, and the female archer fired instead.
“Ersina-sama would have healed her if it wasn’t for the rules of the temple. No, if it weren’t for the potion, she might have broken the rules herself. Do you think everyone is like you?”
“Well, that’s it, I don’t know again. I see a lot of different front and back sides.”
“…With parts, you need to imitate Drows even a little bit.”
“For example, did you dare to ask if you knew the secret passage?”
“Yes. I’ve heard that barbarians don’t take help from others. Maybe that’s why he was so considerate.
” “…You seem to be giving me too much attention?” As
the topic focused on herself, the blonde smiled awkwardly and scratched her head.
But he didn’t deny the word consideration either.
“Ah, to take the shortcut, you have to break it here.”
“As expected, it’s convenient to have a leader in the party.”
“Ersina-sama! Usually guides only know the direction to the portal. It’s just that Drows is great. Because I memorized all the landmarks on the first floor.”
The male prosecutor who was watching the female archer shook his head.
“But how far does that bloodstain go? Haven’t you walked quite a bit already?”
“Well. But just looking at the mental strength of crawling this distance, I think you were wrong when you said that you were simply lucky
?
” took a short cut in the middle, and reached the destination after about 15 minutes
. It’s worth the rush. Let’s get it working.”
As the blonde put her hand on the tombstone in front of the dead end, an intense light burst out and took the shape of a sphere. It
was a portal to the second floor.
“Wait a minute.”
Everyone was about to throw themselves into the portal. “Isn’t that what the barbarian was wearing earlier?”
”
What?”
After checking the direction the archer was pointing, everyone in the party lost their words.
In the darkness revealed by the light emitted from the portal , A blood-stained trap and a pair of mysterious sandals were placed in a lump.
“…I guess that’s right.”
The wizard made a curious expression on his face,
then created a new sphere of light and moved it across the
passage . The bloodstains that started from , continued all the way along the curved passage.
No matter how much the sphere of light was moved, I couldn’t even fathom its end from this spot. There
was silence for a while .
How long will it take to get there?”
“…probably 15km assuming no shortcuts are used.”
“Heh heh heh what a monstrous body. Crawling such a long distance alone in this darkness.”
The wizard just let out a blank laugh as if he was surprised.
However, the male swordsman next to him couldn’t. “…
You’re crazy. ”
It was a matter of the mind, he thought,
‘…would I have crawled for hours in that situation, not sure if I would ever find anyone to help me?’
“I don’t know.
But what’s certain is that the barbarian was crawling when I first discovered it. It seemed unconscious and kept moving its arms and legs. What happened after
that?
I couldn’t speak properly, but I held out my hand.
In my hand, I held a small magic stone.” I didn’t think much of it
at the time, but now I think I know what that action meant
.
Because there is nothing to offer in return other than that.
So while crawling a long distance, the barbarian held the magic stone tightly in his hand. So that he could show it right away if he met someone. Soon,
the man came to a conclusion.
I guess I’ll have to cancel it.”
It’s just luck?
A guy like that dies early anyway?
It
can’t be .
He knows from long experience.
“Drowse, what was the name of that barbarian earlier?
” Even if the present moment is arduous and hopeless,
because death is never the way out.