NOVEL NEXT Chapter 103
“Johann, Johann! Wake up!”
I opened my eyes to the sensation of my body shaking and looked up. In my view were Sif and lush trees.
Did we enter a dimensional rift?
“Are you okay? Is your body fine?”
“I’m fine, so get out of the way.”
I got up and looked around. This place was quite different from my memory of the dimensional rift. Well, my memory might not be accurate. It’s been at least ten years since then. Anyway, this is not the time to care about that; I need to assess my surroundings first.
“Sif. Have you looked around?”
“I just woke up too, so I don’t really know.”
I didn’t know if it was just us who got separated, or if the protagonist’s party was lost too.
What was certain was that the situation was reversed compared to the original story.
Normally, we should have entered the rift in the order of the protagonist’s party, but now we had entered first, meaning our plan to quietly follow the protagonist’s party was effectively scrapped. We couldn’t tell when the protagonist’s party would enter, or if they would enter at all.
“What do we do now? We had planned to follow later.”
“First, we should make a camp.”
Just to be safe, I had packed enough food, so we could last about a week. I pulled a shovel out of my backpack. I thought I wouldn’t have to do any digging this time, but it looked like I was mistaken. That thieving cat definitely couldn’t dig.
“Sif, can you climb trees?”
“Climbing a tree is easier than earning a fairy tale!”
“Do you see that tree? Climb to the top and see if you can spot the surroundings. If there’s a hill, that’s great, but if you see an open space, let me know right away.”
“How much will the extra pay be?”
“If I abandon you, there’s no need for danger pay.”
“Meow?! You’re gonna abandon your loyal follower?”
“Which loyal follower begs for money?”
There’s a limit to greed. Still, whether my sarcasm got through or not, Sif sighed, dropped her backpack, and clung to the tree. Wow, she really climbs well for a cat. I watched as Sif quickly ascended the tree, then turned my attention to the surroundings.
This isn’t the time to be distracted.
I promptly plunged the shovel into the ground. I had to be prepared since unknown monsters could appear while I was distracted. Well, I was just digging a hole and hiding inside. I pushed my backpack into a roughly dug hole about three tatami mats large and placed my hands on a nearby tree.
This tree feels similar to the ones I saw on the deserted island. Seeing the sun beating down like it’s about to scorch my skin, it might even be a tropical concept.
…Now I’m getting a clearer idea.
At least this isn’t the rift I know. It could be part of a dungeon within that dimensional rift, but for now, that’s what I thought. It would be best to take a lap around to conclude more definitively, but… I should wait for Sif.
I withdrew my hands from the tree and entered the hole, quietly waiting for Sif to come down. About 30 minutes later, she finally came down.
“What? When did you dig a hole?”
“I dug it right after you went up.”
“Wow, you’re quick…”
“Anyway, what’s the terrain like around here?”
“Well, it’s an island, but it’s not too big… maybe about twice the size of the yard around Yeomyeong-gwan?”
…That’s too small, right? With that size, the density of monsters should be high. Yeomyeong-gwan is too big to dismiss as a single structure, but if that’s the size of the island, it’s rather peculiar. It means we could reach both ends of the island in about ten minutes.
“Any other specifics?”
“There was smoke rising to the north. But I didn’t hear any signs of humans in the rift…?”
“Who knows.”
The chance of humanoid monsters isn’t zero. Orcs and goblins can start a fire; it’s just that their methods might be primitive.
“We should investigate the north then.”
“Oh, there was also a cave in the middle of the island.”
“A cave, huh. Is there a place suitable for a camp?”
“If we go just a bit west from here, there’s a decent open space. It won’t take more than five minutes.”
“I’ll set off right away.”
We shouldered our backpacks and exited the hole. Being in such an unknown space, we had to act quickly.
————-
“…Why did you become a knight? You’d be welcomed with open arms in the Builders Guild—”
What was the intent behind that question? I looked into Sif’s yellow, glowing eyes. Under the dark night sky, her eyes sparkled solely with my reflection.
I tossed some wood cut from a nearby tree into the campfire and answered casually.
“I hate sweaty places.”
“You could rake in money there!”
“I’m making plenty of money already.”
If it weren’t for that True Ending messing with me needing to stay near Karina, I might have opened an architectural office by now, or even become a dungeon specialist.
Whichever path I’d taken, I’d likely be earning better and have more freedom than now.
There wouldn’t be a need to maintain such a vague relationship.
“True, but… I envy you… If only I had one ability that could earn money, I wouldn’t be roaming dungeons like this.”
“That doesn’t look like a bad job though.”
Sif shook her head with a complicated expression at my comment. Did my words not sit well with her? An awkward silence lingered between us for a moment until Sif spoke again, her eyes fixated on the pot of soup bubbling over the fire.
“…If I die, my siblings will starve. Our parents vanished when we were little, and my siblings are too young. If I want to feed my two younger siblings, dangerous work is all there is… Or…”
Sif trailed off, staring blankly at the campfire. I could tell what she intended to say without her needing to finish. It must have been awkward for her to say it to me.
“Your siblings must be worried about you…”
What can a young girl even do?
I patted Sif’s shoulder, who was hugging her knees with a worried face, and offered some comforting words.
“You’ve been getting by, haven’t you? You’ll get out safely this time too, so don’t worry.”
“Right…?”
With just the two of us around the campfire, Sif was unusually sentimental today. That wasn’t a bad thing, but the fact that someone who usually only screams about money was reminiscing about the past gave me a strange feeling.
“…I suppose it’s time to eat.”
I filled a bowl made from a nearby tree with soup. Regardless of everything, one must eat well to regain strength. I handed the full bowl of soup to Sif.
“Eat up.”
“Thanks. I should be doing this for you… um, I’m getting paid a lot anyway.”
Sif quietly took the soup from me and blew on it before eating. Watching her blow on the spoon before eating made me wonder if, being a cat beastkin, she couldn’t handle hot food. Such a bothersome trait. Yet it was quite a cute sight. Sif was actually quite good-looking.
Not to mention the holy maiden who usually devours everything with her face right next to me.
“Just act like you normally do. I’m seriously contemplating if you’re a doppelganger or not.”
“I-I’m a sensitive woman! A person can’t always be cheerful! You gloomy human!”
“Oh, is that so?”
I casually replied and savored the taste of the soup I had made. Hmm, turned out pretty decent again today. The green soup made from the edible herbs I gathered nearby fortunately didn’t taste bad.
“Seriously… tsk.”
We both fell silent and devoured our meals. It was mutual understanding; chatting anymore wouldn’t be wise. After all, the key in dungeons is not to attract attention.
After finishing our meal, we quickly cleaned up and pulled out our sleeping bags. This reminded me of the 2-3 years I had spent on that deserted island. Back then, I had made camps while moving to safe places every time.
“…Johann, we can go back, right?”
“Of course.”
Am I going to die in a place like this?
This was heaven compared to the deserted island where giant bears and mountain-sized hydras were fighting over territory. The environment here wouldn’t support monsters of that caliber.
“You should get some rest too.”
“What about the night watch?”
“Didn’t you see how many traps and alarms I laid out?”
If anyone dodged those, even Renny wouldn’t stop them.
Sif seemed to recall the traps and alarms I had set during the day and nodded in agreement.
“If you laid that many… I guess.”
A rustling sound was heard. Sif was also unrolling her sleeping bag. I closed my eyes and thought about what to do tomorrow. First, we’ll have breakfast and head north… to where…
Creeeak—
“…Caught one.”
How long has it been?
I woke up to the sound of a trap getting triggered, signaling it was time to check the catch.