NOVEL NEXT Chapter 7
The bitterness lingered in my mouth as I returned to the battlefield.
‘I’ve killed a human’s heart without much ado. Looks like I’m already becoming an otherworlder.’
I offered a prayer for Scarlet as I walked.
Poor thing… I hope she grows up in a loving family and finds a good man to live happily in her next life.
Before I knew it, I arrived and looked around to find traces of devastation and party members sprawled out resting.
“Aren!”
Yeriell spotted me while looking around and jumped up to run towards me.
“Uh-oh.”
She tripped over her own feet as she ran, probably tired, so I quickly rushed in to catch her.
“You must be exhausted, why are you running around so recklessly? I saw you struggling back there earlier.”
Yeriell awkwardly looked away and smiled.
“Hehe, did you see? But I know Aren must have had it tougher, so I couldn’t just sit still. You worked hard, Aren.”
Derik, who had come out of nowhere, spoke up.
“Yeah. Good job, Aren. …The fact that you came alone means…”
I nodded heavily at Derik, who was hesitating to finish his sentence.
“Yeah, that makes sense. I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. Everything I heard earlier was spot on. What kind of guy like me can form a party and think about dating?”
Seeing Derik suddenly dive into self-blame, I felt awkward and said,
“That’s right, Derik. You definitely have some blame to carry. But it doesn’t mean this happened because of you…”
At least it wasn’t all Derik’s fault.
“Let’s not forget that just because of this incident, your party that you carefully assembled as an experienced member still has meaning.”
I maintained eye contact as I continued.
“Derik has his flaws, I have my flaws, and she had her flaws too. Pointing fingers won’t bring Scarlet back. It’s over now, so let’s not blame anyone.”
Derik hung his head low and stayed silent for a moment.
Then he lifted his head with determination and shouted.
“Yeah! Until we get out of the Labyrinth, as the leader, I have to keep my head on straight! I’m sorry for showing such a pitiful state, everyone! Let’s rest up and go catch those goblins!”
Good. Looks like his mental health got a boost. That’s the Derik I met on my first day.
Bernard and Hans were still asleep. It dawned on me that while the three men were just waking up, I hadn’t closed my eyes even once last night.
I found a decent sleeping bag and lay down.
“Aren. I’ll take the night watch, so you get some sleep. I’ll wake up those two over there.”
As I was about to close my eyes, Yeriell approached and wiggled her fingers.
“Um, Aren… the tent is broken, so can I spread my sleeping bag and sleep next to you? I-it’s not like that! I just think I could sleep more soundly next to you.”
Ah, with four guys including me and just one girl, it must feel a bit off. I should stay close for Hans’ sake.
“Of course. Lie down next to me. Let’s get some sleep and set off feeling good tomorrow.”
“Okay! Good night, Aren.”
Yeriell spread her sleeping bag next to mine and closed her eyes.
‘Guess I should sleep soon. Chaos must be tired from worrying about me all day.’
Looking back at today, I realized I was still quite inexperienced.
What if I had been hit by magic, feeling the pain but unable to unleash my mana?
If I hadn’t managed to learn Scarlet’s last spell by sheer luck?
I would’ve burned alive right there. The thought alone is horrifying.
‘I feel sorry for causing trouble for no reason by being careless and reckless.’
[Chaos says you remind him of a son who feels bad for misbehaving and later apologizes to his mom, which is cute.]
Puhuhuh, Chaos can be quite silly when you think about it.
If only I had a kind mother, maybe I would have grown up differently.
But enough with the nonsense, time to sleep.
[Chaos trails off, saying he’d prefer to be called something other than “mom.”]
*
Tap tap tap.
“Aren. Aren! It’s time to get up. We need to gear up and leave.”
Thump thump.
“Goodness! I know you’re tired, but wouldn’t it be a bit excessive to sleep this long?”
Mmm.
As I relished the feeling of finally getting a good sleep and lifted my upper body, Yeriell’s face was right in front of mine as I opened my eyes.
“Wha, huh?”
So cute.
“How cute.”
“──!”
…Uh-oh.
“Not that! I meant I thought it inside, and it just slipped out!”
Her face was turning so red!
“Haha, Yeriell, you’re going to pop if you keep that up.”
[Chaos chuckles, wondering what kind of conversation this is.]
I think I must’ve been a bit dazed from how eventful yesterday was. Time for some self-reflection.
“Alright, let’s get ready and head to Derik!”
“Heh, Aren just has to prepare. L-Let’s hurry!”
I didn’t have much to pack since my sword was broken.
I quickly put on my gear and walked alongside a still-flushed Yeriell.
It seemed the three men had already finished their preparations and were gathered.
Derik noticed us and said.
“You’re here. The atmosphere is a bit odd, isn’t it? Nothing happened, right?”
“Of course not. Oh, by the way, my sword broke yesterday. Do you have a spare weapon?”
“I just told Hans to get one for you. Hans! Pass the sword to Aren!”
As I sat down and exchanged glances with Bernard, Hans soon brought the sword and handed it to me.
It looked pretty shabby for a spare weapon.
Anyway, Derik gathered everyone’s attention and began to speak.
“Alright! Now that everyone is here, let’s start the briefing. If we go down the hill we’re on and walk a bit, we’ll reach the goblin settlement. The escape portal is located in the central area.”
Getting through to the center will be the key.
“Most of the inhabitants in the goblin settlement will be goblins, but there’s a high chance of encountering unique individuals like goblin archers or shamans.”
But don’t worry, Derik pounded his chest confidently.
“As long as we’re careful about the archer’s ambush during the first attack, I can handle the shaman’s degraded primal magic or light curses, so don’t worry.”
From my experience, the archer was pretty dangerous at first glance.
When I asked Chaos, as expected, he explained it clearly.
[Chaos says that primal magic usually deals with raw elements like fire or wind, having greater destructive power compared to traditional magic but lacking in other various aspects.]
Sounds like something monsters would use.
[Chaos adds an example involving fire magic, where one can enlarge the size and strength of basic flames but lacks the capability to cast a fireball.]
Just as I finished listening to Chaos’s explanation, Derik cleared his throat and continued.
“However, do keep in mind that the closer you get to the center, the higher the chance of encountering a chief hobgoblin.”
Hobgoblins… their strength varies widely in subculture.
“They’re as big as adult men and possess varied random abilities as befits their title of ‘chief’.”
Derik raised a finger to emphasize his warning.
“You’ll only know when you encounter them, but since you won’t know what abilities they might use to attack, don’t let your guard down.”
Derik nonchalantly shrugged.
“Sometimes, a creature with multiple attributes shows up… But those cases are extremely rare, so just keep it in mind.”
‘Isn’t it a cliché that those kinds of creatures tend to show up whenever they’re mentioned? This is making me uneasy.’
As I listened, I grew curious. I might miss something if I kept asking questions inwardly while Derik continued his explanations, so I decided to ask directly.
“I’ve been wondering. Since it’s confirmed that the escape portal is in the settlement, and there are other adventurer parties scattered around the third level of the Labyrinth, couldn’t we just wipe them out all at once and escape together?”
Derik snapped his fingers like my question was a good one.
“Now, Aren. Maybe because you lost your memory, but you’re underestimating the adventurers in the Labyrinth.”
Hmm.
“Unless it’s by necessity, adventurer parties thoroughly separate themselves. They don’t cooperate or form alliances easily in the middle layers.”
After saying this, he put on a slightly intimidating expression and gesture.
“Adventurers are typically people who chase profit at all costs. They willingly risk their lives to gain attributes, resources, experience, and knowledge by entering the Labyrinth. Unless it’s absolutely necessary, would they cooperate to use the portal from the lower levels?”
Ah… he’s right.
“You should be most cautious of the adventurers who seem nice. This place is practically a lawless realm where strength rules.”
Derik shook his head in disappointment.
“If you let your guard down, it’s lucky if you just get robbed. Worse, you might suffer unspeakable things and disappear without a trace.”
He pantomimed cutting his neck and sticking out his tongue.
“Nobles? Other races? Unless you’re entering with special measures, if you die here, your body might never be found. The Labyrinth will swallow it and use it to create monsters.”
‘The thought of the Labyrinth swallowing bodies is chilling.’
“Most adventurers are here for growth and resources, not escape. Keep that in mind.”
Wow, I realized I had been thinking pretty naïvely.
Though I was just trying to escape after accidentally falling on the third level, other adventurers weren’t the same.
They were here to make money and get stronger, so the idea of gathering for a hunt and escaping didn’t make sense.
Thus, they would have to share the spoils…
Suddenly, I felt incredibly lucky that this party was the first I encountered when my goal was to escape.
“Alright, let’s summarize: there will mostly be goblins, keep an eye out for archers’ ambushes, I can defend against shamans, and if we meet a chief, we’ll adjust our tactics accordingly.”
Derik pointed to each party member.
“For formation during exploration, Bernard and I will be at the front. Aren and Yeriell will be in the middle, and Hans will carry the supplies at the rear.”
Nodding.
“During combat, Aren will be the front-line dealer while Yeriell will fall back. Bernard and Hans will protect from behind. Understood! Let’s move out!”
Derik wrapped up, then turned to me.
“I think you need to fill in the gap left by the missing mage. Bernard told me you’ve awakened your mana and become stronger since a few days ago, can you handle it?”
“Absolutely! Even when I couldn’t feel my mana, I still fought off goblins by observing and dodging. Now? You can count on me. Don’t worry!”
“Right. We lack a dealer in this party, so I feel bad for putting this burden on you. Please take care of it.”
‘Yeah. Since I’ve filled the place of the mage, I need to make up for it with my strength.’
Having completed all our preparations, we began heading towards the goblin settlement.