A thud.
When the Kronby insect-type monster disappeared like light, it dropped a mana stone. I didn't bother to pick it up. What was I going to do with it without a pocket to store it in?
Voy a perderla.
In some ways, the situation was worse than when I first fell into the maze and had to crawl on all threes. At least then he had underwear.
Let's think later about where this is and first look for something to cover ourselves.
Puzzled by the unknown situation for a moment, I quickly organized the things I had to do and resolved them one by one. First of all, clothes, one of the necessities of life. Although this was a world where there were only trees everywhere and where monsters disappeared like light as soon as they were caught, it was not difficult to satisfy the need that was clothing. For starters, I was a barbarian anyway.
«...I can really try everything here, huh?»
First, I picked a vine stem that fit my waist. Then, fixing pumpkin-sized leaves on the vine, I wrapped it around my waist and crossed it out. With this, the equipment called Tree Spirit Protection was complete.
...This is tougher than I thought.
When I put on the object I had made and moved, I was surprised by the high level of finish. I assumed the basics weren't basics in vain. There is a reason why the former preferred this aspect.
I should make one for her too.
While I was at it, I also made one for Amelia. Instead of just the bottom part, which was enough for me, Amelia's required two parts. But since she was much smaller than me, it didn't take me much longer to make her.
As it is quite spacious, size will not be a problem.
This was one of the few advantages of Tree Spirit Protection. Since it was so primitive, a larger size was not a problem. All you had to do was squeeze the stems tighter.
How long will you sleep?
I approached Amelia and threw the Tree Spirit Protection (F) into her body. It's not that he hadn't thought about putting it on, but that would complicate things. No matter how she thought about it, putting it on her was going overboard. There's a reason they say that a boy and a girl shouldn't sit together after the age of seven.
Anyway, since I'm not hungry right now, I have to make a place to rest.
After completing the clothing category, I immediately began preparations for the shelter category. This wasn't that difficult either. After digging a shovel-sized hole, all I had to do was fill it with the leaves I used to do Tree Spirit Protection. I also collected dry wood and made a bonfire in the center. Surprisingly, lighting the fire was easy.
Is it because my body is overflowing with strength?
When I rubbed pieces of wood relentlessly, it soon started smoking. Surprisingly, there were few things in the world that could not be done by force.
Anyway, when is this girl planning to wake up?
After picking up Amelia and placing her on the bed of leaves, I looked at the sky. It was already night, but it was not cold thanks to the fire. With his eyesight assured, he should be able to fight any monster as usual. At this point, I moved on to the next point.
The problem is the food...
That was the third need in life and, in terms of survival, the one that always came first.
«Ha, honestly…»
The sighs came naturally. It wasn't like this was my first entry; I didn't think I'd have to worry about this again.
Growl.
...Where do I get food from?
***
There were no mountains on Farune Island. Except for the coast, everything was a flat forest, creating many screens that prevented the light from the bonfire from spreading too far.
These moth-eaten bastards.
However, the light from the bonfire was enough to attract nearby monsters. Thanks to that, I had to deal with monsters all night. He hadn't put out the bonfire yet. Monsters appeared even without light, after all. I judged that it was much more reasonable to fight with vision assured.
It's not like I'm going to sleep in this situation.
After battling hunger for several more hours as well, Amelia finally came to.
«You're finally awake».
«...How did you know?»
«Your breathing calmed down».
This girl was weird. It was obvious that he had woken up but he kept his eyes closed without saying anything. I guess identifying the situation came first? «...Where are we?»
«Wait, put that on before you get up».
Raising her upper body, Amelia frowned as she saw the leaves placed on top of her naked body. «Barbarian... Have you undressed me?».
This was one of the questions I expected Amelia to ask me when she woke up, so I responded immediately without freaking out. «Can you say that after seeing the state I'm in? My clothes were also completely gone».
«...I see.» After I turned around, I heard the sound of leaves rustling behind me. Fortunately, I didn't need to explain how to put it on. «It's already set. You can turn around now».
When I turned around, Amelia had put on all the Tree Spirit Protection (F) pieces she had made. It was a very strange feeling. Now that we were both wearing something like that, it looked like some kind of costume. I figured we'd get a costume effect buff if we fought together.
«So what is this place?» Amelia didn't seem embarrassed at all by her clothes as she asked me the first question again without changing her expression.
Well, I should have asked that question. «It's Farune Island. I don't know how long it's been and when I opened my eyes we were completely naked».
When I concisely informed her of the various questions she had asked me at the moment of opening her eyes, Amelia fell silent. I figured he needed time to organize his thoughts.
After giving it a minute, I asked him: «Now. Tell me why we are in this situation».
«...Why are you asking me?»
Huh, pretending not to know?
«The stone you were holding shone at the end. I'm sure it has something to do with this».
«Yes, that...» Amelia squeezed the air, but the object that had disappeared since I opened my eyes did not suddenly appear again.
Oh sure. I should tell you this too. «I'm just saying it up front, but I didn't touch that thing. I don't know where he disappeared».
«Don't worry. I do not doubt you».
Hmm, did that mean he had so much credibility? «So, your answer to my question?»
«...I have an assumption but it is not certain.»
Tell me what you're assuming, woman. Do you really have to limit the information even in this situation?
«Just speak freely. What is that stone and why are we in this situation?».
When I asked without hiding my irritation, Amelia interrupted herself. «That is...»
The moment he was about to separate his lips again with a determined face, the sound of a branch breaking could be heard. Simultaneously, we lower our postures and look in the direction of the sound. That was because there were only insectoid monsters on this island. In other words, it was very likely that that sound had been made by a person.
Except for the crackling of the bonfire, there was a suffocating silence. That's why I was more nervous. If there had been another sound I might have thought it was a chance passerby.
«How long are you going to spy on us? Sal», Amelia murmured in the direction of the dark forest.
The reaction came after about five seconds. «Haha, you make us look like the bad guys».
Five scouts stretched out their crouching bodies and made their way through the bushes.
What the hell, were they really watching us? Since when? Damn.
I felt dizzy, but first I scrutinized the group in front of us. They were all human and male. His level of equipment looked like it was from the fifth floor, but on his chests was a clan emblem. It was an emblem I had never seen before.
Did they come to the sixth floor with a clan and split up as teams on this island?
Of course, there was a feeling of incongruity here too. Considering recent affairs, very few explorers entered this round of the maze. Even so, the occupation status of twenty people was satisfied on this island, too. Now we found ourselves like this with these explorers? Something was suspicious.
Just when he thought that, Amelia openly showed her caution, signaling the start of the conversation. «Why were you spying on us?»
«Do not misunderstand me. We saw a fire in the distance and thought they were members of our clan. When we came to greet you, we saw the state you were in and we watched you by surprise. We discovered you recently».
It was a compelling statement to some extent. Even I would have been curious about a man and woman dressed in leaves like primitive people in the center of the island. I would have been curious about your situation too.
«So what happened to you?»
«You don't need to know that.»
«Haha, don't be so on guard. It is clear that you are not in a good situation...»
«I said you don't need to know». Amelia cut off the man's question.
But did you also find it charming? «Haha, what a fighter». The man laughed heartily, without a hint of displeasure. To be honest, he seemed like a pointless bastard to me. Was he asking to be killed?
«Amelia».
«I'll make my own judgment, so stay still».
Si, vale.
When I called her name to tell her not to escalate the situation too much, Amelia also softened her attitude a little. «The boat we were on capsized. Before separating from our companions, we promised to meet them here. Is that enough explanation?» Obviously, it was a story adapted from mine.
«Hmm, so where did all your team go?»
«We put our equipment in a backpack before falling into the water and lost it. We threw away the clothes because they were wet and dirty».
«Ya veo».
Afterwards, the man expressed his curiosity and asked Amelia a few more questions. Amelia told him a plausible story. Of course, the more I investigated, the more contradictions there were.
«Oh, so that's what happened! It must have been quite disturbing». As if those contradictions didn't matter, the man scrutinized Amelia's naked body and his eyes lit up. That was the moment. «This is, well, very lucky...»
¡A slap!
Amelia delivered a high kick to the man's head.
Desplome.
Ha, this woman. When even the barbarian stayed still.
Who taught you how to take the first hit?
Even as I sighed to myself, I immediately moved as if it were a sign.
«What the hell are you doing?»
The water had already spilled, after all. I could debate good and evil later. For now, we had to work together. «Behell-ahhhhhhhhh!»
Releasing Wild Burst, I activated Gigantization and, using Leap, landed on the center of his formation.
Swing.
I swung my club to knock down the wizard first.
Well, the wizard is finished.
Then I turned my back naturally and used centrifugal force to brandish my club against the archer next to him.
«You!» The shield bearer next to the archer blocked the attack properly, leaving the second surprise attack a failure.
Crujido.
As a bonus, the club stopped when the shield was shattered. Wow, if that was a mace I could have blown him up with the shield.
Plop.
I threw the broken mace to the ground and grabbed the shield with both hands. «Give it to me». I pulled back hard, but catching it once and for all was difficult. No matter the difference in strength, the shields were usually secured by wrapping a belt around the wrist. Of course, it was a minor problem. If the arm was the problem, all he had to do was break it.
¡Crunch!
«¡Aaaaaaaaaaa!»
After drawing him towards me with the shield, I lowered my elbows to destroy his joints. I then kicked the guy away and took the shield away from him.
¡Clang!
I immediately moved it to the side to block the flying arrow. That was the whole battle.
Stabbed!
In that short period of time, Amelia worked out most of it. When the archer collapsed, dripping with blood, there was no one left standing. Not all of them were dead.
«An aura...?» Seeing the aura that Amelia was spitting from a stolen knife, everyone lost their fighting spirit.
«Do you know... who we are...?» The man who received the high kick at the beginning looked at us with murderous eyes.
Ha, why did things turn out like this?
«Silence.» It would be a nuisance if this guy started screaming, so I hurriedly picked up leaves from the ground and put them in his mouth. I looked at Amelia. «What are you doing?»
I participated because I had no choice, but what we had just done was no different from looting. If this incident spread throughout the city, it would surely create a lot of problems.
«Tell me why you did this suddenly, so I can understand it».
When I looked at her as if to give her a chance to explain herself, Amelia looked away. «...I only received the first attack before we were at a disadvantage, since we had no weapons».
It was ridiculous. «Isn't it normal to think about solving it first through a conversation?».
«I thought that wouldn't work with these guys.»
It was like talking to a wall. Did everyone who knew me feel that way? For some reason, talking to her was like seeing myself in the past.
Does he think he's Nostradamus or something?
When I finished the conversation there and sighed, Amelia spoke as if to comfort me. «Don't worry. The situation you fear will not happen».
«What do you mean by that?»
«Check your backpack».
I didn't know what he meant, but I opened his extendable backpack as he had indicated. The first thing I saw was beef jerky. I was also about to starve. I figured the food problem was solved, then?
Munch, munch.
First I put the jerky in my mouth and then the rest of the bag. It didn't take me long to notice something strange.
Who the hell are these bastards? They are not part of a clan...
The backpack was full of various equipment. It was difficult to see it as emergency use equipment. Not only were the types varied, but most had blood.
«These guys... are looters.»
So it was the clan brand to camouflage itself? But why did they look familiar to me... Where had I seen this emblem?
Searching through my memories, I soon remembered. «...Clan Elbis.»
It was a clan I read about in a book in the library. Like a gathering of dozens who committed heinous crimes, in the end, they were all executed when their actions were exposed. If my memory serves me correctly, that was about fifteen years ago.
A sane bastard wouldn't wear a fake clan emblem even if he was disguised...
I felt a huge incongruity. And at that moment, the wind blew from the cold night sea and brushed my spine.
¡Shaaaaaaa!
No wait...
When I hurriedly opened the backpack to find his identity tags, I was paralyzed.
«Damn bitch...» Identifications with various names, races and ages all had one thing in common.
«Is the renewal date the 134th year of the New World...?».
For some reason, the written date was twenty years ago.