I ran through the sewers.
Splashes, splashes.
The grime that reached my shins splashed everywhere, and my eyes were only fixed forward. There was a man and a woman. The man was forcing the woman against a wall, pointing a sword at her neck.
Gosh, if they were going to abandon me, at least they did it right.
I applied force to the hand holding the hammer and screamed at the top of my lungs until it echoed through the passage. «Behell-ahhhhhhhhh!» I decided I had to do whatever it took to get attention and take the sword from Amelia.
¡Shoop!
As soon as I removed the sword, a fountain of blood gushed from Amelia's neck. I thought I had just placed it on his skin, but it was already inside. It looked like he had even dug deeper at that moment before taking it out.
«...Barbarian?»
The man turned his upper body towards me and muttered. Although I was wearing an iron helmet as usual, it seemed that I had deduced my race from the content of my scream and my corpulence. I used my dynamic visual acuity to check on Amelia's condition.
«K-Krr...ugh...!» Amelia had a hole in her neck. He used one hand to cover the bleeding and the other to barely support his staggering body. Even at first glance, it wasn't very good.
As long as he didn't die.
Worrying couldn't save anyone. The most important thing to save someone was good judgment and the ability to execute. In that sense, I kicked the ground one more time and ran.
¡Splash!
The distance was reduced quickly. As soon as we reached a radius where we could touch each other with weapons, the man brought out a bright aura and brandished it at me.
¡How!
I received the aura with my hammer. At that moment, a question appeared in his eyes. I figured he had never considered whether he would be able to cut my weapon with an aura.
But like a veteran who had experienced all kinds of hardships, he soon came to an answer. «It is a numbered object».
How fast.
Still, I decided to think only about the positive. His chatter created an opening.
Latigo.
As I engaged in a struggle of forces, I extended an arm to pull Amelia. She barely had the strength to stand, so it was easy to drag her into my arms. So did I get everything I needed?
«...You were his comrade».
«¿No es obvio?»
«That means... that you are also my enemy.»
Why do you keep saying the obvious?
At that moment, the brief struggle of forces came to an end. Lüchenprague applied force to his sword to push me. It was very strange since he had not been surpassed by anyone recently, but there was no need to get discouraged.
His strength is slightly greater than mine.
As I was pushed back, I took even more steps back. Of course, the man pounced on me right after. His speed was much faster than mine. When it came to the key to hand-to-hand combat, statistics, I was inferior. Not to mention that the passive and active skills that I had worked so hard to combine and with which I had created synergy were sealed. In the middle of that, the enemy took out auras incompatible with me as if they were candy.
Do you have no conscience?
Despite the complaints, it didn't take me long to make a decision. It was really an overwhelming difference in statistics. Under normal circumstances, even running away would be difficult.
But I won't have to use it right away.
There wasn't a big problem. I just had to create an unusual situation.
¡Kwaaaang!
Yes, for example, an underwater war.
¡Shaaaa!
***
In a dark sewer with flickering torches, fifteen men and women were divided into two groups and looked at each other like enemies.
«What are you talking about? Say it again, Dumbo».
«Es Durbon, no Dumbo».
«Tom-ay-to, tom-ah-to. The way you laughed like an idiot in front of that barbarian, you liked it, anyway».
«What...? Bastard!»
It was a conversation exchanged with clear hostility. Caught in the middle, Laura Rainwales took her sister's trembling hand and thought to herself that she wouldn't have followed her if she had known this was going to be the case.
Why are these people like this even in this situation?
Laura couldn't understand it. At first it was clearly an unimportant discussion. An explorer and former worker at the Melta trading company who knew the secret passage could not find the way well. Someone mocked sarcastically. That was the seed of discord.
Durbon, the man who was implicitly acting as leader, had defended the guide. «Wow, you grumble too much for someone who does nothing but accompany us for free». No, beyond defending, he threatened. «And now that I think about it, this is a bit unfair. If you're going to say something like that, at least pay. Oh, if you don't have money, you can pay with equipment».
"¿What?"
«Or you can come back if you want.»
Those few exchanges instantly split the group in two and brought them back to the present.
«This is the final offer. Either you quit your team and follow us, or you come back».
«Ha, did you think I was going to do what you told me?»
«Stop making a fuss just because you are close to the guide. All we need is that guide to find our way out of town, anyway.»
«...So you insist on seeing blood.»
«Um... let's all calm down...» Laura opened her mouth, thinking she had to stop them somehow, but Durbon cut her off mid-sentence.
«Laura, stay still. It's better this way».
«Excuse me? W-what's better...?»
«We are going to need a lot of money from now on, to find our place in the overworld».
At Durbon's words, the man in front of him nodded as if he agreed with that. «Yes, if only half of us die here, the rest will be able to live more as human beings».
Those words made Laura realize that there was never a seed of discord to begin with. Unlike the outside world, which he had only heard of, this way of thinking was natural to the people of Noark. Looking for a fight because he couldn't find the way was just an opportunity. Maybe they took advantage of it on purpose.
That's why I wanted to get Amelia out somehow...
Noark was a city where beasts resided. Laura trembled, feeling disillusioned by that city once again. Then he put his hand to the belt of his sword. If this battle was inevitable anyway, Durbon's faction, to which she belonged, had to win. So I could get out of here and live like a human being. Maybe not her, but at least her sister.
«Amelia, prepárate.»
«Okay.» At Laura's whisper, her sister also touched her gun. One way or another, the sisters were also beasts that successfully survived in this world of the fittest.
«Now then, let's get started-»
The moment the opposing side stepped forward with a gun, Durbon's group shot an arrow and the battle began. After a long time had passed like this, a strong current of water gushing from beyond the dark passage enveloped them.
¡Shaaaaa!
***
¡Bang, bang, bang, bang!
Fleeing from Lüchenprague, who was charging at me with a fierce drawn aura, I hit him exactly four times at exact intervals.
Crack, crack, crack, ¡bum!
The ceiling, creaking like cobwebs on a mirror, collapsed.
¡Saaaaaaaaaa!
Like a broken dam, a torrent of water began to come out.
There is really water flowing over it.
To be honest, before he started hitting the hammer, he wasn't convinced. I just thought that, in the future observed by young Amelia's eyes, it was very likely.
«At that moment, discord broke out in the group that led to a battle and, suddenly, water poured into the passage. They were all swept away by her and lost consciousness. And when I woke up...»
I erased the distracting thoughts and hugged Amelia tighter. If I had been an ordinary person, the torrent would have already swept me away. Both the adversary and I were far from ordinary people.
¡How!
When I instinctively covered myself with the hammer, a tremendous jolt was transmitted through the stick. Although the water was rising and was already reaching our heads, the opponent had brandished his sword.
Persistent bastard.
In this situation where it was difficult to maintain balance due to the rapid current, I took five or six steps back before closing my eyes. Anyway, the vision no longer made sense. Whether there was a light source or not, it was impossible to discern anything in this muddy water.
Is this a real mud fight?
The thought occurred to me randomly, but I quickly dismissed it. There was something else to focus on right now.
One, two, three, four, five, six...
With my dominant elbow against the wall, I quickly returned the way I had come. This left my back helpless, but I didn't worry too much. The last sword attack was probably done by relying on the senses to attack the place I was last in.
King!
Just then, a tingling sensation arose in my thigh. He seemed to follow me and brandish his sword blindly.
Loco bastard.
Still, it was fine, because we reached our destination.
Fifty-one, fifty-two... ugh, we came to the right place.
Walking with my eyes closed and feeling the wall, I entered the fork I had seen before and hid. This was a trick I learned from Rotmiller. Having made maps in the past, I was able to accurately measure the length of my stride, and I had improved a lot by memorizing a route I had once taken. There was no way this guy had that ability.
Okay, it's clear that it looks like it's passed the fork without realizing it exists.
But I didn't trust myself and continued moving along the path.
Gigantization.
I was finally able to take a break when I walked away from the guy and was able to confirm that the skill had started working properly.
He still has a pulse.
Amelia was still alive, and the passive ability that boasted cockroach-like survival, Fountain of Youth, would have already been activated. Now I wouldn't have to worry about the wound on his neck. It may have pierced a fatal spot, but the wound itself was not that serious. The surface of that area should regenerate within a minute.
The problem is oxygen...
In my case, I had no major breathing problems thanks to the increase in my lung capacity due to the essence of Storm Gush. But Amelia's situation was a little different. Due to the neck injury, he was not receiving adequate oxygen. I didn't know how long I could last. I thought I only needed to hold it for five minutes... He told me that after the water burst, the fountain ran out and the water started to drain.
Ugh, it doesn't matter.
After a brief contemplation, I picked up Amelia. Testing his body, I finally found his nose and covered it with one hand before bringing my mouth closer to his. It was artificial respiration underwater, like in the movies. I didn't know if it would really work, but I thought it was better than not. He also had nothing to lose.
Did he come to his senses? As soon as our lips met, Amelia's limp body shook. The way he applied force, it was like he was pushing me.
Appropriate.
She brought her waist closer as if telling him to stay still. The resistance faded. Was there consent? I couldn't be sure, but I moved my lips to overlap them as close as possible and prevent water from entering.
¡Stump!
I exhaled as hard as I could.
After about five minutes of repeated artificial respiration underwater, it began to descend at high speed. When the water coming in from above was exhausted, it spread evenly across the wide sewer.
Surprisingly, Amelia was still conscious at the time. «S-let me go...»
Geez, it was a rescue operation, there was no need to make a fuss.
When I released her from the waist, Amelia dove into the water. Oh, right. She was short. The water was still up to my shoulders, so I wouldn't have been able to stand.
¡Jadeo!
The moment he was about to reach out and grab her by the waist again, Amelia's head rose to the surface on its own. He knew how to swim.
«I'm... saying this in advance... but that was useless».
«¿Eh?»
«Holding... breathing was... my specialty since I was little...»
«What are you saying?»
Since she was panting and speaking at an inaudible volume, he couldn't understand her at all. I figured I didn't want to explain it again. Or, perhaps there was a more important issue? I couldn't be sure, but Amelia changed the subject.
«It doesn't matter... why are you here?». His breathing was more stable than before and his voice returned to normal.
I don't think I have to worry about her anymore.
«What do you mean why am I here? What does that mean?»
When I asked like I didn't understand, Amelia frowned. «I told you to come back. Didn't you see the note?»
«Ah, filter la vi».
«So... why didn't you come back...?».
Gosh, why are you scolding me so much?
When I analyzed it, I couldn't go back just because I wanted to, anyway. Remembering the hardships I had to endure for his unexpected behavior, I spoke dryly unintentionally. «Because there is work to do».
«Work...?»
«I can't go back sooner».
«That? Why are you so...?»
What was he saying? That was the only way to go back. I was about to say this when Gigantization suddenly arose.
«Ugh, bastard.» Simply put, it meant that the bastard was within a 30 meter radius. It seemed like he was gone straight and back when he realized I was lost, and I didn't think he would let us go easily. Therefore, I made a decision. «Hey, you first».
"...¿Which?"
«Go save your sister. I'll take care of that guy somehow». I would send Amelia to the sisters while I stopped that guy.
Amelia frowned at my simple plan. «That's suicide. It's not an enemy you can deal with-«.
«So what? With your sister. Are you going to give up?»
«... If nothing can change anyway, it's better-»
«Enough.» I cut Amelia. He didn't know how he had become so weak-willed. «Believe me, Amelia. I've thought about that a little bit, so go save the sisters first. Understood?»
«But...»
«Shut up.» No buts. I laughed at that new reaction. Having someone worry about you wasn't such a bad feeling. «Why do you think I'm going to lose in the first place?»
The essence of the Fifth Floor Lord, Nullification, was definitely a good skill. Furthermore, its scarcity was incredible. The number of people who had obtained it in the history of Rafdonia was less than ten, and as far as was known, there was only one person who had obtained it at present. No wonder people feared that power. Without information about it, it would only appear as a tricky ability. The way I saw it, it was very strange.
On the es particularly difficult to dock.
I dedicated all my free time in my twenties to Dungeon and Stone. Of course he had hunted down the Lord of Tranquility. «Three hundred times?» Something like that.
Amelia didn't understand what she was talking about. «Three hundred times...?» He asked what he meant.
I responded: «I have taken that essence more than three hundred times».
A skill without a weakness did not exist.