Looking back, I've always been a weird person. Although I always thought life was boring, I never thought about committing suicide. After all, the feeling of boredom was nothing more than an emotion. And for me, life was more valuable than anything else. In many ways, death was not profitable for me. That thought still persisted.
That's why...
***
I crawled in the dark on three legs. You may be wondering what this means, but it is just as I said. I was crawling on the floor around three, dragging my right foot completely destroyed. If someone saw me now, I'm sure they would think of an abandoned dog with a broken leg. How do I know? Because that's what I was thinking now.
The price of giving up human dignity was sweet. First of all, it didn't hurt anymore because I no longer had to use my injured foot, and I also moved faster than before. Above all, I didn't have to worry about stepping into a trap. In return, my elbows and knees hurt, but this... was bearable. I could bear it. What wouldn't you do to survive? You could even eat dog poop with a smile. Well... If I had enough time to prepare for it, it was definitely possible.
But what had happened to that man? The other player at the ceremony?
«Mister» was just a nickname I had given him. I didn't know his gender, his age, or even his name. I only guessed it from the way he spoke. I had a feeling it must be a white man in his 30s with 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 in his original body?
It's a question I've had since I opened my eyes here. Even if I intentionally try not to think about it, the worse things get, the more I think about that man.
[«Bleeding» continues.]
Now I understand why people turn to religion. Reality is too hard to bear alone. When desperation hits, you need a place to turn. Just like my situation right now.
[«Bleeding» continues.]
[«Bleeding» continues.]
[NOTICE! The character's health is below 5%. If not treated quickly, the character may die.]
Man, after dragging me with those thoughts in my mind, I had come quite far. It was a subtle difference, but I could feel the surroundings becoming brighter. This was a positive thing in many ways.
At least I had moved in the right direction, and my hypothesis that the entire first floor couldn't be that dark was correct. I had to get to a bright place, because there would be people there. He could give this mana stone in exchange for help. So somehow...
Do not fool yourself.
He was whispering positive words to me when my other ego showed up.
Hey idiot, they're already busy. Do you think they will help you for a loaf of bread? They will probably steal your mana stone and shield, and then kill you.
Maybe it was because the voice was me, but this bastard was smart.
What are you going to do if you meet a goblin before a human? Don't you have a brain? Hey?
He couldn't tolerate any more insults.
Well, then what the hell am I supposed to do? I still have to move on. At least I'll see something there. Wouldn't it be better than fighting a goblin here?
…You are true.
My other self agreed, and my head was silent again. I kept crawling.
«Is...»
I'm going crazy. No, I may have gone crazy by now. After all, I shed a lot of blood, didn't I? A while ago, my ego had split in two, then merged again, and then dulled repeatedly. It was a kind of virtuous cycle. If my mind becomes dull once again, I'm sure I won't be able to open my eyes again.
«It is...»
I laughed out loud. I didn't have the energy to do it, but I still laughed. At some point, the surroundings lit up. In the distance, at the end of the passage, I could see a glowing crystal. More importantly, I saw the figure of a backlit man standing in front of him. He wasn't a goblin. He was certainly a person.
«A....help...»
I wanted to shout something, but no voice came out. I crawled desperately, closing and opening my eyes. So... oh? The human form appeared closer, as if it had teleported. Surprised, I closed my eyes and opened them again.
[«Bleeding» continues.]
This time it was closer. There were about five or six people in front of me. Was he really seeing this? I closed my eyes again and opened them.
[Achievement]
[Condition: Health falls below 2%.]
[Reward: Permanently increase your spiritual stats by +1.]
Then, I saw a blonde man bend over his knees. He was right in front of me, but he just watched me and my surroundings without asking anything. Instead of listening to the words of others, he made judgments based on his own experiences and intuition. As a veteran, he quickly made up his mind.
«Eres a initiator ».
Damn, help me, bastard. As you can see, I'm an amateur barbarian with only a shield, and all I have is a goblin mana stone in exchange for a leg. I'll give you all this if you want. So...
«It's strange. How did a rookie get here faster than us?»
I quickly opened my mouth. But what came out was a gurgling sound.
«Grr ... »
To be honest, he sounded more like that goblin, but... It was enough to let him know that he was in no position to respond. Soon the blonde asked his comrade,
«Priestess Ersina. Could you cure this man?»
Priestess? Are you saying there is a priest in your group?
I looked to my side with wide eyes, as if I were seeing a miracle. Sure enough, there was a priestess dressed in white. The priestess, who was now making eye contact with me, spoke bluntly with her beautiful lips.
«Me him».
Hey? What did he say?
«I understand. Understood».
Why do you accept that?
I wanted to cry.
Damn, I don't know why they brought me into this world to treat me like that.
Then when my temper started to burst in my chest.
«Patzran, can you pass me a potion?».
«I was preparing her for when she can't use divine power».
«You have a lot anyway. I'll pay you when we get out».
«Tsk.»
Just then, a man with a sword around his waist clicked his tongue and took out a potion from his bag. My heart sank thinking that my life depended on it.
Agarra.
Fortunately, the blonde picked up the potion successfully.
«It's not divine power, so this will hurt a little».
The blonde opened the plug and poured half over the injured area and then poured the other half directly into my mouth. Soon, I felt unbearable pain. I felt as if all the pain I had accumulated was now suddenly appearing.
[The body is regenerating rapidly due to the effect «Recovery (Medium)»].
I felt like my whole body was melting. This was the reason why potions could not be used during battle in the game. I thought it was just blocked by the system, but it turns out it just reflected reality very well. I gasped.
Damn. How many minutes have passed?
The pain subsided little by little and I came to.
«Now, tell me, barbarian. How did a rookie like you get before us? If you know of a new ticket, I want to buy that information».
So that was your goal? I didn't feel bad. Rather, it calmed me to think that he treated me well for a reason. There is nothing more sinister than good intentions without a reason. Still, it was unfortunate. I didn't know of any secret passage.
«...I was here as soon as I entered the maze». I told him sincerely.
The blonde tilted his head and then nodded in understanding.
«I've definitely read that in an article. From time to time a phenomenon of dimensional instability occurs. But it's the first time I've seen him in person».
My heart was pounding. I asked as if I didn't understand.
«Have you seen it... for the first time?».
I couldn't believe it. I mean this party had a priestess and a magician. That meant they were trustworthy, active and at least middle class guys. But the first time?
«Yes, the book described it as a one-in-a-century phenomenon. Falling so far into the outermost section, that is».
Ah, I see. It's something that happens once every 100 years or so. And this had happened to me during my first time in a maze. Now I understand why the other barbarians didn't carry torches. No one was afraid of being struck by lightning just because it was raining.
«Looks like it's your first time here. It must have been hell to go through such a rare event».
The blonde gives me a pitiful look.
«It wasn't the information I was looking for, but it was still interesting. Don't worry about the cost of the potion and continue on your way».
Although his tone was a bit idiotic, he seemed like a good guy.
«Oh, and don't forget your shield back there».
I looked where the blonde was pointing and saw a shield on the ground. The distance was about 20 meters. I thought I had secured it well on my waist, but it looks like it fell off.
«Then we will continue on our way».
They passed by before I could say thank you. In the maze, time was money, so I could understand it. First of all, the fact that they had wasted so much time for me was a miracle. I stared at the place where they were standing for a moment, then ran quickly and picked up the shield that had fallen to the ground. It was definitely good to have survived...
But, something felt strange.
***
[Bjorn Candle]
Level: 1
Physical: 25
Spirit: 36 (New +1)
Special ability: 1
Item level: 24
General Combat Power: 68 (New +1)
***
«That barbarian, he's very lucky».
«Well, I wouldn't call it luck. Going through something like this on your first trip...»
When the blonde responded with a vague smile, the male sword master snorted.
«An idiot who steps into a goblin trap would have encountered some other misfortune elsewhere. He was lucky to meet us».
«Drous, to be exact. Not us. You didn't even want to use your potion, did you?»
When the archer, who had been listening silently, intervened, the sword master shrugged.
«Because there are tons of guys like that here. They won't live long anyway. Surely our priestess must have thought the same».
The priestess smiled bitterly, but did not respond, and instead the archer counterattacked.
«The priestess Ersina would have treated him if it were not for the rules of the temple. No, without the potion, she could have broken the rules herself. Do you think everyone is like you?».
«Well, who knows. I have seen many people with two faces in my life».
«...Patzran, you need to be more like Drous».
«For example, be considerate enough to ask him if he knew a secret passage?»
«Yeah. I have heard that barbarians do not accept help from others. That's probably why he was being considered.»
«...Hey, I think you're flattering me too much».
When the topic turned to him, the blonde smiled awkwardly and scratched his head. But he also did not deny being considered.
«Oh, if you want to take the shortcut, you have to turn here».
«It's definitely good to have a guide at the party».
«Priestess Ersina! Guides usually only know the direction to a portal. Drous is different from the others. Memorized all the landmarks on the first floor».
The master swordsman looked at the archer and shook his head.
«But how far does that blood stain go? Haven't we walked enough already?»
«I'm not sure. But judging by that man's willpower to crawl this distance, I think you're wrong to say that man was just lucky.»
«Hmph, like this is a big deal... I'm sure it ends here».
The group followed the blood marks and took a shortcut halfway. And after about 15 minutes, they reached their destination.
«It seems that we are the first to reach this route. Thank goodness we rushed. Let's get to work».
When the blonde placed his hand on the tombstone of the dead end, an intense beam of light exploded and took the shape of a sphere.
It was a portal that led to the second floor.
«Wait».
When everyone was about to jump into the portal, the archer stopped the group.
«Isn't that what the barbarian had on his foot before?».
«What?»
The group looked in the direction the archer was pointing and remained silent for a moment. In the darkness exposed by the light emitted by the portal, a blood-stained trap and an unknown sandal were thrown aside.
«...It seems so».
The magician seemed interested, then created a new sphere of light and moved it over the passage.
¡Wooooom-!
The blood stains coming from the trap continued along the curved passage. No matter how much they carried the sphere of light, they could not see the end of the passage. There was a moment of silence.
«...Hey, Drous, how long does it take to get from here to where we were before?»
«... Assuming no shortcuts are used, about nine kilometers.»
«Hahaha, that beast. Crawl that distance alone in this darkness».
The magician laughed surprised. However, the male sword master at his side could not.
«It's loco…»
He felt that this was a matter of the mind, not the body. He tried to think.
... How many hours would I have been able to crawl if I were in that situation? When can't I even be sure about meeting another human?
I couldn't know. But he was sure that the Barbarian had been crawling even when he had first been discovered. Even when he seemed unconscious, he had continued to move his arms and legs. What had happened next? Unable to speak properly, he had extended his hand while holding a small mana stone. At that moment I hadn't thought much about it, but now I was beginning to understand what that action meant.
He was probably asking for help in exchange for the stone».
Other than that, he had nothing to offer in return. So, when the barbarian had crawled that long distance, he had tightly held the mana stone in his hand in case it crossed paths with anyone. Then, I could show it to you right away. Soon, it was decided.
«...Forget what I said before.»
Just luck?
It's not possible. I knew it from experience.
«Drous, what was that barbarian's name?»
A lunatic like that doesn't die so easily. No matter how hard and hopeless the present moment is. Death was never his way out.