38 EP.38 Please don’t work with adventurers. (7)
You can read fully translated chapters, including the last chapter, for $20.
p(a)treon.com/Daoist02
As I waited for my colleagues' orgy to end, I recalled what had happened yesterday and today.
Engaging in a fight against the wolf boss while faithfully playing one's respective role.
Sharing the loot with a smile after killing the boss through collective effort.
Being chased by a group of kobolds while screaming and laughing.
The more I thought about it, the more I felt a smile creeping upon my lips.
'It would have been better if at the end we had done the King Kobold raid together.'
It's unavoidable, but unfortunately, it can't be helped. To be honest, the wolf boss raid wasn't easy for them either.
Not to say about a much harder King Kobold raid.
Maybe, everyone would have faced a more tense situation? Perhaps then, these guys wouldn't have had the energy left for other miscellaneous things.
Ah… the more I think about it, the sadder I get.
'It's okay. It's not like all the bosses have been finished.'
There are still bosses on the 20th, 25th, and 30th floors.
From now on, I just need to lower the speed so that the party members can maintain their best condition right before entering the boss room.
That way, we will be able to raid properly.
What's going to happen to this party after getting out of here?
The end? Last meeting?
Honestly, that's a bit disappointing.
'Maybe I will make a proper party invitation or something like that?'
If I reveal that I'm a Hero and promise wealth and glory after slaying the Demon King, won't they accept it then?
I think it'll be a pretty good ending.
They're normal NPCs, so even if their growth potential is low, it's good enough to use good items or inner cores of beasts to fill in the gaps.
'But how much longer are these cubs going to have sex?'
I think it's been quite a while since I came out.
There is a degree to which it is done.
'Did they fall asleep while doing it?'
There's a possibility. After being chased by kobolds for a few hours, they must have been quite tired.
Hah, then I've been waiting outside for so long for nothing.
I groaned inwardly and opened the door.
Something sharp came aiming for my face.
Bollocks!
Startled, I grabbed it.
* * *
'Did he catch it?!'
She kicked him out with low-key words to reduce vigilance.
He opened the stone door and was stabbed by her spear from the blind spot, there was no way he would have known…
Cloud grabbed the spear as if it was natural.
'What the hell are those monster-like reflexes..?!'
Graveliya swung the dagger towards his right hand, which was holding the spear blade, without leaving him a second to recover. Cloud released his hold on the spear and dodged her dagger, and at the same time, she leapt wide behind, widening the distance.
"…!"
She sent a look to Kyle indicating him to get ready.
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine. Our opponent is a strong one. Get ready, it will be a tough one."
Kyle nodded his head and held out the large shield forward. Graveliya hid behind him, ready to jab her spear through the openings at any time.
The two were ready to fight at any moment.
But the opponent didn't act according to their thinking.
He just blankly stared at his palm.
'…Is he poisoned already?'
To which, Graveliya and Kyle thought of the same thing.
"What..are you doing?"
A chilling sensation ran through their spines. Cloud's gaze, peering at them, it was filled with indifference. It was a short time for which they had been together, but that was a gaze they had never seen before.
They didn't feel it that way, even when he beat the three of them right after entering the dungeon.
'Is he that angry?'
In fact, it's rather good.
Because humans consumed by anger are not in the right mind. The situation for the opposition gets better, instead.
'We just have to hold on until the poison shows its miracle.'
The poison she laced on her spear was none other than that of a Cockatrice.
It is a poison that can even kill powerful knights.
It isn't instrumental in inflicting deep wounds, but it is enough to weaken the body's ability.
Maybe he will just die from poisoning.
Graveliya forcefully twisted her hardened lips.
"Can't you see it? It's betrayal."
"Betrayal?"
"Isn't that a familiar word to you? Hero, Cloud?"
"…"
"There is no way an A-class adventurer can kill that huge-ass kobold alone. If you wanted to hide, you should have been a little more professional, Hero-kun. After all, if can't even do simple things like that, won't your companions leave you? Just like before?"
Having said that, Graveliya looked into Cloud's eyes. At her provocation, she hoped him to become even more furious, she hoped that he would even lose his mind altogether.
However, Cloud was the same as when he first looked at the two of them.
"Betrayal… Betrayal… Betrayal~"
Cloud, who was muttering alone, smiled.
"I have really become rather inattentive."
Although he laughed, the heavy atmosphere did not change.
"Garuda. How's that guy?"
""
"Well..? Haven't you figured it out already?"
"I somewhat did."
Tub. Tub.
Cloud's footsteps echoed throughout the corridor. There was no sense of urgency in his steps. As 'relaxed' was the atmosphere, just as relaxed were his footsteps.
Graveliya was not attracted to the atmosphere.
The moment he entered the spear's range, she flared the spear without hesitation.
'Caught him…'
—her spear couldn't catch up to his figure.
Cloud miraculously avoided the spear with just a single step. The moment her attack failed, his sword moved.
A silver sword aimed at her neck.
A thorn-studded great shield blocked it.
Kang!
"..!!!"
Kyle frowned.
Apparently, he blocked the sword, but it was heavy, as if he had blocked some blunt weapon.
[Smash Strike]-!
It is a skill that deals double damage of attack power.
Cloud did not stop the sword.
[Smash Strike]-!
[Smash Strike]-!
[Smash Strike]-!
[Smash Strike]-!
[Smash Strike]-!
Kyle clenched his teeth together and endured the continuous blows. However, his body couldn't help it, regardless of his will.
He began to be pushed back little by little.
"This monster bastard!"
Graveliya stabbed forward with her spear to give Kyle a chance to catch his breath.
[Piercing Stab]-!
[Consecutive Stabs x3]-!
[Consecutive Stabs x6]-!
[Consecutive Stabs x9]-!
[Consecutive Stabs x12]-!
She even tried to shake off Cloud by using linked attack skills.
But they didn't bring any help to Kyle.
Cloud's sword didn't stop even as he evaded her spear.
"Oh my gosh! No matter how monstrous you are, isn't it too much to jump around like this, and that after being poisoned by a Cockatrice's poison?!"
""
She couldn't stand her temper and hollered.
Then, surprisingly, his attacks, which did not stop even to her linked skills, stopped.
"Oh, so it was Cockatrice's poison?"
Cloud slit his palm that held her spear blade with the sword.
Slurp-!
Black blood, not bright red, dripped down from his palm. As the dripping black blood fell to the floor, bubbles rose with a squeaking noise.
"Ha… what crazy sh!t is this…"
"…!"
Graveliya and Kyle were at a loss for words at the sight that was too unusual for a human.
Seeing the black blood turning to bright red, Cloud raised his sword again, a indifferent smile entrenched on his face.
* * *
"..!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
One of Kyle's arms flew off as the sword slashed. The remaining of the pair was also blown away in the rigidity of the pain.
"Kyle!!!"
Graveliya came, jabbing her spear.
The speed was fast, but the target was not slow either.
In the motion of flow, I avoided the spear, and skillfully grabbed the spear. Graveliya opened her eyes wide in surprised.
In response, I naturally kicked on her stomach and made her roll on the floor.
"..!!!!"
Kyle howled, with his facial muscles becoming bestial.
I just slapped him on the neck.
We don't need this dumb cub for now.
"Damn this sh!t!"
Graveliya, who was sent rolling on the floor, injected her strength into her legs as soon as she stood up and swung her fist.
Commendable. The courage to wield her bare fist at an opponent with a sword.
In admiration to her courage, I chopped off her swinging arm in return without courtesy.
As a bonus, her opposite leg was also included right after.
She wobblingly hopped a few steps back with her remaining leg and then feebly collapsed on the floor.
"I still don't understand. Why did you betray me?"
I approached her as she collapsed on the floor and asked. She laughed softly.
"By chance, are you sick in your head? I did it. Of course—because you're a dick."
"Hm, that's not new, I guess. Was it because of what happened when we entered the dungeon? I didn't know, you had such a kiddish mentality?"
"It's a joke, you idiot. Would someone like me risk her life just because of something like that?"
"I'm glad you still have the energy to joke around. I still do have some questions."
I stably slumped down right next to Graveliya.
"Why?"
"Why do you think I will answer your doubts?"
I took out a potion and showed it to her.
"If you don't answer me…maybe, I will make you a goblin sex slave?"
"Heh. This is what a Hero is. The world is ruined."
"Don't turn around with your words. Answer, why?"
"Of course, because I wanted to live."
I frowned. It was still an incomprehensible answer.
Seeing my expression, she giggled and spoke to me.
"Didn't you said? This dungeon has 30 floors."
"I did."
"We are on the 15th floor right now."
"Right."
"Just look at this. We are only halfway here, but we almost dead, didn't we?"
"Nope, no one died."
"It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter, because we almost died. I don't want to die. But you, stronger than the three of us, insists on going downwards to those more dangerous floors. You got your sh*tty answer? In order to survive, I had no f**kng choice but to kill you by surprise, got it?"
"You say you wanted to kill a Hero because you wanted to survive… Isn't that a bit contradictory? If it's found out, even if it's not Prona, in the Empire, or in the other countries… Oh, I don't need to say this."
No matter how heinous a crime someone commits, even a treason against humanity of killing a Hero, it doesn't matter half a penny if one doesn't get caught.
And dungeon is the perfect place to hide murder, arson, and thefts.
"If you wanted to kill me, weren't there better ways? Killing me while I'm asleep, or poisoning my food?"
"We all know how to sleep shallowly, right? Even if someone gets a little close, you wake up. Besides, you didn't eat the meat grilled by us, did you? You first have to give us a chance to do anything!"
…well, I still haven't broken my old habits.
"..you didn't felt any guilt? The suffering that the people of a country who have lost their Hero will suffer."
"Is that really what the Incompetent Hero should be saying? Rumors have spread that the Hero of Prona is not trustworthy at all, some say that the people of the Kingdom of Prona have already given up on their Hero. The king is also said to be attaching a string with another Hero… you don't know?"
"I have no interest in politics."
"…I see. Anyways, that's the reason I tried to kill you, the Hero. I wanted to live."
I sighed at her defiant attitude.
"I didn't had any intention to let any one of you die. You know I'm strong, right? You also found out that I was a Hero. Then didn't you had the option to trust me and follow me? If you did, the fame and fortune would be incomparable to what it is now…"
"Trust the Incompetent Hero? Yo, Mr. Hero, aren't you too overconfident in yourself?"
"…"
"Tut… Don't give me that long face. Because I know that even the Incompetent Hero is much more powerful and respectful than the likes of us. Still, wasn't that just another new road where I would have to still risk my life? So, I was thinking of handing over this dungeon's location to another Hero. It's a dungeon that the likes of us can't raid anyway. Moreover, it's a dungeon that the Hero Cloud covets, isn't it? If I hand it over, wouldn't I at least get the title of a baron?"
"The more I hear, the more I think you are a f**king b!tch. From the moment I saw the pink hair, I shouldn't have given my trust. Ain't gonna believe in pink hair weirdos from now on, or I'll go crazy. What about Garuda?"
"At first, I was thinking of getting him into our plan. But nutheads like him don't listen. He thought that he can become some great warrior bullsh!t if he follows the Hero. So, I stabbed him with a dagger that was heavily poisoned with Cockatrice poison. He died in less than five minutes, with no dead body left."
"…I'm not sure on how to face Garuda's family."
"He is a bastard that will readily have an affair even though he has a decent wife, what do you think? Arr… with such a brain, he was gonna die soon anyways. There, there, Hero-kun, no need to be distressed. Now, why muddle up in past sorrows, can't you just save me? For the rest of my life, I will only look at Hero-kun."
"A goblin slave?"
"F**k… just kill me."
Her face was pale, with a lot of blood drained from her smiling face.
Looking at her blood that covers the floor, it seems that there is not much time left for her.
"Ah, before I die, I have something to say to our Incompetent Hero."
She turned her head to look at the ceiling. Then, she made eye contact with me, she said.
"It seems to me that there is a virgin flower garden on the head of the Hero. When people become teammates, it is natural to risk our lives for each other and bla bla, eh?"
"…"
"Calm down, dude. Don't you know you will just be suffering like that? Teammates are just pieces of interests. When you no longer need them, you throw them away. Especially the bastards of adventurers like me."
"…"
"…But, well, if you want to have a teammate who risks his life for you, there is a way."
"?"
"Take away their weakness. Either physical or emotional. And use it. Let's think. Why did Kyle risk his life to fight for me?"
"You two are a couple, he loves you, pink weirdo."
"Then did I love Kyle? Love someone who is dumb, unable to speak?"
"You… damn, I really have nothing to say."
"Hick… haha, our innocent Hero doesn't know, that's what the world is all about. Use whatever that's available. A tool, is just a tool… don't give up on using them… that's… the secret to surviving to the end…"
Graveliya's voice got weaker.
Soon her eyes darkened.
I sighed and covered her eyelids.
I laid down on the floor and looked up at the ceiling.
There was only the coverage of the expanse of stone ceiling, but my eyes saw something else.
"Why do I miss you today so much…"
The words that Graveliya had said replayed in my head.
– Take away their weakness. Either physical or emotional. And use it.
– Use whatever that's available.
– A tool, is just a tool… don't give up on using them…
"I just wanted to experience that feeling again…even if it's just a little bit… I don't think that's possible here."
If that's the case, there's no reason to cling on what's unachievable.
A bitter laugh escaped my lips.
Just when I closed my eyes to the ensuing darkness.
– Cloud, the Imperial Social Banquet will be held soon. Don't forget to attend.
Frillite.
It felt as if her voice was being played right in my ears.
You can read fully translated chapters, including the last chapter, for $20.
p(a)treon.com/Daoist02
