Chapter 2 — The Starting Point (8)

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Three hours prior to the current events...

Three weary adventurers trudged along a muddy path, their spirits dampened by the seemingly fruitless nature of their quest.

"Ugh, this quest is going absolutely nowhere! I mean, seriously, why did the adventurer's guild even bother taking on a quest to find a missing child? Isn't it the responsibility of the parents to search for their own kid?" complained one of them. He was a slim, yet muscular man sporting an eye-patch over one eye.

"I hear ya! But we just have to suck it up. This quest may be mundane, but the pay is incredible. Getting 300 gold coins for simply finding a child is worth it, you know. Plus, there's no real danger involved in this one," reassured the burly man with a goatee.

"You're not wrong, but... sigh... no matter how you spin it or convince me, I still find it dreadfully dull. And, by the way, doesn't this quest strike you as somewhat peculiar?" mused the man with the eye patch.

The third member of their group, a woman with vibrant orange hair, chimed in, expressing her agreement. "You're absolutely right. There's definitely something peculiar about this quest. I mean, it's not common to offer such a substantial reward for finding a missing child, is it?"

The man with the eye patch interjected with a playful remark, "Oh, is your woman's intuition kicking in?"

"It's not about intuition. Even someone with a functioning brain would be able to discern what's out of the ordinary."

"Really? I don't sense anything strange at all," remarked the burly man, his voice tinged with confusion.

The woman retorted, her tone laced with playful sarcasm, "That's probably because your brain isn't functioning properly!"

Undeterred by their banter, the trio pressed on, delving deeper into the heart of the forest. As they continued their trek, the man with the eye patch couldn't help but voice his ponderings aloud. "Y'know, it's got me wonderin'. Why are we gettin' this strange vibe?"

The burly adventurer pondered aloud, "Perhaps the mission involves more danger than we initially thought, and that's why they're offering such a substantial reward?"

The woman interjected, countering his suggestion, "Even an A-Class Quest doesn't typically warrant such a hefty price tag. It's possible that the parents are simply desperate to find their child quickly."

"Ah, that could be it!" exclaimed the eye-patched man, seemingly satisfied with the explanation.

In a sudden moment, the burly man's attention was drawn to a peculiar sound. "Did you guys hear that?" he questioned, his voice filled with uncertainty.

His companions glanced at each other, their expressions reflecting their confusion. "Hear what?" they responded in unison.

"I could've sworn I heard something, like the rustling of leaves. But perhaps it was just my imagination playing tricks on me," he reasoned aloud.

The man with the eye patch interjected eagerly, "No, it could be the child we're searching for! We might be getting closer!"

Without a moment's hesitation, the man with the eye patch sprinted forward, driven by the tantalizing possibility of locating the source of the sound. He raced ahead, oblivious to the fact that he had no knowledge of the precise direction from which the burly man had heard the noise.

"Hey, hold on!" the woman called out, her voice tinged with concern. "Don't rush ahead on your own. It could be a trap, you know!"

"Nonsense! This forest is known as a recreational park. There's no way a trap would be set here. Besides, what if that sound leads us to the very reward we're after? The 300 gold coins!" he retorted, his determination overpowering any sense of caution.

"Can't you just wait for us? Forget about the gold coins for a moment. This guy can't keep up with your speed, you know!" she implored, her plea falling on deaf ears.

In his single-minded pursuit, the man increased his pace, his footsteps growing fainter until they were no longer audible to his companions.

And then, his ears caught the distinct sound of rustling leaves.

"There it is!" he exclaimed, his excitement fueling his determination. Driven by his selfish desire for the entire reward, he had forsaken his companions without a second thought. Their presence held no value in his quest for personal gain.

"This is the moment! The reward will be mine!" he declared with a greedy glint in his eyes, relishing the prospect of the substantial sum of money that awaited him. The thought of the generous reward awaiting him caused his mouth to water, as if he could already taste the wealth that would soon be his.

However, his insatiable greed would soon prove to be his downfall.

Much like the tale of a certain king who, consumed by his lust for gold, found himself cursed to be unable to touch anything, this man's fate echoed a similar theme. He, too, would be rendered unable to touch anything.

Unbeknownst to him, the consequence of his avarice was swiftly unfolding. The man's arms were gruesomely severed from his body, yet he remained oblivious to his own disfigurement. At first, the pain eluded his senses, but gradually it crept upon him, seeping through his being until he could no longer ignore it. Slowly, he turned his gaze downward, finally noticing the absence of his arms—or rather, where they should have been.

"Eh?"

With a trembling gaze, he cast his eyes downward, where a horrifying sight awaited him: his detached arms lay discarded upon the ground, severed from their rightful place.

"G-Gyahhhhhhhhhh!!!"

In the throes of excruciating agony, the man's anguished cries pierced the air, echoing his torment. Desperately, he attempted to staunch the bleeding, but his efforts were futile, for he had been robbed of his arms, leaving him defenseless against the torrent of his own life force.

"Fuck!" Foul words of despair escaped his lips as panic consumed him. "It hurts! It hurts! It freakin' hurts!" he wailed, his voice trembling with anguish. Though his desire to stem the bleeding remained, he found himself utterly powerless without his severed limbs.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! What do I do?! What do I do?!"

In a sudden moment of clarity, a realization struck him like a thunderbolt. If he could reach his companions, perhaps they could save him from this nightmarish predicament. With no other option available, he mustered what strength remained within him and resolved to return to his companions, praying that they would be his salvation.

Abandoning his severed arms on the blood-stained ground, he summoned all his remaining willpower to propel himself forward in a feeble attempt to sprint. However, his efforts were in vain, as his first stride led to an inglorious face-plant into the mire. Frustrated and disoriented, he struggled to rise, but the absence of his limbs rendered him powerless to lift himself from the muddy quagmire.

Frustration and disbelief consumed him, and his words dripped with bitter resentment. "Damn it! How did this happen? What am I supposed to do now?"

Suddenly, a tremendous splash resonated through the air as a colossal foot planted itself in the muddy ground. The man lifted his head, his eyes widening in trepidation as he beheld the imposing figure looming above him—a lizardman, a D-Class monster.

"You mean to tell me that I've been bested by a damn lizardman? Seriously?!" he exclaimed, his voice laced with disbelief. However, his words trailed off as he sensed a shift in the lizardman's demeanor. An eerie silence fell upon the scene, not due to the man's realization, but rather the overwhelming aura of murderous intent emanating from the creature—a chilling sensation that was solely directed at him.

With his life hanging in the balance, the man mustered his final shreds of courage and pleaded, "P-Please! Spare me! I have so much to live for!"

Though he knew his words would likely fall on deaf ears, his eyes widened in disbelief as he caught a glimpse of an eerie expression on the lizardman's face—a sinister smirk that seemed to mock his desperation.

"What the hell?" he muttered, a mix of astonishment and fury coursing through his veins. The audacity of the creature to taunt him infuriated him beyond measure. In a futile attempt to regain his dignity, he strained to stand, only to be reminded of his armless predicament, thwarting his efforts.

As the lizardman relished in its mockery, its demeanor suddenly shifted.

Its head jerked around, eyes darting from side to side in a frenzied search for a hidden threat.

In an instant, a crimson blur materialized and surged toward the lizardman with alarming velocity. The reptilian creature had no choice but to evade the attack, its focus now shifting to the newcomer.

A deep growl rumbled from the lizardman's throat as it confronted its formidable adversary. The newcomer possessed fiery red hair and eyes, emanating an overwhelming aura of bloodlust. Even the armless man, though not the target of this intensity, felt an instinctual urge to flee in the face of such unbridled ferocity.