Chapter 324: Chapter 324: Role (4)

I was running through the sewers.

Splash, splash.

Sewage splashed everywhere as I ran, my gaze fixed on what lay ahead.

There was a man and a woman.

The man had the woman pinned against the wall, a sword pressed against her neck.

‘Damn it, they should be fine if they just left me alone.’

I tightened my grip on the hammer and shouted with all my might, my voice echoing through the passage.

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!”

I had to draw his attention and get him to move away from Amelia.

But…

Whoosh!

The sword was pulled out, and a fountain of blood erupted from Amelia’s neck.

Damn it, I thought he was just holding it against her skin.

He had already stabbed her.

And he even twisted the blade as he pulled it out…

“…Barbarian?”

He turned towards me and muttered.

Although I was wearing my helmet, he must have guessed my race from my size and my battle cry.

I briefly checked on Amelia with my dynamic vision.

“Keu, keugh… ugh…!”

Amelia, her neck pierced, was clutching the wound with one hand and desperately trying to support herself with the other, her body swaying.

She was clearly in bad shape.

But…

‘At least she’s alive.’

Worrying wouldn’t save her.

Accurate judgment and execution were the most important things.

I dashed forward again.

Splash!

The distance between us closed quickly.

He swung his sword at me, a fierce Aura emanating from the blade, as soon as we were within range.

Kwaaang!

I blocked the Aura with my hammer.

A look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

He probably thought he could cut through my weapon with his Aura…

“A Numbered Item.”

…but he quickly figured it out, as expected of a veteran.

‘He’s perceptive.’

But at least it bought me some time.

Whoosh.

I reached out with my free hand and pulled Amelia towards me as we struggled for dominance.

She collapsed into my arms, too weak to even stand.

Now that I had her…

“…You’re her companion.”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“Then… you’re also my enemy.”

What the hell is he talking ab—

“……!”

Our brief struggle for dominance ended.

Liuhen Praha pushed me back with his sword. It was a strange experience since I hadn’t been overpowered in terms of strength recently, but there was no need to be discouraged.

‘His Strength is slightly higher than mine.’

I stepped back as I was pushed back.

And he naturally dashed forward.

He was much faster than me.

‘His Agility is much higher than mine.’

I was at a disadvantage in terms of the two core stats for melee combat.

And my passive and active skills, which I had carefully combined for synergy, were sealed, while he was freely using Aura, which was my weakness.

‘This is so unfair.’

But I quickly made a decision.

He was overwhelmingly stronger.

It would be difficult to even escape in a normal situation.

But…

‘There’s no need to use it yet.’

…it wasn’t a big problem.

After all, it meant…

Kwaaang!

…that I just had to create an abnormal situation.

Right, like…

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

…an underwater battle.

_____________________

A dark sewer illuminated by flickering torches.

Fifteen explorers, divided into two groups, were glaring at each other.

“What do you mean? Say that again, Dumbo.”

“It’s Derbon, not Dumbo.”

“Whatever. You seemed to like that barbarian, grinning at him like an idiot.”

“What…? You bastard…!”

A conversation filled with hostility.

Laura Rainwales, caught in the middle, tightly held her trembling sister’s hand and thought,

‘I shouldn’t have come.’

‘Why are they still fighting…?’

Laura couldn’t understand.

It started with a trivial argument.

The former Melta Trading Company explorer who knew about the secret passage through the sewers couldn’t find the way.

And someone mocked him for it.

That was the seed of discord.

[Geez, stop complaining. You’re just following us for free.]

Derbon, the leader of the group, defended the guide.

No, he didn’t just defend him, he threatened the other group.

[And come to think of it, it’s a bit unfair, isn’t it? If you’re going to talk like that, at least pay us. Ah, you can give us your equipment if you don’t have money.]

[What?]

[Or just go back.]

The group was divided in two after that brief exchange, and now they were here.

“This is my last offer. Give us your equipment and follow us, or go back.”

“Ha, you think we would back down just because you said that?”

“Don’t try to act tough just because you’re friends with the guide. We only need him to find the way back to the city.”

“…So you’re determined to fight.”

“Everyone, please calm down…”

Laura tried to mediate, but Derbon cut her off.

“Laura, stay quiet. This is a good thing.”

“Yes? A, a good thing…?”

“We’ll need a lot of money. To start a new life on the surface.”

The man who was arguing with Derbon nodded in agreement.

“Right, if half of us die here, the rest can live a better life.”

Laura then realized.

That there was no real reason for the conflict.

This kind of thinking was natural for people from Noark.

They just used the guide’s mistake as an excuse.

No, maybe they intentionally provoked them.

‘This is why I tried to get them out of here…’

Noark, the city of beasts.

Laura shuddered, disillusioned with this city.

And she reached for her sword.

If a fight was inevitable, Derbon’s faction had to win.

They had to leave this place and live a decent life.

Even if she couldn’t…

…at least her sister should.

“Amelia, get ready.”

“Okay, sister.”

Her sister also placed her hand on her weapon at Laura’s whisper.

After all, they were also beasts who had survived in this dog-eat-dog world.

“Alright, then let’s—”

The battle began as one of the men from the other group took a step forward, drawing his weapon, and someone from Derbon’s side shot an arrow.

And after some time…

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

…a torrent of water engulfed them.

_____________________

Kaboom, kaboom, kaboom, kaboom!

I dodged Liuhen Praha’s attacks, creating distance, and then I slammed my hammer into the ceiling four times.

Crack, crack, crack, kaboom!

The ceiling, cracked like a spiderweb or a broken mirror, collapsed.

And…

Swaaaaaaaaaa!

…a torrent of water poured down like a broken dam.

‘There really was water flowing above.’

I hadn’t been certain until I swung my hammer.

I had just judged that it was highly likely based on my observations of the past through young Amelia’s eyes.

[The group was divided, and a fight broke out. And then water suddenly poured down from the passage. We were swept away, and both my sister and I lost consciousness. And when we woke up—]

I dismissed my thoughts and hugged Amelia tighter.

It was a current that would have swept away an ordinary person.

But neither he nor I were ordinary.

Kwaaang!

I instinctively shielded myself with my hammer, and a powerful impact reverberated through the handle.

He had swung his sword at me, even though the water was already up to our necks.

‘That persistent bastard.’

I was pushed back several steps, and I closed my eyes.

Vision was meaningless now.

I couldn’t see anything in this muddy water, even with a light source.

‘Oh, so this is a real mud fight?’

I quickly dismissed the random thought.

I had something more important to focus on.

‘One, two, three, four, five, six…’

I used my elbow to feel the wall and retraced my steps. It left my back exposed, but I wasn’t too worried.

He had probably just swung his sword at the last place he saw me, relying on his senses—

Slash!

I felt a sharp pain in my thigh.

It seemed like he was blindly swinging his sword…

‘Damn it, that crazy bastard.’

But it was fine now.

I had reached my destination.

‘Fifty-one, fifty-two… Phew, I found it.’

I entered the side passage I had memorized, my eyes still closed, and hid myself.

It was a trick I learned from Rotmiller.

I had become good at measuring my steps and memorizing paths after making maps.

And there was no way he had that ability.

‘Okay, it seems like he didn’t even notice the intersection.’

But I didn’t let my guard down and continued moving.

‘Gigantification.’

I sighed in relief after confirming that my skills were working again as I got further away from him.

‘She still has a pulse.’

Amelia was still alive.

And her passive skill, [Fountain of Immortality], which gave her cockroach-like survivability, would be activated now.

I didn’t have to worry about her neck injury.

Although it was a vital point, the wound itself wasn’t that deep. It would heal in about a minute.

‘The problem is oxygen…’

I didn’t have any problems breathing thanks to the increased Lung Capacity from Stormgush’s essence.

But Amelia was different.

Her oxygen supply was already cut off because of her neck injury.

I didn’t know how long she could last.

She just had to endure for about five minutes. The water started to recede around that time, as if the source had been depleted after the sewer collapsed.

‘…Whatever.’

I made a decision and lifted Amelia up.

I covered her nose with one hand, found her mouth, and kissed her.

Underwater CPR.

I didn’t know if it would work, but it was better than doing nothing.

It wasn’t like I had anything to lose.

“……!”

But was she still conscious?

Amelia’s limp body twitched the moment our lips touched.

It seemed like she was trying to push me away.

Therefore…

Clench.

I pulled her closer, as if telling her to stay still. Her resistance weakened.

Was this consent?

I didn’t know, but I moved my lips, trying to create a seal so that water wouldn’t get in.

And…

Whoosh!

I blew air into her lungs with all my might.

______________________

The water level started to recede rapidly after about five minutes of CPR.

The water that had been pouring down from above had stopped, and the water in the wide sewer spread out.

Surprisingly, Amelia was still conscious.

“Let, let go…”

Geez, it was just first aid, why is she so scared?

Amelia plunged into the water as soon as I let go of her.

Ah, right, she’s short.

The water was still up to my shoulders, so her feet wouldn’t reach the ground.

“Gasp…!”

Amelia’s head surfaced before I could even reach out to grab her.

Hmm, so she can swim.

“Ju, just… so you know… it was useless.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve always been… good at holding my breath…”

“What are you talking about?”

I couldn’t understand her since she was gasping for air and speaking in a barely audible voice.

But did she not want to explain?

Or was there something more important?

I didn’t know, but Amelia changed the subject.

“Whatever… but why are you here?”

Her tone was back to normal, her breathing more stable.

Well, at least she seemed physically fine.

“Why am I here? What do you mean?”

Amelia frowned as I asked back, confused.

“I told you to go back. Didn’t you see the note?”

“Ah, that? I saw it.”

“But… why didn’t you go back…?”

Damn it, she’s nagging.

I knew I couldn’t just go back even if I wanted to.

I couldn’t help but speak curtly, remembering all the trouble I had gone through because of her impulsive actions.

“I have something to do.”

“Something to do…?”

“I can’t go back until I’m done.”

“What? Why are you being so…”

What the hell is she talking about?

I had to do it to go back.

That’s when, as I was about to say that…

“Damn it.”

…[Gigantification] was deactivated.

In other words, he was within a 30-meter radius.

He must have retraced his steps, thinking he had lost me.

It didn’t seem like he was going to let us go easily.

Therefore, I made a decision.

“Hey, you go first.”

“…What?”

“Go save your sister. I’ll take care of him.”

I would send Amelia to her sister and hold him off.

Amelia frowned at my simple plan.

“That’s suicide. You can’t defeat him—”

“Then what are you going to do? Give up on your sister?”

“…If nothing changes anyway, then—”

“Stop.”

I cut Amelia off.

I didn’t know why she had become so weak-willed…

“Trust me, Amelia. I have a plan, so go save your sister first. Okay?”

“But—”

“Tsk.”

But my ass.

I chuckled at her unexpected reaction.

It wasn’t that bad to be worried about…

“Why do you think I’ll lose?”

The 5th-floor Floor Master’s essence, [Flameless Spirit].

It was a good essence.

Its rarity was unbelievable.

Less than ten people had obtained it throughout the history of Lafdonia, and as far as I knew, he was the only one who had it in the current era.

It was only natural for people to fear that power.

They didn’t know anything about it, so it just seemed like an OP cheat skill.

It was strange to me.

‘He’s not even that difficult to defeat.’

I had dedicated all my free time to [Dungeon and Stone] in my twenties.

Of course, I had also hunted the Lord of Silence.

I think I killed him…

“Three hundred times.”

…about that many times.

But did she not understand what I meant?

“Three hundred…?”

Amelia asked, and…

“I’ve absorbed that essence over three hundred times.”

…I answered.

There’s no skill in this world that doesn’t have a weakness.