Chapter 297: Chapter 297

After running for almost 30 minutes, we encountered a 5-person team.

It consisted of three humans, a dwarf, and a fairy.

Judging by their equipment, they were at least 5th-floor explorers…

“You’re lost? Calm down and come rest here for a bit.”

…and they didn’t even seem wary when they saw me approaching their camp. They even offered me jerky and a seat by their campfire.

At first, I thought the jerky might be poisoned.

But…

“Hmm, what should we do? We don’t have time to search the entire 3rd floor for your team.”

…none of them showed any greed throughout the conversation, and they didn’t even ask for my equipment in return for saving my life.

Well, that’s practically a custom.

“Haha, you’re offering us your weapon? No, thank you. How would you explore without your equipment?”

“It’s fine. If you feel bad, just help someone else in need next time.”

They were incredibly kind. It was so suspicious that I even pretended to doze off by the campfire…

“You must be tired.”

“Jess, what should we do? I don’t feel good about leaving him here. It’s practically the same as telling him to die.”

“How about we look around for his companions for a few hours?”

“And if we can’t find them?”

“Hmm, then we’ll just take him with us. It will be a hassle, but we can’t just leave him here to die.”

…but they didn’t change their attitudes.

It seemed pointless to test them any further, and it would just be a burden.

So I sent a signal to Amelia, who should be nearby.

The signal we agreed on beforehand, to come and get me.

“There are a lot of people looking for someone today. Who are you?”

“…Sorry for interrupting. I’m looking for my companion.”

“Companion? Ah, don’t tell me…!”

I jumped up and ran towards Amelia as soon as she appeared.

“Oh! Emily!! I missed you!! Why are you so late?!”

“So, sorry… but, this…”

“Emilyyyyy!!”

I hugged her tightly, pretending to be relieved, but I was also wary of the others.

They seemed like good people, but they might change their minds after seeing Amelia.

Well, that’s what I thought…

“It’s good that you found your companion.”

…but there was no twist.

“Huhu, make sure to stay close to your companions from now on.”

“You have good companions. It’s not easy to get separated and search for each other in the labyrinth. Take care of each other.”

They were nice people from beginning to end.

So it was time for us to leave.

“Let’s go. Everyone is… worried about you…”

Amelia took me to the place where we agreed to meet with the others, saying she had a meeting point, and they sent us off with warm smiles.

And time passed, and now…

‘Did I really come back without any problems?’

I felt a sense of wonder and gratitude.

Is this what healing feels like…?

What kind of life have I been living?

There are so many wonderful people in the world.

“It seems like your method didn’t work.”

Amelia looked at me as if asking what we were going to do now, while I was lost in my emotions.

Damn it, she’s making me feel embarrassed.

Did I know this would happen?

“Are you going to continue?”

I seriously contemplated her question.

That’s when…

“Hey, are you separated from your companions? What are you two doing?”

…five explorers appeared from the darkness.

“Come here if that’s the case. We’ll help you.”

They were all smiling brightly.

As if they had found gold on the street.

So I ended my admiration for humanity and approached them with a smile.

“Oh, really?! We need help, this is great!”

These kinds of people always come to you, even if you don’t look for them.

_______________________

The second team we met was even more blatant than the first. They surrounded us as soon as we joined them.

And…

“Oh, this is a subspace ring? Your equipment is trash, but you have something valuable.”

…they created a threatening atmosphere by grabbing my hand and touching my subspace ring.

“So where’s your companion?”

“I don’t know.”

“Hmm, really?”

Did they judge that we weren’t a threat after getting some information?

One of them approached Amelia.

And he reached out towards her exposed thigh…

Thud.

…but a dagger pierced his hand before he could even touch her.

“Aak!! You crazy bitch!”

“Kill them!”

The battle began less than three minutes after we met.

Whoosh!

They were experienced in PvP, judging by how they counterattacked without hesitation.

But it wasn’t a problem.

Because we were the same.

“Behel—laaaaaaaaaa!”

[Gigantification], [Swing], and so on.

The battle quickly ended as we started using our skills. The fact that they had surrounded us to prevent us from escaping worked in our favor.

It’s advantageous to surround goblins and beat them up…

Kwagic!

…but they weren’t trolls or ogres.

We first took down the backline with bows and staffs, and then they were all on the ground.

“We, we were tricked… Damn it.”

Kwagic!

“…….”

A pleasant silence fell as I crushed the leader’s head.

It was time to loot.

As expected, we found evidence of looting in their bags.

There wasn’t much equipment since it was only Day 3, but their bags were filled with consumables like sleeping pills, poison, and mental scrolls.

There were also several stolen ID cards.

But could it be because we had earned a large sum at once?

“We just have to do this ten more times.”

Amelia no longer questioned my method.

She must have realized.

That there was no more efficient way.

If we killed looters who had looted others, we could get multiple pieces of equipment and ID cards.

The effort-to-reward ratio was much higher.

“Then let’s clean up the blood and move on.”

We continued using the same strategy and met several teams.

Their reactions were all different.

But to broadly categorize them…

[We’re not interested, so leave.]

…90% of them wouldn’t even let us approach when I went alone.

[We’ll let you stay since you seem to be in a difficult situation.]

…5% of them would let us rest after hearing our story and then ask for a reward.

[…You’re suspicious. Show me your ID card.]

…3% of them would misunderstand us as looters and attack.

[Even if items are valuable, they’re not more valuable than your life.]

…About 1% of them would try to take all our equipment, even if it meant leaving us to die to monsters.

[I apologize. I don’t do things that might cause trouble later.]

…And about 1% of them would try to kill us just because they saw our faces.

‘The success rate is much lower than I expected.’

We could only find one team out of a hundred.

Damn it, why did I encounter those guys so often?

I don’t know, but time passed, and when it was Day 8…

…we met a team we had never seen before.

“Oh, so you’re the famous newbies.”

They were a team of looters from Noark.

_______________________

To summarize the result, there was no battle.

It wasn’t because we didn’t want to fight, but because they didn’t give us the chance.

“Haha, it’s nice to meet you, but please keep your distance.”

They didn’t even give us any space, and Amelia didn’t show any hostility.

No, she actually warned me.

“Don’t do anything stupid, they’re from the Lord’s faction.”

Geez, I wasn’t even thinking about it.

We had to pretend to be on their side.

If we attacked first, and one of them survived and reported us, our plan would be ruined.

“Can we talk for a moment?”

“Alright.”

Amelia readily agreed to their suggestion. It didn’t take long for me to realize her intentions.

We had to join the Lord’s faction.

This was actually a chance for her to appeal to them.

“I’m Bek.”

“We’re…”

“I know. Emily, and you’re Iron Mask, right?”

“Iron Mask?”

“Ah, you didn’t know? It’s your nickname.”

I didn’t know I had that nickname.

Well, it did suit me since I always wore a helmet.

“But you’re quite handsome, for a barbarian.”

Ah, right, I’m not wearing a helmet because we’re fishing.

I felt a sense of dismay, but I didn’t bother putting it on.

What would change even if they saw my face?

Nothing would change anyway.

“By the way, is that your tactic? It was impressive. You used the prejudice against barbarians very well.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Ah, it was just a compliment. Don’t look at me like that. We might become companions.”

Amelia interjected,

“Companions?”

“Ah, I didn’t tell you. I didn’t say it because you need time to adjust to this city, but the Lord has a good impression of you.”

In other words, it meant that he thought we were skilled, but he was observing us because he didn’t know what kind of people we were.

“The Lord likes bold people. Especially those who aren’t bound by morals like you.”

It meant that there was no need to test us any further.

“He’ll probably contact you when we get back, so think about it. It’s an unfamiliar city. You need a place to belong, right?”

“…I’ll think about it.”

“Haha, that’s good.”

He laughed heartily and then looked at me.

“Ah, and you. It hasn’t been long since you came to the human world, but you’ve already adapted so well.”

“You’ve been in the world for too long, your hair’s all gone.”

“…What?”

I couldn’t help but retort, as it sounded like he was mocking me.

But was that really his intention?

“Ah! It was a compliment! I apologize if you misunderstood.”

He apologized instead of being offended.

So it was my turn to apologize.

“Ah, I also meant it as a compliment. I apologize if you misunderstood.”

“…I, I see?”

He laughed awkwardly, and I awkwardly laughed along.

But I kept looking at him.

It was a strange feeling.

‘His name was definitely ‘Bek’, right?’

But why did I feel like punching him?

I felt an inexplicable sense of unease as I shifted my gaze.

I saw an explorer wearing a robe.

He was small, like a child.

“Ah, you guys probably don’t know yet, right?”

Bek, as if sensing my curiosity, pulled the kid’s robe off.

“It’s similar to your tactic. We use her as bait. Most people don’t suspect a child. And if you send her inside, you can check the opponent’s strength beforehand. She’s also surprisingly helpful in battle. Most people have a psychological barrier against killing a child.”

Bek explained about the child as if he was showing off his merchandise.

But I couldn’t hear a word he said.

I had already heard it from Amelia…

‘Wait, where have I seen her before?’

…and I felt a sense of déjà vu from the child who was standing there expressionlessly, even after her robe was removed.

But did she misunderstand my gaze?

“Hmm, now that I see it, you’re not just curious, you like her, don’t you?”

Bek said something ridiculous.

Normally, I would have smashed his head to clear up the misunderstanding, but I just asked,

“What’s her name?”

“Name?”

Bek tilted his head as if it was a strange question.

He didn’t seem to understand why her name was important.

But he still answered.

“Zencia Nayfrin.”

Right, it was you.

No wonder I felt strange.

[We, we’re human… humans, right? This is murder!]

She was the evil spirit I killed for the first time in the ‘Glacier Cave’.

Of course, the Zencia I killed would be different from this child.

Evil spirits only possess adult natives, and there haven’t been any other cases.

‘Wait, then…’

I realized something.

A child born in Noark.

This child would most likely still be living in the underground when she became an adult.

In other words…

[I want to go home. I can’t die here. I can’t die in this shithole… I survived all this, you know? Please…]

Now I understood why that woman had been so frustrated.

Human characters are easy to survive with.

Their taxes were much lower than other races, so they could live for several years without any problems even if they didn’t work as explorers.

That’s why I couldn’t relate to her back then.

I just thought she was a looter who wanted to live an easy life.

But…

[Mo, mom…]

…she started from this hell.

I had thought that barbarians had the worst starting point…

“…….”

…but there was a bottom even lower than that.