I moved forward slowly while still keeping an eye on my surroundings. This was a change that happened to us a few minutes ago. Once we stop running to the second floor, we become more attentive to security. It was an inevitable decision because the fog that obscured the view began to fill the entire cave.
«...I have heard about this. It's black magic. What dark wizards used in past conquests».
My heart was beating slowly.
Thump!
Even as Raven removed the fog with wind attribute magic, visibility was limited to a five-meter radius. It was difficult to defend against danger in such an environment. Since I wasn't in a game made up of HP and MP, a single mistake could lead to my death. There was no Retry button here.
Hit!
He had to be alert to get back alive without losing anyone.
«Mr. Yandel...»
In the past, we were too weak to defend ourselves, so we had to lose a teammate. It was a crisis that could not be overcome any other way. But what about this time?
Yes, I am much stronger than then.
So that my body wouldn't become stiff from the tension, I recorded the positive aspects in my head.
«Mr. Yandel!»
«Don't shout.»
«Then answer the first one».
«What did you want to tell me?»
From above Ainar, Raven asked cautiously: «Is going to the second floor the right option?».
«What do you mean?»
«There are many palace knights here. Plus many large clans. Wouldn't it be safer to join them instead?»
It was a fair suggestion. Actually, if we were close to the starting point, I would have chosen that option too. But in the current situation, well, it didn't seem like a particularly good option. There was also one thing to correct.
«Raven, more than half of the great clans did not enter the labyrinth».
This was something I heard from Fox at the Round Table. The large clans dissatisfied with the palace had launched a massive boycott. The few who realized that the palace kept records of those clans on a blacklist had backed out, but the number would not be that large.
«... Why now?»
Actually, this was probably the best time to incite this.
«Abman, in what direction?»
«In that direction.»
I confirmed the location of the portal with Mr. Bear and continued to lead the way. This was also a change that had occurred since fog took over the cave: the compass stopped working.
«...Will we be okay as long as we find the portal?».
«The second floor won't be so safe either. But we just have to get to the fourth floor».
The Tower in Heaven was an independent floor. If we could get there, it would be possible to return to the city safely even in the midst of this war. As I thought, that was our best option.
«No. What I meant was that there could be defenses near the portal».
«What do you mean?»
«It's just like I said. If I were a tactician on Noark's side, I would have looked first for a way to clear the way to the second floor».
That was... true. But so what? At least we had to try. Thanks to the use of the dimensional instability phenomenon, we were already in the outermost region anyway.
«If going to the second floor is impossible... What are you going to do then?». Unlike usual, Raven kept asking me more questions. Seeing this made me think she was anxious too. I was sure I needed someone to depend on as I wouldn't have much experience in this.
«Then we will join the people of the city like you said. There is no other way than that in the first place». I tried my best to speak calmly. I couldn't tell if this was really the best method, but at least someone should rest assured. «If that's enough explanation, let's continue».
«Okay...»
When we were going as fast as we could towards the second floor like this, we met explorers.
«Finally, a person. Do you know what is happening?»
The team was made up of three humans and two beasts. Their equipment level was similar to ours or higher. Well, the scouts who came this far right now couldn't be lower level scouts. If they joined us, our combat power would increase significantly. However, there was something to check before that.
«First of all, the identification labels.»
Were these bastards really trustworthy?
«Is real.»
«Did you think it was fake?»
As soon as we met, everyone confirmed that they were from the city with the ID tags on our wrists and we naturally exchanged conversation. If things were normal, we would have continued on our way after confirming the labels, but this was obviously an emergency situation.
«Do you know something?»
«Not much. Except Noark has done something».
«Noark, huh? Of course.» The leader of his side nodded at my words.
I narrowed my eyes. «Aren't there magicians on your team?». The fact that there were few normal wizards on Noark's side was a well-known story.
The leader simply shrugged his shoulders confidently. «As you can see, we are a team that aspires to get points. We don't need a magician».
Damn, that made sense too. Magicians rarely participated in a sprint race. Not only were they a drag due to their slowness, but wizards couldn't get any experience points in a sprint anyway.
Therefore, I tried to introduce myself, judging that the other party might have heard of me with my nickname Little Balkan and all that. «Bjorn, son of Yandel.»
«Hansen Calders.»
«Hansen?»
«Oh, do you know me? We may have mutual friends...»
«I don't think so.» I shook my head. I just shuddered from an ominous feeling. It was the first time I had heard that name. So what was I to do?
Just when I was worrying about this, Hansen and his teammate exchanged whispers. »Little Balkan»? Oh! The barbarian from the time of the Lord of the Soil!».
It seemed like someone knew my name from that side. Hansen's gaze became a little more favorable. «Now I see you're a celebrity? Why don't we move in together? I don't think this is the time for either of us to explore». Hansen offered to join forces first.
«Can you give me some time?»
«A few minutes. I'm too anxious to spend a lot of time in one place».
After asking for Hansen's understanding, I took some time to discuss with my colleagues. There was something called collective intelligence, after all, there could be something that escaped me and stood out.
«I'm not sure about this. It seems safer with more people, but... Still, Bjorn, I think it's better to do what you say».
«I agree with Missha!»
First, the hand-to-hand sisters expressed their intention to fully follow my decision. Mr. Bear was on the opposite side.
«Something is wrong. At their level they should be quite well known, but I had never heard their names. They may not be from the underground city, but they may be looters».
This bothered me a little, since, among us, Mr. Bear was the one with the most contacts.
«Raven, what do you think?»
«I don't think there is anything strange. Wouldn't it be better to join them? Their ID tags were fine, too.»
Hmm, I see.
I had been trusting Raven more internally, but I think I had to change my mind about it. Maybe because it was the first time something like this had happened to him. Its gears did not rotate as usual.
«Don't think about identification tags and think strictly about the person».
«Excuse me? What...?» Raven realized the meaning behind my words. Now that the situation had reached this point, it was foolish to believe only in identification tags. It was possible that they had made fakes.
There were two possibilities: either they couldn't imitate the tags and just bit the bullet, or they successfully imitated them and used that as a safeguard to cause this incident. I didn't know which one it was yet, so I had to strictly rely on my intuition to decide. It was like in Dungeon and Stone, where a mistake meant game over.
«I don't know. Decide for us, Mr. Yandel». Feeling messy, Raven left everything in my hands. Why was he so out of his mind?
«Raven, wake up. You were fine even when there was a murderer hiding next to us in the Tower in Heaven».
«That was different from now. Now if I make a mistake, others will suffer».
Oh, so that was it. I was learning something new about Raven. I never thought she would be the indecisive type when it came to more responsibilities. It wasn't that I couldn't understand it. Someone could die for my decisions. Overcoming that pressure to make a decision was never an easy task, because this was not a game. It didn't just end with the death of your character.
Damn.
Ultimately, the decision was in my hands. Although that was nothing new.
What a headache.
I sighed and watched Hansen's group from a distance. If there was a wizard among them, or if they were well-known explorers or part of a famous clan, then he could have trusted them a little more easily.
But there is none of that.
Unfortunately, the time they gave me was short.
«Have you made your decision?»
«Yeah.» Soon, I decided. «I'm sorry I kept you waiting, but I decline your offer.» My final decision was that there was no need to bet.
«Oh yeah? It's a shame». Surprisingly, Hansen nodded without looking too upset. It seemed like he already understood why he had made that decision. «The careful is the one who lives the longest. I hope to see you again in the future».
«What are you going to do?»
«First we'll go to the second floor, although I'm not sure that place will continue well either. It has to be better than here».
«I see. If there is an opportunity, see you in the city».
«What are you doing? Let's go». After the brief conversation, Hansen's group left first and disappeared into the fog.
Did I just make the right decision?
I smiled.
I forced a smile as if I wanted to erase my doubts and anxieties. When had you made a decision knowing the outcome?
«Let's get going».
I just had to trust him and move on.
About five minutes after separating from Hansen's group, we discovered five bodies. They were not the corpses of Hansen's group, who left first. Their equipment was completely stripped, but it was not difficult to confirm their identities.
«He is a gentleman.»
«...A gentleman?»
«Yeah. The tattoo on the back of the neck here. It is the symbol of Viscount Terten.»
«Is it the family crest? It's almost like a brand.»
To be precise, it was as if it were an object, not a person. Was that why? It left a bitter taste in my mouth. The fact that even knights were treated as consumables in this world had sunk.
«...Not all nobles are like that.»
Leaving behind Raven, who spoke as if to defend them, I organized my thoughts. The corpses of a knight and four soldiers and the surroundings with no signs of battle meant one thing.
«There's a monster here».
«Yeah. Seeing the wounds, everything was done in one fell swoop. Seeing that the scars are the same, it doesn't seem like there were several people either».
Knights who could use auras were the strongest in human warfare. In a world like this, where magic and special abilities existed, they were the swords that protected vested interests. And to think that they died without any retaliation. I realized we were in the eye of the hurricane again. A knight who wielded and brandished a sword all his life and who would have enjoyed immense authority had died as an extra. No, more were still dying even now, just like in the conquest of Noark that occurred underground several months ago.
«Time of death?»
«About twenty minutes ago».
So they weren't too close. It was a positive sign for us, but it was too early to feel relieved. Anything could happen from now on.
«Those guys... Are they really planning to start a war?». Mr. Bear murmured, frowning. Seeing the knight's corpse seemed to show him what the current situation was.
It was true that we had not fought anyone yet. I spoke bluntly. «They're not planning it, Abman. We are already at war».
We were lucky to be in the most remote region, so we had not yet experienced the consequences. Well, that was only a matter of time now.
«What will you do?»
I sighed at Raven's question. I didn't know how many times it had happened since we went down to the first floor. We were at a crossroads once again.
«There are only portals at this address».
«You don't have to explain it. That means the person who killed this gentleman went in that direction».
The portal on the second floor was the only exit I could think of. A monster lurked there. However, the situation was still grim, even if we turned around. The battle that began in the center would soon cover the entire first floor.
Damn, Lair of Beasts or not, we shouldn't have gone down to the first floor.
I couldn't help but regret it. To think that that trivial decision would put me in this rotten situation. It was as if this heartless world was testing me: Choose what you want, but the responsibility is all yours.
My eyes naturally turned to my teammates. Missha, Ainar, Raven and Mr. Bear were also looking at me, as if the decision was mine.
«...Let's go back». I soon made a decision. I didn't know who was in front of me. He could be a member of Hercules, since someone this strong would also be rare in Noark. I was about to turn around.
«Ha, are you really coming back?» A voice came from beyond the fog.
Step.
Steps followed.
Shaaaaa!
Immediately, Raven sent a gust of wind to blow back the fog. He exposed a man who was not wearing any equipment, just a simple black outfit. He wore a skull mask on his face.
«What kind of barbarian is this shy guy? Hey?»
My body stiffened at that voice. I had never heard it before, that was for sure.
«Pshehe.»
However, it looked familiar.