People are fighting each other.
That single sentence snapped me back to reality.
Maybe I had become a little complacent without realizing it.
Thump-!
There aren’t any explorers from Noah’s Ark here.
No, there are hardly any explorers to begin with.
But even so, anything could happen in the labyrinth’s world.
So, first things first, let’s check the information.
“How many are there in total?”
“At least eight,” Erwen answered instantly, without a moment’s hesitation, as I asked in a low voice.
“That means at least two teams are fighting.”
“That’s the situation, yes.”
“Any other peculiarities I should know about?”
“…No.”
Hmm, it doesn’t sound like that’s all.
It’s not good to just gloss over something like this.
It’s like in the movies, right?
“Any other peculiarities I should know about?”
I asked again more firmly, and Erwen cautiously replied.
“…I have a bad feeling about this.”
Ah, I see.
“I’m sorry. I said something unnecessary…”
I chuckled, seeing Erwen trail off.
“There’s nothing to be sorry about.”
Actually, I felt the same way.
As soon as I heard that explorers were PK-ing [Player Killing], a bad feeling started to creep up on me.
I was pondering what to do next.
“Yandel, so what are we going to do now?”
“Are you going to save them again…?”
I tilted my head.
“Again?”
“You did it on the first floor before, and when the Imperial Capital was on fire, too. You like saving people…”
What is she even talking about?
The situation is completely different now than it was then.
In the Imperial Capital, I just had the capacity to do so, and I also promised to help if I had any capacity left.
And on the first floor…
“I think I know what you’re misunderstanding, but I’ll make it clear now.”
As a result, I ended up leading thousands of explorers, opening a path, and being treated like an unlikely hero.
To be honest, I did feel a little fired up.
But.
“What I truly wanted to save back then was you guys.”
My priorities haven’t changed.
I’m not worthy of being called a hero; I’m a selfish person.
I’m barely managing to protect myself and my people.
“That means…”
“I have a bad feeling, so there’s no need to get involved. We’re leaving the island as we are.”
“But is that okay? We don’t know what their situation is; they might need help.”
Bear Ahjussi spoke up, looking somewhat uncomfortable.
I don’t think he was originally this kind of character.
It seems he’s still riding high on the hero buzz he got on the first floor.
“They’re explorers too. They must have been prepared for this when they took on this job.”
I spoke firmly with the authority of a leader, and Bear Ahjussi accepted it without complaint.
But was there something he worried about belatedly?
“Raven, are you okay? You seemed to be acquainted with that guy we met earlier.”
“Mr. Partsran? Well, if they’re fighting over there, it’s likely he’s involved…”
Raven trailed off at Bear Ahjussi’s concern.
And then, looking us straight in the eye, she drew a firm line.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It doesn’t matter?”
“We’re not that close anyway. What if something happens if we go to help?”
A very explorer-like, selfish answer.
But we all fell silent at what she said next.
“…My team is more important to me.”
Wow, she can say something like that without batting an eye.
She’s gotten more brazen now that she’s a year older.
She still looks like a kid, though.
“Then it’s decided.”
As soon as the decision was made, we turned around and ran towards the coast.
The estimated time of arrival is about an hour.
It’s not a big island, so if we get out quickly, there shouldn’t be any problems.
‘It’s a shame to leave the hidden piece behind…’
Well, we can leave the island first and then try again later after assessing the situation.
‘Yeah, when you’re feeling uneasy, it’s best to run first.’
I even let go of my last bit of lingering attachment.
And how much time had passed?
“It’s the sea!”
We arrived at the coast and quickly took out the boat and floated it on the waves. Then, we climbed aboard one by one and rowed away from the island.
We were starting to feel a little relieved.
“B, Bjorn!”
Ainar, the valiant barbarian warrior, cried out, openly expressing her fear.
“W, what’s going on! The, the sea…! The sea is rising!!”
The calm sea suddenly changed and began to surge violently, shaking the boat.
[The offering of Parune Island has been destroyed.]
[The wrath of the sea engulfs the island.]
Son of a bitch.
***
The hidden piece of Parune Island is simple.
When the ‘offering’ hidden in the center of the island is destroyed, an event called the Wrath of the Sea can be triggered.
It’s a kind of defense event.
Sea monsters rush towards the island from the coast, and we have to defend against them from the inland.
And what I was aiming for was the essence of the event boss.
4th grade monster, Elprot.
If Misha or Erwen were to consume it, it would be an essence they could use until the late game.
Well, whether it drops or not is another matter.
Anyway, that’s not the topic to think about right now.
‘There are at least 8 people over there, and 6 here…’
In effect, the highest difficulty event has been unlocked.
Regardless of the hidden piece, the top priority is to get off this island.
“W, what’s going on?”
“The waves are suddenly crashing like this; I haven’t heard anything about this…”
“Row! Row quickly!!”
We were momentarily flustered by the rough waves that seemed to prevent anyone from leaving the island, but we quickly started rowing.
After all, we were almost out of the island.
‘If we go a little further, we can get out completely.’
Even in the game, it wasn’t systemically blocked to escape the island after the event occurred.
It’s just that most boats would sink before they got very far.
“One, two. One, two!!”
We shouted the rhythm and pulled the boat over the waves.
But…
‘I should have spent a little more money and bought a better boat.’
It doesn’t feel like we’re making any progress.
It feels like we’re being pushed back towards the island, even as we’re rowing with all our might, not just staying in place.
It wasn’t just a feeling; it was actually happening.
“B, Bjorn! The, the island is getting closer?”
Even as we tried to push through the waves, the boat was being pushed back.
I felt a bitter taste in my mouth for no reason.
If we had just installed a magic propulsion device on the boat, we could have broken through somehow.
“Bjorn! The boat is taking on water…!!”
“W, what do we do? Is something broken?”
As water started to fill the boat, panic spread among the group.
It was time to make a decision.
“We’re giving up on getting off the island.”
After a moment of deliberation, I quickly gave the order.
“Everyone, sit with your backs to the front! Ride the waves and head towards the island as much as possible!”
That’s the advantage of a small boat with a capacity of six people.
It’s not that the boat doesn’t have a front or back, but it doesn’t matter much. Especially in this situation where the waves are pushing the boat so violently.
“Put all the heavy equipment into your subspace!”
We reduced the weight of the boat and also took off our equipment to prepare for capsizing.
Okay, now we’ve finished the preparations we can make.
“Right!!”
We used the oars not so much to move the boat, but to keep it from losing its balance and flipping over.
After about three minutes, I began to feel that the island, which had been far away, was now much closer.
“T, there…!!”
The boat, which had been bouncing forward every now and then, was swept away by a large wave.
And…
“Kyaaaaaaak!!”
It completely flipped over.
“Puhup!”
My body was instantly submerged in water.
I somehow grabbed the overturned boat and held on.
“Is everyone okay!!”
“Y, yeah, for now!”
“I’m safe too!”
As I shouted, survival reports came from all around.
Except for one person.
“Where’s Raven?”
What happened?
Could she have been swept away?
“Puhup, here! I’m here!”
Phew, I was worried.
Holding onto the overturned boat, we quickly discussed our options.
“So, what do we do now?”
“Shouldn’t we just stay like this?”
“Well, it seems like we’re moving along okay…”
It wasn’t a bad idea.
As it was a boat made of special wood with strong buoyancy, it didn’t sink even when it was overturned.
‘It might even be more stable than when we were on the boat…’
Since the waves were pushing towards the island, the boat would head towards the shore even if we didn’t steer it.
“Everyone, hold on tight!”
We held onto the boat’s handles tightly so we wouldn’t be swept away by the waves.
About a minute passed.
‘Oh, I didn’t think of this…’
We were faced with a new crisis.
“There, rocks! There are rocks…!”
As we got closer to the shore, towering reefs began to approach the boat.
It was impossible to change course now.
“If we get separated, head to the center of the island!!”
I shouted urgently, assuming the worst.
And at that moment.
Crash-!
The boat hit the reef.
***
Swoosh-!
I opened my eyes to the sound of rough waves.
My vision was blurry as if there was something stuck in my eyes, and I could strongly taste the saltiness of the sea in my mouth.
And for some reason…
Crack, crack, crack, crack.
There was a sound of something gnawing.
Right at my feet.
“…?”
Wondering what it was, I barely lifted my head and checked my lower body, and I froze.
A crab monster the size of a large dog was struggling to chew on my foot.
“You’re kidding me.”
No, how could that even work?
What’s my physical resistance?
Thwack-!
I used my free foot to kick the sterrep away. Then, I quickly got up and slammed the crab monster’s crown with the plank I was holding in my hand.
[You have defeated a Sterrep. EXP +1]
As a 9th grade monster, the crab monster disappeared in a flash with just one hit.
‘But what is this plank…’
I noticed it now, but I had been holding onto a plank tightly since the moment I opened my eyes.
Where did this thing come from?
Without much thought, a memory I had forgotten for a moment came back to me.
‘Ah, the boat was destroyed…’
The boat was shattered when it hit the reef.
And I grabbed the biggest plank and held it tight. I figured that even a barbarian’s body wouldn’t sink in the water with this.
‘Did I survive thanks to this…’
After figuring everything out, I quickly looked around. There was no one to be seen on the empty beach.
‘I wonder if the others are okay…’
Raven should be fine.
She can’t swim, but I saw her use a levitation spell at the end and float into the air. Misha and Erwen can swim, so I’m a little less worried about them.
The problem is Ainar and Bear Ahjussi, who can’t swim.
‘Hah, I hope they’ve been washed ashore safely.’
No matter how hard I try to calm myself, I keep worrying.
But regardless of those feelings, my hands didn’t stop moving as I took out the equipment I had stored in my subspace and put it on.
Soon, a horde of monsters will rush to the island.
Seeing that only sterreps are wandering around, it seems that it hasn’t been long since the event started…
I need to prepare.
‘They said explorers were fighting, but what was the situation that triggered this event?’
There are a few things that don’t make sense, but they’re the kind of things that can’t be solved right now.
Hah, if I had known this would happen, I should have just gone to help.
Then I would have known what the situation was—
Thud.
I stopped as I was about to leave the beach and enter the forest.
I heard a presence from beyond the bushes.
Tap, tap, tap.
The sound of someone running.
‘It’s not a monster.’
The monsters inside Parune Island are all flying insects that can glide.
That means it’s not the sound of a monster running.
Also, it was unlikely to be one of our scattered companions.
We had agreed to meet inside the forest.
There’s no reason to run in the opposite direction.
‘Then is it one of the explorers who were fighting earlier?’
I slowly raised my mace and waited for the owner of the presence to appear.
The reason I waited was simple.
The footsteps I heard were of one person.
Even if a fight broke out, I was confident that I could at least get away if it was one-on-one.
Therefore, it was best to make contact and get information first.
‘Now.’
I gauged the distance by the sound of running, and as soon as the timing was right, I reached out in a surprise attack.
“Huk, huk. Kyaa, ugh—!”
The prey, instantly subdued, was lifted into the air and struggled.
“Stay still. I won’t hurt you.”
My original plan was to follow up by swinging my mace to subdue them completely, but I decided to hold off.
It was because I recognized them.
Well, it seems the other side doesn’t remember me.
“I’ll let you go, so be quiet.”
“W, who are you…”
“I told you to be quiet.”
As I scolded her in a fierce voice, the priestess in the pure white robe trembled.
Huh, I feel like I’ve become a bad person.
“I am Baron Bjorn Yandel.”
“Ah…!”
As soon as I revealed my name, the priestess’s face brightened.
She didn’t seem to doubt my identity.
It seems Partsran had told her about me.
“So calm down, Ershina. I’m not your enemy.”
“H, how do you know my name…”
How do I know?
I know because we met once before.
I’m telling you again, it was a hard memory to forget.
[Priestess Ershina. Could you possibly heal this person?]
[I refuse.]
When this woman refused to heal me, it felt like the world was collapsing.
Well, whatever. That’s not important.
“Let’s talk about that later. Tell me, what happened in the forest?”
Figuring out the situation is the priority.