Episode 40: Monster Biohazard (1)
His death was decisive.
Some students fainted on the spot, and at the death of a 5th-Circle mage, thirty students abandoned the search.
"I-I'm done! I want to go back! I want to get out of here!"
"Kyaaah! Philip… Philip!!!"
"H-hngh… what did I do wrong… why am I… in a place like this, hic…."
The students who gave up on the search threw down their yellow flowers.
Doubts had sprouted about whether they had to stake their lives just to look good in the nobles' eyes.
Their enthusiasm had gotten ahead of them, but it was too much for teenage boys and girls without real combat experience to handle such an incident.
Watching their classmates return like that, the remaining students snorted.
"They give up an opportunity because of a single crocodile? Our opponents are ratmen, not that crocodile."
"Hmph. Some people can't seize an opportunity even when it's handed to them. They might not even graduate."
But their pale faces revealed that those words were bluster.
Although an unsavory incident had occurred, the search began.
Fueled by nothing but the single-minded desire to impress the nobles.
"We will head east. Please take another direction."
"Come now, let's go, mages. We'll take the front, so show us what you've got!"
Despite the gruesome death just moments ago, the seasoned guards didn't bat an eye.
Perhaps they had even wished for the chatty man to die quickly.
With thirty students gone, the ratio came to five guards and three students.
If Tracker Philip had been there, they would have followed his command, but with his death, they had no choice but to scatter aimlessly.
Watching the search teams scatter like that, Sid let out a sigh.
"W-we can do this, right?"
"Sid's here. He's a scholarship student too, didn't you see him fight last time? He'll handle everything himself, won't he?"
Sid was on a team with two terrified students.
One was Brock, an ordinary boy from a farming family.
The other was his best friend, a fourteen-year-old girl named Sindri.
Fortunately, the five ahead of them looked experienced, but thinking that the other search teams were likely in the same situation left him feeling nothing but overwhelmed.
[The crocodile's mana number has been identified. [4]. Please remember this number.]
'Got it.'
Sid looked at the waterside where Philip had disappeared and exhaled.
No matter how much of a 5th-Circle mage he was, the moment he let his guard down was the end.
But looking at the noisy waterways, a dizzying thought crossed his mind.
Right now, the search teams were loudly announcing that they had entered the dungeon.
It seemed they had never learned to stay quiet in enemy territory.
And as if to prove this worry, complex combat began inside the waterways.
"R-r-ratmen! It's ratmen!"
"Where do you think you're going! Hold your position!"
"Grah! You crazy bastard! That idiot shot a Fire Bolt at my back!"
"A-are you okay?"
"Stick close, Brock! Don't fall behind!"
Brock and Sindri's expressions hardened at the chaos that erupted in an instant.
The guards gripped their weapons at the glowing eyes narrowing in from the darkness.
Sid also clenched his fists and stared ahead.
For now, his goal was to protect the seven people here.
[They're coming.]
"Kieek! Kieek!"
"Raise your shields! Protect the mages!"
Combat broke out starting with the seasoned guard's shout.
It was six ratmen who had hidden their forms in the darkness.
They wielded broad kitchen knives and crude spears, throwing themselves forward.
Soon, the guards at the front collided with them.
*Clang! Hack! Clack!*
Sparks flew from clashing steel, signaling the start of battle.
The six ratmen scraped at the guards' weapons and armor, but with such crude weapons, they couldn't pierce the armor.
But what surprised the guards was their tactics.
The moment the collision occurred, two ratmen charged toward the students.
Everyone was startled by the unexpected tactic.
"They broke through!"
"Damn it, be careful!"
The ratmen didn't entangle with the guards to buy time.
While four of them tangled with the guards, the other two charged the students, their tactics so exquisite that it seemed they had targeted the mage line from the very beginning.
It was impossible to believe this was the idea of ordinary monsters.
"Huaaah! Ratmen… the ratmen are coming!"
"Shut your mouth, Brock!"
The two students screamed at the ratmen targeting the mages first.
Unlike Brock, who screamed desperately, Sindri started spewing curses.
If the other search teams were also in this situation, their survival couldn't be guaranteed.
But there was something the ratmen didn't know.
That Sid was not weak in close combat.
"Get back! Hup!"
*Crack! Smash!*
Sid's elbow instantly pierced a ratman's chest.
Before he even exhaled, a fierce fist split its jaw, and with the sound of breaking bones, the ratman at the front collapsed.
Immediately, another one charged while brandishing a kitchen knife.
But a follow-up kick drove its head into the ground.
*Crunch!*
"I'm joining in!"
*Crack! Bang! Bash! Slam!*
The sound of breaking bones echoed in the wide waterways.
Sid appeared between the guards as if sliding through.
The boy subdued the ratmen with tremendous speed.
Fists exploded without discrimination at the rat's thin jaws, chest, and abdomen.
Under the machine-gun-like barrage of fists, the ratman group was neutralized in an instant.
"KYAAAK!"
But one that hadn't fallen charged at Sid.
The one with its jaw crushed rushed at him, drooling blood and saliva.
[Use Magic Sword!]
Tongjang's urgent voice.
Sid's sharp blade pierced the ratman's head.
A warm stream of blood flowed down from such a blade.
The boy frowned as he felt his first kill.
"Haah, damn…."
[Do not hesitate. Make sure to cut off its breath.]
The hesitation of a priesthood background became dangerous at times like this.
He had only knocked out the bandits, and the Races and the Lamp Giant hadn't been living beings.
If it hadn't been for Tongjang's warning, the attack just now would have been dangerous.
When the sudden combat ended, a surprised guard opened his mouth.
"Th-thank you! But are you really a mage?"
"No time for that! The next ones are coming!"
"Chieek!"
"Jji, jjik jjik!"
Following the guard's shout, dozens of ratmen swarmed in.
The guards, who had come to their senses thanks to Sid's exploits, immediately prepared for the next wave.
As if the six from earlier had been mere scouts, a horde like a swarm of rats charged in.
Sid ran behind his teammates and supported the two frightened ones.
At times like this, even children's hands were needed.
"You okay? Can you fight?"
"Uh… uhh? I, I'm…."
"It's fine! We can fight! I'm sorry!"
Sindri kicked the timid, stuttering boy in the rear and stood up.
Soon, five guards raised their shields, and two mages spewed fire.
With Brock finally coming to his senses and joining in, the wave's momentum subsided.
"Kieek! Kyeeek!"
"Don't be too scared! They fall from simple bolt magic! Lightning Bolt!"
"Brock, you idiot! Can't you see? They fall from bolt magic too! Don't duck your head!"
"Huuaagh… F-Fire Bolt! Fire Bolt!"
"Kieeeek!"
"Good! Their numbers are decreasing! Draw your swords!"
"Okay!"
As the charging numbers dwindled, the guards began swinging their swords.
As the battle heated up, the two students were fulfilling their roles.
Sid soothed the two with no combat experience, and Sindri even kicked the timid Brock.
While other search teams were unknown, Sid's team was handling things smoothly.
*Puk!*
"Kieeuueek…."
Finally, the skull of a ratman that couldn't escape was smashed open.
The ratmen that survived the fierce battle busily scattered in all directions.
As if they weren't fleeing, but preparing for the next attack.
"Whew, first wave is over for now!"
"Are you alright over there? One of your students seemed to have collapsed."
With the swarming ratmen gone, the guards caught their breath.
After tangling with so many ratlings, their skin was full of scratches.
"I'm Wolf. I owe you my life just now. By the way, your fighting style was incredible. Are you really a mage?"
"We're the ones who owe you our lives. Thank you."
Sid grasped the hand extended by the guard Wolf.
A man with a coarse beard, estimated to be in his mid-forties.
When he took off his helmet to wipe the sweat from his face, it was covered in ratmen claw marks.
Perhaps he took a liking to the modest Sid who had fought so valiantly; the man smiled brightly.
"Hoho, you're too kind. Hey, Barney! See? Just as I predicted, this one is the strongest!"
"Sigh. You win. Still, if you want that 3 gold, stay alive until we get out."
"Puhahaha!"
Their tense bodies loosened at the guards' banter.
The man who had been attacked first woke up shaking his head, perhaps from a simple concussion.
Soon, the man who introduced himself as 'Wolf' surveyed the surroundings.
Droplets of pooled blood slowly trickled down his face.
"Barney. You said you'd fought ratmen before. Were they like this back then?"
"Hah, don't talk nonsense. Back then, they were just giant rats. At least they didn't charge like this."
"What does that mean?"
"These aren't ordinary ratmen. There's an individual commanding them. At minimum a Ratman Champion, or worst case, a Lord…."
"L-l-l-l-l-l-lord… you mean a Lord?"
At the words 'Ratman Lord', the timid Brock's eyes went wide.
The mention of the dungeon difficulty increasing made Sindri frown too.
Having caught his breath, Sid stood beside Wolf.
Following his gaze, dozens of eyes were fixed on them.
"What do you think? Going any further seems like suicide."
"Hmm… I think the same. It doesn't feel like we raided a ratmen habitat; it feels like we fell into their trap. They gauged the search teams' level with the first attack, and now they'll apply pressure matching that level. It was the same when I fought a goblin army before."
His eyes, which had mentioned goblins, stared at the ratmen's glowing eyes one by one.
The scars engraved on his thick forearms and the blood seeping out increased the trust in his words.
Though weaker than the Races he had faced before, Sid felt a more vicious pressure and nodded.
"Then what's the plan?"
"We have to join up with the other teams and escape. I don't know what the nobles will say, but the other teams are in danger too. We have to survive first, don't we?"
Wolf smiled as he pulled his helmet back on.
Soon the search team, having finished a brief rest, stood up.
Searching the waterways and rescuing the count's son was impossible.
Just then, the man who introduced himself as 'Barney' pointed in one direction.
"The screams came from over there. Pig probably went that way. With his skills, he should be alive, right?"
"Tch. That guy isn't someone who dies easily. He owes too much money to just drop dead. Let's go!"
Wolf and Barney, having finished the brief discussion, moved out.
The guard called 'Pig' seemed to be just as much of a veteran as the two of them.
They walked for five minutes, keeping an eye on the eyes that were closing in moment by moment.
If it had been an ordinary distance, it would have been nothing, but five minutes walking with every nerve on edge was its own kind of hell.
They finally reached an intersection where the water split.
Through the torch Wolf held, the faces of another team were visible.
"Pig!"
"Hah, damn it… Wolf and Barney? You guys okay over there?"
Another team dragged their legs out of the darkness.
The man breathing roughly was not in good condition.
One unconscious student was slumped over his shoulder, and the other guards didn't look good either.
Furthermore, the two students who had been with them were nowhere to be seen.
Wolf couldn't miss this sight and scrunched up his face.
"Your team's students. Weren't there three?"
"Hah, damn it… we got hit. While we were holding them off, three ratmen flanked us. One died on the spot, and another one… that damned…."
"What is it?"
"That stupid bastard shot a Fireball at our backs! He self-destructed right there!"
The guards who had come into the dim light were blackened from burns.
The student on Pig's shoulder also looked seriously burned, and the other guards weren't in good shape either.
Probably, with his life threatened, that student had unleashed the greatest explosion he could muster.
"Hah… still, it's a relief. Our side is unharmed."
"Hmph. Your mages seem capable."
Pig snorted and looked Sid and the other two students over.
Pig's team from the opposite side had lost two students and was in a miserable situation.
Just as Sid had predicted, students without real combat experience had become nothing but burdens, let alone help.
"Save me! Save me…."
"Kyaaah! Mama… Mama!"
Even as they united like this, screams and the sound of metal echoed through the waterways.
It was a tragedy brought about by the zeal of greenhorns who hadn't prepared for anything.
Then Barney, who had fought ratmen before, muttered.
The guards' gazes focused on him at the word they were hearing for the first time.
"Hah… this is like a Monster Biohazard…."
- To be continued in Episode 41 -