"Thank you"
Sitting next to each other, the party members which were on the verge of death moments before, were now happily munching on some jerky.
I was honestly quite shocked by how fast they recovered. Considering the state they were in when I found them, their recovery speed could be described as 'godly'. I mean, it only took them a little bit over 10 minutes before they were able to sit up straight and comfortably eat and drink the food that I gave them.
Then I realized, I was no longer back on earth.
Though I have reincarnated in this place for about 3 weeks, I was still not accustomed to this world's common sense, and rightfully so.
I mean, how can I adjust to this world's common sense after only having been here for three weeks?
It's not like I can rewire my brain to accept the fact that people could heal immediately when back in my previous world, in which I lived for 32 years, serious cases of dehydration would leave a person hospitalized for weeks.
I was now genuinely curious whether all the people who got reincarnated felt the same way I did.
Well leaving that aside, it seems like I was running low on supplies.
In terms of water, I still had quite a lot as my water bottle could hold up to 50 liters of water, but I was running quite low in terms of food.
I had only bought a couple of kilograms of food supplies, thinking that it would last me about a week, and rightfully so, as who would've been able to predict such a situation?
Moreover, since I was planning on staying here for at most 3 days, I didn't feel the need to bring more than a week's worth of food.
What makes matters worse is the fact that the monsters present in this dungeon couldn't be eaten.
Generally, monsters could be eaten but that depended on which monsters.
Some of the monsters which were found in some dungeons could be eaten, and when eaten could boost up a person's stats, however, that was only for a small minority of monsters, as most of them are inedible due to their meat being poisonous.
...and unfortunately for me, all the monsters in this dungeon were inedible.
"Guess I have no choice..."
Taking out a small black box from my bracelet, a slid the cover up and a small red bottom presented itself before me.
Right above the button, there was a small screen that showed fluctuating wavelengths, indicating the signal strength.
This black box, also known as the 'Safe box', was a device that is given to every member before they entered a dungeon.
By pressing the button, the black box would send a distress signal to the nearest dungeon guardian.
Once the dungeon guardian received the distress signal, they would report it to the dungeon operators, which would then swiftly send a rescue team to come to their aid.
The consequence of pressing the button was of course a loss in the deposit, but seeing how mentally exhausted the party was, I could only sacrifice my deposit.
When I was saving them, I did look for their safe boxes, but they were either damaged or malfunctioning.
...Probably from the fight they just had.
In the end, I was left with no choice but to use mine. At most I could just ask them to refund me since I was not using it for myself...
Taking one last look at the members who although physically looked okay but were anything but fine mentally, I decisively pressed the button.
-Click
-Ding! -Ding! -Ding!
As soon as I pressed the button, the black box started emitting rhythmic sounds that spread across the surroundings.
"Huh? strange..."
Initially, after pressing the button, everything seemed normal as the black box kept constantly beeping.
But it was only after seeing the weird looks the party was giving me that I noticed something strange.
Frowning, I took a look at the black box in my hand, and to my surprise the small screen that showed the wavelengths was flat.
Taken aback, I tapped on the back of the black box multiple times, as I wondered whether it was malfunctioning.
"It's no use"
Shaking his head, the first member whom I saved, the one who wore the bulky rhino-like armor spoke up.
"It was also like this for us"
Turning my attention towards them, I couldn't help but frown.
"Then why didn't you tell me beforehand?"
So in the end, the real reason why their safe boxes didn't work wasn't because they were damaged?
Smiling bitterly, the bulky member couldn't help but scratch the back of his head as he said "We still had a bit of hope that maybe the batch of safe boxes we received were malfunctioning and that maybe yours would work...but it seems like this is not the case"
Looking at the other members, who seemed to have lost all hope, my frown deepened.
"I see...there's this one thing that has been bothering me for a while, but what exactly happened to you guys? --Huh?"
As I was asking them about what had happened, which was my goal since rescuing them, I noticed them flinch in horror as soon as I posed the question.
Soon after, their body went rigid, and their eyes became hollow.
Startled, I stood up and looked around me.
"Hey! Hey!"
After making sure there wasn't anyone around, I went in front of them and tried to wave my hand in front of their faces but it was to no avail. Their complexion turned deathly pale as their teeth soon started chattering.
Soon, as if they were in a trance, they each simultaneously looked at the sky and started speaking nonsense.
"Please...no...I don't wan-...."
"No..no..Ah..AHHHHHH"
"Death....demon..."
"Lucy...I will be late for di..nner...wait for..papa"
"Lord..savior"
Although they were all speaking nonsense, one word specifically caught my attention.
"Demon.."
Turning my attention towards the person that said those words, a brunette young girl with two pigtails and clothing that were proof of her mage status, started spasming on the ground.
Soon after she started spasming, all the other party members showed a similar reaction as bubbles started coming out of their mouths.
"Oy, what's going on here?"
Startled, I immediately moved towards them and tried slapping their faces a couple of times to get a reaction from them...but it proved ineffective, as their pupils quickly disappeared alongside their pulse.
"Dead...dead...dead...fuck!"
Swearing out loud, I dropped on the sand and dazedly stared at the red horizon.
It wasn't their death that shocked me the most, but it was how they died and the last words that the girl said before dying.
"Demon..."
There was only one type of curse that could cause someone to die just moments after they recovered...
'Mindbreaker'
An especially vicious curse planted by demons.
It now became apparent that this was the work of a demon, as they were the only species that were capable of implanting this type of curse inside of a human.
Moreover, I believe that the only reason they were still alive was not because the demon let them go...no, it was because the demon wanted to torture them by making them suffer from dehydration and starvation.
"Sick fucker! Ahhhh!"
-Pa!
Punching the sand with all my force, fine granules of sand started falling from the area I had punched leaving behind a small crater.
Although it may perhaps be due to the shock of me witnessing people dying in front of me for the first time in my life, my emotions were in a state of disarray.
I could hardly think clearly, as the images of the party dying kept repeating in my mind over and over again.
The little details that I had missed prior to their deaths started replaying in my mind, such as the expressions they had before they died, and the last words they were struggling to say prior to their death.
'And here I was hating protagonists in novels who sympathized with deaths...'
Bitterly laughing, I thought back to the time that I used to leave hate comments on novels where the protagonist sympathized with the deaths of unrelated people.
It was only after experiencing this for the first time that I realized how bang on the authors were when depicting the raw emotions one felt when death occurred before them.
It was only now that I started realizing how cruel and fragile life was.
Since reincarnation in this world, I had mentally prepared myself for these kinds of situations, but...it is only after having experienced this first hand that I realized how daunting it is to see someone die before you.
After collecting myself, I took their identifications and everything I could find on their bodies before burying their bodies underneath the sand.
"huuu..."
Taking a deep breath as I calmed myself down, I realized that my decision in helping them was a good one.
...the main goal in helping them wasn't because I was a good two shoes...no, I frankly didn't care about them, the only reason why I was upset was because I saw people dying in front of me for the very first time...something that I had never been exposed to back in my past life.
Either way, the reason I helped them was because I wanted to know what had happened to them and fortunately, I had accomplished my goal.
Demon.
A demon was lurking inside of this dungeon...
Taking one last look at the burial site, I turned around and left the area.
Knowing that there was a demon here, I decided to go back to the entrance.
There was no way I was going to stay here any longer.
...
-Clank!
-Screeeeech!
"Haaah!"
A loud screech followed by a loud shout resounded across the surroundings as the silhouette of a small human could be seen fighting against a gigantic creature that looked to be the size of a small building.
The loud shout and screech were soon drowned by the sound of metal clashing against a hard surface as the small figure slashed towards the enormous creature.
"Huff...huff...huff"
Wiping the sweat that had accumulated on my forehead, I stared at the enormous worm that was before me. Its features which looked like an enlarged version of a sand sprout became even more apparent as its figure emerged from the sand. The enormous razor-sharp teeth, which layered on the top of its four petal-shaped mouths bore down on me as its massive body dove towards my direction each time it attacked.
It's been precisely twenty minutes since encountering this creature, and because of its sneaky attacking method where it would continuously dive in the sand as soon as it attacked, and added with its enormous body, I was left totally helpless against it.
Previously, when I fought against sand sprouts, I would always target their mouth which was their weak point. However, because the boss monster was an enlarged version of the sand sprout, even though I wanted to attack its mouth the option was no longer feasible as my sword was like a small toothpick compared to the sheer size of the monster.
"Fuuuuu..."
Letting out a long breath, my right hand which was gripping on my sword that was sheathed in its scabbard suddenly clenched, and as I unsheathed it, a beautiful arc appeared in the air as I suddenly jumped backward.
-Schreech!
Without even bothering to hide its presence, the large worm arrogantly appeared from beneath me. Its large mouths which were riddled with sharp razor-like teeth opened widely as its enormous frame slowly appeared from beneath the sand.
-Clank!
-Crank!
Initially, the only sound that could be heard was the sound of my sword clashing against the hard surface of the worm causing me to lightly frown in annoyance, but my annoyance soon turned into delight as a small cracking noise could be heard from the hard surface of the worm as fine miniature threads that spread like cobwebs started appearing on the tough surface of the worm.
"Finally...my hard work has paid off!"
Delighted, I started attacking more fiercely.
10 minutes prior to now, I realized that if I were to continue to pointlessly attack the worm I would only find myself becoming food for the monster as I would eventually run out of stamina. Therefore, seeing that my current method was not working, I started devising a strategy.
Due to the sheer size of the monster, attacking its mouth was no longer an option. But, just as much of an advantage its size was, it also had a critical flaw.
Its speed...
It was incomparable to actual sand sprouts who shot like bullets from beneath the sand.
Not only were they faster, but they were also much harder to detect as their small size allowed them to reduce the number of vibrations they could create when moving underneath the sand.
Taking advantage of its reduced speed, I started attacking the same place continuously, in the hope of finally cracking its seemingly impenetrable exterior.
Finally, after 10 minutes of continuously attacking the same spot, a small crack appeared on the surface of the worm causing me to rejoice.
"Now it's time for the roles to reverse..."
Having already cracked the outer shell of the worm, the rest of the fight was fairly easy.
Since I still had a couple of [Stamina recovery] potions, I did not have to worry about running low on stamina as I fought against the boss monster. Thus, I vigorously hacked away at the weakened surface of the monster whenever it appeared from beneath the sand.
ten minutes after the first crack, the cracks that were only as small as thin spider threads started enlargening revealing the worm's soft inner layer.
twenty minutes after the cracks expanded, the tough outer shell finally couldn't withstand the attacks and broke, fully revealing the pulsating inner layer of the worm.
Finally, thirty minutes after the outer shell was broken, I rested on top of the carcass of the now-dead worm. Slowly catching my breath and looking at my clothes which were now riddled with holes, I bitterly smiled as I lamented at the fact that I had brought no spares.
My sword which was firmly imbued on the body of the worm was covered in green blood, and if it weren't for the fact that I was too exhausted to move, I would've already removed the sword as the blood was highly acidic.
Fortunately, being an artifact, the sword could withstand the acid, giving me enough time to recover before finally retrieving it.
-Shuaa!
Removing the sword from the corpse, green blood sprayed everywhere and some of it even got on my clothes further ruining them.
At this point, I couldn't even be bothered caring about my ruined clothes as I was facing a bigger issue.
"How do I store this...?"
Alternatively looking at the massive corpse and my bracelet, my brows knit.
If I was fortunate enough, then maybe I could store the corpse but...looking at the contents of my bracelet I couldn't help but cursed inwardly as half of my storage space was already filled with corpses.
It simply did not have enough space to fit this monster.
What bugged me off even more was the fact that this sort of issue could've easily been resolved if the safe box still worked.
Although I wouldn't need to pay a deposit, a small commission would've been needed to pay if I were to have called for help in regards to collecting the monster corpse.
But now that the signal was gone...
I swear I will kill this goddam demon!
There was no doubt that the corpse of this boss monster could've fetched me a hefty sum, but now that I didn't have enough space and I couldn't call for support, I was only left with two options.
One, dump some of the monsters inside of my bracelet to make space for this monster, or two, only take the most important parts of the monster and discard the body.
Typically, the skinning and material collection would be left to the dungeon management as untrained hands could result in the monster's corpse becoming damaged and thus reducing the overall monetary compensation given.
At the end of the raid, the corpse would directly be given to the dungeon management which would process it in front of you. During the corpse dismantling in the off-change that a monster core was found, the dungeon management would immediately propose an offer to you.
Typically, not all monsters had monster cores as only a small percentage of monsters had them, but on the rare occasion that a monster core was found, you had basically hit the jackpot as each monster core went for a really high price.
Looking back and forth between my bracelet and the gigantic body before me, I contemplated for a bit before sighing and making my way towards the monster.
-Sha!
Using my sword, I directly hacked the worm's massive body, resulting in more blood splattering all over me.
At this point, I doubt I'll be able to return with clothes on...
As I hacked the monster's massive body I slowly collected its teeth, organs, and other useful parts that could be traded for money.
I decided to just discard the monster and collect the most important parts of the worm. Though, I do feel pity for the fact that I didn't have enough space. Since the worm's outer shell could've easily have fetched me a good sum of money due to its durability.
In any case, If I were to place this monster inside of my bracelet I would no longer have any more space in my bracelet.
Though the monster was huge, it would at most be worth, in monetary terms, about the same as ten regular monsters which took less space, so I might as well just take the important parts.
Pity that I lost some money, but hey...like they all say 'You can't have it all'
After thirty minutes of constant hacking, I managed to collect all the important bits. I did look for the core but sadly the monster didn't have one.
As I didn't have my hopes up, I wasn't disappointed.
Who knows maybe one of the many monsters in my bracelet had a core, though I doubted this.
Satisfied with what I had, I turned around and made my way back towards the entrance of the dungeon. I had already wasted too much time fighting against the boss monster.
...but I had no choice, it's not like I could outrun it. Thus, I was left with no choice but to fight it.
During the journey back, I started noticing strange things happening in my surroundings.
Stopping, my feet slowly sank in the sand, using my hand in a similar fashion to a military salute, I squinted my eyes to get a better view of what was happening ahead.
"sandstorm..."
Before me was a massive wall-like front that was approximately five thousand feet in height. The wall-like front expanded all the way towards where my sight couldn't see and was quickly picking up its speed.
-Whizz!
The whistling sound of the glaring wind could be heard as the sand in my surroundings started to get swept by the massive wall-like front, entering the turbulent and suffocating cloud of sand.
Looking at the massive storm cloud that was quickly approaching me, I was left with no choice but two make two decisions, run away or keep going forward?
"Don't really have a choice do I?"
Bitterly smiling, I discarded the possibility of me running away as the sand storm was approaching at speeds that I couldn't keep up with. Moreover, the entrance of the dungeon was in the same direction as where the sandstorm was...
Left with no other choice but to continue walking forwards, I tightly tied my make-shift hijab and headed towards the sand storm.
Soon the storm enveloped me, rending everything in front of me impossible to see.
Inside the sand storm, the further I walked the more I could feel the wind picking up its speed as granules of fine sand started hitting my eyes, obstructing my vision.
It started to get so bad that I couldn't keep my eyes open due to the constant stinging sensation in my eyes.
'I wished I had a pair of glasses'
I thought as I kept walking forwards with my eyes closed.
Honestly, I did not prepare enough.
Because I was in too much of a haste, I did not properly plan out my trip inside the dungeon, resulting in me making too many newbie mistakes that shouldn't have happened. Things such as forgetting to bring a spare set of clothes or bringing extra food rations in the rare chance I was stranded, were things that every person who went to the dungeon did.
I think that the fact that this was my first time entering a dungeon and the fact that I was still not accustomed to this world's common sense contributed to me making so many mistakes.
There was just too much of a difference between writing a novel and actually being in one.
In the novel, I could just make Kevin have everything with just a thought. Things such as a spare set of clothes and extra food were never a concern for him as I would always make it so that he was always prepared. Moreover, whenever the protagonist would prepare to enter a dungeon I would just simply write 'packed up his stuff' which was not specific enough.
That in itself was one of the reasons for my negligence as I tended to depend on the novel too much.
Things that should've been common sense like clothes and at least a month's worth of food completely flew over my head, resulting in me facing the current situation.
Ah...
It was fine to use the novel as a reference, but I shouldn't rely on it too much.
I needed to start thinking things thoroughly before going into dangerous situations.
-Whizzzz!
"Ughh..."
The further I walked into the storm the stronger the wind became.
My make-shift hijab was swept away by the strong gales, exposing my face to the sand which was traveling at extreme speeds, causing my face to become numb due to the pain.
Using my hands to protect my face, I slowly but steadily walked further into the storm.
My current goal was to reach the eye of the storm as it was the safest place to be inside of the storm. The reason why the eye was so calm was that the strong surface winds that converge towards the center never reach it due to a force called the Coriolis force.
-Whizzzz!
-Whizzzz!
-Whizzzz!
Two hours into the storm, although everything looked the same, my ears picked up the extreme sound of winds ruthlessly glaring in a certain location.
Hearing the ruthless sound of the wind, I knew that I was at the edge of the eye where the scariest, nastiest, gnarliest part of the storm was located. The eyewall. The area around the eye formed an unbroken wall that obstructed anything that tried to pass it.
Fortunately, I was prepared for this.
"Fuuuuu..."
Arriving at the edge of the eye, I let out a long breath and calmed my mind.
Slowly a white glow emanated from my body as I touched the handle of my sword.
Soon the glaring sound of the wind disappeared, my mind became as calm as a lake, and everything around me turned tranquil, making me fall in some sort of a trance.
The first movement of the [Keiki style] : Quick flash
-Shua!
At the speed that the naked eye couldn't see, a small gap appeared on the surface of the eye.
Without skipping a beat, I immediately jumped inside the small gap.
-Whizzzz!
-Whizzzz!
-Whizzzz!
"Huff...huff"
Lying face down on top of warm sand, I breathed heavily as I felt the area around me calm down. I was finally able to catch a breather.
Though I was in the eye of the storm, the strong sound of the wind never disappeared.
Dusting the sand that covered me, I took a good look at my surroundings.
The first thing that I noticed was a large circular wind wall that was dyed yellow due to the sand. It expanded all the way around me, inside of a circular region that had a radius of a couple of kilometers. Looking up I could see the cloudless blue sky that I had not seen since entering the storm.
"This is crazy..."
This was a sight I would've never been able to see back in my previous world.
Ever since reincarnating in this world, I have experienced something new each day.
Sitting on the sand I let out an exhausted yawn. Apart from the glaring sound coming from the eyewall, everything around was peaceful, allowing me to finally catch my breath
"...Hm?"
Just as I was about to take a quick nap, In the distance, at the center of the eye, I noticed a large black castle-like structure.
"What's this?"
I had never heard of such a thing appearing inside of the novel...
What was going on?
Slowly walking towards the black infrastructure, I warily glanced at my surroundings, but it was to no avail as everything around me was quiet.
Arriving in front of the large black castle, I warily placed my hand in front of its large wooden door that was at least five meters in height
-Creak!
Slowly the door opened.
Instantly, a thick scent of iron invaded my nostrils. Opening the door further, and revealing what was behind it, I froze in shock.
Thick black pillars that reached all the way to the ceilings appeared all over the massive hall, supporting the building. On the pillars, brightly lit torches were attached, illuminating the surroundings revealing a scene that never in my life would I ever had wanted to see...
A pool of blood covered the entire floor of the castle as limbs and corpses could be seen sprawled all over the floor. The corpses each had their eyes wide open, and their expression was that of pure terror.
A shudder ran down my spine as this gruesome scene slowly imprinted itself inside of my mind.
Slowly I lifted my head and then I saw it...
Haughtily sitting on top of a dark throne made of skulls, a dark-skinned humanoid creature with devilish horns protruding from the top of its forehead appeared in my sight causing my blood to turn cold. With one of its legs resting on the armchair of the throne and an arm supporting one of its cheeks, the creature had its eyes closed. It had a muscular human body with two bat-like wings attached to its back. From behind its tailbone, a long black tail wiggled around the air.
Sensing something, the humanoid creature slowly opened its eyes revealing two deep red eyes that exuded boundless bloodlust.
Staring at me who was frozen solid in place, the humanoid-like creature eerily smiled as it looked down on me.
"Ku Ku Ku, what have we got here?"
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