"How did it end up like this."
Kai thought, trying to move, but because of the ropes binding him, the attempt was very pathetic. Because of that, his mood fell below rock bottom.
"How stupid I am."
He thought, remembering how he ended up in such a situation.
He decided to satisfy his thirst for information, so without hesitation he decided to go follow the goddess. But who could have known that it would be a bad idea. He saw how she and the other girls were going into the forest, but he did not pay too much attention to it; at that moment his mind was completely focused on the goddess.
But because of the Loki Familia he could not stare as closely as he wanted, and he had to keep quite a large distance.
And when he began to shorten the distance and crawl the entire way so as not to be discovered, he heard the sounds of splashing, but he did not pay attention to it, which was a mistake. His desire to learn more about the goddess clouded his mind too much.
And when the sounds of water grew louder, he could already hear their voices. Finally he raised his head, and before him appeared a scene that Kai had never expected to see. He was so shocked that he dropped out of reality, unable to comprehend what he had seen.
And then he remembered that he had read about a similar situation in a book, especially what happened to the main character because of it. And then he realized that he needed to get out of there as quickly as possible before they noticed him.
Clap.
— What.
— Bell!
— I-I-I… I'm sorry, I didn't see anything!!!
Step. Step. Step.
And when the sound of shouting suddenly spread through the forest, he realized he was finished. There was no longer any need to hide, so he jumped up like a madman and ran. He was so focused on escaping that he didn't notice how fast he was running.
And when he decided to glance back to make sure no one was chasing him, a man suddenly appeared in front of him. Not having time to react, he crashed into him at full speed. Because of the force of the impact, they both fell to the ground, and Kai ended up on top.
— Ah!
A painful groan sounded beneath him, and lowering his gaze he met the man's eyes.
— Heavy.
He wheezed, trying to push Kai off himself, but it was useless.
Kai stared at the man with an expressionless gaze, and when the man's words finally reached him—
— Get off me…
His hoarse voice sounded again in his ears.
— Sorry!
He shouted, and in the same second stood up, not forgetting to help him up. Relief appeared on his face. But before Kai could say anything, a female voice sounded behind him.
— I knew it. But who would doubt it.
Kai froze; for him it was as if time had stopped. Before he could come to his senses, his body had already begun to act.
"Run."
One word flashed through his mind. And before he could take a second step, he was quickly thrown to the ground. Without holding back at all, she pressed him into the earth. But Kai did not give up. He tried to throw her off himself, but it was useless. On the contrary, she only pressed him down even harder, so Kai immediately stopped resisting.
— Where are you going?
— It's a misunderstanding! I can explain!
He shouted.
But when he explained, their suspicion only grew stronger, and now Kai was tied to some kind of post together with the man he had crashed into in the forest—the very man because of whom he had been caught.
If it weren't for that man, he would have been able to escape and would not have ended up in this situation. He could still feel the looks of contempt and… envy? He didn't understand why they were throwing such looks at him. He could understand contempt, but not the looks of admiration and envy.
— Hey, boy, what's your name?
A voice sounded behind him. He didn't need to think to understand who it was.
— Kai.
Kai said quietly.
— My name is Hermes. How pleasant it is to meet a kindred spirit.
He completely misunderstood me, so I immediately denied it.
— I'm not a pervert…
But it sounded so weak coming from my mouth.
— Haha, I understand. I'm not a pervert either. I'm simply a connoisseur of art.
…
— Which familia are you from, Kai?
He suddenly changed the subject of the conversation, asking him a strange question, because Kai had already said that he didn't remember anything when he was explaining earlier, and Hermes had been nearby then. But even so, after some time, Kai decided to answer his question.
— …I don't remember.
— Oh, no need to pretend. No one can hear us, so relax… So which familia are you from, Kai?
— I don't remember.
He repeated again.
Ah?! I see. Playing the role until the end—that's good.
"What is he talking about? The more he speaks, the less I understand the point of this conversation. What game? I don't understand."
…
…
— Mm, Kai. May I ask a question?
— Of course.
Kai answered automatically.
— If you say you lost your memory, how did you end up here?
…
Falling silent, he began to think about where to start: from the story of his awakening, or from the story of Laksir, how he found and saved him.
But his prolonged silence gave Hermes a different impression. He thought Kai simply didn't want to answer him. So he already started thinking of another question that Kai might answer, but before he could open his mouth, Kai beat him to it and began telling the story of Laksir.
— Oh, you're quite lucky, Kai. But not today, haha.
And suddenly Kai had a realization. He had just understood that right now he had the perfect chance to get more information. So without hesitation he asked the next question.
— Hermes, could you tell me about the world?
— Didn't anyone tell you? What was his name… Laksir?
— Well yes… but maybe you know something he doesn't.
In truth, after the first day Laksir didn't tell him anything new anymore. He kept sending him away, saying that he had no time, or saying that he had already explained everything. So Kai didn't learn anything more from him. Of course he asked the others, but even then he didn't get much information.
He hoped Hermes wouldn't refuse and would tell him at least something new.
— Of course, Kai. What do you want to know?
At the positive answer, Kai's lips stretched into a smile. So without thinking long he exclaimed:
— The Dungeon! Hermes, could you first tell me about the Dungeon?
Kai blurted this out so loudly that he involuntarily attracted the attention of the nearby adventurers. But he didn't notice it. He was so excited that he didn't notice the looks around him. He eagerly waited for Hermes's next words.
So Hermes began his story about the Dungeon. Just as Kai expected, he learned many new things about it. But that was only the beginning. He immediately began asking even more questions about the city of Orario, about the gods, and about their familias.
He was so absorbed in Hermes's stories that before he realized it, time had passed and they were finally released.
Rubbing his numb limbs from being in one position for so long, he finally stood face to face with Hermes and could examine him more carefully than he had in the forest. Hermes was a middle-aged man with light hair and orange eyes, but what stood out the most was his hat with a feather.
— Thank you, Hermes.
Kai said with a smile, not taking his eyes off Hermes's figure even for a second.
— It's nothing, Kai. How could I not help my kindred spirit?
He replied with a smile.
— Haha, thanks again.
The more he looked at him, the more that unknown feeling began to bloom deep inside him again—the same feeling as when he looked at Hestia. Thanks to Hermes he had learned a lot about the world. And of course he learned that Hermes was also a god, which surprised him greatly.
Looking away from Hermes, he could no longer look at him because the feeling only became stronger whenever he did. In truth he felt a bit disappointed that he had to say goodbye to Hermes, because there was still so much he had not learned.
— See you la… Huh?
He raised his gaze toward Hermes again, but where he should have been there was only emptiness. Looking around for the familiar figure among the other adventurers surrounding him, he couldn't find even a hint of Hermes. It was as if he had simply vanished. Kai had been lost in thought for so long that he hadn't noticed Hermes leaving.
Throwing one last glance at the Loki Familia, who were preparing to head upward, his determination only grew stronger as he looked at them. Soon he too would go to the surface. But first he needed to persuade Laksir. After all, since he was an adventurer, he had to follow the law of adventurers.
"I should have asked Hermes about the law of adventurers."
He began regretting that he had not asked about the adventurers' laws. He could have learned much more and done everything to avoid breaking them.
He began walking away from the Loki Familia, regretting more and more that so many of his questions had remained unanswered.
Finding no one there, I was surprised. The place was empty—neither Laksir nor that bald old man.
"Where is everyone?"
Kai wondered, carefully examining the room. Then he suddenly remembered that Laksir had been somewhat irritated lately, especially when I asked him about Bell. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that these thoughts would lead nowhere.
So, not knowing what to do, he went to look for someone, because staying here alone didn't feel right to him.
He chose a random direction and calmly set off. After some time, as he walked through the trees, strange noises began to reach him. Without thinking long, he headed toward the noise. And the closer he got, the clearer it became. His eyebrows began to narrow—the sound seemed somehow familiar.
— Surround them!
These were shouts filled with hostility, he realized immediately.
Clang.
And coming closer, he heard the sound of swords clashing. More and more he understood that a battle awaited ahead, so he quickened his pace. He was curious, but he did not want to get into trouble.
So he decided to climb a tree and watch from afar without attracting attention. When he climbed to the very top of the tree, a scene of battle appeared before him. It was what he expected to see, but what surprised him was who exactly was fighting.
From this spot he clearly saw how the bald old man and Laksir launched their swift attacks toward Bell.
Seeing this, Kai's eyebrows rose in surprise, and confusion was clearly visible in his eyes.
"Is it really allowed to attack adventurers?"
Kai wondered, scanning the entire battle below. He saw several adventurers surrounding the red-haired man. Even so, he was able to fight them on equal footing, not yielding a single step. But it was clear he would not last long.
Kai's eyes darted across the battlefield below when suddenly his gaze stopped at one place. There was the goddess Hestia, and on her face were clearly visible distrust and panic.
What confused Kai even more was that the goddess was tied up. So without thinking long, he decided to climb down from the tree.
Jumping down, he didn't want to remain ignorant anymore, so he decided to sneak toward the goddess.
— Stop!!!
!?
He hadn't even taken a step when a single word spread across the battlefield. But even that was enough for everything to fall silent, and no one could move.
"What is happening?!"
Kai exclaimed in his thoughts. His eyes darted around as he tried to move even a finger, but he couldn't. He had completely lost control over his body. Suddenly, deep inside him, an unknown feeling ignited with such intensity that he could think of nothing else.
His consciousness became completely focused on his inner world, and the more he sank into himself, the more he lost connection with reality.
— Again!
Clap.
The last thing he could think before his eyes rolled back and his consciousness left him.
---
– More!
Tearing another monster to pieces and immediately moving on to the next monster.
– More!
Only one feeling drove him, and that was — to survive. The only feeling that pushed him forward. To survive, he had to kill everyone, tear each of them apart. And he did it, he did everything for survival.
Bang.
With a strike tearing open the chest of another monster, which had no end. Kill one, and even more will come, and so it goes all the time. Then he became even more destructive and aggressive, killing monsters with cruelty, destroying the dungeon again and again, so that it did not have time to recover.
– More!
But every kill clouded his mind, and he wanted more and more. And he became more and more aggressive. And with renewed force he attacked them. He did not remember this, he did not understand anything at all, only emotions drove him.
He did not know how much time had passed, but the monsters only kept increasing, and more and more he sank into that feeling until he completely turned into an animal that could no longer think rationally.
Crunch.
Bang.
Until a monster appeared that completely suppressed him, giving him no chance of victory. But even when his body was already on the verge of death, it was still not enough for him, he wanted more, he wanted to survive. Getting up and attacking the monster, but the monster with one swing tore his body apart.
---
– Aaaa, help!
Bang.
– Get yourselves together!
– Captain! It's useless!
– Hold the formation!
Bang.
Crack.
Kai had not even opened his eyes yet when shouts and explosions reached him.
Bang.
An explosion sounded very close to him, because of which his eyes flew open.
– What is happening?!
Kai asked himself, getting up and looking around through the haze in his eyes. And the more he looked at the scene before him, the more his face stretched in shock.
Before him appeared a massacre, in other words it could not be called anything else. And at the center of all this was a large monster with black skin. He saw how Lancer and his company, who wanted to destroy Bell, had now united against a common enemy.
– Yes!
– Ahah, we did it!
They shouted with joy when they managed to cut off the monster's leg. But their joy was not destined to last long, as the monster's limb began to react with monstrous speed. Everyone froze in shock watching the spectacle.
– Wha…
He did not even have time to rejoice when he was crushed by the just-healed leg, giving him no chance of survival.
– AAA!
– Run!
– Retreat! It has regeneration!
In one second the atmosphere turned from joy into despair. But they did not give up, they began attacking the monster with renewed force, not giving it a second of rest. But all of it was useless, any wound healed in a second. Because of this their fighting spirit began to rapidly fall to the bottom.
"Is this really a safe floor?"
Kai asked himself, beginning to move away from the scene happening as far as possible. The last thing he remembered before losing consciousness was how a strange feeling seized him and the words that caused it.
Remembering this, that feeling began to bloom again inside him, so he immediately stopped thinking about it. He completely focused all his strength on escaping.
Bang.
He had not managed to go far when a rock landed just a few meters from him, leaving only destruction.
He could only nervously swallow, looking at the place where it landed, understanding what could have happened to him if he had been in that spot where the rock fell, there would not even have been a wet trace left of him.
Gathering all the strength in his legs, he suddenly dashed forward.
Bang.
But the force that followed that dash was insane, so he did not even have time to understand what happened when he found himself in an instant several hundred meters from where he had been.
– What?!
Kai exclaimed and looked at himself with a new gaze.
"This is the power of an adventurer".
So, without thinking long, with a new feeling he headed back to the battlefield. He could help, so why not. Now he felt more complete, his movements were no longer restrained by his mind, he had understood himself.
– I can do it.
With such thoughts he arrived at the battlefield with a new resolve. But when the scene of despair appeared before him, his motivation decreased.
"Does this power even mean anything?"
He asked himself when before his eyes appeared the sight of the monster's monstrous regeneration, which seemed to have become even faster.
Bang.
Crack.
Seeing how the monster ended another life, his motivation and heroism completely disappeared. Not knowing what to do, he decided to simply watch, and if things got worse he would just run away. With his new strength it would not be difficult, of course if the monster did not turn out to be stronger, because the more he watched it the more hopeless the situation seemed.
"Should I help? Or run away? But the adventurer's law?"
Kai hesitated, not knowing what to do. He could simply watch their battle and hope that they would win. But the more he watched the monster, the more Kai's interest grew.
It was not of colossal size, strong compared to the adventurers, and that is why the battle lasted so long. Thanks to one feature it completely suppressed them. One ability completely destroyed their formation and reduced their will to fight to zero.
No matter how many they were, no matter what wounds it received, no matter how strong they were — one of its abilities placed it above them. A wall they cannot break and move forward. But a hero will come and destroy this wall, giving everyone hope for tomorrow.
Kai thought, remembering the last book he had read. There had been a similar scene there that strongly impressed itself into his mind. But that was only in a book. In reality everything is not like that, no one will come to save them. They will have to take everything into their own hands and break that wall and move forward.
Seeing how the events from the book were happening right before his eyes, Kai's interest soared to the heavens. He wanted to see how they would prove themselves and win. But seeing how the monster proudly stood without a drop of injury or fatigue, and the adventurers on the contrary — fear and fatigue were clearly visible on their faces, and most importantly — despair.
?
Suddenly his gaze fell on a boy who began to glow white and quickly closed the distance with the monster. He was like a white flash that rushed only forward. Looking closer, he recognized the youth — it was Bell.
"No way! That's a hero!"
Kai exclaimed mentally, his eyebrows shot up to the heavens, he could not believe what was happening. What he thought could only happen in books was happening in reality. A hero who would save everyone, crushing enemies.
Bang.
When Bell's figure collided with the monster, an explosion and bright light rang out. But Kai did not care about the pain in his eyes, he did not take his gaze off the monster and Bell for even a second. But deep down he hoped that Bell's attack could at least deal some damage to the monster.
But the sight that appeared before him completely shocked him. Because the monster was no longer standing — it slowly began to disappear.
– He did it!
– Ahahaha! Victory! Ahaha!
– We won!
– Ha-ha-ha, we survived!
– I'm so tired.
– Yes!
– Yes!
– Yes!
He had not even come to his senses when joyful shouts were heard, but Kai's attention was completely focused on Bell. But even so the shouts brought him back to his senses. But for some reason he did not feel the joy he wanted to feel. Everything happened exactly as he wanted, the monster fell, and the scene before him was far more interesting than in the book. But for some reason he felt strange.
It did not take him long to understand what he felt. He quickly realized it was disappointment. He did not know why, because everything had happened exactly as he wanted, but the disappointment did not want to leave him.
And finally it dawned on him, and understanding appeared on his face. He felt disappointment because everything had happened too quickly. And the monster he had praised, placing it in first place in strength here, lost with one strike to an adventurer equal to it. He knew that one was level two, and as he assumed he was also level two.
But even so the difference was colossal. He, like a coward, was afraid and watched from afar, while he moved forward and won.
"But if I had gone, would I have won? Could I shine like him?"
He knew the answer — it was no. He could not be like the hero from books.
That was how Kai saw Bell. He did not know much, but in the past few days he had read many heroic novels, and that was why Kai compared Bell to a hero.
But even so the disappointment did not leave him. But after finding the reason for his disappointment he was able to suppress it quickly, but not completely — a small disappointment still remained. But Kai did not pay attention to it.
So he quickly closed the distance with the group and joined them, and together with everyone he began praising Bell like everyone else, ignoring the looks of contempt on himself. He could guess why they looked at him like that — they had probably seen how he ran away, fled like a coward.
But Kai did not care. He completely focused on praising Bell, and his feeling of disappointment disappeared as if it had never existed, and admiration quickly took its place.
And soon the looks of contempt and hatred completely disappeared — everyone was focused on the joy of victory.
– Bell!
– Bell!
– Bell!
Without hesitating long, Kai joined the shouting.
But the joyful atmosphere did not last long — it quickly changed into an atmosphere of mourning. And he again felt the looks of hatred and contempt on himself, but anger was added to those looks. But no one approached him to cause trouble. They did not accuse him openly, but the intensity of the stares did not decrease, it only increased.
He was not the only one who ran away from the battlefield, but he was a stranger, so all the resentment was directed at him. They made him the one on whom they could direct those feelings.
So in one moment his reputation fell below the floor. But the most surprising thing for Kai was that no one accused him regarding the adventurer's law, even though he had clearly violated it, but no punishment followed. So Kai quickly figured that they pitied him and made an exception for him. Because of that his heart filled with gratitude.
– Come on, Kai. Why are you standing there?
Patting his back, a male voice said. Kai did not need to turn his head to understand who it was.
– Thank you for taking me with you, Hermes.
– You're welcome. Alright, let's go.
After saying that, Hermes walked ahead, and behind him like a tail followed the girl with glasses. Kai had already forgotten what her name was, but he tried his best not to show it.
– Yeah.
Quickly catching up with them, his face shone with expectation and anticipation. He completely forgot about the looks of hatred and anger.
"Orario."