Dark.
Silent.
Cold.
Those were the first things I felt when consciousness started creeping back.
Like waking up from this really long, exhausting dream where everything that happened felt blurry and unreal.
My body felt heavy, like I was drowning in thick water.
Every attempt to move was like fighting against gravity that was ten times stronger than usual.
Slowly, I tried to open my eyes.
The dim light from some glowing magic stone made my still-sensitive eyes squint.
Suddenly... I felt like my head was killing me, like someone had smacked it with a huge hammer.
Even my memories were a bit scrambled.
Where am I?
Who am I?
What was I doing?
I could feel the rough, cold stone floor beneath me. Damp walls, that fishy, dirty smell. It made me realize something.
Dungeon.
I'm still in the dungeon.
My memories slowly came back...
Remembering how I almost died and my body couldn't hold on anymore.
But...
why don't I feel as much pain as before?
My body that should've been broken to pieces now... doesn't hurt as much?
Still aches, but not like earlier when it felt like I was gonna die every time I breathed.
Slowly, I tried to sit up.
My muscles protested with this dull pain spreading everywhere, but at least I could move without feeling like I was gonna pass out again.
And that's when I saw him.
A man sitting casually in the corner of the room, his back turned to me.
His hair was a bit messy, sturdy build with this relaxed posture that somehow gave off a dangerous vibe.
Like a sword ready to be drawn at any moment.
In his hand, he was playing with some magic stone, spinning it around with skilled fingers like someone who was bored.
A black-sheathed sword lay beside him in an easily reachable position.
What made me most wary... he didn't look surprised at all when I woke up.
Like he'd been waiting for this moment.
"Finally awake," he said in this flat tone without turning around. "I'm tired of waiting for you."
His voice... sounded young, maybe a bit older than me. But there was something in his tone that immediately put me on guard.
No warmth.
No expression.
Like a king talking about his kingdom's condition.
The survival instincts that had been drilled into me during my time in Orario immediately kicked in.
I instantly tried to stand while looking for something I could use as a weapon, but my body was still too weak and I immediately swayed.
"Who are you?" I asked with a hoarse voice, eyes never leaving that mysterious figure.
Finally he turned around.
A young face with eyes that were...
weird.
Not weird in terms of shape or color, but the way he looked at things was like someone who saw the world from a completely different perspective.
Eyes that were calm but somehow made me shiver.
And his expression...
Oh no.
His expression completely changed.
From that cold, flat face from before, now he was putting on an expression that looked...
hurt?
Confused?
Disappointed?
But his acting was so, SO obvious!
Like someone who just learned to act yesterday and was trying to copy expressions from some cheap drama.
That immediately destroyed the image I had of him being some kind of strong, badass guy.
"What the hell is that?" he said while dramatically clutching his chest.
"I helped you, shouldn't you be thanking me? Why are you being so wary?"
Oh my god.
His acting is seriously terrible!
Even the worst actor in street theater has better skills than this!
He even made sounds like someone about to cry, but his eyes stayed flat like there were no emotions at all.
And his hand movements were too theatrical, like he was performing on stage for an audience sitting a hundred meters away.
If it weren't for my instincts constantly screaming 'danger', I might've laughed at this ridiculous performance.
"Help?" I looked at him suspiciously.
"Help how?"
He pointed toward my body with gestures that were still theatrical.
"You and your goblin friend passed out in near-death condition. You guys were bleeding everywhere, seriously injured, almost out of blood." He paused for a moment, like he was waiting for praise.
"I brought you both to a safe place and gave you healing potions."
Potions?
I looked around and just realized that Gob was passed out in the corner of the room, his body back to its original green color instead of purple from bruising.
His breathing was steady and his face wasn't as pale as before.
And it's true, my wounds weren't as bad as I remembered.
But still...
"You... the one who hit my head?" I asked while holding my still-throbbing head.
"Oh, that." He scratched his head without looking guilty.
"Sorry about that. Reflex."
Reflex?
Who hits a dying person as a reflex?
Speaking of dying...
"How long was I out?" I asked while trying to remember what happened before.
"Hmm..." he pretended to think with really exaggerated hand gestures.
Then his left hand opened wide like paper, his right hand clenched tight like a rock, then slapped it from above like he'd been enlightened.
"About four hours? Or five? I wasn't counting precisely because I was busy watching over both of you."
Five hours?!
Crap.
That means we've been inactive for a long time. In a dungeon, that could mean serious danger!
"Why did you help us?" I asked suspiciously.
In this world, nothing's free.
Especially from strangers.
The man smiled, but his smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Hmm, maybe because I'm a good person?"
"So... you did this because of... the goodness of your heart?" I asked with a skeptical tone, seeing from his expression that this guy was clearly lying.
His expression changed again.
This time he tried to look shy and humble, but once again, his acting was really bad!
He even scratched the back of his head with movements that were way too exaggerated, like an anime character who's nervous.
"I... I'm not a bad person," he said with an awkward smile that looked forced.
"I just... don't like seeing people die for nothing. Especially when it's not their own fault."
"Especially someone who's friends with a monster," he added in a tone like it slipped out accidentally.
My heart immediately stopped.
He knows.
He knows about my relationship with Gob.
And the way he said it... like someone testing my reaction.
Should I kill this guy?
That thought immediately popped into my head with an intensity that surprised even me.
I'd been prepared for the possibility that someday someone would find out about my secret with Gob, but I didn't expect it to be this soon.
And not in a situation where I'm in such a weak condition.
But before I could decide what to do...
There was this weird sensation that suddenly appeared.
Like a whisper in the back of my head, a warning that had never been wrong before.
Danger.
This guy is dangerous.
Very dangerous.
The same sensation as before I passed out earlier.
Like an alarm screaming loudly throughout my body, telling me that the person in front of me is a high-level threat.
But if he's dangerous, why did he help us?
What does he want?
"What do you want?" I asked directly without beating around the bush anymore.
No point playing cat and mouse with someone who already knows my secret.
His expression changed again.
This time he looked... happy?
Relieved?
And once again, his acting sucked!
He even clapped once like he was happy that I finally asked directly.
"I want to join you guys!" he said with enthusiasm that was clearly forced.
"I just arrived in Orario and don't have any friends. When I saw you two... especially your unique friendship, I thought this was a good opportunity."
Join?
With us?
This doesn't make sense!
"And you think that reason will make me trust you?" I asked while trying to stand again, this time more successfully even though I was still shaky.
"Someone who somehow managed to bring us to safety without being seen by other adventurers..."
I paused for a moment, staring into his eyes that now looked a bit...
guilty?
"You're not an ordinary adventurer." My eyes looked at him calmly.
He was quiet for a few moments.
And for the first time since I woke up, the expression on his face looked genuine not bad acting like before.
The expression of someone deciding whether to be honest or not.
"You're right," he said finally with a voice that wasn't fake anymore.
"I'm not an ordinary adventurer. But I'm also not lying about wanting to join you guys."
"Why?"
"I mean... why us? There must be lots of other adventurers who are stronger."
He shrugged with a natural movement...
not acting this time, clearly he was being honest.
"Because I'm bored. It's been a really long time since I met someone who's... interesting. And friendship between a human and monster? That's the first thing that's made me curious in years."
"Plus... you guys are... unique, yeah unique." He said while standing and leaning against the wall.
Unique?
A polite way of saying 'weird for being friends with a monster'.
I observed him more carefully. His posture was relaxed, almost lazy.
No open intimidating aura.
His katana hung casually at his waist, not in a ready position.
At first glance, he looked like an ordinary adventurer who wasn't too strong.
I tried to read the truth in his eyes.
There was something there... a deep emptiness, like someone who'd lived too long without a clear purpose.
But still, my instincts kept screaming danger.
"If I agreed—AND that's if... what position would you want?"
His face immediately changed again to an innocent expression that was clearly fake.
Oh no, he's starting to act again.
"Supporter!" he said with a cheerful voice that totally didn't match his dangerous appearance.
"Magic stone carrier! I don't want a position that's too prominent. I just want to go on adventures with you guys."
Supporter?
Magic stone carrier?
Something's not right here. Supporter is the lowest position in a party, usually filled by people who don't have combat skills or are just starting as adventurers.
Does he want to hide his real abilities?
The question is, why?
Someone with a danger level as high as what I sensed from him, there's no way he'd want to be an ordinary porter unless there's a specific reason.
Even though I'm thinking hard, I don't know what his goal is.
"Grrmmhh..."
A groan from the corner of the room made both of us turn.
In the corner, Gob was starting to move.
His eyes opened slowly, and the first thing he did was immediately look for me in a panic.
When he saw me in relatively good condition, relief immediately showed on his green face.
But then he saw the stranger, and immediately got ready.
His body position changed to ready-to-fight even though he was still sitting.
"Gob, calm down," I said while giving him a hand gesture.
"He's the one who helped us. He's... probably not dangerous."
'Probably' I thought.
Gob looked at me with an expression that clearly asked 'are you sure?', then looked at the man with narrowed eyes.
The man watched our interaction with eyes that sparkled...
interested?
Curious?
Then he took out two potion bottles from who knows where I didn't see his hand movement at all!
How fast is he?
I was a bit shocked!
"Oh right," he said while casually tossing both bottles toward us.
I caught one, while the other landed near Gob.
"Health potion?" I asked while suspiciously examining the red liquid in the bottle.
"You guys need to drink this for full recovery! But... haahh... actually I don't want to ask for payment," he said with fake sad tone.
"But what can I do... I'm really poor. If I don't get money, I could die of starvation."
Huh?
"You said you helped us, but now you're asking for payment?" I asked with disbelief.
His expression immediately changed to... sad?
Disappointed?
And once again, his acting is bad!
"I-I also need to live. And I... I'm just a poor ronin who just arrived in this city." he said while pretending to look down sadly.
What the hell is wrong with this guy?
"Potions are expensive, you know. I'm not asking for much, just according to the potion price..."
He paused for a moment, then glanced at me with eyes that sparkled cunningly.
I looked at him with a flat expression.
"How much?" I asked shortly, not wanting to get trapped in this cheap drama.
"Eh?" He looked a bit disappointed because I wasn't moved by his acting.
"Oh, um... 25,000 valis per bottle?"
25,000 valis per bottle?
I stared at him with wide eyes. "Are you crazy? That price could buy fancy meals for a week!"
"Eh?" He scratched his head innocently.
"Is that expensive? I don't know the market price in Orario..."
"Regular potions are only 500-1000 valis! You're marking up several times over!"
"But this is high-quality potion," he protested while pointing at the bottle.
"Look at that deep red color, and the effect must be faster than regular potions too."
Gob beside me made a gesture that clearly meant 'what a scammer!'
"Besides," he continued with dramatic expression, "I already said I'm poor, right? If I don't get money, I could die of starvation. Have some pity..."
I looked at him with a gloomy expression. Money is so hard to earn!
"If you need that much money, why don't you just rob people?"
"WHAT?!" He looked shocked at my unexpected suggestion.
"Rob? I... I'm not a criminal!"
"But you want to scam dying people."
"That's not scamming! That's... business!" he said while pointing his finger confidently.
'Business he says?'
"The problem is," I said while patting my pocket, "we don't have that much money. We only have..." I took out small coins from my pants pocket, "...about 10 valis."
His face immediately changed to sad like a kicked puppy.
I could even feel his gaze judging me like 'you're so poor.'
Which made my heart hurt a little.
With a sad expression on his face he said, "But if you guys don't have money now, I can accept a credit system."
Gob and I looked at each other.
We really don't have any money right now.
Credit is one way.
"Fine," I said finally.
"I'll pay after we get out of the dungeon."
He smiled widely... and this time it looked genuine.
"Deal!"
Gob and I drank the potions feeling annoyed.
Even though it was expensive and the way he sold it was annoying, the effect really was good.
It tasted... not bad, actually.
This is better than the potions I usually buy.
Energy started flowing back into my body, small wounds began closing faster, and the remaining pain decreased significantly.
"So," I said while stretching muscles that were starting to feel normal.
"What's your name?"
"Ukyo," he answered with an innocent smile.
"Ukyo Tachibana. A poor ronin who just came to Orario to seek fortune."
"You two?"
He even added sad gestures while holding his chest.
Seeing him introduce himself, my mouth twitched. Can't you not repeat the same sentence?
You mentioned the word 'poor' several times, it feels like you're mocking me!
"I..." I hesitated for a moment. Should I give my real name?
But then I remembered, he already knows about Gob and has information that could endanger us.
Lying about my name wouldn't change the situation.
"Kaen, just Kaen," I said finally.
"And this is Gob."
Gob looked at Ukyo with still-wary eyes, but he nodded slightly as a greeting.
"Hmm... Kaen? Your name is just Kaen?" I saw Ukyo's serious face while rubbing his chin.
'Is my name that serious?'
"Nice to meet you," said Ukyo with a smile that still looked forced.
And just like that I met a man named Ukyo Tachibana.
I'm now walking to the corner of the room to get my sword and spear that were somehow neatly placed there.
Did Ukyo put them there? I feel like my weapons fell on the 5th floor!
The familiar grip immediately eliminated disturbing thoughts.
"Now we need to get out of here," I said while putting my sword at my waist and spear on my back.
"We've been still too long. There must be monsters looking for us."
"Wait," said Ukyo while glancing around the room.
"We're now on the 8th floor."
8th floor?!
I was immediately shocked and stared at Ukyo with wide eyes.
"8th floor? How's that possible? I thought this was the 6th floor!"
Ukyo scratched the back of his head with an awkward movement, while whistling softly.
He looked... guilty?
"Uh... maybe I remembered wrong?" he said with a very unconvincing voice.
"Or maybe you guys walked around a bit before passing out? Hahaha..."
His laugh was very unnatural.
Gob and I looked at each other with the same expression: disbelief.
There's no way we could have gotten to the 8th floor unconsciously.
And it's impossible for someone to carry two unconscious people down five floors without significant help.
Unless...
Unless what? Saying that he's much stronger than I thought?
Clearly this guy is very strong.
Maybe above level 2.
"Ukyo," I said in a serious tone.
"You..."
His expression immediately changed to innocent and naive... bad acting again.
"I'm just an ordinary adventurer who happened to be passing by!" he said with a voice that was too cheerful.
"Nothing special! At all!"
He even waved his hand with exaggerated movements.
Gob made a gesture with his hand that roughly meant: "He's totally lying."
I nodded in agreement.
Then looked at him again.
"Stop looking at me! I'm just a harmless supporter!" he said while laughing with a fake voice.
"You guys can rely on me completely!"
We started walking out of that room.
Gob walked on the right side, eyes constantly watching Ukyo who walked behind us.
I could feel Ukyo's gaze on my back... not a dangerous gaze, but the gaze of someone who was... observing.
Studying.
Evaluating.
Like someone watching an interesting show.
And somehow, that made me more uncomfortable than if he really had malicious intentions.
I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.