¡Whoosh!
The heat could be felt even from nine meters away and the pungent smell tickled the nose.
¡Pum!
As soon as my brain processed the situation, my heart broke.
If this thing had fallen on our heads... the game would be over for all of us.
«Prepare for battle!»
At the moment when Hikurod (who had gone blank due to the sudden turn of events) screamed, some scouts appeared from the bushes. Four people formed an escort around a magician.
Damn, it's clear they don't belong on the third floor. Why are these bastards here?
As I prayed to myself that they were not looters, a beastman with triangular ears smiled satisfied at our battle formation and spoke in an arrogant tone. «This orc colony is the domain of the Dzarwi clan. Go somewhere else».
Clan? No wonder... They all had the same seal on their chests.
Damn them...
I couldn't help but curse. Not because I couldn't understand what these people were doing, but because they were controlling a hunting ground on the third floor.
Shit, doesn't that only happen from the fifth floor?
Dungeon and Stone was a single-player game, but surprisingly, it had a control feature. At first, it seemed to prevent movement between maps during a mission, but once a clan was created later, the player could command a hunting ground. Of course, this required a large amount of manpower, making it a lost business unless it was done within a few rare monster or boss monster habitats.
But are they doing this on the third floor?
I couldn't understand it. I mean, what were they going to gain by dominating a rank 7 monster? Just look at that wizard. Using a high-ranking person like that just to catch orcs was a waste.
Hikurod also seemed to have no idea and asked carefully: «I know that the Dzarwi are active above the sixth floor. But why are you in an orc colony?».
The answer was only cold: «We have no reason to explain it to you».
Aha, I see. I could understand it, but apparently the dwarf couldn't. Although we had shown each other many of our idiotic sides since we were on the same team, this man was still an explorer. He was sensitive to matters related to self-interest, especially if the cause was external rather than internal.
«I have heard that some clans are granted rights in the labyrinth by the royal family in recognition of their achievements. But I have never heard that this place is the kingdom of the Dzarwi clan. Besides, I can't be sure you're really part of that clan». The dwarf expressed his doubts in a logical and orderly manner.
It was certainly a sensible rebuttal. It was clear, from their equipment and from the level of that magic now, that they were much more advanced explorers than us, but there was no evidence that they were part of the clan they claimed to be.
However... I think we should just bounce back in this situation....
Honestly, I was more afraid that they weren't Dzarwi. The great clans may be aware of what others say about them, but these impersonating bastards clearly didn't care about that.
«You tell a funny story». Soon, the beastman put on a displeased expression and looked at us with hatred.
Hikurod did not back down. «They often tell me that».
As the silent struggle for power took hold, tension continued to rise.
Step.
I felt someone approaching from behind. When I looked, it was none other than Missha. Why was he behind me suddenly? As if to hide and avoid something...
«Are you... half an idiot?» When the beast asked with a frown, I felt a jump behind me. What the hell, was he really hiding?
«H-Brother...» Missha stammered and slowly walked out from behind me.
This made the beastman's brow furrow even more. «I told you not to call me that outside».
«L-I'm sorry.»
«And you keep talking like an idiot».
Missha did not respond to the beastman's provocation and only lowered her head. As I expected, I wasn't calling her kind of stupid with affection.
But what is their relationship? Could they really be family?
As he asked me this, the magician behind him asked the question that eased my curiosity. «I was just wondering, but is that lady your little sister?».
«Yes, for now». The beastman nodded his head politely.
The magician stroked his shiny beard. «Hmm, I am indebted to Sir Karlstein. Also, if it's your little sister, she can't be called an outsider, so as a special exception...»
«There is no need.»
«Hm? But-»
The beastman again firmly rejected the wizard's consideration. «Father won't care either. I can't tell you the reason because it's a personal matter». His was a cold and stubborn voice.
«If you say so, okay». The magician also changed his mind and nodded his head without saying anything else. But maybe he thought it deserved an explanation. «Look, men». He stepped forward and spoke persuasively. «Due to the internal circumstances of the clan, we urgently need the essence of a powerful orc warrior. If things go well, you can hunt here after the next cycle, so this time go hunting somewhere else. Or go to the outskirts, where there are no powerful warriors».
Maybe it was because he was a magician, but his tone was much softer than that beastman's. Anyway, he was essentially telling us to get lost.
«I will refuse». Hikurod shook his head and ridiculed the opponent with a cutting tone that was not like his usual one. «It seems like you are claiming a right without official recognition from the royal family, so why should we stick to the internal affairs of your clan? And did you know that what you're doing now is illegal in the first place?»
«... Illegal?» That seemed to strike a chord. The gentle wizard's eyes changed sharply. «A wise explorer would know when to be careful with his words». But he didn't seem to want to create problems later. «When have we broken the law? We were just being considerate and letting you know that you better hunt somewhere else since there won't be any monsters left for you to hunt».
Although it was going around the bush, those words meant that if we didn't leave, they would hunt with all their might to interfere with our own hunting.
Knowing this, Hikurod also bit his lips with an angry face. «Damn...»
Unless we had been forced out or injured, these kinds of matters were not dictated by the laws of the labyrinth. In other words, there was no legal help to support our case.
Trying to trust the law is a problem in the first place.
I felt bad for Hikurod, who was doing everything he could to protect our team's interests, but I wanted to back out from the beginning. The labyrinth was a place where the powerful became law. If he forgot this and made a fuss, he could disappear without a trace.
At this point, he should have realized that now was not the time to be proud, so it would be best to convince him to take a step back.
When I observed the situation and decided to act, Dwalkie suddenly intervened out of nowhere, spitting meaningless words. «Don't worry. I'll take care of this».
Take care? What the hell is this guy saying?
I had no idea. Before he could ask him the meaning behind his words, Dwalkie approached the wizard on the other side with a smile. «Hahaha! Nice to meet you, sir».
«... Sir? We know each other?»
«No, but as a companion who dedicates his life to the study of magic-«.
«That's enough. So who are you?»
Dwalkie didn't expect such a harsh reaction. He paused for a moment and then responded with a forced smile: «My name is Riol Warb Dwalkie. I am a rank 8 mage and official of Rafdonian royalty».
«Aha, so you're trash».
«... Sorry?»
An expression of disgust appeared on the magician's face. He seemed more disgusted than when the word «illegal» was mentioned and seemed to have no intention of hiding it. «The study of magic? Dedicate your life? Is that something a piece of trash who only memorizes a few basic spells and makes a living on the street in the name of sorcery should say? Your shamelessness gives me goosebumps, so I beg you not to go around saying those words». The sharp accusations erupted like rapid-fire cannons.
Is it because he is a magician? Even his choice of words is no joke.
As I admired the wizard's non-stop, breathless speech, I also worried about Dwalkie. If someone said that to my face, I think my soul would leave my body too.
«... ¡Urgh!»
Oh, it's already gone. When I looked to the side, I saw Dwalkie unable to breathe properly and only managing to blink. The way his mouth opened and closed repeatedly was almost reminiscent of a fish thrown into the sand.
Hikurod, who witnessed his best friend's mental breakdown, couldn't stand it and exploded. «Hey! That's too hard!»
«I have only told the truth».
«That? The truth?» A stiff vein bristled on the dwarf's neck and his eyes glowed with unusual murderous energy. «Why you...?»
As soon as I detected this, I grabbed Hikurod by the neck and lifted him up. Immediately afterwards, I confiscated the battle hammer in my hand. As expected, a tingling sensation transferred to my fingertips.
¡Chhhhhh!
[Hikurod Murad has launched Lightning Attack].
Damn, had this bastard lost his mind? I suppressed my anger as much as I could and murmured quietly: «Wake up, Hikurod».
We all almost died a moment ago.
«You have a great teammate», said the enemy mage. «Always be grateful to that barbarian. He has saved you all».
***
Had Hikurod come to? He did not respond to the magician's provocations and rushed to guide the team away. As soon as we reached the outskirts, he bowed dryly before us. «I'm sorry. I lost my temper and my reason. Like he said, if it weren't for Bjorn...»
We'd probably all be dead. Those guys didn't seem generous enough to kindly return someone who attacked them first.
«You just committed recklessness that almost led everyone on your team to perdition», Brown rebuked in a forceful tone.
«...I have nothing to say». Aware of his mistake, the dwarf lowered his head instead of excusing himself.
To be honest, he wished Brown hadn't stopped there and blamed him even more. However, he was too soft-tempered to play the role of commander-in-chief. «But since nothing happened, I won't say anything else. You may have rushed, but I personally think it's good to defend your teammates when they are looked down upon.»
I didn't understand it at all. Instead of cursing him, he was flattering the dwarf.
Shouldn't we at least reduce his share and make him work for free on this expedition?
Mistakes must be punished. Only then will people not repeat the same mistakes. I had that realistic plan prepared in my heart, but this wasn't the right environment to present it.
Shit, am I the weird one here?
When Brown, in his generous nature, forgave the dwarf, the atmosphere around us became strange. It was difficult to describe, but it was an atmosphere that had made me uncomfortable since I was young.
"I feel it too. If it weren't for me, things could have turned out better." Missha was the first to be swept up in that atmosphere.
"T-That's not true!" Dwalkie was the second to chime in. He was startled by Missha's self-incrimination and waved both arms dismissively. Then he spoke in a stammering but firm voice. "I, I… Of course, I'm not always right, but… I think it was thanks to you that we at least heard the truth before we were kicked out! So never think like that."
It wasn't the best comfort in the world, but the mixed emotions within him were conveyed to everyone with sincerity. Perhaps that was why Missha suddenly started talking about herself.
"You know… why I hate talking about my family? At home, they treat me like I'm invisible. Some of you probably already know why." Missha watched us to see our reaction. Brown seemed to know what she was talking about, because he looked away first, and I looked away after him.
Fairies dealt with spirits, dwarves with the blessing of weapons increased their effectiveness when dealing with numbered objects, and barbarians had Spirit Imprint. In addition to their unusually high base agility stats, beastmen also had other racial characteristics.
"I am the only one in my family who could not sign a contract with our spirit beast."
Beastmen were capable of making contracts with ancient beasts. There were many different kinds. They could summon spirit beasts to fight alongside them, enhance their physical abilities with power-ups, or utilize a special ability possessed by the beast through blessings.
Of course, not all beastmen were capable of this. Only a select few talented beastmen were chosen by a spirit beast. But the problem here was that she was a blood relative of the chief, a direct descendant of the Karlstein family. In other words, it was a major issue for a pureblood woman like her to be unable to handle a spirit beast. It wasn't simply a matter of talent, but rather circumstantial evidence that led to speculation about her lineage.
"When I was young, I got along well with my servants. But everything changed when I couldn't make a contract with a spirit beast, even after I became an adult. Everyone called me half-witted, saying I only had half their blood..."
A child born out of infidelity. Because his mother died young, no one ever knew the truth, and Missha couldn't bear the stares and left home. She then focused solely on martial arts and gradually rose through the ranks as a scout.
"Thank you for bringing up such a difficult story." When he finished his short but sharp explanation, Hikurod patted Missha's shoulder with an unusually serious demeanor. Missha was no longer as flustered as before. Now, she resembled a domesticated cat.
"Hikurod... you really think of us as your comrades and fight for us."
Huh, is that what it is?
This emotion was still too difficult for a pessimist like me to understand.
"Hahaha! Since you mention that, I should tell you my story too. My dream was to become a blacksmith. But since I had no talent, I held an apprenticeship for ten years. That's why I didn't become an explorer until after I was 30. I had to earn money, so I thought it was the right time to run away."
Missha's confession seemed to move the dwarf, so he calmly began to tell his story.
Next up was Dwalkie. "There's no one worse than me when it comes to being talentless. Even though I was able to enter the world of magic thanks to my family's wealth, I couldn't get into the magic tower because of my lack of talent. If I had been a real wizard... I would have at least had some self-respect."
Dwalkie then revealed that his goal was to study more magic while earning money as an explorer. He thought this was the end of the conversation when Brown, who had remained silent the whole time, smiled and reignited the flame.
"I've been on several teams so far, but this is the first time I've found myself in a situation like this. I also have something to apologize for. When Hikurod and Miss Karlstein were talking about their years of experience the other day, I couldn't help but feel angry."
"Is that what happened?"
"Yes. My ugly envy was the cause of it. Without knowing that each of you had your own reasons, at that moment I thought that you two complained too much for being people born as if of another species."
Human explorers also had their advantages. For example, they could wield an aura, or become Elementalists, mages, or priests. Some were born to be as great as barbarians. In fact, they possessed the strengths of all races. But in the end, this was only potential, and only a select few had truly exceptional talents.
Soon, Hikurod smiled awkwardly, easing the dull atmosphere. "Hahaha! So we're all a team of half-witted people? That's better. That way we don't have to discourage each other anymore."
Upon hearing those words, the talentless magician Dwalkie was filled with joy. "Absolutely."
"I will work harder to be of help to the team!" The beast woman, who had been born pureblood but could not summon a spirit beast, was moved.
"It might be too early to say for the third day of our first expedition, but I hope this team lasts a long time." Brown, an eight-year-old human explorer at the pinnacle of mediocrity, felt the same way. Everyone acknowledged their own shortcomings, spoke openly, and comforted one another.
As a result, naturally, eyes focused on me, who had not yet confessed anything, as if asking if I had something to share.
Uh, I don't have any of that... I should probably say something to avoid being an outcast on the team, but...
Panic gripped me as all eyes turned toward me, the words tumbled out of my mouth. "I-I don't have a mother!"