Chapter 8. Night Companion (1)
I am walking through the cave.
This time, I am not waddling.
I am walking properly.
Your character has equipped Leather Boots.
Your Overall Item Level has increased by +5.
The boots are a little loose.
Thanks to that, I learned one more thing.
For his height, the Old Man had big feet.
Anyway, they were quite sturdy, so even if I stepped on a trap, I would no longer suffer a fatal wound like before.
Your character has equipped a Two-Handed Hammer.
Your Overall Item Level has increased by +30.
This hammer, made of solid iron, was about one meter long.
It was a two-handed blunt weapon when the Old Man used it, but I could swing it easily with just one hand.
Your character has equipped Shoulder Guards.
Your Overall Item Level has increased by +13.
They are made of steel.
I loosened the straps a bit, and they fit perfectly.
With my shirt off and only the guards on, I looked like a gladiator.
Your character has equipped a Backpack.
Your Inventory has increased.
Now I no longer had to store bloodstained Magic Stones with my bread, and it was much less cumbersome to move.
Chew, chew.
I take out some Jerky and chew on it.
It was a snack, so there wasn't much, but it tasted better than bread.
I cut the remaining part with a portable knife and stored it carefully so it wouldn't get my saliva on it.
On the second day, I graduated from a primitive life.
When I'm thirsty, I drink water from my Water Flask.
If I want to know the direction, I use the Compass, and if I want to know the time, I take out my Pocket Watch to look at it.
A bottle of emergency Potion would allow me to handle any unforeseen injuries.
Isn't it a bit ironic?
By killing a man, I was able to live a bit more like a man.
***
Bjorn Yandel
Level: 1
Physical: 25 / Mental: 37 (New +1) / Supernatural Ability: 1
Item Level: 72 (New +48)
Overall Combat Index: 81 (New +13)
***
Smash was a good skill even when used with a Shield, but with a proper weapon in hand, its power was on another level.
Thwack!
With one swing of the hammer, a Goblin vanished into light.
If I had known, I should have just chosen a weapon at the start.
I could have bought a Shield later after saving up some money, couldn't I?
Well, I didn't know I would be this good at fighting back then.
Is it because I'm in a Barbarian's body?
When I fight, I feel as if my body is not my own.
I should be getting used to it by now, but seeing this body always exceed my expectations still makes me gasp in amazement.
"I'm sleepy as hell."
Yawning, I pick up the two Magic Stones that have fallen nearby and put them in my bag.
This was a change that started on the second day.
Goblins started appearing in pairs.
Perhaps tomorrow, they will increase to three or four, and it will continue like that until the seventh day when the Labyrinth closes.
It was like that in the game, after all.
In that sense, it's not bad so far.
My Combat Power increased with the new weapon, and the various Consumables made me safer.
It's going quite smoothly.
'Except for the fact that my eyes keep closing.'
I've been moving and fighting Goblins continuously since yesterday.
But I've slept for less than ten minutes in total, and even that was just dozing off while standing.
I want to sleep.
I don't even wish for a blanket and pillow.
I just want to curl up and lie down, even on the bare ground.
I really feel like I'm going to die like this—
"Ah, shit!"
I almost tripped over a stone while dozing off.
Uncharacteristically, I was lucky.
If it had been a trap, I would have been in big trouble.
"At this rate, I should just sleep a little..."
As soon as I made the decision, I leaned against the wall with the Shield and hammer in my hands.
Although there is no Night Companion beside me...
It feels safer this way.
If I'm going to be ambushed anyway, I'd rather it be Goblins.
Wouldn't the chances of survival be higher if I were stabbed with a Carving Knife?
Rather than being beaten with a hammer while sleeping on my back.
Tap—
Damn it.
I opened my eyes, hearing the all-too-familiar footsteps.
They didn't show their faces for over four hours when I was on watch.
But as soon as it seems like I'm dozing off alone, they appear.
I see now why the Old Man told me not to look away.
...
Persistent bastards.
I immediately rushed forward and slammed the hammer into the Goblin's head.
Thwack!
"G-Gruk!"
A total of two were creeping up on me, but as soon as one saw its friend turned to pulp, it immediately turned tail and fled.
Yeah, go on, get out of here.
I don't even have the energy to chase you.
"Ha, you motherfuckers..."
I checked the time, and not even ten minutes had passed.
In the end, I had no choice but to wander the cave again and hunt Goblins.
Then, when I got so tired I couldn't take it anymore, I leaned against the wall and dozed off for a bit, just like before.
There were a few close calls while I was dozing, but there were only two times I felt like I was really about to die.
Once, I sensed a presence and opened my eyes to see some explorer quietly approaching me.
When our eyes met, the man smiled as if embarrassed, then backed away and disappeared.
...
Thinking about it again gives me the fucking creeps.
As for close calls, the second one was just as intense.
Especially since it's happening right now.
Your character was attacked by a Goblin during sleep.
For the first time, I woke up to pain, not a presence.
I saw a Goblin right in front of my nose.
I first smashed the one in front with the hammer, and the other one, once again, scurried away.
"G-Gruk!!"
I immediately checked the source of the pain.
And, oh my god, there's a Carving Knife stuck between my collarbones.
...
Shit, no wonder my left arm wouldn't move properly.
Phew, still, it's a huge relief that it ended with just pain.
If I were a little shorter, or if the Goblin had a slightly better jumping ability, this Carving Knife would be stuck in my neck.
Grind.
I grit my teeth and pull out the Carving Knife.
Then I take a Potion from my bag and drip a few drops onto the wound.
No sooner had I closed the cap and put it back in my bag than the blood started to bubble and the wound began to regenerate quickly.
Sizzzzzle.
The bastard who made this Potion, is he a psychopath?
Somehow, it hurts more now than when I was stabbed.
"Guuuh, hehehehe..."
After about five minutes, the pain disappears.
With this much pain, you'd think I'd be wide awake, but my eyelids feel much heavier than before.
The focus of my eyes blurs if I lose concentration even for a moment.
It's time to make the decision I've been putting off.
This Barbarian body is sensitive to killing intent, but even so, there's a limit to how much I can doze off like this.
Just now, I only woke up after being stabbed.
'I need to rest.'
I checked the time; about fourteen hours had passed since I parted with the Old Man.
The adventurers active on the First Floor must also be starting to look for Night Companions again.
"Hey Barbarian, are you by any chance looking for a Night Companion?"
Indeed, as I was wandering nearby, explorers started talking to me first.
And quite eagerly at that.
"Hmm, you look quite tired. Won't you come over here?"
"A Barbarian is trustworthy. We'll be three if you join. How about we team up?"
I feel like a popular gigolo.
Maybe it's because it's the second day and everyone's in a similar state?
I don't see anyone making a fuss about the smell.
Or maybe the smell was never the problem in the first place.
Well, my appearance yesterday—covered in blood, missing a shoe, and waddling—was a bit much.
"Alright? That's a shame."
Despite the numerous love calls, I refused them all and continued through the passage.
Ha, isn't there a single sturdy Barbarian around here?
Actually, the best case for me would be to meet one of my own kind and become Night Companions.
The problem is that until now, on the second day, I haven't seen a single Barbarian.
"You're looking for your own kind? Hmm, that'll be tough."
"Tough? Why is that?"
"Even a Barbarian who has just finished their Coming of Age Ceremony goes up to the upper floors within a couple of months. I don't know for sure, but there are probably less than a hundred on the First Floor."
After some inquiries, it seems Barbarians themselves are rare on the First Floor.
Well, it would be strange to be dawdling on the First Floor with a body like this.
In the first place, 99% of the explorers I met on the First Floor were human.
"Why not join us instead?"
"Sorry, but I can't do that."
"I see. I'll pray that the blessing of Rafdonia is with you on your journey."
"Thanks."
This Old Man seemed quite trustworthy, but I continued moving on after that conversation.
Once I learned that a Barbarian's heart was valuable, there wasn't a single explorer who didn't look suspicious to me.
Click.
I took out my Compass.
Ever since I got this, I've been continuously moving south, but I still haven't even left the Goblin District.
It makes me realize just how big the First Floor is.
'...
Should I give up on finding my own kind?'
The deliberation was not long.
I decided to stop searching for a needle in a desert and make a realistic plan.
Find a Night Companion, even if they're not my own kind.
But, exclude humans.
I will look for a non-human, who make up the remaining 1% of the population.
An Elf who values promises or a Dwarf with a character as open-hearted as a Barbarian would be the best...
But another non-human would be fine too.
Unlike humans, most non-humans can afford to be patient.
With the talent to climb straight up if given time, they wouldn't be blinded by petty cash and harm a fellow explorer so early on.
Having made that decision, I wandered the cave for about an hour.
And...
You have encountered a wounded, unfamiliar Fairy.
I finally found the non-human I had been searching for.
***
The moment our eyes met, a strangely suffocating silence began to fall.
"..."
The pointy-eared Fairy, leaning against the wall, sat there silently staring at me.
Was she dozing off alone without a Night Companion?
In her amber eyes, which shone like a cat's, I could sense bewilderment and deep wariness.
No matter how I look at it, she seems to be wishing for me to just pass by and disappear...
Ssk.
As the standoff dragged on, the Fairy stood up with a tense face.
But her posture is unnatural.
Looking closely, I could see a wound on her abdomen.
"You're hurt."
It's a long cut, though not deep.
Something that could never be made by the Carving Knife a Goblin uses.
I quickly came to a conclusion.
"Was it a human?"
The Fairy didn't answer.
She seems to be afraid of me.
Well, I can understand.
If I were in her shoes, injured, and a giant this big approached me, I'd be scared shitless too.
Plus, her gender is female, isn't it?
Her body is also tiny.
Is she about 160cm?
Anyway, this isn't a bad situation—
"Please, save me."
Huh?
"Please. Just this once, please look the other way, Mr. Barbarian. I have a younger sibling to take care of in the city."
Just as I was wondering what this was all about.
The Fairy dropped to her knees without a second thought.
At some point, moisture had even welled up in her eyes.
"I'm begging you."
What the, what kind of Fairy has so little spirit?
To be honest, I thought she was the cool beauty type.
Not just because of her looks, but in the game, the way Elves spoke and their personalities were mostly like that.
Phew, if I had known she was this kind of character, I would have approached her completely differently.
Let's clear up this misunderstanding before the situation gets worse.
"I have no intention of killing you."
I say it with precise pronunciation while meeting her gaze.
Since the eyes are the windows to the soul, if I just give her time to calm down, she will know that what I'm saying now is sincere—
"... Do you really have to be like this, Mr. Barbarian?"
—is what I thought, but hell no.
An identity crisis is setting in.
I feel like a flasher harassing a high school girl in front of her school.
I'm definitely a Barbarian, though.
"Just this once, please, just let it go this one time."
As my silence grew longer, the Fairy, with a gaze deepened with fear, even took a step back and clutched the front of her clothes.
I was dumbfounded.
What kind of lives do these Barbarian bastards live? What kind of image do they have for her to act like this?
"Huuu..."
A sigh escapes me on its own.
What should I do?
If I show her through my actions, not words, that I'm not that kind of trash, will the misunderstanding clear up a bit?
...
That doesn't seem like a bad method.
"Get yourself treated first. We'll talk later."
I take a step back and toss the herbs and bandages from my bag.
"This is, a Richo Leaf...?"
So this was a Richo Leaf after all.
From now on, I can use it without worry.
I couldn't use it even when I was hurt earlier, worried that it might be a poisonous plant.