Chapter 61 - Rules for Survival (4)

The afternoon of day seven.

Over eighty hours have passed since I was separated from the dwarf's group and stranded in this godforsaken forest.

"..."

I'm still here.

Staring blankly at the fucking hallucinations that grow worse with each passing day, hearing those voices, I wander through the forest in silence.

Something changed after our first day stranded here.

"..."

We've stopped saying anything beyond what's absolutely necessary. Not because we've hurt each other's feelings or anything. We simply don't have the strength left to talk.

Oh, one other thing has changed.

"..."

I've tied Misha and myself together with a rope. We look like dried fish strung together on a binding cord.

It's a trick we naturally picked up from spending so long in Witch's Forest. This way, if one of us falls behind or gets separated, we can follow the rope back to each other.

"Bjorn... a little slower. Please slow down, nyah..."

"All right."

I slowed my pace.

Misha's condition had taken a sharp turn for the worse this morning. She hadn't fallen sick, nor had an injury worsened. Her exhaustion had simply reached its limit.

We trudged on.

Even after slowing down, I kept feeling a tug at my waist. Could she not keep up with even this pace?

After a moment's thought, I stopped.

"Let me carry you."

"...?"

"You'll feel better if you get even a little sleep."

"B-but..."

Misha trailed off, looking at me.

Well, I could see why she'd find it ridiculous. Going purely by appearances, I looked several times worse than she did.

'Even a beggar wouldn't look this ragged.'

The cloth clothes beneath my armor were tattered and riddled with holes, and my iron equipment bore patches of corrosion all over.

All of it was a side effect of awakening Misha. Taking off the Frost Spirit Ring had reactivated the Corpse Golem's Passive Skill, which I'd kept sealed away. Minor scrapes were routine when fighting monsters, and the acidic blood splashing out each time had left me looking like this.

'The repairs alone are going to cost a fortune.'

I smiled bitterly. My breastplate and shield, made of the tier-two material lightinium, were in relatively decent shape, but even they had long since lost their former pristine white luster.

Had she misunderstood that smile somehow? Misha spoke up anxiously.

"I-I'm fine, nyah. You should rest instead. I'll carry you, nyah!"

I appreciated the offer, but...

Was that realistically possible?

"Enough. Come here."

Refusing to argue any further, I grabbed Misha around the waist and lifted her up. Her slight body felt utterly limp. She didn't even have the strength to resist.

"I'll wake you if anything happens. Until then, get some proper rest."

"But..."

"Ah-ah."

"... Thank you, nyah."

Draped over one of my shoulders, Misha finally accepted the situation without a fuss.

Perhaps she couldn't fall asleep right away. She spoke to me in a tiny voice.

"Bjorrn."

"What is it?"

"... D'you know, nyah?"

"Go on."

"Mmm, such a nice smell... nyah..."

A nice smell. So what? At least finish your sentence.

For a moment I wondered what she'd been about to say, but... well, she must have been dreaming. There was no way a body stained with blood and sweat, unwashed for days, could smell nice.

Soon, the sound of her soft, even breathing made me smile in spite of myself. I let out a quiet chuckle.

See? You people just hadn't been desperate enough.

No matter what you see or hear, once you're truly exhausted, you can drift off anywhere. That's how the human body is designed. It has to keep you alive, whatever the circumstances.

'Well, let's keep going.'

I continued through the forest with Misha slung over my shoulder. I wanted nothing more than to set her down and rest beside her...

But I couldn't.

「84 hours have passed since you entered Witch's Forest.」

「Field Effect - Witch's Forest intensifies.」

「The status effect [Witch's Eye] advances to stage 5.」

The field debuff [Witch's Eye].

This was the real reason Witch's Forest was considered nothing more than a place to pass through. Its effect was simple.

Remain in one place for a certain amount of time, and the rank-7 monster Canibaro was guaranteed to appear. That time grew shorter with each successive stage.

On the first day, we'd had about an hour. And now...

'About ten minutes, I'd say.'

It had reached the point where we effectively had to keep moving constantly.

The problem was that there were only two of us. We had no companions to hold off a Canibaro if one appeared. At this point, the moment one showed up, we were as good as half dead.

Even when we'd still had some stamina left, killing one had taken over fifteen minutes. In theory, another bastard would appear before we could finish off the first.

I trudged on.

That was why I was walking. I was so tired I felt like I could fucking die, but I still had to walk.

Otherwise, I really might.

'Still, if they haven't shown up yet, maybe I can stop worrying about them now?'

When you're struggling, distracting yourself works best. Finishing one train of thought, I moved on to another.

Today was our fourth day stranded in Witch's Forest. If that bitch Elisa had a way to find us, she should have done so long ago. I felt I could finally begin to relax.

'That's my biggest worry out of the way, at least.'

I didn't know why they couldn't find us. But if I had to guess...

Something unexpected must have happened on their end too. Just as Misha and I had ended up stranded here alone.

Life was all the more shitty because you never knew what might happen, or when.

Anyway, how long had I been wandering like that, giving the small fry a wide berth? Hmm, it felt like at least an hour.

["Why are you leaving her alone?"]

I raised my head at the oddly familiar voice.

["You've fulfilled her lifelong wish. That girl... one little move from you, and she'd fall right into your arms."]

A woman emerged beside a tree and gazed steadily at me. A white blouse and a suit skirt. That distinctively arrogant, prickly way of speaking.

... My ex-girlfriend.

["Don't tell me you're scared of being abandoned again?"]

Haah, fuck...

Most of the hallucinations so far had looked obviously unreal. Not her. Somehow, I felt that if I walked over and touched her, I'd even feel the warmth of her skin.

["My, what dirty thoughts."]

What was she on about now?

Maybe because she was based on what was in my head, even her behavior was exactly the same. Hmm, did that mean all the voices I'd heard so far had actually been based on my subconscious?

["That's your problem. You always have to know absolutely everything."]

'Can't argue with that.'

Fear of the unknown was an instinct shared by all living things.

["Isn't that a little unfair, though? When you never want to tell anyone anything about yourself."]

'You were no different.'

["What? What don't you know about me? You know every inch of my body better than I do."]

Her coquettish voice drew my eyes before I knew it. One detail of her appearance had changed.

"..."

The white blouse and short suit skirt were the same as before, but now black stockings covered her long legs.

They'd been nude-colored a moment ago.

["Your tastes never change, do they?"]

Fuck. Was this really the kind of person I was?

["Leave that beast girl behind and come here. You just need to stay with me. The others can't even understand you, can they?"]

Huh. Was that true?

My feet moved forward of their own accord.

That was when it happened.

["I'll make you feel—"]

My ex-girlfriend's face twisted grotesquely as she smiled sweetly and spread her arms as though she could embrace every part of me.

Not figuratively. Literally.

THWACK!

A fist slammed into her face, crushing the muscles like soft rice cake.

For some reason, Misha, who should have been on my shoulder, was punching my ex-girlfriend in the face. In rapid succession, just as you'd expect from an agility build.

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

What? Was this another hallucination?

I simply stared blankly at the scene, feeling as though I were dreaming. But then...

["KYAAAAAAH!!!"]

A sound like nails scraping a chalkboard snapped me awake.

Having beaten my ex-girlfriend to a pulp, Misha had already returned and was shaking me by the waist.

"Are you okay, nyah? Bjorn!"

"Uh, yeah..."

"I killed the dryad, so snap out of it, nyah!"

What? A dryad?

That rank-8 monster that appeared extremely rarely in Witch's Forest and used [Captivation]?

No wonder the hallucination had been so much more vivid.

「You have defeated a dryad. EXP +2」

「The status effect [Captivation] is removed.」

I understood the situation in an instant. It hadn't been the field effect. I'd been hit by a skill.

"... Thank you. I'd have been in serious trouble without you."

I readily expressed my gratitude. But just then...

"Heh, that's only natur—"

Misha suddenly stiffened and pointed.

"Huh? B-Bjorn? I-I think we're already in serious trouble, nyah..."

Looking where she pointed, I nodded before I knew it.

"... It would seem so."

Had ten minutes already passed while I was under [Captivation]?

Over by the bushes, a rank-7 Canibaro was slowly approaching.

"Kill... you..."

Its eyes blazed with murderous intent.

* * *

Canibaro.

A rank-7 monster found only in Witch's Forest. Classified as a humanoid undead, it possessed a fairly high level of intelligence.

The problem was that it used that intelligence solely to kill people.

"Give... me... blood... and... flesh."

The Canibaro leveled its crossbow at us. Its protruding fangs glistened with saliva, as though its mouth were already watering. Well, I didn't know about Misha, but as a barbarian, I probably looked quite appetizing.

A little tough, perhaps, given my low body fat.

"Misha, get behind me."

"O-okay, nyah!"

First, I sent Misha to the rear, then interposed my shield between her and the monster.

Now that we'd encountered it, running wasn't an option. Canibaros had a habit of pursuing their chosen prey to the bitter end.

Their fighting style was much like a hunter's, too.

「Canibaro has cast [Mana Mine].」

It laid traps around itself. Invisible to us, they triggered powerful explosions the moment we approached. That made closing the distance recklessly difficult.

And in the meantime...

「Canibaro has cast [Pursuing Arrow].」

An arrow came flying. Its power was incomparable to a goblin archer's shot, and it benefited from a substantial Precision bonus.

The standard response was therefore to block rather than dodge.

Like this.

CLANG!

I caught the arrow aimed straight at me at an angle, deflecting it to the side.

Last time, our tactic had been for me to block the arrows while Misha threw stones around to destroy the mines.

But...

'We don't have time for that now.'

We had to kill it within ten minutes. Otherwise, another would appear. Then the process would repeat, over and over.

Until we fucking died.

That left only one option.

"Misha, get on my back."

"What are you talking about, nyah?"

Misha tilted her head, still gathering stones to throw. But there was no time to explain.

"Looks like I'll have to push myself this time. Hurry up and do as I say."

At my forceful tone, Misha climbed onto my back. Immediately, I charged forward, shielding my head and upper body.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The mines blanketing the area exploded with every step...

But I kept running.

"Wh-what are you doing, nyah?!"

Misha was horrified, but from my perspective, this was nothing particularly unusual. Ever since awakening in a barbarian's body, hadn't I gotten through most crises by taking the punishment myself?

This was no different. In the worst of circumstances, it was the only choice available to me.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Pain flared through my Pain Tolerance. With every explosion, I could feel my legs getting fucked to pieces in real time.

「Canibaro has summoned [Hounds].」

Wild dogs materialized and rushed me in the midst of it all. Arms, shoulders, thighs, legs—they sank their teeth into every part of me and shook their jaws violently.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Even then, I didn't stop. Knocking aside incoming arrows and blasting off the mongrels clinging to me with [Flesh Explosion], I kept moving forward.

Then, at one point...

BOOM!

The tenth mine exploded, and my body lurched sharply. I tried to catch my balance with my other foot, only to realize how pointless that was.

'That's fucking gross.'

The ends of my legs could no longer reasonably be called feet.

Pulverized lumps of meat, perhaps.

'Well, I've gotten her this far. She'll handle the rest.'

The instant I realized I couldn't charge any farther, I hurled Misha off my back and into the distance.

"Go finish it off."

No reply came. But Misha's movements in the air were answer enough.

SHUNK!

Flipping nimbly through the air, Misha drove her spear into the Canibaro's shoulder rather than its head.

SHUNK!

A mistake born of her lack of proficiency with a spear. But she made up for it by swinging her body around the shaft, drawing the dagger at her waist, and plunging it between the creature's eyes.

And the time all this had taken...

'No matter how long it was, it definitely wasn't five minutes.'

Anyway, we'd overcome another crisis. Satisfied with that fact, I collapsed to the ground.

* * *

「Warning: Part of the character's body has been lost. Failure to receive prompt treatment may result in permanent injury.」

* * *

After the battle, Misha rushed over and yelled at me.

"Bjorn! What were you thinking, doing that, nyah?!"

She looked furious, yet on the verge of tears. I answered briefly.

"It had the highest chance of working."

There had been no other option. And now, scolding me or worrying about me wasn't what Misha needed to do.

"If that explains it, could you give me a potion now?"

Misha's eyes went blank at my casual order as I lay on the ground with my feet fucked to pieces. But my request must have registered, because she poured out a potion with trembling hands.

HISSSSS.

A high-grade potion, costing a whopping two hundred thousand Stones a bottle. An essential consumable that earned its price by healing even severed limbs.

Yet Misha still looked worried.

"I-if you're hurt this badly, even a potion won't heal everything, nyah..."

Well, I wouldn't be so sure.

「The character's regeneration increases drastically through the effect of [Immortal].」

The Immortal's engravings. The high natural regeneration stat from my Vampire's Essence. And the active skill [Immortal] on top of that.

In game terms, my natural regeneration stat would already be well over 150. Even without a high-grade potion, I could recover from severed limbs if given enough time.

I wouldn't have done something so insane otherwise.

"Wh-what, nyah?! Th-there's no way you should heal this fast, nyah..."

Misha stared in shock as my wounds regenerated rapidly with the potion's effect added on top. Well, that was only natural, given that she thought I only had a Corpse Golem Essence.

In less than a minute, my mangled legs had healed. Sadly, my feet were bare.

'Should I have taken my boots off before running? They would've sold for at least a hundred and fifty thousand Stones.'

A high-grade potion and the boots. As an investment in killing a single rank-7 monster, it was a staggering loss.

But regretting it wouldn't change anything. I opened my backpack, put on the leather boots I'd originally worn, and slowly stood up.

Good. The feeling in my toes seemed normal too.

"Bjorn, what exactly are you, nyah?! You didn't even seem hurt when I poured the potion on, nyah...!"

"A barbarian's mental fortitude."

That part was true. Aynar hadn't let out so much as a groan when she'd taken a potion, either.

In my case, it was entirely thanks to Pain Tolerance, of course.

But wasn't that how the world worked? As long as the result was the same, nothing else mattered.