Chereads / Origin Of The Hourglass Labyrinth / Chapter 7 - Sparks of Conflict

Chapter 7 - Sparks of Conflict

[Empire year 364, 22nd of September]

[Present day]

The expedition team set out on their journey to the Great Plain ...

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"Everyone! Get ready! Group of goblins up ahead"

said one of the group leaders giving a signal silently to not alert the pack of goblins that just hunted a deer up ahead of them

"Charge!!!"

"Wahhhh!"

The expedition team started attacking the goblin

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"You kids better stick close, the goblin might be small but they are one tricky little bugger," said Roman to MC and his friend

"O- Okay mister Roman!" said Salazar Stuttering

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[MC inner thought]

"So this is The Great Plain I have been hearing so much about!"

"I have been waiting for this day for a long time"

"In the game, I used to play, goblins are the easiest monster to deal with."

"Is this the time for me to shine and unlock a cheat skill?" think MC excitedly

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"Kuaghhh," one of the group members got slashed by the goblin

"Huh?" another group member noticed that his friend got slash

"Hieeek!" the goblin sneak attack the other person

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The MC tried to strike the goblin but the goblin blocked it with ease

The goblin then strikes MC straight in the stomach

"Kughh" MC coughing blood

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"Wait, what is going on? isn`t goblin supposed to be easy to deal with?"

"Then what happened here?" thought MC to himself

.

Can be seen blood splattered everywhere

Is it the blood of the goblin? is it the blood of the party members?

no one knows.

But one thing that is certain is that for the three teens and those that first time volunteered to join an expedition, the sight of blood splattering left and right is nothing more than a massacre.

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[MC inner thought]

"I just remembered, this ... is real life, not a game."

"If I got cut, then I die"

MC began to shake while seeing the horrendous sight of the massacre

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"Rey!!!" shouted Zera hysterically

Roman after realizing Zera shouting ran to the MC and killed the goblin

"Hey kiddo wait a minute, I will use the healing potion on you right now," said Roman panicking seeing MC drenched with blood

"Wait, this is poison!" shouted Roman realizing the MC still writhed in pain even after he took the healing potion

"Anyone has ailment potion?! This kid got slashed by the poison knife" shouted Roman

Unfortunately, since the other expedition member is struggling with the goblin, no one hears Roman plea for help.

"Is this how I die? I just got reincarnated and now I am going to die here?" thought MC to himself while breathing heavily

"Hang on a minute kiddo, I will save you," said Roman while still panicking looking for an ailment potion

.

MC faintly moves his finger and shows his bag that fell during the goblin attack

Roman hurriedly ran to the bag and found herbs that were used to ease the pain of the poison

"This will do for now," said Roman

Roman began to treat MC's wound by chewing the herb and wrapping the wound with a bandage and the chewed herb.

.

After the battle subsided everyone began to treat their wound

There are a few wounded but fortunately, everyone is still alive including the MC

However, due to the poisoning, the MC is in a weakened condition

"Will he be fine mister Roman?" said Zera in a sad voice

"Yes, for now," said Roman before continuing

"Goblin might be one of the low-ranked monsters but their poison is lethal enough to kill juvenile monsters with ease. That is one of the reasons they can survive in the Great Plain despite being weak in strength."

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"And that is the reason why we don`t take a child and amateur to an expedition folks hahaha."  said one of the unknown figures from behind

Can be seen the unknown figure is laughing and making fun of MC and others that got injured

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[Side Story]

The unknown figures are the mercenary group known as "The Scorned Blade of Avarice"

The one that is making fun of MC and the other injured is one of the lowest-ranked members named "Kyon"

The group consists of twenty-six (26) members, all of whom are notorious as bandits and criminals supposedly even the knights can`t do anything against

The leader of the group is known as the "Undertaker" or his real name "Thane Sepulchral"

Rumors said he is from a family of fallen nobles who fell into a huge debt with one of the past dukes. However, due to his short-tempered personality, he is said to have buried the Duke alive just because the Duke got on his nerves.

After that, he is known to involve himself in collecting protection fees and anyone who doesn`t pay will be buried alive like the duke.

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"Urghh who do they think they are" said one of the injured silently

"Shhh, do not get on their nerves. Do not even make eye contact" whispered the other person

"What? Are you guys angry? you only have yourself to blame. Do you think this is a playground for a kid to go around and play hero? or do you think you re***d can survive this just because we are in a big group? no, it is all about our own survival. But we are not that cruel that we will let you die in vain so how about we make a trade?" said Kyon smiling sinisterly

"Trade?" asked one of the curious expedition members

"Yes~ you just need to give us seventy percent (70%) of everything you found in the ruins and we will ensure your safety. You can just sit back and relax" said Kyon while smiling sinisterly

"Seventy percent (70%)?! isn`t that too much?!" said one of the members angrily

"Hey, hey, hey we are sacrificing our own safety to carry you, a load of burden to the unexplored ruins and you are saying seventy percent (70%) is too much? if it is up to me, I would have to take more than that since we need to ensure your safety from here to the ruins and that didn`t even include the pay for ensuring your safety home. In this great plain, the monster is not the only threat you will encounter especially when you are carrying a lot of items from the unexplored ruins." said Kyon trying to hint at the possibility of getting robbed on their way back

Some of the expedition members express their dissatisfaction to the knights that accompany them but the knights just stand there in silence

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The crowd thinks to their self for a second

"T- then I want to withdraw myself from this expedition," said one of the expedition members

"Me too!"

"The risks are bigger than the profit, I want to withdraw from this expedition too," said the other member

Soon more people chose to leave the expedition but the mercenary group just stood there chuckling

"Well more treasures for us hahaha" laugh Kyon and his group

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"Let`s go back too. We need to get your friend treated," said Roman to MC and his friends

Zera and Salazar just sit there with the MC who is still in pain

"No, I can still keep going," said MC while smiling

"But your injuri-"

"It is okay Zera, Salazar. Didn`t we come here knowing that we would be facing danger?" said MC cutting Zera's speech

"Do not feel guilty since this is my own mistake. Besides didn`t we all go through all those troubles to get here so we finally can be independent?" said MC trying to convince Zera and Salazar

"I promise I will not be a burden for you again, mister Roman," said MC begging Roman to let him continue with the expedition

"Fine, but this time stick really close to me," said Roman while patting MC's head

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[MC inner thought]

"Kieek, That hurts a lot! I really thought I was going to die again."

"But from what those mercenaries said, I have a bad feeling that going back right now is more dangerous than proceeding with the expedition"

.

Soon the group that chose to leave went back and the expeditions team continued their journey to the ruins of Casper

Unbeknownst to them, is the tragedy that will happen to those that choose to leave.