"Huh? Whah...? Did she just enter the snake...?"
The blue haired guy could only watch from the trees while I entered the snake. He seems to be wondering what it is that I'm looking for, but even I won't know for sure if I will find it.
It will take around 4 to 5 days for a snake to completely digest their food. But for a snake this big, it could take even faster. The acid on his body slightly touched me, but I don't have to worry. I have a weapon that can help me go through the acid.
After probing deep inside his stomach, I finally found what I'm looking for. I pulled 'it' all the way to the hole I just created, into the sunlight.
The blue hair saw what I was trying to do, and immediately he hurried towards me to help out.
We both pulled out of the snake's stomach, and we put the body down on the ground next to the snake. I cleared off my skin from the slithery acid and slowly healed it. It does feel a little burnt, but won't be enough to make me lose my skin.
But, that guy...
The blue haired guy checked on him. He put his hands on his neck, and he opened his eyes wide.
"He's alive! We have to take him to the doctor!"
He shouted after checking on the unfortunate's heartbeat, and I let out a relieved sigh. I wasn't sure if the guy who got eaten was still alive considering it has been hours since he got eaten, but it looks like he is still quite lucky.
"Or we can try to heal him."
"What? How?"
"You are a magician. Go figure."
I still can't forgive him for stealing my kill. But, I do realize that I still gotta save this poor melted person.
I finally got all these acidic stomach liquids off me. I took off the mask and eye protector and stored them back. Will definitely wash those later. Then, I kneeled down near the melted guy.
His body is in the very condition of turning into 'stuff'. Just a few more hours and even his head will melt into oil. If that happens, then he cannot be saved.
Fortunately, it looks like all of his vital parts are still working well. It's just... Well, I'll let my healing magic speak.
I activated my Intermediate healing, and 15 balls of light were summoned in the air. It slowly moves above his body as it closes all the wounds. However, his right hand was already irrecoverable, so I separated it. Then, I immediately close the wound.
"His hand..."
"It's unfortunate. But, he is still lucky to be alive."
"… Right."
Luckily, this guy wasn't as annoying as Cane or his friends. I can focus on healing more.
After a minute of healing, all his body is finally restored. Except his right hand, but as long as he lives, I'm sure he doesn't mind.
"What's your name?"
I asked the blue haired guy, and he was surprised that I'm willing to ask for his name.
"Hod. You?"
"Rize. Hod, I will need you to carry him on your back."
"... What?"
"My healing only heals him temporarily. I'm not sure whether he will have any other issues. We have to bring him to a capable doctor."
"Oh... Wait, why me?"
I quickly turned my annoyed glare at him, and he quickly realized his mistake.
Be fucking useful, will you?
"R-Right... I'll do it."
For some reason... I do feel a little tired. Whether it was from the battle, the healing magic, or was it because of the whole inside-the-stomach thing, I'm not sure. What's certain is that I don't feel well at the moment, and this guy can definitely help out.
Before Hod can pull him up, the eaten guy's eyes suddenly opened. I turned surprised as the guy started moving around.
"Ha…? Ha!! Haa-"
"Hey, hey, hey! Calm down…"
"Hah... Where... The snake!?"
"The snake is dead. Calm down... Breathe."
He looked at the big chunk of ice behind me, and he understood that the snake had been slain. He turned his eyes back to me and Hod, who was watching him with worry.
"Hah... Hah... It's... It's dead???"
"Yes, it's dead. I pulled you out of its stomach."
I said to him to slowly fill him in on what happened, but even then, it seems like he is still far too shocked.
"Hah... Am I dead?"
"No, you're not. Can you sit?"
"H-Hughh..."
I guess he still felt a slight headache... The shock must be quite heavy inside his mind, so I can't blame him. He slowly moved to sit down, and Hod kneeled right next to him.
"My friends... Are they all right?"
He asked after gathering his thoughts, and props to him for worrying about other people first.
"Yes. They are the one who reported to the Office. Luckily, they are fine, but they are very worried for you."
"Is... Is that so... Thank goodness..."
He looked down, and he then realized that he had lost his right arm. From the looks of it, he doesn't mind it. He is just glad that he's still alive.
"Your arm..."
Hod's turn to talk, he was really worried about the arm.
"It's fine. I'm just glad I'm alive."
Hod looked at me, and I guess he was quite surprised. I realized that we're only wasting time if we stay here longer, so we better start going.
"Okay, Hod. You can pick him up now."
"Are we really...?"
"Yes, the sun is going down, and he wants to meet his friend. Let's go."
"Wait, my friend?"
The poor guy quickly realized what I said, and I only smiled at him.
"Yes. Your friend has been faithfully trying his best to find you. He is at the Office at the nearby town."
"What...?"
He seemed quite happy when he heard that, and Hod moved in to carry him.
"Come on, up we go!"
Hod picks him up and carries him on his back, and we are well on our way back to the Office.
"Tell me Rize."
"Hmm?"
While we were walking there, Hod broke the silence. I realized that he must be curious about me, so I'm preparing myself for that kind of question.
"If I just left you alone with that snake, would you be able to kill it?"
... Really?
"I could've finished the snake much earlier. But, I thought about taunting it for a while. Until some random ice magician came and killed it."
"O-Oh."
I showed a displeased face, and Hod can only look awkward. The guy behind Hod simply understands that this is the conversation of two high ranking adventurers, and he doesn't wish to intervene.
"Rize, what rank are you?"
"Gray."
""Gray??""
Those two shouted together, and Hod even stopped moving.
"What?"
I asked out of confusion, but the look on their faces tells me everything.
"How long... have you been an adventurer?"
"More than a month."
"I... I see..."
"Heard enough? Let's keep moving. I'm hungry.
I continued walking, followed by Hod. He kept on asking questions, so... what if I ask him this time?
"Tell me, Hod. What level of ice magic did you use?"
I asked since his ice magic was so powerful. It was able to freeze a Blue ranked king serpent in a single breath, and not a low ranking magic can ever do that.
This guy... he has the capabilities of a Yellow ranked adventurer. Perhaps even higher.
"Huh? Oh, that. That is the ultimate freeze technique. A Knight tier ice magic."
"K-Knight tier?"
"Yeah."
I was surprised... Even Jrake's magic wasn't that powerful, and he was hailed to be an underdog Green ranked adventurer.
This guy is Blue ranked... I doubt it is where he is supposed to be.
"What about you, Rize? Can you use magic besides healing?"
"No. I just learned healing magic less than a week ago."
"Oh... Wait, you learned healing magic for only less than a week?"
"Yes, why?"
"But that was already an Intermediate tier!"
"So...?"
Hod was completely speechless. I mean, it was easy, so I can't really understand his confusion.
"It took me several months just to upgrade my ice magic to Intermediate... And a whole year to make it Knight tier."
"I see. Well done."
"Kuh..."
Hod really can't say anything else. His knowledge on magic learning just got severed by me. Is it really weird for someone else to learn quicker than you?
Back then, it was never weird. Everyone is simply stepping or being stepped on. In school, you are either the smartest or you are dumb. That's how I always see it.
In order to survive in a world like that, I simply had to be the smartest. That's how I wound up in second place nearly all the time if it wasn't for that asshole who kept on taking the first spot.
Having someone learning faster than you is no different. You just gotta try harder. It's always effort before talent, and I don't care if I am talented. I will still do my hardest to achieve what I want.
"We have arrived."
We finally left the forest and entered the town. More people can be seen now, because they heard the monster has been sighted. But when they saw me and the light blue haired guy, they immediately cheered.
"Do they recognize you?"
"Well... The rumours did spread quickly after all. I came here to slay the monster, and you with all the dirt on your clothes. Plus, they must've heard the destruction sounds from here."
"That last point makes sense."
We simply ignored the crowd, or at least I did. Hod is waving at the crowd that's cheering for them while the guy on his back is holding the serpent's fang with his only hand, waving them in the air.
And by the way, since when did the guy behind Hod holding the serpent fang??
"Hod, did you gave him the serpent fang?"
I asked while the guy behind Hod is waving the fang around, and Hod only grins.
"I figured he would want something to keep."
A brilliant sympathetic mind. Nice.
We finally arrived at the Office. Everyone was standing in front of the Office when they heard the cheering.
"Slit!"
"Roney!!"
Does everyone's name a one liner now?
Roney immediately ran towards his friend who was on Hod's back. Hod's squad also approached, and one of the girls with the bow and quiver on her back approached me.
"Hello! My name is Valey. You must be our backup that the Office sent."
She cheerfully said to me while lifting her hand for a handshake.
"Rize, and no. I pretty much could kill the serpent by myself. If anything, he's the backup."
Valey turned at Hod, and Hod just nodded with his eyes closed.
"I guess there was nothing to worry about. Let's talk inside."
Everyone went inside, and instead of sitting in different groups, this time everyone is sitting on one big table. The shitty squad from before is also listening, and the receptionist is also here. A member from the town, the townsmen is here as well.
Hod started his part of the story first. How he looked for the monster for hours and couldn't find anything. He 'somehow' walked past me before entering the Office.
I noticed that too, and I don't see why that's important...?
Then the part where an investigator from the site came running and slammed the door. He told Hod about the fact that I was fighting the beast, and he immediately ran.
Ah, so romantic.
"By the time I arrived at the scene, the serpent was already heavily wounded. I looked at her, who was right in front of the serpent. And the serpent was about to attack her. I couldn't just leave her like that, could I?"
"So, what did you do?"
The other girl with a shorter hair from his squad asked, and Hod turned to her.
"I acted. I used my ice magic to freeze the giant serpent immediately. It nearly finished my energy, and I fell on my knees after that."
"Did the serpent die?"
"... Yes. It died."
Everyone there burst into clapping. They really look up to Hod.
Hey, maybe I can use this.
"But by the time I got there, the snake was already heavily wounded. Even without me, the snake could've been killed by her-"
"No."
Everyone looked at me.
"What?"
"It was thanks to you that the serpent died. If only you weren't there, I could've died."
"W-What are you saying??"
Luckily, Slit, the guy whom I pulled from the serpent stomach, is not here to support Hod. He and his friend, Roney, already went out to the kingdom first to receive treatment from a doctor.
Which means my plan will work just fine. Too bad Cane isn't here to hear this masterclass.
"I was already too tired to move when the serpent attacked. If you hadn't moved in and frozen the snake, I would've died."
"H-Huh??"
"Say, Rize. What rank are you?"
"Gray."
"Huh? Gray??"
Everyone chats to themselves as they realizes, and they all are thinking the same thing. And seeing their faces, my mouth felt like it wanted to curl up to grin widely, but I forced myself to not smile.
Ahhh... it happened again. Exactly like what happened to Cane. I love manipulating people.
"That's right. Hod is the one who killed the serpent. That fact hasn't change."
"Yeah. All she did was wound the serpent. Hod is the one who killed it!"
"W-Wait-"
Hod looked at me, but then I simply grinned at him.
"Huh?"
"You really are worthy of the name 'Ice King'!"
His squad member, the guy with the axe, adds oil to the flame.
Now, everyone has recognized that Hod is the one who killed the serpent. I will be cleared from the spotlight again. My job here is done.
I stood up from my chair as the crowd moved out. I walked to the door to leave the Office branch, and I'm glad I was able to leave since the lobby smells horrendous.
When I'm outside, it was nearly sundown. Damn...
"Did it really take that long..."
"Rize!"
Hod was running to follow me outside. Bah, this felt like a deja vu.
"Why did you... do what you did?"
"What did I do? I mean, you killed the serpent."
"But, you're the one who found it. Shouldn't you be getting recognition too?"
"Does it look like I wanted recognition?"
"That's..."
Hod immediately realized my reasonings, so I ignored him and turned my back.
"Wait!"
I stopped my foot. This better be worth it.
"There must be something I can do."
"… Like what?"
"Uh... Magic! I-I can do magic."
He walked down the front stairs and stood in front of me.
"M-Maybe I can teach you magic?"
This guy... why does he look desperate?
"Huh? Do you even know what magic I am compatible with?"
"We can always check that. At the Office."
If he really does know about magic, I guess learning magic from him wouldn't be bad, he is a Knight tier ice magician. Maybe I won't have to go to the academy after all.
Question is... can I trust him?
"How does it sound? I could teach you a little."
He asked with a confident smile, and I can tell that all of this is an act. This guy... he is very smart.
He definitely has ulterior motives. However, whether that affects me positively or negatively will depend on how I act.
"Hmm. Fine, then."
In that case, I'll drain you out of your every worth.
He looked satisfied with the answer, but he cleared his throat to fix his stance.
"I guess in the meantime, you could... join my squad?"
"Not a chance."
I turned my back again, and he can only look so confused.
"I'll see you in the Office tomorrow, after the second bell. Don't be late."
I walked towards the carriage station. There is a carriage that was about to leave just now, but to the south-east gate. That's perfect. Even though it's longer, at least I won't have to walk again.
The carriage departed after five minutes, and there were only 4 people, including me. No one was familiar, so I was able to just rest my mind peacefully.
And the day ended just like that.
But the true journey has only just begun.
"Arise... my children."
The heavy angered voice was heard underneath the tunnels of a dungeon, and the groaning sound of pigs was heard from the dark hallways. From the cave halls, hundreds of humanoid creatures with red skin appeared, revealing the pig faces that they had.
Red Orcs. Blue ranked monsters that are not just dangerous individually, but also rarely appear in a large pack.
And yet, there's over hundreds of them. All, kneeling towards the same spot that is underneath this dungeon.
A room with medieval pillars can be found inside the cave. It's as if a throne room had been created and sculpted inside the cave. And at the very back of the throne room... is a throne.
A large being lifted its giant hand upwards, and the roar of a lion was heard as the hand lowered itself.
"Finally... We're free from those gods. Now, we can wreak havoc freely!!!"
The heavy voice echoes inside the caves, followed by hundreds of pigs howling in the cave. Beforelong, the hundreds of orcs began marching towards the exit, following the dungeon break event that shall occur.
With a high orc, a Yellow ranked entity, leading the charge... This dungeon break will endanger even the entire kingdom.