NOVEL WEB Chapter 7: He Didn't Go After Us
「「「Huff… huff… huff」」」
We kept running for who knows how long.
Even Dale, the most agile person and also the owner of most stamina in our party, was breathing roughly from all that running.
So it was natural for me, the one with the least amount of stamina, to feel like my heart was about to explode from overexerting myself.
Finally, we stopped running and turned around to look at the direction we came from with a timid expression on our face.
We could see the rampart of the ruined metropolis far behind us.
We came running non-stop from there until this place.
And then――
… No one.
I couldn't see the figure of that white haired undead behind us.
But, it was still too early to celebrate our survival.
We raised our vigilance towards our surroundings for a while after that while readjusting our ragged breathing.
「Did we… shake him?」
「I think it's more like… he didn't go after us.」
We could truly feel relaxed after knowing that the terrifying undead didn't go after us.
The overwhelming fatigue that came after our tension relaxed made all of us fall done right where we stood.
「Just, what in the hell is that undead?」
「… A terrifying monster, no doubt about it. We're basically a goner if he really wants to kill us.」
I recalled the last terrifying scene that I saw right before we escaped from that undead.
The monster that got summoned by that crystal was undoubtedly a high ranking devil.
Don't look at its number, there might be just one devil but that one devil's power was so terrifying that it could single handedly destroy a small city. It was definitely not an opponent that a mere gold rank party like us could subjugate.
And yet, one punch was all that undead needed to kill that high rank devil.
「Nevertheless, for what reason did he spare our lives?… Is what I wanted to ask but I realized that being alive good enough.」
「Could it be…」
Even Hanna, the one with an unyielding spirit amongst us was so scared that the color drained from her face.
「Maybe, he's not sparing our lives… I mean, I feel that we can't outrun him if he really wants to kill us…. Yes, it's like he can kill us anytime he wants.」
「「「!!!」」」
I couldn't disprove that possibility since our bodies rattled non-stop since a while ago.
Under such a heavy atmosphere, I did my best to get a grip on myself as their party leader.
「A-Anyway, we've to go back first and report this matter about that undead to the guild.」
「Yeah, wherever is fine…. Even that undead won't arrive that fast to enter the city.」
We who reached a consensus then forced our tired body to run again, back to the city.
=== Few Hours Later~===
The city closest to the Demon’s den was―― Coastal.
It was originally a village that was built in that specific location for the adventurers who wanted to explore the Demon's Den.
For that reason, despite having a mayor who governed that city, that mayor was no more than an official stance.
The true power holder in that city was none other than the Adventurer's Guild.
Naturally, we're also making our base in that city for exploring the Demon's Den.
We finally arrived in that city at a record-breaking time since we kept running non-stop. After our first short break, we headed towards the Adventurer Guild's building right away.
「I-Is something the matter, Alec-san?」
The receptionist was really surprised when she saw our ragged breathing and our bodies that were drenched with sweat from head to toe.
「Haah, Haaah, Haah… Let me meet the Guild Master… Now… I’ve got an urgent… Report… For him….」
I got to the point and told her that I wanted to meet the Guild Master.
「U-Understood…. Please come to this way…」
She might've guessed that it wasn't a trivial matter that drove a gold rank adventurer like me to be in this kind of state.
And the room she guided me to wasn't the Guild Master's office, it was the conference room.
「They're currently in the middle of a meeting in the conference room…」
「Thanks.」
I opened the doors after I thanked the receptionist.
I had no leeway to act thoughtfully in this kind of situation.
「Guild Master!」
Everyone's attention in the conference room suddenly gathered on us when we made such a sudden entrance.
Meanwhile, I was also really surprised to see the people inside the conference room.
Because all of them were adventurers ranked above gold rank, basically more powerful than me and my party.
「What the… Hell is with this lineup? Were you guys… going to a war or something?」
「E-Everyone of them were famous adventurers…」
Dale and Hanna who entered after me couldn't help but be surprised by the lineup inside the conference room too.
That was a natural reaction since one could only think of such possibilities when so many adventurers above gold rank gathered in one place.
But, this works better for the current situation with such powerful undead appeared.
That way we could tell all powerhouse adventurers of this city about the undead we met before.
I was about to open my mouth, but a giant man who sat in the innermost location of the conference room spoke faster than me.
「Oh, Alec. You came just at the right time!」
He is our acquaintance, the guild master of this city, Barud.
Despite being already over 60 years old with his conspicuous white hair, he was still as strong as an adventurer in their prime.
He who was blessed with power that transcended the limit of humanity and frame that was one size bigger than me and Guy was a living legend, the tale about him defeating a giant in a contest of strength was still told to this day.
He was a former platinum rank adventurer, the real power holder of this city.
And even after he retired from active duty and became the guild master of this city, none of the active adventurers could defeat him.
Though he normally looked like a nice and kindhearted old man, he never touched his reverse scale, since he changed into a berserker once someone enraged him.
「The truth is as you can see, there's an urgent call to adventurers gold rank and above. In fact, I wish all of you to participate in this.」
「Emergency call?」
I wondered whether it was the matter about the undead from before but, it seems to be for another reason.
「We received a report about a disaster class monster, Tarrasque Lord came out of Demon's Den.」
「Tarrasque… Lord?」
Tarrasque, despite its turtle-like figure, was in fact a Demi-Dragon.
It might be slow but it had almost perfect defense thanks to its extremely tough shell.
And the king of those Tarrask was the superior kind of Tarrasque found in this Demon's Den.
A normal Tarrasque was about 5 or 6 meters at most, Tarrasque Lord was a giant monster whose total length was several hundreds meters.
The ground where Tarrasque Lord passed by would sink due to its sheer weight.
Any kind of rampart, no matter how thick or tall, would be pulverized against that kind of gargantuan monster.
「Worst of all, this city happened to be on its route. There's a chance that Coastal might be destroyed if things were left as it is.」
Of course, the damage won't be this city alone.
If we failed to stop this Tarrasque's Lord and it left this country, then all the cities and villages in its wake will be destroyed.
Truly befitting its great disaster rank.
Thus came a direct request from the country to the Adventurer's Guild in this city.
They wanted us to attack the Tarrasque Lord and force it back into the Demon's Den.
The reason why the country didn't assign this commission as a subjugation type commission was because killing Tarrasque Lord was pretty much impossible.
Driving it back into the Demon's Den was enough.
In addition, the Tarrasque Lord's speed was around 2-3 km/hrs.
Due to its turtle-like pace, escaping from it was simple enough.
「They also prepared a handsome reward for this commission. Sorry for telling you guys this news even though you just got back from Demon's Den.」
「U-Understood.」
I nodded right away, and then…
「But, I also come with a certain piece of information.」
「Information?」
And finally, I told everyone in the conference room about our terrifying encounter with that undead.
「What, All of your attacks… can't even leave a scratch on that white haired undead?」
「Exactly. That guy is undoubtedly an extremely terrifying monster. We had no choice but to esca… No, it's even stranger for that monster to spare our lives…」
「That monster even forced you guys to run…」
Despite our member's quirky personalities, we're rather famous and that fame is backed with real skills.
Starting from Barud and it then spread to the other adventurers in this room, the majority of them trembled in fear hearing about a monster that was too powerful to the point of forcing us to run for our dear life.
「This is just my guess but, I don't think we can defeat that undead even if everyone here is working together to subjugate it. In some sense, that undead is more dangerous than the Tarrasque Lord――」
Then, around that time.
Just when I thought that my feet felt uncomfortable, I saw rope-like things coiling around my ankle.
「――Eh? …. UWAAA!?」
The next moment, that rope-like thing pulled up my feet, hanged me upside-down.
「We can't defeat that undead even if everyone in this place is working together, is it?」
The thing that I mistook for a rope was a whip.
And the owner of that whip was a certain woman.
「Can you not lump me together with small fries like you guys?」
「…. ESTINA!」
The one who hung me upside-down with her beloved whip was the sole active Platinum rank adventurer amongst us, Estina.