NOVEL WEB Chapter 21
The girl, who had been trembling under her hood for a while, soon lifted her body.
“…Thank you.”
I didn’t expect her to express gratitude right away; she turned out to be a surprisingly polite friend.
Just as I was smiling at the sight of the dejected girl, she said with a voice still trembling with fear.
“But don’t you know using artifacts is cheating?”
While still scared, the poor girl had a sharp edge to her voice.
I recalibrated my thoughts.
This girl really has no manners.
“What artifact?”
“That arrow you just caught. There’s no way you could catch it barehanded. You used an artifact, didn’t you?”
“Why would I use something like that?”
“Don’t lie. If you tell me the truth, I’ll keep it a secret.”
“There’s no secret or anything; it’s just not there! Hey, look, is there? Is there?”
I rolled up my long sleeves to reveal my pale, soft skin.
Then I pulled down the neckline of my top to expose my nape.
“Is there? Huh? Should I strip completely and show you?”
“That’s… you really don’t have to go that far. Then, how did you catch the arrow? With your bare hands…?”
“Why would I tell a loser like you? You wouldn’t understand anyway. It’d just be a waste of breath.”
“Yo! Don’t call me a loser! I’m not a loser! You saw just now!”
“Almost dying?”
“Ugh!”
The poor girl swung her staff once more.
I lowered my head to dodge just in time, then poked her in the side.
“Yikes!”
“Now that you’re feeling better, let’s start moving.”
“…Where to?”
“To catch a basilisk.”
“Did you just say… catch that monster we just saw?”
She said that while following me closely.
Of course, her actions were driven by fear, but she seemed to also understand the reality of not wanting to get separated in the labyrinth.
“Yeah. We need to catch it as soon as possible. I’m in a hurry.”
“…What’s the hurry?”
“To get to the bathroom. I think I drank too much milk after that brownie made me choke. I… used to be able to hold it, but it’s been really tough lately.”
“What…? Then just take care of it right here…”
“Be reasonable. Even if it’s me, I can’t just go wherever when people are watching.”
“What in the world are you talking about…? Do you still think this is a fake labyrinth—”
“Enough. Let’s hurry. It’s only a five-minute walk.”
I moved forward without hesitation.
No need to look around.
Now there shouldn’t be monsters.
Monsters, if nothing else, are the ones that feel fear the best.
Thus, monsters instinctively avoid areas with stronger monsters nearby.
This is precisely that situation.
As we walked, the magical and eerie aura of monsters thickened in the alley.
Only our breathing could be heard in the silence.
If you listen closely…
“Hey, hey… did you just hear that cry…?”
I heard a very faint sound of a monster crying.
“Yeah. We’re almost there.”
“W-wait a second…!”
The poor girl’s small scream gripped my ankle.
“Why again?”
“Why again, you ask? Are you really going to catch it alone?”
“What? Are you going to help me?”
“Well, of course, but… just wait a second.”
Digging inside her hood, the poor girl pulled out a small notebook and a pen.
Flick- As the pages flipped, I saw various monsters’ traits and weaknesses neatly written on the front page.
Then, a little later, she found a clean piece of paper and began drawing adorable pictures with Scratch- Scratch- motions.
“I don’t know what the basilisk’s room looks like. But our positions will be like this, like this, right?”
“You draw well.”
“I know. But right now, instead of drawing, you should focus on my explanation. Hoo… First, let’s—”
With a weak tremble mixed into her sigh, the poor girl started explaining calmly.
She knew all the details about the basilisk. How to avoid its petrifying gaze and dodge the fire shot from its tail and mouth; she seemed to know it all as if she’d heard it from active adventurers or knights.
“—So, this will be the plan, and your role is important.”
When she finished explaining, the girl looked at me with a suspicious gaze.
“…Did you understand everything correctly?”
“Yeah. I got it all. But are you really going to help?”
“Why do you keep asking? Of course, I will!”
“No, it doesn’t make sense since you’re trembling like that.”
“Stop talking nonsense. I’m not trembling!”
The poor girl really thinks this place is a true labyrinth. She believes that if she dies, it’s really the end.
Yet she still follows me and even says she’ll help catch the basilisk.
I think she’s following me because she knows it would be dangerous to get separated in the labyrinth.
As for helping to catch the basilisk, I think she believes she owes me for saving her life. If not, then…
“-Kaloso. Why do you help those kinds of people? Do you remember that guy sitting in the middle? The one who’s stabbed us in the back three times now?”
i>-Hahaha! Is a reason needed to save a person’s life? If you need one, I can tell you.
i>-Right now, the world is a terrible place. Monsters kill people, demons kill people, and people kill people.
i>-In such a mad world, it’s about people saving people. With how the world is, I’m just acting accordingly. There’s no grand reason.”
Because no reason is needed to save a person’s life.
That damned Kaloso.
I clicked my tongue inwardly, staring at the poor girl.
Do they resemble each other?
No, they don’t.
Hair, eyes, personality, mana.
But they do share something in common.
Shadow Lance, the method of casting, the shape of magic.
It can’t be.
The bastard who sided with the Demon King came to the system and even created descendants? Nonsense.
It was common back then for people to use magic similar to Kaloso’s.
His magic was so excellent that many learned, imitated, and followed it.
So, the poor girl’s magic is just an extension of that. It must be.
I shook off my useless thoughts and chuckled.
“Yeah. You’re impressive.”
“Of course. I’m a genius who achieved 3rd Circle at the youngest age.”
She puffed out her chest and walked ahead. Then, stopping suddenly,
“…Aren’t you coming quickly?”
She glared at me with anxious eyes.
*
The basilisk.
That monster known as the king of snakes is a mid-tier monster by nature.
The origin of that basilisk is a servant created by the Legion Commander of Gebihenum, the envious Incanus.
That servant monster created offspring, which is the basilisk now.
Whether it inherited the powers of that servant or not, the basilisk is born with a magical eye.
Along with it, it possesses high intelligence and the ability to control reptilian monsters.
A long body that seems to exceed 5 meters.
A massive jaw that could easily swallow an entire wagon.
Venom-drenched fangs visible through it.
Blade-like scales and the claws that protrude between them.
And the green reptilian eyes.
That kind of basilisk is now in the room next to us.
“Hrrr…”
It flicked its tongue while making a Hiss- Hiss- sound, which is quite cute, but not the poor girl.
“Hiccup…”
The moment she saw the silhouette of the basilisk, she started hiccupping.
“So are you going to use magic now? Are you planning to shoot me while hiccupping?”
“If that happens, hiccup it was on purpose.”
Despite shivering, she speaks her mind.
“So, when are we leaving?”
“Just 5 minutes… no, hiccup just 1 minute.”
The poor girl, with her cold, clammy hands tightly gripping her staff, puffed up her cheeks and began holding her breath.
“Is there no magic to stop hiccups?”
Shake-shake-
“It’s useless.”
Whoosh- The girl’s staff swung.
I dodged just like before.
“Yike?!”
This time, I pinched her side.
“You… you just hit me, didn’t you?!”
“No, I just pinched you.”
“Don’t lie! It hurt like hell! You hit me!”
“Still, your hiccups stopped, right?”
“…Huh?”
The poor girl, who had been rubbing her side as if it would hurt to death, confirmed that she genuinely stopped hiccupping and glared at me.
“Annoying…”
I just smirked as I got up.
“You need to exercise a bit. Even a mage should have basic stamina. How can you be so soft? The monsters must be thrilled you don’t have any teeth.”
“What kind of nasty things are you saying…? Plus, your expressions are crude. Your habits are awful. What the hell are you?”
The poor girl also chewed her lips, getting up from her spot.
“Don’t push yourself too hard; just do it moderately. It’ll be more troublesome if you collapse from mana depletion.”
“Shut up.”
After she said that, we fell silent.
The sound of the basilisk’s cry echoed from the alley ahead.
“…Get ready.”
A small whisper from the poor girl.
Following that whisper, violet mana begins to ripple.
The first strike is the poor girl.
Our plan is to hit the basilisk with a strong magic attack while it hasn’t discovered us yet, still standing still.
The girl’s lips moved. She began to chant. In uncertain circumstances, she chose to conserve mana.
Three circles spun furiously.
Light concentrates at the tip of her staff. With Crackle- Crackle- sounds, a dazzling spear was created.
It is fired.
And then—
Pshhh—
It disappeared right in front of the basilisk’s eyes.
“Whoa? This is magic but feels like a trick. Was your dream to be a magician?”
“…Huh? No, no? It was perfect, wasn’t it?!”
The poor girl’s dumbfounded voice echoed in the labyrinth.
At the same time—
[GGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrr—!!]
The basilisk, with flames in its mouth, charged at us.