The Babysitter Wants to Stop Dying

Chapter 23: Build Up (3)

At this point, I wonder if I'm a magnet for misfortune.

A terrorist organization, a crazy bastard who knows how to open Gates, two Gates already. And now a swarm of AA-class monsters?

How can I run into every single type like this? It's not like it's a system error.

“Uu! Jjeogi!”

Meanwhile, Lottie was still going on about the grasshopper. It seemed she could see the grasshopper on the ground even as she was being jostled in my arms.

Was this kid not brave but just bad at grasping situations?

That blasted grasshopper.

My head is spinning, my eyeballs are throbbing.

“Aaargh!”

“……U?”

I let out a scream while washing my dry face twice. Surprised blue eyes blinked up at me.

“Listen up, Lottie. A monster appeared. Give up on the ttugi!”

“Ttugi-i-i!”

“Why are you being like this, really!”

We were running away from the coast and toward the city center. The epicenter was the coast, so we had to get away.

Somehow, the roars I heard didn't seem to be coming from only the coast, but anyway.

“Uu-uu-. Ttugi-i-. Ttugi ikehae-ae-.”

People were screaming and running away from all directions. It was a scene of pure chaos, and now Lottie had started to cry.

“Argh. Lottie, please!”

People who were already running blindly crashed into me without mercy. On top of that, there was Lottie, sobbing sorrowfully.

There was absolutely no advantage to a child crying at a time like this.

“Aargh! Move!”

As I slowed down while running, a man coming from behind urgently shouted and moved to the side. It was then.

“Ttugi!”

With Lottie's thunderous shout, I snatched a grasshopper that was about to be trampled by his foot.

“Huh, huh? I caught it.”

I was a little startled that I caught it so easily, but the situation was urgent, so I didn't care about the texture of the grasshopper.

Lottie looked up at me with reddened eyes, as if she had never cried.

“Here, I caught it! Happy? We're going at full speed from now on!”

I tightened the baby carrier, held the grasshopper in my left hand, and with my right hand, I firmly pulled the bear pajama hood over Lottie's head.

With every step I took, the ground's trembling intensified.

Kwaaaaaak!

Now I could even hear the bizarre cries of monsters.

Fleeing to the lodging was not a good idea. They hadn't come to rescue us yet, so the chances of Camila or Mago being there were low.

Where on earth should I go?

After running like mad, I was out of breath.

I have to rest, even for a moment. At this rate, I'm going to collapse.

Once I entered the space between buildings, the screams and explosions from all sides became even more vivid. I clenched my jaw and decided to focus only on what was in front of me. If I got scared, it would be all over.

“Lottie, look here. Let's see the grasshopper you wanted so much…… Lottie?”

As I swept back her sweat-drenched black hair, her round eyes looked up at me.

What, you were making such a fuss, why are you not even interested now? She just blinked her eyes, looked at me once, and then at the grasshopper trapped in my hand.

“You told me to catch a grasshopper. Aren't you going to look?”

“Aniyaa-.”

Her slurred voice was firm.

“What do you mean no. You told me to catch the grasshopper.”

“Lottie aniyaa!”

“What do you mean no. Here's the grasshopp—!”

Kugung!

The building on my right crumbled as if it had exploded. My skin tingled.

Krrrrrrrrk!

A monster.

There was no other way to describe it.

A shadow cast over my head. Each and every spiky tooth was drawn on the ground in a dark shape.

An alligator.

‘Wow.’

How can an alligator be that big.

What loomed before my eyes was a spotted alligator of a formidable size. Its head, as large as a four-story building, was drooling and moving from side to side.

“This isn't even a swamp……”

***

A terrible sound was carried on the scent of thick blood.

People's screams, shouts, and even the squishy, pulpy sound of something being chewed and eaten.

It seemed that at least more than one or two monsters had appeared, as the Rankers hadn't arrived here yet.

I need to run more, but my legs are trembling.

After seeing the alligator, I ran for dear life. Now, it's really too much.

I have to move for Lottie, who is relying only on me, but a size bigger than a dinosaur is a bit of a cheat, isn't it?

Kwarrrrrrk!

The building I was leaning against shook at the cry of the spotted alligator.

By now, Camila must be looking for me too. But in a mess like this, there's no way she could find me.

Running is out of the question, and I feel like I should go somewhere high and send a rescue signal, but even that is a daunting task.

“I'm going crazy, for real.”

Pudeudeuk-

“Huh?”

As I exhaled a cloudy breath, the grasshopper that had been quiet in my grasp struggled. At the same time, a notification window unfolded before my eyes.

[Un***ble a***ity / Opening Rate 25%]

[Achievement - 'The Preciousness of a Minuscule Life' Acquired!]

[You have saved the life of a grasshopper on the brink of death!]

[Communion with the grasshopper successful. Synchronization complete!]

[While maintaining contact with the grasshopper, jump power will be temporarily enhanced.]

[This case is a one-time effect due to the achievement.

Please do not forget that this player's ability only applies to people.]

I communed with a grasshopper?

No, more than that, this counts as an achievement?!

It even went up by 1%!?

This system is completely incomprehensible. Besides, if it's a one-time thing, that means I can only use it this once.

But,

Anyway!

“I can escape!”

Thanks to that, I found a way to overcome the situation. An enhancement in jump power meant I could leap high.

That spotted alligator was slow compared to its destructive power. If I focused only on running away, it wasn't a bad situation.

‘What a stroke of luck. That Lottie insisted and I caught the grasshopper…….’

No way, is this also a premonition?

With the grasshopper still trapped in both hands, I lowered only my head to look at Lottie.

“U!”

Lottie clenched her fists and her eyes sparkled. It was the pursed lips she made when she got what she wanted.

‘I was right.’

“Good job, Lottie.”

I muttered with a hollow laugh and immediately put strength into my legs. I could really feel a different kind of power creeping in.

A sensation as if I could jump up to that bell tower over there right now.

“Let's do this.”

I moved the grasshopper to my left hand and carefully cupped it so it wouldn't be crushed.

“If we get out of here alive, you live too.”

A new party member, Mr. Grasshopper, was added to the escape party.

***

Why isn't anyone here yet!

“Keeeeuk!”

It felt like all my tightly clenched teeth were about to shatter.

“Just a little!”

I was already using every last ounce of my strength from my depleted stamina.

“Just a little! Just a little more!”

Why am I doing this instead of running away from the alligator?

“Mister! Let's push it over at the same time on my count!”

I braced the collapsed wall with my shoulder and shouted as I pushed with all my might.

“Push harder! We'll go on one, two, three! One, two……!”

Three!

Kuuung!

After a few struggles, the blood-soaked man and I managed to push the wall over.

“We did it!”

“My baby!”

The man's wife, who was dripping blood, hugged the child who had been trapped under the wall. Fortunately, the child seemed to have been in a groove between the ground and the wall, as they were only crying and didn't appear to be seriously injured.

Staggering, the man embraced his child and wife, his face a mess of blood and tears.

“Thank you, thank you so much! How can I ever repay this kindness……!”

“It's nothing. You're okay, so please get up quickly!”

“Your name, at least tell me your name!”

“It's fine, just go! We'll all die if we stay here!”

“You're our savior. No one, no one helped us. Please, at least tell us your name!”

It seemed the couple, whose child was trapped under the debris of a collapsed building, had been asking for help for a long time, but no one had helped them.

I, who had been jumping between buildings to avoid the spotted alligator, couldn't ignore them, and above all, I couldn't turn my back on the words 'two-year-old'.

“Arsen, it's Arsen. Please, go now!”

The family, having finally heard my name, bowed their heads deeply and started to run in a hurry.

And that sight caught the eye of the spotted alligator.

Kwoarrrrrr!

The beast, which had been at a slight distance, changed its course towards us.

Damn it.

For those people to even get near a shelter, someone had to draw its attention. They would never survive just by running like that.

“Lottie.”

“U!”

“You can do it, right?”

And there was no one else around but us.

Without asking what she could do, I just gave her a grin, and the little one grinned back in the same way.

“Let's go!”

She was an extraordinary kid, anyway.

***

On a hill on the outskirts of District 3.

“A monster has appeared! I will rescue them immediately!”

Mago, who was watching Arsen and Lottie from there, immediately threw down his telescope. However,

“No.”

A slender arm blocked his path. In a situation where every second was critical, Mago shouted with a face of utter incomprehension.

“What in the world are you talking about!”

“You evacuate the citizens. We'll just leave those two.”

“Lady Camila! They'll die if we leave them like this!”

Blocked by Camila, who would have been sent flying with little effort if he pushed her, Mago stomped his foot.

“It's Lottie, Lottie! Look over there! Didn't even the ones they were with abandon them and run away!”

Those bastards!

Mago, who saw Moris and Deric bail, jumped and pointed his finger. But Camila was calm. And at her next words, Mago was rendered speechless.

“The terrorist organization won't come now.”

“……”

“So it doesn't matter.”

“Th-that's not what's important right now! It's AA-class! Even if each individual monster isn't AA-class, six of that size is the worst-case scenario!”

“That person has arrived.”

“……Pardon?”

“Mr. Neroro will hold out until then. He has to. He needs to be proven to that extent.”

“The Vice-Captain is here, how could you……”

Mago, realizing who Camila was talking about, widened his eyes and faltered.

“I can feel it. So go and save the people. The resident Rankers are moving, but it seems a bit much for them.”

As she said that, Camila furrowed her brow.

The loud alarms constantly announced that the resident Rankers were heading to the area, but the giant swarm of alligators visible in the distance was trampling everything without any resistance.

“Then, Lady Camila, you should evacuate as well for now.”

As Mago tried to open a space, Camila shook her head.

“I can take care of myself, so please focus on rescuing others.”

“I can't do that! You must evacuate now!”

“There's no need to worry. That beast needs an audience. It wouldn't let its one and only audience member die.”

“What in the world are you saying that I can't understand……! Lady Camila, please!”

Despite Mago's pleading, Camila was unmoving. At her firm nod to go, Mago had no choice but to obey his superior's command.

Leaping down the hill, he quickly turned towards the crowded area.

“This is all a ridiculous play, Mago. But I don't know. Maybe I've found a way to end this damned play.”

Muttering to herself, Camila stared for a long time at Arsen, who was running while holding Lottie.