Chapter 52 – A Team of Losers (Part 2)

 

*Ears!*

The heat was felt even at a distance of 10 meters, and the pungent smell tickled the nose.

*Blow!*

As soon as my brain processed the situation, my heart clenched.

If this thing fell on our heads... For all of us, the game would be over.

"Get ready for battle!"

As Hikurod screamed, disconnected from the abrupt turn of events, researchers emerged from the bushes. The four formed an escort around one mage.

Damn, they clearly don't belong on the 3rd floor. Why are these bastards here?

As I prayed inwardly that they weren't marauders, the beastman with triangular ears smirked at our battle formation and said in an arrogant tone.

"This Orc colony is the domain of the Zarvi clan. Go somewhere else.

Clan? Unsurprisingly... They all had the same seal on their chests.

So that the devils jerk them off...

I could not restrain myself from swearing. Not because I couldn't understand what these people were doing, but because they controlled the hunting grounds on the 3rd floor.

Damn it, is this possible not only from the 5th floor?

Dungeon & Stone was a single-player game, but surprisingly, it had a control feature. At first, it seemed that it did not allow you to move between maps during the quest, but after creating a clan, the player could manage the hunting grounds. Of course, it took a huge amount of manpower, so it was a loss-making business, unless you did it in select habitats of rare monsters or boss monsters.

But they do it on the 3rd floor?

I couldn't understand it. I mean, what were they going to gain by defeating a rank 7 monster? Just look at this magician. Using such a high-ranking person to catch Orcs is a waste of time.

Hikurod didn't seem to understand anything either, and asked cautiously.

"I know that the Dzarvi operates above the 6th floor. But why are you humans in an orc colony?

In response, only a cold voice sounded:

"We have no reason to explain this to you.

yes, I see. I could understand it, but apparently the dwarf couldn't.

Even though we had shown each other a lot of idiotic sides of ourselves since we were on the same team, this man was still an explorer. He was sensitive to issues related to self-interest, especially if the cause was external rather than internal.

"I've heard that some clans receive rights in the labyrinth from the royal family in recognition of their achievements. But I've never heard of this place being the possession of the Zarvi clan. Moreover, I can't be sure that you really belong to this clan," the dwarf expressed his doubts in a logical and orderly manner.

This was, of course, a reasonable refutation. From their equipment and magic level, it was clear that they were much more advanced explorers than we were, but there was no evidence that they belonged to the clan they claimed to be.

However... I think that in this situation we should just retreat...

To be honest, I was more afraid that they weren't Zarvi. The big clans might be watching what others said about them, but the self-appointed bastards clearly didn't care.

"You're telling a funny story," Soon, the beastman made a displeased expression and stared at us.

Hikurod did not back down.

— I am often told that.

As the silent power struggle prevailed, tensions continued to rise.

*Step*

I felt that someone was approaching from behind. When I checked, it was none other than Misha.

Why was she suddenly right behind me? As if to hide and avoid something...

"You... Half-? "When the beastman asked this, frowning, I felt a shiver from behind.

Damn it, was she really hiding?

"B-brother..." Mike stammered and slowly walked out from behind me.

This made the beastman frown even more.

"I told you not to call me that outside.

"P-I'm sorry.

"And you still sound like a half-.

Mike didn't respond to the beastman's provocation and only lowered her head. As I expected, he did not affectionately call her a half-wit.

But what kind of relationship do they have? Can they really be a family?

As I pondered this, the Magus behind him asked a question that diluted my curiosity.

"Just wondering, is this lady your little sister?"

"Yes, for now," the beastman nodded his head politely.

The mage stroked his shiny beard.

"Hmm, I owe Sir Karlštejn. Besides, if it's your little sister, she can't be called an outsider, so as a special exception-...

"There's no need for that.

"Hm?" But-...

The beastman again resolutely refused the attention of the mage.

"Father won't care either. I can't tell you the reason because it's a personal matter.

There was a stubbornness in his cold voice.

"All right, as you say.

The mage also changed his mind and nodded his head without further ado. But perhaps he thought he deserved an explanation.

"Look here, people," He stepped forward and said convincingly. "Due to the clan's internal circumstances, we urgently need the essence of the Mighty Orc Warrior. If all goes well, you can hunt here in the next cycle, so hunt elsewhere this time. Or go to the outskirts where there are no Mighty Warriors.

Maybe because he was a magician, but his tone was much softer than that beastman. Anyway, he was still telling us to get out.

"I refuse," Hikurod shook his head and mocked his opponent in a harsh tone that was not like his usual. "It seems that you claim the right without official recognition of the royal family, so why should we stick to the internal affairs of your clan?" And did you know that what you are doing now is generally illegal?

— ... Illegally? It seemed to strike a chord. The gentle Magus' gaze changed abruptly. "A wise researcher knows when to be careful with words.

But it seems that he did not want any problems to arise in the future.

"When did we break the law?" We were just paying attention and telling you that you had better hunt elsewhere as there would be no monsters left there.

Even though he was speaking casually, these words meant that if we didn't leave, they would hunt with full force to prevent our hunt.

Knowing this, Hikurod also bit his lips with an angry face.

"Damn it...

Unless we were pushed out or injured, such questions were not dictated by the laws of the labyrinth. In other words, there was no legal aid to support our cause.

An attempt to rely on the law is a problem in the first place.

I felt sorry for Hikuroda, who tried his best to protect the interests of our team, but I wanted to abandon this idea from the very beginning. The labyrinth was a place where powerful people were the law. If you forget about it and make a fuss, you can disappear without a trace.

At this moment, he had to understand that this was not the time for pride, so it was better to persuade him to retreat.

As I was observing the situation and decided to act, Dvalki suddenly intervened out of nowhere, spitting out words that made no sense.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it.

Take care? What the hell is that snot saying?

I had no idea. Before I could ask him what he meant, Dvalki approached the mage from the other side with a smile.

"Hahaha!" It's nice to meet you, sir.

— ... Sir? Do we know each other?

"No, but as a fellow student who has devoted his life to the study of magic-...

"That's enough. So, who are you?

Dvalky did not expect such a sharp reaction. He paused for a moment, and then replied with a forced smile.

"My name is Riol Varb Dvalki. I am a mage of the 8th rank and a civil servant of the Royal Rafdon-...

"I see, so you're trash.

— ... Sorry?

An expression of displeasure appeared on the magician's face. He looked more displeased than he had at the mention of the word "illegally," and he didn't seem to be going to hide it.

"Studying magic?" Who devoted his life? Is this to be said by a piece of trash who has only learned a few basic spells and earns a living on the streets in the name of sorcery? Your shamelessness gives me goosebumps, so I ask you not to say such words," harsh accusations poured out like from a rapid-fire cannon.

Is it because he is a magician? Even his choice of words is not a joke.

Admiring the suffocating, non-stop speech of the mage, I was at the same time worried about Dvalki. If someone had said that to my face, I think my soul would have left my body too.

— ... Ugh!

Oh, it's already gone. When I looked away, I saw that Dvalki could not breathe properly and was only blinking his eyes. The way his mouth opened and closed repeatedly almost resembled a fish washed ashore.

Hikurod, who witnessed his best friend's mental breakdown, broke down and exploded.

"Hey!" It's too cruel!

"I was only telling the truth.

"What?" Truth? A vein bulged around the dwarf's neck, and his eyes sparkled with an unusual, murderous energy. "Why are you...!"

As soon as I discovered this, I grabbed Hikuroda by the scruff of the neck and lifted him up. I then immediately confiscated the warhammer in his hand. As expected, the tingling sensation was transmitted to my fingertips.

*Chhhhhhh!*

[Hikurod Murad used [Lightning]].

Damn, is this bastard crazy?

I suppressed my anger as much as I could and muttered in a low voice:

"Come to your senses, Hikurod.

We've just almost all died.

"You have a great teammate," the enemy mage said. "Be forever grateful to this barbarian. He just saved you all.

***

Has Hikurod come to his senses? He did not react to the Magus' provocations and hurriedly led the team to the exit. As soon as we reached the outskirts, he made a courteous bow to us.

"I'm sorry. I lost my temper and my sanity. As he said, if it weren't for Bjorn... Perhaps we would all be dead.

These guys didn't look generous enough to kindly send back the one who attacked them first.

"You've just done something rash that nearly killed everyone on your team," Brown rebuked in a resolute tone.

— ... I have nothing to say," Realizing his mistake, the dwarf bowed his head instead of making excuses.

To be honest, I wish Brown hadn't stopped there and blamed him even more. However, he had too mild a character to play the role of commander-in-chief.

"But in the end, nothing happened, so I won't say anything more. You may have acted recklessly, but I personally think it's good to stand up for your teammates when they're being looked down upon.

I couldn't understand it at all. Instead of scolding him, he praised the dwarf.

Shouldn't we at least cut his share and make him work for free on this expedition?

Mistakes should be accompanied by punishment. Only then will people not repeat mistakes. I had already matured this realistic plan in my heart, but now there was an unsuitable atmosphere for discussing it.

Damn it, am I the strangest person here?

When Brown forgave the dwarf for his generous nature, the feeling around us became strange. It was hard to describe, but it was an atmosphere that I had felt uncomfortable in since I was a child.

— ... I'm sorry too. If not for me, everything could have turned out better.

Misha was the first to get involved in this atmosphere.

"That's not true!" "Dvalki followed her second. He was struck by Mike's self-flagellation and waved both hands to dismiss these statements. Then he spoke in a stuttering but firm voice. "I, I... Of course, I'm not always right, but... I think that thanks to you, at least we heard the reason before we were kicked out! So never think so!

It wasn't the best consolation in the world, but the emotions mixed in it were conveyed to everyone sincerely. Perhaps that's why Misha started talking about herself for no reason.

"You know... Why do I hate to talk about my family? At home, I'm treated like I'm invisible. Some of you may already know why this is the case.

Misha watched our reaction. Brown seemed to understand what she was talking about, because he turned away first, and I turned away.

Elves dealt with spirits, dwarves with the blessing of weapons increased their efficiency when working with numbered items, and barbarians possessed the Spirit Imprint. In addition to their unusually high base agility, the Beastmen possessed other racial traits.

"I'm the only one in my family who hasn't been able to make a contract with our spirit creature.

Beastmen could make contracts with ancient beasts. There were many different types of them. They could summon spirit creatures to fight alongside them, increase their physical capabilities with strength, or use the special abilities that the beast possessed with blessings.

Of course, not all beastmen were capable of such a thing. Only a few talented people were chosen by the spirit creature. But the problem was that she was a blood relative of the leader, a direct heir to the Karlštejn family. In other words, it was a big problem for a pure-blooded girl like her not to have a spirit creature. It wasn't just a matter of talent, but circumstantial evidence to guess at her ancestry.

"When I was young, I got along well with my siblings. But that all changed when I couldn't make a pact with a spirit creature, even after I became an adult. Everyone called me a half-wit, said that I was only half of their blood...

A child born as a result of infidelity. Since her mother died early, no one could know the truth, and Misha could not stand these looks and left home.

Then, she only focused on martial arts and slowly advanced as an explorer.

"Thank you for telling me a complicated story.

When the short but rude explanation was finished, Hikurod patted Mike on the shoulder with unusual seriousness. Misha was no longer as nervous as before. Now she looked more like a house cat.

"Hikurod... You truly consider us your comrades and fight for us.

Ha, so that's what this is all about?

These emotions continued to become too complex for a pessimist like me to understand.

"Hahaha!" Since you say so, I must tell you my story too. My dream was to become a blacksmith. But since I had no talent, I had the title of apprentice for 10 years. Therefore, I became a researcher only after 30! I needed to make money, and I decided that now was the time to escape.

Misha's confession seemed to touch the dwarf, and he began to tell his story calmly.

The next was Dvalki.

"There is no one more outstanding than me when it comes to mediocrity. Although I was able to enter the world of magic due to my family's wealth, I was unable to enter the magic tower due to my lack of talent. If I were a real magician... He would respect me at least a little.

Dvalki then revealed that his goal is to learn more magic while making money as a researcher. I thought that was the end of the conversation when Brown, who had been silent all this time, smiled and rekindled the flames.

"Until now, I have been in several teams, but this is the first time I have found myself in such a situation. I also have something to apologize for. When Hikurod and Miss Karlstein were talking about their many years of experience the other day, I couldn't contain my anger.

"So that's what happened?"

— Yes. My ugly envy was the reason for this. Not knowing that each of you had your own reasons, at that time I thought that both of you were complaining too much for people born in a different species.

Human explorers also had their advantages. For example, they could use the aura, become an elementalist, a magician, or a priest. Some were born as huge as barbarians. In fact, they possessed the strengths of all races. But in the end, it was only a potential, and only a select few had special talents.

Soon, Hikurod smiled awkwardly, defusing the muted atmosphere.

"Hahaha!" So are we a team of only losers? It will be better this way. This means that we will no longer have to lose heart in front of each other.

At these words, the talentless mage Dvalka was overjoyed.

— That's right.

"I will work even harder to be useful to the team! "The beastman, who was supposedly born pure-blooded, but was unable to summon a spirit beast, was touched.

"Perhaps it's too early to say for the 3rd day of our first expedition, but I hope this team will last a long time," Brown, a researcher with 8 years of experience at the top of mediocrity, was of the same opinion. Everyone admitted their shortcomings, spoke openly, and comforted each other.

As a result, naturally, the eyes focused on me, who had not yet confessed to anything, as if asking if I had anything to share.

I don't have anything like that... I guess I should say something so as not to become an outcast in the team, but...

In a panic from staring at me, the words had just left my mouth.

"I don't have a mother!"