Chapter 62 – The Shack (Part 1)

 

"Let's go quickly."

We hurried away. After going through all these difficulties to kill Canivaro in 5 minutes, there was no time to rest.

"Well, are you okay now?"

"Now that I've rested a little, I feel better. Thank you. But how long did I sleep?

"Probably about three hours."

It was a lie. In fact, it could not be more than one.

"Y-That long?" Unsurprisingly...

In technical terms, this was called a placebo. Thinking this way would be better for her mental and physical health. Although now I was starting to become a problem.

"Bjorn, you don't have a good complexion.

Having slept well, Mike did not lag behind. However, my speed was quite slow. This was expected. Just because my natural ability to regenerate was high didn't mean that the fatigue would go away.

"I'll carry you." Why don't you rest?

Thank you... Of course, for the offer, but what's the point of it?

"It's okay, I can handle it."

Of course, I'm tired. I could probably pass out in a second if I lay down right now. But...

"Let's speed up a little more.

Again, there was no other choice. As a result of a cool analysis of my current state, it turned out that even if I did my best to load myself, I had only a few hours left. After that, psychic strength or not, my body would no longer be able to withstand it.

"Speed up?"

— Yes, this is the only way.

We needed to find a safe place while I still had stamina. Such a place randomly appeared in the Witchwood at regular intervals and was maintained for 8 hours. The effects of the field there were reduced to zero, and no monsters appeared either. In other words, it was possible to sleep peacefully.

"But what if we can't find him?"

Well, then things will get a lot worse.

However, the last time we found a safe zone was two days ago. At the moment, it is likely to appear again.

I don't know about me, but she seems to be lucky...

Just look at the last time we found the safe zone. We were taking a break because she was whining that her leg hurt when a safe zone appeared right next to us.

"From now on, you take the lead.

"Me-me?"

"Just go where you want. It doesn't look like we know the way.

I did not believe in superstitions, but just in case, I put Misha in charge. We moved quickly, destroying only the initiative mobs that we came across.

How much time has passed?

"Huh?" Bjorn! Look there! Isn't that it?

— ... It looks like it.

It seemed that some people were lucky in everything. To our surprise, in less than 30 minutes we found an unusual tree. It was similar to other trees, but a soft purple glow emanated from the bark.

This was proof that this is the means that will lead us to a safe place.

"Good job, Misha.

"Hehe!" You can praise me again!

What did she mean?

After stroking the top of her head as a sign that she had done a good job, I approached the tree, and together with Misha we put our hands on the bark.

[You have entered the Witch's Hut].

As soon as we put our hands on the tree, we were enveloped in a purple mist. Soon a warm wind blew, reminiscent of spring, and dispersed the fog that covered the surroundings.

*Shaaaa!*

Eventually, when all the fog was gone, the gloomy forest was no longer visible. The land was a flowering lawn. The skinny thorns, covered with rotten vines, were now dotted with abundant leaves.

"Bjorn!" Take a look at this! Aren't flowers beautiful?

Yes of course. But since I already saw it last time...

"Don't do anything useless, go into the house and rest."

"Hfm, you're an unromantic barbarian!"

Romance? This is only for people with leisure. If you are a romantic, being on the verge of starvation, you will seem only a pitiful, self-deceiving person.

*Creak*...

Leaving behind Misha, who was strangely cheerful, I opened the door of the hut in the center. There was one bookshelf, a dining table, a carpet, and an oven. Contrary to the name "Witch's Hut", there was nothing special about the interior. It was an ordinary hut imaginable.

Still, I think Raven or Dvalki would have liked her.

Mages loved unusual rooms like this. There were also books on the bookshelf, so they would check them as soon as they arrived.

But I was a barbarian, and a very tired one at that.

*Buch*

So I went straight to the bed and collapsed on it. Then I buried my face in the pillow and muttered:

"You're sleeping in a chair this time.

"Good!" You're probably tired, so rest for a while.

Having reached the limit of my physical capabilities, I sent Misha to the rocking chair on which I slept last time.

*Crackle*

Closing my eyes, I heard the sound of burning wood from the fireplace. Misha seemed to sit down too, because at regular intervals I heard a creak.

*Squeak, Squeak*

— ... Good night, Bjorn.

Consciousness gradually disappeared.

Was it because I was very tired?

For the first time in a long time, I had a dream.

As always, I was at work. I was doing administrative business, and as soon as I was done, my ex-girlfriend came to greet me.

... in black stockings.

In general, we returned to me, ordered chicken and each did our own thing. I was playing games, and she was quietly reading a book in the corner. A peaceful silence fell. When it was time to go to bed, we naturally hugged and fell asleep.

That was all that happened in the dream.

As soon as I realized that it was all just a dream, I was brought back to reality. A small hut found while wandering through the Witchwood. There was an old bed. A large barbarian body that fills it.

As soon as this barbarian woke up from his slumber, he led his monstrous body to meet the monsters in order to survive. It was my reality.

... So let's do what we have to do.

It didn't look like I could go back to sleep, so I turned my head to the fireplace. The fire that had burned brightly before I fell asleep had lost its power and was almost extinguished. This meant that the hut was about to close. I checked my watch to see how long I had been sleeping.

After all, I slept for almost 7 hours.

It was amazing that my body woke up at the right time, even without an alarm clock. I forced myself to open my eyes and looked up at the ceiling. As I slowly woke up, a severe headache broke out in the back of my head, as if my brain was whining to me that it needed more sleep.

I knew that if I sympathized with such a weak heart, there would be no end to it. And so I sat down.

When did she come?

I didn't know why, but Misha slept with her whole body pressed against me, using my torso as a pillow. And at the same time drooling. It seemed that she was very comfortable, because she even purred with each breath.

Maybe the chair was uncomfortable?

I lifted her head and pushed her to the side, then got out of bed. Waking up early would have helped to get her into good physical condition, but I decided to let her sleep for the time being.

*Crackle!*

I stretched, kneading my stiff body, and went outside the hut to sunbathe a little. To be honest, I was in a much better mood.

... So that's why Misha loved to look at flowers?

When I thought about it, I could understand Misha's emotions, but it was still difficult to empathize with them. Not that it's wrong, but it's just a matter of taste. When you're in the sun, you at least feel like you're getting vitamin D.

The contemplation of flowers was not even self-hypnosis. It was less effective than placebo.

But anyway, I have to wake her up now.

"Misha, wake up.

"Mmmm, another 5 minutes..."

"Get up." We must leave this place soon.

"Then just until...

What does it bring? She seemed to be unable to think sane because of her sleep, so I forcibly lifted her by the waist.

Then I shook it up and down.

"Ahh!" Aaa! Oh-okay! I woke up! Stop it!!!

— Of course.

"Ignorant barbarian!"

That's why you had to wake up when I told you.

I handed the flask to Mike, who was out of breath. I knew she might be grumbling, but not because she was really angry.

— ... Ok thanks.

Now that she woke up, we were sitting next to each other, munching on bread and jerky. Although I had no appetite when I woke up, I knew I wouldn't have time to eat when we went out.

"If you're done, you should stretch your legs. There are only a few minutes left.

"Okay," Soon Mike slowly stretched and awakened feelings in her body. Since she was a character of agility, her body was incredibly flexible. Meanwhile, I was packing my backpack when Misha, stretching, spoke to me.

— E. Bjorn...

"What is it?"

"About Hikuroda, Dvalki, and Brown...

— Выкладывай.

"What do you think happened to the three of them?" Do you think they're still alive?

Oh, that was your question.

I thought she would ask about it. People tended to be interested in other things when their bodies were recovering. I answered without hesitation.

"I don't know.

"Yes, but you can guess.

That would not be an assumption, but a wish. Before she could begin an unnecessary long speech, I interrupted her.

"Whatever I predict, it won't change anything.

Whether they were alive or not, it was pointless. Even if they were in a difficult situation, what could we do if we got lost in the Witchwood? First of all, we had to focus on survival. In the end, we will inevitably know the outcome when we return to the city.

"So, if you're done warming up, check your gear.

Because that's all we could do right now.

*Crackle*

The last remaining log went out.

[The Witch's Hut is closed.

It was time to leave.

***

[[Witch Eye] status anomaly raised to level 6].

***

[Witch's Eye Status Anomaly Raised to Level 7].

***

[[Witch Eye] status anomaly raised to level 8].

***

[[Witch's Eye] status anomaly raised to level 9].

***

11th day of exploring the labyrinth. In other words, it's been almost 8 days since I was left in the Witchwood.

[[Witch Eye] status anomaly raised to level 10].

Now we really didn't have time to catch our breath. We had to keep going. The [Witch's Eye] should have already entered the upper stage. According to my calculations, Canivaro should appear if we stay in place for at least 3 minutes.

Nevertheless, fortunately... So far, there is nothing that can get worse. This is assuming that no other variables occur.

Of course, there was also the possibility of a positive variable. For example, essence, or essence, or essence...

Whore.

Wandering through the Witchwood, we had to hunt many monsters, whether we wanted to or not, but not a single essence appeared. It was very unfortunate. Any essence would increase our combat power at the moment, and some essences were effective enough to change the situation by 180 degrees.

"Bjorn!" It's a witch's lamp!

"Let's kill her quickly and move on.

A rank 9 spirit type monster, the Witch Lamp, looked like a fire goblin on the outside. Its combat power was not great, so it could be dealt with with elementals without any problems. His active skills were also empty, with the exception of Witchwood.

[The Witch Lamp summoned the Witch Lamp].

The skill of summoning the Witch Lamp surprisingly summoned the Witch Lamp. Yes, that bastard summoned himself. In other words, if you eat their essence, you can summon a Witch Lamp.

"Come to me, essence!" Mike cast this spell and quickly defeated the Witch Lamps, which had grown from one monster to six. However, there was no essence again.

Deuce... If we get the essence from this bastard to use as a guide, it will secure our exit from this forest... It seems that we have no other choice but to hold out until the last day.

Realistically, this was the most likely scenario, as the 3rd floor was closed on the 15th day. If we can survive the next 4 days, we can return to the city. But the problem was that I couldn't be sure that we would survive even those few days.

"Misha, how is your endurance?"

"Mmm, I'm pretty tired, but it's not bad since we took a break earlier.

Last night we were lucky enough to find another hut where we were able to rest for a while. It was a discovery and a respite after almost 50 hours of travel. In a nutshell, we couldn't sleep, couldn't eat properly, and just moved around during that time.

In addition, we discovered it quite late, so we only had 4 hours to rest.

Finding the hut was pure luck. If we had not been lucky, we might not have found a single hut in the remaining 4 days. That's why we hunted for the Witch's Lamp every chance we got, because it's better to try everything we can.

"Bjorn."

Misha suddenly stopped, leading her way, and I also stopped and looked ahead.

— Researchers.

For the first time since we were left behind, we encountered a creature that wasn't a monster.

"Barbarian and Beastman?" Are there only two of you?

We could not yet understand whether this was a positive or negative turn of events.