Chapter 64 – The Shack (Part 3)

 

Ever since I was stuck in the Witchwood, I've been thinking about it from time to time. Won't the rest of our team wander around the woods looking for us? And if so, is it possible to reunite with them by coincidence?

In the end, it was a useless delusion.

This cannot happen.

Imagination and reality have never coincided. When I saw that there were three tenants, I had hope, but I smiled bitterly. After all, miracles don't work for me. More like a tragedy.

— ... Bjorn.

Misha climbed on my back and whispered very softly in my ear.

"What are we going to do now?"

I thought about it. I never thought I'd meet these bastards here.

His name was... Davis?

Ready to crush his head with my mace at any moment, I carefully examined the sleeping Davis. The religious freak wore a necklace, bracelet and buttons with symbols of the Reatlas religion. Simply put, he was the leader of a group of researchers who attacked us on Eliza's plan in the past.

What the hell is this bastard doing here?

The more I looked at this guy's face, the more my doubts deepened.

Why did he rest here? What the hell was he doing to Eliza that there were only three of them? And why the hell did he look as shabby as we did?

Abandoning my doubts, I looked into the hut again through the window. Fortunately, the other two were still asleep. When I found out that they were his teammates, I could guess their identities from their body type and hair color.

So it must be a guy with a bow and a sword.

The warrior with the big shield and the red-haired archer were nowhere to be seen.

... Maybe they also separated from their group?

This thought suddenly crossed my mind, but I couldn't be sure.

Damn, what am I going to do? This made me worried. Maybe just crush his head while he sleeps?

While I was thinking about it, Misha whispered to me:

"Bjorn, we might even be able to find out about Hikuroda and the others.

Hmm, that was true. It seemed that the conversation was necessary. But before that, we needed to create conditions for a conversation.

"Let's knock them all out first, and then tie them up with ropes."

— Good idea.

Having made an agreement, I brought Misha to the hut so that, if they woke up, I could pacify them before they came to their senses. When the preparations were finished, I exchanged a glance with Misha through the window and nodded. Then, raising the mace in the air, I brought it down on his head with all my might.

*Smack!*

As expected, the religious freak passed out without making a sound. I let out a long sigh, wiping the blood and bits of flesh from my clothes.

*Phew*, one is ready.

Now it was necessary to stun the next one.

When I made my way into the hut, I saw that the other two had completely passed out from the arduous journey and fell asleep.

Which one should I take care of first?

After thinking for a while, I saw that one of them was tossing and turning.

"Phew...

Yes, this guy must be good. Just when I was about to raise the mace, Mike hurriedly grabbed my hand and exclaimed in a hoarse voice:

"You said you'd just knock him out!"

I shook my head, then belatedly understood the meaning of her words and nodded.

"Don't worry.

Even in fighting games, hovering low was my specialty. I confidently controlled my strength. And if he dies, it will be just an accident. This is how the world works. Don't you think so?

*Blow!*

At the moment when the mace struck, the man resting in the rocking chair drooped. At the same time, the man on the bed heard a sound and lifted his upper body.

"Wh-who...?"

Of course, this was not a problem. Whether awake or asleep, in front of my mace, everyone was equal.

*Blow!*

Without having to sneak up on him, I rushed forward and drove a half-weakened mace into his face. Since my goal was to knock him out, I called this skill "Switch". It sounded quite appropriate.

The first suppression was completed with a successful strike.

"What are you doing?" Tie them up," I said to Mike.

Mike looked at the three bloody bodies and answered:

"Is it necessary...?"

Well... It's better to be safe.

There was nothing to lose if you were meticulous. This is my rule.

"Wow, they're really alive...

The three of them were hit in turn with a mace, and fortunately survived.

"I told you, don't worry...

"But I think they're going to die soon."

Seeing their breathing become ragged and uneven, it seemed that they would soon meet their end. The one who had been slapped in the face was in the worst condition of all. But as long as they were alive, there should be no problems. After all, isn't this a fantasy world?

"I found it.

I picked up one of the bags on the floor and took out a bottle of potion. Then I poured the potion on their unconscious heads.

They shouldn't be too lively, so just a little bit.

*Shhhh!*

The reaction followed at various intervals.

"Ahhhh Ahhh!

"Ahhhh!"

The shattered heads healed slowly, and the three of them plopped down on the lawn like live fish. I pulled up a rocking chair, sat down, and waited for them to come to their senses.

"Ignorant barbarian...

Misha saw this and condemned me, but what could I do? They may have been deceived by Eliza, but they still tried to kill us once. The barbarian's heart, which Bjorn possessed, did not sympathize with the enemy at all.

"Y-you...!"

"That barbarian!"

"It's a misunderstanding!" Misunderstanding! We are not your enemies!

Time passed, and three of them came to their senses. Since they were now shouting at the same time, it was getting a bit hectic.

"One at a time," I muttered, wiping the blood from my mace, which silenced the room.

The three of them, tied together like a bunch of fish, looked at each other and agreed only with their eyes.

"Look, it's all a misunderstanding. This is a misunderstanding.

It was the leader and religious jerk who was chosen as the spokesperson.

"I'll explain everything, please...

"yes, and what's the misunderstanding?"

Davis went on to say that it wasn't fair.

"That bitch!" She used us. We had no idea that she was a slave of the cursed Karui!

Oh, so you know it now?

Something has definitely happened to them.

"So why don't you let us go and we can talk about it slowly?"

"Stop talking about it.

What mattered now was not how unfair and difficult it was for them.

"Tell me, from beginning to end." What the hell has happened since we ran away?

Confirmation of causality. That was the only reason I used the Breaker instead of the Homewrecker.

"Oh, that's...

"Don't even think about lying.

"Good. After all, it's our fault that we trusted her, but I'll tell you the truth.

"It's up to me to decide whether it's true or not.

The religious idiot swallowed. Then he spewed out a part of the story that I didn't know.

"When we succumbed to this villain's plans and caught up with your group, for some reason there were only three of you.

Yes. That was when we had just been left behind.

*Crunch!*

Indeed, it caused shivers. What was that timing?

"Should I go on talking...?" Davis asked.

— Of course. Go on.

"It's going to be hard for us if you guys keep running, so we attacked and wounded a man who looked like a scout first.

"Y-you're talking about Rothmiller!?"

"I don't know his name. But don't worry. With such a wound, he will still live.

In general, if you put together the rest of the story, it looked like this. The surprise attack left Brown incapacitated, in a truly hopeless situation. A dwarf would have judged it that way. They had to defeat the enemy scout in order to be able to escape safely.

"I don't know what it is, but like that time, there was a blast of light that threw us back. When I woke up, Anderson had been stabbed in the head by the Ice Spear. Anderson is the name of our intelligence officer. He wasn't the type to attack with something like that... Maybe it was because we had a numerical advantage, but we couldn't avoid it because we weren't vigilant.

Whatever the details, the moment the dwarf bought some time, Dvalki defeated the enemy scout. Without looking back, they ran away with the wounded Brown.

As soon as we heard this, Misha slapped me on the back.

"As I thought, it's all thanks to Hikuroda!" Hikurod killed their scout for us!

Well, I didn't know what the dwarf was thinking, but I couldn't deny that it was thanks to him that we survived. In any case, let's return to the main essence of the story.

"Because of Anderson's death, we also wandered in the woods. We couldn't chase anyone.

A religious freak and his group passionately pursued us, but when their scout passed away, they found themselves in the same situation as us. Of course, they were still better off than us. There were 5 people and even a priestess on their side. But...

"It was about 2 days after we got lost.

While they took turns keeping a night watch to replenish stamina, the bitch Eliza showed her true nature and killed one of them.

"When I saw how it shrivelled and dried, I immediately understood. That she worships the evil Karui!

"Okay, so why did that bitch kill your friend?" I asked.

"I don't know either... Meanwhile, once we witnessed the horrific sight, the three of us had no choice but to leave and alert the public.

Nonsense. You just ran to survive by abandoning your teammate.

Anyway, they just skipped the story after that. Except for the fact that there were three of them, it was no different from what Misha and I went through.

"So, now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up...

"I think I've already asked you not to bring up this topic?"

I sighed at the third request to untie them.

"Bjorn, what are you going to do now?"

"Ahem. It looks like you're in a similar situation. Why not work with us?

"Keep your mouth shut.

There was something to think about. Of course, I wasn't going to accept this guy's offer and join forces for the remaining two days.

"To think that I haven't apologized yet!" Let me apologize! We were so stupid that we fell for the tricks of this bitch. I'm sorry!

Nevertheless, it was possible to accept these apologies. Could I really condemn these guys? Of course, a lot of our suffering was caused by these bastards, but no one died as a result. It seemed that the dwarf and the others were still alive.

"Of course, we will compensate you for the damage we have caused!"

And they even offered material compensation. Do I still have to kill them?

"Bjorn, I'll do as you say."

I've killed a few so far, but then my life was on the line. And those people were scum, incapable of salvation. But these guys? It was doubtful. Yes, as I said, there was something to think about. My modern mind, the mind of a man who has not yet learned the ways of this world, has been putting off making a decision.

"What are you thinking about!" I... It was a mistake! I never thought a priestess could lie...

"Shut up." Keep talking, and I might accidentally crush your skull.

Davis closed his mouth.

I answered sharply so as not to seem weak, but inwardly I continued to worry.

Would I do the right thing by killing them? At last I asked myself.

The barbarian warrior Bjorn Yandel answered.

Is it right or wrong that matters? It's easier to just kill, so why should I leave room to worry?

A truly absurd answer. 29-year-old Seoul native Lee Hansoo also spoke out.

Idiot, what is there to think about? Of course, killing someone for a mistake is stupid. But...

For once, their opinions coincided.

But that's when you're in our world," Li Hansoo finished.

Killing someone for one mistake would be completely unwise if I was still in the place where I was born and raised.

*Grab*

I grabbed the mace. However, I still couldn't make up my mind. I inadvertently asked:

"Misha, what do you think?"

Misha, who was born and raised in this world, answered:

"I can't trust these guys.

"So what?"

"Mistake or not, they were trying to kill us. In that case... My father taught me never to forgive such people.

Hmm, I see. This is normal in this world.

It was as if the fog had lifted, my mind was sharp. When you're in Rome, act like a Roman. The reason is simple: Otherwise, you may die.

And I raised the mace up.

"I said it was a mistake!" A religious freak shouted from the ground.

"A mistake, isn't it?" I nodded.

Maybe it really was a mistake, but somehow it seems to me that next time you will make the same mistake again.

*Crunch!*

And I struck with all my might with the mace, as if erasing all vibrations.

*Crunch!*

Consistently.

*Crunch!*

After three blows, the surroundings became quiet.

***

[Achievement Condition: Number of Kills 10]

[Reward: Spirit +1]

***

I wasn't going to justify my actions. If that were the case, I'd dig a trap and wait for them to make a mistake. The worse the bastard I killed behaved, the better for my mental health.

Now is the time to throw it all away.

Ever since I woke up in this body, I've known it.

Bjorn Yandel.

From now on, I must live by this name. No, not only the name, but I had to really become this savage. It was the only way to survive here.

*Cap, cap*

Blood and flesh dripped from the mace.

"Bjorn... Are you okay? Your hands are shaking.

If you are weak, you will die. If you make a mistake, you die. In this world, you will die if you are unlucky.

"Don't worry. This is nonsense.

Soon my hands stopped trembling. I took off the religious jerk's gear, then dragged the body into the cabin in my underwear.

"Huh?" What are you going to do with it?! Mike asked in disgust.

"What I have to do.

It was something I had to do, even if I didn't feel like it. Without hesitation, I threw the body into the half-extinguished fire.

*Whoosh!*

The fire instantly came to life. At the same time, a disgusting smell emanated from him. In fact, it was exactly what I thought. The body of the good-natured barbarian could not tell the difference between this and the smell of meat.

When I saw the fire burning, I exhaled. This also corresponded to the game.

[A new sacrifice has been made, and the duration of The Witch's Hut has been increased by 8 hours].

Since there were still two pieces of wood left, I calculated that we could rest in the hut for at least another 24 hours.

"What are you doing?" Go rest," I said and lay down on the bed.

Misha said something in response, but, to be honest, I did not hear.

— ... How convenient.

I closed my eyes and counted senselessly from one thing. My tired body slowly fell asleep, as if it had just found peace.

*Crack*.

The sound of a burning fire gradually disappeared from my consciousness.

After all, you need to sleep in bed.

This was no longer ironic. The more I lost my modernity, the more human I became in this world.