Chapter 24: Call of War

Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Call of War

Hours had passed, and Brika was still suffering from a sudden fever. Victor checked his first-aid kits and found some medicine for cases like this, but he wasn’t sure whether it would work the same way on a goblin as it did on a human.

Besides, how was he supposed to get her to take the pills? Brika was unconscious, and no matter how much Victor called out to her, she showed no signs of waking up.

This was getting out of Victor’s control.

’What should I do? If she dies, I’ll have wasted my resources for nothing.’

He could no longer afford to let Brika die. He had thought that stitching up the wounds of that goblin girl would be enough, but he’d foolishly failed to consider all the other symptoms an injury could cause.

In situations like this, he had to think fast and act without hesitation. So, what could he do to help Brika get better? Victor frowned, an idea forming in his mind.

"Maybe..."

He took one of his water bottles, then grabbed a couple of pills and crushed them with the handle of his knife. As he silently watched Brika, he whispered:

"I hope this works."

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After two full days, the mysterious storm and its white lightning gradually began to weaken. With the wind blowing less fiercely, Victor opened the door slightly to check whether it was safe to step outside.

As soon as he did, a huge amount of dust rushed inside and hit him in the face. Victor slammed the door shut and coughed a couple of times. His mouth was full of dust, so he spat it all out.

’What the hell is wrong with this place? Isn’t it enough that it’s completely dark and there are intangible monsters lurking outside?’

Victor thought the difficulty of this scenario was downright unfair. Sure, the forest in the first scenario had plenty of challenges, but they weren’t caused by the monsters living there. They came from the other participants, whose intentions would always be impossible to decipher.

But that wasn’t the case in this scenario. Here, the monsters ruled the darkness.

When he returned to the kitchen, Victor found the little water he had left boiling in the pot. He took it off the fire and placed it on the table beside one of the instant noodle cups.

Nearby, Brika was resting in the only bed in the corner of the house.

’She’s improved quite a bit. It’s amazing how quickly her wounds are healing.’

Victor had changed Brika’s bandages over the past few days and had seen considerable progress in the goblin’s recovery, so he removed the stitches that morning. After all, the wounds had already closed.

’I wish I could say the same about myself.’

After everything he’d been through, he still had the body of an ordinary human.

To keep himself from getting depressed and drowning in self-pity over his own weakness, he finished his cup of instant noodles and stared at the ceiling. A few minutes later, he heard Brika move in bed.

He turned his attention toward her and found her staring right at him. At that moment, Victor noticed that Brika’s crimson eyes glowed faintly in the darkness, but that dim light faded as she spoke.

"You’re very stubborn, human."

Victor let out a small chuckle.

"Of course I am. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here today."

Brika sighed. She struggled to get out of bed, swaying as she stood because her body was still weak and had barely recovered.

Victor pulled the other chair closer and let her sit down. Then he picked up the pot of hot water and poured some into one of the instant noodle cups.

"This is..."

"Food. You’ll have to wait about three minutes for the noodles to soften. In the meantime, let’s talk about your recovery."

"You sure do like to talk," Brika said. Her tone was still somewhat serious, and the weak, sleepy expression on her face made her look angry. Nothing new, really.

"Only when it suits me. Anyway, you recovered quickly. Congratulations."

As he moved the cup of noodles closer to her, Brika said:

"That’s because goblins have excellent regenerative abilities. A human like you, who probably grew up surrounded by comfort and peace, wouldn’t be able to understand the evolution of my people."

"You have a point, I guess. Besides, if that’s what you’re saying, then the universe you come from must not be an easy place for goblins."

Without waiting the full three minutes, Brika peeled back the lid of the instant noodle cup and slowly drank from it as if it were a cup of water.

"We’re weak compared to other races, but some of us are born for war. We adapt to protect the goblins who can’t protect themselves. That’s how the goblin kingdom came to be."

"And you’re telling me all this because...?"

"Because we’re going to die."

"I knew it. You still haven’t gotten that idea out of your head? We’re not going to die. That’s why I saved you, and that’s why I’ve spent all these days taking care of you. I barely even know you, but if there’s a chance to survive, I’ll make the most of it."

"I respect that," Brika replied, finishing her cup of noodles. "Hey, this stuff was good. Don’t you have any more?"

Victor sighed. It didn’t look like she wanted to keep talking about the subject.

"I only have two cups of instant noodles left. We’d better save them for when we really need them."

"Hmm... Well, I have my own supplies, so I don’t mind."

When she raised her hand toward the table, Brika’s System screen appeared. She reached into the screen and pulled out an apple, which she immediately took a bite out of.

"That’s your System, right?" Victor asked.

Brika nodded.

"And what does it do? How does it work?"

Brika said nothing and stared at him in silence. Yes, that reaction was obvious, and Victor had already expected it. Even if he’d expected it, she wasn’t going to tell him anything.

"At least tell me what it’s called."

Brika stopped chewing the apple. With her mouth full and bits of apple spraying onto the table, she said:

"Call of War."