Chapter 25: Twisted

Chapter 25: Chapter 25: Twisted

"Call of War?"

If he hadn’t seen the pistol and heard the explosions, Victor wouldn’t have been able to guess what it was about, since war itself had many different facets. Brika nodded, confirming that was its name, despite the human’s stupid question.

After that, she continued eating her apple while staring silently into Victor’s eyes.

’Her gaze is a little uncomfortable.’

Of course, after what he’d had to do to get her to take the medicine. However, putting that aside, Victor was a little anxious about what they were going to do next.

With Brika awake, it was time to think about their next moves in this gloomy scenario. Since she knew the most about the place, she’d make an excellent guide through the darkness. Besides, Brika was the one who had faced this place’s mysterious monsters head-on. There was no one better for the job.

Now the problem was how to bring it up. Brika was convinced they were both going to die no matter what, so it wouldn’t be surprising if she flat-out refused to venture into the darkness again.

’Well, I need to tell her something that’ll convince her to go out there...’

He cleared his throat.

"Now that you finally seem to have recovered, how about we plan our escape from this scenario? Planning is the first step toward surviving here. I mean, we have a deal, right?"

Brika sighed. She seemed to have expected that question.

"And what do you propose?" she asked.

That surprised Victor. He hadn’t expected her to be so reasonable about it.

"Well, that’s what I’m trying to figure out. As you already know, there’s a storm outside that’s blasting everything with dust. It seems to be dying down for now, but I don’t know when things might get worse."

"Battlefield conditions are important, yes, so you did well to consider that. And now what?"

Victor frowned.

"Hmm... well, that’s not our biggest problem, you know? Since you already have a general idea of what we might encounter out there, I was hoping you could guide us along the way. That is, assuming we don’t run into any other participants."

Placing the apple core in the middle of the table, Brika raised her fist and crushed it with a single punch. Then, without taking her eyes off Victor, she licked her fist.

’What... the hell?’

Noticing Victor’s discomfort, Brika smiled faintly.

"The other participants are a problem, but the monsters that attacked me are an even bigger one. If you can evade their senses, you can be sure you’ll escape without much trouble."

"I suppose there’s a catch."

"No matter what you do, they’ll find you. Which is strange, because they haven’t tried to attack us while we’re here. They could’ve passed right through the walls, and that would’ve been the end of us, but that hasn’t happened yet. What do you think it could be?"

"And you’re asking me?"

Brika let out a small laugh. Her voice sounded somewhat youthful, though with a slightly deep tone.

"You’re right, human. My mistake. I still don’t know for sure, but those creatures might have a weakness I haven’t been able to discover. I’ll leave that to you to figure out. Then those things can kill us even if you do discover their weakness."

"You’re really lacking in faith. However, I know we’re going to survive," Victor said, planting his fist on the table. He leaned a little closer to Brika, his expression hardened with determination. "Just follow me and watch. I’ll make survival possible."

He felt a little arrogant saying it that way, but it was all he had to say. After barely surviving Ayax’s betrayal, Victor couldn’t afford to fail again, no matter what happened.

Those words seemed to click in Brika’s mind, and her expression returned to its usual seriousness.

"I see. For the honor of my people, and because you took care of me these past few days, I’ll serve your cause and guide you. That’s the deal, right? Either way, whether I serve as your weapon or not, you can be sure nothing you do will work. Still, I’d like to see you try."

Brika stood up from her chair.

"It’s always good to watch people try to impose their will on reality."

Following her lead, Victor stood in front of her.

"You have a pretty twisted mind, goblin woman."

"Don’t you?" Brika asked innocently, wearing a dark smile.

She was right. Surviving at all costs required a mind willing to go that far. Being twisted, or something along those lines, was something Victor could agree with. It wasn’t for nothing that he’d challenged the gods at the very beginning.

For his part, Victor thought this twisted, pessimistic goblin was quite peculiar. He couldn’t explain why, but he could sense that what came from her wasn’t lies, but the harsh and cruel reality. Unfortunately, that was something Victor was already used to.

Hours passed. Victor wanted to wait until his gacha system became available and showed him the Daily Summon notification. It was ridiculous, but thanks to it, he could tell when it was day and when it was night.

By dawn on the third day in that house, both of them were ready to leave.

"Just one thing before we go," Brika said. "I know how to move through the darkness thanks to one of my people’s abilities. Our eyes can see the supernatural and look through it, so keep that in mind when you follow me."

"So that’s why..."

"Yes. And I already know your thing is your sense of smell. You’re not hiding it at all. You look like an idiot sniffing the air all the time. It’s noisy."

’Seriously? Can people tell when I’m using my sense of smell?’

At least to Brika, it was already obvious. Turning toward the door, Victor saw that the storm had stopped. Outside, the mist remained still, and the creatures lurking within it whispered words no one could understand.

Brika opened the door and stepped outside.