Chapter 26: Advancing Through the Darkness

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Advancing Through the Darkness

Following Brika’s lead, Victor put on a black hooded cloak and a pair of aviator goggles he had previously obtained from the gacha system.

[Shadow Cloak.]

[Description: It’s just a hooded cloak. Its stitching is flawless, and the fabric is durable. Perfect for sandstorms!]

[Rarity: C]

***

[Hawk Eyes.]

[Description: Aviator goggles. That’s it. Nothing more.]

[Rarity: C]

Both were completely ordinary items. After obtaining the rifle, Victor had thought that was as far as his good luck would take him, since everything he’d gotten afterward had been Common rarity.

After that, the two of them advanced through the darkness. Victor had barely noticed it before, but now, as he frowned and peered into the darkness, he saw that Brika’s eyes were glowing faintly. He could guess that it had something to do with the ability she’d mentioned earlier.

He was curious about it, but he chose to keep his mouth shut and continue following her.

Neither of them said a word along the way. In fact, everything was so quiet that the only thing they could hear was each other’s footsteps against the stone. Meanwhile, beneath their feet lay thick layers of residual dust left behind by the storm.

’I have one gacha summon left,’ Victor thought as he looked at his System screen. Ahead of him, Brika remained focused on the path. ’Well, I still have time to use it. In the meantime, I really need to stay focused.’

Brika’s pace was somewhat hurried, but if they didn’t move quickly, something might find them and attack. Gripping the rifle firmly in both hands, Victor continued forward like a soldier. It certainly brought back some unpleasant memories of his military service.

Remembering the training sessions in the rain, the harsh punishments, and the times he’d been jolted awake in the middle of the night left a bitter taste in his mouth. But given his current situation, it wasn’t as if he could simply avoid thinking about it.

Just as he had done his entire life, he had to adapt to the miserable life he’d been dealt. After all, everyone did the same thing. Everyone adapted to whatever circumstances they had to live with, whether that meant being a failed wage slave or a homeless man abandoned by all the gods.

’That’s life.’ It was what people always said, but what did Victor think about it? It was all complete bullshit! Looking back, if he’d known things would end up this way, he would have taken more risks.

Maybe taking risks was the cure for bad luck, though it could just as easily be poison.

Farther ahead, after about two hours of silence, Brika suddenly stopped. She pressed a hand against Victor’s chest to stop him. He wanted to whisper a question, but the goblin warrior grabbed him by the hood and dragged him toward one of the houses.

Brika kicked the door open and shoved Victor to the floor. Having no idea what the hell was wrong with this woman, Victor stared into her eyes in the darkness, but she switched on her flashlight and raised a finger to her lips.

"Shhh..."

At that very moment, Victor’s eyes widened as a chill swallowed his sense of calm. He was feeling that same sensation he’d experienced a few days earlier: an invisible mass that distorted the other scents in the surrounding area.

Brika loaded her pistol, and her System screen appeared, glowing blue. Reaching into it, she pulled out a fragmentation grenade. Knowing what might happen, Victor did the same and dropped to one knee, aiming his rifle at the door.

The seconds that followed felt like an eternity, and the silence became absolute until the only sound left was Victor’s nervous breathing. Brika narrowed her eyes, and then...

A whisper echoed from every direction. The atmosphere grew heavy and oppressive, as if a toxic gas were drifting through the area, filling them both with a mysterious sense of revulsion.

The whisper grew louder as the monster approached, keeping both participants on edge.

A few more seconds passed, and the whisper gradually faded into the distance, eerie and mournful. The atmosphere slowly returned to its previous calm and silence. Meanwhile, Brika squeezed the grenade with all her strength until she was certain the specter had disappeared.

Sighing in relief, she dropped to her knees and then lay down on the floor, staring at the ceiling with lifeless eyes. She raised the hand holding her flashlight and pointed it at the ceiling.

Victor, who was still aiming at the door, watched the goblin girl’s strange behavior. After what she’d done with the apple, he wasn’t even going to try to understand her anymore. She was simply his guide, and somehow, they’d just managed to avoid having to face one of those damned things.

Completely overwhelmed by fear and uncertainty, Victor lowered his weapon and placed both hands on the wooden floor.

"You know? I really thought we were going to fight that thing."

"Well, it’s a good thing we didn’t. We would’ve died for good."

Victor sighed. He hated to admit that he’d expected that answer. Still, he thought he had the right words to refute what this goblin was saying.

"Then, knowing we were going to die, why did you prepare to fight?"

In a whisper that Victor could barely hear, Brika said:

"I don’t know."

It was an unexpected answer. Surprised, Victor sat down on the floor.

’I thought she’d say she was going to fight so she could die faster.’

Had he underestimated Brika, the goblin warrior? And even if that were true, it didn’t change the fact that she had been willing to stand up to the beast. Not everyone could do that.

In silence, Victor formed a grim idea of what might be going through Brika’s mind.

’It sounds contradictory, but facing death takes tremendous willpower, just as taking your own life does.’

Pointing her flashlight at the ceiling, Brika said:

"Let’s not waste any more time. If you’re so eager to get us killed, let’s keep moving."

And this was only the beginning of a long journey.