Chapter 152: The Two Spikes

"You two are that sure he’s a good person?"

Sera scoffed at Spike’s speculation. "No wonder you two got tricked. You think too highly of people!"

"You’re supposed to be veteran Adventurers, aren’t you? How can you have such unrealistic delusions?"

"Probably because Wilson protected us too well," Spike said with a self-deprecating laugh. "My main job is actually just singing and playing in taverns, spreading the stories of our adventures to line up the next commission."

The world was vast, but jobs like Ron’s—extremely long-term, with almost no time limit—were few and far between. The vast majority of Adventurers took on short-term gigs to make quick money.

They’d spend a few days completing a client’s request, collect their payment, hand it over to the tavern owner for drinks, and then wait for the next job. That was the typical routine.

That was why many Adventurer Squads were willing to bring a Bard along, or partner with Bards from certain taverns. On one hand, it boosted their fame and attracted clients; on the other, it satisfied their vanity.

And when they grew too old to take on any more commissions (though most Adventurers never lived that long), they could write books, embellishing their adventures into legendary tales to sell to the "city folk" in places like Rose City—they loved that kind of stuff.

Spike’s role was much the same. He might know a few tricks and some Magic, but he was far from qualified as a proper Adventurer.

"What about you? Your squad doesn’t have two Bards, does it?" Ron asked, looking at the short man, Spike’s companion.

An Adventurer Squad usually consisted of four to six people. While larger groups existed, they were typically formed to have a more comprehensive set of skills for handling various situations. Having two Bards in one squad was just excessive.

"No, he’s not a Bard. He’s..."

Spike trailed off, his mouth opening and closing, but not another word came out.

’Yeah, who was he again?’

’He was the one Wilson left with me to keep watch. We were going to get reinforcements. We were...’

’So who is he, really? What’s his job? And... what’s his name?’

Spike’s face instantly turned pale. He scrambled behind Ron and the others, pointing at the short man who had traveled with them and shouting, "Who are you?! I don’t remember having you as a teammate!"

Sera’s expression changed. She immediately took down the Grip of the Vast Wave and entered a combat stance, the greatsword’s edge aimed squarely at the short man.

"Who am I?" The short man suddenly laughed. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were completely bloodshot. His voice was raspy and harsh. "Why don’t you ask yourself who *you* are?!"

"*I’m* Spike!"

With that, the short man calling himself "Spike" dropped to all fours and charged at the tall, heavyset Spike like a rabid beast.

Naturally, Ron and his team couldn’t just let him run wild. The Grip of the Vast Wave immediately switched from a slash to a slam, and a heavy blow smashed the short man straight into the ground. At the same time, Victoria and Delaford, who were standing next to the tall, heavyset man, reacted just as quickly, pinning him to the ground while he was still frozen in a daze.

Instinctively, Ron was more inclined to believe the tall, heavyset man was the real Spike. After all, for a Bard, the skinny one was a little too aggressive.

Besides, the short man had barely said a word the entire trip; it was the heavyset Spike who had explained everything.

"I’m the real one, Ron! You have to believe me!" The short man, who had been taciturn the whole way, burst out with surprising energy now that they were at the waterfall. "You have to believe me! There’s something wrong with the cave behind the waterfall! If you listen to *him*, you’ll never get out!"

"I’m a Bard, but I’m also a Caster! Why would Wilson leave me behind on my own?! And why would I leave some lunatic I don’t even know on guard duty while I run off to get reinforcements? It makes no sense!"

"Besides, take a good look at us! Are you really going to believe a ’thing’ that supposedly spends all its time running around in the wild but is still fat and pale? How is that possible? It makes no sense!"

While the short man argued his case vehemently, the tall, heavyset one, in a complete reversal of his talkative nature from the journey, just shivered uncontrollably, muttering over and over, "I’m the real Spike... He’s the fake... I’m the real one..."

"When you said someone was following us, you didn’t mean this, did you?" Silvia asked, looking at Victoria, who shook her head.

"It wasn’t them. I didn’t notice anything unusual about them at all."

"Then why didn’t you say something back at the trading post?" Ron walked over to the short Spike and crouched down. "You’ve barely said a word this entire trip. Why?"

"Because I never truly escaped," the short man said, his voice hoarse as he was held to the ground. "Wilson and the others are trapped in body, but I am trapped in soul!"

"There’s some kind of entity in that cave. I don’t know what it is, but it has a Perception of any being that enters."

"It divides the creatures that enter the cave into two types. One type is bound within the cave by some kind of ritual, while the other’s body is freed to act as a lure to trick more people into coming here."

"That lunatic and I unfortunately became the latter!"

"Then what’s the deal with him?" Ron asked, pointing to the tall, heavyset man who was still in a confused state. "He also claims to be Spike."

"In a way, he is," the short man said, slowly exhaling. "I’m different from that lunatic. His mind was completely crushed by the thing in the cave. But I’m a Bard; my spirit and willpower are a little stronger. After I was released, I had no intention of looking for help, and so... he was created."

"I don’t know what entity created him, or how. In short, that guy is my opposite. You can tell just by looking at him."

"My soul is trapped in the cave. The farther away I get, the weaker I become. He’s the complete opposite—he was strong enough to walk to the trading post and find you. But now that we’re back here, I’m gradually regaining my senses, while he..."

The short Spike didn’t continue, but the implication was obvious.

"So, you don’t actually want us to go in and rescue you?" Sera asked, looking down at him.

"Originally, I didn’t," Spike said with a bitter smile. "But since you’re already here, could I trouble you to do a good deed?"