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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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I walked, and walked some more.
It felt like I had been walking for over an hour already.
Walking through the gloomy cave without a torch, with nothing to see, was torture in itself.
Physically, there was no problem.
But it was only natural for a person to become mentally exhausted.
However, the real agony was something else.
What was it, you ask?
The scene unfolding before me right now could be called the product of that agony.
“……”
Bright sunlight.
Blue sky.
Swaying breeze.
Filthy… no, vast expanse of forest.
That’s right.
After walking for a long time, I arrived at the cave entrance once again.
The pleasant weather of the forest was greeting me.
Was this the third time already?
Suddenly overcome with irritation, I kicked the outer wall of the cave with my foot.
“Cut it out, you bastard! How many times are you going to make me go back?!”
Thrumm
Stop growling and let me back inside!
Ow… My foot hurt from kicking the wall.
Rubbing my aching foot, I gritted my teeth and pounded the outer wall with my fist.
“Hey, do you think I’m a joke? Do you know what will happen if you keep making me angry?”
I had learned the art of intimidation by watching Guinness over her shoulder these past few days. But perhaps because I couldn’t completely imitate that person who was a delinquent by nature, it had no effect at all.
I wanted to grab it by the collar and shake it, but all I could confront was the solid rock wall.
All I could do was kick the wall with my foot or hit it with my fist.
Of course, it was my body that hurt.
After venting my frustration several times, I grew tired and slumped to the ground.
“What should I do about this…?”
Thrumm
It felt like it was saying, “Please, just go away.”
But there was no way I could just leave.
Wolf, Kundt, Guinness, and Wagner were still inside.
It wasn’t easy at all for them to navigate that cave without a guide.
The only option I could think of was for me to rejoin them.
Frowning, I quietly stared at the outer wall of the cave and placed my right hand on it.
Thrumm
The vibration of the outer wall was transmitted through my palm.
It didn’t seem hostile, but…
Rather, the emotion conveyed through the vibration felt…
“……”
I slowly raised my head and looked at the outer wall of the cave.
A living cave.
This being that freely manipulated the cave paths to trap people in a maze… Based on what I felt, it was definitely a monster.
The feeling I had from the moment I entered the cave.
The familiarity I sensed.
And the fear this being felt towards me.
It was the same emotion I felt from monsters.
But there was a slight difference.
This fear seemed a bit different from the fear I had felt from the Rotten Rats earlier.
As I quietly looked up at the outer wall of the cave, a unique idea came to my mind.
“Hey, Mr. Cave? Cave-nim? Cave-ya?”
I didn’t know what to call it.
Anyway.
From the vibration felt through the outer wall, I understood that this unidentified monster had comprehended my intention.
If getting angry didn’t work, and threats didn’t work, then I had to try a different approach.
Like soothing a frightened child, I gently stroked the outer wall and made a proposal.
“How about we make a deal?”
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One of the basic qualities of an adventurer.
Among them was conducting preliminary research on requests.
For monster subjugation requests, it was the basics of the basics for monster subjugation specialist adventurers to investigate what types of monsters had been discovered at the target location, their numbers, and prepare for those specific monsters.
In that regard, this cave was the worst for adventurers in many ways.
Not only was it impossible to know what monsters were inside, but even monsters that should have come from habitats other than caves were appearing.
The preparations made for rodents or troll-like monsters that typically came from caves were essentially not very useful.
And… the situation Wagner and the others were currently facing made them keenly realize why preliminary investigation was one of the basic qualities of an adventurer.
Boom!
“Ugh…!”
A giant sand fist fell from above his head.
Wagner, who had raised his shield above his head to block it, let out a low groan.
It was heavy.
He had managed to block it somehow, but if he had failed, it surely would have been a critical injury.
Sandman.
A monster mainly found in deserts, a sand giant with a vague human shape.
Sometimes it appeared in places other than deserts, but at least it had never been found near Tillasden.
Each individual varied slightly in appearance, but the Sandman currently in front of Wagner and the others was made of incredibly fine grains of sand.
And that point turned out to be the worst for them.
“Take this!”
With a thud, Kundt’s hammer struck the Sandman’s leg.
Instantly, sand grains scattered, and the shape of the right leg disappeared, causing the Sandman’s massive body to momentarily collapse.
However, the Sandman quickly stood up as if nothing had happened.
As it rose, placing both hands on the ground, its right leg had already reformed with sand.
This was the strength of the Sandman.
Simple physical attacks couldn’t even scratch that giant body.
Swords or spears were almost ineffective, and like Kundt, one had to shatter it with a blunt weapon, but it would quickly recover its form even if it was momentarily destroyed.
“Leader human! What’s the weakness of this sand human?!”
Wolf Who Chases the Wind, who was grappling with the Sandman’s fist, shouted.
The Sandman’s weakness.
I knew it was a small sphere located somewhere in that sand-formed body.
The location varied for each individual, so it couldn’t be specified, and one had to forcibly remove all the sand to confirm its existence.
Hearing that, Wolf asked again.
“Then how do we destroy that core?!”
“Typically, to deal with a Sandman, you bring slime with high viscosity or a potion that rapidly freezes, gradually eliminating parts of its body to find the core…”
“Do we have such potions?”
“No. Not right now…”
They hadn’t anticipated encountering a Sandman, so there was no way they could have prepared for it.
If there were substitutes that could be used to attack the Sandman’s body, it would have been fine, but there was nothing that could serve as a suitable substitute.
That’s right.
The current situation Wagner and the others were facing could truly be called the worst.
The worst case of facing an enemy they couldn’t deal with.
“Wagner, for now, let’s retreat…!”
Kundt, who was behind Wagner, interjected.
Neither Guinness nor Wolf could exert much strength.
Kundt, who used a blunt weapon, was there, but it was too much for him to handle alone.
At this rate, they couldn’t defeat the Sandman.
But if they couldn’t defeat the Sandman, they couldn’t move forward.
Faced with the grim situation, Wagner pressed his lips together tightly.
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Indeed, people shouldn’t just get angry; they should also know how to soothe.
By stopping the anger and gently soothing with kind words and soft physical contact, the negotiation went well.
I wish Guinness would appreciate this aspect too.
As I ran through the cave path, I sincerely thought to myself.
After going round and round the path leading outside the cave countless times, I was finally able to reenter after a long negotiation.
Instead of making threats, by gently coaxing and soothing with soft physical contact, this being opened up to me a little.
Of course, if I acted even slightly violently, I would be expelled from the cave again.
Thrumm
“I understand. I’ll keep my promise, so don’t worry.”
As the vibration echoed through the cave, I tapped the wall, reassuring it.
I couldn’t directly communicate with it.
But from the emotions I sensed, I could infer what it wanted to say.
From the beginning, I felt that this being wasn’t simply afraid of my existence.
Like a timid child in a village, it was extremely defensive and shy.
So when I got angry, it got scared and tried to send me out.
Even now, as it held hands with me, it kept urging me to answer, as if saying, “You’ll really keep your promise, right?”
It truly felt like I was dealing with a little child.
“By the way, this is the shortest route, right?”
Thrumm
The cave vibrated once, as if affirming it.
Good.
Let’s quickly join up with Wagner.
They must be having a tough time without a guide right now.
Trusting the words of this being who had joined hands with me, I ran as fast as I could along the path that opened up ahead.
Without encountering any monsters or forked paths along the way, I could run without any interruptions.
As I was running for a while, I heard a loud noise from far away.
The sound of several people shouting and something heavy falling.
It was the sound of someone engaging in combat.
It must be up ahead!
The voices I heard belonged to Kundt and Wagner.
Convinced that Wagner and the others were in battle, I sprinted down the path.
Behind the wall where the battle was taking place.
I reached a spot where the others couldn’t see me yet, hid my body, and quickly assessed the situation.
Fortunately, all four party members seemed to be unharmed.
However, they were engaged in a fierce battle against a giant sand giant.
Wow, that’s a Sandman?
I didn’t expect to see one in a place like this.
Sandmen were difficult to defeat without specific countermeasures prepared in advance.
It would be best to pull back and retreat for now, but…
As I looked around to see if there was any method available, my eyes turned towards the cave ceiling.
The ceiling was high enough for the Sandman to stand comfortably.
Seeing what was hanging from there, I snapped my fingers with delight.
A brilliant idea had come to mind.
“Hey, let’s work together for a bit.”
As I tapped the cave wall with a smile, the cave vibrated once more.
In a small voice, I explained the strategy I had come up with to the cave.
What it had to do was very simple, so it wouldn’t be difficult.
Sensing its vibration of understanding, I peeked my head out again to observe the ongoing situation.
Everyone seemed to be physically exhausted from the repeated failed attacks.
I picked up two fist-sized rocks nearby and took out a string from my bag.
It was a string I had intended to use for straw crafting when I had spare time in the cave, but it was sturdy enough to be used like this without any issue.
I tied a rock tightly to each end of the string and swung it around.
Hmm, not bad.
As expected of my craftsmanship.
“You understand, right? When I give the signal, you do it.”
Thrumm
After receiving confirmation from the cave once more, I started swinging the makeshift bolas I had created up and down.
Now, all that was left was the timing.
Wagner, who had blocked the Sandman’s consecutive punches, was slightly late in raising his shield.
Before he could fully cover his head, the Sandman’s fist was already falling towards him.
Right now!
I pulled my waist back.
And with all my strength, I threw the bolas I had been swinging… towards the Sandman’s arm that was aiming for Wagner.
The moment I released my swinging hand, the bolas flew towards the Sandman with a terrifying sound.
The power of the bolas, enhanced by the strength of my waist, was so immense that if an ordinary person were hit by it, they would likely die on the spot.
With this much force, it should have been able to collapse the Sandman’s arm.
Thwack!
The Sandman’s body shook greatly from the sudden attack.
The arm that had been swinging towards Wagner crumbled upon being hit by the bolas.
Of course, it would quickly recover, but that opening was precisely what I was aiming for.
Seeing the Sandman stumbling and falling, I put strength into my legs and leaped.
Passing by the Sandman, I saw the surprised faces of Wagner and Kundt.
I made an almost flying jump and landed next to Wagner.
“Iyer!”
I heard Wagner’s joyful voice.
Aren’t you a bit too happy?
It’s troublesome for me to receive such a “I missed you so much I could die” expression from a huge guy like a mountain.
But I didn’t say that out loud.
After all, I was a romantic who loved dramatic reunions.
“The problem solver has arrived.”
Landing beside Wagner, I tried to strike a cool pose and said those words.
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