TEOCH 60

I couldn’t even guess how much time had passed before the wind finally stopped.

The bustling presence of the monsters had at last faded. The remnants of grass and leaves that had been scattered throughout the cave now covered the floor in a mess, and from the cave entrance, only a gloomy darkness seeped in instead of sunlight. It was clear that quite some time had passed.

However, even after the commotion outside had subsided, we were unable to get up properly and could only pant for breath. My head ached to the point of dizziness.

“Let me ask you something. Who threw up?”

“C-come on, people can throw up. What’s the big deal?”

“I wasn’t trying to reprimand you.”

I thought anyone else could have thrown up, but not that man. I watched Rehas wipe the vomit from his mouth and staggered to my feet.

When I took out a water bottle from my bag and handed it to him, Rehas lightly rinsed his mouth and then passed it to the other companions. I sat down and waited until everyone had finished drinking the water. We hadn’t even stepped outside the cave today, yet my companions looked more exhausted than they had yesterday. Of course, I was just as tired…

‘What in the world am I supposed to do?’

To be honest, my mind was far more exhausted than my body. My head was throbbing as if I had been hit from behind by the suddenness of the situation. Just when I thought I had finally gotten used to the difficult level, an even bigger problem arises? Isn’t the island collapsing and having to use quest items enough? Now they’re going to torment us like this?

‘This isn’t a matter of increased difficulty. It’s a matter of whether it’s possible to clear it or not.’

All sorts of ominous thoughts rose and fell in my mind. Thinking about the order the Harpyia had left behind, the movements of the monsters that would be determined to take our lives according to that order, and the atrocities the departed Harpyia would commit on other islands, my head felt like it would explode.

‘Let’s say we can somehow avoid the monsters on this island. But what about next? What in the world am I supposed to do?!’

The more I tried to think rationally, the more all the seemingly okay assumptions were negated, and only the bad things remained, filtered through a sieve. No matter how hard I tried to calm myself, it wasn’t easy.

It’s okay. It’ll work out somehow. Haven’t I been through situations like this hundreds, thousands of times? Obstacles that seemed insurmountable, problems that seemed to have no answer, I eventually managed to solve them somehow.

So this time will surely be okay too. First, let’s calm down. I’ll pretend I don’t feel my heart pounding so hard it feels like my stomach is turning inside out, or the suffocating feeling that makes it hard to breathe.

Forcibly swallowing the emotions bubbling up in my chest, I stood up. The wide-open entrance was really bothering me. If any monster were to come in to use this cave as a sleeping place, we would be discovered immediately. I needed to camouflage the entrance to make it look like an ordinary patch of grass to other monsters.

I couldn’t bear it unless I was doing something like this. The sour smell was making my head spin, and my throat was throbbing strangely, as if I was about to throw up at any moment…

Just as I was about to walk toward the entrance, something was suddenly held out from behind me. It was a water bottle.

“What is this?”

“You drink too. You’re in a terrible state.”

“I’m fine. I need to cover the entrance first. If a monster happens to see this cave…”

“Ahem, ahem, Rohan. I didn’t want to say this, but.”

“Yes?”

“I’m not the only one who threw up.”

I unconsciously raised my hand and wiped my mouth. It was only after feeling the dampness on the back of my hand that I understood what Rehas meant. The sour smell pricking my throat belatedly hit my nose.

Why didn’t I know? If I had thrown up this much, I should have at least noticed. Rehas let out a small laugh, and I coughed awkwardly a few times before taking the water bottle from him. As the lukewarm water went down my throat, my head cleared up a bit.

“If you’re so worried about that entrance, let’s block it together. There’s no reason for you to do it alone.”

I sighed and silently nodded. Rehas and Rikiel helped me gather piles of grass from the surrounding area, and we quickly finished camouflaging the entrance while there were no monsters around. Less than ten seconds after we entered the cave, there was a rustling sound from outside, and we held our breath, hoping that the monster wouldn’t notice the cave’s existence.

The monster seemed to be searching for something, circling the area for a while, but fortunately, it did not approach the vicinity of the cave. Contrary to our worries, the outside soon became quiet, and we let out sighs of relief only after a long time had passed. We had managed to avoid being discovered this time, but there was no telling if our luck would hold in the future.

We have to endure on this island at least until the giant bird returns… My mind was so complicated it felt like it would burst. Why are there so many problems to solve!

“I think we’ll have to sprinkle something like monster droppings around the entrance. That should keep the monsters away.”

“That certainly seems like a good idea. By the way, Rohan, there’s one thing I want to confirm.”

“What is it?”

“We’re in a really bad situation right now, that’s for sure, right?”

No, on second thought, was there something else I should be worried about ‘right now’?

I looked Rehas in the face. He had always maintained a relaxed demeanor, but his expression was not good right now. Well, it would be surprising if he could remain composed after what just happened. I turned my head to check on the condition of the other companions.

I had expected it to some extent, but Rehas wasn’t the only one with a serious expression. Tristan, Rikiel, and even Damian’s complexions were noticeably darker than usual. I had been through this a time or two, so I could easily guess what they were thinking. The emotion they were feeling right now was probably…

“That bird person from before… you’re saying there are four more of them besides that Harpyia?”

“That’s right. There are five in total.”

“And we eventually have to defeat them? Just like we defeated the Queen Spider in the last area. All while being paranoid about being chased by other monsters.”

“What are you trying to say, Rehas?”

“Is that… something we can do with our current skills?”

I remained silent. I couldn’t think of any way to resolve the anxiety that stained their expressions. I had expected something like this would happen someday. Losing the will to fight in the face of the overwhelming enemies of the demon world was like an annual event that I experienced at least once every time I started a new playthrough.

At any other time, this situation wouldn’t have been such a big problem. I had been through this a time or two myself, and I knew that it would be resolved somehow if I just presented them with a path forward.

If this were the first playthrough, I would have sat them down without a moment’s hesitation and explained the future plans step by step. I might have been able to tell them that the current situation is this and that, and while it might seem hopeless at first glance, it’s not actually that bleak, and if we solve the situation using this and that method, a path will open up somehow…

But I couldn’t do that now. Not only could I not afford to dwell on just them when we were already buried under a mountain of immediate problems, but there was a bigger issue. How could I, when I myself had no idea how to get through this situation!

“Of course, it will be difficult right now. But if we build up our strength by exploring other islands… No, that won’t be easy either. If the Harpyia has given the same order on other islands, then exploration is out of the question. We’ll be lucky just to stay alive.”

“Is that so? But Rohan…”

“Yes, we could continue exploring while taking some risks. Let’s say it’s not entirely impossible. But what then? The Harpyia is no fool; there’s no way she’ll stand by while knowing what our purpose is for exploring the islands. Even if we run at full speed, we can’t be faster than the Harpyia! If that woman collects the controllers or amplifiers in advance, we’ll be helpless.”

“Rohan, wait a minute. Just listen to me first.”

My head was spinning so much I couldn’t even stand it. I needed to somehow persuade them and alleviate their anxiety, but right now, I couldn’t even properly persuade myself, let alone them.

This isn’t right. But what can I do? Even though I know it’s not good, and even though I’m thinking in my head that it’ll work out somehow if I just calmly find a solution like I always have, still, out of habit…

Wouldn’t it be easier to just quit all this and die? That irritating thought engulfed my mind like a seizure.

“Even if we can’t block the Harpyia’s instant-kill attack, without those, we have no way to stop the island’s collapse.”

“…”

“It would be ideal if the Harpyia also fixed the jewel’s anomaly while collecting those items, but she thinks we’re the ones destroying the islands, so she’s unlikely to go to such trouble.”

“…”

“Then this is it. No matter which island we arrive on, no matter how we struggle, we’ll just sink into the sea along with the island…”

“…Mr. Rohan!”

Slap. Feeling a stinging sensation on both my cheeks, I came to my senses. Damian’s face was right in front of mine, having approached at some point, and for some reason, both of his hands were firmly gripping my face.

No, to be precise, this seemed more like the result of an action rather than an expression of intent to grab my face. And that action was…

Wait. Did this person just slap my cheeks?

“No!”

“No to what.”

“You can’t be anxious!”

“Who says I’m anxious? More importantly, did you just slap my cheeks?”

“This isn’t slapping your cheeks, it’s hitting your face with both hands! You’re being anxious right now, Mr. Rohan.”

“So the result is that you slapped my cheeks… No, I think you’re misunderstanding something. I’m not anxious. You all are the ones who are anxious, aren’t you?”

I said that and looked around, but for some reason, no one seemed to agree. Are these people toying with me now?

No, in the first place, if you all weren’t anxious, I wouldn’t have had to go through the trouble of explaining things like this. Then there would have been no reason for me to get annoyed… As I thought that far, Damian spoke again.

“Well, if you really want to get down to it, it’s true that I’m anxious.”

“See? Then why are you putting the blame on me?”

“I’m not putting the blame on you.”

“…Pardon?”

“I am anxious. But that’s because you look so anxious, Mr. Rohan.”

I was at a loss for words. Damian tilted his head slightly and looked at me, and I couldn’t avoid his gaze and could only fidget. Uh, so. From their perspective, I was the one who looked anxious? Because I just threw up and all that?

But that can happen, can’t it? I’m human too, and I can feel anxious sometimes, and anyone can get anxious after going through something like this, and, well, what can I say. I thought it was just that level of anxiety.

…Wait. Was it not?

“How about we think about it after getting some sleep? Ah, if you’re hungry, would you like something to eat? Your stomach must be empty since you just threw up.”

For some reason, it felt like this person was saying what I should be saying. No, this person was always like this, and that’s why I trust him, but… When I sighed and nodded, everyone looked relieved for some reason. I lowered my head with a complicated feeling.