"No... What the hell are you doing here? Speak up."
I subtly shook off the Archer's arm while pretending to help him up.
Thrown back onto the dirt, the Archer bawled, his tears and snot making a mess of his beautifully customized face.
"Calain is..."
"Calain?"
The Archer and I were complete strangers, but neither of us seemed to care. This shameless bastard was looking up at me like I was his savior, and I was dying to hear what he had to say next.
"He's blocking off the slums. To find meee..."
He burst out crying before he could even finish his sentence.
Just in case he was acting, I kept my subspace entrance ready so I could escape at any moment. But as I listened to his story, it became clear he was genuinely broken.
So, I listened to the whole ordeal.
—I lost him. Again.
In the game, one of them always died, so I had never seen a scenario where Calain lost Belsus. Because of that, Calain's subsequent actions were completely unpredictable.
But... to think he'd lose his mind completely like this.
Thinking this was the perfect chance to farm Belsus's EXP, Calain had simply snapped. Yeah, he was pissed beyond words.
—He's a rat in a trap anyway! Keep chasing him. I'll cover you!
And the Archer, completely oblivious, just had to flap his gums from the sidelines...
—...
The moment he met Calain's silent, empty stare, the Archer felt an instinctive chill run down his spine.
The way he moved in that split second was the best decision he'd made all year.
—Heeek!
By a hair's breadth, he dodged a blade that thrust up viciously from below.
Relying on his Ranker instincts, the Archer leaped away to dodge, but his legs gave out and he collapsed. He crawled up and ran. Ran, and ran some more. Running in endless circles through these slums.
And now...
"Fuck... That cold-blooded psycho... He's planning to kill and eat me right alongside Belsus..."
Chased relentlessly, starved, and surviving on fragmented sleep, the Archer seemed on the verge of losing his mind. He clung to me, a total stranger, weeping bitterly as he poured his heart out.
In truth, Calain had realized it far too late. There was no reason to spare the Archer who wanted to team up with him...
A "Hunter" who knew about his overpowered ability wasn't an ally; he was prey.
"The Predation ability is so broken... I thought picking Calain's route was obviously the best choice..."
Well, not to toot my own horn, but comparing my situation to the Archer's proved that I made the right choice.
Belsus might be weak, but he welcomed my sudden appearance amicably. Even knowing that I am aware of his abilities, and what's more, that I possess the exact same 'Reading' ability, he doesn't feel threatened.
'If I had chosen Calain, I would have used the Predation ability to build up my strength first, and then focused on subjugating that vicious bastard later.'
I was sitting deep inside an alleyway with the Archer. Even amidst his sniffling, he would flinch at every little noise and constantly scan his surroundings. He looked like a terrified rabbit; he must have really been put through the wringer by Calain.
The Archer finally stopped sniffling. He then turned his attention to me.
"So, are you the one who picked Belsus?"
There was no point in hiding it now. I gave a vague nod.
The Archer combed his fingers through his messy blond hair. He looked confused for a moment but quickly seemed to accept it.
"Then that's nine characters and nine people. A perfect fit. Eight people did seem a bit weird."
His eyes darted into the air for a moment. It seemed like he was checking the chat list again to see if I was there.
"Why aren't you in the chat?"
"I'm wondering the same thing."
I told him about the "error" the system mentioned right after I transmigrated. The Archer seemed half-convinced. He didn't push the issue, probably because he couldn't find any trace of a lie in my tone or expression. Or maybe he just didn't have the mental bandwidth to dwell on it right now.
"What's your class?"
Lying about this would be easily exposed anyway.
"Farmer."
"Farmer? You mean a life skill class? They have a ranking system for that too?"
There is. Not that you arrogant combat Rankers would know.
Those who fly around every time a dungeon updates and risk their lives for first clears could never understand the lives of those who film rural diaries and cast fishing lines out in the boondocks.
"Haa, shit... What can you even do as a Farmer? Is that teleportation thing yours? Can't you use it to get me out of here?"
"It's not teleportation."
"Then what is it?"
The Archer persistently pressed for answers, but I kept my mouth shut, shooting him a 'Why should I tell you?' look. He cursed at me for a while, asking if I was even human, before finally quieting down.
I took that opportunity to speak.
"Kill him. Kill Calain. Problem solved."
The Archer looked as if he'd been slapped. His face immediately contorted in anger.
"You son of a...! It's not your neck on the line—!"
"He's trying to kill you first. You picked the Predation ability, so what are you hesitating for?"
"..."
"The ability you chose only activates when you kill someone. Didn't you prepare yourself for this?"
Once I started talking, the words flowed out naturally. All the color drained from the Archer's face.
Honestly, it wasn't like I had the right to back him into a corner like this. Who did I think I was? But to be perfectly clear, I was doing this on purpose. I wanted to act intimidating before he could catch on, giving him zero room to think.
"If you were going to hesitate..."
That was the only way I could hold the upper hand in this dynamic, despite being a bottom-tier Farmer.
"...Then why did you shoot at Belsus?"
The Archer froze, unable to even blink. A cold sweat seemed to bead on his pale forehead. I gave his chest a light nudge with my elbow, making him stumble back a step.
"Shall I tell you? Why you can't kill Calain? It's simple, really. Actually, I bet all the other Rankers know it too. ...Because even if you kill him, you won't get any EXP."
The Archer's eyes wavered violently. He shook his head, trembling in denial, but still couldn't form a single excuse.
Calain's Predation ability is notoriously broken. Its clear difficulty is rated 'Easy'. It completely ruins the game's balance.
Therefore, to offset that overpowered ability, two penalties exist...
First: Even if you manage to get lucky and kill an opponent stronger than you, the ability won't activate. You can only absorb the EXP of opponents weaker than yourself.
The second... well, there's no need to bring that up right now.
Conclusion: Even if the Archer miraculously succeeded in killing Calain, he wouldn't get a single ounce of EXP because Calain's stats are higher than his.
'Well, I'm sure there are multiple reasons behind his reluctance, but I just completely tore into him.'
That should be enough to break his spirit.
I stood up, leaving the Archer behind.
"Sorry, but there's nothing I can do to help you."
Truthfully, I could just take him into my subspace, but I didn't see any reason why I should do him that favor.
As for him shooting Belsus... I could let that slide, assuming he didn't know I existed. If he just saw Belsus as a mere game character, he probably had no choice but to follow Calain's original route.
But even setting that aside.
This guy is a competitor. Plus, he has an ability so overpowered that it's only natural the other Rankers would want to keep him in check.
If the Archer outleveled me later, I would lose and die. He could become the very person who takes my life in the future.
I turned my back on the Archer and took a few steps forward. ...Never forgetting to keep my subspace escape ready, just in case he snapped and shot me in the back.
Springing to his feet, the Archer belatedly shouted after me.
"I meant it when I said I couldn't kill anyone! I'm too scared! I'm not a psychopath, how am I supposed to kill a person?! As for shooting Belsus... Look, I'm sorry! I said I'm sorry! I was only aiming at him, but when he ran, I panicked and accidentally let go!"
I glanced back slightly. The Archer's desperate face caught my eye.
My 'Reading' ability reached out, swiftly crossing the short distance through the air and delving into his mind.
{When Belsus dodged... I was relieved. Really. But he won't believe me.}
That was the face of a guy who had grabbed onto me, a total stranger, and bawled his eyes out. We had just met, yet he spoke so casually, and honestly, it felt as comfortable as talking to an old friend.
'You can tell just by talking to him. Unless he's an incredibly good actor... he's not a bad guy.'
Well, that didn't mean I was going to drop my guard and play nice right away.
"Are you sure you should be yelling like that?"
Knights hear you in the day, and knights hear you at night.
The Archer shut his mouth. He acted like an idiot for a few seconds, stammering, "Uh, uh..." before his agility kicked in. With his face gaunt from days of starvation, he hastily leaped away and vanished from my sight.
I simply walked out of the alley.
A short while later, a Royal Knight ran past me, his heavy combat boots thudding against the ground.
As the dust kicked up by Calain settled, I quietly looked back. Cold sweat was now running down my face, too.
'As expected, Calain doesn't know who I am.'
I moved to an alley that had guards and, miraculously for this neighborhood, some shops. I walked into the nearest eatery and told the owner I wanted to buy ingredients.
A basket was filled to the brim with vegetables and eggs. I was about to ask for two slabs of salted pork—
"Give me three slabs, please."
I let out a sigh. Knowing full well I was bringing trouble upon myself, I still bought enough food to feed the Archer.
'One house dog. One stray dog.'
Comments Box