Sewer (5)

Thud.

As soon as the barbarian fell, scattering dust,

Amelia Rainweilz gritted her teeth and hunched over.

‘A price for complacency.’

Her ribs were broken.

Her skin, drenched in blood, felt beyond stinging — it was burning. Her internal organs seemed severely damaged too.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve been in such a situation.’

Her body would soon heal on its own.

But the pain she was feeling was vivid, a reminder of something she had believed herself accustomed to.

A bitter laugh escaped her lips.

Despite her arrogance, to think that a three-month-old barbarian had put her in this situation was absurd.

‘He’s quite extraordinary.’

Not just in terms of his abilities.

His quick judgment, boldness to act, decisiveness, and above all, his will to live.

It made her think.

‘Had we met later… the outcome might have been different.’

Of course, it was an unrealistic thought. She had been hailed as a prodigy, exploring labyrinths for nearly two decades.

But…

‘The fact that I’m even considering this is a problem. It means he’s dangerously capable.’

Their first encounter was only a month ago.

In that short time, how had this barbarian changed?

The same barbarian who couldn’t even graze her clothes had brought her to this state.

Hiss!

Despite his head being blown off, he didn’t die but started regenerating.

Amelia slowly approached him.

Thud.

There are many abilities that can overcome death, like the [Source of Darkness].

But they don’t make one invincible.

The barbarian was no exception.

Thud-

His head was shattered, leaving him completely defenseless.

The activation of [Immortal] meant rapid healing, but such severe injuries would take considerable time to recover, and once the soul energy was depleted, even that would be impossible.

Meaning…

She could kill him anytime she decided to.

But instead of pulling out her dagger, she took out a potion.

Regardless of what anyone said,

“I’m pretty sure he’s not sent by the Royal Family, so there’s no need to kill him.

She wasn’t a murderer.

***

There were hints.

A voice from the front and back at the same time.

If I had been a little smarter and calmer, I might have realised the variable of [Self-Replication].

Then Plans A and B might have been different.

‘Well, the result would probably have been the same.’

As my scattered consciousness reassembled, I slowly opened my eyes.

“What monstrous regenerative power.”

The first thing I saw was the psychopathic bitch.

“A whole bottle of potion, and you’re all healed.”

“Po-tion…?”

I muttered with a raspy voice and sat up.

Only then did I realize my head area was unusually wet.

It didn’t seem like it was all blood…

Did this woman pour potion on me?

“Why did you—”

“Not kill you?”

I nodded.

I was relieved to still be alive, but…

Honestly, I had been sure I was dead the moment I lost consciousness.

She looked at me with an annoyed expression.

“You… you haven’t changed at all since then.”

“What…?”

“Back then and now, why do you always rush at me first? I never thought I’d say this, but don’t people usually try to talk things out first?”

She had a point.

It was a habit of mine to always assume the worst-case scenario.

I answered calmly.

“If you were going to kill me, I figured it was the only way.”

At the slightest opportunity.

Before the paralysis poison spread further.

I thought I had to take my chance.

She just sighed briefly.

“Why? I clearly let you go last time.”

Her tone was still blunt, but it sounded slightly aggrieved.

But the real aggrieved party was me.

“Didn’t you say it yourself? Now that I know about this place, you can’t just let me go.”

If she hadn’t said that, I would have considered begging for my life as Plan C, instead of Plan A.

Did I really want to fight this monster?

“I remember saying I couldn’t ‘just’ let you go.”

Same difference.

For some reason, she had seemed receptive earlier, so I asked a little more boldly.

“So, what are you going to do with me now?”

“I have no intention of killing you. So, stop moving your hand toward the mace.”

I slowly stopped my arm from moving towards the mace.

“It’s a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding?”

“I never planned to ambush you with it. Just—”

“You were preparing in case I changed my mind?”

…Well, yes, that’s it.

The best defense is a good offense.

As I neither confirmed nor denied, she stares at me.

With a look as if to say, “What kind of madman is this?”

“You really haven’t changed at all.”

Saying so, she spat on the ground.

At first, I thought she was just being disdainful, but on closer look, it wasn’t spit but blood.

The damage from my defensive actions before passing out hadn’t been completely harmless.

“…Haven’t you taken any potion?”

“It doesn’t work on me.”

“I see.”

It was a brief explanation, but I didn’t press further.

Some essences indeed have penalties when potions are consumed.

Returning to the main point,

“Barbarian, take this.”

The woman produced something resembling a pill from her clothing.

It was dark and lumpy, resembling cat food that had been regurgitated.

“What is this…?”

“It’s a drug made by Noark’s alchemist. It erases one hour of memory upon consumption.”

TL/N- Changing Noarak to Noark.It seems more accurate

“Erases memory…? Then why didn’t you use this in the Land of the Dead when we met?”

“It’s not easily obtainable. If it weren’t given for emergencies, I wouldn’t even have it.”

So, it’s a rare item.

But this raised another question.

It’s certainly not something to say in my current situation, but…

“Wouldn’t it be easier to just kill me? Why go through such a troublesome method?”

There’s a saying that nothing is more precious than a human life, but that applies only to the world I used to live in.

In this world, there are countless things more valuable than human lives.

For instance, people still die for not paying taxes above ground.

And amid all this…

‘She’s going to great lengths to keep us alive, using such a precious consumable…’

I said confidently,

“There must be a reason you need to do this.”

“…And what made you think that?”

“Killing the five of us would yield equipment worth tens of millions of stones.”

My sharp observation left her silent for a while.

I assumed I had hit a nerve.

But her response, after the silence, was unexpected.

“What do you think I am?”

“That’s…”

I hesitated to answer honestly, but she interrupted me.

“It’s okay. I think I know what you’re thinking.”

She must have felt some sting to her conscience.

But she didn’t seem to want to justify herself.

“Fine, think whatever you want. It won’t change anything.”

She then bent down, forced open my mouth, and pushed the pill down my throat.

I couldn’t spit it out or do anything as it dissolved immediately.

A strange sensation engulfed my mind.

“…Hey, this really just erases memory, right?”

“If not, what other options do you have?”

Well, when she put it that way…

Left speechless by her remark, she smirked at me.

“I haven’t heard of any side effects. So relax and sleep, Barbarian.”

Well, if that’s the case.

Honestly, I wasn’t reassured at all, but I closed my eyes.

Then, as if remembering, the woman opened her mouth.

“Oh, what was the other one?”

Huh? The other one?

“The two ways to really piss someone off.”

Ah, that.

“The other way is…”

I lost consciousness before finishing my sentence.

“The character’s soul is permeated with Lethe’s Blessing.”

“The blessing is incompatible with the soul. The blessing infused into the soul is removed.”

When I opened my eyes, I was in the sewer.

Discarded equipment lay haphazardly, the same with my companions.

Using my hand as a support, I slowly got up, covered in filth. As I started gathering my gear, my companions also began regaining consciousness, all looking bewildered.

“What… we’re in the sewer…?”

“We were chasing that evil bitch…”

“The recording orb! It’s shattered!”

My companions remembered nothing, just like the woman said.

I remembered everything up until losing consciousness.

Why was I unaffected?

Then it hit me.

‘What happened to that woman?’

I suddenly remembered Elisha and snapped to attention.

‘Did she take her away?’

She wasn’t around.

Damn, I should’ve finished her when I had the chance—

“Look over there!”

“That’s her, isn’t it?”

Following their gaze, I saw a woman lying nearby, covered in filth.

Blonde hair, an annoyingly cute head.

It was Elisha.

“She’s dead!”

The dwarf checked her pulse and pronounced her dead.

Confusion escalated.

“What happened? Why can’t we remember, and why is she dead…?”

“Dw, Dwalki, could it be that monster you talked about?!”

Speculations flew around with perplexed voices.

Rottmiller, who had managed to keep his composure, came up with a plausible theory.

“Maybe it was her doing.”

“Her doing?”

“We probably found and defeated her after a chase.”

He suggested our attack caused her injuries.

“Look, my magic traces are on her.”

Dwalki found traces of [Paralysis Poison], confirming the theory.

The remaining question was,

“Then why can’t we remember anything?”

“Perhaps we intended to take her alive, but she regained consciousness and did something.”

It made sense.

If I had lost my memory, I would’ve analyzed it the same way.

“Indeed… using the power of an unknown evil god, such a thing could be possible.”

“Haha! Seeing her dead, we must’ve handled it well!”

“…Barbarian, what do you think?”

“Hmm…”

After pondering, I responded.

“It sounds right.”

No need to tell the whole truth.

If it became known that I hadn’t lost my memory, that psychopathic bitch might come looking for me again.

“Let’s get out and check with the temple. Maybe something else is wrong with us, not just the memory loss.”

Prompted by Rotmiller’s concerned words, everyone prepared to leave quickly.

So, I ended my reflections.

‘Something hidden beneath the sewer…’

Secrets in this world I don’t know.

It would be a lie to say my curiosity isn’t piqued…

‘I’ll stay away from the sewers.’

Life is more important than curiosity, after all.

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