Chapter 8.1 Hero, Once Again (4)
Translator: Lore_Temple
– Kuckh…..
– Haa…haah….
Samuel while carrying Marilyn was sprinting towards the exit of the cave. He was followed by Gemina and Tom.
“Agh….”
Every time the soles of her feet swayed violently, Marilyn groaned.
“Hold on, Marilyn. We are almost out."
The cave was large, but not very deep.
If they continue running like this, they will definitely soon see the exit.
As Samuel had expected, after running for a while longer, he saw the boundary between the cave and the sunlight. Even after whizzing out of the cave, Samuel didn't stop running.
He only stopped his sprint after he reached the clear forest bushes in front of the cave.
“Samuel, why did you stop?!”
“We have to stop Marilyn's bleeding. Better to treat now. Otherwise, she will grievously suffer later.”
He had once seen an adventurer who suffered from sickness for a whole week just because of a shallow cut.
As his condition worsened, he had to visit the priest, who said that his wound was infected. As per what he knew, the priest advised that it is better to treat the wound when it occurs, unless you carry a potion or can use a heal.
And Marilyn's wounds were much worse than that adventurer at that time.
Even if there was a risk of being pursued, it was better to deal with it quickly right now.
Samuel took out the pestled herbs and a bandage out of his bag. The pestled herbs were applied evenly on the wound as he rounded the bandage.
Meanwhile, Gemina and Tom looked back at the cave.
"…brother. Will Mr. Cloud be fine? Shouldn't we be on his side now?"
“Yes, bro. He's a B grade. He killed those two hobgoblins prats so easily. With our help, we all can definitely kill all those goblins.”
Gemina and Tom urged Samuel, who was doing the first aid.
It's because they both felt guilty for running away, leaving Cloud inside.
But Samuel said sternly.
"No way. You guys just saw the number of those goblins, didn't you? Going in there is suicide.”
"But…"
“No buts! I said no!”
When Samuel shouted, Gemina and Tom, as well as Marilyn, who was being treated quietly, flinched in surprise.
Seeing that reaction, Samuel sighed deeply.
"Yes. As you said, Tom, Mr. Cloud took out the two hobgoblins in an instant. But that's because there was an element of surprise in the mix. If dozens of goblins rush together on you, no matter which B-class adventurer it is, there is no other end result.”
“That's why we have to help quickly before..!”
“What if we go? What can we even do?”
Tom and Gemina's mouths shut closed at the words that stabbed right through the core.
Except for the wounded Marilyn, there were the only three who still had the ability to fight.
But…
They are only two novice adventurers who have received their first quest today and a D-class adventurer who has just climbed the rankings.
They didn't have the power to change the unfavorable battle situation.
Tom and Gemina bowed their heads, feeling helpless and guilty.
After fastening the knots of the bandage, Samuel patted Tom and Gemina on the shoulder.
“Don't feel guilty. Even though we all could have run away together, unfortunately, only we were able to run away. It's the destiny's choice, not our…"
Samuel couldn't finish his speech.
Because he saw someone coming out of the cave.
At first he thought it was a goblin.
However, the figure's height, which was revealed belatedly, was too big to be that of a goblin's.
"Brother?"
Surprised by Samuel's sudden pause, Tom and Gemina also turned their heads.
—both to be left frozen.
"What happened? What is it? Is it a goblin?”
Marilyn leaned up against the tree and struggled to get up. She turned her gaze to where they were looking with a hardened look.
Her pupils dilated.
It wasn't a goblin that came out of the cave, it was Cloud. He calmly sauntered out with four hobgoblin heads in his hands. He turned his head and looked around, and when he saw them, he approached with a bright smirk.
“I thought you ran away, so guys still here? Great. Come on, take one of the heads each, carry it for me.”
Cloud held out the hobgoblin heads he was holding in his arms to the three uninjured people.
But the three of them just looked at Cloud with blank expressions.
“What are you doing, not picking it? Mah man, to be honest, if you dudes still have a conscience, be of some help.”
Cloud grunted, but his words couldn't reach the heads of the three. Their heads were full of question marks.
"How..?"
"Yes?"
“How did you get out?"
Samuel's voice was laced with unbelievable absurdity.
Cloud tilted his head and said as if it was all natural.
“I came out because I killed them all. What else do I had to do?”
"What b…"
–'bullshit..?'
The words reached his throat, but he had no choice but to swallow them back.
Cloud's figure that came out of the cave was bathed in dark red blood.
Common sense is that there is no way humans can survive after that much blood loss, so it was reasonable to think that it was the blood of those goblin bastards.
‘…He really killed them all?'
So many goblins?
‘…..'
He is a B-grade adventurer?
"…I'll have to check it out."
Samuel ran towards the cave.
"Brother?!"
"Brother!?"
“Wait, I’m coming too!”
“Hey you! My god, I just told you to carry some heads, why are you running now? Gosh.”
He ignored the sounds coming from behind. Samuel wanted to make sure that Cloud's words were true, so he ran without stopping.
And he was able to find it.
Four headless hobgoblin corpses and dozens of goblin corpses lying strewn on the floor.
Everything he said was true.
"Brother! Where were you running like that… hiik?!”
Jemina, who followed, leaked a startled voice.
And, so did Tom and Marilyn, who arrived a little later.
The scene where the intestines, severed limbs, and corpses were scattered disorderly was blant horrific.
The three remained silent frozen, until Cloud arrived.
"What the, what loots are you expecting to pick up from these penniless goblins? There's nothing to salvage here, so rather carry these hobgoblin heads."
Cloud's voice came from behind.
Samuel didn't look back.
‘You crazy guild bastards. That's a B-class adventurer, huh…'
It was when he couldn't overcome his fear and closed his eyes.
"Excuse me…"
Marilyn's voice was heard.
Samuel felt his heart sink. In his mind, the image of Marilyn, who was particularly prickly to Cloud popped up.
‘Oh fuck, no Marilyn! Don't offend him! Otherwise we all are fucked up big!'
Samuel jerked his head in a hurry.
He was going to run quickly and close Marilyn's mouth…
“Sir, I’m sorry…”
There was no need for that.
Because Marilyn was bowing her head and apologizing to Cloud while being supported by Tom.
"Yes?"
“T, That, I’m sorry, I shouldn't have talked like that. It's my mistake to fall into a trap while running because I-I got needlessly excited, and to run away from the group… I'm sorry… I won't do that ever again…sorry, I'm sorry…"
Samuel looked at Marilyn's face with her head bowed. She was weeping with her face etched with a horribly terrified expression.
* * *
There were no hobgoblins in the objectives of the quest that Samuel and his party had received. There was no mention of dozens of goblins either.
Therefore, as soon as Samuel returned to the city, he had to report the anomaly to the head of the guild's branch.
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
“Go back carefully.”
After completing the report, Samuel bowed his head once and left the waiting room. Seeing him leave, Walter sighed heavily, burying his back into his chair.
“What do you think?”
Walter asked his secretary, Rickel, who was standing next to him.
“What exactly, sir?”
“Just now, what that kid said. Does it sound real?”
“I checked the money ledger, the hobgoblin heads are real. They exchanged four heads for money.”
"All right…"
Walter closed his eyes for a moment and pondered at what that kid had said earlier.
–I thought the first two kills were just a surprise attack. Anyway, the escape route was cleared, so I carried Marilyn and tried to run away. But… Mr. Cloud didn't intend to run away, instead he walked towards the goblin horde. Bewildered, I wondered if he had gone crazy. How are you going to handle those number?
–Yes, we left him and ran away.
–Even if you curse me for being cowardly, I can't help it. I wanted to live.
–It was while hiding among the bushes in front of the cave, while giving first aid to Marilyn's feet.
–…A figure appeared in front of the cave, it was him, who had appeared.
–Yes, that's right. It was Mr. Cloud.
–Bathed in blood, his whole body in dark red, there were almost no wounds except for a few scratches.
–When I asked what happened, he lightly said, that he just got it all…
–At first I thought it was total bullshit… but when I went into the cave and checked, I had no choice but to admit that what Mr. Cloud was saying was true.
–Hobgoblins and dozens of goblins were killed, they were horribly dead.
Samuel shook his head, saying he didn't want to remember more than that. He had ran away, so he didn't see how they fought either.
–I could only guess that he had won overwhelmingly, seeing his comfortable condition and the gruesome scene, haah.
“Branch Chief. Is it possible to kill four hobgoblins and dozens of goblins alone, by a B-class at that?”
“Impossible.”
It's just not as easy as one-on-one battles.
Because every time you attack one, multiple other attacks will come at you, on the same time.
It was for that reason that the adventurers did not move alone, but organized a party.
Unless you have an overwhelming advantageous power gap, single against countless is a no brainer.
Not like the case that happened now.
Level 17.
A level similar to the guards of any kingdom's city after dingling for some time in their jobs.
Cannot be said to be weak, but it was ambiguously wrong to say it was strong either.
Of course, it was definitely stronger than a hobgoblin, which are at the most, something like level 10.
One might even be able to fight two of them alone.
But dealing against them with dozens of other goblins in the frey is another story.
If everyone had been able to do that so easily, the continent wouldn't have been rotten by the rampaging monsters, and the Adventurer's Guild wouldn't have been formed.
“If it’s an ordinary B-class, that is.”
But Cloud did it.
—he's no ordinary B-class adventurer.
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