"Even after drinking the potion, the pain doesn't subside," Aaron said with a wry smile. An empty potion vial lay at his feet.
Jaina asked urgently, "Oppa, isn't there any way to heal it?"
"..."
Aaron looked fine, but his complexion was gradually paling. He had 10 minutes at most before he couldn't move properly.
I looked at the girl sitting slumped down, massaging her legs.
"Do you have any kind of abilities?"
"What kind of abilities?"
"Healing."
The girl looked Aaron over, then turned her head away.
"My apologies."
"So be it."
Occasionally, NPCs possess special abilities. I asked just in case, but it seemed like a dead end.
Health potions don't work. We didn't bring an antidote. NPC healing is impossible. In that case...
Aaron lowered his head. His tone was calm, but his voice trembled slightly. "Hyungnim said you'd abandon anyone who couldn't keep up. I think now is that time." Aaron gripped the spear leaning against the wall. "I will buy time. Leave me and go."
"..."
I observed the other three. Edith had averted her gaze; Jaina had her head bowed; Iolka stared at Aaron with a hardened expression.
"I wish we could go together," Jaina said.
"Miss Jaina, there's no way," Aaron replied.
"But..."
"It was my fault for being weak enough to get hit."
"And you?" I asked Iolka.
"You decide," Iolka answered.
So, they're leaving it up to me.
I closed my eyes and thought carefully. From an efficiency standpoint, abandoning him was the right choice. The escort target had no ability to protect herself. Adding Aaron to the mix would more than double the burden. Protecting one person versus protecting two were entirely different matters. Moreover, Aaron would soon become incapacitated. Although he offered to buy time, he wouldn't even be able to do that; he'd die pointlessly.
'Haah.'
I let out a deep sigh and opened my eyes. Aaron wore an expression of resignation. I took another swig of my potion and threw the half-empty bottle to Aaron. Catching it hesitantly, Aaron asked, "What...?"
"Drink it."
"Potions are useless."
"Can't cure it. But it can prevent it from worsening."
Another potion bottle was in my pouch. I took that out too and handed it to Aaron. "Everyone, take out all the potions you have."
Jaina took out her potions first. Three bottles. Iolka rummaged and took hers out. One bottle—Iolka only carried one health potion due to needing mana potions. Edith took hers out as well. About 10 potions were gathered in one place.
"Drink a sip every 10 minutes."
"...It's a waste," Aaron protested weakly.
"I decide that." I continued, "We're splitting the party now. First group is me, Edith, and the kid. Second is Aaron, Jaina, Iolka. 1st party's role is guiding the kid to the exit. Your job is to keep Aaron alive until we get the kid out."
"So we just need to help Aaron Oppa?" Jaina asked.
"The enemies will target the kid, so if you go in the opposite direction from us, you should be able to find a safe place."
"H-Hyungnim, I..." Aaron started.
"Shut up," I cut him off. Aaron fell silent.
Edith, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, spoke up. "Han, if we do that, breaking through the exit will be difficult. There will be tons of soldiers. And it leaves gaps in the escort formation."
"Probably." If we split the party like this, only two would be guarding the target. Available combat power would drop drastically. "We just change the method."
"Change the method?"
"From breakthrough to infiltration." I looked up. The clear sky was turning crimson. "Wait until nightfall, then escape the city."
If combat power drops below half, a forceful breakthrough is impossible. But it's not all downsides. Fewer active personnel means increased stealth. Depending on our actions, we might even escape without fighting at all. If we avoid combat, there's no need to bring along the mage, a primary firepower weapon. Furthermore, fire magic inevitably attracts attention. Thus, Iolka is excluded. Add the versatile Jaina to that group to broaden their ability to handle unforeseen variables.
"You guys head to the outskirts. Search parties will probably be active all night. Just keep Aaron moving and evade them appropriately until we complete the escape."
"This humiliation..." Aaron muttered.
"There's no such thing if you're dead," I retorted.
The sound of footsteps echoed from afar. Soldiers were entering the alley.
Aaron's face crumpled as if he were about to cry. "I'm sorry."
"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not saving you for your own sake."
"Yes..."
"You two," I addressed Jaina and Iolka, "If the time comes when you can't protect Aaron, abandon him without hesitation. Your lives come before the injured. Understood?"
Jaina and Iolka nodded and started putting the potions away.
"Alright, move out. Break's over."
The clearing where we rested had three diverging paths: the way we came in, and paths to the left and right. The paths were intricately tangled, making details hard to grasp, which would greatly aid in shaking off pursuers.
"You guys go right. We'll go left."
"Okay," Jaina replied.
Jaina and Iolka supported Aaron and disappeared down the right path. They wouldn't be entirely free of pursuit, but likely less than us. Since the enemy's goal was probably to kill the kid.
"Let's go." The girl stood up. Edith uncrossed her arms.
With Edith in the lead, the girl in the middle, and me bringing up the rear, we moved through the alley. The path was narrow, the walls high.
"Anywhere to hide?" I asked Edith.
"Quite a few places. The alleys are complex, and we can enter buildings."
"Enter buildings?"
"Tested it earlier. No invisible walls."
'Good.' Being able to enter buildings widens our options. If we find a proper hiding spot, we could wait until dawn.
After passing through the alley for some time, the path began to widen. Trash was scattered everywhere, and dilapidated, broken buildings came into view. And from deeper within, someone's high-pitched screams and laughter could be heard.
A slum district. Such places existed even in this well-organized city.
A man slumped beside the entrance got up. His dark face shone with grease. He approached us with a lewd grin. More accurately, he approached the girl in the middle of our group.
"Heh heh, what's this piece of luck?"
The girl flinched back, startled. "Little lady, lost your way? Or run away from home? Let me show you the way..." The man walked past Edith as if she weren't there.
Edith grabbed the man walking past her and kicked his legs out from under him hard. The man flipped once in the air and fell.
Thud! Edith slammed her heel into the back of the man's head. With the sound of a nose bone shattering, blood sprayed. The man twitched, limbs spasming.
Ignoring the fallen man, we passed the entrance and entered the slum district.
As soon as we entered, scraps of trash swirled up on the wind. Along with it came an indescribably rank odor. The girl wrinkled her nose and pinched it shut.
Clotheslines stretched between the high walls, hung with dirty laundry. But no residents were visible.
"If we hide, this would be a good spot. The paths are labyrinthine, and there are many buildings," Edith said.
I nodded in agreement. First, we needed a place to stay until nightfall when it got dark. Action would come after that.
Then, a message popped up.
[Tips/Regarding Long-Term Missions]
[Occasionally, mission times can be extended. Heroes will continue to operate even if the Master logs off.]
An informational message about long-term missions. Since the mission showed signs of extending, the system seemed to have made a judgment.
"I'll go scout ahead," Edith said. She ducked low, seeming to melt into the shadows of the wall. Her form became blurry—the effect of 'Stealthy Movement,' a Rogue-exclusive skill. Activating Stealthy Movement, Edith disappeared deeper into the street.
"Stay behind me," I said to the girl. I walked slowly, scanning the surroundings. There were barely any people in the slum district. Fewer were better. Soldiers would soon raid this area too, and start questioning people.
I glanced back briefly. The girl looked tense but was maintaining composure reasonably well. No tantrums or wailing typical of her age.
'Not an ordinary kid, huh.' If she were, she would have refused my offer to follow. Amidst the chaos, she had quickly grasped the path to her own survival.
After a while, Edith returned, and following her guidance, we entered a shabby building. A dilapidated two-story stone building. Windows were covered with nailed planks. Little light entered, making the interior dark. Besides the front door, there was a back door, and other potential escape routes caught my eye.
'Suitable.' Even if soldiers stormed in, there were ways out. We decided to pass the time here. Edith immediately started setting traps with thin thread and stones. Stretching the taut thread across the entrance, then stacking stones tied to the thread into a small tower. If someone touched the thread, the stone tower would collapse, making noise. The effect of Edith's 'Trap Setting' skill. Rogues were the class that shone brightest in this type of mission. Edith had also learned many skills over time.
"So we pass the time here," the girl slumped against a half-collapsed wall and sat down. Her once snow-white dress was stained with dirt and dust.
I dragged a dusty chair from the living area and sat on it. Resting my scabbard on my knees, I gazed out the window. The sky visible through the gaps in the planks was darkening.
"I'm heading out," Edith announced.
"Going out again?" the girl asked.
"Everyone has their role. You're enough to guard her alone. I'll find an escape route," Edith smiled faintly and disappeared soundlessly.
'Damn it. Should I have put Jaina here instead of me?' In this setup, there wasn't much for me to do.
I rested my chin on my hand and passed the time quietly. The sound of insects chirping came from beyond the window. About 10 minutes passed like this.
"Priasis Al Ragna."
I turned my gaze to the girl. The girl with long silver hair and golden eyes, Priasis, met my gaze. "That is my name. I am the Second Imperial Heir to the Empire."
"So?"
"As expected, it means nothing to you." Priasis gave a bitter smile. But soon, her expression firmed again, and she continued, "Where are you from?"
'Asking strange questions.' Our paths would diverge soon anyway.
I answered curtly. "You don't need to know."
"I have revealed my status and name. Surely you could tell me that much."
"Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand."
"To that extent? Did you come from some other place I don't know?"
"Let's just say yes."
"Could it be... are you the heroes who saved Nelsa?"
I frowned. Nelsa. That was the name of the city that was the stage for Floor 10.
"Seems like the correct answer."
"How did you know?"
"I saw it in a dream."
"...A dream."
"In that dream, heroes were fighting hard to protect the city. I couldn't see their faces, but I have a strong feeling it was you." Priasis took the circlet off her head and fiddled with it. "The survivors of Nelsa testified that someone protected the city. They said the city would have fallen without them. But they said they couldn't see their forms."
I said nothing.
Priasis began muttering to herself in a low voice. "For the past year, I've been having strange dreams. Very ominous dreams. In the dreams, everything was ending. The Thousand-Year Empire's Imperial Capital, the great cities of the Four Great Families, other large and small cities and villages too. Everything on the continent was burning."
"..."
"In the midst of those dreams, I became certain. If things continue like this, the continent will perish." Priasis lowered her gaze. "Do you know? Strange things are happening all over the continent right now. Unidentified plagues are rampant, insects swarm, and monsters are rampaging madly. The invasion of Nelsa was likely part of it. Originally, they didn't encroach upon human territories." Priasis spoke softly.
Finding it absurd, I retorted, "Why are you telling me this story?"
"...I need power."
"Power?"
"The power to save this world."