Behind me, the kids all held their breath. None of them voiced a single complaint—it seemed even Radd had been thoroughly cowed by the mention of wyverns. When I peered back over my shoulder, I saw him glancing back and forth around the corridor with his sword in one hand, constantly on the lookout for potential threats.
Now then, I thought, this is probably a good time to do a bit of an assessment... I subtly began double-checking my equipment. When I was finished, I sighed. As far as I can tell, I’ve got the same equipment Rex always has when he first joins the protagonist’s party. The problem is...it’s kinda shitty.
To be fair, my equipment was still far better than that of an adventurer who was just starting out, like Radd, but it was still pretty weak for a level 50 adventurer. My blade, known as the Brave Sword, was a unique weapon, but if you compared it to other unique equipment, it was mediocre at best.
My consumables situation is probably the bigger problem though...
Just like in the version of BB I’d played, it seemed that everyone in this world had an Inventory that they could access via their left hand. It appeared to be some sort of interdimensional space that could only be accessed by the person it was tied to. All you had to do to see what items were stored in your particular Inventory was focus on your left hand, and when I focused in on mine...
Yeah, this is not looking good.
As far as I could tell, I was completely out of healing items—I’d used up my entire supply keeping Recilia alive.
Wouldn’t a first-rate adventurer like Rex be carrying around a helluva lot more consumables than that? I grumbled internally.
I was aware, obviously, that Rex’s starting items were so few because they’d been purposely set that way by the developers in order to keep the game balanced, but that wasn’t enough to stop my mental griping.
I focused back on the path in front of me, realizing with a surge of relief that we were close to making our escape from the Wyvern’s Promenade.
“The exit’s right ahead,” I whispered to the kids, “but...wait here just a moment.”
“O-Old man?!” Radd exclaimed under his breath. “Hey, wait...”
I ignored him completely, focusing instead on gently setting Recilia’s limp body down on a nearby boulder. I drew my sword, preparing myself just in case something happened, and headed to the dungeon’s deepest point.
I wasn’t going there to fight monsters or anything, but since we were already so close, there was a place I’d decided I’d like to stop by.
If everything’s the same as it was when I played the game, then it should be right around here, I thought. I channeled mana into my eyes, then triggered a Scout class ability called Thief’s Eye. The world turned monochrome—or most of it did. The spot I’d been looking for lit up in front of me, glowing a faint blue.
“Found it!” I whispered triumphantly.
I ran over to the glowy spot, putting my weapon down and raising my left hand. As I did so, the glow flickered in my direction, its light starting to vanish into the palm of my hand.
Seems like gathering items works the same as it did in the game, I thought happily. Which means that the item I just acquired should have automatically been placed inside my Inventory.
Before I could check, though, Radd’s strained voice came snarling over my shoulder. “What are you doing, geezer?!” he snapped.
Looks like the kid couldn’t resist chasing after me, I thought, turning to him and raising an eyebrow.
“I’m doing exactly what it looks like,” I said patiently. “Gathering items. Also, you should probably watch your step. The water around here is poisonous.”
“Wh-What?!” Radd gasped, hurriedly stepping away from the water. Unfortunately, the shock of my statement didn’t also stop him from continuing to pester me. “A-Are you really sure it’s the time to be collecting items?!”
“Absolutely,” I told him, my voice resolute. “In fact, we’re in precisely the sort of situation where you’d want to stock up. The water in this portion of the dungeon—Mystical Brackish Water, it’s called—is hazardous, but it can also give your stats a huge temporary boost. It’ll come in handy if we get into a fight.”
“B-But didn’t you just say it was poisonous?”
I nodded. “Don’t worry, though—that’s why I’m harvesting this Rewind Powder too. I can use it to cancel out the harmful effects of the Mystical Brackish Water.”
“I’ve n-never heard of people using these items like that...” Radd said in a doubtful voice.
“That’s because they’re so valuable,” I reassured him.
Mystical Brackish Water was an important alchemical reagent that was used in the crafting of many powerful items, but would unfortunately evaporate within seven days of being harvested. From what I remembered, it could also be used to strengthen the equipment you already had.
Rewind Powder, meanwhile, was known for its potent recovery effects. Since it could only be harvested once every few months, it was in high demand, and adventurers often sold it off for a high price instead of using it for themselves.
“Honestly, I’d prefer to sell these items if I can,” I told Radd, moving on to stocking up on Mystical Brackish Water now that I’d finished harvesting Rewind Powder. “But in a dangerous situation like this it’s better to hang onto them in case we need them.”
“Still...” Radd muttered, “You shouldn’t just let go of your weapon in the middle of a dungeon, old man.”
I looked up, only to find that Radd had snatched my sword from where I’d dropped it and was now holding it out to me. It was an awkward, clumsy gesture, but it still brought a smile to my face. I had a sneaking suspicion that this was his way of apologizing for his rudeness earlier.
“Thanks,” I told him sincerely, gingerly taking the Brave Sword from his hands.
Radd’s gaze, however, remained locked onto my weapon. He only tore his eyes away from it to glance at my sheath, which was when I finally realized what was going through his head.
“You jealous that I’ve got such a cool sword?” I teased him with a smirk.
“Wha—?! N-No way!”
I snorted, tension easing out of me as I took in his flustered reaction. Feeling a tad charitable, I told him, “You know what, kid? If I end up biting the dust, you can have it.”
Radd’s whole face scrunched up in horror. “Don’t say things like that, you crazy old geezer! What if you jinx yourself?! Besides, I don’t need your crappy sword!”
For all his protesting, I knew from my experience playing BB that the protagonist of this storyline did indeed inherit Rex’s Brave Sword if he died. Radd was the member of the newbie adventurer party that would technically be the protagonist, so if worst came to worst, he’d probably end up with my sword if I...
I cleared my throat. “I was just joking with you. Now, come on, let’s head back to the others.”
I’m not letting that future come to pass, no matter what, I swore.
That decision made, I started trudging my way back to the shortcut where everyone else was waiting, Radd at my side.
❈❈❈
Fortunately, we were able to make it through the rest of the Wyvern’s Promenade without encountering any monsters. The next town wasn’t too far off either, and we only had to walk a short while before its gates came into view.
“Look!” Nyuuk exclaimed, overcome with relief. “I can see the town ahead!”
“We need to hurry up and let them know what happened to Ars!” Prana declared vehemently, showing an emotion for once.
But, unfortunately...
“We’re not out of the woods just yet,” I cautioned the group.
Off in the distance, I could make out a vague shape flying straight toward us. It wasn’t the group of gargoyles that typically attacked the protagonist’s party if the player chose to go to Rixia either—no, this was a lone monster coming our way.
“Wh-What is that?” I mumbled through numb lips. I triggered my Analyze skill, using it to examine the monster.
【Doom Demon】
LV: 60
HP: 2278
MP: 356
Attack: 279
Magic Attack: 311
Defense: 426
Magic Defense: 362
Strength: 356
Vitality: 370
Intelligence: 242
Mind: 306
Agility: 228
Focus: 242
“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” I said, voice trembling.
The thing flying toward us was a doom demon—the monster fated to kill Rex.