It was such a casual, mellow conversation that it really was like talking to some guy in my neighborhood. I did appreciate that though because I preferred that to being uptight with him.
Suddenly, God seemed to remember something. He set his book down and looked at me. “Oh, that’s right. Akira.”
“Yes? What is it?” I asked.
“Have you noticed there have been a lot of people getting stranded in the dungeon lately?”
“Yes, it’s been getting more common,” I said.
“As it starts getting colder now that summer has passed, the number of Divers looking to earn a daily wage has increased,” he explained.
“Ah.”
It made sense. Those who failed to secure a harvest in autumn gathered in Freida in search of income. With the Divers Guild here in Freida, there were opportunities to get money quickly. Even if one didn’t have the proper equipment for a dive, they could hang around the Forest, gather some resources, and head home without taking on too much risk. Of course, even that required a certain amount of skill.
“Anyway, I wanted to ask you to help them out, even if it’s just a little bit,” said God. “Oh, you don’t have to go out of your way to do it. If someone looks like they could use some help and you have the means to do it, it’d be nice if you give them a hand.”
“Oh, sure. No problem at all,” I said.
“Okay, then. Thanks!” he said with a friendly smile and waved.
I’d always noted how laid-back he was, but I was starting to wonder if he’d acted that way on purpose to put me at ease.
I was feeling appreciative when he started talking to the roof of the study, or rather, into the void above. “Hey, honey, my ears are itchy. Can you clean them for me? Aw, come on, I want you to do it. You’re my wifey, aren’t you? Come on, honey.”
Never mind. He’s just like this naturally.
He was talking to his wife, who was who-knows-where, and begging her to lay his head on her lap and clean his ears. I’d had enough of their lovey-dovey couple talk, so I decided to get the heck out of there.
Not long after, I made my way to a safe point in the dungeon and ran into someone who clearly needed help. He was about my age—no, probably a bit younger than me—and he had short ginger-orange hair and handsome features. On his body was an old leather chest protector that didn’t fit him, and his only weapon was a hatchet. His equipment was rather shoddy, and he wasn’t even carrying a bag, which was considered essential for solo Divers.
“He looks like he’s in trouble...” I muttered to myself.
I could hear his stomach rumbling as he glanced around at the other Divers. Judging by his lack of belongings, he must’ve discarded everything he’d had while fleeing from a stronger enemy, leaving him stranded with no way to get home. Seeing him like this was painful.
He seems younger than me. Seeing how poor his equipment is, he must’ve come here to make a living with nothing but the clothes on his back...
I’d overheard people at the guild reception area saying this was pretty common. Many people had been driven out of their communities to reduce the number of mouths to feed, and they’d turned to Freida in hopes of earning money. I’d been told not to bother with them because there’d be no end to it, but I’d been asked by God to help out. I couldn’t just ignore someone younger than me who was obviously in trouble; the guilt would’ve eaten me alive if I’d just left without doing anything. And so, I decided to talk to him.
“Uh...hey there, are you hungry? Would you like some of my food?” I asked.
“Huh?” he said.
“Oh, I won’t ask for anything in return. I’m not looking to take money from someone younger than me,” I said as I sat down next to him.
He took a moment to recover from his surprise, then asked, “Um...are you sure?”
“Yeah, I have more than enough food. Well, what do you say?” I said, showing him my bag as I gave it a shake.
“Y-Yes, please!”
He’d spoken with such enthusiasm that I thought he was about to bow down to me on his hands and knees. He must’ve been so anxious and afraid. I knew how it felt to be all alone in a foreign place.
Suddenly, a deep voice said to us, “Hey.”
“Yes?” I said as I turned to the speaker.
There stood the leader of one of the two teams resting in the safe point, his face gaunt and sickly looking. He looked as exhausted as Instructor Seeker, and the rest of his companions were in a similar state. They all were wearing such poor-quality equipment that even those of the Lizard Skins in the Yellow Wall Vestiges were better. They reminded me of starving hyenas or snakes. I felt bad for them.
The sickly person ignored me and approached the stranded boy. “You want help, right? We’ll help you.”
“Actually, this person has already—”
“How’s this brat gonna help you?” he interrupted. “We can escort you all the way to the exit, and at an affordable rate too.”
“I don’t know...” said the boy.
“What? I said we’re gonna help you!” yelled the sickly person. He’d come in after I’d already offered help, tried to force his services onto the boy, and snapped when the boy refused to accept it. He was a terrible negotiator, to say the least. If he really wanted to offer help, he could’ve tried sweet-talking him for a while longer, but he was abysmally bad at this.
I really didn’t want to deal with this. I could already tell he planned to demand an exorbitant fee when it was all said and done. It would be something stupid too, like one hundred million yen or something.
“What a pain in the ass,” I said, unable to keep my mouth shut.
“Huh?” said the sickly person.
“Oh! Don’t mind me. I wasn’t thinking you’re a pain in the ass at all! Not even a little bit.”
“You... You obviously do think that!”
“What?! How did you know? Are you a mind-reading psychic or something?” I asked.
“You literally just said so yourself!” he roared.
He was right on cue with that punch line. He should’ve been a comedian or something.
“There are always people like them who prey on other Divers instead of monsters,” I said to the stranded boy. “And they’re always weak and pathetic without exception.”
The sickly person put his hand on the hilt of his sword, his veins bulging with rage. “You wanna try me?”
“No, thank you,” I said. “I don’t like fighting.”
Although I’d politely declined, the man seemed unwilling to listen. His malice was palpable. He looked as if he was about to swing his weapon at any second, but I was already prepared. I’d been putting up a lightning barrier between us the whole time, so he’d either come in contact with the barrier and get electrocuted or give up and walk away. It wouldn’t work if he was so skilled that he could break through my barrier, but if he was that strong, he wouldn’t be preying on the weak in the first place. They could’ve gone for a short dive at a high-level floor and made ten times the profits instead of wasting time here. Not only was this method inefficient, but their reputation would also go down the gutter. Absolutely nothing good could come of it.
Sure, there were strong psychos out there who simply liked hurting the weak, but I’d heard their kind had been wiped out a while ago, and hardly any of them existed now.
Although I was a coward, I didn’t feel very scared today, mainly because my opponent and his companions looked so unhealthy. Even as the man threatened me, I could only feel sorry for him because he looked so pale. Their not having a scary face was also a pretty big factor.
They probably weren’t making any money at all and hadn’t been getting enough food or sleep. They really were pitiful, and thinking about it pained me. Still, that didn’t give them an excuse to extort others.
I had to stand my ground here. I had to prove that even a coward like me could fight back as long as my opponent’s face or aura wasn’t scary—and don’t tell me that wouldn’t be solving the root issue.
I was ready to slide my magic staff out of my sleeve when someone spoke from behind the sickly-looking gang, not to me but to them.
“Hey,” said the voice.
“Huh? The hell do you—”
When they turned around, the members of the veteran team that was also in the safe point were glaring right at them.
“If you’re looking to start a fight here, we’ll take you on first,” said the leader of the veteran group.
“What?!”
I hadn’t expected them to come to the rescue. As I was thanking them and singing their praises internally, the leader stepped forward and got in the sickly man’s face.
“Well?” he asked.
“Th-This has nothing to do with you!” protested the sickly man.
“Maybe not, but I’m not letting this happen on my watch.”
“What? You think you’re a hero or something?”
“Just shut up and get out. Unless you want to be thrown out of here. Your choice.”
“Ugh...”
The veteran team’s members were probably around level 25 to 30, and those of the group that was messing with us were around level 15 at most. The veteran group was clothed in equipment for serious Divers too. The sickly group stood no chance.
While the veteran leader glared them down, the other members of his group waved at us as they stood behind him. They seemed really friendly. In response, the stranded boy and I bowed our heads in gratitude.
Eventually, the sickly team fled the safe point. The veteran team called after them, saying things like “What kind of idiot tries to scam a child?” and “Next time, we’ll call up the others and beat the crap out of you!”
Who are they calling a child?
“Thank you,” I said to the veteran team’s leader.