Live a short life to witness the most beautiful things in the world.
But live long enough, and you'll have to witness the most horrific things in the world.
And right now, Kai is in the latter situation.
"Shit..."
He gripped a sword stuck in the ground, looking at his teammates, their conditions unknown.
And the one who caused this was preparing to kill him.
His skills weren't strong to begin with, and now he had to face enemies far more powerful than him.
He'd tried to use his brain in battles, but he kept running into monsters with abilities so absurd they seemed like a joke, leaving him clueless on how to counter them.
Was he just supposed to die here?
...Pfft, no way in hell.
Right now, he had a reason to fight, so there was no point in giving up.
"Hey, look my damn leg, do you feel guilty for let me go to that goddamn trap?"
My blood might flow like a river,
But this river carries my anger and determination.
"You motherfuck, did you hear me? This is not the first episode of MHA, stop imagine something stupid like "I'M THE ONLY ONE HERE AND I'M GONNA FACE ALL OF VILLAINS" bro, you weak as fuck."
So as long as I'm alive, I'm going all in!
Slap!
"Ouch... What?"
"I need blood," Vakoth said, looking at his severed leg, visibly annoyed.
"Does your recovery ability have something to do with blood?" Kai scratched his head, watching Vakoth bandage his leg.
"The more blood from those I attack, the stronger my physical condition and recovery become. Of course, the price is excruciating pain."
Was that related to how this guy stabbed himself in the heart? That must hurt like hell.
"How's it going?" Irilia glanced at Vakoth's leg.
"I trust you're not blind."
"My eyes can't feel your pain."
"Hmph, movement will be slower. You bastard, you owe me for taking that trap for you," he said, glaring at me threateningly.
"Chill, I'll pay you back."
As long as I have money, of course.
"By the way, Kai, I've got a compliment for you," Irilia said, turning to me.
It seems my accidental save-the-team move earned me some points with her. Pretty lucky.
Though I hope she doesn't ask me to do things outside my expertise, or the whole team might actually die.
"Can you stand?"
"Yeah, I'm not that weak," Vakoth replied, standing up, twirling his spear before slinging it onto his back.
"Alright, everyone, let's keep moving!"
And so, the group pressed on."Hey! You're really good at disarming traps! I feel like I'm nothing compared to even a fraction of your talent," Kanna said, sidling up to me and whispering.
"Just luck, I'm not that skilled."
"But you saved us from that trap, and luck is a skill too!"
"I see why you were chosen as support."
"Huh?"
Seeing Kanna's confused look, I smirked at her cluelessness.
If she didn't have that vomiting problem, I'd rate her pretty highly.
But the simps glaring at me like wild beasts—am I playing with fire here?"Kai..."
This time it was Reito, looking like he had something on his mind.
"What's up?"
"This dungeon... it's kinda... weird."
"Really? Wasn't it already weird when we entered and ran into those gay monsters?"
"Yeah, fair point, but I mean I've got a bad feeling."
"Bad feeling?"
"Yeah... The deeper we go, the more I feel... like something's watching us."
Crump crump
Kai and the others whipped their heads toward the sound, but saw nothing.
"...Kanna, light up that spot."
"Oh, on it!"
Kanna drew a magical rune in the air with her sword, and the rune transformed into a glowing orb that floated toward the spot.
...Nothing.
"...Keep moving."
Kai and Reito stared at the spot for a moment before exchanging glances.
"Next time, keep your mouth shut. I feel like whatever you say ends up happening," Kai said.
"No way! I don't believe that. What, you think if I say a life-sucking leech will drop on our heads, it'll actually happen?"
"Then what the hell is that?"
Both turned to see a man covered in strange leeches, completely unaware of the disgusting creatures clinging to his back.
"Uh... probably just a coincidence?"
"Then try saying those leeches will turn into *Imi Fuk*da after sucking blood."
"*Imi Fuk*da? Who's that?"
Instantly, the leeches merged together, forming a human shape and transforming into a woman with big breasts, a big butt, and a beautiful face.
"..." Reito couldn't believe his eyes. Did he really have some mystical power?!
"Hey... what's on your back?" someone pointed at the man.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"On your back, man! Looks like a girl straight out of a porn video, absolute fire!"
"WHERE?!"
The man turned around, spotting the gorgeous woman clinging to his back.
"Holy shit, she's hot—"
Then the leeches swarmed into his mouth, pouring down his throat.
"WHAT?!" The nearby group flinched, watching the poor man's stomach swell grotesquely.
Kai grimaced, watching the leeches crawl inside that person.
"Ughhh..." He ballooned, growing massive, looking like he was about to burst.
"GET BACK!" Irilia shouted, and everyone scrambled away.
BOOM!
The man exploded, blood and flesh splattering everywhere, with countless leeches flying in all directions.
"Reito, I think your mouth just brings bad luck, not some grand power."
"Yeah, I figured."
A few leeches flew toward them, only to be sliced apart by Vakoth.
"Hehe, free blood!"
Kanna, terrified, hid behind Violet, who was casually shooting at the leeches with her gun.
I pulled out my regular dagger, slicing a few in half.
But there were so many—if we weren't careful, they'd swarm again and start crawling into someone's mouth next.
"I've got this," Reito said, raising his hand. A small black hole formed, sucking all the leeches into it, handling the problem effortlessly.
"Pretty clean."
I couldn't help but wonder why everyone I knew had such useful combat abilities, while I was stuck dealing with weak skills, low mana, and every other problem.
After a while, the leeches were all killed, leaving nothing behind.
"Feel fresh..." Vakoth cheerfully looked at his fully healed leg.
Kai, meanwhile, stared at the spot where that person had just exploded, his face contorted as he gazed at the pool of blood.
"What's wrong?" Reito approached.
"...It's nothing," Kai said, walking away, leaving Reito puzzled as he watched him go.
'...Why is it that when I saw others die before, I felt nothing, but this time, seeing someone die right in front of me, I feel so uneasy I can't put it into words... Strange...'
And so, the group pressed on, knowing full well that danger still lay ahead.