Chapter 8

　　Watching Ron and Babil hurry toward the exit, he began to ponder his next steps.

　　My top priority is definitely Van’s growth. I’ll need to replace that old greatsword and get him some good armor. I should feed him well, too… Hmm. I guess I’ll have to take on more requests.

　　Drawing out Van’s full potential would require a lot of resources. His own growth could wait.

　　I think the next main quest triggers when we move to another region… Until then, I should take on minor sub-quests and max out Van’s stats. After that… Huh?

　　Cadel paused, his brow furrowing as he meticulously mapped out his future plans. He was still watching Ron and Babil, but his focus had shifted from the men to the ground beneath their feet.

　　The ground looked strange.

　　Even through the thick fog, he could clearly see the earth bubbling like boiling water around their steps. Stones and sand bounced erratically, unable to withstand the violent vibrations.

　　“Wait! Stop right there!”

　　Sensing something wrong, Cadel urgently called out to them. But before Ron and Babil could even turn around—

　　“Wh-what…”

　　“Aaagh!”

　　Something abruptly shot up from the vibrating earth.

　　Flat, thin shadows bent fluidly like fish, wrapping around Ron and Babil’s legs and binding them fast. Startled, Cadel tried to sprint toward them, but—

　　“Captain!”

　　Van’s shocked voice rang out as an unidentified force sealed Cadel’s movements as well.

　　Dirty, ashen bandages. That was what the shadows really were.

　　“Why is it so strong…!”

　　The bandages wrapped around his ankles, yanking him downward with brutal force. For some reason, the once-hard dirt had softened into mud, making it feel as though he would sink beneath the surface at any moment.

　　The moment Van saw Cadel stumble, he swung his sword without hesitation. The greatsword sliced through the bandages, sending Cadel’s precarious balance giving way entirely. Van rushed over instantly, catching Cadel around the waist to keep him upright.

　　“Captain! Are you okay? Are you hurt—”

　　“I-I’m fine. Check on them first.”

　　Cadel pushed him away with trembling hands. Van, his face pale, hesitated before stepping back.

　　“But we don’t know when that thing might pop out again…”

　　“Hurry.”

　　At the firm command, Van looked on the verge of tears but reluctantly turned around.

　　Because Ron and Babil had thrashed and flailed the moment the bandages caught them, they were already half-submerged. The bindings around their legs were buried in the ground, completely out of sight. Spotting Van, they desperately reached out both arms as if he were their savior. Instead, with a face full of annoyance, Van shoved the blade of his greatsword out to them.

　　“Grab it and pull yourselves up.”

　　Grab the blade, not the hilt?

　　Their eyes widened in disbelief, but this was no time to be picky. Ron and Babil each tightly gripped one side of the greatsword’s edge. Feeling the added weight on the weapon, Van tightened his grip on the hilt and hoisted them up.

　　“Hngh!”

　　The muscles in his forearms bulged beneath his armor as their bodies, stuck in the dirt like root vegetables, were slowly yanked free. Blood seeped from the palms of the two men gripping the blade with all their might. But instead of flowing down the steel, the dark red blood was absorbed without a trace the moment it touched the metal.

　　Naturally, Van was the only one aware of this.

　　I don’t know what this monster is, but the Captain will overexert himself trying to subdue it. I can’t let him handle it alone. I need to feed blood to this sword somehow. Even if it means cutting off one of these guys’ limbs…

　　If it meant lending strength to his Captain, he would gladly hack off the limbs of complete strangers without a second thought.

　　Unaware of his cruel plan, Ron and Babil flattened themselves against the ground and scrambled forward the moment they were free. Neither the shame of how pathetic they looked nor the gaping wounds on their palms could override their desperate survival instincts. Van severed the bandages still clinging to their ankles in one swift motion.

　　“That’s all the help you get. If you want to live, look after yourselves.”

　　If they had been just a little further away, he wouldn’t have let them off so easily. Even if he didn’t take a limb, he could have feigned an accident and inflicted a decent wound.

　　But Cadel was right behind him. If he harmed Ron and Babil where his Captain could see, he would inevitably get an earful. It was a shame, but he had no choice but to wait for the next opportunity.

　　Van tore his gaze from the two men desperately scrambling away and turned his back without lingering regret. He found Cadel standing completely still, staring intently at something in the distance. His expression was dead serious.

　　“Captain, do you have any idea what kind of monster this is?”

　　“Well, it looks like a Mummy Queen. This must be why the mercenaries who came to the Smog Plains kept dying one after another.”

　　“A Mummy Queen… The mercenaries must have made for good prey.”

　　“That’s why it grew so massive.”

　　Cadel was looking toward the center of the plains. There, a towering mass of bandages rose up like a giant flower bud.

　　That was the Mummy Queen’s main body. The bandages spreading out from it like roots swam freely underground, capturing prey. Then, it would drag them in and digest them for nutrients.

　　Damn it. If I’d known something like this was hiding here, I would have saved more mana. No wonder the quest completion window didn’t pop up. It wasn’t because I hadn’t reported back to Drew Stra, but because the final boss was still alive.

　　He vividly remembered the monster’s skills and traits, but he couldn’t recall exactly when or where it was supposed to spawn. Especially since it was an enemy that had only made a brief appearance in the tutorial.

　　Biting his lip out of habit, Cadel glared at the Mummy Queen like it was his mortal enemy.

　　I have to take that thing down to complete the quest. If I can just kill it…!

　　He could finally put an end to this wretched situation, where he had barely escaped one death only to immediately face another.

　　“The Mummy Queen’s weakness is that giant bud. But the closer you get, the stronger its defenses become. The best strategy is to snipe it with long-range attacks.”

　　“Are you going to use magic again?”

　　“Tell me if you have a better idea.”

　　When it came to eliminating a Mummy Queen, a melee damage dealer was the absolute worst class for the job. Not only would they face countless obstacles on the way to the bud, but the chances of having their weapon snatched away were incredibly high.

　　It would be a different story if he were over-leveled, but the current Van hadn’t even awakened yet. His equipment was worn out, and he couldn’t exert his true power. Sending Van to the bud right now was no different from pushing him to his death.

　　Unaware of Cadel’s rational analysis, Van blocked his path, his expression stiff.

　　“I will do it.”

　　“No.”

　　“If I use Sword Aura, I can attack from a distance. Besides, you’ve already used a lot of mana, Captain.”

　　“Are you doubting my skills right now?”

　　“That’s not it—!”

　　“Then stop talking and cover me.”

　　Van bit his lip, looking resentful that Cadel wouldn’t give him a single chance. But Cadel was equally resolute. He had no desire to treat his one and only precious knight as a disposable pawn.

　　In the end, Van was the first to give in.

　　“…Understood. But please promise me one thing before the battle.”

　　“Name it.”

　　“If your first attack fails to kill the Mummy Queen, then I will step in.”

　　“What?”

　　“Don’t tell me you won’t even allow—”

　　“Of course you’ll have to step in. Am I supposed to fight it with no mana left?”

　　Cadel snorted in disbelief. Van was left dumbfounded, speechless for a moment. He clearly hadn’t expected such willing permission.

　　But only for a moment. His eyes shining with the reliability of a loyal hound, he stood guard beside Cadel as the latter prepared his magic.

　　I don’t have much mana left. I can squeeze out maybe one attack… I have to bet everything on this single strike.

　　For a long-range single-target attack, Fireball was the best fit. He needed to land a Fireball fueled by every last drop of his remaining mana.

　　Cadel took a deep breath. The thought that the finish line was right in front of him seemed to wash away the heavy fatigue settling over him.

　　As he focused his mind, a fist-sized flame bloomed in front of him. It quickly grew, swelling to twenty times its original volume in an instant.

　　With a whoosh, haze-like heat rippled around the Fireball. A single drop of sweat slid down his forehead, tracing his jawline.

　　Cadel calmly steadied his breathing. He only had one chance. His sharp gaze locked onto the Mummy Queen’s bud like a hawk eyeing its prey.

　　Taking a sharp breath, he fired the Fireball without hesitation.

　　Please…!

　　The attack hit its mark. The massive ball of fire flew toward the bud with ferocious momentum. An explosion erupted, accompanied by a deafening roar and heavy vibrations.

　　With a heavy rumble, the bud thrashed, engulfed in flames, repeatedly opening and closing. In tandem, the roots buried underground surged up all at once.

　　“Captain, we need to move!”

　　The entire ground vibrated, bubbling like boiling water. Wrapping his arm around the exhausted Cadel’s waist, Van began to run along the perimeter. Following their footsteps, the Mummy Queen’s roots shot up from the earth like jagged spears.

　　Cadel clung to Van’s arm, practically being dragged as he ran. Van supported Cadel with one hand while scattering Sword Aura with the other to deflect the incoming attacks. But no matter how far they ran, the onslaught showed no sign of stopping.

　　Don’t tell me I failed to kill it?

　　He hurriedly checked the bud, but thick smoke and fog obscured the area, making it impossible to tell for sure. Cadel’s face turned pale.

　　If it had died instantly, its roots wouldn’t still be thrashing. There was no need to overthink it. The attack had landed, but the Mummy Queen was still alive and well!

　　“The whole area is a mess. Finding a safe spot is out of the question.”

　　“I can’t even fight anymore in this state. Damn it, my attack only provoked it!”

　　He ground his teeth. If he had known about the Mummy Queen’s existence from the start, he would have distributed his mana more efficiently. The problem was that he had blown through his mana, thinking the Head Pitchers were the only threat. However, instead of sympathizing with Cadel’s anger, Van calmly accepted reality.

　　“It’s too far to go around the perimeter to the exit. I’ll cut straight toward the bud.”

　　“Are you crazy? That thing is agitated right now. Even if it’s far, we should avoid it as much as possible…”

　　“There’s a limit to how long we can keep dodging attacks at this pace. And you promised, Captain. If your attack failed, I would step in.”

　　Seeing Van’s calm profile, a sudden chill ran down Cadel’s spine.

　　Wait, is this a death flag?

　　Was this what the system meant by losing Van upon quest failure? Because I, his Captain, am incompetent? Because I failed to properly lead my one and only knight? Van is going to jump straight into the jaws of death in my place?

　　Horrified, Cadel opened his mouth to stop him. But Van scooped him up in one swift motion and began to sprint at incredible speed.

　　He was heading straight for the Mummy Queen’s bud.