Chapter 88

Next, we need to take care of the second patchwork on Lucie's side.

I took a few seconds to catch my breath in front of the patchwork's corpse and then turned my gaze towards them.

The patchwork was swinging three swords.

Lucie was dodging to the right and the right, enduring the assault, while Kelt was firing arrows at the patchwork's back and arms to hinder its movements.

It seemed that Meabel's MP was running low, and she had stopped her <Ice> attacks to focus on healing Lucie.

“Kelt, can't you step up a bit more? It's obvious that Lucie is at her limit!”

“Stop acting all high and mighty, you damn priest! A hunter isn't that kind of class! Be grateful that I'm drawing so much attention!”

...His attitude was getting even worse, but at least Kelt was still there.

“But if this keeps up, my MP will run out and we'll all be wiped out!”

“At that point, I'll use <Hare> to escape! I have the speed to run away, so be grateful that I'm sticking around in this deathtrap!”

It was clear that the burden on Lucie was heavy, but they managed to avoid any casualties.

They couldn't launch a strong offensive, but they had already reduced the patchwork's HP by more than half, and it only had one <Death Sword> left.

If I joined the fight in my current <Raging Death Dragon> state, we should be able to take down the patchwork quickly.

I ran towards them.

“Kyaa!”

At that moment, Lucie, who had failed to dodge a sword and tried to block it with a knife, was slammed against the wall.

“Lucie!”

“Priestess! It's your fault for rushing me!”

This is bad... In that position, Lucie can't avoid the next attack.

The patchwork must be frustrated from being chased around.

It will definitely use a skill to finish her off.

As I feared, a magic circle appeared.

I couldn't reach her in time.

“Lucie, run!”

I shouted loudly.

Lucie tried to stand up, but it was clear that <Death Sword> was faster.

At that moment,

“Tch... <Hare>!”

Kelt kicked off the ground and rolled forward.

I thought he was trying to escape, but that wasn't the case.

He slid neatly to Lucie's side and pushed her away.

“Kelt, thank you so much...”

“I may be shameless, but I'm not ungrateful. When you risked your life to save me, I was honestly laughing inside. There are a lot of bastards among the higher-ranked adventurers. If you want to survive as a B-rank, you'd better be careful.”

Kelt smiled sadly.

Immediately after, a purple blade tore through his body.

Red blood splattered around.

Kelt's body rolled on the ground.

“You did well, Kelt.”

I struck the patchwork's vulnerable back with all my might.

A large chunk of rotten flesh was gouged out, and one of the arms on its back flew through the air.

The patchwork's stitches came undone, and its massive body collapsed.

【You have gained 2478 experience points.】

We finally defeated the second patchwork.

It was good that we had a solid plan to deal with the <Death Sword> that could kill us on the first hit.

Even though we understood that the best strategy was to engage in a prolonged battle against an opponent with a high-damage, near-instant-kill skill, our mental fortitude often couldn't keep up, and we would rush to a conclusion.

Lucie's trust in me and Kelt's experience in stopping the anxious Meabel were crucial.

“Kelt, Kelt isn't moving!”

Meabel's face turned pale as she lifted Kelt's body.

“It's my fault... I panicked and moved, and Kelt became the victim... I thought he was selfish, but why...”

“Well... I kind of understand what he was thinking.”

A hunter is a class that tends to be versatile but not particularly strong.

Their main strength lies in mobility and ranged attacks, but their lack of offensive power means they are more suited to supporting roles and can't deliver the final blow.

To excel in a party, a hunter is generally expected to draw the monster's attention with small attacks and use their mobility to cover a wide area.

However, this mobility, which is their greatest strength, also means they have to choose whether to take or give up the final blow.

If they give it up, they will be taken for granted, and if they take it, they will be resented.

“Since he was already disliked, he probably decided to go all out. Being half-hearted is the most painful, and the world isn't so sweet that you can survive by always giving up.”

‘I may be shameless, but I'm not ungrateful.’

Kelt said that last.

He might have decided to return the favor, even though he didn't want to be seen as weak by giving in from the start.

Since Lucie was the one who directly saved Kelt, he probably felt guilty about leaving her to die in front of him.

“What! Why are you so calm, Elma! Even if he wasn't the best person, he was still our companion just a moment ago...!”

“No, Kelt is still alive.”

“Huh?”

Meabel's eyes widened at my words.

“He must have lost consciousness from the critical damage. Hey, priest, heal him quickly.”

Kelt opened his eyes.

“Kelt! Thank goodness... You're alive...”

Meabel seemed to have lost all her strength and slumped to the ground.

From the experience points, I knew this was the amount we would get with four people.

“Hunters have the <Feign Death> skill.”

Kelt's shoulder twitched at my words.

<Feign Death> allows a character to pretend to be dead when their HP is almost gone, which can shift the monster's target to a nearby adventurer and might even allow them to escape if they're lucky.

“What, are you criticizing me! If I had been hit in a bad spot, I would have died from that magic! Since I couldn't move anyway, I just chose the option that gave me a chance to survive!”

“...If you hadn't pretended to be unconscious, you might have been able to redeem yourself.”

Meabel said this with a sigh of exasperation.

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(2021/8/29)