Chapter 7

12/06/01

I made some adjustments to part of the development.

I revised the content based on the feedback I received, which I also found convincing.

I apologize for the changes, and I hope for your continued support.

A Kobold is a humanoid monster with a dog's head, typically about the size of a human child, and is usually treated as a common monster in fantasy RPGs. By the way, they are originally mischievous fairies from German folklore. Just a little trivia, though it might not be very useful.

In Another World, as in other fantasy RPGs, Kobolds are dog-headed humanoid monsters. They look like ugly mad dogs, drooling and all. ...If they were cute puppies, I might not have been able to bring myself to attack them.

Right now, I'm chasing after one of them.

When I tried to take down a Kobold I happened to find,

"Probably a scout. Since we're here, let's follow it and find the group."

I followed Emilia's suggestion and started tracking it. The monsters in this world have a wide range of movement, and I've been tracking for about 20 minutes. Fortunately, I found the Kobold on the way from the grassland to the forest and towards the mountains, so there were plenty of places to hide, making the tracking easy.

I hid in the shadows of trees and rocks, and the trail led to a dilapidated hut and a cave.

"It looks like an old mine. It might have been abandoned, and the Kobolds moved in."

"Then we have no choice but to go in."

Emilia held a lantern, and Liam took the lead. The mine was surprisingly spacious, and so far there were no side paths. Occasionally, the sound of water dripping and the cries of what I assume were Kobolds could be heard, and animal bones were scattered on the ground, probably left by the Kobolds. The smell of decay was unpleasant. I wish they didn't have to be so realistic.

After walking for a while, we reached a large cavern.

In the light of the lantern, we could see ten Kobolds. They seemed to have noticed our light and were already in a battle stance.

We were also ready for battle, so the fight began immediately.

To be honest... the Giant Mole we encountered earlier might have been stronger.

There were many of them, but the Kobolds' levels were only 5 to 8. They only used simple attacks, swinging their club-like weapons. There were not just those ten but twice as many in the back, but they were cut down by Liam, pierced by Cornelia, and beaten by Emilia (I fought too, of course).

Incidentally, everyone had leveled up by one. They leveled up during the first group, so the effect of the level-up made it easy to take down the second group, which was twice as many.

Even a single level-up has a significant impact.

Still, wasn't I unnecessary in this situation...?

Why did they invite me specifically?

I thought it was because Havoc couldn't join the party due to the level restriction, and the party's strength would drop.

Could it have been a pretext?

If so, why...?

...Could it be a PK!?

PK—Player Killer, meaning a player who hunts other players rather than monsters. In some games, this behavior is frowned upon, but in this game, PK is possible if the setting is enabled. There are even classes like Assassins that have skills that become more powerful the more PKs they perform.

There are drawbacks, but PK behavior is allowed. And there are certainly those who enjoy PK.

So, the story goes like this:

They invite a beginner who they think can be easily defeated.

They pretend to be on a quest and lead them to an isolated place.

They make the victim think the quest is complete and let their guard down, then strike.

This place is far from the city, and there's almost no one around.

If I were attacked, no one would come to my aid.

This is bad. They are stronger than me, and there are three of them, so I have no chance of winning.

"What's wrong? Why do you look so scared?"

In the dim light, Liam turned around, and his face, which usually had a good-natured look, now seemed somewhat eerie. I could almost see his sword, dripping with the blood of the Kobolds, being swung at me. I tried hard to suppress a scream.

"What's wrong?"

Cornelia asked, looking suspicious.

I wanted to ask if they were PKs, but I didn't because I was afraid of the reaction.

Her long, wavy blonde hair with a braid on the left side suited her, but now even her beauty turned into fear.

Damn, beautiful but disappointing elf.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Emilia, was the fear I felt from the Giant Mole earlier directed at me?

If so, that's a big problem for me.

What should I do? It's still just a suspicion of PK.

If I'm wrong, it will be embarrassing and awkward from now on.

If they don't make the first move, I can't do anything.

Should I run?

No, there are three of them, and with an Archer who has strong ranged attacks, it's impossible to run without a plan.

Logging out would leave me vulnerable for about 10 seconds, and if I'm attacked during that time, the logout will be canceled.

Using Spider Net to escape is also impossible.

Spider Net reduces movement speed but not attack speed, so it's ineffective against an Archer's arrows.

I can't escape from them. If my suspicions turn out to be true, I want to at least get a hit in.

I need to be ready to fight at any moment.

If they attack, I need to be ready to respond, so I grip my staff and prepare to use the new skill I gained from leveling up, watching carefully.

Then, the atmosphere changed as if they sensed something.

I swallowed hard, feeling the tension.

Suddenly, a humanoid figure emerged from the dim darkness.

Could it be one of their allies!

I squinted to see what it was.

It stood behind Liam, raising a dull, gleaming object.

...No, it's not an ally!

"Fire Arrow!"

A flaming arrow flew towards Liam.

"Chaos! What are you doing!"

Cornelia shouted.

The flaming arrow, brighter than the lantern, passed by Liam and hit something behind him.

"Whoa! What are you doing... What!"

Liam protested but seemed to notice something behind him.

Fire Arrow is a fire-based attack spell that spreads in a small area upon impact.

The flaming object ignited something else, illuminating the surroundings and making the situation clear.

There was a skeletal humanoid monster!

"Skeleton—! There are more enemies!"

"Indeed, the Kobolds were too weak. They were probably exhausted from fighting the Skeletons that were already there."

"So, the reason you were on high alert earlier wasn't to attack us but to sense this?"

"You sensed the presence of this thing. Impressive."

...No, that's overthinking it.

I was just on edge, thinking I might be PKed, and saw the monster behind us.

But I can't tell them that.

...

"It was just a lucky guess."

Liam said, but it really was just a lucky guess!

So, stop looking at me with that admiring gaze!

Your gaze is killing me!

Embarrassing!

I can't tell them I was suspicious and on guard, thinking I might be PKed!

My face is probably red right now, but I hope they didn't notice.

It turned out well, but if there hadn't been a Skeleton, what would have happened?

Thank you, Skeleton, for being there.

I feel saved because of you.

Thinking about it, there's no benefit for them to PK me.

The money I have can be earned easily, and I don't have any rare items.

If they formed a party to PK, it would be easy to trace, and they wouldn't invite someone to a popular place.

It would be much more efficient to ambush in a hunting ground if they wanted to PK.

What a terrible misunderstanding I had.

There can't be a worse one than this.

...I'm the worst. They just invited me out of kindness, and I suspected these good people for no reason.

I can't face them.

So, after this quest, I'll keep my distance from them.

We completed the quest and returned to Medea, distributed the items and rewards, and logged out immediately.

The door of the Medea Adventurers' Guild opened.

Havoc entered.

The other party members, Emilia, Liam, and Cornelia, were already back and relaxing at a table.

"So, how was Chaos?"

Carlo asked them.

Carlo had given them a request to monitor and investigate the suspicious new player, Chaos.

"I followed the guy after we split up, but I lost him. He must have noticed and evaded me. I checked the inn, but there was no sign of him staying. The gatekeepers haven't seen him either. I don't know where he went..."

Havoc sighed, despite being skilled at stealth and tracking.

"It's not surprising. Earlier, Chaos sensed the presence of the Skeleton before we did, even when we were relaxed after defeating the Kobolds. He might have a very high awareness."

Emilia added.

"Yeah, that was intense. If Chaos hadn't noticed, we might have been in trouble."

"Maybe he was trying to make us more cautious by showing a bit of hostility. He could have at least said something, though."

Cornelia complained, but she was smiling, so it wasn't out of anger.

"He probably wanted us to act first. He was willing to be suspected for a moment."

"Normally, if a teammate shows hostility, you'd think they're going to attack. When the fire arrow came, I really thought I was going to be killed."

"Such an awkward guy..."

"But his combat skills are impressive. His magic is precise, and when he realized his magic wasn't working, he switched to a fighting style that utilized Cornelia. He chose fire magic against the Skeletons, probably because he predicted they were undead and their weakness was fire."

"I had a feeling, but his combat skills are high. By the way, the material collection was excellent, but what did you think of it in practice?"

Carlo's question left the group puzzled.

"It was like watching a magic trick. The monsters just disappeared."

"The next time he took them out, they were clean and collected. Where did the bodies go?"

"Maybe a transfer... or a storage spell, but I can't imagine how it works to collect materials."

"It was like a dream... really."

"Can't you figure it out?"

Carlo's exasperated voice made Cornelia burst into anger.

"You wouldn't understand how unreasonable it is! He's carrying an impossible amount of stuff and putting it into some mysterious space! And when he takes it out, it's all disassembled. If he explained or showed us, I'd be creeped out!"

The group nodded in agreement.

It was something that shouldn't be touched.

So, it's better to recognize it as a spell for mental health.

That's what all the witnesses concluded.

"Alright, I get it. Calm down! So, what did you find out about him?"

Carlo changed the subject, surprised by her outburst.

"He seems to be a student from a foreign country called Osaka. He doesn't seem to be a spy, so he's probably a traveler here to study magic."

"He doesn't seem to know much about the rumors around here, so I think he's been in the kingdom for a short time. His father works as a salaryman."

"Given that his son is a student and a mage, I think he might be a high-ranking court mage in the kingdom."

"His equipment was quite ordinary, and he didn't have any expensive items. It seems odd that he has nothing, but if he's using a storage spell, it could be hidden."

"I wanted to find out more, but... Cornelia..."

"That... I'm sorry."

"Well, it's fine. Chaos was on guard from the start, so he probably intentionally went along with our plan. He only revealed the information he wanted to."

"He must have anticipated our request. That means he has excellent insight."

The person who requested the surveillance probably had a good idea.

So, he went along with the charade without pressing the issue.

It's not the kind of thinking a new player would have.

"Excellent in combat and material collection, willing to put himself on the line for his teammates, and with excellent insight. No behavioral issues... a promising adventurer, despite the mysteries."

"He's not the type Carlo suspected. I'd even want him in our party."

"Hmm? I'd want to keep a talented adventurer, and there's no problem with your group... Do you want him?"

"...Wait! It's fine to invite him, but I want him to improve his skills first. Right now, he'd just hold us back, and I don't want that."

"I agree with Cornelia. I want to improve my skills to match Chaos."

The new members were motivated.

It seemed that Chaos's presence was having a positive effect.

Havock couldn't hide his joy at the unexpected influence on the younger members.

"By the way, after we started chasing the Kobolds, my sword felt lighter and more powerful."

"Me too, Liam. My bow's power increased... What was that?"