Chapter 9 …

Wage Slaves of a Failing Game

Wage Slaves of a Failing Game (5)

The threats in this world were not limited to monsters.

Even wild beasts—ones that humans had no hope of handling with their own strength—had to be considered monsters.

Back when they had first fallen into this broken game and begun fighting for real, the very first thing Niummer and Azov had learned was something simple:

Climbing trees.

Exactly for situations like this.

Squeeeeeal!

Its average running speed was 50 km per hour, and it weighed several hundred kilograms at the very least.

But that massive creature looked like it easily weighed over a ton.

There was no way Reina could have survived being caught in the jaws of a monster like that.

“Kh… Kegh…”

Her arms and legs were twisted in grotesque directions as she lay convulsing in the bushes.

Every time her chest rose and fell, bloody foam sprayed from her mouth. Her internal organs were likely destroyed as well.

“Reinaaaaa!”

Kevin screamed at the horrific sight.

It was a mistake.

Instead of running to his lover, he should have charged the boar… no, he should have simply run away.

THUD THUD THUD!

The living dump truck charged forward.

Azov fired an arrow midway, but it bounced harmlessly off the beast’s thick hide.

BANG!

“Ghk!”

Kevin was struck by the boar and sent flying through the air before crashing into the bushes.

“Ugh… khhh…”

Reina lay collapsed, her gaze fixed on the sky.

Naturally, she could clearly see Azov and Niummer up in the tree.

Looking at them, she pleaded weakly.

“Sa… save…”

But unlike Reina’s desperate plea, Azov simply relaxed the bowstring he had been pulling and sighed.

“It’s already too late.”

Azov made a cold judgment.

Even if he shot, it would only be a waste of arrows.

And just in case his companion still had lingering guilt, he added:

“If you go down there, you’ll die. No matter how good you are at fighting, you can’t kill that thing.”

Its size alone was different.

At that size, even gnolls would avoid it.

With the crude iron swords they were given at the start, they couldn’t even pierce its hide.

That was what wild beasts were like.

“……”

Niummer, who had been gripping her sword so tightly that the blood circulation in her hand had nearly stopped, finally relaxed her grip and sighed.

“That idiot…”

That was the end of it.

The monstrous boar trampled and tore apart the enemies that had harmed its offspring.

Afterward, it toyed with them like broken playthings before discarding them.

Niummer and Azov could only watch the horrific scene from above.

Thud.

After the boar disappeared, the two climbed down from the tree.

Then they followed the long trail of blood.

“Haa… hngh…”

There they found Kevin, drenched in blood, breathing raggedly.

Both of them widened their eyes.

He was alive.

“Hang in there a little longer.”

[Heal]

Niummer hurriedly placed her hand on Kevin’s body and released her divine power.

Cough, cough.

But the wounds were far too severe.

With Niummer’s weak divine power and low level, she couldn’t heal injuries like these.

“Ha… ha…”

Before long, her divine energy ran out.

Still, Kevin seemed to regain a bit of consciousness. Breathing heavily, he asked in a faint voice:

“Re… Reina… what about Reina?”

Even in a situation like this, the first thing he asked about was his lover.

You really loved her, huh?

“……”

Neither of them spoke.

It wasn’t hard to understand what that silence meant.

Smack.

The indecisive man suddenly brushed away Niummer’s healing hand with sunken eyes.

“I… have a request.”

In the most decisive moment of his otherwise timid life, he made his choice.

“Please… log me out… Please log me out.”

Niummer spoke with a twisted expression.

“You know there’s no such thing as logging out here—”

“Please… let me log out…”

Kevin grabbed Niummer’s hand.

His trembling gaze drifted toward the cold sword at her side.

“I want to go… where Reina is… where my family is…”

“……”

Niummer looked down at him with shaking eyes.

Crunch.

Then she squeezed her eyes shut and drove the sword down.

She granted the dying man’s final wish.

That day, I committed my first murder.

It felt several times more disgusting than killing monsters.

But deep inside, something whispered quietly:

That it wasn’t such a bad thing.

After all—

[Experience has increased.]

Even though I killed someone of my own kind,

I still gained experience.

* * *

The countryside village at sunset had a peaceful, pastoral atmosphere.

It was the same when four of them returned yesterday—and when only two returned today.

Ignoring the subtle looks from the militia members, the two walked silently.

“Ahem. That’s how it happened.”

The village chief was giving a long speech to the young men of the village.

The two paid him no attention and headed to the inn.

“Want a drink?”

Azov asked.

Was he trying to lift her gloomy mood? Or was he trying to lift his own?

Niummer nodded.

“Sure.”

They went to the inn and ordered beer.

One mug cost a copper coin—the price of a night’s lodging.

But today, they didn’t care.

How long has it been since I’ve had alcohol?

How many times had they wanted to forget the reality they were stuck in?

But she had kept pushing forward.

For one reason alone.

She wanted to live.

Niummer eagerly took a big gulp of beer.

“Blegh.”

She instantly regretted it.

Unlike the beer in her original world, the beer here tasted terrible.

It had no carbonation, was lukewarm, and bland.

It tasted like watered-down grain sludge.

Is this the taste of the medieval era? Or is this place just bad at making it?

There really wasn’t a single thing she liked about this world.

“Ghk.”

Azov took a sip and frowned as well.

He pushed the beer aside and ordered cider instead.

Should’ve ordered this from the start.

It was several times more expensive, but the fruit wine was at least drinkable.

The two quickly started passing the bottle back and forth without even ordering food.

“This damn world… damn NPC bastards…”

“I will definitely… hic… go back home… to my wife and daughter…”

They vented their frustrations and drank away their exhaustion.

Then—

Step. Step.

The door opened and someone approached.

“Looks like something sad happened.”

It was Drnak, one of the village youths.

He often tried to flirt with Niummer and now spoke with a smile.

“Mind your own business.”

“Still as cold as ever.”

Drnak sighed when she snapped at him.

But then he casually placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Niummer. If you’re okay with it… could we talk alone?”

Azov growled.

“You bastard—”

But Niummer’s reaction was more surprising.

“Fine.”

With a mysterious smile, she stopped Azov and followed Drnak outside.

“Ohhh.”

“For real?”

Outside, several young men from the village youth group were watching like spectators expecting a performance.

The two walked behind a building.

It was a watermill.

Under the falling moonlight, the woman’s face looked like a sculpture.

The young man standing before her was ordinary—but that contrast made him seem more striking.

“What did you want to say?”

It looked like a scene from a fairy tale.

But—

“How much?”

His words ruined it.

“Why are you acting so expensive when you’re just a drifter?”

Drnak pulled coins from his pocket and tossed them at Niummer’s feet.

“That’s what you brought me here for?”

Niummer’s smile deepened.

It was the smile of a beast showing its fangs.

“You followed me here knowing exactly what I wanted. And you’re calculating right now, aren’t you?”

Drnak’s eyes gleamed like a snake’s.

“How can I—”

Just as he grabbed her shoulders and leaned in—

THUD.

Niummer’s knee shot forward like lightning and slammed into his stomach.

The force was unbelievable for a woman.

Drnak staggered as the air was knocked out of him.

“Ghh—ugh—”

He vomited.

Niummer grabbed his hair tightly.

“Ack! Let—let go! Do you know who I—”

“You started this crap first.”

SLAP.

Her calloused hand struck his face.

His lip split open instantly.

It hurt.

It hurt so badly he couldn’t even think about resisting.

“Uh… uhh…”

SLAP!

Another hit.

SLAP!

Another.

Drunk and humming cheerfully, the woman beat the young man mercilessly.

Then she shoved his face into his own vomit and stepped on his head.

“What did the village chief say earlier? He gathered you guys and talked about something.”

“The youth council’s… agenda…”

Her eyes flashed coldly.

He was lying.

Otherwise his attitude wouldn’t have changed overnight.

She pressed down harder.

Drnak screamed.

“The—The chief said! That you—where you came from—!”

He rambled, but the meaning was clear enough.

As the truth came out, Niummer’s eyes sank darker and darker.

So that’s how it is…

That old bastard.

Crack.

She clenched her teeth.

“AAAAAH! Stop! STOOOOP!”

Just as his screams grew louder—

THUD!

She kicked him in the face.

Shing.

She drew the dagger that once belonged to Reina and stabbed it into the ground in front of his eye.

The blade stopped less than 1 cm away.

“H-Hiii!”

“Hey.”

Her voice dropped low.

“Are you going to answer?”

“Yes! Yes!”

“If something like this happens again, it won’t be fun. Killing someone like you is nothing to me. Got it?”

He nodded frantically.

Now he was crying—and had even wet his pants.

He had acted tough as part of the militia, but he had never actually killed anyone.

Niummer’s violence and killing intent were far beyond what he could handle.

“A monster…”

He had just provoked a monster.

“Good. Don’t forget that mindset.”

Smiling beautifully like a twisted murderer, Niummer lightly tapped his head before walking away.

Later, when the laughing youth group arrived—

“Hey Drnak, have fun?”

“How was it? Did you— Drnak!”

What they found was their friend, half out of his mind with terror.

“Ghhh…”

* * *

Morning came.

Outside was bright blue instead of the usual gray gloom.

Chirp chirp.

Mountain birds sang nearby.

“Ugh…”

Azov groaned from his hangover and looked around.

Niummer was already awake, swinging her sword.

Whoosh. Whoosh.

Each swing cut through the air with a heavy sound.

Azov felt like something about her had changed.

Since yesterday.

She spoke.

“Azov.”

“Yeah.”

“From now on, no more newbie care.”

“……”

“More precisely, not like before. You understand, right?”

Reina’s reckless action.

Kevin’s foolish behavior.

The tragedy that followed—and the party’s strength being cut in half instantly.

Azov understood yesterday’s failure all too well.

He licked his dry lips.

“Of course. So how will we do it?”

Niummer nodded and stepped outside the barn.

“AAAAAH! Let—let go! It hurts—!”

Soon she dragged someone inside by the hair.

It was a filthy-looking man.

A newcomer who had arrived before Reina and Kevin.

But he had failed to adapt and had been wandering aimlessly ever since.

Thud.

She threw him to the ground.

“My way.”

Shing.

She drew the sword at her waist.

“I’m going to work you like hell.”

The blade gleamed coldly.

“If you don’t listen—”

“I’ll kill you.”