LV999 – Chapter 11, Part 21

An Endless Journey

Part 21

NT: Hello there. Catora’s here. I’m a little late, i know, i’m sorry. I was, a little, kinda, busy. Not too much actualy, but, i was still trying to get use to the «online classes» my university’s giving due the pandemic. Is… not bad. Is not like, perfect, but, my teachers are doing all they can right know, so… it’s fine. I’m fine. I hope you’re fine too.

Although everyone had already managed to reach a relatively safe area, the fact that three Eaters•Kuijin-zoku• managed to eliminate more than a dozen of their companions, including those who belonged to the first group to come to the surface, was still making everyone feel really tense.

First of all, the Eaters•Kuijin-zoku• do not usually prowl around areas where there are few monsters to hunt, in the same way, it would be really rare to see them in places where there were few prey. The only thing Balmung could imagine about this was that the Eaters•Kuijin-zoku• they had run into had simply passed through that place by mere coincidence after drifting off while chasing the Beast’s Fangs•Kemono Kiba-zoku• that they were fleeing, which would have finally caused the misfortune that had unfolded moments before.

「We managed to escape somehow… But it will become a real problem if the Eaters•Kuijin-zoku•• begin to inhabit this area. I think we managed to end all Eaters•Kuijin-zoku• that were around here, but these have definitely gotten smarter… If we go back now, they could end up discovering the underground facilities. We cannot return until we are sure that they have left this area to look for food elsewhere」

Everyone felt exhausted after the event that occurred just a few minutes ago, but they did not have time to rest. 「We’ll leave after taking a three-minute break」, Balmung shouted, as he thrust his great sword into the ground while muttering a few heartbroken things.

「… It is not time for regrets」

「… We came here to defeat the Beast’s Fangs•Kemono Kiba-zoku•. We will not be able to give our colleagues a proper farewell until we are finished. If we don’t achieve our goal, their deaths will have been in vain」

The only thing Takako could do while Balmung and the others tried to overcome the loss of their companions was to look towards a city that could be seen in the distance.

「You didn’t it bad at all. I thought you were just another group of warriors, but I see you have some awesome Skills. I would like to thank you for helping us back there」

「If you want to thank someone, say it to Tina-chan, who is lying over there」

Takako said while pointing to a group of members of Resistance, among which was Tina, who seemed to be suffering some spasms from exhaustion.

Due to the situation they were in, she hadn’t had enough time to recover from the side effects of her Skill, and now she couldn’t even move due to the extreme exhaustion she suffered, which caused Krull and Alice to approach her to help her as they could.

「Of course, I will also thank Tina. If it wasn’t for her, we definitely would have suffered even more casualties than we already had」

Balmung said while smiling relieved. However, Takako on the other hand could only cross her arms while the uncertainty that caused her to think about the kind of experiences they would have to go through in the future consumed her from her inside.

「The Eaters•Kuijin-zoku•… Does the fact that they have been given a name mean that we will encounter enemies of different races besides them? The other races that we will face… are they as dangerous as those Eaters•Kuijin-zoku•?」

「I don’t like to admit it, but yes. The worst thing is that there are other races even more dangerous than the Eaters•Kuijin-zoku•. Even the Beast’s Fangs•Kemono Kiba-zoku• that we are going to face will turn out to be a more dangerous opponent than Eaters•Kuijin-zoku•, you know?」

「Wait, if they’re so dangerous, then why do they have to run away from Eaters•Kuijin-zoku•? 」

「Because the Beast’s Fangs•Kemono Kiba-zoku• make use of their five senses while fighting. They are completely incompatible with assassins like the Eaters•Kuijin-zoku•, which do not make any sound or emit any odor 」

Takako had thought that fighting the Beast’s Fangs•Kemono Kiba-zoku• would be simpler than fighting against the Eaters•Kuijin-zoku•, but after hearing Balmung’s words, she could only duck her head in disappointment.

「Those things… are they all over the world? Is there any way we can win? 」

「… Who knows, but it will definitely be our end if we give up. That is why we must continue fighting. Also, although this time we were the ones who ended up being attacked by the Eaters•Kuijin-zoku•, originally this area was an area occupied by Monsters and other forms of intelligent life. Back then, our predecessors made their way and allowed us to settle in one place. And since then, we started to move forward little by little… That is why I am sure that someday we will be able to retrieve this world, although our generation may not be the one that achieves that goal」

Then Balmung smiled with a hopeful look. However, Takako was still feeling uneasy. That 『Someday』 was useless to Takako. Although she had come here to help Kagami, her main objective was still to save this world to release Earth Clear of the Reset mechanism.

However, they only had two years to save this world with the help of the three groups of survivors scattered around it, no, taking into account the fact that time progressed three times faster here, it was correct to assume that they had less than one year to fulfill their objective, and in view of the situation in which they found themselves, saving this world in that short period of time seemed to be something very difficult, if not impossible.

There was no doubt that the King, the Dark Dragon and Estellar were aware of the situation in the world. In that case, why did they give them hope and then establish such an absurd time limit? Takako did not understand what they were thinking. Maybe they just decided that letting them do whatever they wanted to do just to learn the cruel reality they faced would be simpler than trying to give them some explanation for their actions. At least that was what Takako believed.

「I understand how you feel… but you must stay alert, being careless can result in a fatal accident. Furthermore, there is still the possibility that we may run into the Ace during this attack against the Beast’s Fangs•Kemono Kiba-zoku•」

「¿Ace…? What is that?」

「It is a term that we use to refer to a particular member of the Beast’s Fangs•Kemono Kiba-zoku•. Is a member of the Beast’s Fangs•Kemono Kiba-zoku• which has even earned the hatred of his brothers due his troublesome behavior… Basically, it is a type of Beast’s Fangs•Kemono Kiba-zoku• more active that doesn’t always move along with the rest of the group」

「Is he strong? Is there a difference between his abilities and those of others Beast’s Fangs•Kemono Kiba-zoku•? 」

「Of course he is, he’s far superior then the normal Beast’s Fangs•Kemono Kiba-zoku•. It is as if they are on completely different levels. We could even say that… Ace is a completely different kind of monster compared with the Beast’s Fangs•Kemono Kiba-zoku•. Usually we don’t run into him… but we can’t let our guard down. Do you understand? No matter what happens… Don’t let your guard down!」

Balmung couldn’t help but clench his teeth bitterly as he recalled an event that had happened in the past. Seeing that, Takako could understand that the Ace was an enemy that even Balmung, who was at level 273, could not handle.

Takako began to feel even more depressed than before after understanding how dangerous they were the type of opponent they would have to face.

「Kagami-chan… How did you feel when you came into this world?」

Kagami, who had seen the same world as her, flashed through her mind. Takako still remembered the words of Mary and Yuki, who said that Kagami had seemed to have intended to fight at first, but then began to ignore the captain’s orders and stopped fighting.

Did you do it because you felt desperate? Did you give up? Or maybe you ignored his orders because you had something in mind? Takako couldn’t help but once again recognize the impressive type of person that Kagami was as those countless thoughts flashed through her head.

「We are about to leave. Finally, we have the opportunity to counterattack… We cannot waste it」

Then, Balmung took his sword, which he had nailed to the ground, and said, 「Let’s show them what we are made of」, with a determined look on his face, at the same time as he began to walk towards his destination.

Takako, understanding that soon she and the others would have to start moving forward as well, turned to Tina, who was still trying to recover.

NT: As always, if you find something weird, whatever, just tell me in the comments

---

Prior ||| Index |||Next