Old People Don’t Hold Hands - Chapter 113



Only Krnovel

Episode 113, The Fugitive (2)

As soon as I heard the scream, I stopped trying to clear the place.

Even though death is ubiquitous in this labyrinth and monsters flock to it upon smelling it…

It was strange to hear screams coming from the Red Thorn Swamp at this time.

After all, it’s only been a day since the labyrinth was closed.

But if you’ve come here, you should at least be skilled enough to clear the first floor within a few hours.

Besides, the Red Thorn Swamp wasn’t a world line with many variables from the beginning.

But the fact that an accident like this happened… … .

I couldn’t help but feel it instinctively.

This was not a scream from a monster.

To be exact, it would be by ‘people’.

“… …Dicklen, did you hear that?”

“Yes, let’s pack our bags again first.”

“… … Let’s do that.”

Following Nowen’s quick words, we immediately packed our things back into our backpacks.

I slowly moved towards the source of the sound.

As I approached, I often encountered people.

It seems like everyone came rushing in after hearing the screams… … .

Perhaps because they had become more vigilant after the scream, most groups they encountered turned away and moved away.

Occasionally, teams would meet face to face because their routes were similar.

The group of adventurers we encountered along the way consisted of two teams.

One team was a group of fairly old men mixed in.

Another team.

“… … Oh, nice to meet you.”

It was a group of new adventurers, led by a heavily armed young knight.

“I guess the road all leads this way? Since we met like this.”

“… … Oh, I guess so.”

Instead of answering what the bushy-haired man said, I just nodded.

“Hehe, you’re a quieter friend than I thought. Where were you all going?”

“I heard a strange sound. I was moving around to figure out the situation.”

“Haha, we are the same. After all, it’s because of the past incident that we feel a bit uneasy.”

The knight just laughed in vain at the sight of the old man speaking to him as if nothing had happened.

Even at a moment like this, you can tell that you’re a rookie because you’re just wandering around without any sense of caution.

“… … What brings you here?”

“We just heard the screams and came here.”

“Hmm, I see… … . Shouldn’t we at least make a statement about this?”

“… … Statement?”

“Sat, are you speaking of the official statement?”

“If something like this happens, it can’t be the work of a monster. It’s safer to gather your allies at times like this.”

Hmm, colleagues… … .

“When you say this, it sounds like you’re asking me to come with you.”

“Haha, that’s right. Wasn’t there an incident caused by hunters recently?”

Well, that’s true, though.

I don’t think this is a problem that can be easily overlooked.

First of all, meeting someone like this and asking about their personal information is just plain wrong.

It was one of the common methods used by hunters.

“Hehe, it seems like you’re being cautious, so I’ll speak first. I’m Bhak. I don’t have any other powers, just some good physical abilities.”

… … Oh, there is no separate power.

“Oh, I see? I’ve heard that there are adventurers who aren’t heirs… … but this is the first time I’ve met one like this.”

“Huh, really? Well, usually this labyrinth is full of those chosen by the gods.”

The rookie reporter laughed heartily at the old man.

“So, what’s your name?”

“I, I am Berman. I have the power of steel… … .”

“Hahaha, as you can see, it’s a truly honest ability!”

After laughing heartily at the words of the rookie reporter who introduced himself as Berman.

Now the bushy old man turned his gaze towards me.

As if to say, “What are you doing without saying anything?”

“I don’t plan on making a statement or anything.”

“… … Hmm? None?”

No matter how you look at it, in a situation like the present, it would be better to disclose information rather than insist on joining forces.

Isn’t it reasonable to be suspicious of everyone you meet?

In the first place, we encountered them not long after hearing the screams, so how did we know that the culprit was among them?

Moreover, if the statement is true, one side is a non-heir team with little power.

The other side is a team that has power but still looks like a rookie… … .

No matter how much I look at it, it seems like it’ll just be a burden.

“I have no intention of cooperating with you.”

The old man who had been laughing heartily until the wedge was hammered in hardened his expression.

He gripped the axe in his hand tightly.

“If you don’t even give a basic introduction, we can’t suspect you… … ?”

Well, even if you threaten me like that.

“How could I trust you and give you my information in the first place? We can’t help but be wary of you too.”

“… … Haven’t we proven our trust?”

… … Are you talking about trust over something like that?

“If trust can be proven with just one statement, it would be better if it didn’t exist at all.”

“… … Are you really okay with not joining us?”

As I watched him ask with a solemn expression while holding an axe, my conviction only grew stronger.

I am confident that I did the right thing by not revealing information unnecessarily and leaving an opening.

“okay.”

“… … Then there’s nothing we can do. Are you planning to join us?”

“Yes, yes? That, that’s right.”

Let’s respond to the provocation without giving in. The old man put the axe back as if nothing had happened.

He led a team of rookie adventurers and disappeared to the other side.

As he disappeared, the rookie knight kept looking back at me, as if he was still dazed.

Well, that’s unfortunate.

Perhaps the novice reporter was being taken advantage of.

Since the situation was already dire, those without power were just a burden.

Unlike monsters that can be dealt with to some extent with equipment, the Successor will be difficult to deal with.

So, I was trying to find people who would fight together with me to find a way to survive.

It was just some unlucky novice adventurers who got caught there.

… … Well, if not that, then it could have been a hunter.

Anyway, it’s a good thing I didn’t join.

After wrapping up the awkward situation with the adventurer team, let’s search the surrounding area.

Before long, a clue was discovered.

A single corpse lying miserably on the floor.

When I got closer and examined it, I saw that the body was completely charred.

To be exact, it wasn’t so much a burnt appearance as it was an appearance that seemed to have had all the vitality sucked out of it.

… … As if it were a rag.

But it’s strange.

No matter how you look at it, it’s not a rag.

It was like that from the beginning, it was completely dried up and dead.

When rags die, they turn to ashes and disappear.

Besides, there are no monsters in the Red Thorn Swamp that can kill people, no matter how you look at it.

It’s definitely human work.

“This isn’t… … the work of a hunter, is it?”

Diana, who had examined the body together, cautiously suggested a possibility.

“I don’t think he’s a hunter.”

To begin with, this body was not a rag.

As he said this, Biella, who had personally witnessed the death of Ragdoll, nodded.

“It would be strange if you weren’t a hunter. It would be rare for someone to kill someone in this labyrinth.”

“… … That’s right.”

No matter how I look at it, it’s strange.

Usually, 90% of the murders that occur in the labyrinth are caused by hunters.

But if you’re not a hunter, you can’t help but wonder.

The question is why it was necessary to kill humans.

And at this time.

“Ku …

The scream was heard again.

… … and that too, not far from us.

What I felt the moment I heard the scream.

Someone was coming this way.

“Everyone, get into battle stance!”

As he said that, he drew his sword and took a fighting stance.

It was he who jumped in from behind us.

“Huk, huuk, huh, d, help me… … !”

… … It was the group of beginner adventurers I had just encountered.

“… … What’s going on?”

“Ha, we were ambushed while we were moving together! Lo, a group of robed people suddenly… …!”

There was no need to listen to that awkward guy’s explanation any longer.

Before the novice knight could even finish his explanation.

“Ugh, creak, creak… … .”

The opponent was approaching, carrying a bushy-haired man in one arm.

… … As the novice knight said, the bastard was wearing a black robe over his head.

No, I think there are a few more behind them, so should I say ‘they’?

Instead of looking at the man’s face, which was hidden behind the robe, I looked at his hands.

There was something moving and squelching in the hand of the man holding the old man’s neck, and it was… … .

“……blood?”

Clearly, the blood flowing from the old man’s neck was flowing into the bastard’s hand.

As if absorbing it.

“Ker, ugh, live, save, give me… … .”

The old man, struggling and having all his blood sucked out, fell to the floor without any strength.

The body of the fallen man was as black and dried as the corpse I had just seen.

… … That means that corpse is also their work.

However, the strange thing was that even though there were many gods in EndWorld, none of them had such power.

So the conclusion is.

“… … Are you guys manifesters?”

When I asked him outright, he flinched for a moment.

That’s right, manifester.

… … So, are these the guys that Aizel was talking about?

It’s not common for a manifester to be lucky enough to escape to the labyrinth.

Well, to be honest, there were times when I had to fight because I was ordered to do so.

If they came out so threateningly, we had no choice but to attack.

So I cracked my knuckles for a moment.

Hurrruk!

He called for the goods and swung one arm.

Kwaaaa …

The goods ran quickly as if they were going to devour them.

What was left behind after the fire passed were not their corpses.

All that was there was the body of an old man who was already dead and burned.

… … Looking at this, there is no trace, so it seems like it was avoided.

Did you use any of the other manifester’s abilities?

“Ugh.”

I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

I just thought they were all lucky enough to enter the labyrinth.

… … It’s not as easy as I heard.

“It’s going to get pretty difficult.”

It might be best to just not get involved, but now that we know they’re manifesters.

I couldn’t just let it go.

And there was no need to worry about quality.

While I was thinking about how I could find out where the guys had run away to.

Someone suddenly grabbed my clothes.

I glanced down and saw that it was none other than a rookie knight standing there.

“Well, if you can use the goods and have black hair… …, then you must be Mr. Dicklen!”

“… … ?”

What is this?

“Aren’t you Mr. Declen? I saw you dueling from afar a while ago… …!”

Oh, that’s what I mean… … .

Since my face has already been sold, I can’t deny it.

I scratched the back of my head and looked down at him as I spoke.

“That’s true, but let’s just let it go for now.”

“Oh, yes, yes! Sorry!”

Even though it was a fairly sharp remark, the man with the military discipline stood up straight.

The guy was standing upright and looking at me.

With eyes full of respect, yet intense enough to be burdensome.

And without taking his eyes off me, he said this.

“I’m so glad we have people like you, Mr. Declen! We, we survived!”

“……what?”

“From now on, I will leave everything to you, Mr. Declen! Please just let me go with you!”