LV999 Villager - Volume 3 - Chapter 11.17

Chapter 11, Part 17

An Endless Journey

「Of course, the Demons are also quite powerful… but they are still at a level where the inhabitants of Earth Clear can deal with them. Also… the Demons do not deliberately attack humans. Actually, it could be said that they are the ones who are attacked by humans. Even I saw Demons as an absolute evil without realizing the truth when I was still in Earth Clear」

「Balmung-san, are you from Earth Clear too?」

「That’s right. I arrived here a long time ago with some friends, but they all died, and now only I remain」

After saying that, Balmung muttered, 「Huh, there is no one left」, at the same time that he was enveloped by a heavy atmosphere.

「Then they must be quite strong. Much stronger than the Demons at least」

「So is. Even you, who have the role of Hero•Yûsha•, could end up being overwhelmed when you fight against them. Unlike us, the beasts we are going to face against lack Magic Power, yet their physical capabilities are absurdly high. Furthermore, their sense of smell and hearing are abnormally sharp, making them especially dangerous in cities. They can escape before we reach them, and attack us from our blind spots. That is why we must be careful with each step we take and the rhythm of our breathing when we face them. They are quite troublesome guys… and good at fighting」

Rex couldn’t help but frown at the confused way Balmung described their opponents, however, Mary, who was walking next to them, pointed to the magic weapon she carried on her thigh and said, 「Many of them are skillful enough to evade the firing of our weapons, even if we shoot them at point blank range」, after hearing that explanation, which finally gave Rex a clearer idea of how strong his opponents were, he began to drop drops of cold sweat.

「Let’s not get ahead! We have Skills, remember? Also, that they surpass us in speed does not mean that they surpass us in everything else」

「But Speed ​​is still a big thing during combat. And they don’t need to be too strong to harm us. They are still smart… enough to use weapons if they need to, understand?」

Mary said in response to Menou’s words. However, it seemed that Mary still had something to say.

「But they don’t have magic power, so they are pretty bad with long range attacks. And even if they are smart beings, they are not smart enough to make some sophisticated weapon, and at most they usually only use things like knives and crossbows. If we find ourselves somewhere full of blind spots, they could easily launch a surprise attack on us taking advantage of their great speed… but this time it will be us who will surprise them. Although that does not mean that it will be easy」

Almost at the same time that Mary finished, the group arrived at the white cylindrical building that rose to the ceiling, which was located at the back of the headquarters of Resistance . Half of the members of Resistance who had come was still here, and as soon as Balmung arrived, he advanced to the entrance, where there were 8 people who had to join forces to open the door manually.

The whole group could feel how hard the place they were going to be now would be after seeing how, despite the fact that until now everything had been automated, it took 8 people to open that door, which emitted an intense feeling of 『Do not pass 』.

「The half have already advanced to the surface to ensure the safety of the area. We’ll leave as soon as you order us to 」

After one of the members of Resistance inform Balmung of this, this one went inside the white cylindrical building. Immediately after, the other members of Resistance, along with Takako and the rest, followed him. Immediately after everyone entered, the door began to close on its own causing a dull sound the moment it closed.

After that, everyone started to feel like they were floating.

「Are we… going up?」

「Thsts right. Noah is very deep underground so that the creatures outside cannot reach us. You must be very careful from here on out… since from here on, we all run the risk of losing our lives. Make sure you work really hard so you don’t lose your friends」

「Uhh… that makes me nervous」

Tina, who had begun to feel uneasy, hugged the bible she carried with her. On the other hand, Takako, Menou and Rex sharpened their senses as they looked up at the ceiling. They were clear that they were the ones with the highest chances of dying since, unlike the rest, they did not know what would be waiting for them abroad.

「Hey, Takako-san, do you think… Kagami-san’s alright?」

Alice muttered with a restless look as she watched them slowly approach the surface.

「I don’t know, but… our main objective is to save this world so that nothing happens to Earth Clear. I want to think he’s fine, but right now we should think of ourselves first」

「Yes, I understand」

Alice couldn’t control herself. She had come to this place to meet Kagami again, however, when she finally arrived, she was told that he had already died a long time ago. Of course, they could have been wrong, but even so, that failed to suppress their frustration.

「Alright, I’m sure he’s alive somewhere」, she told to herself, however, the fact that he hadn’t returned to Resistance in half a year, and that the exterior was such a dangerous place, ended up clouding her thoughts.

Krull felt the same way as she did. However, like Takako, she felt she had a responsibility to save Earth Clear, so she gripped her staff tightly and tried to focus all her attention on the battle that was about to begin, at the same time that she begged for Kagami’s safety deep in his heart.

「You two look horrible, seriously, I feel like I’m going to die of depression just to see you」

「AH!, I-I am fine!」

After seeing the state of those two, Palna let out a sigh and wrapped her arms around the heads of those two and hugged them.

「If you want to find out if that guy really is dead or not, you must first survive, got it? Everything will be useless if you die before you can meet him again」

Then, Palna added, 「Come on come on, cheer up」, as she pushed them against her chest.

「U-Un. I-I got it, Palna-san 」

「Please, let me go! I can’t… breath…!」

The two girls, who had restless expressions on their faces, finally realized that they were worrying their friends after seeing the anxious look on Palna’s face.

「Good, it seems that you are ready. Just in time too」

Balmung said with a distant smile, while strengthening his expression as he saw how the elevator was about to reach the end.

At that moment, the feeling of going up began to fade as the elevator stopped just before hitting the ceiling. A short time later, the dome-shaped roof split in two and let in the light from outside. Then the exterior of Earth finally became visible to everyone.

The exterior was littered with what appeared to be the ruins of the so-called buildings spoken of in the legends of Earth Clear, which had been covered by the heaps of moss and brush that had grown uncontrollably, turning the whole place into a real jungle.

「Nobody move!」

At the moment when Takako, who was speechless due to the incredible scene that spread in front of her, tried to take a step forward, Balmung shouted that to stop her.

「Don’t move… We are inside a camouflage barrier that hides us from everything that is outside. If you go out, we will be discovered」

「Then will we stay here?」

The moment Palna asked Balmung that, he began to exude beads of cold sweat as he looked around impatiently, as if trying to find something.

「There’s no one… The unit that came out earlier to secure the place is nowhere to be found… What’s going on?」

Everyone’s complexion changed as they began to look around. As he had said, the other half of the members of Resistance who had leave before was nowhere to be found.