Chapter 160: Emergence (2)


    As Frey inquired on the matter, another blue light emitted out into the area and revealed the figure of Raina logging into the game. In the next moment, she was greeted by an absolutely warm wee of seemingly dead bodies lying around the cold hard ground.


    "...?" Raina blinked at the sight. "This is...?" Wanting to question as like how Frey had been doing for the past minute, she soon closed her mouth shut as she listened in on the confused Frey.


    "...uh, hello? Earth to everyone here?" Frey raised her brow with a big question mark on her head. Not only was had she been greeted by the sight of dead bodies, but no sound came out from them at all. It was as if they were really dead. "Are you guys alive? Hey!"


    Walking up towards the still body of a blonde-haired man, Frey bent down as she soon pped the face of the formerwhilst calling out his name. "Hey! Ethaniel! Are you dead?!"


    "..."


    Though despite the p on the face, there were no abrupt sounds nor movement from Ethaniel.


    "T-This is... A-Are they really dead?!" Frey gulped in fear as she slightly trembled, taking a step back in disbelief. "No, no! We''ve only been gone for an hour or two in real-time, right? How could they possibly be dead?!"


    Considering to p the face of Ethaniel much harder than before, she was quickly stopped by Raina. "H-Hey, Frey... Please wait a moment!"


    "Huh?" Stopping at her action midway, Frey abruptly turned to Raina in a questioning demeanour. "What do you mean, ''please wait a moment?'' I need to confirm whether they''re dead or not!"


    "A-Ahem... I don''t think they''re dead..." Raina uttered out as her head turned to the bodiesying on the rocky floors. "If they are... They would probably have turned into ashes and respawned somewhere else. But they didn''t."


    "Well, I know that. But just look at them! What part of ''they''re not dead'' do you see? They''re not making any sound, no reaction, no movement! Eeek!" Frey shivered at the thought. "Are they turning into zombies?!"


    "I mean they do look like they''re dead..." Raina tilted her head. "But they''re still breathing. So, the only logical exnation would be... They''re asleep?"


    "Asleep? Asleep??" Frey blinked at the thought. "Sleeping in an ufortable position... That''s new."


    "Alright... Maybe not asleep, but ratherunconscious?" Raina thought. "There seem to have been a battle around here... And they seem to have barely won it in a clutch."


    "Hmm, maybe! But still, if there was a battle that urred here... Were there casualties?" Frey tilted her head in question. "I don''t see some people... Rustly... Reru... and... KON! WHERE IS KON!?"


    "H-Hey, Frey calm down!" Raina murmured out in a worried tone. "I''m sure they''re safe... But you''re right. They''re not here..."


    ...


    On the heavy snow path that surrounded the ins of Bareth, two girls rushed through the forest as they hurried over to the slimes by the distance.


    "H-Hey...! Crowelin, wait for a second!" Hikari cried out as she was pulled by Crowelin through the snow.


    "No time! We might miss our only chance if we dilly dally any longer!" replying in a hurried tone, the two closed in on the distance between the slimes. "You want to get out of here too and finish up the quest, right?"


    "I mean yes... But, that''s not the point," Hikari stopped Crowelin at her tracks whilst speaking out. "What I''m trying to say is... Perhaps we might be going in on them at the wrong time."


    "Huh? What do you mean?" Crowelin tilted her head. "At the wrong time?"


    "You heard the few sentences from the distance earlier, right? I reckon they may be in an important discussion..." Hikari reasoned. So, disturbing them might ruin our chances at everything here."


    "Oh, huh..." Crowelin blurted out in an abrupt tone as she soon took a deep breath. "Sigh... My bad. I got too over myself with finally finding some locals."


    "Aha, it''s fine~!" Hikari smiled. "Let''s just wait around until they''ve finished discussing things. There''s still time before nightfall."


    With a nod of their heads, the two slowly scrunched over towards one of the trees in the distance as they soon listened in on the conversation between the two slimes.


    Although they had to wait around for them to finish up, they were quite curious about the discussion between the slimes as it wasn''t every day that they find seemingly civilized monsters.


    "So what if I always preferred thisnguage? I''d rather think of it as my mother tongue at this point," the blue small slime stated. "The Gloopin''snguage just isn''t my thing... No matter how many faces I put up with speaking it."


    "I can tell. You alwaysin and everything, but that isn''t the point I''m trying to make here," the other slime stated. "If you wish to speak Arcos, then fine. If that''s what it takes to get you talking to me, I don''t mind."


    "Yeah? So what is it? Why did you follow me out here in the open like that?" The small slimeRustly inquired in a condescending tone. "Are you here to give me a wake-up call? I don''t need it. You should be helping out the humans instead!"


    "Rustly, listen here. The humans can handle themselves just fine if they don''t do anything stupid like attracting a horde of monsters like at that ruin over there," the other slimeReru spoke in a resolute tone. "But you? You can handle yourself? Hah... I''d like to digress. But who am I to judge?"


    "Yeah, who are you to judge?" Rustly red at Reru. "But whatever. You''re beating around the bush here. You''re not answering my question. Why did you follow me all the way out here?"


    "..." Reru kept quiet as he took a deep breath. "I''m here because I want to know for sure about your true feelings. Just who is Sanke and Lier to you? On that note... Those humans who you rather seem quite fond of even if you don''t look that way. Ethaniel, was it? Then there''s Shinto..."


    "...who are they to me?" Rustly averted his gaze away from Reru. "People who I seem to rte more than even you, or my own race. That''s what."


    "To the point, you''d feel the need to neglect your family and your race for the sake of Lier?"


    "..." Rustly kept quiet as he soon divulged the topic. "Then who is Renryth to you?"


    "Rustly... We''re going nowhere with this!" Shouting out in a condemning tone, Reru''s words were soon cut short as a loud sound protruded out into the distance.


    "W-Wait... Did I just hear Shinto?" A female''s voice abruptly spoke out.


    "No... That can''t be, right? I mean... What coincidence would it be if he was here?" Another distinct voice replied.


    "...tch. People eavesdropping?" Taking out his sword in an annoyed manner, Reru uttered out. "Oi,e out or die."


    "..."


    As the warning was stated by Reru, the voices soon remained quiet. However, there was no movement within the area.


    "I''ve got no time for this shit," Reru clicked his tongue as he began making his way over to the direction of where he had heard the voices. "If you''re noting out, I''m going to you then."


    "...cough," letting out a slight cough upon hearing from the slimethe two figures which revealed to Hikari and Crowelin slowly showed themselves from behind the tree. "...we mean no harm!"


    "Hah... More humans? Just how many will we have this week?" Reru seemed to be frowning. "Hmph... But in any case, out with it humans. Why were you eavesdropping on us?"


    "Aha..." Hikari let out an awkwardugh. "We wearn''t exactly eavesdropping you see... All we wanted was to seek out help. However... You both seem rather busy."


    "Help?" Reru questioned. "I''ve got no time for whatever help you may need. I have my own business to handle," nonchntly speaking out his words, Reru began moving away from the two humans.


    "Ack- Hey, wait! Wait!" Crowelin shouted out. "You''re locals, right? We just need directions to the cavern that leads to a vige! Would you please tell us where it is? Then, we''ll leave after."


    "...cavern that leads to a vige? Locals?" Reru seemed to be raising his brow. "You''re misunderstanding. I''m no local to this ce. You''re barking up the wrong tree here."


    "W-We are...?" Hikari sighed. "So you''re not locals, huh? Then... Could you answer another question from us?"


    "Sigh... Look, humans. I''d hate to give you time out of my free time to help you, but, fortunately, I am extremely busy with other matters. So, if you would just leave-" As Reru was about to leave the two humans be, his steps soon stopped upon hearing the question from Hikari.


    "...do you know who the adventurer ''Shinto'' is?"


    "...Shinto?" Reru inquired back on Hikari. Soon after, he turned around as he began to scrutinize the two humans in front of him. "What do you want?"